When the Black Moon Rises - Chapter 236
Chapter 236
The White Stone Pavilion was boisterous until late.
People didn't think of going back even when the moon rose high in the sky, and ate and drank alcohol and food that the Baek family was providing to their hearts' content.
“Ah, so now the order is perfectly set! Baek-Cheon-Jang-Gang-Jin-Yeo-Ju! This order. We can’t change it now!”
“Argh, you Cheon family! Are you really saying that you want to have a war with our Jang family?!”
“Oh my, what kind of words are those? Since the Cheon Clan will win anyway, I can’t make you start a fight where the outcome is obvious. You also would have some pride.”
“What? We have to measure the long and the short to find out. Are you ignoring the Jang Clan in a place like this?”
“Wasn’t it already proven through today’s matter that my quick wit and ability to handle situations are better. Even if we do it again.”
The Cheon Clan Head, scanning the Jang Clan Head up and down, added,
“Even if you do, it’ll be the Baek-Cheon-Jang-Gang-Jin-Yeo-Ju order.”
“Argh!”
‘Oh my. What if the rumor of the Six Clans’ unity being a mess more than imagined spreads after they somehow fight like that?’
The Jin Clan Head, who couldn’t endure it anymore after hearing the increasingly loud voices even though guests were full around them, carefully approached the Ju family’s seats and patted Clan Head Ju Myoungyoon’s shoulder.
“Gasp!”
But he was instead surprised because the eyes of Ju Myoungyoon who turned back were reddened.
“C, Clan Head Ju. D, did you perhaps, c, cry?”
“Cry, you say? How can a great man do such a thing.”
Ju Myoungyoon shook his head, however, seeing the expressions of those around him, it seemed like he had cried or was right about to cry.
“You came at the right time. Please sit here.”
“It seems like you already d, drank a lot of alcohol. How about not drinking this kind of thing anymore and instead going back to the room and r, resting a bit……”
“Telling me not to drink alcohol! If I don’t drink on a day like this, then when would I?!”
Ju Myoungyoon, who spoke like that in a sad voice, made a face.
“That young one getting married. No, she’s still young. She isn’t even fifty yet.”
“……What?”
“Does it even make sense to have her marry when she isn’t even fifty? My child. That child I wouldn’t feel pain even if I put in my eyes, to marry her off this early.”
The Jin Clan Head, looking around him, retreated falteringly.
“Fifty is young! I should have had her marry after sixty!”
“Ah, oh my. I totally forgot that I had something to do.”
This place was wrong.
It wasn’t that Ju Myoungyoon who always seemed rational.
Somehow, those around him were all stepping back one or two steps.
The Jin Clan Head, rolling his eyes quickly, moved his steps to Baek Manyong, who was busy welcoming guests, as if he had some business.
“Chancellor, please go to those people.”
“What? What’s wrong?”
“Why, my friend. Don’t you know that it's a complete mess?”
The Jin Clan Head gestured with a troubled look.
But Baek Manyong, who briefly checked the inside of the Clan Head’s room, naturally let the request go in one ear and out the other.
What did it matter? There was no one who didn’t know that she had become the Lady of the House of the Baek family today.
It was also the victor’s generosity to act as if he didn't know about the losers.
Just fight to your hearts' content. Since it’s alright as long as our Baek family is put in front.
Baek Manyong, who judged like that, went far away quickly.
“I am too busy, so I’ll be on my way.”
“No. Chancellor Baek! Please help me! Chancellor Baek!”
Someone clicked their tongue at him and talked to him who was flustered.
A white alcohol glass was suddenly held out.
“Isn’t the one who is in their right mind the one who gets the short end of the stick at places like this?”
“Gang Clan Head.”
“If something happens, those who caused it will deal with it themselves. Don’t worry and just drink.”
Crash!
Whether it was by mistake or on purpose, anyway, the table that the Cheon Clan Head and the Jang Clan Head were at together flipped over.
“…….”
The Yeo Clan Head, who seemed to have no thoughts, and the Jin Clan Head, who was picking up his alcohol bottle amidst that, received the held-out alcohol glasses with a sigh.
He also, hesitating for a moment, poured the glass inside his mouth.
“It’s a banquet for seven days, so it’ll keep being noisy like this?”
Youngchae, looking outside the window, asked, seeing Sehwa.
“Young Lady, should I close the window if it’s too noisy?”
“No, leave it open. The wind feels nice.”
At those words, Youngchae added, looking up at the sky full of stars.
“I was very worried because I heard that the White Stone Pavilion is much colder than the Ju family residence, but it’s not so.”
“You haven’t even experienced winter here yet.”
“Haha. That’s also true. Will my heart change when it’s winter?”
“It’s obvious. Even now, when it’s winter, they say summer is better, and when it’s summer, they say winter is better.”
Laughter flowed inside the room fully at those words.
“Our Young Lady is always pretty, but since you’re laughing, you’re even more beautiful.”
Only then did Sehwa realize that she hadn't smiled even once after the ceremony ended today.
The responsibility suddenly placed before her had been too heavy.
Since she couldn’t be sure whether she could do well, she had to carry worries in a troubled heart all day today.
“By any chance… are you very angry because of the matters that happened today?”
Youngsun, who had been slightly looking around her at Sehwa’s appearance seemingly swallowing a sigh with difficulty, quietly sat down before her. She held Sehwa’s knees and asked.
“Did you all already know?”
“Of course, since they had to prepare the sacred objects of the family beforehand to do the oath of loyalty… In that sense, the Elder did give us notice beforehand after getting contacted by Clan Head Baek.”
“So you’re saying you didn’t even give me a hint even though you knew?”
She held Youngsun’s nose and let go, not painfully.
“I’m sorry, Young Lady. However-.”
As Youngsun hesitated, Youngmu continued in a quiet voice behind her.
“……Clan Head Baek said that Young Lady was not someone with greed for power, that she was responsible and prudent, so she more clearly knows the boundary of things she can’t do than the boundary of things she can, and that because she emphasizes propriety, even if everyone agrees, she would never try to get on the high seat first as long as the other older Clan Heads are around. ……So, that this would be best.”
“Yes. So he told us to not act strangely or panic and just protect our seats no matter what happened.”
‘So everyone had been as still as if they were in on it at that strange ceremony.’
She nodded her head and clasped her hands that had gotten slightly cold at the tips.
“Do you think I can do well?”
At this part, the three sisters shouted with one voice.
“Of course! It’s obvious!”
“……How are you so sure?”
“Of course, it’s because there was no one who disagreed when Clan Head Baek asked everyone for consent, saying that he would make Young Lady get on that seat.”
“It's not only that there was no one. They were hitting the ground regretting that they didn't pledge first.”
“That’s right. When I went to get some refreshments earlier, the Cheon Clan Head and Jang Clan Head were still fighting. I don’t know if they didn’t flip the table.”
It was when everyone was laughing at the answer.
“What is so funny?”
Along with quietly knocking, someone came inside the room.
It was Cheon Sua.
“Mother. Is Father still drinking alcohol?”
Sehwa, thinking that her lie had made her father very troubled, carefully asked.
Cheon Sua shook her head and smiled, taking an outer robe from one side of the room.
“Leave him alone. Where could your father have drunk alcohol like that until now? He's releasing his feelings today using you as an excuse.”
“Then that’s a relief. But why are you giving me an outer robe inside the room?”
“You shouldn’t make your body cold. Wear it while the window’s open.”
“Ah. By any chance, is that why you stopped me when I was about to drink alcohol earlier? But the doctor said a few glasses were alright.”
It was around when the banquet started after the ceremony ended.
She had to receive greetings everywhere, celebrating the enthronement of the new Mystic Ruler, and every single person she faced gave her alcohol.
Sehwa also knew that she couldn’t drink alcohol, since she used the excuse of pregnancy to her parents.
But she couldn’t tell everyone about that lie.
She was trying to drink a few glasses with them using the excuse of not being able to spoil the mood, and then leave, but who knew that her mother would appear and clear the alcohol glasses at once?
So, she had just been inside the room quietly after being told to go back to the room before those there offered her more alcohol after she only filled her stomach with food.
When should she honestly tell them about this? She couldn't be this troubled.
‘Let’s not ever do this kind of thing from next time. My parents are so worried about my body like this, but a disloyal child like me is doing this kind of lie.’
Sehwa’s gaze couldn’t meet Cheon Sua’s from guilt, and moved restlessly.
At that appearance, Cheon Sua’s eyes widened a bit more softly.
Cheon Sua’s amused gaze that swallowed laughter shortly headed toward Sehwa’s belly.
However, the firmly shut lips didn’t say anything to Sehwa.
At that moment, someone quietly notified their existence at the door with a voice.
“Lady of the House, are you there?”
It was Elder Yeongong.
“What brings the Elder here this late?”
Youngchae approached the door hastily and opened it.
Elder Yeongong, still fully dressed in his ceremonial robe, was standing there with his daughter.
“What brings both of you here?”
“Could you come with us for a bit? The Clan Head told us to bring the Lady of the House.”
“Is he still in the banquet hall?”
“No. It’s not there.”
He only trailed off his words, and didn’t give a specific answer.
“Elder Yeongong?”
At that moment, Cheon Sua pushed her back.
“Hurry and follow him. Youngchae, Youngsun, Youngmoo, you girls stay here and don’t go.”
“Do you also know, Mother? Where he is?”
“Yes. You had a hard time all day today, so hurry and go.”
Hard time?
While it would make sense since the ceremony was tiring, but for some reason, it didn’t seem like she was talking about the ceremony.
She was full of questions all day today, and now even this late.
“Okay. Let’s go.”
She, who became curious about what Mother knew, leaped up and followed Elder Yeongong.
“Please come this way.”
He, bowing his head politely, walked one step ahead and guided her somewhere.
The path they were walking was quiet as if not receiving the banquet hall’s liveliness. The Elder's steps that were careful unlike usual were even devout.
As they walked for a while and arrived somewhere, Elder Yeongong avoided his body and whispered to Sehwa.
“You can go inside here.”
“This is……”
“It’s the Baek family’s ancestral shrine. The place where the existences of the past Clan Heads are enshrined.”
At that moment, Baek Hyoseong spread something that she had been wearing on her arm and put it above Sehwa's head.
Her vision was dyed completely red.
“You can go inside wearing this.”
‘What. So it was just greeting the ancestral shrine?’
“I understand. Then will both of you be waiting here? If I come out after greeting them-.”
“No. We will be going back.”
“?”
Go back? Leaving me here alone?
‘Ah, I guess I’m not alone. He would be inside.’
As Sehwa nodded, agreeing, the two people disappeared quietly beyond the hallway without even a footstep.
Even the oath of loyalty that she hadn’t even thought about, and even the strangely secretive attitude of Elder Yeongong and his daughter.
‘I feel like I’ve been possessed by a fox all day today.’
She, who had that thought, quietly opened the ancestral shrine door.
While thinking of him who would have come inside and be bowing first.
“…….”
But what was all of this.
Inside the ancestral shrine that should be quiet, things that she hadn’t even thought of were lined up.
When she was hesitating without coming inside right away, surprised, a low and soft voice flowed into her.
“Come in.”
Like her who was still in her wedding attire, he, still in a pure white wedding attire, was smiling, looking at her.
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