Chapter 157

After going through a heated relationship with Wi Ho-yeon, the thought that struck me was that I’d have to deal with the aftermath.

“F*ck…”

Not only was the room a mess, but I also had no idea how to handle Wi Ho-yeon moving forward.

“Lee Yun-seong, sir…”

“Ah, sorry. I was just… wondering how to clean up this mess.”

I stopped being formal. Both of us had cooled off after the heat of the moment.

Wi Ho-yeon, who had regained her composure, fumbled with her clothes and spoke up.

“Um… Lee Yun-seong, sir, I brought a magic scroll. This…”

“Ah, you had something like that? That’s a relief.”

It seemed to be a scroll with cleansing magic embedded in it.

As soon as I used the magic scroll, all the traces and smells disappeared.

“Phew… That’s a weight off my shoulders. Ah… but…”

‘F*ck, how am I supposed to handle this?’

Honestly, the person I was just moments ago wasn’t me.

It might sound crazy, but I completely lost myself to Wi Ho-yeon’s seduction and ended up doing something extreme.

“Um, Ho-yeon… I’m sorry. I think I lost my mind for a moment. The things I said to you… I didn’t mean them. It’s just…”

Wi Ho-yeon, now back to her usual self, smiled and spoke.

“Yes, I know, Lee Yun-seong. Don’t worry… In fact, this is what I wanted. You don’t need to feel guilty.”

“Ah… but… even so…”

“Actually, I really enjoyed it. I’m grateful to you, Lee Yun-seong. Thank you for using me.”

I almost let out a hollow laugh at her words.

“No, Ho-yeon. Even so… saying ‘thank you for using me’ is a bit…”

“Ah… I’m sorry. It seems I’m still affected by what happened earlier.”

“Haha…”

“Anyway, as I mentioned earlier, everything happened because I wanted it, and you bear no responsibility. So, please treat me as you always have. I don’t intend to demand an excessive position from you.”

“……”

‘This is just guilt-free pleasure.’

I felt like I’d become some kind of trash.

“Instead, I have one request.”

“Ah, yes. Please, tell me anything. I’ll do my best to fulfill it.”

“…I’d like you to keep me as your guard.”

I was puzzled by her words.

“…? What do you mean? Keep you as my guard…?”

“…The Clan Master will likely tell you soon that I’m being reassigned to another duty. When that happens, I’d like you to oppose it.”

“…Huh? What are you talking about?”

I couldn’t help but be startled by what Wi Ho-yeon said. After all, I hadn’t received any notice or message about it.

“Recently, the Clan Master hasn’t been pleased with me being by your side.”

“Did the two of you fight? Why…?”

“Think about what happened today.”

“Ah…?”

“The Clan Master noticed the feelings I have for you.”

It felt like I’d received a confession in a bizarre way.

“However, in Eras, it’s not unusual for outstanding men or women to have multiple lovers. No, I don’t even dare to hope for such a position.”

“…..”

“I just want to serve by your side and make up for my mistakes.”

“…So, you’re asking me to treat you like a tool?”

At my words, Wi Ho-yeon’s face turned red as she replied.

“That… that’s part of it, but I also… want to be treated like that by you…”

…I understood.

After all, the way Wi Ho-yeon had acted earlier wasn’t something she could’ve done unless she genuinely wanted it.

“…Alright. If Yoo Ju acts as you said, I’ll oppose it.”

Hearing my words, Wi Ho-yeon’s face brightened, and she thanked me.

“Thank you, Lee Yun-seong.”

I felt bad for Yoo Ju, but after what happened today, it was practically impossible not to grant Wi Ho-yeon’s request.

From my perspective, losing a guard would’ve been convenient, but I wasn’t trash enough to take advantage of Wi Ho-yeon and then brush it off.

‘…Did she plan this?’

Somehow, I felt like Wi Ho-yeon had planned this and acted accordingly.

‘Sigh… F*ck, what can I do? It’s my fault for falling for her seduction.’

Honestly, I never expected Wi Ho-yeon, of all people, to seduce me like that.

“Lee Yun-seong, I’ll take my leave now.”

“Yes. Go ahead. Be careful on your way out, okay?”

Since the room was soundproofed, Wi Ho-yeon’s cries wouldn’t have been heard outside, but if someone saw her leaving my room, it would’ve been troublesome.

“Of course. Ah, and…”

It seemed she had something more to say.

“Yes, go ahead.”

“…If you ever want to use me again, please call me anytime.”

‘Sigh…’

“……”

After saying that, Wi Ho-yeon disappeared from my room.

******

– Master, so? Nothing happened, right?

“…Yeah.”

– …Are you sure?

“How many times are you going to ask?”

-So, you expect me to believe that? The Sword Monarch came to you late at night because she had a request?

“…That’s what happened.”

While communicating with Ruska, she kept prying into what happened yesterday.

-Sigh… Master, you slept with her, didn’t you?

I felt a sharp pang of guilt inside. How did she even guess that?

When I didn’t respond immediately, she sighed.

-Haa… I knew it.

“…What are you talking about? What misunderstanding do you have?”

-Don’t play dumb, Master. It’s obvious.

“…How did you know?”

-You wouldn’t understand this, Master. Do you remember the first time you brought Wi Ho-yeon to Yoo Ju’s clan?

“Yeah, I remember. But why?”

-Well, I don’t know the details, but back then, you helped the Sword Monarch with something, and she practically became your devotee.

“What? Devotee?”

This was the first time I’d heard this, so I couldn’t help but be intrigued.

-Yeah. She was ready to die if you told her to. She also had feelings for you.

“…..”

-Well… sadly, you only saw her as a pawn.

‘Sigh…’

-In a way, Wi Ho-yeon’s dream has come true. The first time around…





It’s not the first round, but it’s ironic.

“What did I do to Wi Ho-yeon in the first round? Did I do something bad to her?”

My heart was pounding as I spoke. I was worried that I might have done something bad to Wi Ho-yeon.

Since I had done something to Yoo Ju, I couldn’t guarantee that I hadn’t done something to Wi Ho-yeon.

– Not really. On the surface, you treated her well. You helped her initially, which is why she loved you. Well… in the end, she knew nothing about you.

“……”

– … It’s probably the same with Yoo Ju.

… My head is getting complicated.

“What about you?”

– Huh?

“…. Are you okay? If you think about it, I did something bad to you too. I used you, insulted you, and even now in the second round, I’m still…”

– Don’t think unnecessary thoughts. If you’re going to think like that, why don’t you just hug me instead.

“No… that’s…”

– It was just a suggestion. I know it takes a while to get close to you.

“……”

– By the way, when will I get to see your real face?

“Uh… is a clone not enough?”

Ruska got genuinely angry at my words.

– You didn’t mean that seriously, did you? I don’t want this clone. I want to see the real you.

“Haha…”

– And this might be a bit rude to you, but the clone’s personality feels strangely rude. It’s supposed to be the same as yours, but it’s annoying.

‘Damn, are you insulting me?’

“… Isn’t that just because the clone has the same personality as me, and that’s why you feel that way?”

– No. Anyway, I don’t like the clone, so you should come yourself.

“Sigh… Aren’t you a slave? Since when does a slave summon their master?”

– Don’t throw a tantrum, Master. I know you’re doing it on purpose.

‘Damn, it’s not working…’

“… I’ll come as soon as possible.”

– I hope you keep that promise.

‘Well, I had to go see her anyway.’

It’s not that I don’t feel sorry for Ruska, but I had something to ask her to do.

‘… I have to keep my promise.’

I intended to keep my promise to Ha Yu-ri. For that, I needed Charis and Ruska’s help.

‘Anyway, I should head to the office.’

I had to start my daily routine. In fact, I was already a bit late for work.

I quickly got dressed and hurried to the office.

“Huh?”

“… Yoon Seong.”

‘What’s she doing here?’

Yoo Ju was in my office.

And Wi Ho-yeon was also standing there.

“Yoon Seong, I have something to say.”

I instinctively realized that the request Wi Ho-yeon had made had come to me.

“Ah, yes. Please have a seat, Yoo Ju.”

As I sat Yoo Ju down and glanced at Wi Ho-yeon, she tried to hide it, but I could see she was anxious.

She looked like a pet afraid of being abandoned.

‘… Is she worried that I won’t keep my promise?’

When I glanced at her, Wi Ho-yeon made an even more anxious expression, though I couldn’t tell what she was thinking.

“Yoon Seong, I’m sorry for coming so early.”

“Not at all. We’re close. You can come anytime you want.”

Yoo Ju’s expression brightened at the mention of us being close.

“Yes, thank you. Anyway, what I wanted to say is related to Ho-yeon.”

“… Related to Ho-yeon?”

I already knew what she was going to say, but I acted like I was hearing it for the first time.

If I showed that I knew, Wi Ho-yeon would realize I had been tipped off.

“Yes. I’m thinking of assigning Ho-yeon to a different task instead of guarding you.”

‘As expected.’

I thought it might be something else, but it was that.

“Assigning Ho-yeon to a different task?”

“Yes. Ho-yeon has been guarding you for a long time, and while it’s not her fault, there have been times when she couldn’t protect you properly.”

At Yoo Ju’s words, Wi Ho-yeon bowed her head as if she had committed a crime.

‘Sigh…’

“And Yoon Seong, you were uncomfortable with Ho-yeon at first, right? You even asked to have her replaced.”

Wi Ho-yeon flinched at Yoo Ju’s words.

‘This fox-like woman…’

She cleverly framed it as if I was the one who wanted Wi Ho-yeon gone.

‘Yoo Ju, you’ve really changed. I didn’t know you could talk like this.’

I was honestly quite surprised. This wasn’t the Yoo Ju I knew.

And I also realized something else.

To Yoo Ju, I was always her top priority.

In other words, if she could have me, she was willing to step on others.

Even if they were fellow clan members.

I had only seen Yoo Ju being devoted to me, so this was the first time I saw how she could act towards others.

‘I was really surprised. Look at Wi Ho-yeon. What’s with her? She’s completely cowed.’

Wi Ho-yeon couldn’t stand up to Yoo Ju.

“…. I understand what you’re saying, Yoo Ju. It’s true that I was uncomfortable with the guard duty before.”

When I spoke as if agreeing with her, Yoo Ju’s face brightened.

“Yes! So Ho-yeon…”

I cut her off and continued.

“But not anymore. I’ve gotten closer to Ho-yeon, and I don’t think it’s necessary to assign her to a different task. She’s been a great help.”