Chapter: 28
It was morning after spending the night at the lodge.
Technically speaking, it was still dawn, but we had to wake up around this time to depart early.
Stretching my groggy body as I stepped outside, I happened to see Wi Seol-Ah coming out of the servants’ quarters next to me.
She seemed to be rubbing her eyes sleepily, so I approached and gently flicked her forehead.
“Ow!”
“Wake up, hurry and go wash your face.”
“It huuuuurts…”
“Stop being so dramatic. There’s no servant who wakes up later than me, right?”
“My sisters left without waking me up…”
“You should learn to wake up on your own.”
“Sorry…”
With that, Wi Seol-Ah reluctantly made her way downstairs.
I wondered how long it would take to get ready. About two hours, I figured.
Creek.
Hearing the sound of a door opening, I turned to see Namgung Cheonjun stepping out.
He looked well-prepared, clearly having finished getting ready ahead of time.
Upon locking eyes, he slightly frowned at me.
Should I even greet him? I hesitated for a moment. Given yesterday’s events, it seemed unnecessary.
Then, just as he looked like he was about to say something, Namgung Bi-ah popped out of her room.
Namgung Cheonjun’s expression shifted instantly at the sight of her, morphing back to that friendly older brother persona he’d shown when we first met.
“You’re up early, Young Master Gu. Did you sleep well?”
“…Ugh.”
The only thing I could muster was a groan. What was this bizarre switch? Where did the wrathful Namgung Cheonjun go?
Suddenly, I remembered Peng Woojin. Initially, I thought he was crazy too, but after seeing this guy, I felt bad for calling him that.
He might have been insane, but at least he had a kind heart.
However, this Namgung Cheonjun just screamed lunatic.
Namgung Bi-ah looked at us with her head tilted in confusion, as if questioning what we were doing together.
“I ran into Young Master Gu by coincidence after waking up. You look like you just got out of bed too.”
“Ah… yeah…”
“We’ll be leaving soon, so you should get ready. I’ll send a servant to your room.”
“…Okay.”
After their quick exchange, it became clear that Namgung Cheonjun was a master of interrupting. He effortlessly cut his sister off, displaying a well-practiced finesse.
Namgung Bi-ah yawned and went back inside her room. The moment her door shut, Namgung Cheonjun’s gaze turned sharp again, similar to how it had been moments before.
He spoke ominously.
“Don’t forget the warning I gave you yesterday.”
With that, he went downstairs.
Watching him walk away, I couldn’t help but wonder if the guy known as the Lightning Sword was always like this?
Before Namgung Bi-ah went berserk and wiped out her clan, everyone praised him as a righteous man who upheld justice.
The Namgung clan was certainly a bunch of oddballs—be it the head or his offspring. My experiences in both lives only solidified that notion.
‘He’s supposed to become the center of Namgung in that condition? What a world…’
Soon after, I headed downstairs.
The Gu Clan servants had already gathered, waiting.
Muyoen spotted me and came over.
“Young Master, would you like to eat?”
“Hmm… I’m not really that hungry.”
“The dumplings are delicious.”
“Well then, I’ll have to eat.”
Just the thought of dumplings made my stomach stir.
Wi Seol-Ah, still half-asleep, was letting the other servants do her hair.
“Seol-Ah has such nice hair.”
“Isn’t it because she’s young? I had nice hair when I was younger too…”
“Pfft, nice? Your hair was such a mess that your brother said it could be used as a mop!”
“Don’t bring that up. I scratched his face when he first said that.”
“Oh? When I asked him about the scar, he said it was from a cat! So that cat was you, huh?”
“Sister Hongwa, your hair looks like a mop?”
“Hey, Seol-Ah, don’t pick up bad words!”
The chatter continued, with Wi Seol-Ah dozing off and participating occasionally.
But… Why does she have a dumpling in her hand? Is she eating even while asleep?
I shook my head at the sight and followed Muyoen to the food.
I took a seat, grabbed a dumpling, and took a bite…
Delicious…
Scrape.
While I munched on my dumpling, I heard a chair scraping. When I looked, it was Namgung Bi-ah, who had appeared next to me.
‘Why are you sitting here?’
“Um… this seat seemed closest.”
The members of the Namgung Clan were gathered on the other side, and logically, Namgung Bi-ah should’ve been over there with them. Now, because she sat here, the others were staring at me, their gazes burning with intensity.
Namgung Bi-ah, oblivious to the situation, reached for a dumpling. I quickly intercepted it with my chopsticks.
“Lady, this dumpling is mine! No, seriously, why are you sitting here?”
“I just sat down where it was closest…”
“Your brother is glaring at me like I’m about to be torched!”
“…?”
Namgung Bi-ah looked toward her brother to verify, only to find him wearing a calm smile.
What a lunatic.
Why does he treat me like garbage? Did I do something that upset him?
Namgung Bi-ah’s puzzled gaze fell back onto me, obviously confused about the situation. I decided to leave it be.
‘But stop taking my dumplings, you little menace!’
After shoving the last dumpling into my mouth, I stood up.
Namgung Bi-ah looked gloomy, her eyes lingering on the bowl where the last dumpling once sat, but what could she do?
Just then, Wi Seol-Ah rushed back with more dumplings.
Watching her, I saw that it was quite a sight to see a food addict offer food to someone else—it was an odd scene indeed when neither would end up satisfied.
Namgung Bi-ah, noticing Seol-Ah’s gesture, gently patted her head and accepted the dumplings.
With a cheerful grin, Wi Seol-Ah sat close by again.
She tilted her head toward me, looking for a pat on the head as if she had done something praiseworthy, so I flicked her forehead instead.
“Ow!”
“Why are you looking for compliments?”
“Grandpa said it’s nice to give food to someone who’s hungry…”
“She’s got plenty of people to feed her! Go eat some more dumplings!”
“Okay…”
Pouting, she returned to the other servants, who gladly continued to feed her dumplings.
As I watched her, I sighed and tried to rest my eyes… Before long, Muyoen approached me.
“Young Master, it appears we’ll be leaving soon.”
“Earlier than expected. Is everything ready for the journey?”
“Yes, once we finish our meals, we’ll load everything into the carriages.”
It seemed we’d be getting there by late afternoon.
That was good; it looked like we would arrive just as expected.
“Well then, let’s get ready—”
As I spoke, I noticed Muyoen’s attention had shifted elsewhere.
I followed his gaze and found Namgung Bi-ah fixated on his sword.
Sigh… This girl…
“Lady Namgung, we already agreed we wouldn’t accept your duel, so please stop staring. It’s making my servant uncomfortable.”
Having said that, I let go of Muyoen, as the atmosphere felt quite off for continuing our conversation.
Muyoen took the hint and hurried back like a man relieved from a tense situation.
“Why are you so fixated on Muyoen?”
“There are many others you can meet.”
“He’s a strong swordsman… I think I’d learn a lot from him if we could duel.”
“Then just do that with your brother over there who looks ready to explode.”
“Cheonjun is…”
Namgung Bi-ah hesitated, causing me to frown.
Shouldn’t the Lightning Sword be incredibly strong? Currently, he should surpass Gu Yeonseo and Gu Jeolyub, but I’m not sure about Muyoen.
Even if I used the same strategy against Namgung Cheonjun as I did against Gu Jeolyub, I would still lose.
This realization struck me—wasn’t Namgung Bi-ah also supposed to be a renowned figure?
The Demon Sword had been hailed as an unbeatable swordswoman.
Before she turned into a demon, she was already top tier. So…
Why hasn’t her incredible swordsmanship flourished by now?
She didn’t seem to fit in any of the well-known ranks, especially the Five Dragons and Three Phoenixes.
Is there something I’m not aware of?
“I should stop wondering…”
“Hmm?”
“Nothing. Enjoy your dumplings; I’ll get going.”
I quickly stood up and made for the door. Waiting for my cue, Wi Seol-Ah followed me, two dumplings in hand, looking like she was about to devour them.
“You’re going to eat two? You might get sick.”
“One is for you!”
“Oh, that’s a thoughtful gesture.”
We walked towards the carriages, munching on dumplings together.
Following Wi Seol-Ah’s lead, my appetite seemed to be growing as I consumed more than usual.
Looks like I’d need to increase my training with all this extra weight I was packing on.
*
Namgung Bi-ah continued to watch the backs of the boy and girl as they stepped outside.
She couldn’t tear her gaze away.
What’s going on? she asked herself, already knowing the answer.
At that moment, Namgung Bi-ah wrinkled her nose at an awful stench.
She wanted to cover her nose but understood it was a smell that wouldn’t vanish just by doing so.
“Sister.”
Namgung Bi-ah slowly turned to look at her younger brother.
The stench was heavy. Why did her brother always carry that wretched odor?
She was at a loss.
She didn’t even want to be near her father, the elders, or even her brother.
Although her brother treated her nicely, that couldn’t quell the emotions brewing within her.
Was this guilt for her family, or was it pure loathing?
‘…I want to run away.’
She wanted to escape the terrible stench.
“All of us are over there. Why are you sitting here?” Namgung Cheonjun asked.
Because the smell is worse when you’re all gathered!
Namgung Bi-ah couldn’t bring herself to say that.
“… It’s just where I happened to sit.”
“By doing this, you can become a nuisance to others. Next time, sit properly.”
“Yeah… Sorry.”
Although she saw Namgung Cheonjun’s smile, it left her feeling frustrated.
I want to run away, but to where?
She found herself thinking of the boy.
The boy she had randomly encountered had, astonishingly, no stench around him.
He bore no smell, and it was the first time she had experienced this sense of relief.
Muyoen, too, had a slight odor, but even that faint scent faded when near that boy.
She didn’t understand the annoyance she felt toward her, nor the desire to keep her distance from him. Yet, paradoxically, it felt comfortable.
After being near him, after experiencing what it felt like to be free from the stench, enduring her brother’s foul scent was becoming increasingly difficult.
She sprang to her feet.
“Sister? Where are you going?”
“To the carriage… I’ll go ahead.”
Namgung Bi-ah dashed off, leaving her little brother behind as she followed Gu Yangcheon.
Once left alone, Namgung Cheonjun watched her leave, his expression shifting.
From a kind older brother to a face devoid of warmth.
“What’s the problem?”
Crack-crack.
The sound of his fingers cracking—Namgung Cheonjun’s habitual habit.
Something had gone awry. He sensed it. This had never happened before.
“I despise intruders.”
The cracking stopped, and Namgung Cheonjun slowly turned around.
When he did, the coldness in his eyes was tinged with palpable malice.
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