Wandering Through Vol. 3 Chapter 84 - Settlement

The afternoon had already passed, and the sunset glow had faded.

 

Using Leegwang’s thigh as a pillow, Yiseo had fallen into a deep sleep and hadn’t woken up once. 

 

With one hand, he gently stroked the forehead and hair of the soundly sleeping Yiseo, while his other hand held a piece of paper, from which he silently recited words.

 

His eyes, though fixed on Yiseo, remained intently focused on the paper.

 

The small characters, densely carved onto a wooden tag, translated into a surprisingly long text on paper. 

 

It was too short to contain two lifetimes, yet…

 

As Leegwang read the dry, factual listing of events, he sensed despair lurking between the lines.

 

But it all felt like someone else’s story to him.

 

After all, Leegwang hadn’t recovered a single handful of his past life’s memories.

 

No matter how many pleas he sent to the Dragon God who had taken his memories, the deity remained utterly unmoved.

 

Anyway, even if the Dragon God was granting him strength, what was precious to the god was Yiseo, not him.

 

He didn’t feel particularly regretful about it.

 

Leegwang had no desire to fall into the anguish of a past life he hadn’t even experienced and end up hating Yiseo because of it. 

 

Of course, he also enjoyed seeing Yiseo’s tearful face…

 

But that was something best saved for the bedroom.

 

He crumpled the now-memorized paper in his hand. His mood always soured after reading the records of his past lives, which he had obtained from the Shaman. 

 

Even if it was someone else’s story, even if it was ancient history, he didn’t like learning that in every past life, at every critical moment, Yiseo had let go of his hand.

 

Perhaps because her first life was as a shaman, Yiseo was excessively devoid of desire.

 

It didn’t just mean she lacked greed for luxury. Her will to fulfill her own emotions or desires was exceedingly faint. 

 

So, if her counterpart appeared to be in pain, she would immediately question her own existence.

 

Thus, her every past life was inevitably filled with running away and avoidance.

 

If you want to keep someone who believes there would be no problems at all if only they were gone, there is no other way. You have to threaten them that a bigger issue will arise if they disappear.

So, Leegwang brought up a past life that felt like someone else’s story.

Because of that, he would have to spend his entire life pretending to remember things that weren’t even in his memory, but oh well.

If it meant he could keep this woman by his side for life, it was a bargain. Leegwang lifted his gaze from the crumpled paper in his hand and looked down at Yiseo.

Her small face was illuminated by the dim lantern light. 

 

Worried that embers might fly, he covered her face with one hand and extended the hand holding the paper.

“I’ve memorized it all now….”

No need to look at it any further.

Leegwang brought the paper he was holding to the lantern flame. 

 

The record of the past life he had transcribed began to burn. It was the simplest way to destroy evidence.

In an instant, the paper turned to ash.

Leegwang scooped up the charred black ash with his hand. The crumbled ash fell from his hand to the floor. He indifferently brushed off his hand.

 

The cool night air flowing through the open window erased the smell of smoke.

But perhaps sensing the sudden change in the air, Yiseo’s eyes opened hazily. 

 

Leegwang looked down at her unfocused eyes and smiled casually.

“Have you finally awoken?”

Yiseo blinked a few more times.

“You can sleep more.”

He rolled the strangely formal speech around his tongue a few times. He needed to get used to it quickly. 

 

Since he was the one who chose to live like this for a lifetime, there was no helping it.

“Ah.”

Yiseo looked at him and then glanced around the dark surroundings before letting out a drowsy sigh.

“It seems I slept for a long time…. Is your wound alright?”

“It’s fine. Would you like to see it?”

 

Lee Gwang deliberately opened the front of his clothes. 

 

The fresh cloth wrapped around his stomach was perfectly clean, without a single drop of blood seeping through. He had done this, hoping Yiseo would touch him, but she merely stared quietly at his bandaged stomach.

 

“Will just looking tell you if I’m alright?”

He added this while pulling her hand toward him, but Yiseo quickly withdrew her hand and replied.

“Touching it wouldn’t tell me if you’re alright either, would it? I might even make it worse…”

“Making it worse would be fine. It would be a mark left by my wife, not a scar.”

“I don’t want that.”

 

He pulled on the arm of Yiseo, who was shaking her head. Now that he was awake, he intended to hold her in his embrace. 

 

However, the body that had been tilting into his arms hesitated and then pulled back. 

 

Leegwang’s lips tightened into a firm line as he watched Yiseo subtly distance herself.

 

“If you overexert yourself, the wound could open again.”

“How is holding you still overexertion?”

“My simply sitting on the Grand Duke’s lap is overexertion. Have the physicians left?”

 

Worry clouded Yiseo’s eyes as she glanced around the room where they were alone. 

 

Pleased by her concern, the stern line of his mouth softened slightly. 

 

Leegwang pulled Yiseo back into his embrace. She seemed to try to resist, but her body was so light that it easily followed with just a slight exertion of his strength.

 

Finally seated on Leegwang’s thigh, Yiseo glanced at his stomach with somewhat anxious eyes. 

 

Leegwang held her like that with both arms and whispered.

“It’s fine. Truly. So please don’t pull away.”

 

Despite being held in his arms, Yiseo fidgeted, trying to keep her body from touching his stomach. He firmly pulled her restless waist toward him. His eyes sparkled with amusement at her startled jolt.

 

Realizing she couldn’t stop Leegwang, Yiseo’s body grew still. He pressed his lips against her eyes, which were trembling with anxiety.

 

“I’ll recover soon. As long as you stay by my side.”

 

“…I won’t go anywhere.”

 

He laughed at Yiseo’s murmur, which was so soft he had to strain his ears to hear it. 

 

Leegwang held Yiseo close and asked,

“Shouldn’t you call me ‘husband’ now instead of ‘Lord’?”

 

“Is it really necessary to…”

 

He stared down at Yiseo as she trailed off, and she lowered her eyes. 

 

Seeing her press her lips tightly together as if refusing to speak further, Leegwang changed the subject.

 

“I will release your former younger sibling. If you promise not to meet that wretch again from now on.”

 

Yiseo immediately took the bait.

 

“But My Lord, if that child also remembers the past life, handling the aftermath…”

 

“My lord.”

 

Leegwang cut her off. 

 

Yiseo realized he meant for her to change how she addressed him if she wanted to continue this conversation. She hesitated before finally whispering softly.

 

“…Husband.”

 

He burst out laughing at once. His laughter was hearty. 

 

So much so that the corners of his mouth hurt.

 

“Husband. That child…”

 

“I will handle the aftermath. It’s likely something that happened because he was briefly possessed and stepped over the threshold of the underworld. I will petition the Dragon God to suppress the memories of his past life again.”

 

After all, Suyeong didn’t remember his past life either and was merely manipulated by Leegwang, but his words sounded quite plausible. 

 

Yiseo nodded.

 

“Thank you.”

 

As he stared intently, Yiseo added softly.

 

“Husband…”

 

Leegwang pressed his lips against hers, which had been hesitating and mumbling. The soft lips yielded and melted under his. 

 

Leegwang was the one who was grateful to her.

 

For so readily yielding to his schemes under his touch.

 

“Mmm…”

 

Yiseo received his kiss, restless and unable to push him away or hold him close. She held his chin, forcing his gaze to stay on her—the gaze that kept wanting to glance down at his stomach.

As his tongue slipped into the narrow space of her mouth and he drank her saliva, life felt decidedly worth living.

Lost in exploring the inside of her mouth, he now felt an even greater pleasure knowing that this was her place.

‘Here. This place. In my arms…’

 

💫

 

“They say the Grand Prince has returned.”

At those words, Nanny Yeongseon quickly rose from her seat and hurried toward the main gate in a fluster.

A few days ago, after hearing Old Lady Shanggung say that Yiseo was here, she had come only to be told that the Grand Prince, Yiseo, and even Old Lady Shanggung had all gone out somewhere. 

 

Wondering when they would return, she had been visiting the Grand Prince’s residence daily.

Anxious about what state that despicable Grand Prince—the one who had toyed with the young lady she had raised so tenderly—might have left her young lady in this time, she hadn’t been able to sleep at night. 

 

The image of Yiseo, still collapsed like a corpse, remained vivid in her mind.

If the young lady was in that state again, Nanny Yeongseon wasn’t sure she could restrain herself.

Clenching both fists tightly, she arrived in front of the main gate.

 

The first person she noticed was Old Lady Shanggung. 

 

With a thoroughly weary face, Old Lady Shanggung was directing the swarm of servants to move the luggage. 

 

Nanny Yeongseon stretched her neck and peered at the palanquin that had settled in the courtyard.

Perhaps because it was broad daylight, the Grand Prince—slightly less ghost-like—bent down and opened the palanquin door.

“My lady.”

At the Grand Prince’s low call, a pale hand emerged from the palanquin. 

 

Holding that hand, the Grand Prince lifted out the small figure inside and carried her in his arms.

 

In the arms of the Grand Prince, which were unusually large compared to those of ordinary men, her already small frame appeared even smaller.

 

The woman dressed in light-colored silk robes familiarly relaxed her body into the Grand Prince’s embrace. 

 

As if handling a precious treasure he did not wish others to see, the Grand Prince held her wrapped in his arms.

 

“Little Miss”

 

It was Nanny Yeongseon’s precious little lady.

 

In an instant, the strength drained from Nanny Yeongseon’s clenched fist.

It wasn’t because of the Grand Prince, who seemed anxious, unable to soothe and hold a weary Yiseo—who was only blinking slowly, perhaps fatigued from the journey.

 

Yiseo’s pale face was still tinged with sickness—the rims of her eyes were red, as if from lack of sleep or from crying, and no matter what the Grand Prince whispered to her, her meekly closed lips held not a trace of a smile.

 

Yet, she did not look unhappy.

 

Nanny Yeongseon rubbed her eyes. 

 

She no longer looked like someone who might die at any moment, as she had before. Her little Miss still appeared ill and fragile, but she was alive.

 

It seemed as if she would continue to live on, from now on.