Obeying her master’s command, the wet nurse carefully stepped over the threshold while holding the baby in her arms. Seeing her, Sehwa, who was kneeling below Hwon, immediately stood up. However, before she could stand up fully, Hwon reached out from his dark wooden chair and stopped her.
“Stay still. I did not tell you to move.”
Despite her tear-filled eyes, Sehwa obeyed and placed her hands on her knees. Yet she could not bring herself to turn her head away, continuing to stare at the sleeping baby in the wet nurse’s arms.
‘Yul. My baby.’
She was separated from her baby the moment he was born. Before she could properly hold him, he was taken from her on her master’s orders, which prevented her from seeing him. Her master told her that although she had given birth to the child, their social stations were entirely different and she must never consider him as her own.
Although she had not openly defied her master, she did not believe him. No matter what anyone said, that tiny, tender baby was her child.
Sehwa’s eyes, which had been lifeless until now, began to sparkle. Seeing his slave girl behave as though she had forgotten his presence, Hwon let out a hollow laugh.
“Bring this prince’s eldest son to me.”
Hwon extended his arms toward the wet nurse. She carefully handed him the baby. Hwon deliberately cradled the child close to his body so that the kneeling Sehwa could see nothing but the edge of his swaddling cloth.
The white swaddling cloth was made of exceedingly precious silk. Sehwa stared at the gold leaf stamped upon the white fabric with desperate longing.
‘Just a little…… A little more.’
Sehwa slowly raised herself upon her knees until she was completely upright. Hwon smirked at the sight before looking down at his sleeping child with approval.
“My son looks well. You deserve a reward.”
“Your praise is far too generous.”
Hwon deliberately praised the wet nurse in front of Sehwa. The woman bowed her head in profound gratitude.
At that moment, the baby’s eyelids fluttered and his eyes opened. Hwon smiled at the child, who closely resembled him, and then turned to look at his mother. Sehwa wore the expression of someone who had gone three days without water and had finally found a well.
One might have pitied her desperate yearning for even a glimpse of her child, but Hwon’s mood only darkened further. He handed the baby back to the wet nurse.
Sehwa immediately turned her head towards him. Seeing this, Hwon clicked his tongue and forced her attention back onto him.
“Why are you making that face when I kept my promise?”
Hwon asked shamelessly. Sehwa looked at him in confusion. With a scoff, Hwon gestured toward the baby with his chin.
“I showed you the child, did I not?”
“……”
“Surely you did not expect to hold him.”
“……”
“He is my only son. Even his wet nurse was selected with the utmost care. Did you truly think I would allow just anyone to hold him?”
The upward curve of his lips made it clear that he was mocking her. Whenever she was with him, fear usually overwhelmed her, silencing her emotions. This time, however, she felt a violent churning in her chest.
It was too cruel.
Was this not far too cruel?
She clenched her fists and trembled. Then, recalling something, she stammered.
“L-last night, you said you would allow me to care for the baby……”
Hwon furrowed his brow at her words. Now that he thought about it, he vaguely recalled saying something of the sort. Seeing his expression, Sehwa gathered a little more courage.
“You d-definitely said that.”
“……”
“So please, Master…… Ugh.”
In the end, Sehwa burst into tears. Heavy droplets soaked the front of her clothes. Hwon silently looked down at her before signaling the wet nurse with his eyes. The woman, who had been watching Sehwa with pity, quickly placed the baby in her arms.
“Yul. My baby!”
Sehwa beamed as she cradled the child.
Recently—no, for a very long time—Hwon had not seen Sehwa smile like that from so close.
Something inside him snapped.
Hwon slammed his hand against the armrest. Startled, the wet nurse looked toward him. Sehwa flinched, but she did not turn to face him. She was far too absorbed in looking at the baby.
“What are you waiting for? Since my wife is absent, you must discipline this insolent creature in her place.”
Hwon made no attempt to conceal his displeasure as he addressed the wet nurse coldly. She looked bewildered for a moment, but she could not withstand her master’s gaze. Ultimately, she reprimanded Sehwa sternly.
“How impertinent! How dare a lowly slave girl address the young master by his honored name!”
What could be a more devastating reprimand for a mother?
Sehwa’s face, which was already pale, turned even paler.
Misery tore through her heart. She looked at her child with broken eyes, then glanced slightly to the side. But that was as far as she went. The moment she saw the prominent veins on the man’s hand, she lowered her gaze to her baby once more.
Holding her child tighter, she bowed her head to his wet nurse.
“F-forgive me. This lowly one forgot her place.”
Hwon could not see the expression on the slave girl’s face as she bowed deeply before him. He could only assume that she was either crying onto her slender, trembling back, or about to do so. Although he had created this situation himself, he felt an inexplicable churning in his chest.
Feeling displeased, Hwon clenched his fists. He was about to speak when the baby, seemingly uncomfortable from being pressed against his mother’s chest by her deep bow, began to cry.
“Waaah!”
The baby’s cries filled the room. Sehwa hurriedly straightened and adjusted her hold on her son. As expected, her large, round eyes were glistening with tears.
“Y-Yul…… Young Master.”
Too afraid to call her noble son by name, the humble mother began to soothe him in a trembling voice. She gently rocked the swaddled baby, fighting back tears. She presented a pitiful sight.
Unfortunately, the baby continued to cry. The wet nurse’s expression became increasingly uneasy. She glanced towards her master. As he watched the slave and the son she had borne him, an emotion impossible to describe spread across his face.
“Do not…… D-don’t cry. Please. Your mother is begging you. Yul…… my baby.”
Unable to soothe the inconsolable child, Sehwa finally shed tears. When his son’s name once again left the lowly woman’s lips, Hwon, who had been glaring at his slave girl from the corner of his eye, spoke.
“Such appalling manners. You—what are you standing there watching for? What will you do if my son damages his throat?”
“Give the young master to me.”
At her master’s cold command, the wet nurse practically snatched the baby from Sehwa. The rough movement made him cry even louder, but once he recognized the familiar embrace, his cries gradually softened.
When the baby quieted, only silence remained in the room. Sehwa stared blankly at the wet nurse and the son in her arms.
‘Yul.’
The baby, who had screamed himself nearly breathless in Sehwa’s arms, yawned and found peace in another woman’s embrace. Unable to bear the cruel disparity, Sehwa felt as though something inside her had broken.
She clenched her fists. Her already pale face became as bloodless as her tightly clenched hands.
Unaware of his mother’s feelings, the baby looked up at the wet nurse and burst into delighted laughter. Hearing this, Sehwa bit down on her lower lip and slowly turned towards Hwon.
It had been several months — nearly a year, in fact — since Hwon last saw Sehwa display such vivid anger. When he saw the slave girl glaring at her master, his entire demeanor changed.
The smile that spread across the handsome man’s face was as radiant as a peony in full bloom. Yet although his eyes curved into a smile, they held no laughter; instead, they glittered with a chilling light.
Unable to breathe beneath the oppressive atmosphere, the wet nurse held the baby tightly. Hwon slowly shifted his gaze towards her and made a languid gesture.
“Take him away.”
The moment her master gave the order, the wet nurse left the room. Only then did Sehwa’s gaze return to the child. The only thing reflected in her large eyes now was the wet nurse’s retreating back.
Once the baby had disappeared, Sehwa’s shoulders slumped. The brief spark of defiance she had shown disappeared with her.
Hwon watched his slave girl with apparent amusement before propping an elbow on the armrest. Resting his head on his hand, he cast a cold, slanted gaze down at her.
“Turn your face toward me.”
At her master’s command, Sehwa twisted her body slightly and raised her head. However, her eyes remained lowered. Seeing that she had already lost her spark and reverted to an obedient slave girl, Hwon burst into laughter. The sound was thick with displeasure, sending goose bumps across Sehwa’s arms.
“What is the matter? Just moments ago, you were looking at me so fiercely that you looked ready to kill me.”
Sitting upright again, he placed a hand on Sehwa’s head as though she were a pet he had raised. His hand moved gently along her hair before he slowly rose from his seat.
“……That was amusing. What a shame.”
The voice accompanying his brief sigh sounded remarkably tender, but Sehwa hunched over, her entire body tense. She had quickly recognized the frigid aura emanating from the man.
“Insolent wench.”
“Ah!”
“You do not even know your place.”
As expected, Sehwa’s prediction was correct. Hwon casually uttered the words with a smile, then tightened his grip on her.
In one swift movement, he grabbed her long hair. Overpowered by his strength, her body swayed on her raised knees like a willow branch in the wind.
Twisting his wrist backwards, Hwon studied the pale face of the slave whose head he had wrenched back. Then he hauled her upright. He shoved her carelessly against the nearest wall. Her entire body struck the wall with a thud, leaving her as helpless as a butterfly battered by a fierce wind.
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Eliana
If he became the male lead ,I m gonna bang my head at wall .Hope he dies ,this ain’t no yandere but a completely abusive man .it takes a degree of cruelty to batter the women and on top of it separate from mother.if author made Him the lead or played some cliche game that she loves hime somwhere than the author need to go to psych ward