His sister had died, his mother had fallen ill, and the family’s fortunes had declined—yet Yeon Hwi remained bright.

He couldn’t bring himself to pass by those who struggled or suffered, and wherever help was needed, he gave what strength he could.

For some reason, there were no friends left around him anymore, but Yeon Hwi didn’t have the leisure to make friends in the first place.

“Forgive me, Yeon Hwi. My heart is uneasy, feeling as though I’m leaving you with too heavy a burden.”

Yeon Hwi’s father, the Lord of the Red Cloud Trading Consortium, apologized with a dark expression.

“Once I return, our household will be better off. Please endure it just a little longer.”

Too much money had been spent—trying to treat his sister’s fever, tending to his mother’s madness.

And because he’d devoted himself to caring for his family, the consortium’s business had been neglected.

The losses that had begun to mount as the consortium declined soon grew so severe they could no longer be stopped. Their existing trade alone could no longer sustain them.

Thus, the Lord of the Consortium chose a new method: importing goods from beyond the borders.

“Don’t worry, Father. I’ll take good care of Mother. I know enough about the consortium’s work to manage things for a while, so please go without concern.”

Yeon Hwi was the first to grasp his father’s hand as the man hesitated in guilt.

Though it weighed heavily on him that his father would be gone for so long while his mother was ill, Yeon Hwi couldn’t oppose it. He knew his father’s decision was for the sake of both their family and the consortium.

“I’ve heard there are many wondrous things beyond the borders. When you return, please bring me just one gift.”

He said it only to lighten the mood, words that didn’t come from his heart.

In truth, Yeon Hwi didn’t want any gift.

He only wanted his father to stay.

“Thank you. Thank you, Yeon Hwi. When this father returns, I’ll bring you your gift in both hands.”

“You promise, Father?”

Yeon Hwi smiled.

Three days later, the Lord of the Consortium departed for foreign lands.

From that day on, Yeon Hwi lived even more diligently.

He studied business and trade to manage the consortium properly, and at the same time devoted himself to caring for his mother.

The boy who had once wept over the death of a small bird had grown into a man bearing the weight of a household and a trading consortium.

Yeon Hwi was twenty-three years old.

Fwooosh—

Dust rose, and Seolhwa unconsciously let out a sigh.

What was this Trial of Phantasm trying to show her?

She kept searching for the Life Gate even as she watched the vision unfold, but there was no sign of it anywhere.

No—unlike the previous tests, there seemed to be nothing she could affect through her will. Searching for a Life Gate might be impossible this time.

As the dust cleared, the illusion began again.

What would happen now?

Just as Seolhwa lifted her head—

“Kyaaaaa—!!”

“!”

Her gaze snapped up.

She stood upon a bridge spanning a flowing river.

Looking toward the source of the scream, she saw a woman recoiling in horror.

Following that woman’s gaze—

“...!”

A familiar woman’s body floated, face-up, on the water.

It was Yeon Hwi’s mother.

“Mother!!”

Realizing who it was, Yeon Hwi came running with the household maids at his heels.

The moment he saw his mother’s corpse, he collapsed on the spot.

“Oh, madam! Madam!!”

“What are you doing? Hurry and pull her out!”

“So she finally followed her daughter... tsk, tsk...”

Someone clicked their tongue, saying they had expected this. Someone else broke into loud sobs.

Some whispered about the family’s misfortunes, and others frowned, saying it was disgraceful to show such a sight where children could see.

Yeon Hwi sat there for a long time, staring blankly at his mother’s body.

Even when the body was lifted from the water and carried home, he said nothing.

His eyes alone looked like those of the dead—hollow to the point of cruelty.

Fwooosh—

As when Yeon Hwa had died, Yeon Hwi’s mother’s funeral was held.

The woman was buried beside the daughter she could never forget in life.

After laying his mother to rest, Yeon Hwi sent everyone away, then dismissed the maids and went to his mother’s room.

In that dark chamber where not a trace of warmth remained, Yeon Hwi finally wept aloud.

He clutched his mother’s old garments and the little clothes of Yeon Hwa that his mother had never let go of, and cried like a child.

He wept and wept until not a single tear remained.

Fwooosh—

Yeon Hwi’s life didn’t change much after his mother’s death.

He still had his father—and the consortium his father had built over a lifetime.

He threw himself into the business even more than before.

Because of his youth, others often looked down on him or took unfair advantage, stealing business away. But somehow, he endured.

He waited only for the day his father would return from abroad, devoting himself entirely to the consortium.

Perhaps thanks to his tireless dedication, the consortium slowly began to recover.

“Thank you! Truly, thank you! I won’t let you down!”

After securing a large trade deal, Yeon Hwi’s steps were light for the first time in a long while.

Knowing he had something to show his father when he returned gave him a small but real comfort.

“Young ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ Lord!”

Around that time, Yeon Hwi met a woman he loved.

“I’m back.”

“You look pleased! Did your work go as you hoped?”

She was a maid who had long served faithfully at his mother’s side.

She had tended to all the thankless tasks without complaint, always speaking kindly even to a mistress who rarely replied.

On those rare occasions, his mother would even smile in her presence.

It was on the day his mother died—while that woman was away for half a day on family business, leaving her post to another—that tragedy struck.

When she returned and heard the news, she collapsed in grief and begged forgiveness, and in that moment Yeon Hwi realized the depth of his feelings for her.

Though their statuses were worlds apart, he no longer cared. If he loved her, what did it matter?

“When Father returns, let’s marry. I’ll make you happy—I promise.”

In the meantime, he had been exchanging letters with his father.

He told him of his mother’s passing, how he had been managing the consortium, and that he had found someone he loved.

When his mother died, his father had wanted to return immediately, but hearing the news abroad, the journey back would have taken far too long—so Yeon Hwi insisted he stay to finish his work.

When his father heard about the woman, he rejoiced. Even learning that she had been his late wife’s maid, he was sincerely pleased.

Yeon Hwi believed that once his father returned, they could live happily.

But the father who had promised to come back soon... never did.

Fwoooosh—

“The ship your father was aboard struck a reef... Passing vessels saw the wreck of the Red Cloud Trading Consortium’s ship and turned away. If only they had helped, even a little...”

Sob...

The man wept as he handed something wrapped in cloth to Yeon Hwi.

Inside was a small carving of a baby bird, made of clear crystal.

“He was clutching this in his hand when we found him. It must have been something precious to him.”

Yeon Hwi broke down.

It was surely his father’s promised gift.

Holding the keepsake to his chest, he lay collapsed for days and nights, sobbing until his voice broke.

While he could not gather himself, the consortium’s branch lords and elders were busy carving up its remains.

The Red Cloud Trading Consortium was torn apart overnight.

All the effort Yeon Hwi had poured in for years turned to nothing.

“Our poor Young Lord... sob...”

The only person left at his side was the woman he loved.

When everyone else abandoned him, she remained—his one strength.

One dawn before sunrise, Yeon Hwi saw her alone, wiping away tears and praying to the heavens.

A prayer that the man she pitied might somehow find happiness.

That very day, Yeon Hwi sold all that remained, married her, and bought a quiet mountain to begin a new life.

He was twenty-eight years old.

Soon, the illusion began to shift—quickly and sharply, as when Seolhwa had first entered the Trial of Phantasm—showing the rest of Yeon Hwi’s life in swift succession.

He and the woman he loved built a happy family together.

Though their circumstances were nothing like the days of prosperity, Yeon Hwi was content.

When Yeon Hwi turned thirty-five, he and his beloved had a son—so precious he could not bear to part from him even for a moment.

The child grew strong and healthy, reaching five years of age.

His appearance was identical to Yeon Hwi’s own when he had been a boy, the same face Seolhwa had first seen upon entering the illusion.

Even Seolhwa, only watching, found a smile forming at the sight of such a clever, mischievous child.

If only it could end here, she thought.

But contrary to her quiet wish—

the vision continued.