Hwang meets me at the garden and helps clean me up while I ask her for Byul.
As soon as I say that, her face changes "Master, but...."
I tilt my head "But?"
"Wouldn't you like to rest a bit before you see him?"
"What's there to rest about?" I ask "Sleeping felt hard yesterday. Is he not okay?"
She looks down "He is not yet awake Master"
Wh-What?
"Where's he?"
Five minutes later, I am sitted in his chambers, hands on my laps as I stare at him, laying still on the mat, a towel over his head as he lays bare chested and trousers below, one Ahjumma muttering some words around his body before taking a cloth to mop his body then stand, bowing to me before leaving.
As the door slides shut, I let my eyes fix more on Byul.
For the first time, I notice that he looks... Calm, not as defiant or scary as he always seemed to look.
He has a sharp jaw and touch looking face, yes, but with the way he looked so peaceful now...
My eyes move to other parts of his body that seemed to have bruises, possibly from Chan Yeol that made me wince...
And scars.
He had plenty of those.
And there was one right on his left cheeks.
It looks like a horrible gash, something possibly done by a knife and just sewing it shut wouldn't cut it...
A part of me wants to touch it, see if it's still there, if it could still.. hurt.
But I manage to stop myself and enjoy my stare.
At least that was for the next five minutes before my hand reaches out for his face and I gasp as his suddenly clamps around mine.
His eyes slowly open, the gold fire in them burning as he says "What are you doing?"
His grip feels like a vice, tight and foreboding... And his gaze too, scary as I say "I just wanted knowing if you were okay"
"I'm fine" He replies.
"Okay" I say as I look at my hand "Will you let go?"
He does, but it's with a shove that sends backwards as Hwang rushes to me, helping me sit up while I just keep staring at Byul.
He sits up, his face still in a scowl and I notice the scars on his back, like whips as he looks around Hwang suddenly facing him and saying "How dare you treat him like that?! Do you know who he is?"
Byul seemingly ignores her, standing and stretching "Where am I?"
Before Hwang can reply, probably a snap or something that involves a snap, I say "You got hurt and you have been unconscious. You must be hungry, I brought apples"
He turns to me "What for?"
"For you to eat" I say "Are you not hungry?"
"If someone wakes up from a sleep, are apples what should be fed to him?" He asks.
I raise my eyebrow at that, or it seems to keep twitching on its own as I say "I have been at the garden all day so this is what I could bring"
"Of course. Why would I expect you to be anywhere else?"
Well, excuse me?
I make killer sushi but let's not go there.
"This is the Prince's Betrothed you're talking to!" Hwang finally snaps "Do you want your head off?"
"Sure" He says "He was the reason I got here in the first place. So yes, if it pleases your 'oh so dear Master'. Let my head be chopped off"
I stand up there to face him "I am here to apologize about that. If you would keep your ego and snarky remarks aside, i would really appreciate that"
He walks up to me, and he towers, obviously as he looks down at me, his eyes visibly glowing "And what would you do?"
Punch you.
But I don't do that, instead, I smile "I apologize about that night. I had not expected Chan Yeol to take his anger out on anyone that wasn't me. Please accept my apologies while I go bring you some food"
I don't wait to hear his reply as i bow and turn to leave before I hear him say "If you'd suck my cock like you did for the Prince, I might just forgive you"
Ah.
I find myself stopping in my tracks as Hwang screams at that before I throw reasoning out the window and turn, punching him.
He reeks backwards, hitting the wall and crumbling as I stare daggers at him "I am not just His betrothed, but I have a black belt in taekwondo and my fighting skills is shit but my punches actually hit home, don't fucking piss me off"
Maids rush into room, probably because of the noise thinking I was hurt as they gasp when their eyes meet a bleeding and broken nose Byul who's still on the ground, staring at me before I smile and say "Now, what would you like to eat?"
Thirty minutes later, Byul is seated infront of me, eating some rice cakes, a frown on his face, Hwang staring at me with some lost look in her eyes while I fix mine on Byul "Make sure to eat everything"
He only grunts in reply but says nothing.
"Master"
Hwang suddenly grabs the hand that I punched him with and stares at him "Does it hurt?"
I look at the red knuckles of the hand, some blood clearly on it as I say "You should be worried about Byul. He just woke up, I should have been more careful"
She snorts "He is a fiend, he deserves it"
"No" I say "He's my friend, or I want him to be"
Her eyes widen there "But Master! He said mean things to you"
"And I broke his nose. I suppose this settles everything" I say then face him "Am I right, Byul?"
He says nothing.
I reach out to pull his nose before he quickly says "I understand"
I smile there "Good boy. Is the food okay? I cooked it"
He pauses there "You... What?"
"I cooked it" I reply then sigh "For some reason, I crave it but can't eat it. The baby won't let me"
His eyes quickly move to my stomach "You're pregnant?"
I raise an eyebrow "How do you not know this? You were there when I was saying something related to it in the courtroom"
He grunts there again, returning back to the food "I thought you were just throwing tantrums".
"Throwing...." I start then sigh, my eyes looking outside as it widens "It's already evening"
Hwang's eyes follow mine as she says "Would you like me to get your food and bring it here?"
I stand up "No, I'd like to eat with Chan Yeol"
Her eyes widen there as Byul looks at me "Did he not rape you yesterday?"
The straightforwardness in his words has me blinking hard before I say "He has changed"
"Within a day?"
I snap there "Why do you care?!"
His eyes hold mine for a while before he looks back at his bowl "I suppose it does not" Then he stands up "I would be taking a walk"
I sigh "Byul. Are you okay enough to....?"
"Yes" He cuts in before walking outside.
I stare at his retreating figure, Hwang standing up "You should be careful Master. He left you cold and crying after last night. I saw"
"But he's nicer now" I say "He's... Treated me so carefully all through today"
She smiles there "If you say so. Should we head there now?"
"I'd go first, to make sure he's not busy" I say as she bows.
"As you wish, Master"