The Mercenary: A Sequel to Hwarang: The Saga of the Sooks Book #2

Chapter 11: Heartless

His heart bent in sadness as he considered her. A young girl who had no idea how to receive love. Such a creature should never have existed. She'd been born for love. Yet here she was. Cringing away from his tender touch.

Until she wasn't.

She took a step towards him. And then another. Finally, she reached out and slid her fingers along his. She didn't grab his hand. She simply touched it.

He was the one who reached up to trap that hand between his own. Then his eyes found hers again. And spent a moment silently communicating his affection for her. At last, he spoke.

"The first step is to receive my words. So I shall pen you another poem. But you may not criticize it until I am finished with it. Agreed?"

She considered him silently for several long moments that seemed to stretch into an eternity.

But he remained still. This was like hunting. One had to be very patient once his quarry was discovered hiding in the forest. Then wait for just the right timing. So as not to spook the animal and scare it away before it could be caught. Only...

...Sook Myeong wasn't an animal.

Oh, she might believe herself to be one. But he knew better. She was just a lonely girl. Whose soul had been damaged by the ruthlessness of those surrounding her. She'd been trained to be heartless. But...

...she wasn't heartless.

He was well aware that a heart was beating in that precious chest. And it seemed that he had moved it. At least once.

So he kept his cinnamon eyes fixed to hers. Finally, she spoke. "Agreed."

"Care to sit?" he asked as he lifted his hand off of hers and gestured towards the bench.

She nodded. Though, truthfully, she was reluctant to remove her hand from his. But she pulled away from him anyway and seated herself in her usual spot.

"Shall I kneel again?" he teased her cheerfully.

She snickered but cut the noise off abruptly by turning it into a cough. Or so she tried.

But his eyes were twinkling. He'd caught her, and they both knew it.

"I think that is no longer necessary. Unless you're about to ask for my hand in marriage," she added after a moment.

"Hmm. A bit premature, don't you think?"

One elegant brow arched. "Is it? I seem to remember you threatening me with marriage the first time we spoke."

"Mmm. Yes, it's possible. I might have done that. But I have reformed since then." He sat down next to her. "Now...what shall I write my poem about?"

He considered her for a moment before turning his attention towards the sky. "So much inspiration surrounds me."

But then the lovely lotus floating in the stream near her foot caught his eye. And he instantly saw the parallel. So he decided to begin there.

He cleared his throat.

"A lovely lotus caught the stream,

And found herself living her dream,

To travel far and wide, it seems,

And bask in exquisite sunbeams."

He grinned at her suddenly. "How did I do this time?"

"It's too short."

He quirked a dark eyebrow at her. "Really? At least, it rhymed this time."

"Mmm."