41
“………………”
"Could it be because of the weight the name Chun Muryeong carried?" The fake's shoulders trembled slightly. The name alone carried immense weight. Eighteen years ago, the Lord of the Demonic Cult and the Martial Arts Alliance Leader, both contenders for the title of 'strongest under heaven,' had perished together. Chun Muryeong had then claimed that long-vacant title with overwhelming force and presence. No one questioned his rise; it was a new, terrifying era.
Saying Chun Muryeong's name aloud was practically leaving things to chance. But Yeo-il had spoken the name of the most likely culprit, even as she hoped she was wrong.
'Judging by the reaction, that's not the case.'
[I've told you this a million times. This older brother cares about you deeply.]
The ultimate evil, Chun Muryeong.
That bastard is back.
'Unpleasant.'
Her mood plummeted. Yeo-il made a threatening gesture, as if she were about to rip the human skin mask right off.
"Done talking? I'll give you five. Five. Three. One."
Perhaps sensing her sudden shift in mood, the fake quickly raised his hand.
"Tomorrow!"
"Tomorrow... at the Namgung Assembly, I'll take care of Namgung Soyo and pin it on the young lord. Then, using the excuse of protecting Namgung Heemyung, we'll kick the young lord out of the family."
"Do you have a plan?"
"Y-yeah! We haven't figured out who the fake Namgung Soyo is, but it works out better this way. Right after we find the death ledger in the empty estate, the Namgung family is going down."
It was all clear now.
The fake had killed Namgung Chumyung and snuck into the Namgung family for the death ledger.
'And total destruction... Figures, he can't exactly repair that human skin mask, so he's out of time.'
The Namgung Assembly is basically a feast. Trying to assassinate someone there usually means poison in the food.
"Are you planning to use Hongyu?"
Hongyu is a super deadly poison the Salmak assassins use to kill themselves—it's the same stuff that was on the dagger Yeo-il had grabbed from the fake's sleeve and tossed. It's called Hongyu because it's red and oily.
Maybe realizing he couldn't deny it since Yeo-il even knew about the Hongyu, the fake answered, far more compliant than before.
"I've already set things up with someone reliable."
The word 'trustworthy' coming from an assassin. That pretty much meant another Yeonghwang Yoo goon had infiltrated.
Does Namgung Jeokmyung even know about this?
"This is your last chance. Don't expect anything."
She jabbed the fake's pressure point before he could say another word, made sure he was out cold, and then left Dongcheong.
The day of the Namgung Assembly.
The second she opened her eyes, fancy boxes with flower patterns started piling up in the room.
Changa and Seolyeong had already checked out the items in the boxes, and Changa, especially, looked shocked as she talked to Yeo-il.
"I've never seen such gorgeous skirts and jeogori! And the baeja! They sparkle even without sunlight—they must be made of some seriously expensive fabric."
The young maid gently stroked the pale yellow yugeon. Then, she showed off the shoes and accessories from another box, gushing over them.
"Look! These danghye are so soft! And check out this jade hairpin! The color and the little peach blossom design are adorable, right?"
"Who sent them?"
Seolyeong, who was diligently checking inside the boxes for poison or hidden weapons, answered.
"The young lord sent them. He said they're for the Namgung Assembly. They're gifts, so you should definitely use them."
There were, like, way more than ten other cute accessories and sachets.
Spread out like this, even Yeo-il, who had zero fashion sense, could clearly see Namgung Jeokmyung's style.
Girly, fresh, and cute. Definitely not Yeo-il's style.
"You're going to wear them, right? You're definitely wearing them today, right? I bet everyone will be stunned by how gorgeous you look."
Since she usually dressed so simply, Changa was super excited.
So Yeo-il just went along with it. Sure, it would be fun to show up in her usual clothes and see Namgung Jeokmyung's disappointed face, but it wasn't worth crushing the poor girl's dreams.
Changa, who had put her heart and soul into dressing Yeo-il, looked up at her, practically beaming.
"You look... incredible! Is this what a fairy looks like, coming down and sprinkling cool flower petals in the middle of summer? The young lord will be so proud that the clothes found their perfect match!"
"Yeah. Something bright and cheerful like forsythia is just begging to be splattered with blood."
"......Pardon?"
Yeo-il passed by the frightened-looking Changa and picked up a sachet that smelled of refreshing quince.
Even the scent, a yellow quince, was getting on her nerves.
"So, you're going through with the killing."
Seolyeong's voice was heavy with determination, like she'd been waiting for this day forever.
"Of whom?"
"Anyone. What should I do?"
"Practice that stance I showed you yesterday, at least 300 times."
"That's it?"
"And wake up Jin Cheongak. We have to leave soon."
Seolyeong, totally bummed, shook Jin Cheongak, who was dozing off by the window.
Jin Cheongak woke up with a huge yawn, then his eyes went wide and he clamped his mouth shut when he saw Yeo-il, looking totally different.
He finally opened his mouth after a long pause.
"You look drop-dead gorgeous, but it's not my type."
"Right, your type is naked, to begin with."
"...Naked?"
Changa shot Jin Cheongak a disgusted look.
He might've been able to handle Seolyeong's glare, but not Changa's. Jin Cheongak, who would normally just sigh and let it go, tried to defend himself.
"Jeez. What kind of guy do you think I am? If I had to choose, I'd say I like women who are more like winter than summer, and not the type who look good in bright yellow or jade green..."
"I don't care about the details. Changa, let's roll."
"Yes!"
Yeo-il left the room with Jin Cheongak as her escort and Changa supporting her.
The Namgung place was packed. Before they drew any more attention, Yeo-il yanked Jin Cheongak's hand, gave him the bottle she'd prepared, and whispered in his ear.
"When everyone's looking at me, sneak this into Namgung Heemyung's food. And on the left side..."
Luckily, she'd managed to tell him everything important before running into Namgung Heemyung, who was waiting for her.
"Maid, I'll take care of Soyo, you can go... But Soyo, why are you all dolled up? You could've just worn your usual stuff."
"Good afternoon, Young Lady Namgung. You look even more stunning than usual."
And it looked like that guy was with Namgung Heemyung, too. Go Sangbaek—the one Danrimukran wanted to hook up with Namgung Soyo.
When she reached out her hand, Namgung Heemyung grabbed it, almost roughly. Things got a little awkward.
"You don't have to be so uptight, Young Master Namgung. You saw the Madam put me in charge of Namgung Soyo, right? I'm not going to do anything to make her uncomfortable in a crowd like this."
"Hmph, it's not you I don't trust. I just grabbed her hand 'cause she reached for me. Her seat's next to mine anyway, so I'll take her."
"Young Master Namgung."
Ignoring Go Sangbaek's sigh, Namgung Heemyung held onto Yeo-il's hand and marched into the banquet hall.
Once they were a little farther away, Namgung Heemyung whispered to her.
"Watch out for that guy from now on. I'll tell the maid—if you suddenly take a detour or something, it's Go Sangbaek's fault."
It was blatant hostility.
"Does Young Master Go have some kind of twisted thing for me?"
"Hey, Soyo. It's kinda awkward to say this, but... no guy in his right mind wouldn't have some kind of thoughts about you after seeing your face. Except for me and my brothers, obviously! I figured you knew that, so why'd you get all dressed up?"
"Young Master Jeokmyung got these clothes for me, how could I say no?"
"What? My brother? He gave you useless accessories and clothes? He should've gotten some rare medicinal herbs instead. I'm going to have to talk to him about this."
Namgung Heemyung's complaining shut off the second they stepped into the banquet hall.
