Magnificent Romance of the Three Kingdoms - Chapter 2

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Guknaeseong (國內城).
Goguryeo’s (高句麗) capital city was a sprawling metropolis, a tight maze where tens of thousands of homes were crammed together.
Standing out, near the western citadel gate, was the Household of Prime Minister Myeonglim (明臨 國相 家). Its colossal size and sheer grandeur made it easily the most magnificent estate in all of Goguryeo, second only to the Royal Palace (宮城) itself.
Deep within this enormous manor, past the towering mansions, lay the Inner Quarters (內院), defined by a wall of red brick. A burst of clear, high-spirited laughter floated over the top of the wall, which was as imposing as the elevated main gate.
“Hahahaha…! Master, I really don’t think you can keep up with me anymore, can you?”
“Tsk, you brat! Ahem, ahem… You just wait! Your old Master’s letting you off easy today, that’s all.”
“You haven’t had a touch too much to drink, have you…?”
“Hmph… The nerve of this fellow…”
Yeonpalchwita (連八吹打), utterly outmatched in both skill and debate, finally chased his cherished disciple off with empty threats, calling it a strategic withdrawal.
His disciple, Myeongnim Ryeohan (明臨 麗漢), happily played along with the ‘defeat’ and bounded out through the Wol-dong Gate.
“Hohoho… I told you to cut back on the drink, didn’t I?”
Jwa Sogun (佐 召君), Ryeohan’s senior apprentice sister and Yeonpalchwita’s very first disciple, watched their bout and spoke up with a note of concern.
She was nineteen this year.
Her radiant, blossoming beauty was such that it would put the famed Wang So-gun of the past to shame and prompt her immediate retirement.
“Ahem, ahem… Gulp, gulp… I just had a bit too much liquor today, that’s all!”
Yeonpalchwita tilted the small, cast-iron gourd hanging from his waist to moisten his throat.
“Master, just stop with the excuses and concede the loss!”
Jwa Sogun looked upon her aging Master, whose face was a map of age spots and deep wrinkles, with compassion, and gently linked her arm through his.
“Ahem, ahem… Not a chance!”
Yeonpalchwita, clinging stubbornly to his denial, swayed precariously.
His short frame struggled under the weight of the massive cast-iron gourd, which nearly covered his back, causing him to stagger violently. Yet, the smooth, polished black bamboo staff he wielded, as if to prove his stamina, still commanded respect.
A fond smile touched Ryeohan’s lips as he watched them retreat from behind the Wol-dong Gate.
“What are you standing here for? Miss So is waiting for you.”
“When did she get here?”
“She’s been waiting for half an hour already.”
“Already? I didn’t see her come in.”
“She said she came through the North Gate. She feels awkward because she visits so often.”
“What’s the matter? We’re betrothed.”
“Even so, that’s what she said.”
Chatting with his maidservant, Okryeong (玉鈴), Ryeohan reached his private quarters.
In the small yard outside his room, the trees were beginning to shed their leaves, signaling the season’s close.
Despite it still being September, the North’s autumn foliage—red and yellow—was already starting to fall.
U So (于 昭) was adjusting an earring in front of a bronze mirror in a corner of the room. Myeongnim Ryeohan slipped in quietly and wrapped her in a gentle embrace from behind. U So elbowed him playfully, asking him to help secure her earring. His only response, however, was to pull her into a tighter, firmer hug.
“Is it pretty? This is the red jade you gave me last time, Gaga.”
Ryeohan ignored the question and looked into the mirror.
Reflected there was a stunning sixteen-year-old, his exact age.
She had a refined forehead, eyebrows curved like crescent moons drawn with a fine brush, deep, large eyes like a lake on a calm autumn day, and a small, captivating nose. Her pure red lips, snowy white teeth, and slender, oval face were framed by luxurious, flowing hair—a beauty that undeniably earned her a place as one of the Four Beauties of the Inner Kingdom (麗內四花).
Receiving no reply, U So turned around in his arms.
She was face-to-face with the elegant features of Myeongnim Ryeohan.
A straight forehead, sharp eyebrows that looked as if an artist had dashed them on with a generous stroke of ink, two clear, intelligent eyes, a dignified, prominent nose, and plump, red lips. He was a youth of flawless, dazzling handsomeness, standing there like an immaculate statue.
“Gaga?”
U So called him, giving him a gentle tap with her elbow.
“Hmm?”
His reply was distracted, as if he were lost in a trance.
“Am I pretty, or not pretty?”
“It should be a crime to be this beautiful, don’t you think?”
“Yes. Yes, it is.”
U So smiled radiantly, clearly pleased he confirmed her compliment.
“The earrings are truly beautiful! Whoever chose them for you did a wonderful job!”
“Oh, did they?”
“Ouch! I’m sorry, I’m sorry!”
Ryeohan cried out with exaggerated pain at U So’s light pinch.
“Hmph, I’m not playing with you anymore!”
U So pursed her lovely lips and turned away abruptly, feigning deep annoyance.
“Oh, my sweet, darling fiancée!”
Ryeohan suddenly swept U So up into his arms.
“Oh, stop it! The servants will see us!”
“Let them look. Is it a sin for a betrothed couple to show a little affection?”
“But still~!”
U So tapped him lightly on the shoulder.
Dong, dong, dong! Like beating a tiny hand drum.
“Oh, my sweet, beautiful fiancée!”
Smack!
Ryeohan, setting her down after her playful struggle, lowered his head and kissed her forehead.
“Oh!”
U So’s face instantly deepened to a fetching crimson.
Ryeohan, cradling the impossibly cute girl, guided them toward the couch.
“Wh… what are you doing…?”
Her stuttering was completely adorable.
Smack!
Ryeohan pressed a kiss on her with a roguish smile.
“Ah~!”
U So reacted strongly to the simple kiss.
Ryeohan looked down at her and slowly moved closer to the couch.
Her face was flushed redder than the setting sun, and her tightly closed eyes were sweet and alluring.
Ryeohan’s lips slowly descended to hers.
Soon, red, ripe lips met and pressed together.
“Mmm…! Mmm…!”
A soft sigh, and the subtle, trembling flutter of her long eyelashes.
“Mmm…! Mmm…!”
As Ryeohan deepened the kiss, their affection grew more fervent, accompanied by a soft, breathy sound.
The intensity of the kiss increased, stirring a deep reaction within her.
Her head tilted back.
“Ah…!”
“Mmf!”
At her gasp, the kiss deepened into a passionate exploration.
She tried to seal her lips quickly, but Ryeohan’s embrace was insistent.
She tried to push him away, resisting the relentless affection. But his devotion was tenacious.
Finally, she succumbed to the warmth of the moment.
“Mmm… Mmm… Ah…!”
U So’s soft moan, half-lost in a daze from Ryeohan’s intimate teasing.
However, the tilt of her head caused a slight, embarrassed sound of swallowing. That sound only served to heighten Ryeohan’s desire.
Ryeohan gently stroked U So’s silk-like hair, which smelled faintly of calamus. Finally breaking the kiss, Ryeohan paused, then whispered into her ear.
“I love you.”
“Ah…! Gaga!”
U So felt weightless from Ryeohan’s hot, sweet whisper. Barely conscious, she didn’t notice Ryeohan’s hand tracing the curve of her waist. His touch was gentle but firm, and he held her close as the moment deepened.
“Oh! My darling, lovely fiancée!”
Ryeohan leaned in for another deep kiss, adding actions to his words.
“Ah…!”
“Mmm… Mmm…! Ah~!”
His mouth was busy, and so were his hands.
“Mmm…! Mmm…! Mmf…!”
U So grew even hotter, accompanied by breathless moans.
Taking his opportunity, Ryeohan’s intimacy deepened further, pushing the boundaries of their affection.
It was then.
“Let me in!”
“I told you no!”
The sound of an argument between the maidservant and Sogun was heard.
“Hmph! You think you can stop me?”
“Yes, I can.”
The noise outside caused the two to quickly spring apart.
They frantically straightened their clothes.
Just as they barely managed to fix their appearance, the door was roughly thrown open.
“Ahem, ahem…!”
Ryeohan cleared his throat repeatedly to mask his embarrassment, and U So buried her face in her hands, which was deeply flushed.
“What in the world is it?”
Ryeohan, annoyed, burst out with a shout.
“Hmph! It was so disgusting and ugly, I couldn’t stand to look!”
Jwa Sogun, having clearly deduced their activities, glared at them with her hands on her hips. Her expression suggested she had witnessed a truly indecent scene.
“What’s it to you? Go find someone if you’re jealous.”
“‘Hmph’ right back at you! If I’d found someone ages ago, I wouldn’t have to witness this mess, and my side wouldn’t be so cold!”
Perhaps feeling a pang of guilt over her lament, Ryeohan shifted the conversation.
“Ahem, ahem… Why did you come in?”
Jwa Sogun, still fuming, replied with the look of an angry female cat.
“Hmph! You’re allowed in this room, but I’m not?”
“That’s not what I meant. Is Master off hanging around with the common folk again?”
Ryeohan changed the topic one last time.
“I suppose a few more yellow dogs in the village are about to be butchered, eh?”
Jwa Sogun spoke, looking off into the distance, as if trying to distract herself.
Her angry expression had somewhat subsided.
“Oh, my misfortune! I’ll have to pay for the dog’s value all over again!”
Ryeohan suddenly collapsed onto the floor, beating it as he lamented his misfortune.
“Hohoho…!”
“Cackle cackle…!”
The laughter of the two beautiful women echoed loudly, even outside the eaves.
A pair of startled magpies and crows quickly flew up toward the western sky.