A month had passed since Aran first arrived at the Chancellor’s mansion.
Her body had changed a great deal.
The crushing weakness had eased considerably. Strength was slowly returning to her limbs. Crawling through the mansion on all fours had become part of her daily routine.
Seo Yunhan had ordered the servants to cover every floor with layer upon layer of thick, soft wool and silk carpets. It looked as though luxurious red carpets had been rolled out exclusively for her, protecting her knees as she moved freely through the halls and courtyard.
At lunch, when Seo Yunhan was busy, the servants placed a large shallow bowl in front of her. All the food was pre-cut into bite-sized pieces. Aran would place both hands on either side of the bowl and eat directly from it. It was undignified. It was still humiliating.
But she was getting used to it.
Breakfast and dinner were different — those meals, Seo Yunhan fed her himself while she sat on his lap.
Her expression had grown noticeably brighter.
One quiet afternoon, Seo Yunhan found Aran resting near the lake in the garden.
He crouched down in front of her, his dark brown eyes warm.
“Aran,” he said gently. “You’ve been doing very well these days.”
He brushed a strand of silver hair behind her ear with careful fingers.
“Would you like to go out with me sometime? Outside the mansion. I’ll buy you pretty hairpins, new clothes… anything you want. We can eat delicious food together. Just the two of us.”
Aran’s eyes widened slightly.
Going outside… as a woman? Wearing hairpins and new clothes?
A strange mix of tension and unexpected anticipation fluttered in her chest. She realized, with some surprise, that the idea didn’t feel entirely repulsive.
She stared at him for a long moment, then slowly leaned forward and pressed a light kiss to his cheek.
Seo Yunhan’s ears turned bright red.
“…I’ll take that as a yes,” he whispered, smiling helplessly.
Aran rested her head against his knee, just like she had on the very first day.
This time, it wasn’t forced by the curse.
It was her own choice.
"I don't need hairpins," Aran said. "Just somewhere with no people."
Seo Yunhan's expression softened with understanding. "Then let's go to a place I often visit. It's not far."
That same afternoon, he carried her in his arms all the way to the waiting carriage. When the servants tried to take over, offering to carry her themselves, Seo Yunhan quietly but firmly refused.
"I'll do it."
When they reached the foot of a quiet mountain path, he lifted her onto his back without hesitation. Aran wrapped her arms around his neck, resting her cheek against his shoulder, feeling the steady rhythm of his steps as he climbed.
Not long ago, I was crawling alone on this mountain, screaming into the dark, completely alone.
Now she was being carried up the same mountain, safe against someone’s back.
The contrast settled strangely in her chest. The past month had felt impossibly long — long enough that her old life, the battles, the victories, the General everyone had once feared, felt like something from another lifetime entirely.
How did I end up here…?
They reached the top before she’d finished the thought. Seo Yunhan turned her around in his arms, and the view opened up before her — the entire capital spread out below, rooftops and streets and the distant glint of the river.
"This is it," he said. "Where I come when my thoughts get complicated. Seo family land — no one else comes up here."
He held her for a long moment, showing no sign of strain despite carrying her the entire way up.
"Put me down," she said finally, tilting her head up.
"If I do, you won’t see as well from down there." He nodded toward a small pavilion nearby. "Let’s go there instead."
Inside, circular seats lined the edge of the pavilion, raised just high enough to look comfortably out over the view. He set her down carefully, and she sat there for a long while, gazing at the capital in silence.
The thoughts came rushing back.
How did I end up like this? I fought so hard for this country. Where did everything go wrong?
No matter how many times she turned the question over, no answer came. Her eyes grew hot. She blinked rapidly, willing the tears away, and glanced sideways to check whether he’d noticed.
He was looking elsewhere, out toward the mountains. She let out a small, relieved breath.
A moment later, he turned to her. "Aren’t you cold?"
Without waiting for an answer, he pulled her into his arms, wrapping her securely against his chest, and pointed down toward the city.
"That’s the Chancellor’s residence, there. Not far from here, is it? And over there — that’s the palace, where His Majesty resides." His voice stayed calm and warm. "Looking at the capital like this, you can see everyone’s lives laid out below. It reminds me what I’m actually working for, every time I come up here."
Aran lifted her head and stared at him.
This cowardly peony scholar… had thoughts like this?
That evening, after finishing his work earlier than usual, Seo Yunhan returned to the residence with a light heart. He wanted to see Aran. But when he entered their chambers, she wasn’t there.
He searched the garden.
After walking for a while, he finally spotted her in a quiet corner near the flowerbeds. A young male servant — one who had recently come from the main family estate — was kneeling beside her. The boy was only eighteen, with a clean face, slightly tanned skin, and a well-trained physique.
He was gently lifting a teacup to Aran’s lips, feeding her with a soft smile on his face.
Aran was drinking naturally, without resistance.
From a distance, it looked like a peaceful, intimate scene — the two of them enjoying tea together in the garden.
A strange, stabbing pain bloomed in Seo Yunhan’s chest.
It wasn’t that the servant looked threatening. It was the sudden, terrifying thought that someone as beautiful as Aran could one day be taken by another man. What if a prince saw her? What if the Emperor himself desired her?
His jaw tightened. A dull headache began to throb behind his eyes.
He took a deep breath, swallowed once, and walked toward them.
Aran turned her head at the sound of his footsteps. Her eyes brightened slightly when she saw him, though she quickly looked away, pretending indifference.
“Aran,” he said softly, forcing a calm smile. “How was your day?”
Before she could answer, he bent down and lifted her into his arms.
“Let’s go to the other garden. The rocking chair there is more comfortable.”
Aran didn’t protest. She simply rested her head against his shoulder as he carried her away.
That night, Seo Yunhan lay straight on his bed, trying to fall asleep.
But then he felt movement.
Aran was crawling up from the foot of the bed, slowly making her way toward his face. When she reached his chest, she looked down at him with gleaming eyes.
“I want you,” she whispered.
She lowered her head and began kissing his neck — first the left side, then the right. Seo Yunhan’s entire body went rigid, his heart pounding violently.
“Aran… isn’t this… a little too soon? We’re not even married yet—”
She suddenly stopped kissing him.
“…You don’t want to?” she asked quietly.
Then she began to pull away.
“Wait— that’s not what I meant!” Seo Yunhan sat up in a panic, reaching for her. In his haste, he lost balance and—
Thud.
He woke up with a start, his upper body hanging off the bed, face burning with embarrassment.
A dream…?
His face flushed crimson. He licked his dry lips, swallowed hard, and muttered to himself.
“…Why am I like this?”
The next morning, Seo Yunhan lay in bed, staring at the ceiling.
Marriage must come first.
Yes. He would marry her first. Everything else could come after.
His decision was made.