By Zephyria 
Jin Geum-ryeon received the letter, nodded, and sent Cheong-aeng back. Having completed her task, Cheong-aeng let out a sigh of relief and walked awkwardly down the hallway.
After being outside for a short while, returning inside, the room was filled with their mingled body fragrance, with a hint of sweat. Jin Geum-ryeon looked up at Ak Mujin, who was leaning halfway against the pillows, languidly. He had grabbed a piece of cloth lying around the bed to cover his upper body, and as it happened to be Jin Geum-ryeon’s pale yellow underwear, Jin Geum-ryeon felt a strange stiffness in the back of his neck.
“Did Cheong-aeng leave?”
“Yes. How could I let her in carelessly?”
Jin Geum-ryeon chuckled at Ak Mujin’s disheveled appearance, pulled a backless chair to the front of the bed, and sat down close to Ak Mujin.
“It must be a letter from Chun-wol?”
“It seems so.”
Ak Mujin had been weeping and pleading with Jin Geum-ryeon just moments before, so his face was flushed, and his eyes and lips were red and swollen. Even though he was wearing underwear, his bare skin was exposed in places, covered in red and blue bruises, and his throat was hoarse, so Jin Geum-ryeon cleared his throat and calmed himself.
Meanwhile, Ak Mujin was grateful for the temporary interruption thanks to Cheong-aeng. He had tried to leave the inner chamber whenever he saw an opportunity, but he had been held captive and tormented by Jin Geum-ryeon for three days, except for meal times.
Wasn’t it too much to do this to someone who had been a patient until a few days ago? He had told Jin Geum-ryeon as much, but Jin Geum-ryeon only hesitated each time, and in the end, he couldn’t suppress his lust. Even though it wasn’t his heat cycle, it was like this, so the words he had said in the past, that he wanted to help Ak Mujin during his heat cycle, seemed quite unconvincing at this moment.
Jin Geum-ryeon glanced inside Ak Mujin’s clothes and unfolded the letter. Ak Mujin, realizing his gaze, playfully pushed Jin Geum-ryeon’s forehead with his fingertip and fastened his clothes tightly. But he couldn’t hide the bruises on his neck.
Jin Geum-ryeon read the letter first and handed it to Ak Mujin, who immediately took it and began to read.
The letter read,
[After tracing the identity of the swallow pattern, it was found to belong to an organization using the name ‘Yeonbi.’ It is located in a corner of Honam and is said to be a group that moves under the direction of a high-ranking official of the Orthodox Sect. However, finding this out was not too difficult, but it was difficult to find evidence that the Martial Alliance Lord was involved. After Chun-wol’s informant persistently pursued the matter, he discovered a suspicious ledger.]
And below the letter, the ledger contained the expenses used to operate Yeonbi, the amounts provided to unidentified individuals, and the costs passed on to several taverns and courier companies. Ak Mujin scanned the neatly arranged letters with his eyes and nodded a couple of times. Indeed, the names of those taverns and courier companies were familiar to him.
“…Chun-wol did a very good job. Banwol Tavern, Myomyo Tavern, Unmu Courier Company. All of them were shops under the Demon Cult.”
Jin Geum-ryeon nodded at those words, calmly fixing his gaze on the letter Ak Mujin was holding.
“The contents also contain circumstances that the Martial Alliance Lord is related to this place, so it’s quite a big harvest. However…”
Jin Geum-ryeon trailed off as if lost in thought, and Ak Mujin looked up at him.
“If I come forward with this evidence, a war will surely break out. It’s not that we can’t face it, but if we start a war with such a short interval, even the other lords who trust me will be dissatisfied.”
Ak Mujin agreed with that opinion and nodded. It was not good to come forward openly in this matter. After a brief thought, he spoke again.
“Then, shouldn’t we find someone who will act for us?”
“Is there such a person? Chun-wol or Seo-mok?”
Ak Mujin shook his head lightly. And he said with a smile.
“Namgung Eui. Namgung Eui is not bound by personal feelings and pursues righteousness. You’ve seen him several times, haven’t you?”
Jin Geum-ryeon’s eyes narrowed as he listened quietly. He was staring intently at Ak Mujin, who seemed unaware of it, as he folded the letter in half and continued to say what he had to say.
“Since Namgung Eui is physically close to the Martial Alliance Lord, he must also have some uneasy thoughts about his father’s movements.”
“How can we know such a situation or inner thoughts?”
Jin Geum-ryeon asked suspiciously, and Ak Mujin replied casually.
“Isn’t it obvious? Namgung Eui will surely think that way.”
…….
Where does this endless faith in Namgung Eui come from? Jin Geum-ryeon thought. And as Ak Mujin brought up the story of Namgung Eui again, he naturally felt displeased, so he crossed his arms in front of his chest and tapped his arm a couple of times with his index finger.
“Perhaps, are you secretly communicating with Namgung Eui?”
“Huh?”
Only then did Ak Mujin look up, a little surprised. And when he looked at Jin Geum-ryeon, his face was quite displeased. Only then did Ak Mujin realize that he had made a slip of the tongue and shut his mouth tightly.
“When we went to Honam, too… You spoke as if you knew Namgung Eui very well, so I asked.”
At the time, Namgung Eui did not acknowledge Ak Mujin even when he saw him. His attitude certainly didn’t seem like he knew Ak Mujin privately, but it was a little strange that Ak Mujin was showing so much faith in him.
Moreover, he had never shown this much trust in him, so he couldn’t help but feel sulky. As Jin Geum-ryeon’s lips pouted, Ak Mujin quickly shook his head, realizing that something was wrong.
“No, when we saw him last time, he certainly had that spirit. He took care of our convenience even when we caused trouble. Besides, when we were with him 3 years ago…”
Jin Geum-ryeon’s eyes sharpened instantly.
“Don’t tell me… you’ve been admiring Namgung Eui from the beginning?”
Jin Geum-ryeon, whose thoughts had developed to that point, kicked the chair and stood up abruptly. Ak Mujin stared at him, speechless, then quickly shook his head again, but it was too late.
Ak Mujin’s vision turned black. Jin Geum-ryeon grabbed his wrist, pressed his lips against his, and slammed his body onto the bed.
“Ah…! Euh…!”
Ak Mujin barely managed to gasp for air through a slight gap in his lips, struggling to lift his body. He barely turned his head to break the kiss and shouted.
“Isn’t this enough!”
“How can you have someone else in your head when I am by your side?”
“What?”
Ak Mujin let out a scream-like exclamation mixed with embarrassment and absurdity. Even during that time, Jin Geum-ryeon’s remaining hand moved quickly, opening Ak Mujin’s clothes and starting to caress his sweaty, sticky skin. Just as Ak Mujin was about to open his mouth to make some excuse, the Water Lily Fragrance surged and overwhelmed him.
“I will make sure you don’t think of anyone else.”
Jin Geum-ryeon swept his palm, calloused from holding a sword, across Ak Mujin’s pelvis. And his hand, which naturally settled on his buttocks, began to knead it like a rice cake, filling his hand. Each time, the gap between his buttocks widened, and fluid began to trickle out of the hole where his manhood had entered and exited countless times. Ak Mujin felt dizzy and involuntarily closed his eyes tightly.
“I was wrong. Huh? I was wrong. I won’t talk about anyone else anymore.”
“It’s already too late.”
Jin Geum-ryeon, who said that, was neither smiling nor frowning, but it was clear that he was not relaxed. Something was bulging out of his lower body, which was only covered in his uniform, pushing against the cloth. Ak Mujin let out a sigh close to a groan and bent his knees as much as possible. It wouldn’t be a big deal for Jin Geum-ryeon to grab his legs and spread them again, but he raised an eyebrow at that passive resistance.
“I’m really tired. Haven’t you been doing this for three days without giving me a moment’s rest!Ak Mujin tried to persuade Jin Geum-ryeon by making his eyebrows into an eight (八) to look as pitiful as possible. Jin Geum-ryeon blinked once at his words.
“I gave you time to drink water, time to eat… I remember giving you enough.”
With those words, he lowered his head and pushed his palms between Ak Mujin’s knees, spreading them to the left and right. Ak Mujin’s groaning legs were spread so easily, and a dirty sight unfolded before his eyes. Jin Geum-ryeon swallowed hard.
The gap between his buttocks was scattered with white and transparent fluids, some of which had already dried as they moved away from his buttocks. Jin Geum-ryeon caressed the slightly swollen entrance that had received him and muttered.
“…It certainly looks painful.”
“Right? Huh?”
Ak Mujin’s face lit up as if it were welcome news. However, Jin Geum-ryeon folded his knees so much that they touched his chest and looked down at the reddened, twitching entrance.
Ak Mujin’s face was filled with shock.
“J, Jin Geum-ryeon!”