Seo Yunhan had only stepped away for a moment.
A brief, unavoidable conversation with a high-ranking court official in the adjoining private room. When he returned, Aran was gone.
The servants were pale with fear.
“Chancellor… General Baek Jinho suddenly came in and took the lady away…”
For a moment, the entire restaurant seemed to hold its breath.
Seo Yunhan’s expression did not change. But the air around him grew dangerously heavy.
“Prepare my horse.”
When Seo Yunhan arrived at Baek Jinho’s private residence, the gate was firmly shut. The guards eventually opened it under the weight of his silent pressure.
He walked straight to the main building.
And there, through the half-open door, he saw it.
Baek Jinho was holding both of Aran’s hands — her “front paws” — and gently trying to pull her upright. Aran’s hips were pushed back in an awkward duck-like posture, her knees bent, her silver hair falling messily over her face. She wasn’t standing. She was being half-dragged, half-supported.
Yet she was smiling.
A small, genuinely pleased smile — the kind Seo Yunhan had rarely seen on her face.
Baek Jinho was speaking excitedly.
“…and the western border unit has been reorganized according to the General’s old plan…”
Aran was nodding. Even though her words still came out slurred, she was listening with clear interest, as if she understood everything. Her eyes sparkled with the familiar sharpness of the Flower General.
Seo Yunhan felt something cold and sharp twist inside his chest.
He had never seen her look so comfortable with anyone else.
Not like this.
“Aran,” he called softly.
Both of them turned at the same time.
Aran’s eyes widened. Baek Jinho’s expression hardened instantly, instinctively stepping slightly in front of her.
“Chancellor,” Jinho said, voice low and guarded. “What brings you here?”
Seo Yunhan’s gaze never left Aran.
His voice was calm, almost gentle, but there was a dangerous undercurrent beneath it.
“I came to take my wife home.”
The word wife hung heavily in the air.
Aran blinked, clearly startled.
Baek Jinho’s jaw tightened.
“Your… wife?”
Seo Yunhan stepped forward slowly, his eyes fixed on Aran with an intensity that made the air feel thick. For the first time, the always composed Chancellor looked unmistakably possessive.
“She belongs with me.”
Jinho’s eyes narrowed. He looked down at Aran, then back at Seo Yunhan.
“She is not your wife,” Jinho said coldly. “She is Baek Muhyeok. The Flower General. And she belongs with her people — with me.”
Aran froze.
What…?
She looked up at Jinho in confusion.
Jinho continued, voice firm.
“She is the heir of the Baek clan. The one who should be standing at the center of the battlefield, not trapped in your mansion like a pet.”
Aran’s eyes widened in shock. She opened her mouth, but no words came out properly.
“W-what… nonsense…” she managed, voice slurred and shaky.
Seo Yunhan’s face went pale. His eyes widened as he stared at Aran.
Baek Muhyeok…?
The name hit him like a thunderbolt. The undefeated General. The man who had openly ridiculed him in court for years. The political rival he had clashed with countless times.
That man… was Aran?
His Aran. The woman who had slept in his arms. The woman who had looked at him with those large, trusting eyes. The woman he had fallen for so completely.
His mind reeled. Shock, disbelief, betrayal, and a terrifyingly strong possessiveness crashed together all at once.
How…? Why…?
He tried to meet Aran’s eyes, but she quickly looked away, turning her face into Jinho’s chest.
The sight of her hiding in another man’s arms felt like a knife twisting in his chest.
Jinho gently pulled Aran closer, one arm wrapping around her waist, the other supporting her legs so she was securely held against him. Her legs dangled in the air, her hips slightly pushed back in that familiar awkward posture.
Jinho looked at Seo Yunhan with a calm but firm expression.
“Chancellor, this is not the time for visitors. Please leave.”
Seo Yunhan opened his mouth to speak to Aran, but she kept her face buried in Jinho’s chest, refusing to look at him.
The great Chancellor stood there for a long moment, silent and stunned. His shoulders slowly slumped.
“…I see,” he said quietly.
He turned around without another word. His back looked unusually heavy as he walked away from the residence.
Aran remained hidden in Jinho’s arms, her face burning with shame and confusion. She couldn’t face Yunhan. Not like this. Not when her identity as Baek Muhyeok had been exposed.
Jinho looked down at her with a small, satisfied smile.
My reliable senior… my cute little lady.
He held her securely with one arm, her round backside slightly protruding as she dangled against him. She felt as light as a feather.
That damn peony scholar almost took you away.
Jinho was already starting to see her not as the General Baek Muhyeok, but as Aran — the woman in his arms.