Snowlight Chapter 11

 

“Ah, I was thinking of asking Madam Yeom later to borrow some travel money.”

 

“T-travel money? You mean money?”

 

“I don’t have the money to send you back. I’ll ask her to send someone to accompany you on the way, so don’t worry.”

 

Between the palanquin carriers, the servant, and even Madam Choi, only two people had survived the tragedy. If this was fate, then Yu Won wanted to make sure the boy was taken care of properly. But the boy didn’t look very happy.

 

“What’s wrong?”

 

After hesitating for a long moment, the boy timidly opened his mouth.

 

“Ah, young master. I… I don’t want to go back either.”

 

“But your family must be worried.”

 

“I… I don’t have a family. Uh, my mother passed away while giving birth to me. Ah, and I haven’t seen my father even once since he handed me over to the mistress.”

 

The boy, with a tear glistening in his eye, continued.

 

“If I go back, the master might kill me. He’ll say it’s my fault that the mistress died.”

 

Hearing his story, it made perfect sense why he didn’t want to return to Okyang. Though it wasn’t the boy’s fault that Madam Choi had died, from the master’s perspective, that wouldn’t matter. He might take it out on him by beating him, then sell him off or frame him for a massive debt.

 

But the master wouldn’t just stand by if he refused to go back. As the boy watched Yu Won, who was deep in thought, he suddenly threw himself to the ground.

 

“P-please save me. Aah, young master.”

 

“Youngest.”

 

“I’ll do, I’ll do anything you tell me to. I’ll, I’ll eat less, and if you tell me to work like a, like a bull, I’ll do it, just, just don’t kick me out. Please?”

 

Yu Won looked down at his huddled little body, sighed, and then quietly pushed the dining table over to his side.

 

“Finish your meal first. Then we’ll think carefully about where you’ll stay.”

 

“W-where I’ll stay…?”

 

“I fully understand your situation, but if you don’t go back to your master, it won’t just be a problem for me; it’ll be even more difficult for you, child. If you’re wrongfully labeled a runaway slave, it’ll be a real headache.”

 

His situation was pitiable and heartbreaking, but he couldn’t just keep a slave with a master around as he pleased. He didn’t want to treat that young boy like a possession, but that was the reality.

 

“I’ll send a letter to your master to try to persuade him, and after that, I’ll see if I can ask him to find you a decent job here.”

 

His bright red, puffy eyes widened in surprise.

 

“R-really?”

 

“Yes. I’ll do my best, so don’t worry too much.”

 

Since he had to send a letter to the magistrate’s residence anyway, it wouldn’t be difficult to send one more letter on the way. Of course, he couldn’t guarantee how the boy’s master would react, but with no other options available, it was the most reasonable decision for now.

 

“T-thank you. Ah, young master. Ah, I’ll be good from now on.”

 

“So stop it now, okay?”

 

“Yes, ah, I won’t cry.”

 

The boy quickly rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand and giggled.

 

By the time they finished eating, the sun had already begun to dip halfway down the mountain. Perhaps feeling drowsy from the full meal, the young boy was curled up by the doorway, snoring softly. Seated beneath the broad window on the opposite side, basking in the waning warmth of the sunlight, Yu Won gently closed his eyes. 

 

They had entered this place prepared to be turned away at the door. If his luck ran out, he might even die here. Despite being welcomed as if all his fears were mere worries, he couldn’t shake a sense of unease.

 

Just as he was taking a breather, comforting himself that it was likely just fatigue from the long journey,

 

“That’s the room, right?”

 

He heard voices chatting softly. They were coming from outside the broad window, near the courtyard of the annex.

 

“But something seemed a bit off.”

 

“What?”

 

“The girl who attended to her bath earlier said it wasn’t a woman, but a man.”

 

“Really?”

 

“That’s what she said.”

 

“I thought so. His gait didn’t seem like that of a young lady from a wealthy family. So you’re saying they’re pairing a man with the master?”

 

“That’s exactly why it’s strange. Even Father only found out this morning. If the person who’s been following the master around like a shadow didn’t know, that says it all, doesn’t it? But there’s no way the master wouldn’t have known about such a major matter.”

 

“According to the head maid, a royal envoy came last month, so I guess they discussed it then. You know, when they held that welcome banquet, we even went to the provincial office to help out.”

 

“The royal envoy? Isn’t that someone sent by the King? So… are you saying the King ordered the master to marry that man and arranged the match for him?”

 

“Shh, shh, you’re speaking too loudly.”

 

The footsteps faded into the distance. Yu Won, who had been sitting there in a daze, jumped to his feet and slammed the door shut so tightly there wasn’t even a crack left. Whether it was a chill or something else, an inexplicable coldness made his body shiver uncontrollably. Wrapping his arms around himself, Yu Won curled up in the corner and buried his face in his knees.

 

The servants’ cold, distant attitude had not been a mere illusion.

 

After slowly catching his breath, Yu Won closed his eyes. He had heard countless insults and curses before. No, he couldn’t say he had grown accustomed to them, but he couldn’t let such things scare him into running away. Yu Won, who had never been acknowledged as his father’s biological child, had come to Wonhye as Hong Yu Won, the adopted son of the Hong family, for one purpose alone.

 

To take his sister’s place as the wife of Tae Baek Hoon.

 

The time limit his father had set as the price of his life was one year. He had promised that if he remained by Tae Baek Hoon’s side for a year, not only would his debts be forgiven, but he would also create an opportunity for his mother to be freed from her lowly status.

 

However, if Yu Won were to run away within that year, or if he were to act recklessly and give Tae Baek Hoon grounds for divorce, not only would all the promises be null and void, but his mother would be sold off to some remote place.

 

The well-being of his ailing mother and Yu Won’s freedom depended on whether he could survive here for another year.

 

He hadn’t been kicked out yet. That was enough.

 

Snoring loudly, the young boy rolled over with a thud. Gone were the moments of wailing and crying; now, his face was that of a child sleeping soundly, oblivious to the world. Still, it was a relief that at least one person in this room was at peace.

 

He pulled the blanket over the child’s deeply sleeping body. Darkness spilling from the setting sun slowly enveloped the room.

 

The red candle flickered in the night breeze that had seeped in. Melted red wax dripped down in droplets, like the petals of flowers past their season.

 

 

Beyond the door, hidden by folding screens and curtains, the raucous laughter never ceased. It was the wedding day of the governor, a man whose power was second only to the king in the province.

 

As befitted such a joyous occasion, the mansion had slaughtered numerous pigs, chickens, and goats to prepare a lavish celebratory feast. Not only the people of Wonhye, but also the villagers from the surrounding towns and villages had all gathered to praise the groom’s character, and in return, they were busy stuffing their faces with meat and wine.

 

Inside a windowless room, Yu Won had been sitting alone for several hours. Having been tormented all morning since the crack of dawn with preparations for the wedding ceremony, what with the early morning rituals and all, his whole body ached, and his head spun.

 

Without knowing what was going on, he simply put on the clothes as the bridal attendant instructed and had his face adorned with perfume and rouge. Rice paste had been smeared between his eyelids, so he hadn’t been able to open his eyes even once all day. The wedding attire, layered one upon another, felt as heavy as if he were carrying a sack of rice on his back, and his shoes were so narrow and high that walking in them felt more like riding something than actually walking. Every time he bowed before the altar, he had strained so hard not to fall that his toes still tingled.

 

All that yawning had caused tears to well up between his eyes, melting the dried paste. Yu Won forgot the words of the bridal attendant, who had warned him not to touch his face lest his makeup smudge, and rubbed his eyes with his hands. Only then did the stifling pressure between his eyes finally ease.

 

Yu Won quietly shifted his hips backward and slumped into his seat. Feeling the soft cotton quilt behind his back, he wanted to take off his clothes and lie down comfortably right then and there. But the wedding ceremony was not yet over. Until the groom entered the bridal chamber, he had no freedom of his own.

 

Yu Won stared blankly at the pair of mandarin ducks decorating the table.

 

The bond between husband and wife, a marriage vow for a hundred years.

 

While bowing to the groom in front of the officiant holding the royal decree, Yu Won had not heard a single laugh from him. Even when they stood side by side, he could feel no warmth, let alone any vitality; he wondered if he was truly alive. In fact, he even had the terrifying thought that perhaps this was a scheme his father had concocted to sell him off somewhere forever.

 

Suddenly, he recalled the words the bridal attendant had spoken, presumably to ease his tension.

 

“They say heavy snowfall on an auspicious day like today is a sign of good fortune. It seems the new bride is destined to live a life filled with love.”

 

Filled with love. Could that really come true?

 

Just then, there was a commotion outside the door.

 

“Oh my, the Governor has arrived! Are you going to see the bride now?”

 

He heard the bridal attendant’s voice, laced with a touch of playfulness. Soon, the sound of heavy footsteps approached and stopped right in front of the paper door. After confirming the shadow cast on the paper, Yu Won sat up straight. With a creak, the door swung open, and at the same moment, Yu Won closed his eyes tightly.

 

The rustling sound of clothing brushing against fabric grew closer. The darkness deepened over his closed eyes. With a thud, the groom sank to the floor, bringing with him the scent of winter from outside and the damp fragrance of magnolias.

 

He had felt perfectly fine while alone in the room, but the moment he realized someone was standing before him, his heart began to race. His shoulders trembled slightly, and his lips grew parched. Next, the groom was supposed to wipe the paste from the bride’s closed eyes. Only then would the couple finally look into each other’s eyes, the beginning of their wedding night.

 

Yu Won kept his eyes tightly shut, waiting for him to reach out. But the groom neither touched him nor spoke a word. There was only a long silence.

 

The bridal attendant had mentioned that something like this had happened at a wedding she had presided over before. She said there had been a time when a groom, overcome with excitement on his wedding day, couldn’t resist the alcohol, got completely drunk, and passed out, leaving his bride behind. Though it was meant as a joke to ease the bride’s tension, she had said it wasn’t entirely unheard of.

 

So he wondered if he might have simply fallen asleep, exhausted from the alcohol. Unable to bear it any longer, Yu Won quietly opened his eyes a little. Having kept them shut for so long, his eyes, unaccustomed to the darkness, felt as if they were covered in cloth.

 

His blurry vision gradually cleared, and the indistinct mass of light and shadow gradually became distinct.