A Kind Goblin’s Bird - Chapter 17

But now, as if there was only one woman left in the world, his lower body strained like crazy. His head is dizzy. Sa Heon-yeong was momentarily confused as to what he was doing right now.

Sa Heon-yeong took off his robe and put it over the woman’s body. Under the woman’s body, the tip of the long robe falls into water. The woman was startled and grabbed the hem of the robe. Then the long sleeves gaped to expose the woman’s breasts. Sa Heon-yeong grabbed the collar that was about to open without realizing it. He no longer wanted to see the woman’s breasts. If he could not covet now, he would rather have it out of sight.

“Are you alright?”

The woman worriedly asked as Sa Heon-yeong’s complexion wasn’t good. Sa Heon-yeong lifted her up and shook his head.

“It’s not alright.…… I can see your chest.”

“You washed it.”

She said with a face that couldn’t understand.

Sa Heon-yeong had nothing to say, so he shut his mouth.

He washed the woman for a long time. Even before the woman got up, he was still washing her. It was a simple thing to hand over to someone, but he didn’t want to. So he wiped this beautiful woman the whole time. She was just pretty and he was just happy to see her clean. Sleeping with her eyes closed, she was like a work of art, and there was no room for sexual desire.

But now she opens her eyes and speaks words. He was bewildered as she reacted completely differently from what he had expected.

Before she moved again to show her body, he swung her up. The woman was so small and skinny that she was completely buried in his long robe. The woman let out a small laugh as she was hugged by the man.

“I must be heavy.”

“Too light.”

The woman was really so light that he got a little scared. He doesn’t know the weight of an adult woman. It was the first time he had hugged a woman like this. But he could be sure that this weight was not normal.

“But can I really come with you?”

The woman’s voice was low, small, and slightly hoarse, with a soft echo. In a whisper-like voice, the woman asked quietly. Sa Heon-yeong answered in her ear.

“If you are coming like this.”

If there was even the slightest bit of shame, she would have hated it. It is something that a prostitute in a red-light district would do to be allowed to move while wearing only a man’s long robe. But the woman grabbed the man’s collar and whispered in his ear.

“Is that okay? Oh, did my father say you can do this?”

“…….”

“It looks like the day is bright, but when do I have to go back? How long can I stay here?”

Sa Heon-yeong looked down at the woman’s face, realized the true nature of the worry on her face, and smiled.

She was worried about him. From the moment they met, she cared for him. She told him to run away and she said he would die if he was beaten. The rod she was beaten with must have been terrible. The harshness left deep scars all over her body. All night long he counted her wounds. It was exactly 87. 87 scars. What kind of abuse would it take to leave 87 scars on the body of a woman who is so small and thin that it is hard to tell how old she is?

Still, this woman worries about him. His heart felt sweetly stinging.

“Are you worried that I will be scolded by the Lady’s father?”

When Sa Heon-yeong asked, the woman nodded her head. There is concern in her eyes.

“Father-in-law.”

That bastard.

“He won’t scold me. Of course, he won’t scold the Lady either.”

He will pay the price for abusing this woman.

“We are getting married.”

Sa Heon-yeong stood in front of the sliding door, holding the woman, and the door opened silently. All the maids who were kneeling in front of the door bowed their heads.

Greetings His Highness. Greetings Her Highness.

With every step, the maids on their knees bowed their heads and said. Then the woman tilted her head. She seemed to wonder who the maids were referring to. She was really pretty like a bird.

As he passed through the long corridor, Sa Heon-yeong kissed the woman’s cheek several times. Each time he kissed her, the woman closed her eyes and accepted it quietly.

When he reached the end of the corridor, he saw Court Lady Yoon in the distance. She was the Empress’s henchman and the woman Sa Heon-yeong hated. He looked at Court Lady Yoon and smiled bitterly. He whispered sweetly into the woman’s ear, not taking his gaze from his Yoon Sang-gung.

“The Lady will soon become my wife.…… Do you understand, Court Lady Yoon?”

Note:

Court Lady Yoon’s title was actually ‘Yoon Sanggung’, which is the highest attainable rank for ladies-in-waiting or gung-nyeo. Putting it as Lady-in-waiting Yoon is kind of weird in the ears and ladies-in-waiting seemed more like a West tradition. So I’ll put it as Court Lady from the gung-nyeo (which means the lady officers of the royal court).

But just to emphasize how big a deal Court Lady Yoon is since she was actually a sanggung. Since just Court Lady Yoon doesn’t sound that influential. A sanggung would have served more than 15 years, and was treated well enough to have her own house and servants.