The humiliating and painful ordeal finally passed, and after dismissing the surrounding people, the District Chief approached me, where I lay collapsed on the floor.
He gathered the tattered scraps of fabric that had lost their function, draping them over my bare legs, then extended a hand toward me with a gentle voice.
“Looks like it’ll be hard to stand on your own. Need some help?”
I forced strength into my tear-filled eyes and glared at him as hard as I could. As if I would accept his feigned kindness now. Ignoring his outstretched hand, I grabbed onto a chair and barely managed to pull myself up.
“That outfit’s beyond saving.”
With a gesture from the District Chief, a waiting attendant appeared from somewhere and handed me a fresh pair of pants. This wasn’t even a case of giving poison and offering the antidote—at this point, it was just absurd.
As much as I wanted to reject anything he gave me, I couldn’t exactly leave in this state. In the end, I snatched the pants from before me and shoved my legs into them.
Maybe it was the shock from earlier, but my legs kept buckling underneath me. Still, I gritted my teeth and held out. At any other time, it might not have mattered, but right now, more than anything, I refused to show any weakness.
“Need some support?”
“…I don’t need it.”
“So stubborn. That part of you really reminds me of Jae-hoon.”
Ignoring his lighthearted mention of Han Jae-hoon, I focused on getting myself together. I wanted to get out of here even a second faster, but as expected, I didn’t make it more than a few steps before collapsing again.
“I figured as much.”
Clicking his tongue lightly, the District Chief caught my arm. He straightened my limp body and even adjusted my disheveled clothing himself. Once I was presentable again, he smiled in satisfaction.
“What do you think your test results will say?”
“…I don’t care.”
“Why? It’s your body—you should care.”
His long, pale fingers lightly pressed against my stomach, so thin I hadn’t even considered the possibility of anything being there. Then, just as quickly, he withdrew.
“I hope there’s nothing there. Of course, I imagine you feel the same way.”
I did. More than the District Chief could ever hope for, I prayed there would be nothing inside me. I knew why he had told the District Chief I was pregnant, but I begged for it to be a lie.
More desperately than anything.
“Don’t forget—today’s meeting is a secret between the two of us. Talking about it won’t do either of us any good. Of course, I mean you and Vincent. Now then, take care. Try not to trip on your way out.”
Having finished his business, the District Chief turned away without hesitation, waving his hand in a final farewell. Just as I was about to protest, unable to swallow my resentment, the aide waiting behind me called out.
“Lord Seo-yul, allow me to escort you.”
Clenching my trembling hands into fists, I left the office without a word. Left alone, the aide gave the District Chief a polite bow in my place before quickly following behind me.
“Se-Seo-yul!”
The aide, sticking closely by my side, called my name. I glanced briefly at his overly friendly face as he insisted on guiding me through the complex corridors, but without a response, I kept walking straight ahead.
***
Perhaps I had pushed myself too hard preparing for the District’s Day. I had only meant to close my eyes for a moment, but I sank into a deep sleep. When I finally woke, my body felt heavy, like a waterlogged sponge. I turned over, my arm numb from having slept on it for so long.
“Seo-yul hyung….”
Out of habit, I called for Seo-yul first. The blackout curtains blocked out the light, leaving everything in darkness. As I waited for my eyes to adjust, I reached for the spot beside me—but no one was there.
Slowly sitting up, I scanned the room. Before I had fallen asleep, Seo-yul had been sitting by the window, but now it was closed, the curtains drawn. The room was dark, and Seo-yul was nowhere to be found.
“Seo-yul hyung?”
Any lingering drowsiness vanished in an instant. As I hurried to get off the bed, my legs gave out, nearly sending me crashing to the floor. But I steadied myself and quickly stood back up.
Pulling the curtains open, I let light flood the room before searching every possible hiding place— the bathroom, the wardrobe, even under the bed. But Seo-yul was nowhere to be found.
‘Did he go to the garden?’
I had been asleep for longer than usual, so maybe Seo-yul, left alone, had grown restless and stepped outside. Yes, this was my fault for leaving him by himself.
Cutting off my spiraling thoughts, I swung open the bedroom door and stepped out. But what if he wasn’t in the garden? Anxiety coiled in my chest as I prepared to run—only for someone to grab my arm.
“!!”
“Whoa, you scared me.”
Startled, I turned around, making the person holding me flinch as well. Gasping for breath, I forced myself to calm down—only then realizing that the one who had grabbed me was Seo-yul.
“…Seo-yul hyung?”
“Where were you planning to go?”
Seo-yul asked, sounding completely normal, unlike my panicked self. I opened my mouth to answer but closed it again, instead grabbing his hand and leading him back into the bedroom.
The moment we returned to our private space—where no one else could enter—I pulled Seo-yul into my arms. He squirmed in protest, saying it was stifling, but I only held him tighter before finally managing to speak.
“Where were you?”
I tried not to show it, but my voice was trembling uncontrollably. Even as I held Seo-yul in my arms, I was terrified that he would disappear. Maybe I wasn’t fully awake yet—maybe I was just afraid that all of this was a dream.
“I just went to the garden—”
“Don’t lie. You didn’t come from that direction.”
Even in my hazy state, I had noticed that Seo-yul hadn’t come from the garden. If he had nothing to hide, he would have answered me immediately, but instead, he shut his mouth.
“Are you not going to tell me?”
“I’m tired. I just want to rest.”
Seo-yul cut me off firmly and pushed against my shoulder. I obediently stepped back, but my gaze remained fixed on him—watching as he deliberately avoided my eyes, as if he was hiding something. I stared, waiting for him to look at me again.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
Unable to withstand my persistent gaze, Seo-yul finally met my eyes again. I closed the distance I had retreated and braced my hand against the door, cutting off any possible escape.
“Tell me honestly where you went. I don’t want to doubt you.”
“I was just around—”
“Around where? Who were you with?”
As my questioning became more relentless, Seo-yul once again fell silent. He had been honest about not going to the garden, but when I asked where he had gone, he refused to answer.
Had the elders dragged him away again? They had barged in before and tried to take him, so it wasn’t impossible that they had done it again. But if it had been that much of a commotion, there was no way I wouldn’t have heard about it. Something wasn’t adding up.
“I came back without anything happening.”
“That’s not the point—”
“Then what does it matter? I didn’t run away. I came back to you.”
Seo-yul softened his expression and took my hand, looking at me with a silent plea—please don’t ask me anything more.
I knew something had happened. I was sure of it. But right now, I couldn’t push him any further. As I felt the faint trembling of his fingers, I swallowed all the questions I wanted to ask.
“Did you get any sleep?”
“No. Only you slept.”
“Then rest for a bit. You look exhausted.”
Seo-yul slowly nodded. Hand in hand, we walked to the bed. I wanted to let him rest and bring him some warm tea, but—he wouldn’t let go of my hand.
It felt like he was telling me not to leave…
So I sat back down on the bed, running my fingers gently through his hair. The sensation must have tickled, because a faint smile played on Seo-yul’s lips. Seeing that, I found myself smiling too.
“Aren’t you hungry?”
“Not really.”
“But you haven’t eaten anything.”
“It’s fine. I’ll eat later.”
I wanted to make him eat something right away, but for now, letting him rest seemed more important. I still didn’t know where he had gone, but he looked utterly drained.
Seo-yul’s slow blinks became heavier until his eyelids finally shut. His breathing evened out into a steady rhythm. I had been conscious of how uncomfortable his sleeping position looked, but in the end, I reluctantly let go of his hand.
“Sleep well, Seo-yul hyung.”
With that gentle farewell, I pressed a soft kiss to his pale, beautiful forehead. He must have been completely exhausted—he didn’t stir in the slightest.
I crouched beside the bed, watching his sleeping face for a long while before finally slipping out of the bedroom. Quietly shutting the door behind me to block out any sound, I turned to the guards stationed outside and asked,
“While I was asleep—who came by?”
