When the Black Moon Rises - Chapter 164
Chapter 164
Since Baek Giha, their leader, had made his stance clear, the second war with the Ju Clan was practically inevitable.
However, they couldn’t wage war while harboring a traitor.
Whether they exposed and expelled the traitor with irrefutable evidence, or turned a blind eye and continued their alliance…
The key was the Yeo Clan Head, whose territory had been devastated.
“So, let’s not tell the Yeo and Jin Clan Heads about the new Divine Beast yet and observe their actions for a while.”
“Agreed. In the meantime, the rest of us will prepare for the second war and reorganize our forces.”
Having reached an agreement, the Clan Heads, who had been arguing about whether Sehwa should be called Baek Ju Cheon Jang, Ju Cheon Jang Baek, or Ju Baek Cheon Jang, finally left the meeting room one by one.
Soon, only Baek Giha and Sehwa remained in the spacious room.
“Let’s go too.”
“You haven’t eaten anything all morning. I’ll have them prepare something, so eat before we go.”
“No, I’d rather finish interrogating the First Consort and then eat.”
As Sehwa stood up, Baek Giha pulled her towards him.
She stumbled and fell into his arms.
His strong arms wrapped around her, holding her tightly.
His warm breath brushed against her neck.
“Eat first,” he pleaded.
Sehwa chuckled and gently stroked his hair, then placed a soft kiss on his slightly furrowed brow.
Smooch!
“!”
“Why do you look so… sad?”
“…Sad?”
“You’ve been looking down all this time.”
“…I haven’t.”
“Yes, you have.”
“I haven’t.”
“Yes, you have.”
Finding his childish denial both amusing and endearing, she pinched his nose playfully.
“Are you lying to me?”
“......”
“What is it? Tell me.”
“......”
“Don’t you want to tell me?”
“It’s not… that…”
“......”
“It’s not that… it’s just—”
“Then what is it?”
He shifted her in his arms, holding her waist tighter, and rested his forehead against her shoulder. “Don’t go too far.”
“What?”
“Don’t go too far. No, I’m not saying you can’t go. Of course, you can. But…”
“......”
“…But please stay within a distance I can reach.”
“......”
“That’s… not too much to ask, is it?”
He remembered the majestic Red Dragon, its scales shimmering like jewels, rising from the lake.
It had been a breathtakingly beautiful sight.
So beautiful that he hadn’t even noticed the blooming flowers, the dazzling scenery…
‘…’
Just recalling the scene made his heart pound, a fiery heat churning in his gut.
He felt a growing sense of unease, a bottomless anxiety.
Suddenly, he felt something warm against his cheek.
He looked up and met her gaze, her crimson eyes, warm and bright, gazing at him from beneath her long lashes.
“I’m not going anywhere,” she said, her voice firm, her gaze unwavering. “I also have desires now.”
He stared at her, mesmerized, her face so close that he could feel her breath on his skin. “…What… desires?”
“To make sure…” she gently caressed his handsome face, her fingers tangling in his soft, black hair, “…that no one… can ever take you away from me.”
She understood the source of his anxiety. But she also knew that no words or promises could alleviate it.
She felt the same way.
So, instead of trying to reassure him, she said, “That’s why I have to fly higher and faster. So that no one can even think of taking you from me.”
She pulled him closer by his hair and kissed him gently, just as he had done to her.
“So that anyone who desires you will give up when they see me. So that no one but me can have you,” she whispered, her gaze locked on his, her words like a brand. “So if you’re thinking of taking concubines or other wives, like the previous Clan Heads, give up now. I won’t tolerate it.”
“......”
“Why aren’t you saying anything?”
“No, it’s just…”
Sehwa chuckled, seeing him blink at her words. “It’s too late to run, even if you want to. So just be mine.”
She kissed his forehead. “I’ll treat you well. I’ll make you happy for the rest of your life. Okay?”
“......”
He looked at her, his expression softening, a smile playing on his lips. He leaned his forehead against her shoulder and nodded. “Okay. Okay.”
He repeated his agreement, worried that she might not have heard him. “Okay.”
“You’re going to war with the Ju Clan? Are you out of your minds?”
As if sobered by the news, the First Consort pressed her hand against her forehead and scoffed. “You’re making that decision after hearing about the attack on the Yeo Clan? You must be insane.”
“That’s strange.” Sehwa pulled up a chair and sat down, tilting her head. “I understand that the Corrupt Dragon is powerful, worthy of being called a Divine Beast. But you know there’s a Divine Beast here in the Baek Clan as well. So why are you acting like we can’t possibly win against him?”
“Haha, because that’s the law of the Mystic Realm. A White Tiger can never defeat a Dragon. Otherwise, how could the Ju Clan have ruled the Mystic Realm for so long?” She added, a look of resignation in her eyes, as if giving up hope, “Thanks to your foolish, reckless decision, the rest of us will suffer. Myself included.”
“......”
“…I guess I’m not dying after all…”
“If being a White Tiger is the problem, what about a dragon?”
“What?”
“What if there’s another dragon here, besides the White Tiger?”
The First Consort, staring at her blankly, chuckled. “As if you can just create a Divine Beast…”
But then, as if a sudden realization had dawned upon her, she stared at Sehwa again. “…You…?”
Sehwa slowly nodded.
“…You…?”
“Yes. So? Are you willing to negotiate now?”
“I-I can’t believe it… That’s impossible… Then show me. You must have a reverse scale, since you’re a Divine Beast. Show it to me.”
“I can’t. But I can show you something else.”
“Something else? What…?”
Sehwa held out her hand.
A crimson spiritual power, like fire, flickered across her pale skin, then began to glow.
Flash!
A blinding light erupted, and the First Consort instinctively closed her eyes.
“!!”
And then, a moment later, in the slightly dimmed room, the First Consort saw something unbelievable.
A five-colored orb was floating and rotating above Sehwa’s outstretched hand.
“…An orb…”
It was a dragon’s orb.
The Red Dragon’s orb traditionally had a deep, fiery red color, so this wasn’t a Ju Clan orb.
But it was undoubtedly a dragon’s orb.
Such orbs, containing a massive amount of spiritual power, could only be created and possessed by dragons.
“You… you…”
The First Consort’s gaze changed completely.
She trembled, staring at Sehwa, like a shipwrecked survivor finally spotting land after drifting aimlessly at sea.
Sehwa, seeing her reaction, calmly closed her hand around the orb.
When she opened her hand again, it was gone.
But that brief demonstration was enough.
The First Consort, composing herself, asked Sehwa, “Then…”
But she couldn’t completely hide her turbulent emotions. “Then… you’ll really… kill me?”
“Yes.” Sehwa shrugged. “It’s not that difficult. I don’t feel any sympathy for you, and we have no connection. Considering what the Ju Clan did to me, I would gladly kill you right now and spill your blood before them.”
Her words were cruel, but they seemed to give the First Consort hope.
She nodded. “Alright. Do it. If you do, I’ll tell you anything you want to know.”
“Good. Then let me ask you something I’ve been wondering about. Why is the Corrupt Dragon in danger if you die? Why are the other consorts in danger?” Sehwa asked the question she had been most curious about, the question she wanted to confirm. “Why are you the only one with such a connection? It wasn’t like this from the beginning, was it?”
“......”
“It was from the beginning,” the First Consort replied, shaking her head. “From the moment the Corrupt Dragon failed to fully transform into a Divine Beast. That’s when this connection was formed.”
“—So long ago? Then you were the Corrupt Dragon’s wife before he became a Divine Beast?”
“No. It's not like that…”
The First Consort hesitated.
A mixture of pain, regret, and sorrow flashed across her face.
She looked at Sehwa, her expression a mixture of laughter and tears, and said, “The reason for this connection… is because the Corrupt Dragon is my…”
“......”
“…son.”
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