“Please tell me, who is it?”
Though it was a precious question from her daughter, Cheonma remained silent, her lips sealed.
It wasn’t that she couldn’t answer. It was just that she deliberately chose not to.
“Mother?”
“But what does knowing that person do for you?”
“We must stop them immediately. They turn back time, disrupt the natural harmony of heaven and earth, and disturb the principles of nature.”
“Hmm…”
Cheonma pondered deeply.
Her daughter, So-gyob, loved nature. Specifically, she loved nature in its pristine condition.
Therefore, she despised humans. Even though she herself was born human, she deeply abhorred humans for disrupting nature without regard.
The reasons for this go beyond just nature, but still…
“I’m sorry, but I cannot tell you.”
“May I at least know why?”
“I owe that person a debt. Moreover, I’ve already instructed them to live out their remaining years in peace. I don’t wish to go back on my word.”
“Remaining years?”
“That person has suffered more than enough. And I know what you’re worried about, but they likely won’t turn back time and disrupt nature’s principles anymore.”
Listening to her mother’s almost dissuasive words, So-gyob narrowed her eyes. Her absolutely unrelenting crimson eyes focused centrally.
“And besides, they aren’t as evil as you think. They didn’t do it for their selfish desires, but entirely for others. To protect others.”
“Are you defending them, Mother? Is this just my feeling?”
“Defense, yes. It’s also an excuse for not telling you. I have no other choice.”
Moreover, Cheonma harbored a sense of gratitude towards Geom-seong. They had sacrificed greatly for her selfish desires, and because of them, an impossible connection could continue.
“But…”
So-gyob’s voice grew quieter, as if deep in thought.
“If that’s true, didn’t they just recently turn back time?”
“…”
“Mother was in the Heaven Realm for the past four years, so there was no contact with the human world… and the last interaction between that person and you was at least four years ago…”
So-gyob flashed a red eye. She asked confidently.
“Could it be… that there isn’t just one person turning back time?”
“Indeed, I cannot say a word.”
“I’ll take your previous words as confirmation.”
“Hmm.”
“Mother, surely you know who the other person is as well?”
The question pressed on. Cheonma silently nodded.
“Do you have any intention of revealing the identity of that side?”
“Eventually, as time goes on, you two will naturally meet. There’s no need to be overly eager.”
“Sounds like you’re speaking from experience. I, however, am just beginning to ascend and can only see the surface of the world.”
“…I truly cannot say a word.”
Cheonma smiled like cracking a joke. An attempt to lighten the sullen atmosphere.
“Anyway, aren’t there no informations you’re permitted to share with me?”
Even to the cold So-gyob, who could make even the Lord of the North Sea shake his head, this was completely useless.
“Do you intend to hold this in your heart? I don’t want to create hostility over this matter.”
“That’s enough. I’m not a child, do you think I’d pout over something like this?”
“…Are you not actually a child? You’re only fourteen after all.”
“Tch, go away already. I’ve asked all I wanted to ask my mother.”
Coldly spoken words made Cheonma uneasy.
Not that she intended to sell out Geom-seong or someone else. However, she didn’t want to oppose her daughter, who was just going through puberty.
“Unless… instead of asking for information, could you grant me one request?”
During this, the sound of what seemed like a lifeline caught Cheonma’s interest.
“Request?”
“Go to them and tell them not to turn back time anymore. That act that defies natural ethics must be stopped immediately. If you would only do this much, I would be satisfied.”
“Hmm… If it’s the request of my only daughter, I will willingly grant it.”
Cheonma declared confidently. Although So-gyob didn’t particularly smile, the sharp atmosphere she was emitting did subside.
“Thank you.”
“What, it’s no big deal. And could you be a bit sweeter? Does it give you any advantage?”
A joke thrown casually. As usual, So-gyob answered firmly.
“Don’t expect that from me.”
“Hah, when you were little, you used to scream that I was the best in the world …”
“…! Did I ever?! If you’re just going to say nonsense, go away right now!”
“Where are you pretending lack of knowledge? The scribes at the marketplace clearly recorded when you brought candies and declared your love for me.”
“Are… Are such things really documented in the History Books?!”
“Of course, since your existence has been at the center of history since birth.”
With an unusual scene of So-gyob’s flustered state, Cheonma pleasantly shook off her accumulated grievances.
“That’s not all. If you look at the history books recorded by the scribes of the Demon Path, they even detail what and when you ate, what you said, and when you dropped baby talk. Shall I read you the spring festival story that I personally wrote?”
“It’s… It’s enough! If you’re done with your business, leave already!”
As her embarrassing past was gradually revealed, So-gyob’s face turned red like a beet and she extended her hands.
Very strongly.
Bang!
“…Such.”
Cheonma, shoved by So-gyob’s shoulders, flew far across, breaking through the wall of Gwangmyeong Hall.
Though it didn’t physically hurt her at all, Cheonma’s heart ached seeing her daughter, who had reached puberty, becoming increasingly troublesome.
Whoosh!
“Where are you flying to…”
Cheonma flew effortlessly through the sky, passing through the atmosphere toward the Central Plains.
“Nevertheless… How many times has this conversation happened…”
…
Anhui.
The Namgung Estate.
So-eun opened her eyes drowsily and looked ahead.
Then, she blinked her eyes, wondering if what she was seeing was correct.
She blinked several times, even pinched her cheeks.
It hurt. The sensation was vivid. It meant she wasn’t dreaming.
Then what was this sight before her?
Byul Rak, who was sound asleep with closed eyes, right in front of her.
Previously, she saw him clearly staying in Dongfang Bupa’s residence through the Qingguang Baojian sword.
But here, this surreal scene of Byul Rak sleeping right in front of her, lying sideways, what was it?
She had seen Byul Rak in her dreams countless times. The frequency had increased recently. But they were all just dreams.
Lately, she would reflexively pinch her cheeks every time she saw Byul Rak. As a result, her cheeks were slightly damaged, so they felt sore whenever touched.
But then… how?
“Reality…?”
Could it be that the aching in her cheeks meant Byul Rak was indeed lying in front of her?
“Is it really… you? Not a dream…?”
So-eun asked with a trembling voice.
There was no answer from Byul Rak, who was deeply asleep.
“Haa, haa…”
So-eun’s breathing grew ragged. The blush on her cheeks vividly indicated her current excitement.
“Exactly… why… are you here…?”
Her question did not linger for long.
She had to quickly express the words she had long cherished in her heart.
“A… Th… I’m sorry!”
A sincere apology, filled with her true emotions, that she had failed to convey in the past.
She wanted to say it so much. Regardless of the current situation, if it wasn’t a dream, she should apologize first and find out the details later.
“Really… I wanted to apologize so much…! How much I wished to apologize, you wouldn’t understand…”
However, just as she was about to carefully apologize.
“Mm…”
Suddenly, with a groggy moan, Byul Rak’s image began to blur.
His skin, rough from exposure, turned soft, his frame shrinking, becoming more like a young girl.
“Eh?”
So-eun wore a bewildered expression, which soon turned to shock and astonishment.
Because the face changing from Byul Rak’s form turned into Su-a Namgung, her daughter.
“Could it…?”
Struggling to grasp the situation, So-eun tried to understand what was happening. Realization came quickly.
‘Hallucination… it was.’
Hallucination. A side effect of aging and diminishing vitality that had begun to plague her.
Though she’d experienced it before, this was the first time the visions were so vivid, so So-eun calmed her racing heart.
Indifferent to her inner turmoil, Namgung Su-a, who had just appeared as Byul Rak, continued to sleep soundly, a peaceful look on her face.
Or rather, upon closer inspection, Su-a also didn’t look entirely at ease.
“Hmm… Dad…”
She mumbled in her sleep, shedding quiet tears. Words she frequently muttered in her sleep.
“Dad… Mom… I can’t remember those times when we used to laugh together… It’s been too long…”
Just hearing it made one feel uneasy. She knew it was her fault, yet she neither denied it nor sought to avoid it. But there was nothing she could offer her daughter.
So-eun slowly got out of bed. Just like always, her sweat-drenched body felt sticky.
Thud.
After covering the disturbed blanket over Su-a Namgung as she arose, So-eun walked to the table.
She didn’t feel like doing anything in particular. She couldn’t sleep and had risen, but it wasn’t yet time to descend into the basement.
“Hoo…”
Sheaving frequent long sighs lately, So-eun slouched into the chair and rested her upper body on the table. Her ample bosom pressed against the table.
Clonk.
Without noticing, So-eun picked up the bottle of liquor left on the table. A bottle with only half the liquor remaining, sloshing around inside.
“Ahh… even though Su-a told me not to drink…”
She remembered the time when Namgung Su-a found her drunk, saying “Stop drinking so much! What will you do if you ruin your health?”, and returned the bottle. But still, her hands kept reaching for the bottle without fail.
Liquor was a mysterious liquid, reducing physical fatigue, and even instilling temporary peace in one’s heart.
Living through such a painful reality she could see illusions, coupled with the despair of limited lifespan, led Yu Seon to naturally seek solace in liquor.
If she had just one sip of it, it could help her forget everything at least for half an hour. A meaningless infatuation nibbled at her mind.
Her tired eyes flickered over the bottle. Though her expression was bland, a fervent longing burned in her.
“Mmm… Su-a will understand if it’s just one drink…”
Another fact one must not ignore was that So-eun possessed an exceedingly fragile character.
It easily bent under average willpower. The current reality was more unbearable than her physical condition.
“Just one drink… if I just drink once…”
As So-eun succumbed to the sweet temptation, reaching for the bottle with a sinister intention, just then.
Swish.
“!”
A figure of a man on the opposite side of the table extended his hand toward the bottle in the same posture.
An unmistakable long white hair, blue eyes, and pale complexion devoid of blood—Byul Rak.
A cold, piercing gaze stared straight at So-eun.
“Uh, uuuh…”
So-eun emitted a silent scream, rising from her chair. Her legs gave way, and her torso swayed.
Then, just as quickly, Byul Rak’s illusion dissipated with the wind. Nevertheless, So-eun could no longer reach for the bottle.
Her limbs trembled. A desire to leave this place, to reach somewhere cool and open, overwhelmed her.
“Ooooh…”
Of course, it was impossible to rush outside at that moment. What good would it do without proper attire and preparation?
As So-eun wallowed in frustration at not being able to leave, a voice from outside the door called out, just then.
“Madam, it’s Huang A.”
A well-known voice of a female servant. After clearing her throat momentarily, So-eun straightened her voice.
“What is it?”
“There is a visitor from outside.”
“Visitor? For whom?”
“Th-The visitor is for you, madam.”
“For me? You say there is a visitor for me?”
Upon hearing the servant’s words, So-eun doubted her own ears.
Living as the lady of the Namgung estate, her relations with outsiders had completely severed. She had no friends, let alone a familiar acquaintance.
What good was giving away gifts in shame during the Seven Martial Arts Tournament? If she had had any connections outside of her father, the Chief of the Mount Hua Sect, she wouldn’t have stooped so low.
“So who exactly has come to see me?”
“It’s… from the official residence…”
“…Official residence? Did I commit a crime or something?”
“No, it’s not that. They… plan to hold a trial regarding Geom-seong and insist that Madam, being officially recorded as his spouse, must attend to testify…”
“…”
So-eun’s eyes widened as if a stone had been thrown into a tranquil lake.
Removed from the family’s genealogy, but in the official records of the registrar, Byul Rak was still registered as ‘Namgung Cheolbin’. So-eun knew of this fact.
“They’re holding his trial…?”
…
