The garden was quiet and bright that morning. Aran sat on the soft carpet near the lake, silver hair swaying gently in the breeze. Breakfast was over. Seo Yunhan sat close beside her, watching her with his usual warm gaze.
She glanced at him sideways. He had smiled at her again this morning. He always did. He asked if she had slept well, if she needed anything, and during the meal he had carefully wiped sauce from the corner of her mouth.
Why does he always…
Seo Yunhan gently wiped her lips with a soft cloth. Aran stared at him, a question rising in her mind.
When I was a man, did I ever treat women this kindly?
Looking back, she couldn’t remember a single time. The noble daughters around her would blush and stay silent, or actively try to win her favor by embroidering handkerchiefs or sending perfume. They all tried so hard to catch her attention.
She used to think women existed for her. Beautiful noble daughters, courtesans after victory—she had taken them as if it was her natural right. She never doubted that they liked it too. After all, she was Baek Muhyeok, the undefeated Flower General. But in truth, none of them had left any real impression. They were simply faces that passed by.
Even now, the Chancellor enjoys this. I’m just giving him what he wants in return—nothing different from before.
The thought made her head throb even more. A heavy, uncomfortable feeling rose in her chest. The moment she tried to hold onto it, a sharp pain twisted in her head. Thinking deeply had become difficult lately. The more she tried, the more her mind became foggy and exhausting.
No. Stop. She shook her head sharply. Stop thinking. It hurts.
Her eyes fell on the plate of leftover fruit. The sweet scent instantly filled her nose, and all other thoughts vanished. She stared at the ripe peaches, mouth slightly open, a thin trail of saliva slipping from the corner of her lips.
…Food. She leaned forward without thinking.
Seo Yunhan noticed immediately. He gently wiped her mouth with a soft cloth, his touch warm and careful. “Still hungry?” he asked softly, smiling as he stroked her hair. “Eat slowly. There’s plenty.”
To him, she looked utterly adorable—staring down the fruit plate with the deadly seriousness of a general weighing battle strategy, brow furrowed in fierce concentration over nothing more than a peach. He had to fight down a laugh just watching her.
How can anyone look this serious about fruit? She’s too cute. Too lovable for her own good.
A memory surfaced, unbidden — a night not long ago when he'd playfully covered both her eyes with his palms. “Light? Light?” she had asked, confused. “Light? Yeah, I turned it off,” he had answered. “Light, light,” she repeated. “Okay, I’ll turn it back on,” he said, and finally removed his hands.
Her eyes had gone wide with genuine shock. “How — how did you do that so fast?!” she had exclaimed, looking thoroughly astonished.
That expression—wide-eyed, dumbfounded, completely undefended—had stayed with him ever since as one of his favorite memories of her.
She really thought the light had gone out just because her eyes were covered, Seo Yunhan thought with a fond smile. Like a little puppy hiding its face behind its paws.
He had met countless brilliant officials and scholars in his life. Most of them were nothing but tedious, self-important fools in his eyes. Yet this woman, who couldn’t even speak a single word when he first brought her here, had become his only exception.
To him, her simplicity wasn’t a flaw. It was perfect. Her greatly lowered intelligence, her pure and innocent reactions—everything about her was lovable exactly as it was. She was his one and only woman, and for her, his cold, ruthless judgment simply ceased to exist.
It doesn’t matter if she’s not the sharpest. In this world full of people spouting meaningless nonsense, Aran’s intelligence is exactly at the perfect level—just enough to be lovable. She always makes me happy.
And now, watching the same helpless, unguarded look on her face over a piece of fruit and a thin trail of drool at the corner of her mouth, he found himself thinking it again.
How can I not love this adorable woman of mine? She is my small, precious person that I must protect. I have to protect those bright, innocent eyes.
Aran lifted her head and looked at Seo Yunhan. “Kiss,” she said.
Seo Yunhan’s eyes curved beautifully. He leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead, then another to her lips.