Breakfast was over.
The mountain of rib bones had been quietly cleared away, along with any trace of Baek Muhyeok’s humiliating feast. Despite a servant’s careful wiping, faint traces of sauce still lingered at the corners of her mouth. She sat stiffly on Seo Yunhan’s lap, radiating pure murderous intent.
Seo Yunhan, seemingly oblivious to her fury, reached for a cup of warm tea and took a calm sip. Then he looked at her with gentle curiosity.
“How did you end up here?” he asked softly, as if asking about the weather.
Baek Muhyeok immediately opened her mouth, eyes blazing.
“Uoo! Uooo—! Uoo uoo UOO—!!”
‘I was cursed, you idiot! By that damned Saintess! Do you have any idea who I am?! I am Baek Muhyeok, the undefeated Flower General—!’
Only a chaotic stream of broken, beast-like sounds came out.
Seo Yunhan listened patiently, then nodded as if he had understood everything.
“I see.”
He had understood nothing.
“And your name?” he asked next.
Baek Muhyeok straightened her back with as much dignity as possible while sitting on a man’s lap. She spoke with all the pride of a conquering general.
“Uoo! Uoooo—! Uoo uoo UOO—!!”
‘I am Baek Muhyeok! THE Baek Muhyeok! The man who made kings kneel and empires tremble, you damn peony scholar—!’
The sounds that emerged were utterly meaningless.
Seo Yunhan watched her for a long moment, his deep brown eyes thoughtful. He set down his teacup and folded his hands.
“I need to call you something,” he said quietly. His gaze traced her silver hair, her fierce eyes, and her delicate, furious features. “You are… extraordinarily beautiful. Elegant. Like a refined flower.”
He smiled faintly.
“Aran. 雅蘭. It means ‘Elegant Orchid.’ It suits you perfectly.”
For a brief second, Baek Muhyeok(Aran) froze.
Then—
“UOO—!!”
The loudest, most indignant sound she had ever made burst from her throat.
‘HAVE YOU LOST YOUR FUCKING MIND?! I am a man! The manliest man alive! I have slaughtered armies, I have— and you’re calling me an ELEGANT ORCHID?!’
“UOO! UOO UOO UOO~~~!!!”
She thrashed so violently that Seo Yunhan had to tighten his arm around her waist to keep her from falling. But instead of being startled, a rare, genuine smile bloomed on his face.
“Ah,” he said softly, clearly pleased. “You like it.”
“……Uoo.”
Seo Yunhan leaned slightly toward his personal guard and murmured a few quiet instructions. The guard bowed and slipped out of the room.
Then he carefully lifted Baek Muhyeok and set her down on the floor.
“Now then, Aran.”
He took a step back and simply watched.
Baek Muhyeok(Aran) immediately tried to stand.
She planted both hands and knees on the floor and strained upward with every ounce of her will. Her arms trembled. Her back arched. She growled with effort, putting all her strength into rising like the general she once was.
But her body refused.
Her hips pushed backward. Her legs folded stubbornly. No matter how hard she fought, she remained on all fours. Low, strained grunts escaped her — a mix of fury and humiliation.
Seo Yunhan observed her silently, his expression unreadable. One hand was slightly extended toward her, as if ready to catch her if she fell, but he made no move to help. He was simply… studying her.
After watching her struggle for a long time, he finally stepped forward.
Without a word, he crouched down and gathered her into his arms again, lifting her effortlessly.
“You’ve worked hard enough,” he said gently.
He carried her toward the wide doors leading to the garden.
The moment they stepped outside, even Baek Muhyeok(Aran)’s anger momentarily faded.
The garden was breathtakingly beautiful. Ancient trees with lush green canopies lined the winding stone paths, their leaves filtering the morning sunlight into soft golden rays. A clear, murmuring stream wound gracefully through the grounds, sparkling over smooth white stones. Elegant arched bridges crossed the stream at several points, leading toward a vast, mirror-like lake at the heart of the garden. The water was so still it reflected the sky and surrounding trees like a flawless silver mirror.
Baek Muhyeok(Aran) had marched through blood-soaked battlefields and burned enemy fortresses to the ground.
She had never seen anything so serene and beautiful.
For one unguarded moment, her fury went quiet.
Seo Yunhan felt her go still in his arms. He glanced down at her face — and caught the briefest flicker of something unguarded in her fierce silver eyes.
He said nothing.
He simply carried her forward, along the stone path, toward the water.