Chapter 32
As things stand, her condition will only worsen, and she plans to leave the family to find a skilled doctor on her own.
After some time, she'll return with a completely transformed appearance. Even if her appearance subtly changes after a major illness, no one will suspect anything.
It's a rather old-fashioned method, but she's still adhering to it.
'The likelihood of this being connected to the assassin group is growing.'
The wound in her throat could have been easily healed using her qi, but she decided to leave it as it was for now.
Chang-ah, completely oblivious to this, arrived later with warm tea and a somber expression.
"Milady... Your journey must have been so arduous! Your body is so damaged; you're coughing up blood. If you had told me, I would have tried harder..."
Her body wasn't damaged; it was just to oust Namgung Chu-myung.
She'd decided to collaborate with Namgung Jeok-myung. Meeting with Namgung Chu-myung frequently would arouse suspicion, so she didn't intend to speak with him much for a while.
She also wanted to avoid Namgung Chu-myung's barrage of questions about her trip to Hubei.
Yeo-il stroked Chang-ah's head, who looked dejected, and whispered in a hoarse voice.
"Do you really think I'd be this injured? I can control something like coughing up blood."
"Control...? Coughing up blood?"
Seol-yeong, seeing Chang-ah's bewildered expression, chuckled softly and added an explanation.
"Chang-ah, no matter how much blood Milady coughs up later, don't you ever faint. It's all an act."
"...Anyway, it means you're in good health, right? I'm so relieved, Milady!"
Chang-ah immediately brightened and jumped into Yeo-il's arms.
"Did you bring Jin Cheong-ak back safely?"
"Yes. He tried to wander off midway, so I held onto him tightly and brought him all the way to the Guardian Unit!"
"You did well."
The Guardian Unit is an organization within the Namgung family responsible for escort duties.
Since Namgung Jeok-myung hadn't returned for two days, she used Namgung Hee-myung's name as a reference for now. It was easier to navigate the family if he had a position quickly.
"But Milady, shouldn't you pressure the Young Master, that fellow, a bit?"
Seol-yeong, who had heard the story from Yeo-il, beat her chest with a frustrated face and urged Yeo-il.
"If we're working together, shouldn't we determine the next steps as soon as possible? This is such a waste of time!"
"It's alright."
"Instead, send me to that place, Giyeon House! I'll get an answer somehow."
"It's alright. Stop."
Seol-yeong, who was huffing and puffing, only calmed down after Yeo-il raised her hand to stop her.
Namgung Jeok-myung did not return the next day either.
Chang-ah said.
"They say he's been drinking and carousing at Giyeon House all day."
Seol-yeong grew increasingly annoyed, but Yeo-il didn't bother to go find Namgung Jeok-myung. In her view, the reason why Namgung Jeok-myung was holed up in Giyeon House was all too obvious.
'He's likely avoiding Namgung Chu-myung's gaze and planning for the future.'
Besides, he needed time to process everything. He'd believed this man was his blood relative and political rival, only to discover it was all a lie.
Yeo-il, enjoying tea at an outdoor table while feeling the noticeably warmer breeze, remarked casually.
"My escort warrior is later than I anticipated."
At those words, Seol-yeong, who had finished her physical training and was sharpening her sword, looked up.
"Are you referring to Brother Ak? I wonder if he's left the estate and is wandering around again. He's the type of person who detests being confined the most."
Chang-ah looked up at Seol-yeong with a puzzled expression.
"Why would someone like that want to become Milady's escort?"
Seol-yeong stroked her chin with a complex expression, then blurted out whatever came to mind.
"Strange things happen between men and women all the time. Things that defy logic. I don't know why, Chang-ah."
Chang-ah blinked quietly, then soon blushed with an 'ah-ha!' expression.
"So, Jin Cheong-ak and Milady are, like, romantically involved! I'm not foolish. Young Miss Soyo was also infatuated with someone, back in the day."
"What? Romantically involved? Who and who?"
Seol-yeong burst into laughter, even clutching her stomach. Because of that, Chang-ah's face only turned redder.
"Is that not it...?"
"Chang-ah! You, when Brother Ak returns, you must repeat those words you just said. Got it? Absolutely. Absolutely. Pwahaha!"
Yeo-il ignored Seol-yeong, who was laughing so hard she was hiccuping, and asked Chang-ah.
"What's this about me being infatuated with someone?"
Chang-ah was startled.
"Ah. I apologize, Milady! Milady has never done such a thing, but I foolishly misunderstood..."
"No, I'm not reprimanding you. I don't recall the past well, so could you tell me a bit about it?"
There was a person who came to mind, and she needed to confirm the truth because she wondered if it was him.
Hesitantly, Chang-ah nibbled on the mooncake Yeo-il handed her and answered in a small voice.
"Um... well, that is, I only heard it from the older maids..."
"..."
"About twice a year, a peddler would come and sell things to Milady cheaply and keep her company. Whenever it was around the time he was supposed to arrive, it was obvious that Milady was only waiting for him."
"A peddler?"
"I've served Milady for the shortest time and haven't had the chance to see the peddler's face directly, but the items weren't strange... they were things that were very beautiful in color and hadn't been sold for a long time, just becoming dead stock. Like hair ornaments or small bells."
Once she started, the next part of the story came easily, and Chang-ah continued to speak with a happy expression.
"Milady couldn't learn to read because of her eyes, but thanks to him, she learned to write a few letters. Like Milady's name, or the names of the other maids. He gave her a large map as a gift and told her about the shape of this land and its place names."
Gifts and learning.
Her suspicion was indeed correct.
'That peddler must have been Namgung Jeok-myung.'
That's why Chang-ah thought that no one from the Namgung family had ever visited Namgung Soyo.
The picture wasn't entirely clear. The young master of a prestigious family disguising himself as a mere peddler to meet his half-sister?
'Considering that he joined forces with me because of Namgung Hee-myung, perhaps it's not that far-fetched.'
It seemed that Namgung Jeok-myung regarded Namgung Soyo as his own younger sister, regardless of her birth.
He even defied his father's orders to hide Namgung Soyo, so it seemed that Yeo-il's impression that their sibling affection, including Hee-myung, was particularly strong wasn't just her imagination.
"Hmm. How did you know that Soyo, our Milady, was infatuated with that peddler?"
At Seol-yeong's question, Chang-ah swallowed the mooncake with a gulp and answered confidently.
"Her demeanor! Around the time that peddler was supposed to arrive, Milady would dress up more beautifully than usual, take extra care of her hair, and practice her writing for longer periods. She sent the older maids out repeatedly to check if he had arrived or not... Th-that's correct, isn't it, Milady?"
"Still, would a young lady from a prestigious family truly fall for a mere peddler?"
"Yes, she would! He was incredibly handsome. Not just good-looking, but, like, regal."
"Milady can't see, so what good is a handsome man?"
"W-well, of course... Goodness! Anyway, it's true. His voice was also wonderful! And his aura, just everything!"
While Chang-ah was going on and on about it, a person strolled to the entrance of the room. It was Jin Cheong-ak.
He lifted Chang-ah and sat her on the outdoor table, then took her place in the empty chair. Then, without asking, he simply popped a mooncake into his mouth.
"What were you doing to be so late? The sun is about to set."
At Seol-yeong's question, Jin Cheong-ak answered while chewing on the mooncake, sitting slouched.
"Ah... don't even get me started. The youngest Young Master is being quite a bother. It seems the Martial Arts Alliance Leader is holding a martial arts competition soon, and he's telling me to make him into a new man because he absolutely can't lose.”
