In the end, only after chasing out Hyuk Dojin, who was acting like a slippery eel, was I able to change my clothes and finish a simple grooming session.

Joo Hwarin lightly tied my side hair, letting it flow down, and surveyed the accessories. I silently watched her through the mirror as she hummed a tune.

Looking very pleased, Joo Hwarin picked up a butterfly-shaped pin, examined it from various angles, and then stuck it into the side hair she had tied, smiling brightly.

“Hwarin.”

“Yes?”

“Did something good happen today?”

“Something good? No, nothing.”

Joo Hwarin replied with wide-open eyes, looking puzzled.

“Why do you ask all of a sudden?”

“No, you just seemed to be in a good mood. You were even humming, which you don’t usually do. I thought maybe something good happened.”

“Oh, no, nothing like that. I’m always the same. If there’s anything different, isn’t it you, Miss?”

“Me?”

I furrowed my brow at the arrow that unexpectedly turned to me.

I’m different? In response to my reaction, Joo Hwarin smiled and nodded. She brought over other accessories and tried them on a few more times to confirm.

“Today, your expression seems a bit more lively than usual. I know it might be rude to say this, but normally you had no change in expression, like an old person who had seen it all, and you seemed a bit depressed. But today, it’s as if something good happened. You’re smiling, and even when you’re sitting still, I can sense vitality from you.”

Joo Hwarin made a satisfied expression after checking the final accessory and attaching it to my hair.

“More than anything else, seeing you with such an expression, I think it naturally brightens my mood too. I, Joo Hwarin, wish for you to be healthy and always happy, Miss.”

She placed her hand on my shoulder and faced my reflection in the mirror with a cheerful expression.

‘Happiness…’

It was a word that had always felt distant. But recently, that word didn’t feel so unfamiliar. Since coming here, countless things I couldn’t have before seemed to flicker in my mind. Like a dream of a single day.

* * *

“You’re here?”

As I finished getting ready and stepped outside, Hyuk Dojin, who had been leaning against the wall, asked lightly. He glanced at me, rolling his eyes as if examining me, and raised his eyebrows. Meeting his gaze, I smiled slightly, and Hyuk Dojin’s lips parted gently.

“It suits you very well. I should have Cho Hong make a few more outfits for Sowol.”

“Is there really a need for that? I think I have more than enough already.”

“There is a need.”

I approached his side. Leaning away from the wall, Hyuk Dojin walked in the same direction as me and spoke.

“If you have many pretty clothes, you’ll want to go out and wear them, won’t you? So we should have more made.”

Hyuk Dojin lightly opened the door. It wasn’t the main entrance I had used when I first arrived here. As he opened the door, a refreshing breeze blew in.

Through the open door, I could see the scenery Hyuk Dojin had mentioned – a stone path with a canopy of shade.

It was a beautiful landscape, small and cozy, with a small pond in the center where sunlight shone down. It was my first time learning about this place, so I paused slightly, and Hyuk Dojin gently pulled my hand.

“What do you think? You can walk on this stone path, can’t you, Sowol?”

“…”

I slowly nodded. That’s right, walking on this kind of path wouldn’t be a problem. Although I lacked stamina, I wasn’t so frail that I would collapse after just a few steps.

I moved my foot and firmly stepped on the first stone of the path. The sensation of the hard stone felt pleasant under my feet, and I smiled faintly.

Meanwhile, Hyuk Dojin received something from a maid standing nearby and handed it to me.

It was a small cup. Inside, a purple liquid was contained. Wondering what it was, I stared at it blankly until Hyuk Dojin spoke.

“Would you like to try it?”

Rolling my eyes, I glanced at him before looking at the liquid again. It seemed like a beverage, with a sweet scent emanating from it. Surely he wouldn’t feed me something strange. After a brief pause, I tilted the cup and brought it to my tongue.

The sweet and very familiar taste swirled in my mouth, just like the scent.

“Oh, this is…”

“It’s a beverage made by grinding grape juice. I noticed you enjoyed it in the morning, so I had it made. How is it? Is it alright?”

Tilting the cup again, I nodded as I savored the fragrance of grapes filling my mouth. It was a very sweet and familiar taste. Smiling at the sweetness, I looked at Hyuk Dojin. Seeing my smile, Hyuk Dojin’s expression relaxed, as if relieved, and he raised his hand.

His fingertips lightly brushed my lower lip. Then, he brought it to his own tongue, licked it, and lifted the corners of his mouth with a chuckle. What was that just now…

“It’s too sweet for me.”

“…”

“My wife unexpectedly likes sweet things and eats them well. I’ll keep that in mind.”

No, not keep that in mind, what you just did…

“Let’s go.”

Hyuk Dojin leisurely clasped his hands behind his back and walked ahead. I followed his retreating back with my eyes. Feeling a complex mix of emotions, I furrowed my brow and pondered for a moment before shaking my head. As I followed his very slow steps, his voice immediately reached me.

“Wife.”

“…Yes?”

I answered a beat late, still finding the term unfamiliar. Hyuk Dojin calmly continued speaking, unfazed by my delayed response.

“I heard you learned martial arts in the past.”

“Yes… Well, as a child born into one of the Five Great Clans, I had to learn the basics of martial arts.”

“May I ask what you learned?”

Actually, inquiring about someone else’s level of martial arts achievement was a grave discourtesy. Furthermore, asking what they specifically learned would be enough to warrant being stabbed without complaint.

That’s because, in the Central Plains dominated by the law of the jungle, revealing what one had learned and the extent of their achievements was no different from stripping naked and sleeping on the street.

Moreover, Hyuk Dojin was the Young Cult Leader of the Demon Cult. Even though we were married, the wall between the Righteous Sect and the Demon Cult that stood between us wouldn’t easily crumble.

However, in reality, even if I didn’t say what I had learned, the shallowness of my skills meant there was nothing to hide anyway. Furthermore, even if I didn’t say it, there was no way Hyuk Dojin wouldn’t know.

“I learned the Nine Heavens Meridians as the foundation of my internal cultivation, and for sword techniques, I learned the basic Chasing Sword and Acupoint Sealing Sword, and even the Heavenly Destiny Three Swords, before stopping.”

“Did you stop practicing martial arts because you reached your limit in achievement? Or was it because of your poor health?”

“While practicing martial arts, my condition worsened, but I ignored it and continued training, causing my internal energy to backflow and making me seriously ill. After that, it became difficult for me to control my internal energy, and my stamina also deteriorated, so I could no longer hold a sword.”

It had been over five years since then. At that time, I still firmly believed I could become healthy.

There were days when I chattered about practicing alongside my older brother, Moyong Do, and later, when we were older, going out together to enjoy wandering the Central Plains.

It remained a distant dream, though.

“But why are you asking about that?”

At my question, Hyuk Dojin maintained his silence before smiling and shaking his head.

“It’s nothing.”

I tilted my head at his face, which had a peculiar expression.

What was he hiding? As I was about to ask again out of curiosity, the sound of footsteps approached from behind. Turning around, a middle-aged man dressed neatly came up to me, greeted me once, and then approached Hyuk Dojin. He slowly opened his mouth.

“Young Cult Leader. I apologize, but there is an urgent matter you must attend to.”

“…”

Hyuk Dojin silently looked down at the man prostrating before him. His expression seemed slightly displeased, not looking too happy. Come to think of it, Hyuk Dojin wasn’t an idle person like me. He was the Young Cult Leader of the Demon Cult in name and reality.

The responsibilities he shouldered were certainly not light. It felt so natural for him to be with me, but in fact, he was a very busy person. Sometimes, to the point where he couldn’t even change clothes or sleep.

Hyuk Dojin hesitated, unable to part his lips. I could see his eyes rolling towards me. I let out a short sigh. Realizing the reason for his hesitation, I spoke with a small smile.

“Go ahead.”

“…Wife.”

“It’s alright. I’ll take a short stroll here and then go inside. Hwarin is here, and there are other people around, so there won’t be any problems.”

“…”

Hyuk Dojin bit his lip and rolled his eyes before sighing.

“I understand. Then, I’ll be back soon, so don’t overexert yourself.”

I nodded with a smile. Hyuk Dojin glided past the prostrating man, smiled at me, and then disappeared back the way he had come. I followed his departing back with my eyes and let out a small sigh. It couldn’t be helped.

I couldn’t hold back a busy person.

I turned my head. The stone path where Hyuk Dojin had been standing just moments ago seemed strangely wide. It didn’t seem that wide earlier. I quietly gazed at the stone wall and slowly moved my legs. I approached the pond, looking at the sunlight shining upon it.

Sunlight descended through a hole in the ceiling, illuminating the pond.

As I drew closer, I could clearly see the sight of the not-so-wide pond. Perhaps because the sunlight was shining on it, I could see the carp living inside.

Fascinated by the sight of the carp shimmering in various colors, I stood still and observed them. Their tails, swimming freely in the water, seemed to sway, as if tempting me to enter and find comfort there.

Their fluttering lips were so cute that I also fluttered my own lips.

“If you sprinkle this, they will gather.”

A voice came from beside me, and a palm rose.

I tilted my head to the side. Standing there, smiling, was Man Do, who had arrived without my noticing.

Surprised by his appearance, I slightly widened my eyes.

Man Do smiled and scooped up the powdered feed on his palm, scattering it over the pond.

As the powder created tiny ripples and floated on the surface of the pond, the carp gathered and swallowed the feed.

“Would you like to try?”

Man Do offered again. I raised my hand, scooped up some of the feed on his palm, and sprinkled it as he had done. The carp came up. Finding their appearance amusing and fascinating, I smiled, and Man Do’s voice reached my ears.

“You came out for a walk today.”

“Dojin recommended it, and I felt too suffocated. But fortunately, there’s such a beautiful path in the backyard. It’s difficult to take a walk in the morning when the sunlight is strong…”

“In the past, there was no ceiling here either.”

“Is that so?”

Come to think of it, compared to other places, the ceiling looked very clean and not worn out in various spots. I thought it was simply well-maintained, but was that not the case?

“And this stone path was just a bare ground with pebbles rolling around and dust flying.”

“Is that so?”

“It was like that just ten years ago. But now, it has become a splendid garden with a ceiling, a pond, and even grass to prevent sand from scattering, all being managed.”

Man Do glanced around and then turned his gaze to me with a gentle smile.

“This place was created for only one person and cultivated by that person’s hands.”

He shook off all the remaining feed on his palm into the pond. Following his gaze as he quietly observed, I shifted my eyes.

As I was intently watching the fish eagerly swallowing the feed, Man Do’s words continued.

“Even after losing their owner, the reason these little ones are so healthy is probably because they were loved.”

I lifted my head. Man Do looked at me with subdued eyes and spoke softly.

“This place was created for my niece and the Young Cult Leader’s mother, Geum Soso.”