Chapter 30: Who Does the Lady Belong To?
It was still difficult to adjust to the now affectionate Cha-eon. Why did this man swing from one extreme to the other so abruptly?
Seohyo still remembered.
She remembered his gaze that day in the scorching summer, when she had become limp like boiled cabbage, lying all day on the straw mat-covered bed.
She remembered his expression when she said she would just breathe until the season changed while sipping juice with ice.
She remembered everything.
She deeply lamented, What am I supposed to do with this rice worm?
And it wasn’t just that.
How about when he got angry?
The icy killing intent that had flashed toward Ga Gongja, the overwhelming black aura that seemed capable of crushing every village nearby—Seohyo had witnessed it all.
“No wonder I keep getting startled,” she thought.
When Cha-eon smiled gently, enough to curl the corners of his eyes, her body stiffened on its own.
Or she would become a startled rabbit-eyed mess.
Cha-eon had said she should get used to this side of herself. He even claimed he had struggled to keep a stern expression all this time. If past Seohyo had heard that, she would have been stunned and fuming.
Surely he wasn’t saying his terrifying expressions before were all an act?
Excuse me, but that expression back then was 100% genuine, Seohyo thought, scoffing. Memories from the past shouldn’t be overwritten with some rainbow-colored reinterpretation.
“That aside, though, I keep thinking about what he said earlier.”
Seohyo glanced at Cha-eon while pausing her cleaning of the window frame. He was dusting the heavy comforter.
When she asked if she could skip opening the herbal shop today, Cha-eon told her to do as she pleased and added that it was fine to rest for a day.
This was something that would never happen under normal circumstances.
“I will try my best,” Cha-eon had said to the lady distributing rice cakes.
“Could it… be because of that?”
Seohyo drew a sharp breath. His unstoppable momentum, and the way he answered the lady as if he had been waiting for her words—everything made sense.
“This lecherous, perverted butler is trying to devour me tonight!”
Seohyo pretended to clean the next window and edged closer to Cha-eon. One thing had to be clarified, no matter what.
“Ahem.”
She cleared her throat unnecessarily.
The sound was too soft; Cha-eon didn’t even glance her way.
“Cha-eon, about what you said earlier…”
Finally, Seohyo spoke first.
“What did you mean when you told the lady you’d try your best?”
“Try my best?”
Cha-eon looked at her as if he had forgotten what he’d said. Hey, you can’t just toss out a statement that lingers in someone’s ear and pretend it never happened.
Seohyo pressed the point a little.
“You said that to the lady handing out rice cakes. That you’d try your best. What did you mean by that? You could have just brushed it off with a vague smile.”
“Ohh.”
“Why did such a prepared answer come out like that?”
Too cheeky, Seohyo thought. She finished her sentence and continued scrubbing the window frame with exaggerated thoroughness.
But his reply was unexpectedly deflating.
“If I had smiled vaguely, I’d have added at least five more lines—how I shouldn’t be so casual, what I should do instead. Rather than go through all that, it’s better to give a clear answer from the start.”
“Hmm.”
Her scrubbing slowed.
“So there was no special meaning behind it?”
Some of the tension drained away, and she didn’t like feeling disappointed.
There are plenty of things to be disappointed about. What did I even expect?
“Yes, nothing,” Cha-eon replied, sensing her mood and turning the question back on her.
“The lady seemed satisfied with my answer, but not you, huh?”
Seohyo silently wished he wouldn’t give that knowing, people-reading smile.
“What could possibly be unsatisfactory about it?”
That sly attitude made her feel like he was playing with her, tossing her around on his palm. She returned to cleaning the window frame.
There were plenty of windows, but Cha-eon quickly fluffed the comforters. Winter comforters were large and heavy, yet he dusted them off effortlessly. Once his task was done, he started inching closer to her.
“You’re thinking naughty thoughts again, aren’t you?”
“You’re accusing me again,” Seohyo replied, carefully cleaning the corners.
“Who’s to blame for this?”
Instantly, he countered, “Shouldn’t I be the one saying that?”
No, absolutely not.
Who made this awkward, suggestive situation? That’s entirely the butler’s fault. Seohyo nodded to herself hundreds of times in agreement.
“Hypothetically…”
Cha-eon, leaning slightly beside her, spoke.
“Suppose we were to marry.”
Seohyo’s hand froze.
“I’ll tell you in advance: there won’t be any children for a while. So, at least three hundred years.”
He immediately corrected himself:
“No, I mean at least three hundred years before having children.”
“Who’s going to have them?”
Had anyone even mentioned marriage, let alone children? Why did he run ahead and make things so chaotic?
But children…
Children!
Seohyo had never even considered it; her face flushed like it had when she first heard the lady’s words.
And who stepped in?
Her butler.
He knew exactly how to rescue his mistress in these ticklish, embarrassing situations. Even if the predicament stemmed from his own words.
“Think about it. If you had a child… a child having a child, who would suffer? That would be entirely my responsibility.”
“Wait a minute.”
“I’d still have to help with the herbal shop and housework, plus take care of two children. Even I think that’s a bit too much.”
Seohyo wanted to wield the rag like a weapon. She could throw the fine dust at his shameless face.
“Who said I’d have children? I’ve never even considered it,” she added quickly.
“I mean… if we hypothetically marry.”
“Well thought out,” he said.
“And while we’re at it, let’s make it clear,” Seohyo continued, drawing a natural conclusion from their conversation.
“In that sense, even if we marry, we each keep our own rooms.”
Cha-eon’s expression changed instantly. His gentle smile became a cold, serious look in the blink of an eye.
He straightened his posture, making the size difference between them more pronounced.
“That’s ridiculous. I’ll pretend I didn’t hear it.”
“Why is it ridiculous?”
“Well, if it were truly reasonable…”
He ran a hand through his hair, visibly frustrated. Seohyo couldn’t understand either.
“But Cha-eon just said there won’t be children for at least three hundred years. Then of course we’d each sleep in our own rooms.”
“Oh, my head…”
He grabbed his head and squeezed his eyes shut.
Why is he acting like this? Did I say something wrong?
Seohyo recalled the god of vitality, always energetic, and how he had warned that little ones would follow like potato vines, so one had to be careful.
“So, you understand me. For three hundred years, each has their own room?”
The butler snickered faintly. He looked increasingly worried.
“Who knows who’ll end up dead…”
Cha-eon covered his eyes with his palm, massaging slightly before sighing and lowering his hand.
“The journey ahead is long.”
“Who?”
“You and I—both in different ways, the same.”
He left, leaving her with a sense of severe shock.
Night fell.
Seohyo brushed her hair and glanced at the bed. As usual, Cha-eon checked the bedding: whether it was warm enough, whether anything hard had fallen inside.
So far, so good.
“Cha-eon.”
Seohyo set the brush on the table, shoulders aching from the long brushing.
“Yes, Mistress.”
“Why aren’t you leaving?”
She had been curious for some time, delaying the question. By now, a quarter of an hour had passed.
If he wasn’t about to destroy the bed and remake it, he should leave by now.
Yet he seemed in no hurry. Honestly, it didn’t look like he had any intention of leaving.
“Don’t tell me you’re planning to sleep here?”
He only stared at her silently. Seohyo’s hand hovered over the brush on the table, considering how to intimidate him.
“I clearly said no. And we’re not even married yet.”
“I know.”
“If you know, why aren’t you leaving?”
Her body instinctively went into defensive mode, raising metaphorical thorns. Cha-eon smiled.
“You think I look dangerous now?”
She emphasized it again, gripping the brush.
“Just now?”
“Because you shamelessly begged for a kiss, ambushed me, and pressed your lips to mine, I thought you had lost all fear.”
He said it was good for her to stay alert. Even without supernatural abilities, vigilance was her weapon to protect herself. Even against Cha-eon.
She shouldn’t trust him too easily.
Usually, he prioritized her safety. But even the butler sometimes tested her limits.
“So what’s your conclusion? I should… be more wary of you?”
“No.”
Cha-eon answered bluntly.
“That’s what I wanted until recently. I’ve been making sure you don’t trust or rely on me too much. I wanted you to understand that there was a line between us.”
But his stance had changed recently.
“There’s no need to guard against me anymore. Drawing lines now would be troublesome.”
Why?
Because Cha-eon suddenly became a completely different person!
Seohyo wanted to retort. Changes should happen gradually, but her butler flipped in an instant.
When she accused him of being a “kiss thief” just a little while ago, and built a wall—now he hugged and smacked kisses at her constantly.
Helping her down the stairs, a kiss on her hand. Dodging a cart, a kiss on her forehead.
Now even making eye contact was terrifying—what if he tried to kiss her again?
“You’re probably remembering what happened today.”
She had noticed before that he could read her thoughts now. Seohyo glared at Cha-eon.
“This is just the beginning.”
“What?”
“My plan… is to hug, caress, nibble, and suck on you whenever possible, to make you adapt to me as quickly as possible.”
“What…? You want to do what to me?”
“You may be a little bewildered…”
A little? She was completely flustered and didn’t know what to say.
Watching him approach, she thought:
“You said I wouldn’t dislike it.”
Cha-eon took the brush from her hand. Normally, she brushed her hair multiple times before bed.
Tonight, she had brushed continuously while waiting for him to leave, making her hair silky smooth.
He gently gathered a section and brushed it through. Soon, he realized she didn’t need more help.
Yet why did her whole body feel tingling?
Seohyo pressed her pounding heart against her back, sensing his presence.
She felt she might have a sweet dream tonight.
Rising to sleep, Cha-eon asked in a low voice behind her:
“Who does the lady belong to?”
He knew what answer he wanted. But Seohyo wouldn’t give it to him. She answered firmly.
“I belong to myself.”
A soft, ambiguous sound came from behind—was it a laugh or a sigh? She couldn’t tell without turning her head.
“I know what you want to hear, but I’m not that dizzy-headed yet. I’m clear-minded. I belong to myself. To no one else.”
“That’s a shame.”
A gentle smile accompanied his words.
Then he placed his hands on her shoulders, holding them lightly and leaning close. His breath brushed her neck with every inhale and exhale.
So near, so intimate—different from a kiss.
“I belong to you,” he said.
A voice mixed with laughter, sweetness, and melancholy.
“Both body and heart are completely bound, impossible to escape. And I don’t even want to… It’s maddening.”
Seohyo’s heart thumped violently.
“Who could I blame for what I desire?”
His soft voice lowered, brushing against her hair.
“Sleep well, lady.”
He kissed her delicate shoulder, then left. Seohyo slid under the warm blankets. No matter how she adjusted the pillow or tried to distract herself, her shoulder—where his lips had touched—kept catching her attention.
Even over clothes, the brief warmth felt like a brand.
“Did he stamp it?”
She rubbed her left shoulder, but it remained hot.
Something lightly brushed her cheek. A soft licking sensation made her giggle in her half-asleep state. Cha-eon must have let the striped cat spirit out again.
No matter how bad her mood, seeing the creature always brightened her face. Cha-eon knew and used this to his advantage.
Among the many spirits in the herbal cabinet, this one was playful and affectionate. She had been doted on by it for two years.
And again—it licked her.
Persistent to the extreme.
“Ugh, ticklish,” she laughed again. Cha-eon had apparently found a new way to wake her: releasing the cat spirit. A surprisingly clever method.
“Alright, I’ll get up. Stop, okay?”
Breath tickling her ear. When she opened her eyes, the mischievous spirit would surely look at her.
Seohyo stretched under the morning sunlight before fully waking. She had slept soundly through the night, and her brief insomnia had left no trace of fatigue.
How refreshing!
“Ugh…”
Rubbing her eyes, she shifted—and the little spirit lightly bit her earlobe.
That mischievous cat.
Are you becoming as naughty as our butler?
“If you bite my ear like that, is it okay or not?”
She reached to grasp its nape…
…but wait.
It didn’t feel like the usual soft misty touch. This was firmer, muscular throughout.
What the…?
Seohyo opened her eyes.
Instead of the meowing striped cat, her butler was above her, wearing a relaxed smile.
“Okay,” he said.
His new method of waking his lady had worked immediately.
