Wandering Through Vol. 2 Chapter 64 - Kidnapping 01

“Why did you run away?”

 

Leegwang’s question sounded less like an inquiry directed at Yiseo and more like a doubt he was voicing to himself.

 

“Was it because I didn’t treat you well?”

 

“…”

 

“They say I kept you confined to the inner quarters and never even visited. Why would I have done that?”

 

His tone suggested genuine confusion, as if he couldn’t comprehend his past self. 

 

Yiseo’s lips twitched, but in the end, she said nothing. 

 

Leegwang withdrew his hand from her cheek and slowly pulled her into an embrace as they moved forward. 

 

The mountain air was chilly, but both were too lost in their own thoughts to notice.

 

Though Leegwang walked slowly, his long strides covered ground quickly, and the temple came into view after just a few steps. 

 

Instead of heading up, however, he sat down on a low rock by the shallow stream below.

 

The water flowing down from the valley above still had patches of thin ice. 

 

After wetting a dry cloth in the stream, Leegwang pushed up the hem of Yiseo’s skirt to her knees, where she sat on his lap. As he wiped away the dried blood from her scraped knee, he asked,

 

“You’re hurt. Wouldn’t it be better to rest for a day or two before setting out again?”

 

Yiseo hesitated at his words, spoken with a calmness so deep she couldn’t discern his emotions.

 

He knew. He knew what kind of relationship they had once shared.

 

She wasn’t sure how he had found out, but it seemed he had only learned the fact that she was his former wife—his memories hadn’t returned. If they had, he wouldn’t be this composed.

 

After a moment of hesitation, Yiseo finally shook her head slightly.

 

The hand cleaning her wound suddenly pressed down. The pain forced a reflexive whimper from her.

 

“Ngh…!”

 

“It hurts this much, and you still say it’s fine?”

 

“I-It’s… alright…”

 

It was impossible to tell whether it was intentional or accidental. 

 

Yiseo was about to answer when she suddenly met his gaze and stopped speaking. It felt like she shouldn’t say anymore. 

 

For some reason, it felt dangerously unwise.

 

“Why are you in such a hurry to run away?”

 

Muttering as if to himself, he lightly pressed his lips to Yiseo’s cheek. Her body trembled faintly. 

 

Was it because her skirt had ridden up, exposing her legs up to her knees, or was it because of that kiss? 

 

It was impossible to tell.

 

“Now, I’m confident I can treat you well, cherish you properly… Was I really that awful before? How did I mistreat you… Did I hit you or something?”

 

Strictly speaking, he had never hit Yiseo.

 

Given how easily her body bruised at the slightest pressure, had he actually struck her, she might not have survived. 

 

From the start, Leegwang was the type to abuse his own body rather than lay a hand on Yiseo.

 

Even in moments of resentment and bitterness, the most he ever did was bite and suck on her skin with all his might.

 

Of course, the result was her body turning blotchy as if she’d caught some plague, aching all over as if she’d been thoroughly beaten… But that was due to his inability to control his strength or impulses, not because he intended to hurt her. 

 

Or—wait. Was that really the case?

 

Yiseo grew slightly confused as she recalled the satisfied look in his eyes when he gazed at her lying motionless under the covers, unable to lift a finger after being tormented by him all night.

 

Noticing her expression, Leegwang asked, “Did I really hit you? Where would I even hit you?”

 

Yiseo shook her head gently.

 

“Then did I torment you with my cock?”

 

“…”

 

The shameless words, embarrassing to hear in broad daylight, made Yiseo freeze. 

 

Leegwang fiddled with her earlobe and the nape of her neck as he added, “In bed, no matter what I do, you say you’ve tried it all with your previous husband, and when you say it’s too much, and I stop, you stare at me like it’s some kind of miracle.”

 

“That’s…”

 

“You don’t even flinch when I hike up your skirt outside. Did I strip you in public or something?”

 

“…”

 

Yiseo’s pale face faintly reddened, as if recalling something. She lowered her gaze to avoid Leegwang’s eyes. That alone was answer enough. 

 

Leegwang gave a small smile.

 

“Seems I must’ve devoured you quite fiercely. Did you run away because your bones felt like they’d melt?”

 

It wasn’t as simple as fleeing because she was afraid of a husband who came at her with wild eyes every day. 

 

Leegwang pressed his lips to Yiseo’s flushed cheek and whispered, “But if you clung to me that much, there’s no way the household wouldn’t have known. Why did no one tell me? Did the servants deceive me?”

 

Hearing the icy edge in his tone, Yiseo hurriedly denied it. 

 

If it had been directed only at her, she might not have cared, but the servants were innocent.

 

“No, no, my lord. I was driven out before even the first night. The servants never even saw me close to you.”

 

“…You say you clung to me, yet we didn’t even have our first night?”

 

He questioned her as if it were nonsense. 

 

Yiseo honestly recounted their ten years as husband and wife. In truth, those ten years needed no embellishment—there was nothing worth hiding.

 

“At the time of our marriage, I hadn’t yet had my first monthly period, so we skipped the first night. After that, my periods remained delayed, and when a physician was called, he said I was a barren woman who could never bear children, so naturally… nothing happened.”

 

He stared at her, silently urging her to continue. 

 

Yiseo swallowed and went on, “From the beginning, my lord disliked me for my weak health, and after learning I was barren, you never entered the inner quarters again… Then, when my father was exiled, you sent me back to my family. That’s all.”

 

“Did you call me ‘Lord’? Not ‘Seobangnim’?” (‘Seobangnim’ – Husband)

 

“Yes…”

 

“And I let that be? Did you call me that from the start?”

 

“At first, I called you ‘Seobangnim’… but you seemed to dislike it, so I changed how I addressed you.”

 

Whenever she called him “Seobangnim,” the young Leegwang’s face would turn cold and stiff, his sharp gaze at Yiseo somewhat frightening. She figured he must have hated being called “Seobangnim” by someone like her, so she altered the title. 

 

Since Leegwang didn’t object, the address naturally stuck.

 

Watching his expression carefully, Yiseo cautiously added, “My Lord disliked me. It wasn’t that I ran away—you were the one who sent me out.”

 

She added the last part because he seemed particularly averse to the idea of her fleeing. 

 

Leegwang slowly repeated her words, “I… disliked you.”

 

“Yes. Right after casting me out, you even married…”

 

“Then, when was our first night?”

 

“After you took your new wife… You came to me…” Yiseo hesitated. 

 

The faded memories refused to return. 

 

Leegwang pressed her, “I came to you?”

 

“You came… and that happened.”

 

At her vague phrasing, Leegwang stared intently at her face. Her tone wasn’t that of someone recalling something embarrassing or pleasant.

 

Rather, she spoke as if skirting around an uncomfortable topic. 

 

Moreover, it was after he had already taken a new wife. Even spending just a day with her would make it clear she wasn’t the type to eagerly seduce a man who had abandoned her. 

 

So, most likely—

 

“I forced myself on you, even though you didn’t want it.”

 

“…”

 

“How many days did I torment you?”

 

“I don’t know. My memory… isn’t very clear.” Her voice was small, stumbling over the words. 

 

Leegwang lifted Yiseo’s chin, tilting her bowed head up. Her hazy eyes, as if recalling their first night, flickered with faint resentment before fading into resignation.

 

“You must despise me. Why did I do such a terrible thing? I was wrong. Tell me what I must do to earn your forgiveness.”

 

At his words, Yiseo looked up at him with a flustered expression. 

 

Judging by her reaction, it seemed the past version of him had violated her for days without uttering a single word of apology.

 

Every time Yiseo spoke of the past, Leegwang couldn’t help but doubt whether those were truly his own actions. 

 

She didn’t seem to be lying, but—Had he really disliked this lovely girl throughout their marriage, only forcing himself on her after taking a new wife?

 

He would’ve swept her into his arms the moment they married. 

 

No, in fact, he should have been the one to propose marriage in the first place—there wasn’t a single part of her, from head to toe, that wasn’t beautiful in his eyes. 

 

Frankly, ever since he first saw Yiseo, he had been half-dazed, utterly enchanted.

 

“I’ve made mistakes too, so you don’t need to ask for forgiveness.”

 

“You don’t want to forgive me? Well, I suppose that’s understandable…”

 

His deliberately sullen addition only flustered Yiseo further. She hastily opened her mouth.

 

“That’s not what I meant. Since we’ve both done wrong, let’s just pretend none of it ever happened.”

 

“I want to remember everything that happened between us. I don’t want to brush it all away as if it never existed.”

 

“I don’t,” Yiseo’s firm reply surprised even herself.

 

“What I mean is… I don’t see the need to hold onto unpleasant memories, so…”

 

Though she trailed off into incoherent explanations, there was no way he couldn’t sense her true feelings. 

 

Leegwang understood the sincerity behind Yiseo’s wish to erase everything that had happened between them. 

 

Deliberately lowering his voice, he sought confirmation once more.

 

“Do you really not want to forgive me?”

 

It wasn’t a plea for forgiveness. For Leegwang, just a moment of hesitation from her would have been enough. If she had faltered even slightly, he planned to seize that opening and beg for whatever he could.

 

But Yiseo cut him off with the same firm response. Without leaving the slightest room for negotiation.

 

“Let me say it again—that is not something you should ask forgiveness for. And so, I cannot forgive you.”

 

This woman would never give him an opening.

 

Through their conversation so far, Leegwang had realized that. No matter what he did, she wouldn’t change her mind about him.

 

Then there was no other choice. 

 

If coaxing wouldn’t work, he’d just have to take her by force. Turning away and giving up on her was never an option to begin with.

 

Leegwang let out a slow sigh and lightly twitched his fingers.