The garden of Baek Jinho’s residence was quiet that afternoon.
Aran sat on the wooden steps, silver hair swaying gently in the breeze. Jinho was behind her, both of his palms pressed firmly against her back.
“Try to breathe with me, General,” he said softly. “In… and out. Slowly.”
Aran tried. Her breathing was still clumsy, but she followed his rhythm as best she could. Jinho’s warm energy flowed into her through his palms, steady and gentle. She couldn't absorb any of it — her body was far too weak to circulate qi. In the end, she simply leaned back against his palms, seeking what little comfort she could from the warmth.
Jinho noticed it immediately, but he kept his hands on her back and spoke calmly.
“Focus. Concentrate on your breathing.”
He told himself it was fine. Even if she couldn’t properly circulate qi yet, just doing something with the General — even in this state — had meaning.
This was the moment Seo Yunhan arrived.
He walked into the courtyard openly, without hiding his presence. The guards stepped aside as soon as they recognized the Chancellor.
“Aran.”
Both of them turned at the same time.
Aran’s eyes widened. 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, but carried the weight of his position.
“I came to take my fiancée home.”
The word 'fiancée' hung heavily in the air.
Aran blinked, clearly startled.
Jinho’s jaw tightened.
“Your… fiancée?”
Seo Yunhan stepped forward slowly, his eyes fixed on Aran with an intensity that made the air feel thick.
“Many people can testify. The staff at Il-yang-gwan, the servants who have seen us together every day. She is my fiancée. She belongs with me.”
Jinho’s fists clenched tightly at his sides. He wanted to argue. He wanted to shout that she was Baek Muhyeok, the Flower General, the rightful heir of the Baek clan. But he had no proof. No evidence. Only his word.
He couldn’t say anything.
Seo Yunhan extended his hand toward Aran.
“Come, Aran.”
Aran looked up at him. For a moment, her eyes met his. Then she quickly turned her face away.
Instead of leaning toward Jinho, she suddenly pulled back from both men. She dropped down onto all fours and began crawling desperately across the wooden floor, trying to put as much distance as possible between herself and Seo Yunhan.
Her movements were clumsy and painfully slow, but her intention was unmistakable — she was trying to escape him.
Jinho’s eyes widened.
“General!”
Seo Yunhan’s expression darkened in an instant. The sight of Aran crawling away from him like a frightened animal made something ugly and violent twist deep in his chest.
'She’s rejecting me.'
'In front of him.'
Something inside him snapped.
He stepped forward, grabbed her left arm and pulled her toward him. Aran resisted fiercely, yanking her arm back with surprising strength.
“Aran!” His voice rose, a rare crack in his usual composure.
In that moment, rational thought left him completely.
He bent down, wrapped both arms around her waist, and lifted her up, slinging her over his shoulder in one swift motion.
Aran struggled wildly, kicking her legs in the air.
Jinho stepped forward, but Yunhan’s ice-cold, warning gaze stopped him cold.
“I will deal with you later,” Yunhan said, his voice dangerously low. “For taking my fiancée without permission.”
He turned and walked out of the residence with Aran still over his shoulder.
He placed her in front of him on the horse, holding her securely with one arm wrapped tightly around her waist. Aran’s back was pressed against his chest, her head leaning helplessly against his torso as the horse began to move.
Every time the horse galloped, her body swayed forward, but Seo Yunhan’s firm grip kept her from falling. He rode in complete silence, his expression cold and unreadable.
Aran kept struggling at first, making frustrated, wordless noises.
“Be quiet,” he said, his voice low and firm against her ear. “If you keep making a fuss, I might have to make you faint. You wouldn’t want that, would you?”
She froze for a second, then went limp in his arms, fuming silently. Being held like this — unable to move freely, unable to resist — felt like the most humiliating thing that had ever happened to her. And she had lived through a great many humiliating things these past months.
The entire ride back to the Chancellor’s residence was oppressively silent.
When they arrived, Seo Yunhan carried her straight to their bedroom and laid her gently on the bed — almost tenderly, a stark contrast to how roughly he had handled her earlier.
He looked down at her for a long moment, his expression unreadable.
Then, without a word, he turned and left the room, closing the door behind him with a soft but heavy click.
Aran stared at the closed door, her chest tight with conflicting emotions.
'What is happening to us?'