❀ 𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒏𝒐𝒖𝒔 𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒕𝒍𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒍 ❀

⁰⁵. 𝐢𝐟 𝐤𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐚 𝐰𝐨𝐧❜𝐭 𝐡𝐢𝐭 𝐖𝐨𝐨𝐤, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐁𝐨𝐦𝐢 𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥

'' ᶦᶠ ᵏᵃʳᵐᵃ ʷᵒⁿ'ᵗ ʰᶦᵗ ᵂᵒᵒᵏ, ᵗʰᵉⁿ ᴮᵒᵐᶦ ᵈᵉᶠᶦⁿᶦᵗᵉˡʸ ʷᶦˡˡ ''

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"My Lady—"

Kyung-mi sharply shushed the maid, pressing her index finger to her lips urgently. She then glanced left and right before hurriedly gesturing for the newly-arrived girl to come closer, reiterating the need to stay silent by repeating her earlier gesture.

Though confused, Bomi didn't hesitate to oblige. She came to stand behind the crouching form of her master and followed her lead to peer around the corner of the main hall building out into the courtyard. Her perplexed expression was soon replaced by a frown, its darkness matching that of Kyung-mi's scowl.

A wide stone path stretched from the bottom of the main hall's steps up to the large gates which were the Choi Residence's only known entrance and exit. Smaller paths branched off towards other buildings and the spaces around these paths were home to floral plantations, cherry blossom trees, and light fixtures. The red paper lanterns which had been hung along the roofs of buildings the previous day had been taken down now, but a few of the ones that had decorated the miniature gardens remained dotted around.

In the middle of the courtyard, Hwando's Leader and the Assistant Gwanju of Cheongbugwan were standing together, conversing leisurely. Both party's attending personnel stood a little distance behind their respective masters, heads bowed in respect and eyes glued to the floor at their feet.

"What are they up to now?" Kyung-mi muttered as she continued spying on the pair, straining her ears in an attempt to overhear their conversation.

While smiling at one another and exchanging pleasantries, Zhang Chu-hua and Jin Mu appeared serene. As though they were old friends—or perhaps even something more—they basked in the warmth of the sun and made a show of enjoying one another's presence. Jin Mu begged the Magelord to forgive him as he reached out to pluck a cherry blossom petal out of her hair, which had been guided there by the playful breeze. In response, Master Zhang excused him while bashfully covering her face with her fan.

Anyone who looked upon them now would be convinced that they were meeting because their bond ran deeper than that of allies—that they wished to spend a few more minutes together because they were close and happy when together, not because they each had their end of an ancient bargain to uphold.

Kyung-mi, however, called bullsh!t.

"They're plotting something," she whispered to Bomi. Her scowl deepened as Master Zhang's sickeningly sweet giggles rang through the air, the sound making her feel nauseous. "Have you noticed? The Assistant Gwanju has been visiting more often recently. Every time he shows up here, the Witch sends the staff away to speak to him in private and later emerges with a disgusting grin of satisfaction on her face."

"What are you suspecting, My Lady?"

"It can only be one of two things. Either the Witch has a heart after all and that shifty fellow has managed to snatch it..." Kyung-mi made a disgusted face before shaking her head lightly to dispel the thought, "Or they're forming a secret alliance. What for, I do not know. I do know, however, that this will not end well for anyone. If they're strengthening their friendship and conversing in private while leaving the other Magelords in the dark about their rendezvous, then my suspicions regarding the real reason for the Assistant Gwanju's frequent visits are not groundless."