Baek Jinho moved before his mind could catch up.
His hands shot forward and grabbed Aran by both arms, lifting her clean off the mobile chair in one swift motion. The bowl clattered loudly to the floor. Servants stumbled backward in alarm.
"General!" His voice cracked with raw emotion. "What happened?! How— where have you been?! Why are you here like this— what the hell is going on?!"
The questions poured out like a flood. He wasn't waiting for answers. He couldn't. Those eyes — fierce, furious, and unmistakably Baek Muhyeok's — had shattered every rational thought in his head.
Aran opened her mouth desperately.
"Dh—aht's nuh— nuh truuu—!"
He wasn't listening.
Something is very wrong. The General is here, in the Chancellor's private room, unable to speak properly, sitting in such a strange chair like some kind of—
Seo Yunhan. That smooth-tongued, scheming bureaucrat. That damn peony scholar.
What did he do to you.
"We're leaving," Jinho said, voice tight. "Right now."
"Nnnnuh—! Uh—!"
Aran struggled, pushing at his chest, but her strength was nothing compared to his. Jinho tucked her against his chest like she weighed nothing and strode out of the room.
The staff erupted into chaos behind him.
"General—! Sir, please—!"
"Someone inform the Chancellor immediately—!"
Jinho didn't stop. He pushed through the entrance of Il-yang-gwan, swung onto his waiting horse in one fluid motion, and settled Aran securely in front of him.
Aran kept making urgent sounds against his chest, small hands pushing weakly at his arm.
"Uhng— nuh— eh-oh— nuh—!"
"It's okay," Jinho said grimly, spurring the horse forward. "Just hold on, General. I've got you."
No, you idiot! Put me down right now! This is all a misunderstanding—!
"Uoo—! Uoo uoo—!"
"Almost there."
He made the twenty-minute ride to his private residence in twelve.
His housekeeper nearly fainted at the sight of the General storming in with a small silver-haired woman in his arms, who was making increasingly agitated noises.
"No one enters tonight," Jinho ordered, voice like steel. "No visitors. No exceptions."
He carried Aran straight to his own room and gently set her down on the bed.
Only then did he crouch down to her eye level and truly look at her.
"General," he said quietly, his voice thick with emotion. "Talk to me. What happened?"
Aran took a deep breath and tried.
"Uoo— uoo— uoo—!"
The sounds that came out were still broken and unclear. She growled in frustration.
Is it because I'm away from Seo Yunhan…?
Jinho watched her struggle, his expression growing darker.
"It's alright," he said, voice low and dangerous. "You don't have to force it. Just… tell me one thing. Did that bastard Seo Yunhan do something to you?"
Aran's eyes widened in horror.
"Nnnuh—! Nnnnuh—!!"
"It's okay," Jinho continued, jaw clenched. "You're safe now. I'm here. That damn peony scholar won't touch you again."
"UOO—! UOO UOO UOO—!!!"
THAT IS NOT WHAT I SAID! I said NO! You've completely misunderstood everything—!
Jinho looked at her with the calm, resolute expression of a man who had already made up his mind.
"Don't worry, General. I'll handle it."
Aran dropped her face into both hands in utter despair.
…I am going to lose my mind.
It took a long while for the worst of his agitation to settle.
Jinho sat beside the bed in silence, his breathing slowly evening out, the wild urgency of the past hour finally draining out of his shoulders. When he looked at her again, his expression had softened into something closer to genuine concern.
Aran — no, Baek Muhyeok — had a small, round face flushed red with frustration. She was still making frustrated little noises, growling under her breath, but those eyes were unmistakably his distant relative’s.
*How can she be this cute?* he thought, before catching himself and pushing the thought away.
"General, are you hurt anywhere?" he asked, gently touching her arms and legs to check.
Her limbs were thin and soft — nothing like the strong, muscular ones he remembered from the General. Aran flailed weakly, making more frustrated noises, but Jinho was too focused on checking her over to notice.
Without warning, Aran bit down on his hand.
Jinho finally snapped back to himself, looking up at her face.
“…Ah. Yes?”
There were clear teeth marks on his hand. He didn't seem to feel any pain at all.
Aran let out a long, exhausted sigh and managed, slowly, "Stop."
Jinho pulled his hands away immediately.
“Ah — I'm sorry. I only wanted to check if you were hurt anywhere.”
"...Do you understand what I'm saying?"
Aran nodded.
Jinho let out a long breath of relief, a smile breaking across his face.
"I'm glad. I'm so glad you're safe." He paused. "A lot has happened while you were gone."
He gently took her by the waist with both hands and tried to lift her from the bed to stand.
“Come on, General. Let’s try standing. Put strength into your legs.”
Aran’s legs trembled the moment her feet touched the floor. Her hips pushed back instinctively, making her posture look like a duck. The more Jinho tried to straighten her, the more her body resisted, wobbling like a balloon in the wind.
Jinho didn’t laugh. Instead, he kept supporting her patiently, his hands steady on her waist.
"A lot has happened while you were gone," he continued, voice calm and warm, as if this awkward posture was completely normal. "The northern border has been stabilized. We followed the strategy you left behind. The remaining forces of Gara have been dealt with, though it took longer than expected."
Aran’s eyes lit up slightly. Even in this ridiculous posture, she was listening with clear interest.
Jinho continued supporting her, pretending to struggle as she "pushed" him back with weak punches. He exaggeratedly stumbled backward each time, making it look like she was actually strong.
"The Crown Prince's position has weakened. The Queen has been struggling too. Without you… the balance has been difficult."
He kept trying to help her stand straight, his hands gently holding her under the ribs. Aran’s face flushed with a mix of embarrassment and strange joy.
It's been so long since someone treated me like a general again.
Even though her body kept collapsing, Jinho never showed any sign of frustration. In fact, he seemed to be enjoying this strange training, a small, fond smile on his face the entire time.