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Chapter 322 - Chapter 478: Seo Yeon

I woke up in a field just on the outskirts of the village under the only cherry-blossom tree that we had that was in full bloom. My head felt like it was about to burst open and I desperately needed to bathe, but I couldn't move an inch of my body since I was not alone. I woke up to my oldest nephew of all people fast asleep on my lap just like he used to in his youth; it was always me that he came to for his naps since he wanted to always sleep next to the twins so that he could keep them entertained and vice versa. Part of me wanted to shake him awake and the other half of me just wanted to hold onto him for as long as I could and take in his scent that was so like my brother's after so long. My goodness, he really had grown up so much since the last time I saw him; he was almost as tall as his father was now and he looked just like him. His poor hands were constantly bruised with blisters from working with his bow and they become just has rough and hard as his father's with callouses at such a young age. And he wasn't keeping up with the hair routine that I had made up for him, which was something that I had to tend to immediately. This boy…man needed a deep bath, lots of protein in his food, his shoes needed sewing or I could find a replacement for his and a good hair treatment as well. But despite all of that, he did still smell a lot like his father and looked like him too much for me to be angry at him for long. None of what was happening was his fault, it was the fault of my husband for stealing his childhood from him and turning him into another version of himself that had more rights to be taken seriously by his father since this was his son. And as his aunt, it was my duty to bring him back to the person that he used to be; a hyperactive, loud, and curious by who just wanted to be spoon-fed by his father and nothing more. 

 I only managed to pet him for a few minutes before he began to stir and wake up, instantly reaching out for my other hand before he opened his eyes, and yet he still choose to stay in my lap instead of getting up right away and returning me to my husband. "I think that was the best sleep I have ever had since I left the village." "You have left for a long time nephew, are you sure about that." "I remember you running your fingers on my fcae in order to make me fall asleep faster." "Was it just a coincidence that you would always throw yourself at me just when I had to start on my chores? Cooking, cleaning, sewing…just when I needed to do all of these things, that is when you would demand my attention the most." "It worked though, didn't it? I did succeed in managing to get your attention whenever I wanted it." "As my brother's first-born, you always will have my attention Chul." "So you do not hate me aunt? Or resent me?" "Chul…my daughter is your first cousin and shares the same blood as you do, what am I supposed to think?" "I didn't plan this, aunt! I haven't seen the girl in nearly over a decade and…" "is there any ways that I can change your mind? You only just met briefly and…" "I am sorry to inform you aunt, but I will be working closely with my cousins and Bo-Geom from now on as we have business in the kingdom to attend to, and I will need Hana's help as well." "Chul…" 

 "I have something that you will be very interested on seeing aunt, but under no circumstances can you tell your husband that I was the one who showed you this, as my very life depends on it." "What is it? What're you talking about?" "We all know the nature of yorpumarriage aunt, even if we do not speak of it. I have found something that will put your mind to rest about the identity of the only woman that your husband has loved in this entire life." I was far too afraid to look at the documents that my nephew held in his hands and it took the poor boy a while to calm me down after I almost had another breakdown and on top of all of that, I could hear my son screaming his lungs out because he couldn't find me. In the end, I had to face my fears once and for all to just be reunited with my son who was surely giving my twins hell and even his father…and who knows what his father would do to him if he was provoked. If I found out something that I wasn't happy with, then I guess that now was the time to leave my husband's side and start afresh somewhere else, as I was not going to live in the shadow of another woman; I wasn't going to do it when I left the Nam Manor decades ago and I wasn't going to do it now. But my husband, how on earth will be able to explain this to him? Or my brother? And his family? And Hwa-Wol's family? Do I just leave them behind? After everything that we have been through? How do I expose my husband's true nature without making an enemy out of him? No, if it was Hui-Jae whom he wanted, then he could just pack up his things and go live with her in the palace as her concubine instead…no, I was far too scared to read what was in front of me and I did not way to know if I had lived my life based on lies and seductions by a man who simply wanted to exploit me and nothing more…

 "Aunt! Forgive me for this, but you really do have to look at this to give you peace of mind once and for all. I can promise you that it isn't what you think it is? Aunt?" "Forgive me nephew, for not standing up to my husband and letting him change you so much! Please forgive me! If I could do anything to go back in time and take you back to the little boy that you used to be…" all of my emotions were starting to overwhelm me at this point and I was finding it harder and harder to breathe, if it were not for my nephew suddenly burst our laughing as he used to. It was a full on belly laughter that brought back so many memories with me…and he laughed like my father. That alone sent me into another horrible cycle of regret and shame and it made me cry some more until my nephew took a hold of me and just held me until I was too exhausted to shed another tear. But he wouldn't let me go even when I was ready to return to my husband's home where my children were all waiting for me and my husband…well I still didn't'knwo what I was going to do about that situation…that was until my nephew held me into a bear grip and forcible opened up those papers in front of me…

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 My nephew walked me back to my home hand in hand where my son was already waiting for me; my poor baby who I hadn't seen in some days crawled out onto the front steps and directly ran into my arms and stayed there until it was tie for his nap. He hardly let me put him down and honestly I wouldn't have it any other way; I just held onto him as Chul went home for that bath that I recommended him to have and then my twins came out of their bad chambers looking completely exhausted and they just all fell onto the floor and started fighting for a space on my lap. They must have failed to settle their youngest brother in my absence and now were ready to tear each other apart over me and then my son started crying again when they saw that his siblings had left no space for him and it was all just a chaotic morning and I still wouldn't have it any other way. "Hana? Hyuk? You need to start packing and go with your cousin Chul to his residence in the kingdom. You still need to keep your identities hidden from the world as much as you can, so I suggest that Hyuk find a workplace for himself and Hana must not go anywhere unsupervised. I have already explain this to your cousin Chul and Geom will help you move. He may be able to visit you a coupe of times a week, but he is still needed here to stay by his father's side. And my daughter will continue with her education there…" "Mother? What are you talking about? Has something happened? Does father know about this?" "I will not leave you behind mother, especially not after what you have just been through recently and…" "It is time for you to purse your goals and ambitions…and to carry out your father's work as quickly as possible so that you can start living your own lives and have your own families…" "Mother?" "Please do as I ask of you and start packing immediately before your father comes home. I will explain everything to him so that you can just make a move and skip over your father's endless interrogation. Chul will tell you everything that you need to know, so get a move on." 

 I could tell that my son wasn't much too happy with how fast things were moving, but he obeyed my orders in the end and took his baby brother off of my hands. My daughter on the other hand stayed by my side with tears welling up in her eyes and confusion written all over her face. This would be the very first time that she would be parted from her beloved father and myself, but it needed to happen before may husband started to get greedy and began to blur the lines between becoming the children's educator and their master, just like how his father had always treated him. He already had his eyes focused on our youngest son and was keeping note of his milestones at an alarming speed and with little patience at all. Bo-Geom was the oldest of the children and I know that I could entrust my children lives to her, but now I needed to protect my youngest son from whatever ambitions his father had for him in the future that he refused to talk to me about. 

 "Mother…do you really trust me to live with my cousin Chul?" My daughter was always so bold and confident that it took me aback to hear her voice tremble with fear. My little girl who always ran to her father had now wrapped herself in my arms and refused to leave without my blessings. "Please be careful my daughter; be of as much use as you can be and help your family, but keep your distance until your father approves of this, otherwise you may loose it all. I know form experience that emotions can be hard to control, but if you were ever to get hurt by him, your father will not hesitate to cut ties with Chul, despite him being your father's protégée." "But what if I cannot, mother? I have never felt this way before in my entire life!" "You will do your best and you will keep me updated on everything always…but on the occasion that you cannot control yourself…you just stay in thy kingdom until I fetch you myself and I will figure it for you. And do not forget what I have told you about your other cousin Dae-Jung. Under no circumstances are you allowed to interact with that man, as he is considered just as dangerous as The Third Prince is. But do you remember what the last thing you requested your father to teach you? This is the perfect opportunity for it…if I can correctly guess what his move would be against us, then you need to protect not only yourself, but your big sister Bo-Geom as well. And under no circumstances are you allowed to enter into the brothel's, especially Ihwaru that your father still owns, or I swear on my second son that I will drag you back here into the village with my own hands and I will keep you from Chul for the rest of your life!" "But you…" "I was a discarded and disabled orphan my daughter, I had no reputation to protect before my marriage and I could use that in my favour. But your father has dedicated his entire life to the kingdom and if you are the one to blemish it, then I am afraid that there is no need for you to return home at all…" "Very well mother, I shall not forget my father's sacrifices and his life work that he has dedicated to The Royal Family…but I shall also not tolerate anyone disrespecting him in his absence either." "That is my girl." 

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