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“I don’t like it!” Thief King screams across the meeting room.
It’s been a few weeks since Wuryeon and Lihwa started preparing for their wedding. Due to the Ten Elder’s insistence, as well as them being a major part of the Demonic Sect, Wuryeon and Lihwa started introducing different wedding ideas to them, but…
“Our little girl deserves way better than you!”
…the Ten Elders are hard to please.
Ak Wuryeon sighs as he tries not to lose patience with what are supposed to be his seniors — right now, they feel more like toddlers to him.
Lihwa, who is sitting next to him, senses his annoyance in the sigh. Even if it weren’t for the sigh, Lihwa would know.
The two of them know each other better than anyone else.
In an attempt to calm her fiancé down, she grabs his hand under the table and slightly squeezes it.
As Wuryeon turns to look at her he can see the worry in her face. Even her worried face is adorable in his eyes — but if he said that now, the Ten Elders would get even madder at him than they already are.
Well, what does it matter what they feel anyways?
Wuryeon squeezes his fiancée’s hand back before turning to his seniors.
“If you don’t like the colours, we could change them but this is mine and Hwa’s wedding first and foremost”, Wuryeon calmly says. “You need to respect that.”
Of course, this has the Ten Elders even more furious.
“Well, who says we approve of this wedding!” Poison King replies, his usually green face now tinted with red due to his anger.
Now it is the Sword Emperor, who is sitting next to Wuryeon, to be defending the couple. “Who cares what you think! Let the children get married if they want to!” the Sword Emperor yells across the room. “That is still my disciple you guys are talking about!”
As the seniors continue arguing, Lihwa wonders how she and Wuryeon are supposed to get married without any of her grandfathers attacking Wuryeon. Of course, she knows her grandfathers are doing this because they love her but…
Isn’t this a little much?
Lihwa rests her head on Wuryeon's shoulder as she closes her eyes. Quietly, Wuryeon looks down at her head, her long hair covering it, before sending a voice transmission.
-Hwa.-
“Hm?” she hums softly, her head nuzzling slightly on Wuryeon’s shoulder as she takes in his light scent.
-Let’s go downtown tomorrow. Just the two of us. We can pick out whatever we need without one of the Ten Elders disagreeing.-
-Yes, let’s do that.-
Lihwa slowly opens her eyes, wanting to send another voice transmission. But just then, the Sword Emperor turns to the couple.
“Hey, kids” he begins, ignoring the bewildered expressions of the other Elders. “Didn’t I say you shouldn’t use voice transmissions in front of me? It makes me lonely! Especially since I’m on your side!” A childish tone escapes his lips during his last sentences.
“What do you mean, they were exchanging voice transmissions?” Poison King questions with a shaking voice. “How dare that little thief send our girl a voice transmission?”
Now Lihwa is the one to sigh, as another round of the Ten Elders arguing with the Sword Emperor starts.
“Ryeon, you did this on purpose, didn’t you?”
“Maybe.”
The next morning, Wuryeon and Lihwa head to the village hand in hand.
“Where do you want to go first?” Wuryeon asks his fiancée as they enter the village.
“Uhm, I think…”
Before Lihwa can finish her sentence, a few villagers rush towards the couple and start chanting.
“Lady Lihwa! Is it true you’re getting engaged?” A young woman looks at Lihwa with excited eyes. “But I heard it’s our Vice Sect Leader”, a man adds. “Are you sure he’s the right man? He is the grandson of the Blood Sect Leader after all.”
Do they not realise that he is next to me?
Lihwa glances at Wuryeon who is already staring at her quietly. She knows that for him, the villagers’ talk doesn’t matter but…it still bothers her.
“That’s right! I heard that too!”
The voices of all the different villagers overwhelm her as she is being questioned about the man next to her, whom the villagers don’t even notice.
Just then, one of the questions snap her back in.
“Isn’t he too cold for you?”
“Cold?” Lihwa repeats finally.
She raises her hand, still interlocked with her fiancé’s. She smiles softly, her gaze laying on Wuryeon. “I love Ryeon just the way he is.”
Wuryeon smiles quietly in return.
“Wait…” one villager begins. “Is this…”
Confused whispers unravel in the crowd.
“Is this our future Leader?”
“I thought he was supposed to be bald?”
Lihwa suppresses a laugh as her hand sinks again. She can still feel her fiancé’s gaze on her and shakes her head, trying to compose herself.
“Ryeon isn’t like his grandfather at all. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be here with me.”
The villagers, still suspicious, are whispering among themselves about whether their Lady is telling the truth or has been deceived.
Just as Wuryeon wants to speak up, he feels a slight tug at the hem of his cloth. Looking down, he crosses eyes with big and wide eyes. A young girl, around 5 years old, is staring at him.
“Uhm, uncle?”
The villagers stop talking as they all stare at Wuryeon and the child.
“Yes.”
“My mama said you’re our future leader.”
In the crowd, a woman’s face grows pale before rushing to her child.
“That’s right.”
The girl’s mother grabs her before lifting her to her chest. “I’m so sorry, sir!” The woman lowers her head towards Wuryeon.
As he wants to tell her to raise her head, the clueless child starts talking again, her hand still hanging onto Wuryeon’s clothes.
“Uncle, you’re very strong, right?”
“…Yes.”
“Then can you build my dollhouse for me? My papa is always working and too tired to build it for me.”
Her mother raises her head, baffled by her child’s request.
Wuryeon thinks for a moment before nodding his head. “Sure.”
The little girl giggles happily. “Thank you, uncle!”
The adults stare for a moment before they all ask Wuryeon for other things. When else would they have the chance to ask a martial artist as skilled as Wuryeon for help?
An elderly woman asks for help with her shopping, a man asks for help with his crops, and a child wants to be carried…
Despite all the ridiculous requests, Wuryeon fulfills as many as he sees reasonable. With each request he fulfills, the villagers become less and less hostile with him until at the end where they are fully friendly towards him.
“Oh wow, it’s already so late”, Lihwa notices once Wuryeon has fulfilled the last request. The sun is at its highest point, bathing the couple in a strong light.
“I hope it was alright for you to wait for me.” Wuryeon takes his fiancée’s hand again.
“Of course it was.” Lihwa smiles widely. “It was really nice to see you getting along with the people.”
Wuryeon lifts her hand and kisses the back of it. “All that matters to me is that you’re happy.”
“Did you fulfill their requests because of me?”
A slight chuckle escapes her fiancé’s lips. “Did you forget already? I told you that I’d only get along with the people for you.”
Lihwa’s ears turn red as she remembers their conversation in the cave while she was looking for her father. “Of course I didn’t forget…”
Wuryeon’s other hand cups her right cheek as he continues. “If it weren’t for you, I would’ve walked past the villagers as soon as they recognised me. Do you understand why I stayed nonetheless?”
“Why?”
Wuryeon pecks Lihwa’s other cheek and whispers softly in her ear. “Because I love you very much.”
For a moment Liwha looks at her lover, before letting go of his hand. She goes on tiptoes and opens her arms to hug him.
Without even thinking about it, Wuryeon lets go of Lihwa’s cheek and wraps his hands around her waist, bringing her even closer to her. Once he bends down even more than he already is, Lihwa puts her face in his neck and her arms on his back.
“I love you very dearly as well”, she whispers as his warm body embraces her.
“Mhm.”
The engaged couple stays hugged for a few moments, before Lihwa moves to face Wuryeon. Their faces come closer and closer until their lips touch each other.
Lihwa slightly bites Wuryeon‘s lower lip as she tries to take in every bit of his soft lips.
Wuryeon slightly parts his lips and puts his tongue into his lover’s mouth, savouring her taste as much as he can. His hands on her waist pull onto her clothes as he tries to get her even closer than before.
At the same time, Lihwa grabs and ruffles Wuryeon‘s hair as she tries to match his tongue‘s speed.
For a moment, the two of them forget they are still in the village as the heat wraps them.
When their lips part again, the only things remaining are their unsteady breaths and the saliva connecting their mouths.
Wuryeon slowly lets go of his fiancée after calming his breath and uses his sleeve to wipe off the saliva of her mouth. Lihwa closes her eyes instinctively as she feels the rubbing on her face.
Once he is done with her, he wipes it from his mouth as well.
“Your hair is a bit messy”, Wuryeon notes as if he weren’t the cause of the mess.
Quietly, he brushes through his lover’s hair with his fingers. Lihwa keeps her eyes closed as she enjoys his gentle touch.
“Ryeon?”
“Yes?”
“Can we go to the flower shop first? I’d like to see what the village has regarding decorations.”
“Of course. Is there anywhere else you want to go?”
“Hm…I’m not sure what else we could need.” Lihwa opens her eyes as she ponders. She looks up to Wuryeon…just to burst out laughing.
Although he doesn’t mind, he is a bit confused by his fiancée’s sudden laughter. “Is something wrong?”
“Hahah…your hair is all messy as well”, she giggles as she glances at Wuryeon’s messy hair. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to grab so hard.”
“Despite saying you’re sorry, you’re laughing quite loudly, aren’t you?” Wuryeon smiles sheepishly as he is being ridiculed.
Lihwa calms herself down, still smiling as she speaks, “I’m really sorry though. Come on, lean down. I’ll fix your hair before we head to the flower shop.”
Like a dog listening to his owner, Wuryeon obediently lowers his head so that his lover can reach it. Lihwa quickly fixes his hair — she knows how each of his hair strands are positioned from all the times she combed her hands through them.
Once she is done and pulls her hand away, Wuryeon raises his head again.
He takes Lihwa’s hand again, his thumb rubbing over the back of her hand.
The two of them head to the flower shop, where they are greeted with a floral scent and more colours than Lihwa thought existed at the entrance.
“Oh my! If it isn’t our lady!” An elderly woman, whom Lihwa guesses is the owner, smiles gently at her before turning to her partner. “And you must be the future leader who’s been helping around today.”
Wuryeon nods.
“Are you two looking for flowers for your wedding? I must admit, you probably can find better flowers elsewhere” the woman says with a sheepish smile.
Lihwa quickly shakes her head in disagreement. “We aren’t here for pretty flowers. We are here because we want to have our people play a part in our wedding as well.”
“Oh, miss Lihwa…you are far too kind. Please, come in! Both of you!”
The elderly woman walks inside the shop with the engaged couple following behind her. “Are there any specific flowers you want?”
“I think some peonies might be nice”, Lihwa replies as she looks around. There are so many different flowers in all kinds of colours that she can’t help but admire each one.
Her gaze stops at flowers in a particularly strong red. She points her finger at them.
“Ryeon, do you know what those are called?”
Wuryeon smiles gently once he sees the flower. “Those are called Camellias. Do you want to know what they mean?”
Oh, so the main character of this world even learned about flowers and their meanings?
“Sure.”
“They stand for passionate and deep love.”
“And for the union between a couple!” the grandmother adds. “Does our lady want them for her day?”
Lihwa starts smiling, her gaze still lying on the flowers. “Yes, they’d fit us well.” She proceeds to turn to her fiancé. “Do you want any specific flowers as well?”
“I don’t really care much about this stuff…” Wuryeon glances around the shop filled with plants. “Pink roses could match as well.”
“Okay, then let’s add those as well.” Lihwa turns to the shop owner again. “Grandma, we’ll tell you our exact wedding day on another day, is that alright? Regarding payment…”
“I’ll take care of that”, Wuryeon interrupts her. “The least I can do is pay for the flowers.” His lips curl up into a small smile as he pulls Lihwa closer to him by her hand.
“Although none of the flowers here can compare to my flower.”
As the shop owner agrees loudly, Lihwa’s ears turn red from the sudden compliment.
When she and Wuryeon leave the store, she quickly asks what has been bothering her.
“Ryeon, do you have any money?”
Wuryeon grins at the question. “Do you think your fiancé is poor?”
Lihwa glares at him. “I didn’t say that. I know that you can already access all of our money as the future Demonic Sect Leader as well. But you know I can just use ice flowers as payment, right?”
“Yes but…” Wuryeon pulls Lihwa closer towards him before patting her hair. “Sometimes I’d like to pay for you just as you pay for me. Or do you not want me to?”
“I didn’t say that either…”
Wuryeon’s hand moves to her cheek. “Then, can I spoil you every now and then?”
Lihwa nods slightly, her face now flushed. Wuryeon’s fingers caress her cheek as he stares at his fiancée.
“You look really adorable right now”, he chuckles. “I almost want to eat you.”
Lihwa’s eyes widen at her fiancé’s confession. “What?!”
“Mhm. Like this.” Wuryeon’s face gets closer to her other cheek. Lihwa squeezes her eyes shut as she feels her lover’s breath on her skin.
Wuryeon opens his mouth and slightly bites onto her cheek. Lihwa lets out a soft groan, contemplating for a moment whether or not she likes the slight pain that is caused by Wuryeon’s teeth.
When Wuryeon lets go again, his lover has turned even redder than before and he can’t help but grin even more than he already is. He made sure not to leave a mark, but now he wishes he’d bitten harder.
“Where do you want to go next?”
Lihwa rubs the cheek he’d bitten as she thinks about the question. “I don’t think we need to look for other decorations, do we?”
“I think we can trust the merchants for most of what we need. Although I’m not sure if we can trust the Ten Elders.”
“You don’t think they’d purposefully mess things up, would they?”
“Not on purpose, but I doubt their taste…can be trusted.”
Lihwa frowns as she imagines her grandfathers fighting over which decorations to pick. “I’ll make sure to be present when the merchants arrive.”
Wuryeon gently pulls one of Lihwa’s hair strands towards him and places a kiss on it. “I’ll be there too then.”
“I’d be thankful for that.”
“By the way, if you don’t know where else to go, do you want to eat something?”
“Is it already that late…?” As soon as Lihwa turns her gaze away from her fiancé, she notices the setting sun.
“Do you want to eat some skewers? I’m pretty sure the shop isn’t far away from here.”
“Yes, let’s do that.”
Lihwa’s fingers interlock with those of Wuryeon’s as the two of them make their way to the shop. She slightly swings their arms around and a slight hum escapes her lips.
When the two of them arrive home later that day, Lihwa stays over at Wuryeon’s palace for the night. Their laughter fills his bedroom as the lamp softly illuminates them.
A few days later, rumors reach the Ten Elders about how polite and kind the future Demonic Sect Leader is. Confused — they know better after all — they march into the village just to find every second villager praise Wuryeon.
They feel their blood pressure increasing with each praise for the man they consider a shameless thief.
During this, Wuryeon and Lihwa are planning their wedding peacefully, wondering why her grandfathers aren’t disrupting them that day.