The last one was Namgung Yeon.
Her height was just a touch taller than Dang Soran's.
A slender build that hardly seemed masculine.
To be honest, rather than handsome, he gave more the impression of being cute.
At least Namgung Yeon felt more comfortable than the other two.
They were both from the Hidden Dragon Society, after all.
"Young Master, did you have any trouble on your way here?"
Dang Soran asked first.
Namgung Yeon cupped his hands in greeting and replied.
After a slight awkwardness, Namgung Yeon spoke.
"I never imagined we'd end up in a relationship like this."
"...Yes."
"You don't seem all that pleased, Miss Soran. Is it because I'm so lacking?"
"Pardon? Oh, no."
It might have been a jab that caught her off guard, but Namgung Yeon showed no displeasure whatsoever.
Instead, he took a step closer with a gentle smile.
"Miss."
Dang Soran took a step back.
Namgung Yeon soothed her as he whispered.
"...I'm not trying to do anything strange. I just want to ask something quietly..."
"..."
"Please lower your guard for a moment."
As Dang Soran nodded, Namgung Yeon drew closer again.
His scent became noticeable at such proximity.
...Dang Soran suddenly felt puzzled.
Did everyone's body scent differ this much?
She had smelled Han Seojin's sweat to her heart's content.
That musky aroma, which had seemed foul at first—why had it been so intoxicating?
She clearly remembered that beastly smell and had thought it was what a man's scent should be.
...But Namgung Yeon's body gave off no such odor.
It was softer, like the fragrance of flowers...
"..."
Dang Soran furrowed her brow and held her breath.
That was when Namgung Yeon asked.
"By any chance, is the lost treasure of the Tang Clan not here?"
"...Pardon? Oh."
Only then did Dang Soran understand what Namgung Yeon meant.
It had to be about the Detoxification Immortal Root.
Namgung Yeon reached into his robe and pulled out a familiar cloth bundle.
The sight stirred memories, unleashing emotions she had been holding back.
"..."
"Miss?"
"Oh, no, it's nothing."
Dang Soran bit her lip hard.
That cloth bundle held memories with Han Seojin.
The fifty days she had spent searching to reclaim it.
It had been an unimaginably grueling, deficient, and arduous journey...
...yet it seemed there had been no more enjoyable time in her life.
Namgung Yeon continued.
"This is a gift I received dozens of days ago. From the Tang Clan of Sichuan—"
"—the Detoxification Immortal Root."
Namgung Yeon looked at her in surprise.
"...You know of it?"
Of course she did.
How much effort she had put into obtaining it.
How much fun she had because of it.
Considering Han Seojin's wishes, she said.
"...Wasn't it passed on to you as a gift from the young clan leader?"
"W-Well, yes, but... I wanted to confirm..."
"I recall there being talk that the young master would be glad if you received it."
Namgung Yeon blinked, then asked.
"...Did you send this to me, Miss?"
He could suspect as much.
But no.
Dang Soran didn't want Han Seojin's kindness to be buried under misunderstanding.
"...I know who sent it. But as that person said... they don't wish to reveal their identity. Don't worry. It's not stolen, and certainly not something delivered by mistake... Please treasure it."
Did Namgung Yeon know the effort Han Seojin had gone through to obtain it?
She envied him. Deeply so.
If only Han Seojin thought of her that much too.
...No. Han Seojin had blessed her.
She shouldn't cling to lingering attachments alone.
And what lingering attachment was this, anyway?
Dang Soran still couldn't grasp her own feelings.
What dissatisfaction made her chest feel so stuffy?
What needed to happen for her to be happy again?
That was when Namgung Yeon whispered.
"...Really."
"...?"
"...Really, there are people who give gifts even to a dullard like me."
Even amid her crashing emotions, Dang Soran could read the感动 in Namgung Yeon's eyes.
It eased her heart a little.
Because Han Seojin's efforts didn't seem wasted.
Namgung Yeon asked.
"Could you perhaps tell me who that person is?"
"Didn't I say they wished to hide their identity?"
"I know. I know, but... with this gratitude... just between us..."
Dang Soran shook her head.
"That would be difficult."
Namgung Yeon finally accepted it.
"I see. Understood. Miss, the journey was tiring today—may I retire now?"
That was exactly what Dang Soran had hoped for.
"Yes. Of course."
.
.
.
It had only been a single day.
The day she met the husband candidates.
Late at night, Dang Soran lay on her bed, trying to calm her mind.
It had only been a single day.
They were scheduled to stay for a total of ten days.
And she just had to choose one among them.
She would converse with them sufficiently over those ten days and find the one who pleased her most.
It didn't even have to be a strong affection.
Such feelings would arise after the engagement, anyway.
And after a long engagement, once certainty about each other formed, they could become proper husband and wife then.
Dang Soran lay rigidly on the bed, staring blankly.
She recalled the three men she had met that day.
Wi Cheonsang.
Jegal Yong.
Namgung Yeon.
All three were without flaw.
Remarkable men, worthy of respect.
"...Ugh..."
But then, Dang Soran's frozen expression trembled and shattered.
Tears leaked out at this inescapable, suffocating reality.
If she had known it would be like this, she should have refused from the start.
She should have resisted fiercely from the beginning.
Why did she always realize too late, like a fool?
To spend her life with one of those three.
To have one of them lying beside her on this bed.
She couldn't even imagine it—and even trying made her stomach churn.
Something struck the window, making a sound.
Dang Soran paid it no mind, covering her face with both hands.
But the odd sound repeated.
Puzzled, she sat up.
She wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes.
Once more.
She finally opened the window.
"...Huh?"
And at the sight before her, her breath caught.
"Ugh...! Ack! J-Just hold me a bit longer!"
'Hey, you bastard! Can't you hurry? My back's gonna give out!'
"The angle...! A bit higher... There! Got it!"
Far off, clinging to the high wall of the Tang Clan of Sichuan with only his head peeking over, was a man.
From outside the Tang Clan grounds, he was laboriously tossing small pebbles toward Dang Soran's quarters.
It was the day she had to meet the husband candidates.
That day was not yet over.
At first, she thought it was a dream.
She hadn't imagined he would really be here.
This was Chengdu. His hometown was Mount Emei.
Had he traveled that great distance just to see her?
Why? For what reason?
Dang Soran could no longer hold back her emotions.
She leaped from the second-floor window and ran to Han Seojin.
"Haa... haa...! Y-Young Master?"
"M-Miss Soran...! U-Uncles! Just a bit higher...!"
Han Seojin appeared to be standing on someone's shoulders, clinging to the wall.
Unlike the men she had seen all day, he looked utterly pathetic.
Yet Dang Soran smiled, on the verge of tears.
She couldn't fathom why this foolish sight seemed so endearing.
"Even after so long apart, you're still such a fool."
Words she hadn't said even to the men she met today.
In front of him, she could set aside the etiquette learned in the Tang Clan of Sichuan and be herself.
She had seen even uglier sides of him. Even taken a hit to the butt.
What was left to hide between them?
Han Seojin, precariously perched on the wall, squeezed out words with effort.
"You're getting married, right?"
Her heart sank at the question.
She didn't hide her expression.
Han Seojin continued.
"For now, congratulations."
Dang Soran clenched her fists.
Words she didn't want to hear.
Had he come just to say that?
"...Is that why you came?"
"Miss, but—"
"—if you're done, then go. Don't hang there looking so pathetic..."
If that was all he came for, he shouldn't have come.
The only words she wanted to hear were...
"Do you have to do it?"
Han Seojin asked.
That simple question turned Dang Soran's world upside down.
"...Pardon?"
She looked straight at Han Seojin in shock.
He was still clinging to the wall.
Had she misheard?
Was she hallucinating what she wanted to hear out of madness?
He had no reason to oppose this marriage.
Knowing that, she lacked even the courage to ask what he said.
She just froze, waiting for his words.
Then, Han Seojin asked clearly.
"I'm asking if you have to go through with that marriage."
'Hey, Seojin! What nonsense is this!'
"Agh, just wait there!"
It was real. Not a delusion.
Her heart began to pound as if it would burst.
Dang Soran opened and closed her mouth, then forced out a question.
"...Why?"
There were so many things she wanted to ask, but she feared building false hope only to be disappointed.
"Why are you asking that? Of course... I, I have to. I can't live alone forever."
Dang Soran didn't know why she was saying this.
"A-And... don't I need to help the Tang Clan of Sichuan too? Do you know how much strength it brings our family to marry one of the men who came for me today?"
"I can't not do it. Right?"
"..."
The Han Seojin she had longed for so desperately fell silent for a moment.
Only then did Dang Soran realize.
No. This isn't it.
The words she wanted to hear...
The real question she wanted to ask...
Incomprehensible tears welled up, and she asked through glistening eyes.
"...What do you think of my marriage, Young Master Seojin?"
Han Seojin replied.
"I hope you don't... No, just don't do it."
Ah.
At that bold, clueless assertion, Dang Soran squatted down to the ground.
"Ugh...! Sob...!"
All she could do was bury her face in her knees and hold back tears.
An absurd demand. Recklessness like when they played around.
"Miss, this time, listen to me."
But she had wanted to hear those words so badly.
She wanted to obey.
The reason underlying them seemed so sweet.
Don't get married.
What was his reason for opposing it?
In truth, Dang Soran was no less impressive than the men who had come for her.
Beautiful appearance, wealth, skill...
So perhaps.
Dang Soran held her breath as she thought.
Perhaps Young Master also sees me as...