STVS 49

Chapter 49

The manor was thrown into chaos.

On the day before the wedding, the bride had vanished without a trace.

The previous head of the family was furious.

He raged, cursing that the child had no gratitude for the care he’d received, that she shouldn’t have been born in the first place, and shouted for someone to find Soyoung-yeong immediately.

The current head, So-cheongja, could only stand there in shock.

Why? Why would she…?

The Soyoung-yeong he knew had been a delicate child. She complained when it was too hot or too cold, and she hated being hurt. Even a small injury would send her running to him, whining.

So-cheongja assumed she wouldn’t be able to endure long outside the home. She would return soon—he was certain of it.

He was completely wrong.

Days passed, then weeks, months, and even half a year.

Soyoung-yeong never came back.

Not a single piece of news about her reached them. No matter how many people were sent out, not even a scrap of her clothing could be found. She seemed to have vanished from the world entirely.

It was then that So-cheongja began to regret.

I should have understood her feelings. If I had done something… if I hadn’t ignored her…

But the events had already unfolded. The only thing So-cheongja could do now was send out more people to search for Soyoung-yeong.

Even that became difficult soon enough.

Disaster struck the family in quick succession.

The first misfortune was the death of the previous head and his wife. On their way to a banquet hosted by an allied family in Sichuan, a landslide occurred, and both perished.

So-cheongja mourned bitterly, thinking it strange that two people who had so disliked each other would die on the same day.

The second calamity struck So-cheongja himself.

He lost both his wife and child at once.

At that time, So-cheongja had only one wife, a political match arranged by the previous head. It was not a marriage of love, so the two lived together somewhat formally. Yet, they treated each other with respect, and eventually, his wife became pregnant.

So-cheongja was overjoyed. But the happiness was short-lived.

“You can only save one.”

His wife fell gravely ill.

If he used strong medicine to save her, the child would be at risk; if the child were delivered immediately, his wife might die. He faced an impossible choice.

To save the child or the wife?

By cruel chance, it wasn’t his choice to make.

“Save the child,” his wife begged desperately.

Barely conscious, she had heard the doctor’s explanation and insisted he save their child. So-cheongja, unable to make a decision, faltered.

“But my wife…”

“I know my own body. I can’t hold on. Please… save the child.”

So-cheongja could do nothing but comply.

Yet even that choice ended in tragedy.

The child he fought to save died shortly after birth.

So-cheongja held the cold bodies of his wife and child and wept for a long time. Only after burying them could he reflect on his life.

I was wrong.

He didn’t know where it had all gone wrong. Should he have saved his wife? Should he have prevented his parents from going to that banquet? Or even earlier…

Yeong-ah.

Should he have protected Soyoung-yeong?

The beginning of all mistakes traced back to the night before Soyoung-yeong’s disappearance. When he had ignored his younger sister at a time when everything seemed fine, when he had turned away from his own cowardice.

But even if he went back in time, could he have made a different choice? So-cheongja shook his head through tears.

Yeong-ah, your brother is such a pitiful man.

Perhaps it was only natural that no one remained by his side.

So-cheongja spent every night drowning in alcohol, endlessly revisiting his regrets, wandering through a deep swamp of despair.

“Lord of the Manor!”

The chief officer of the family entered with someone. Behind him was a familiar yet strange face.

So-cheongja’s hands trembled.

It was Soyoung-yeong.

After three years, she had returned.

After three years, Soyoung-yeong looked unfamiliar.

Her chubby baby face had sharpened, and her time outside had matured her, giving her an almost somber presence.

So-cheongja stared at her, bewildered, then tears began to fall.

His younger sister had changed so much, and it was all his fault. He kept apologizing.

“I’m sorry… I’m so sorry…”

Soyoung-yeong simply watched him quietly.

So-cheongja asked her many questions, but she gave few answers. She seemed troubled and finally spoke hesitantly.

“Brother… I…”

Her words struck him like lightning.

“I’m pregnant.”

So-cheongja stood dumbfounded, his mind a tangle of questions: What happened to her outside? When did she marry? Where was her husband? Why had she come alone?

His face flushed, but he remained silent.

Soyoung-yeong was crying.

Just like the day she had left, her head bowed, silently weeping. She looked more anguished than anyone, and So-cheongja could say nothing.

All he could say was:

“…Leave it to me.”

So-cheongja built a small house at the edge of the estate.

He had Soyoung-yeong stay there and ordered the household to keep the matter secret, claiming she had fallen ill.

At first, the siblings were awkward.

But gradually, the tension eased. Soyoung-yeong was grateful for her brother’s care, and So-cheongja, burdened with guilt, tried his best to treat her well.

Soon, they were harmonious again, even laughing and reminiscing together. So-cheongja felt happiness returning.

I hope we can continue living like this.

Yet, perhaps he had hoped for too much.

Soyoung-yeong once again uttered those nightmarish words:

“Brother… please save the child.”

Unlike before, her body was weak. She grew short of breath even on short walks, and her condition worsened as childbirth approached.

Even the finest doctors could not determine the cause. They could only warn that her life was at risk and they could not guarantee a safe delivery.

So-cheongja was shocked and began trying to persuade her to give up the child.

But Soyoung-yeong refused.

“I’m sorry, Brother.”

Even bedridden and close to giving birth, her resolve did not waver.

So-cheongja was crushed.

I can’t… I can’t lose you again. After finally being together, how could I…

“Brother…”

Soyoung-yeong looked at him with tears, then painfully rose to take his hand.

“I have something to tell you,” she said.

“Yes, speak. Anything, I’ll listen…”

“I… hated you, Brother.”

So-cheongja froze. She continued quietly, matter-of-factly.

“You ignored me back then. That hurt more than anything my father forced. Because to me, you were my real parent. I felt abandoned, like my parents had forsaken me…”

“…I’m sorry. I truly am…”

“I’m not asking for an apology. But…”

“…?”

“At the time, I hated you. But now, I think I understand. You were scared too. Scared you’d disappoint your parents… like me.”

She smiled faintly.

“So don’t be sorry anymore. I no longer blame you. I am only grateful. You raised me like your child, loved me, helped me when I was in trouble… It must have been difficult for you.”

“No, nothing was difficult. Lean on me freely, okay? Your brother will do everything.”

“Really? Then, Brother…”

Her voice became urgent.

“Please… take care of my child.”

“…?”

“Do for my child as you did for me. Show them the world, show them love… teach them as you taught me.”

“…?”

“Let my child see how bright the world is, how much love there is… let them experience it directly, in my place.”

“…?”

“So that my child will be happy… I will be truly happy too.”

So-cheongja looked at her. Her eyes glowed warmly.

The girl who had once been innocent now held the depth of someone who had loved greatly.

He knew those eyes—eyes that he and his wife had once possessed.

The eyes of a parent.

How could he refuse them?

“…Very well.”

“…?”

“I will do as you ask. I promise. I will take care of your child.”

Soyoung-yeong smiled happily.

It was the last image So-cheongja would have of her.