A Kind Goblin’s Bird - Chapter 50

His voice is bad to hear as if it was scratched somewhere. 

Sa Heon-young clicked his tongue inside. A hoarse voice with a nervous expression, which is not enough to entice her sweetly. It would be nice to be able to ask again, but sometimes a question is only acceptable once.

Young-young smiled brightly.

“Hmm. In the first place, I got the proposal from Sir Goblin.”

A goblin wearing good shoes had come to the lonely mountain. 

Herbs relieved hunger, but did not eliminate loneliness. Loneliness was like an illness, and Young-young was suffering from aches and pains. Every day she can’t talk to anyone. No one listens and no one speaks. A miraculous guest who came to her in the midst of just waiting for death.

My Sir Goblin.

“…… Yes.”

Sa Heon-young’s voice became lower. Young-young closed her eyes, resting her cheeks in his large hands, and then opened her eyes.

“But my blood is red. Is that okay?”

At that, Sa Heon-yeong widened his eyes and burst out laughing. Whatever was so funny and pleasant about it, but after laughing for a while, he hugged her tightly.

“I know. I saw it at night.”

He couldn’t stop laughing at her for a while. 

Young-young looked up at Sa Heon-yeong’s face while holding her in his arms. When their eyes met, he seemed to have calmed down for a moment, then burst out laughing again. 

What’s so funny about it? Young-young couldn’t understand, but it was better for him to laugh than forlorn, so she decided to kept quiet.

***

The banquet was held at night.

“Simran Hall*.”

She learned the letters from her mother, but after her mother’s death she hardly ever saw them. Young-young looked up at the signboard and Sa Heon-yeong, who was walking alongside her, burst into laughter again.

“It’s Shinryeon Hall.”

“Ah.”

It was a bit embarrassing that she couldn’t read the letters well. When Young-young’s face turned red, Sa Heon-yeong stopped walking. He knelt in front of Young-young and looked up at her face who had her head bowed down.

“I’m sorry. I laughed because my heart was troubled that you said it was the Confusion Hall* and laughed. I didn’t laugh because you read the text wrong.”

“…….”

“It really is. I don’t care if the wife knows the letters or not.”

“…….”

“But if you want to know the letters, would you like to study with me little by little? I can’t be a good teacher, but if it’s okay with you.”

Really? When Young-Young asked with almost no sound, Sa Heon-Young answered, “Really.”

As soon as they entered the banquet hall, Sa Heon-young felt many eyes. He always hated these gazes, but today it was amazing that he didn’t care about it. 

No, rather than not caring, he was rather proud. Young-young was next to him. Song Young-young. The woman who received his own name.

“Am I really prettier?”

As he moved, he whispered to his bride. The banquet was already in full swing, and both the Crown Prince and the Empress were in their seats. The bride, who was going to the middle seat of the banquet, glanced at the Crown Prince. She could feel the Crown Prince’s gaze from behind the cover of the red veil. Then she said,

“Hmm.”

If Sa Heon-yeong looks closely, he can see the face behind the veil. A smiling face saying it was the truth.

He was prettier.

He was born as a man, and when she said that he was prettier than that Crown Prince, where she used the word ‘pretty’, his ears, heart and soul just melted in ecstasy. He never thought about it. Is it that the Crown Prince resembles himself or that he is prettier than the Crown Prince? He takes precedence over ‘the Crown Prince’, and it is more valuable.

A bride who sings a song no one has sang says something no one has ever said. 

Hot blood rushed through his body. A fever rose in his hand, and Sa Heon-yeong clenched his fist. This heat is his own. No one can take it away. Sa Heon-yeong rolled his eyes down.

After performing the ceremony for the Crown Prince and Empress from the central spot, they moved to the prepared seat and sat down. She looked difficult because she was overworked with her uncomfortable legs. 

He wished he could take her shoes off and massage those little feet. He can’t do that at the banquet. Sa Heon-yeong called the attendant and told him to bring fruit wine.

“If you drink sweet alcohol, you will feel a little better.”

The fruit wine brought separately was cold and sweet, so Young-young sipped little by little. As she felt the sweet taste, she relaxed little by little. Feeling her body relaxed, Young-young slowly turned her gaze away.

The banquet was gorgeous. All the luxury in the world seemed to be here. A place of golden brilliance. Chairs, columns, and ceilings all fluttered in gold. The musicians play sweet music, and the dancers do a splendid dance round and round. Thousands of court ladies and courtiers carried food and drinks, and people chatted and whispered with each other.

“Who are you looking at?”

When Young-young was looking around, Sa Heon-young immediately grabbed her shoulder. He whispered in a gentle voice, but Young-young could feel the edge in his voice. But she couldn’t figure out why, so she stared quietly at the couple who was seen through her red head covering. Her expression was obscured by the red veil.

“Young-ah.”

“I’m just looking at people.”

“Just look at me.”

The banquet hall was packed with people. No matter where she looks, there are all people, how can she stop looking at them? But he was really saying that. Young-young whispered.

“Why?”

“I’m a jealous man.”

“Jealous?”

Young-young was asking what it was.

—

*) The Hall’s name is Shin-Ryeon (신련), but Young-young said it as Sim-Ran because in their hangul it was only a few strokes different (심란). Sim-Ran could mean as confusion, aka making the hall name ‘Confusion Hall’ ?