Chapter 99

I stared intently at Peng Muryeong, who had casually uttered such a bold statement.

Her sudden question about how I had seduced the Young Cult Leader was bewildering.

I had thought she would ask me to be a matchmaker for her and Moyong Do, but in reality, she didn’t choose such a light method.

Is this a frontal attack?

But I couldn’t understand why she was asking for my story.

Hyuk Dojin and Moyong Do differed from their dispositions.

Moyong Do was the pinnacle of rising late-blooming talents, and Hyuk Dojin was the Young Cult Leader of the Demon Cult.

There was a difference in their abilities, and their personalities were also different.

I rolled my eyes while looking at her as she stared at me with a determined face, tapping the back of her hand.

After instructing Joo Hwarin at the edge of my vision to bring more tea, I turned my gaze back to Peng Muryeong.

“Honestly, I’m taken aback. Both by you suddenly asking for my story, and by the fact that it’s none other than Miss Peng asking this. Didn’t you want things to work out with my brother? If so, I thought you’d ask about matters concerning my brother… It’s unexpected. Didn’t you need my direct help?”

At my question, Peng Muryeong lowered her head without saying anything.

Silence flowed for a moment, and meanwhile, Joo Hwarin filled the empty cups.

Peng Muryeong’s mouth, which had kept silent until Joo Hwarin withdrew after filling the cups with steaming tea, didn’t open easily.

I didn’t press or rush her.

I fully understood the heart of a woman confessing her feelings to another person.

Finally, as if rewarding my patience, Peng Muryeong’s mouth opened.

“I know. That I’m lacking.”

Her eyes, which had been looking at her own palm, turned towards me.

“That the world’s evaluation is by no means lenient, that I’m lacking in every aspect compared to Mount Hua’s First Beauty. If I and Cha Yeonhwa were to love Hero Moyong Do at the same time, everyone would choose Cha Yeonhwa, not me. That’s natural.”

“…”

“But even if such things are natural and I know it too, there are things I can’t give up. Don’t you have that too, Young Madam? A person you want to stay with even if you’re hopelessly insufficient and lacking compared to someone else. For me, Hero Moyong Do is such a person.”

I calmly lowered my widened eyes at her appearance calmly expressing her voice.

Her appearance of seriously loving Moyong Do came across as genuine.

It felt like the prejudice I had seen in Peng Muryeong’s appearance when I first saw her was being somewhat diluted.

Peng Muryeong, whom I had thought would be full of inferiority complexes overshadowed by Peng Lingnyeong, was looking at herself accurately.

Because I knew how difficult and hurtful that was, her appearance was pitiful.

I too was like that.

Even in Hyuk Dojin’s excessive love and consideration, I was full of embarrassment, wondering if it was okay for me, who was tainted with lies, to say I wanted to be by his side, to say I wanted to live.

“Actually, I don’t know what kind of feelings Cha Yeonhwa or Hero Moyong Do have for each other. I just thought and talked in the direction I wanted. If I didn’t comfort myself by organizing things in my head like that, I was so anxious that even rationalization was impossible. I’m sorry for confusing you with such false words.”

When I slightly lowered my eyes, I could see two small hands tightly grasping her collar.

“But Cha Yeonhwa’s goodwill towards Hero Moyong Do is by no means simple. I can tell that even by looking. So, I need help.”

“What does that have to do with how I won the Young Cult Leader’s heart?”

“Because the only way for me, who is behind Cha Yeonhwa in both family and fame, to win Hero Moyong Do is to win his heart.”

Peng Muryeong’s upright eyes were clear.

Her appearance of not relying on others and not asking for a path to be laid out seemed very cool.

No wonder she’s one of the Four Flowers.

I felt that the world’s evaluation of Peng Muryeong was quite harsh.

Words saying her character and skills were far behind her older sister Peng Lingnyeong were underestimating her.

At least in my eyes, Peng Muryeong was a spirited woman.

“The Young Madam is a daughter of the Righteous Sect, and the Demon Cult is an evil place that doesn’t even glance at the Righteous Sect. The fact that you entered there alone without any status and won the Young Cult Leader’s heart is certainly an amazing thing. So I’m curious. How did you capture the Young Cult Leader?”

I stared intently at Peng Muryeong, then picked up the teacup and tilted it slowly.

Her words weren’t wrong.

Clearly, even I couldn’t have guaranteed that I would survive like this in the Demon Cult.

But now, that was decidedly not accomplished by my own power. It was possible because of Hyuk Dojin and the help around him.

I thought for a moment while tilting the teacup.

How did I capture Hyuk Dojin’s heart? No, can I say I captured it? The correct answer was that… he was considerate of me as soon as we met, and our hearts naturally connected as time passed.

‘Come to think of it, that’s right.’

I’m not sure what part of my appearance Hyuk Dojin first saw and fell for me. I could vaguely understand that he was moved by seeing me because his mother Geum Soso had died young from illness, but that emotion could have simply ended at sympathy.

However, there was a logical leap in saying the reason he expressed more interest and excessive love towards me, not just ending at sympathy, was simply because I ‘resembled his mother’.

I slowly rolled my eyes, realizing I had never thought about it even once, to my own surprise at her words.

What should I say? When I glanced at Peng Muryeong, her face was full of expectation. Her eyes towards me were filled with great expectations, as if looking at Diaochan who stole Lü Bu’s heart, or Daji who played with King Zhou’s heart. But there’s nothing like that?

After pondering for a moment, I couldn’t lie, so I thought to tell the truth and calmly opened my mouth.

“That…”

“I heard in the world that you have many more charms than just that mysterious atmosphere and beautiful appearance. That’s why you were able to capture the Young Cult Leader who is indifferent to others.”

That’s not it. I hurriedly opened my mouth to correct her, but even those words were completely blocked by Peng Muryeong’s words.

Her attitude of unhesitatingly saying she would call me her teacher if I wanted was aggressive.

“…”

I couldn’t answer ‘There’s nothing like that’ to her expectations and gaze.

I quietly looked at her, then sighed and opened my mouth.

“Alright. Then first of all…”

In the end, I had no choice but to pull out all the words, both existing and non-existing, and make them sound impressive.

But is it okay to say this when she might be able to seduce my brother?

* * *

“Thank you so much for your wonderful words. Young Madam, you are my benefactor!”

I forcibly smiled and waved my hand at Peng Muryeong bowing deeply at the door.

One step, bow; two steps, bow; even as she was leaving through the door, bow.

I had to inwardly let out a long sigh at her appearance casting eyes of sincere respect towards me.

As soon as Peng Muryeong, who had given me her final greeting and was leaving through the door, turned her body forward, she flinched as if surprised and stepped aside.

Hyuk Dojin came in through the path she had moved aside from.

Hyuk Dojin stared blankly at Peng Muryeong, then turned his head.

As soon as his eyes discovered me, his face that had been as dry as if a drought had hit suddenly brightened as if rain had fallen, and he quickly approached.

“Why are you out here, wife?”

His appearance smiling while holding both my hands was just so cute.

I lightly smiled while placing my hand on his cheek.

“A guest came for a moment.”

“A guest?”

He slowly turned to look at Peng Muryeong, then raised his eyebrow.

Peng Muryeong flinched at his gaze and quickly retreated while looking at me and Hyuk Dojin with wonder from outside the door.

Hyuk Dojin’s head turned back.

“Who is it?”

Hyuk Dojin doesn’t know, huh. Well, the Young Cult Leader of the Demon Cult doesn’t particularly need to know the faces of the Four Dragons and Four Flowers of the Righteous Sect.

I shook my head and held Harang, who had approached closely, in my arms.

Hyuk Dojin’s puzzled face was captured in my eyes. I stared at him intently, then tilted my head.

“Why are you looking at me with those eyes?”

“…No. I’m just curious.”

“About what?”

I stared intently at his face asking back innocently, then chuckled.

Hyuk Dojin’s brows furrowed. I turned my body and went up to the room. Hyuk Dojin followed behind while taking off his outer coat.

“Kyaaaa!!”

Harang glared at Hyuk Dojin and growled.

I lightly patted Harang’s back to soothe him, then called Joo Hwarin and handed Harang to her before returning to the room.

As soon as the door closed with a thud, Hyuk Dojin urgently called me. When I turned around, anxiety was mixed in Hyuk Dojin’s eyes.

“…Did someone say something again? Or was my behavior displeasing? If not that, is there some other complaint… Ah! Perhaps that woman guest from earlier bothered you? If so, I’ll…”

Even though I hadn’t said anything, he quickly spoke about situations that might make me uncomfortable.

He didn’t bother to ask why I was in a bad mood or why I was acting like that.

This man was always the same.

He struck down things flying towards my surroundings before I could speak first.

In case I might get hurt, be in pain, or be wounded. He always harbored such concerns.

Sometimes I thought it was excessive, but he was also infinitely strict when unfolding martial arts.

Hyuk Dojin was such a man.

A man who protects me while also making me grow. Not at all a man who just holds me in his arms.

“Are you hurt somewhere…”

“I’m fine. I just had various thoughts, that’s all.”

“…Really?”

Hyuk Dojin asked carefully with a worried face.

When I smiled gently, the corners of his mouth slowly relaxed.

I stared intently at his face as he came to the bed where I was sitting and sat down beside me. I covered his faintly smiling lips with my palm and quietly opened my mouth.

“Dojin.”

“Yes, wife.”

I couldn’t help but laugh at his appearance covering the back of my hand with his palm.

He waited for my words to continue. After looking at his eyes in silence, I slowly spoke.

“Do you love me?”

“What need is there to say? You’re the only person I wouldn’t regret giving my life for.”

His hand took my hand and kissed the back of it.

“Why?”

“What?”

“If you think about it, I’m a bad woman. I hid the fact that I was sick and only told lies. I caused a lot of trouble and there were many times when you had difficulties because of me. But why did you love me? I showed such an unsightly appearance fainting with a nosebleed on the day we first met. …Is it because I resemble your mother?”

“…”

Hyuk Dojin loved me. I could know that without asking.

So I didn’t need to ask why he liked me, loved me. If his love was always the same color, there was no need to confirm it.

But how fickle the human heart is, I wanted to ask even knowing that.

“Why do you like me?”

Hyuk Dojin quietly looked at me at my sudden question, then smiled faintly.

With a small sound of air escaping, his hand took my hand resting on my thigh and kissed it again, then spoke quietly.

“It’s true that I overlapped you with my mother on that day you collapsed.”

His lips moved gently on the back of my hand.

“But I didn’t overlap the two of you. Sowol is Sowol, and my deceased mother is my mother. The day you first entered my eyes, perhaps it was something like instinct. The instinct in my heart that I had to protect you. But that was by no means a simple protective instinct.”

Hyuk Dojin’s eyes came up gently. I was reflected in his eyes.

“Wanting to see Sowol more, wanting to talk with you, wanting to face you – it may have been a momentary emotion that started from curiosity, but when I opened my eyes, your smile seemed to move the gears of emotion that had been stopped. But I’m not sure if this is appropriate to express as love.”

A smile slowly filled the corners of his mouth.

“Actually, I’m not sure. You may be disappointed, but it seems better than lying. Why do I love Sowol… Since when did I feel these emotions, I’m not sure. Because you were always by my side, I naturally felt that way. When I left you once and was away for a few days, I felt like I would die of thirst. I wanted to see you, touch you, and hold your hand.”

“Was it from then?”

“No. It was from before that. But I’m not sure exactly when or why. Perhaps that’s an issue I need to think about and ponder more. Is it just me?”

His eyes curved gently as he looked at me.

I thought his answer, Hyuk Dojin’s words, were very like him.

If it were someone else, they would have decorated it with all sorts of sweet words, but Hyuk Dojin explained himself neatly and concisely, just like when we first met.

That’s why I liked it.

“I’m the same. I’ve never thought deeply about it. I just liked you. So let’s think deeply about it. Why I liked you, why I opened my heart.”

“I’ll think about it too.”

He came close and lightly held my chin, kissed me, then smiled gently.

“Actually, I knew from the moment Sowol first lied to me. That Sowol was a liar.”

“…Really?”

“Really.”

He smiled playfully and kissed me again, then spoke slowly.

“Sowol’s lies are clearly visible to me. So I thought we would suit each other well.”

“Is Dojin a liar too?”

“Of course. So…”

His hand slowly undressed me while letting out a languid voice.

“Isn’t it a lie to say you’ll think about it and then undress me like this?”

Hehe, a small laugh and his voice brushed my ear cozily.