CFZ

Clang.

The sharp sound pierced my ears, and I turned around. Shattered fragments lay scattered on the floor.
Beyond them, a pair of delicate shoes came into view.
I followed them up slowly to find their owner.

It didn’t take long before our eyes met.
“…Lady Mi.”
The owner of those shoes was none other than Lady Mi.

Why is Lady Mi here? And why now, of all times?
Did she hear what I just said? Damn it, she must have. That expression says it all.
In other words…

‘I’m screwed.’
Thoroughly, completely screwed.
‘What do I do?’

Cold sweat broke out across my body.
I had just sold out my father to save myself. But if Lady Mi overheard that, things were about to take a drastic turn.
How drastic, you ask?

‘I’d rather not imagine it.’
No matter how I pictured it, none of the outcomes looked good.
The kid looked no older than ten.

If I tried to calculate… If this was really my father’s child—
‘Wait. Even before doing the math, the fact that Lady Mi doesn’t know about him already spells disaster.’
No amount of excuses could fix this mess.
“Um… Lady Mi. This isn’t what it looks like…”

It felt like standing on the edge of a cliff, bracing for the storm of a broken household.
What do I do? How do I fix this mess?
Gulp.

My dry throat kept swallowing as my thoughts spiraled into panic.
‘Shit.’
No matter how I turned it over in my head, there was no way out.

Confessing now felt too late. At this rate, I’d have to not only sell out my father but drag him into disgrace.
Save myself, or throw my father under the bus?
It was an impossibly hard decision.

Still, as a son, there had to be limits…
“Lady Mi… That is, I wasn’t trying to hide it from you. It’s just, with my father’s circumstances and all, I thought…”
Selling out my father. That was my conclusion after a short but agonizing deliberation.

He’s still healthy—he can handle this much.
I’ll probably get beaten to death if this comes out later, but I’ll deal with that then. Right now, survival came first.
“So, if you’d just hear me out…”

Just as I was desperately scrambling for excuses—
Step.
Lady Mi’s widened eyes locked on me as she started walking forward.

I flinched and instinctively hunched my shoulders.
But then—
Swoosh.

Lady Mi didn’t come toward me.
She walked right past and kept going.
Toward Namgung Bi-ah, who was holding the kid.

“…”
When Lady Mi reached Namgung Bi-ah, she said just one thing.
“…Ah.”

Then, she reached out her hand.
I froze.
…Wait, is she about to slap her?

It wouldn’t be surprising.
Imagine confronting an unknown child and realizing it might belong to your husband.
Any wife would be furious.

Especially one with a temper like hers. I wouldn’t put it past her to throw a punch—
‘…Wait.’
Now that I think about it, doesn’t this situation mirror mine a little too closely?

‘A concubine’s child. A brat with a nasty temper.’
I suddenly felt uneasy.
We weren’t that different, were we?

Fortunately, Lady Mi had never hit me before, but still—
‘Anyway.’
Should I step in and stop her?

Or leave things alone, given the circumstances?
I was still debating when—
Swipe.

Lady Mi’s fingers reached the kid.
Not the cheek, though.
“…Huh?”

The kid tilted his head at the touch.
Lady Mi’s hesitant hand stroked the child’s hair.
“…”

I couldn’t see her face from behind, but she kept gently brushing the boy’s hair.
As I stood there dumbfounded—
“Hey…”

“Holy shit!”
I jumped at the sudden voice near my ear.
I had dulled my senses earlier to avoid the discomfort of heightened awareness, so I hadn’t even noticed anyone approaching.

When I turned, I saw the White Lotus Sword standing there.
“…What? What is it?”
She looked unusually hesitant.

“…So, whose kid is that?”
“…Huh?”
What the hell did she just say?

“It’s obviously not Lady Mi’s, right? Judging by the looks, maybe it’s your mother’s? No, that can’t be it.”
“…”
Was that what this was about?

“Well, that’s…”
“Or is it the Sword Queen’s?”
“What?”

I squinted at her words.
Sword Queen? Did she mean the Plum Blossom Sword Emperor?
“Senior, what are you talking about? Why would you bring up the Sword Queen?”

“Oh, right. I guess you wouldn’t know.”
“What do you mean I wouldn’t—wait. What are you even saying?”
“If you don’t know, then forget it. So, it’s not the Sword Queen. Then… maybe someone from a noble family? I mean, that girl could probably pull something like this. No, wait. Lady Mi would’ve dealt with her already. Then who could it be? Don’t tell me it’s someone from the Blood Palace? But she’s already engaged…”

“…”
Name after name poured out—powerful names, ones I’d definitely heard before.
Why are all these names coming up now?

…Wait.
‘Is she trying to figure out who the mother is?’
If so, did that mean all these women had ties to my father?

Unbelievable.
‘Father… Were you really that much of a womanizer?’
Not just one or two—there were too many.

I suddenly felt disappointed.
Meanwhile, the White Lotus Sword looked completely serious as she rattled off theories.
I let out a sigh.

“Look, whatever you’re thinking—”
“Then that means there’s still hope, right? If even those women managed to pull it off, there’s no reason I can’t!”
“Wait, what?”

“Oh, come on. What’s the big deal? Just go with it. It’s not like it’ll make your hair fall out or anything.”
“…What kind of life have you lived for that to make sense?”
Talking to the White Lotus Sword always felt like losing brain cells.

I didn’t have time to waste on jokes, not with this mess hanging over my head.
Rustle.
Meanwhile, Lady Mi kept stroking the boy’s hair.

No one dared to breathe as they watched.
This was the kind of scene that made your skin crawl.
My father’s hidden child had appeared.

And my father’s wife had shown up immediately after.
It was enough to make anyone sweat bullets.
Even Tang So-yeol and Wi Seol-ah stayed dead silent.

‘Where the hell did Goeseon go?’
That guy had already bolted. Smart move.
Even the usually composed Moyong Hee-ah looked pale, covering her mouth.

What kind of hell was about to break loose?
At that moment—
“…Would you… like to hold him?”

“…!”
“…Huh?”
“…!!”

Namgung Bi-ah’s words sucked the air out of the room.
Was she insane?
And yet—

“…”
Lady Mi’s hand froze mid-stroke.
Was she mad?

No one could blame her for being furious.
But—
“…”

She didn’t respond.
She just kept staring at Namgung Bi-ah and the boy.
‘Wait… Is she actually considering it?’

No way.
‘No, she wouldn’t.’
It had to be a mistake.

Sure enough, after a long silence, Lady Mi spoke.
“No. That’s alright.”
A rejection.

Of course, no woman would willingly hold her husband’s hidden child.
The only relief was that she hadn’t exploded with anger.
‘How can someone stay this calm?’

It was astonishing.
If it were me, I would’ve already turned the place upside down.
But Lady Mi, despite her obvious surprise, maintained an air of composure.

While I was still marveling at her restraint—
“First Young Master.”
“…!”

Her voice jolted me like a thunderclap.
“Y-Yes…?”
I barely managed to respond, and Lady Mi turned to face me.

Her expression was as flawless as ever.
If anything, it was even harder than usual to read her thoughts.
Cold sweat drenched my back.

I was doing my best to hide it, struggling to keep my breathing steady.
Then, Lady Mi spoke.
“We need to talk.”

“…”
“Come with me for a moment.”
“…Y-Yes, ma’am.”

With that, Lady Mi began walking.
I had no choice but to follow, forcing my legs to move.
This was, without a doubt, the most nerve-wracking moment of my year.

 
   ******************
   
It took some time to get from the Divine Doctor’s residence to where Lady Mi was staying.
Especially since Lady Mi was an ordinary person, she couldn’t move quickly.
Matching her pace, I had to spend half a sikyeong walking when I could’ve arrived in a single sprint.

Do you know what was really exhausting?
‘I didn’t exchange a single word during that entire walk.’
Lady Mi walked ahead in silence. Following behind her, I couldn’t even swallow my saliva amidst the awkward quiet.
And so, we arrived—at Lady Mi’s residence.

This was my first time visiting her personal quarters.
Usually, if I wanted to see Lady Mi, I’d go to the head office of the trading company, or she would summon me.
I had no memory of ever visiting her personal residence.
‘Is it… this big?’

I was genuinely surprised.
The size of the place was overwhelming.
I’d always thought my own quarters were quite large.
But this place put mine to shame.
It wasn’t exactly twice as big, but the size difference was undeniable.

The well-maintained garden paths were beautifully decorated.
Even the interior, which we entered shortly after, radiated elegance and order.
“Sit down.”
“…Yes.”

I immediately sat down as instructed.
There were already teacups set on the table.
It didn’t seem like Lady Mi had prepared them herself. Most likely, a servant had arranged them in advance after being informed.
Feeling parched, I thought to drink the tea first…

“Did you say that child is the lord’s?”
“…Cough.”
But I couldn’t even take a sip.
Hearing her words, I froze and set the cup back down, my gaze shifting to Lady Mi.

Her hands were folded, and her sharp eyes were fixed on me.
It was clear she was expecting an explanation.
What the hell was I supposed to do now?
‘What else? I have to start making excuses.’

It was too late to turn back now.
I had to say something—anything—immediately.
“Well, about that… you see….”
The walk here hadn’t been short, so I’d already prepared what I wanted to say.
Just as I was about to explain it to Lady Mi—

“I know it’s not.”
“…!”
Her words cut me off, and my mouth snapped shut.

She knew it wasn’t true?
Did that mean she already knew I’d lied?
I was too stunned to react, and Lady Mi continued speaking.
“What do you mean…?”

“So, is it?”
“…”
Her gaze was firm.
For a moment, I thought about admitting it was true and following up with the excuse I had prepared.

Wouldn’t that be better?
“…No, it isn’t.”
But in the end, I confessed.

Lady Mi’s tone was already certain, and strangely, I couldn’t bring myself to lie while looking into her eyes.
“I’m sorry.”
“…”

Hearing my apology, Lady Mi took a sip of tea instead of replying.
I couldn’t even hear the sound of her drinking.
Clink.
Only the faint sound of the cup being set down reached my ears.

“…Lady Mi.”
“Speak.”
“I know it’s an odd question °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° to ask right now, but… how did you know?”

How did she figure it out?
I couldn’t suppress my curiosity.
Even as I asked, Lady Mi gave me a look that seemed almost amused.
I thought she wouldn’t answer, but then—

“At first, I thought it might be possible.”
Lady Mi began explaining, despite her earlier expression.
“Because the child looks quite similar.”

“…”
“Not exactly like the lord… but more like you. Yet, there’s no way the child could be yours. So for a moment, I did think that maybe—just maybe—it could be the lord’s child.”
“…But why did you decide it wasn’t?”

“That’s an easy question.”
Was it my imagination, or did she just smile faintly?
She continued,

“Because your father wouldn’t do something like that.”
“…!”
Her answer caught me completely off guard.

“My father is someone who hides many things.
He doesn’t talk much and prefers to keep things to himself.”
“…”
That was definitely true.
In a year, my father probably spoke fewer than a hundred words.

“But even so, he wouldn’t hide something like this.”
“…That’s…”
“Besides, even if he tried to hide it—I would’ve known.
I’m the head of Baekhwa Trading Company.”

“…”
Gulp.
I couldn’t relate to her earlier points at all,
but her last statement made perfect sense.

I’m the head of Baekhwa Trading Company.
Her pride and confidence practically radiated from those words.
“That’s why I wanted to ask.
Who is that child?”

“…Would you believe me if I said it’s my child?”
“I would.”
“…What?”

She said it so easily that I was the one who felt flustered.
“It’s not hard to believe.
If you’re willing to take responsibility for it, then go ahead.”
“…”

Lady Mi knew it wasn’t true.
She also knew the child wasn’t my father’s.
Yet, if I told her to believe it, she said she would.
And on top of that, she asked if I could take responsibility for it.
‘She’s asking if I can bear the weight of that claim.’

It was a much heavier and scarier statement than outright disbelief.
So what was I supposed to do now?
My thoughts were racing in all directions when—
“Or, I could choose not to ask.”

Lady Mi’s words widened my eyes.
“What… do you mean?”
“Exactly what I said.
I won’t ask who that child is.
And I won’t scold you for falsely claiming the lord’s identity either.”

“Why…?”
“Well, if I had to give a reason….”
Clink. Clink.

The teacup in Lady Mi’s hand made a peculiar sound.
“That’s because you need it. Isn’t that reason enough?”
“…”

“If you need it, then go ahead.
If you need an excuse, I can give you one.”
“…Why are you going this far…?”
“However.”

Before I could finish asking, Lady Mi raised her finger and spoke firmly.
“There’s one condition.”
“A condition?”

“Yes, one condition.”
She was willing to ignore everything.
She wouldn’t pry about the child’s identity or reprimand me for using my father’s name as a shield.
But in return, there was a condition.
Hearing this, I bit my lip.

‘Of course.’
Naturally, nothing came free.
There was no way something like this would be without a price.
Overlooking such a serious matter and even offering an excuse had to come with a heavy demand.

I couldn’t even guess what she might ask for.
“…What’s the condition?”
I couldn’t refuse without hearing it first.

Tension welled up inside me as I waited for her answer.
Seconds ticked by.
“I will take the child.”

“…What?”
“That is my condition.”
“…?”

I heard the words clearly.
But my brain couldn’t process them.