Grand Ancestral Bloodlines

Ryu held onto Yaana tightly, and yet just gently enough that he wouldn't harm her.

Tears. They weren't something that Ryu had shed ever since he awakened his memories. Nothing had ever been able to push him to such a point, nor did he think anything ever would.

However, when he came across this battlefield and laid eyes on Yaana, something within him completely snapped. He had already been lowering the barrier between himself and his own emotions bit by bit, day after day. And this event just seemed to tear a hole through that dam completely.

Ryu could see it clearly. It wasn't just Yaana's face. Her aura, her demeanor, the cadence of her voice, the Fate that hung around her, her karmic connection to him… It was all identical. This was the very same woman who had spent a lifetime protecting him. That he was certain of.

It was just unfortunate that Yaana didn't share the same certainty. Her mind was taken hold of by confusion and hesitancy.

Why did Ryu call her Nuri? Why was Ryu so emotional seeing her? Why did it seem like Ryu knew her so intimately?

Of course, the two had grown up together. There was even a point where Ryu's 'maternal' grandfather from Concubine Leilana's side had tried to force Ryu to take Yaana's first time, taking advantage of her feelings for him to bolster the family's power. However, during all that time, Ryu had never displayed such an infatuation with her.

From what she remembered, Ryu had always treated her like a little sister. And though she could sense that same doting feeling now, there was a hint of something else that went beyond just that, something that had seemed to come from thin air.

Yaana should have been ecstatic to feel such emotion coming from Ryu. Wasn't this exactly what she had wanted? This was the man she had worked so hard to reach, just so that she could finally stand by his side and face the world with him.

From a young age, she could already tell that Ryu had ambition. Even though she wanted to be a simple housewife, she knew that Ryu didn't want to be a simple husband. He wanted to go out and conquer the world. So, she wanted to be strong enough to help his climb.

But now, her emotions were in complete disorder.

If she was certain that these feelings were for her, she wouldn't care how Ryu birthed them. She didn't care if he had always felt this way and just hid it. She didn't care if he had never felt this way and had birthed it in her absence. She didn't care even if he was faking it entirely because she saw how useful his talent would be to him…

It didn't matter to her how the emotion came about. Though she didn't want to force another man to be second to Ryu, she didn't care if even if she was third or worse to him.

But the issue was… These emotions weren't aimed toward her.

The reality made her shiver. Despite Ryu's warmth, she suddenly felt very cold. The feeling made her want to pull Ryu in closer to feel more of his heat. But, at the same time, her heart wanted to pull away, leaving her in a state of limbo she didn't know how to get out of.

"Nuri? What's wrong? Everything is fine, no one can harm you now."

Yaana shuddered.

There was none of that sarcastic tone she had become so used to hearing in Ryu's voice, none of that big brother making fun of little sister vibe. All that was there was care and affection.

She couldn't hold back her own tears any longer, her sobs ringing through any of Ryu's attempts to communicate with her.

Ryu, who didn't quite understand Yaana's thoughts, simply held her. By now, he had already gotten control of his emotions. If he wanted to be a man, he couldn't possibly continue crying while a young woman in his arms was doing the same, right? Who was she supposed to lean on if not him?

However, the words Yaana squeezed out between her sobs left Ryu baffled.

"I-I… I'm not… I'm not who you… you think I … I am…"

Ryu blinked. He tried to lift Yaana's chin to look into her eyes, just so he could get a better read on what her actual emotions were beyond what he could hear, but she struggled against his attempt, just burying her head further into his chest. She seemed to want to hide from him, yet also didn't want to leave his side at the same time.

What did she mean she wasn't who he thought she was? What was she talking about?

Yaana didn't understand how Ryu could possibly know her mother. After all, her mother had died so young that even she didn't remember her, let alone for Ryu to.

On top of that, even if Ryu's memory was just better than their own and they happened to meet, how could Ryu, as a toddler, have formed such feelings for a grown woman? And, even if by some miracle that somehow happened as well, why would he assume that she was her? He should know her mother had died long ago.

None of it made any sense.

The most logical explanation was that the Nuri Ryu knew wasn't related to Yaana at all. But then how could he mistake Yaana for that Nuri? Wouldn't it be because they looked alike? Now that Yaana thought about it, this was the very first time Ryu was seeing her face. Maybe this was why?

But what were the odds that a Nuri that wasn't her mother also somehow looked exactly like her as well? It made no sense… None of it made any sense…

How could this happen? Why was this happening?

Yaana felt that her heart was shattering into a million pieces. Her breathing was shallow, her shoulders endlessly trembling, and her inner organs twisted and convulsed as though wanting to shrink in on themselves.

However, she still forced herself to speak… She didn't want to fool Ryu… She didn't want him to care for her simply because he thought she was someone else…

"M… M… My name… isn't N-Nu… Nuri… That's my… my mom's … n-name…"

Ryu froze.