Chapter 37: Why Are You Doing This to Me?
Seyo had thought she might struggle to sleep in an unfamiliar place, but when she opened her eyes, it was already morning. At home, her mother would wake her every day, but it seemed the palace maids here had not bothered to wake her.
How long had she been asleep?
She hurriedly sat up. The bath tub was gone, and the table that had been set with food was now completely clean.
It seemed the maids had already come and gone.
“They could’ve woken me up…”
Seyo looked around the room and found a mirror. After checking her face, she quickly fixed her messy hair. Just as she cautiously poked her head out the door, a maid appeared from somewhere.
“Did you sleep well, Lady Seyo?”
Ah, another kneeling greeting.
A bow on her knees right after waking up—far too heavy a greeting.
Seyo didn’t know what to do and quickly lowered her head.
“I will bring water for washing.”
Even though she wanted to say she could do it herself, she couldn’t—this place was unfamiliar. She didn’t even know where anything was. It was like she had gone blind the moment she opened her eyes.
Seyo washed her face with warm water and was served breakfast.
She had worried the maid might stand beside her the entire time she ate, but thankfully, they gave her space.
Eating breakfast alone in such a large room felt strange.
“Mother must have woken up a long time ago…”
After hearing Cha-eon’s explanation, she decided she should write a letter. Whatever conversation had taken place between the Poison God and her fiancé, it was certain her mother knew nothing about this situation.
I hope that fox girl is doing well in my place.
If she could act cute and reassure her mother that everything was fine…
When she returned home, she decided she would buy the fox plenty of her favorite snacks.
“Lady Seyo, it is time for mouth rinsing water.”
After she finished eating, someone brought in dental washing tools. If everything was like this, noble people would never need to leave their rooms.
Food brought in, bathwater brought in—anything they wanted was delivered to them.
Should I get used to living like this too?
It was the complete opposite of Mujo-buin’s philosophy, who had always made Seyo chop her own firewood.
“Lady Seyo.”
As she wiped her mouth with a towel, a maid smiled and spoke.
“Would you like to go meet Lord Cha-eon?”
“I’ve been waiting for that.”
Seyo quickly answered before the maid could change her mind.
“Then we will bring clothes, accessories, and cosmetics.”
“Ah—wait a moment!”
Seyo waved her hands and ran toward the bundle placed beside her bed. Before sleeping last night, she had opened it.
Mujo-buin had packed her clothes, a pair of new shoes, dried fruit, a hair tie, and some money. She had even included her usual beauty water and rouge, which made Seyo’s nose sting for a moment.
“I already have clothes to change into.”
She pulled out her favorite among the four outfits she had brought. The maid’s expression subtly changed.
The other maids standing nearby also shifted their expressions.
Silent glances passed between them.
It felt like something similar had happened yesterday too.
“Of course, the clothes you brought are lovely, but this one is a gift from Lord Cha-eon.”
Before she knew it, a far more radiant outfit had been brought in.
It was decorated with intricate embroidery and matching accessories.
It looked like something only a princess in the royal palace would wear.
“If you accept the gift, Lord Cha-eon will be pleased.”
“A… gift?”
Seyo felt overwhelmed. Just looking at it made her feel ten times more pressured than the maids bowing on their knees.
But since it was Cha-eon’s gift, she couldn’t simply refuse it.
If she didn’t wear it, it might look like she was rejecting his sincerity.
“Then I’ll wear it just this once.”
Seyo smiled helplessly.
“It’s not that I don’t like it… I’m just not used to such fancy things yet.”
“Yes, we will help you get ready immediately.”
Several maids surrounded her and began dressing her. She asked them to keep her hairstyle the same, since she didn’t want to look like a completely different person.
Instead of her plain jade-colored ribbon, a silk band decorated with lapis lazuli was tied into her hair.
Before leaving the room, she checked the mirror once more.
A strange noble lady was looking back at her.
“Lady Seyo has arrived.”
Guided by the maids, she arrived at the central hall of the palace. A servant outside announced her arrival.
All the way here, she had been so careful not to step on her dress that she didn’t even know how she had made it.
Only when she realized she could finally sit did she breathe a sigh of relief.
“Let her in.”
A deep, resonant voice came from inside.
Cha-eon’s voice.
Seyo’s heart began to pound. Her attention, once focused on her dress, shifted entirely to the person inside the hall.
I’m finally going to meet him.
Her hands gripping her skirt tightened—she was clearly nervous. Please, don’t say anything foolish. Don’t embarrass yourself. Show him only your best self.
The doors slowly opened.
Seyo kept her head down and stared at the floor.
I hope he likes me.
Please, heavenly god…
Please let me be loved by Cha-eon.
She silently prayed.
“Please enter.”
At the maid’s words, Seyo stepped forward. Crossing the threshold felt precarious, but she made it safely.
She walked into the wide hall and stopped beneath the raised platform.
“Come up here.”
Cha-eon invited her.
Only then did she look up—and meet the eyes of a strikingly handsome young man, far more beautiful than any portrait.
“Go on.”
His voice was gentle. His smile was soft.
All her worries melted away like spring snow. He was exactly as kind as in his letters.
Scrolls of parchment were stacked on one side of the desk, suggesting he had been working.
Everything about this place felt unreal.
Carefully, Seyo climbed the three steps—it felt like twelve.
Cha-eon personally poured tea into two cups and offered one to her.
She accepted it gratefully and bowed slightly.
“Hello, Lord Cha-eon. I am Seyo, daughter of Mujo-buin.”
“There’s no need for introductions from me, I assume.”
“Yes, of course.”
To hide her nerves, she sipped the tea—only to burn her tongue.
Ah, a mistake already?
Of course he wouldn’t serve cold tea. She should’ve waited instead of rushing.
She felt like she would keep making mistakes for the next two days.
“First, I must apologize for my unilateral actions. You must have been very surprised last night.”
Cha-eon lightly traced the edge of his teacup.
“The carriage driver sent by the Poison God was actually my subordinate—the Black Fox in disguise. We were lucky to run into the real driver while he was briefly away.”
“…Lucky?”
“Yes. We simply took the carriage while he was away. It’s not something I would normally boast about, but the situation was urgent.”
Mujo-buin had also acted in haste, and so had Cha-eon.
She had many questions, but she waited for him to continue.
“The Heavenly Emperor—my father—sent envoys to your home. They intended to bring you to the heavens for ‘bride training.’ But truthfully, there’s nothing you need to learn.”
Cha-eon let out a small laugh.
He seemed to be thinking of an overly enthusiastic father arranging his child’s marriage.
He even shook his head slightly.
“Mujo-buin must have taught you well enough. And as you’ve likely noticed since yesterday, most things are handled by the maids anyway.”
“Yes, that’s true.”
Seyo felt relieved that he understood her before she even said it.
“They serve me so well it feels like I’m a child who can’t do anything.”
Cha-eon’s expression shifted slightly.
“You were uncomfortable?”
His sharp gaze turned toward the maids. At his look, they quickly knelt and bowed.
“You caused inconvenience to Lady Seyo?”
“We are sorry.”
“I warned you many times.”
“We are sorry.”
“Will you just repeat the same words like parrots? Apologize to Lady Seyo as well.”
“Ah, Lord Cha-eon. I’m fine.”
Seyo hurriedly intervened, sensing things escalating. She hadn’t meant to get them in trouble.
“I’m really fine. They didn’t do anything wrong.”
“…Is that so?”
“Yes, really.”
Cha-eon smiled again, seemingly reassured. So the rumors weren’t entirely wrong, Seyo thought.
His gaze—so natural and cold when dealing with subordinates—felt almost instinctive.
“Where was I?”
Before she could answer, he continued.
“Bride training. Honestly, it seems like a waste of time, so I decided to bring my fiancée here instead. That’s the situation.”
“You… brought me here?”
“It’s been a year since our engagement. Who knows how long they would have kept you in the heavens?”
It made sense.
Except for one strange part.
The Heavenly Emperor had sent envoys. They intended to bring the future bride and teach her etiquette.
But Mujo-buin was not pleased by this arrangement.
So she tried to hide her daughter in the Poison God’s residence.
In other words, she had tried to “hide” Seyo away.
And in the end, she had been “taken” again by the fox disguised as a carriage driver.
That raised a question.
How did Mujo-buin know the Heavenly Emperor’s envoys were coming?
Until Seyo had gone to her room, her mother had acted completely normal.
“…Could it be?”
“What is it?”
“Was the one who informed my mother about the envoys… your subordinate as well?”
Cha-eon smiled and nodded.
So that explained it. If someone had delivered urgent news claiming it came from the Poison God, even her normally calm mother would have believed it.
“Everyone has been quite busy because of the Heavenly Emperor’s decision.”
Seyo also smiled faintly. Now everything made sense.
“But you managed to find out about the envoys quite quickly.”
“It’s nothing. His intentions are fairly predictable.”
Cha-eon tapped the edge of his cup.
“Still, this time was close. I almost got tricked.”
It seemed their conversation was coming to an end. He mentioned he had work piling up, and Seyo felt slightly guilty.
She didn’t want to take up too much of his time.
“I’ll take my leave now.”
“If you get bored, ask the maids to show you around the palace.”
“Yes, I will. Thank you.”
He remained kind until the end.
“Um…”
Just as Cha-eon reached for a scroll, he looked up.
“What is it?”
His gentle attention made Seyo feel encouraged.
“I’m really happy… that I’m your partner.”
She was glad she could say it with her own voice, looking at him directly.
“I’ll do my best.”
“Pfft.”
Cha-eon’s shoulders shook as he laughed. His smile looked refreshingly bright.
“I was wondering what you were going to say. Alright. Take care on your way back.”
And before he could finish saying don’t overdo it—
Seyo lost her footing.
Riiiip.
A sharp tearing sound echoed as her skirt caught on something and ripped.
She fell down the steps and hit her knee on the marble floor.
Pain came second—embarrassment came first.
How could this happen?
Her flowing skirt tore, exposing her leg completely. Even her thigh was almost visible.
It must have snagged on something.
Tears welled in her eyes.
“Are you alright? What happened?”
Cha-eon rushed down from the platform. She couldn’t let him see her like this.
She felt ashamed—not only for ruining his gift, but also for showing herself bare-legged right after their first meeting.
“No, I’m fine. I’m sorry… I’m sorry…”
“This is no time for apologies. Guards—take Lady Seyo back to her quarters!”
She desperately refused any doctor. As servants carried her away, everyone in the palace stole glances at her exposed legs.
How humiliating…
She buried her face in her sleeve and quietly cried.
Back in her quarters, Seyo applied ointment to her knee and felt something was wrong.
Something was off.
Very off.
Soon she realized the reason.
The bundle she had placed by her bedside was gone.
She had thought of the dried fruit her mother packed and wanted to eat just one piece—but now it was nowhere to be found.
She searched the room.
Nothing.
“I need clothes…”
She wrapped a cloth around her waist and limped out of the room.
“Hello?”
She called for the maids—but none appeared.
Instead, a strange smell reached her nose.
“Smoke…? Wait—fire?!”
She ran toward the source—and froze.
Her bundle was burning.
Half of it had already turned to ash.
“What are you doing?! Why are you burning my things?!”
Her clothes, money pouch, shoes, snacks—everything her mother had packed—
Gone.
“Lord Cha-eon’s orders.”
a maid replied calmly.
“He said they were dirty items brought from outside and ordered them to be burned.”
“What… that’s impossible…”
She couldn’t believe it.
Without waiting, she rushed toward Cha-eon.
What she found in the main hall was not Cha-eon.
It was his twin.
A completely different person.
No—it was the same face, the same voice, the same body…
And yet everything was different.
The man leaned lazily against his seat, reading a scroll with a bored expression.
A maid half-exposed her chest while massaging his shoulder. Another sat beside him fanning him flirtatiously.
“Start over. Crawl in on your knees.”
Cha-eon’s twin gave the order.
“How dare a lowly girl lift her head in the presence of the Heavenly Emperor’s son? Did your mother teach you nothing?”
That voice.
That face.
That appearance.
Everything matched—but the person was entirely different.
“Are you… another son? Lord Cha-eon’s twin?”
Before she could finish, laughter burst out.
So funny. Really funny.
He looked down at her from the platform.
Seyo knew Cha-eon had no twin.
But she still hoped she was wrong.
“How foolish and troublesome.”
He tossed the scroll onto the desk.
“Even my father is the same. Has the old man gone senile? Why would he choose a woman like this as my partner?”
Every word was a shock.
“I told him I refused. Over and over. But he never listened. All he cares about is ‘balance, balance.’”
He shifted, now almost lying down.
“You probably already know why someone like you was chosen as my partner.”
“I… I don’t…”
“Of course you don’t.”
He scoffed.
“It’s balance. Heaven, mortal realm, underworld. A being powerful enough to threaten all three realms was born. That’s me. Cha-eon of the Full Moon. Stronger than the sum of the other four. Someone who could even surpass my father.”
He studied his nails with a cold smirk.
“Honestly, I have no interest in becoming the Heavenly Emperor.”
“I…”
“I just want no one interfering with me.”
“Then… why…”
Her voice trembled.
Why did you bring me here?
Why deceive my mother?
Why are you doing this to me?
All the questions circled her mind.
Finally, she managed to speak.
“Then… what about the letter you sent me?”
“Oh, that?”
His gaze changed instantly—colder, sharper.
He turned toward the servant at the door.
“Bring him here.”
