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

Chapter 24: Some Unexpected Help

Beom Sook led his half of the children to their new residence. The older girls and their siblings had come with him. He had his servants set up two tubs in two different rooms so that the girls could bathe separately from the boys.

Once they were all clean, he led them to the bedrooms. For now, he had decided to give each family a separate bedroom. Except for the children who had no siblings. The three boys would share one room and the two girls another. Ten bedrooms had been filled with children. Who had no belongings.

Beom Sook would need to see about getting them some new clothes. Ae Ri had managed to scrounge together enough used robes to dress them all. And Dan O had somehow provided clean undergarments for them all. But Beom Sook wanted each child to have at least two sets of clean clothes so that they could wear one while the other was being washed.

He waited patiently for Ni Na to arrive with the other children. Beom Sook watched as the children exclaimed over their new residence. Wide-eyed with wonder, they walked through his house, examining the furnishings and decorations. Beautiful urns and vases could be found in each room. But the children seemed most delighted by their own spaces. Each seemed to find the simple bedrooms to be a luxurious home indeed.

But the eldest girl, Na Mi, finally turned towards him as he passed her bedchamber and called out, "Where is our classroom going to be?"

"Hmm. Why don't you come with me? I have two larger rooms. You can tell me which one befits the girls."

She stepped out into the corridor with him, following him to the first room. It was slightly smaller than the second. After perusing them both, she chose the smaller of the two rooms.

"Boys need room to move around. Besides, there are more tiny girls than boys. The boys will definitely take up more space." She seemed to sober instantly.

"What's wrong?" he asked her.

"It's nothing," she whispered and turned away from him. "I'm going back to my room. Thank you for this. All of this."

But he could feel her sorrow still filling up the room even as she walked out of it.

He was tempted to follow her, but just then Ni Na's delighted voice reached him. And his heart rose.

"Beom Sook! This home is perfect!"

He turned to smile at her. "You like it?" he murmured as he took in her exuberant demeanor.

She bobbed her head.

He noticed the clean, freshly dressed group of young people behind her. Their eyes were as wide as those from his group had been a few minutes ago.

"Would you like me to show you to your bedchambers?" he asked them after they'd had a chance to look around the large room into which they had just entered.

Nodding, they followed him. Soon, all of the children were lying flat on their beds.

"I think," Ni Na whispered from one doorway as she pivoted to face the young lord, "that they are all exhausted." Turning back towards them, she suggested, "Why don't you all enjoy a little nap while Lord Lee and I work on arranging dinner for you?"

Pretty much all of the children agreed to this arrangement. Ni Na followed Beom Sook back down the hallway.

"The bedchambers are wonderful. Can I see the classrooms now?"

He nodded and continued walking until they again reached the room in which they had first met.

"Oh! she exclaimed. "This is one of the classrooms!? It's perfect." She frowned. "Of course, it will need several more tables and chairs. But I think this will work just splendidly." Her smile broke forth once again.