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chapter 50
I alternated my gaze between the direction the people had disappeared and the two of them, then tightly shut my eyes.
People were whispering as they watched us.
“What’s that? Weird.”
“Seeing the swords… they look like martial artists… is this some new training method?”
I sat cross-legged atop the hands they had clasped together. I never imagined I’d ride in a hand-palanquin like this at my age, something I’d only done as a child.
But I had no choice. I didn’t want to hurt either of them.
And, crucially, no one here knows me.
A little wild behavior wouldn’t hurt my reputation at all. The real concern was their reaction. I quickly assessed their state.
“A tie? Already caught up to you, big sister. My little sister is amazing.”
“It’s thanks to you taking care of me so diligently, big sister.”
Fortunately, neither of them seemed upset.
“Then let’s go, Lady. We’ll carry you comfortably.”
“Do-hwa, let’s show them how well we work together.”
They began moving briskly. I worried we might not be able to keep up with them, but soon realized it was a needless concern.
They carried me with the speed of the wind. Truly insane martial abilities.
“Excuse me, have you seen a man and woman wearing deep hoods?”
“…Ah, that pair? They went that way.”
“Thank you!”
Asking people for directions—truly shameless. But thanks to that, the twins quickly located them.
They were talking with a group of people near a secluded well. Ang-hwa’s excited eyes looked up at me.
“Lady, there they are!”
“…Alright, thanks for carrying me this far.”
“Hehe, it’s nothing. You’re so light, Lady, it wasn’t tiring at all.”
I pulled a small pouch from my chest.
“Let’s quickly return this and go.”
The distance between us and them decreased, but they were so engrossed in conversation that they didn’t notice us approaching.
“Maybe we can ask for a bit extra now, they might agree.”
“Do you really think so? They don’t seem easy to deal with.”
“Not today. The sky looks ominous.”
Just as I considered raising my voice, I noticed Ang-hwa and Do-hwa had stopped moving. I lowered my head.
“Guys?”
“….”
They stared at the people near the well with an unnerving intensity. Just as I was about to call them again, I noticed a woman holding a bundle in her arms.
She had a baby with her.
Good thing I didn’t shout. The man sitting at the end spotted us.
“Huh?!”
“Hello.”
“Ah, I saw you earlier in front of the inn!”
The group quickly gathered around the woman holding the bundle. Feeling the cautious stares, I quickly retrieved the black pouch.
“You dropped this.”
“Oh? That’s…”
The woman hurried over, feeling inside the pouch. I handed it to her with both hands on the ground.
She opened it carefully. Inside, a pristine white lining was revealed. After checking several times, she bowed repeatedly to us.
“You came all the way here because of this? Thank you so much.”
“No, I’m just glad we could return it.”
I bowed slightly.
“Well, we’ll be going now.”
“Oh, yes! Be careful!”
“Wait.”
Ang-hwa, unusually serious, said to the woman:
“Take care of them.”
The woman, puzzled, silently glanced at the twins carrying me again in the hand-palanquin.
I touched my forehead.
Who would believe someone with such a suspicious appearance giving that warning?
And… why am I being lifted again? It’s so natural I didn’t even notice the awkwardness at first.
“Take care.”
Ang-hwa repeated the warning, then looked up at me.
“Alright, let’s go back, Lady.”
“…You can put me down now.”
Do-hwa also looked at me.
“You don’t have to refuse, Lady. Like she said, you’re so light it probably didn’t even feel like carrying you.”
“….”
In the end, we maintained this posture all the way back to the inn. People stared again, but I didn’t actively resist.
It was embarrassing, but honestly… it was fun.
That evening, I spoke to Mu-wol about what had happened during the day.
“Everyone sometimes wants to return to the carefree days, like I did today. To a time without worry.”
“….”
“And during travel, the sense of liberation makes you want to do things you normally wouldn’t. So…”
The more I tried to explain, the more ridiculous it felt. I eventually put down my chopsticks and covered my face with both hands. Mu-wol quickly comforted me.
“You don’t need to justify yourself. If you had fun, that’s enough.”
Why do I keep repeating the same mistakes? Nothing is more foolish than acting and then regretting it.
“Next time, I’ll make sure to ride only where no one else is.”
“You’re not saying you won’t ride at all, then.”
My face grew even redder.
“It was so fun… I felt like the boss of the alley, like I was rebelling a little.”
“No one else would enjoy such an innocent rebellion like you do.”
I picked up my chopsticks again, feeling helpless.
“Thank you for making my childish antics seem wholesome…”
“It’s true, though.”
“By the way, I hope they found their lodging safely.”
I looked out the window while serving duck on Mu-wol’s plate. Rain tapped rhythmically against the glass.
“A baby catching a cold would be terrible.”
“You needn’t worry about that.”
Of course. They’ll take care of themselves.
Watching Mu-wol pick up the duck, I suddenly asked:
“Later, we’ll probably have a few experiences like that too, right?”
“What experiences?”
“Traveling long distances with a baby.”
A piece of duck fell from between my chopsticks. I tilted my head.
“Was that question too sudden?”
“…No. It’s a reasonable question; I’m just the one who got flustered.”
“I should ask your mother about childcare once we plan for children. But, how would you like to raise them, Lord?”
“Let’s discuss that slowly later.”
“They say martial artists want their children to grow strong from an early age. Do you feel the same?”
“No.”
Mu-wol immediately frowned.
“I don’t want to go that far.”
“Good.”
I breathed a sigh of relief.
“I wanted to raise children gently. And I hope we won’t force them to do things they dislike.”
“I agree.”
“Really?”
I couldn’t hide my joy.
“Even if a child doesn’t want to practice martial arts, you’d accept it?”
“It would be regrettable, but we must respect their wishes. If they want to learn, though, I’ll teach strictly.”
“And if they want to learn martial arts but not from their father?”
I asked with curious eyes.
“What if they want a different teacher or to join another sect?”
“…I’d be very disappointed.”
“Hmm.”
“Other things aside, I couldn’t allow that. I’d persuade them somehow…”
I gazed softly at Mu-wol. When we were discussing matters before, he was serious about everything.
“Why is that?”
“Because they’re cute.”
Mu-wol genuinely grimaced.
“I’m not cute.”
“Ah, that just makes it cuter.”
“Wife…!”
Despite all this, we were steadily growing closer. I chuckled.
They say the excitement of a first meeting fades after marriage, but we seem to be an exception.
Every time I see this different side of Mu-wol, I get excited all over again.
Is it natural?
How could anyone tire of that face? I’m lucky to have such a husband.
