The Bride: A Sequel to Hwarang: The Saga of the Sooks Book #7

Chapter 1: A Loss of Heart

He had loved once.

A pure, good, divine girl. With flowing midnight locks and great, dark eyes. Rosy cheeks. And a modest demeanor. Absolute perfection she had been.

But she had loved another.

And his love had gone unrequited.

So he would never love again. He would seek a bride to fulfill his promise to his father. The promise he had made before the man died. To raise heirs to continue their noble lineage. And carry his appa's priceless name.

Lord Lee Beom Sook was nearing thirty years of age. He couldn't put off a marriage much longer. He would choose a bride from among the schoolgirls. Someone nearly the age Soo Yeon had been when she had refused him.

He sighed. Was he signing himself – and some poor girl – up for a life of misery?

Soo Yeon still held his heart in her hands. Though truly she had cast it to the ground. So he guessed it still lay at her feet. It seemed that she had stepped upon it in passing. For it was quite bruised.

When he closed his eyes at night, he still saw her smiling face. And heard her soft voice. And wondered why she couldn't have loved him. Instead of Park Ban Ryu.

But...she had not.

And now Lee Beom Sook had to figure out how to live without her. How could her refusal of him still hurt so much after all this time?

He did not know. All he knew was that it was past time for him to set up a nursery. Which meant that he had to find a bride. He sighed. He supposed the best place to look was in Kim Jung Sook's school. She was known for turning out the most qualified young ladies. And nearly all of them were of noble birth. Surely, he could find a likely candidate there.

––

A few days later, he paid the teacher – and her class of young ladies – a visit.

"Kim Jung Sook," he bowed to her. "I have come to offer my assistance."

She stared up at the young lord. "Your assistance?" she queried, confused.

Why on earth would a young aristocratic lord be visiting a girls' schoolroom?

She glanced out at all the lovely faces pointed in their direction. And the obvious answer dawned on her.

"Ahhh," she murmured. This man was seeking a wife.

She had felt such pity for him when he had attempted to court Soo Yeon. And been handily rebuffed. She had seen the crushing disappointment in his eyes and known that Soo Ho's sister had unwittingly not left her victim uninjured. Soo Yeon might have done nothing to attract the young man's attention. But it was just as obvious that she had secured not only his attention but also his affection. As she gazed up at the young man now, Jung Sook had to wonder if he were fully recovered. Or if he were simply shopping for a bride because it was past time.

"What exactly were you hoping to do in my classroom, Lord Lee?"

He cleared his throat. "I thought I might volunteer to personally tutor the older girls. One at a time, of course. And under your direct supervision at all times."

The last thing that he needed was to be left alone with any of these misses for any time at all. He did not wish to be roped into an unfitting marriage by any of the more calculating lasses. But he wanted the chance to meet and mingle with several girls from noble homes. Such an opportunity wasn't so easy these days. And he had no matchmaking mama to deal with. Nor had his father brokered any alliance for him before his death. So it was now up to Beom Sook himself to find a proper wife.