Chaotic Nights

Chapter 17. Meeting (3)

‘Is the Young Master getting married…?’

Eunha stepped away from the door with a dazed expression, as if she had received a blow to the head.

Until now, she believed that Shihoon and Yongi liked each other. That with a little effort on her part, she could bring them together.

‘Was I greedy…? Of course. I really was a fool to think that. Stupid head.’

Although Shihoon was the son of a concubine, he also had the blood of the Minister of Defense.

A young man of such status would never marry a lowly concubine.

‘She looks very beautiful.’

Eunha lowered her head at Young Lady Sohyeon’s elegant appearance. Even the most extravagantly groomed courtesan was likely to feel uncomfortable and duck her head in front of Sohyeon. At this point it could be said that Sohyeon had an innate beauty.

Eunha returned to the table, and focused on the food. Her stomach felt a little queasy, but she wanted to swallow as much as she could so she instinctively put the food in her mouth.

Before she knew it, she could no longer hear the conversation between the two.

Soon after…

“Are you still eating?”

Shihoon, who returned after saying goodbye to Sohyeon, smiled as he looked at the dishes left on the table. When Eunha saw his friendly face, she strangely felt indignant and didn’t want to eat anymore.

“I’m quite full. Thanks to the Young Master I’ve been able to eat my fill. If you don’t mind, can I go to the bookshop? I need to see the Mister.”

“Of course. Do you want me to come with you?”

“No! I… I’d like to go alone.”

Shihoon looked disappointed for a moment, but he didn’t stop Eunha. Eunha put on the cotton coat that she had received at the lord’s house.

It was terribly cold, despite the sun. Maybe because New Year’s Eve had already passed. You felt like all the blood in your fingers and toes would freeze if you stayed still.

When Eunha saw the beautiful fur boots placed where she had left her thin straw shoes, she was startled. She wondered if Lady Sohyeon had really left.

She panicked and looked around to find her shoes, but Shihoon, who came behind her, took her hand, made her sit in the hall, and pointed to the fur boots.

“They’re for you. Put them on. You won’t have to walk around with frozen feet.”

“… What? Wait… Wait a second. For me?”

“Yes. Did you forget your birthday? I meant to give them to you that day, but you disappeared, so I kept them as a treasure.”

At those words, Eunha’s face paled. She shook her head vigorously, crouched down, and searched through the hall.

“No. No way. Please give me back my shoes. How could I wear something so precious? I’d get in trouble! I would definitely be branded a thief. I don’t want that at all.”

“You would only wear them to protect your feet from the cold, why would you be branded a thief?”

“Everyone in town knows my miserable situation. If I wear these boots, I could really be taken to a cell.”

“Well, at least take them to your sister. They’re of no use to me.”

Shihoon, who clearly spoke in an angry voice, stood up. He stared with bitter eyes at Eunha, who was still searching barefoot in the hall, and then said to his assistant,

“Bring her shoes.”

“Yes, Young Master.”

The assistant ran to the fireplace in search of the shoes. When Eunha turned around and saw that Shihoon had a serious expression, she bowed her head,

“Thank you, Young Master. But… this is not right. You are not my partner. If you give me such a precious gift, it will eventually be detrimental to you.”

That was correct. Eunha wasn’t wrong at all. He even knew that she dressed in clothes that other men discarded not precisely for comfort, but because she stubbornly saved in the hope of freeing her sister.

That’s why he wanted to buy her some boots. He wanted to warmly wrap those little feet that used to walk around busily.

However, he didn’t think it through. The status gap with her was not something that could be bridged with a few kind words.

Shihoon clenched his trembling hands into fists and headed to his bedroom in silence. Eunha bowed her head deeply as she looked up at him, then put her shoes back on and wrapped the fur boots in cloth.

She would definitely give them to her sister as soon as she saw her. Eunha bowed once more and walked out the front door of Shihoon’s house.

“Who are you? What were you doing at Young Master Shihoon’s house?”

The voice that caught Eunha’s attention was from Lady Sohyeon. She blinked several times and looked up and down at Eunha with a surprised expression.