It started as a simple experiment. One quiet afternoon, Seo Yunhan sat cross-legged on the carpet facing Aran. "Food." Aran stared at him with narrowed eyes — the exact look she used to give incompetent subordinates. "Say it. Food." He waited patiently. "…Fo…oo." "Again." "…Fo…o…d." "Again." "Food." Seo Yunhan's eyes sparkled with pure delight.
From that day on, they practiced every single day. Twice a day, thirty minutes each session. Food. Bath. Walk. Bathroom. He repeated each word patiently, never rushing her.
Aran had actually said all four words perfectly once before. Her speech still fluctuated a lot depending on the day.
But none of that mattered to Seo Yunhan.
The afternoon she said the four words clearly once again, he froze for a second. Then both of his arms shot straight up into the air. "Wow—!!" "Perfect! You're the best!!" He lunged forward and cupped her face in both hands, staring at her with unrestrained joy. "You're amazing. A genius. You did so well—!!"
Two servants passing by the open door nearly dropped their trays. They quickly slipped into the hallway and whispered excitedly.
“…She just said four words. Wasn’t that already possible before?”
“Yeah. But look at the genius Chancellor. Acting like she just won the war single-handedly.”
The older servant shook his head, half-laughing, half-pitying. “Love has completely blinded him. To think someone as cold and terrifying as him is grinning like that… It’s actually scary.”
“Love is blind, alright. At this rate, if Lady Aran just sneezes cutely, he’ll throw a whole festival.”
It was, admittedly, a strange thing to witness. Seo Yunhan had always been a fundamentally aloof man — quietly dismissive of nearly everyone who crossed his path, though he was careful never to show it openly, understanding well enough that open contempt only created complications for a man in his position. In private, he found most of the court's high officials painfully foolish, and even scholars who prided themselves on their learning rarely struck him as worth the candle. Conversation with the ordinary nobility exhausted him; their ignorance made even brief exchanges feel unbearably tedious. It was, in part, why he had never once raised his voice against Baek Muhyeok's endless shouting in court — not fear, not deference, simply the same quiet dismissal he extended to nearly everyone, too far beneath his notice to be worth a response. That such a man was now on his knees on the floor, both arms thrown triumphantly into the air over a single, correctly pronounced word, would have utterly baffled every minister who'd ever sat across from him in the council chamber.
Aran sat very straight, shoulders back, chin lifted high. A smug, self-satisfied glow spread across her face.
Well, of course, she thought with absolute conviction. I was always a genius. Even in this pathetic body, mastering something so quickly is only natural for someone like me.
She tilted her chin up another proud degree, looking positively regal despite sitting on the floor.
Later that evening, when it was time to go to the garden, Aran dropped to all fours as usual. She began crawling across the room, hips swaying exaggeratedly with each movement. Her silver hair swayed, and her round backside moved prominently with every step.
Even in this undignified posture, she carried herself with ridiculous dignity — head held high, as if leading a grand military parade.
Two servants folding linens in the hallway exchanged a quick glance but said nothing. The Chancellor had made it very clear: no one was to comment on Lady Aran's way of moving.
Look at me, Aran thought smugly. Even like this, I maintain perfect form. My training is clearly working. I'm truly exceptional.
Seo Yunhan watched her from behind, his expression soft with quiet affection.
She has no idea how endearing she is right now, he thought, a small, helpless smile tugging at his lips. None at all.
Even like this… I don't want anyone else to see her this way.
Aran glanced back at him with a proud little smile, as if expecting praise for her "excellent crawling technique."
Seo Yunhan smiled gently and said warmly,
"You're crawling so beautifully today, Aran. Your form is excellent."
He meant every word — though not in the way she imagined. To him, there was nothing undignified about her at all. Watching her hold her head high with that ridiculous, magnificent pride, completely convinced of her own excellence, was simply the most charming thing he'd ever seen.
And I want this sight to be mine alone.
Aran's eyes sparkled with delight. She lifted her head even higher and swayed her hips with renewed enthusiasm, convinced she was making remarkable progress.
Yes… I really am getting stronger.
But it still wasn't enough.
After returning from the garden, Aran sat quietly in the corner of the bedchamber, lost in thought. She'd felt it clearly all day — that steady trickle of energy every time her lips met his, the warmth spreading through her stiff, half-broken body each time he kissed her. It helped. It always helped.
But it wasn't enough anymore.
Just kissing isn't enough, she thought, staring down at her own hands as if they belonged to someone else. I need more. Far more than this.
Her silver hair swayed slightly as she turned the thought over, weighing it the way she once weighed battle strategy.
If kissing alone gives me this much, then logically...
The proud former general, who had once commanded armies without hesitation, made up her mind with the same blunt certainty she'd once used to order a charge.
I need to try something more than kissing.
The moment the thought settled, she dropped back down onto all fours and crawled toward the bedchamber.
Later that evening, after the servants had withdrawn for the night, Aran crawled into the bedchamber.
Seo Yunhan was sitting on the edge of the bed in his thin inner robe, reviewing a few documents by lamplight. When he saw her, he set the papers aside and smiled gently.
Aran didn’t hesitate. She climbed onto his lap, straddling him, her silver hair cascading around them like moonlight.
“Kiss,” she commanded softly.
He obeyed, but she immediately deepened the kiss, bold and hungry. Her hands tugged insistently at his robe until it fell open, revealing his firm, sculpted torso. The defined lines of his abdomen and broad chest gleamed softly in the lantern light.
Yunhan’s breath caught. Aran… we should wait until marriage… But the moment her hands touched his skin, the desire he had been suppressing for so long exploded.
“More,” she whispered, pushing him down onto the bed.
She positioned herself above him and slowly sank down, taking him deep inside her. A powerful wave of warm yang energy surged into her body, flooding her veins with strength and overwhelming pleasure.
“Ah…!” Aran gasped, her back arching. Is this lust…? Or the energy…? It feels… too good…
As a man, she had known physical pleasure before. But this — this soft, trembling, overwhelmingly sensitive female body — was entirely new. Every movement sent waves of unfamiliar ecstasy through her.
She began to ride him with steady, determined rolls of her hips. At first Yunhan lay stiff beneath her, overwhelmed and trembling like a boy experiencing his first time. But as her movements grew more confident, his pent-up desire finally exploded.
His hands gripped her waist almost roughly, thrusting up into her with clumsy but powerful strokes. His breathing became rough and ragged, low groans escaping his throat as he lost control.
He sat up halfway, wrapping both arms around her back, pressing desperate, fervent kisses to her neck and collarbone. Between kisses, he whispered hoarsely against her skin,
“You’re mine… Completely mine…”
His voice was filled with raw need and quiet obsession as he continued kissing and caressing her.
The pleasure built rapidly. When the climax washed over her, she cried out, clenching tightly around him as waves of power and ecstasy coursed through her.
Yunhan followed with shattering intensity. He groaned deeply into her shoulder, body tensing and shuddering violently as he spilled inside her. The overwhelming pleasure he had never known before completely undid him.
For a long moment, he couldn’t move. His chest heaved, skin slick with sweat, eyes hazy. Strength left his body. He collapsed back onto the bed, pulling Aran down with him so she lay on his chest.
His hand weakly stroked her silver hair. After a moment, he asked in a hoarse, shy voice, “…Was it good for you?”
Aran looked at him and smiled softly without answering.
Yunhan’s ears turned red. He mumbled, almost embarrassed, “It was… so good for me.”
Aran opened her mouth to say something, but before she could speak, Yunhan’s eyes had already closed. His breathing slowly turned into heavy, exhausted snores — like a young man who had poured out everything he had.
Aran looked down at the sleeping man beneath her. The genius Chancellor, feared across the empire, was now flushed, lips slightly parted, breathing heavily with faint snoring sounds… completely spent and defenseless.
…How cute.
She leaned down and gently kissed his forehead, lingering with unexpected tenderness.
She stayed in his warm embrace, listening to his heavy, satisfied breathing as he fell into a deep, exhausted sleep.