A Dragon Lives In That Scholar's Deep Spring - Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Despite her grumbling, Farang savored the aura and scent of the clear water first. It looked like the water she’d always been around, but everything else was different.

“Don’t you know it’s worse to ask and not give?”

Just like the other cups, the old woman poured a little liquor into Farang’s cup, and she took a refreshing sip.

“Oh, it’s good. I like it.”

Any doubt she had vanished instantly. Farang followed the old woman as she took another sip of the liquor.

“…What’s this?” 

Her eyes widened. Even in such a small amount, the liquor made its presence known as it flowed into her mouth. It was warm and smooth on her tongue but had a pleasantly bitter taste that tingled in her mouth. Although she was drinking water, it felt like fire as it flowed down her throat. Unpleasant, yet…

“Do you think it’s well-made? The base liquor is probably good, so it should be fine.”

“I don’t know.”

She felt invigorated.

“What?” 

The old woman, who had been carefully pouring the liquor, looked at Farang as if she were speaking nonsense. Her eyes, wrinkled like worn-out cloth, seemed ready to overturn the cup at any moment. 

Farang extended her empty cup without flinching.

“I still don’t know. So, give me some more.”

“Huh?”

Perhaps taken aback, she let out a nervous laugh and generously filled Farang’s cup, much more than before.

“It’ll be trouble if you open your eyes here. If you start feeling dizzy or disoriented, you should stop drinking.”

Farang completely ignored the woman’s warning and emptied the new cup as well. Maybe it was because she absorbed moisture faster and was much more sensitive than the average person. She felt every sensation in her body, vividly.

The feeling of losing her way on the way back and the slight melancholy she had felt earlier were the biggest things that had faded away. Her sensitive and sharp nerves seemed to melt away.

“I don’t know. How can you tell the taste from just this?” 

Farang’s first feeling of satisfaction since arriving in this place was indescribable.

* * *

Breaking through the night, it had been a long time since he had ridden this fast.

“Yah!”

Just a little further and he would reach Hanyang. He urged his horse on, even though he was well aware that the thundering sound of hooves would be impossible to miss.

“Cheong isn’t dead, my lord. In the dead of night… In the dead of night, she fled with a man she loved!”

Startled by the news brought by Cheol-bong since dawn, Do-gyeom hurriedly headed towards Haeju. And there, he faced a situation that left him in shock. As Cheol-bong had said, the portrait was in its prime, but strangely, the room was empty.

His aunt led the bewildered Do-gyeom to a quiet place. With tears already streaming down her face, she shed more tears. Unable to console her husband, she turned to Do-gyeom, who, in turn, pleaded with his uncle.

“Even if that’s the case, how can you celebrate the life of a child who is still alive?”

“Girls who run away with men in the dead of night, leaving their duties behind, are no better than dead! Make preparations for her funeral, she’s as good as dead now.”

“The permission from the magistrate has been confirmed. Open the gates!”

When the gatekeeper shouted, the tightly closed city gate swung open, and Do-gyeom passed through the northwestern gate of Hanyang.

“From today, my daughter, your cousin Shim Cheong, is dead. Know this and do not return.”

Walking down the deserted streets, Do-gyeom’s heart felt infinitely heavy as he made his way to the place where he would rest his weary body. His mind was a whirlwind, constantly searching for another way to save his cousin.

“Have you come, my lord?”

Recognizing the sound of the hooves like a ghost, the housekeeper hurried out with a worried look.

“I expected you to arrive tomorrow. Why have you come so hastily?”

“I must be away for three days at a time.”

“You must be very tired.”

He had never shown any signs of fatigue or difficulty before, no matter how tired he was. As usual, Do-gyeom simply nodded lightly.

“I’m fine.”

As the housekeeper took over the conversation with a sigh, he puffed out his grievances with his breath.

“You’ve been through a lot.”

When Do-gyeom faintly smiled and affectionately patted his head, he whimpered and rubbed his feet against the ground a few times.

“Please, come inside. Have you had dinner? Even if you have, you must need a bath. Shall I prepare some porridge for you, or would you prefer a hot bath first?”

The housekeeper did not ask Do-gyeom anything. If it had been anyone else, they would have been dying of curiosity, wondering what had happened to the young lady of their house. 

Perhaps the housekeeper had some inkling of Do-gyeom’s uneasy heart.

“Evening has come, and I should start with a bath after flipping the dust… Ah.”

Do-gyeom, who was about to pass through the main gate, stopped in his tracks.

“Yes. Is there anything you need, my Lord?”

Even though there was trouble at the seashore, it didn’t mean there were no issues at his own home.

“What about the guest in the main house?”

If there were any problems in the main house, Do-gyeom would have been informed as soon as he arrived, but since there were no complaints, he felt relieved, though he still needed to see for himself.

He asked with a concerned heart, but the housekeeper’s expression was not bad.

“Oh, there were no issues with the lady in the main house.”

“What about Sun-yi?”

No matter how much trust he had, he couldn’t completely trust her. It was natural to be anxious.

Contrary to Do-gyeom’s concerns, the housekeeper remained calm.

“It seems Sun-yi made her do some work while you’ve been away. But today, I didn’t hear any loud noises… Ah, earlier, it seems she helped the old woman a lot, and she was full of praise.”

“…Did she work diligently?”

He thought it would be fortunate if she stayed in her room or bathed. He was truly amazed that she not only did Sun-yi’s work but also helped the woman, even though it wasn’t her duty, given her reputation for tearing cloth-like paper when cleaning.

“Yes. I don’t know how fortunate it is that we’re still using brassware without resorting to pottery. The sound of dishes clashing all day long was incredibly noisy.”

The housekeeper grumbled as if he were annoyed. However, Do-gyeom paid no attention. He wanted to tell the housekeeper that it wasn’t her who broke the dishes, but he held back.

“Where is she now?”

“After finishing dinner, she probably went to her room.”

“When she’s ready, have her come to the main house and let me know.”

“Yes. But, Master.”

As Do-gyeom headed from the main courtyard to the inner courtyard, the housekeeper finally gathered his courage to speak.

“Um, the lower servants are very curious. Why are you making the lady stay in the main house and still giving her work to do?”

It was reasonable. Would the housekeeper, who never questioned anything at other times, not be curious about this? Do-gyeom briefly set aside his concerns and chose a suitable reason.

“Weakness becomes even weaker when it shows fear in front of strength.”

“Yes?”

“It’s also necessary to show that the weak are not weak.”

“…Yes?”

He must have asked, trying to get an answer, but the housekeeper’s expression remained perplexed. His usually clear gaze wandered here and there. Do-gyeom just smiled.

“When the time comes, I’ll make sure to answer all the questions you’re curious about.”

Even he had not fully understood what kind of existence Farang was. He was worried that if he opened his mouth too soon, he might touch her heart and make her disappear somewhere or summon an ice spear.

“…No, I asked for no reason. I apologize.”

“Just make sure not to give her too much work, as I initially instructed. She’s a guest.”

“Of course. I’ve already made it clear to Sun-yi.”

The housekeeper’s response was firm as if to reassure him not to worry. Do-gyeom thought he should buy plenty of meat soon and feed the soldiers.

This time, he didn’t delay his steps as he entered the inner courtyard.

“Farang in the room….”

“Fearlessly.”

As he was about to go straight to the inner house, he turned around at the sound of a woman’s voice.

“You…!”

Ridiculously, he found himself in the same awkward posture as when he had taken off his shoes, sitting down in the main hall.

“You left me alone without a care.”

“You, you’re now…”

He looked at her with disbelief in his eyes, but the unbelievable sight before him left him speechless and unable to close his mouth.

“You promised to prepare a way for me to return and didn’t show up all day.”

Farang showed her abilities whenever she felt like it, making him snap out of it. He wondered if he had seen it wrong and tightly closed his eyes, but the scene in front of him was exactly as he had witnessed it for the first time.

“You… Are you standing on water?”

Farang, who had let her blue hair down, casually lifted a bit of water with her toes as if to show off. Transparent water droplets flew in a high arc under the moonlight and spattered on Do-gyeom’s robe.

“Get down immediately, or rather, come out. What are you doing? What if someone sees you?”

The scene he had initially dismissed as a hallucination when he first saw it in Buyongji was vividly unfolding before his eyes.

“Please stop worrying. I’m so sensitive to sound. I would know if someone is coming. Ignorant people won’t notice anything.”

“Haven’t I seen it…?”

Do-gyeom, who had managed to regain his composure, coughed nervously and flicked his clothes. Even as he was descending to the courtyard, Farang was frolicking as if in a good mood.

The beautiful hair followed Farang’s movements like waves. She held up her skirt, revealing her white, slender feet and calves.

Do-gyeom, who had initially averted his gaze from the grotesque sight, slowly looked at Farang as if stealing a glance. The moonlight that descended onto her blue hair seemed to harmonize with her hair color, making it look as if she were wearing a silver crown.

“…You even know how to smile.”