“If I want to brag about my nephew-in-law, I’d better eat a lot first. Don’t worry about the housework and just go. Give my regards to Young-young, tell her that your big sister wants to see her face.”
“I will definitely pass that on.”
No matter how angry my father was with my father-in-law and wife, he wouldn’t just ignore a letter from the big sister whom my wife regarded like a mother.
Fortunately, I was able to get a letter from my big aunt quite easily.
“Are you heading out again today?”
The next day, as I was getting ready to leave from early morning, Deputy Head of Guards Un Yeop asked me.
“There are many things to take care of within two days. How is the preparation to leave for the Zhuge family going?”
“It’s going smoothly.”
“What about the people from the Zhuge family?”
“Just like the first day, everyone is waiting inside the mansion.”
“Everyone? Not a single one went to a tavern or restaurant?”
I asked, surprised.
“It seems the master gave a strict order to stay put and rest since the head is leaving right away.”
As expected of a prestigious family. Even if they were on a mission, one would think they would want to stroll around for a drink after traveling such a long distance. Their discipline seems quite strong.
“What about Miss Zhuge? I haven’t seen her since morning. Is she with the Zhuge family members?”
“It seems she is taking time to calm her mind.”
“Calm her mind?”
What does that mean?
“She seemed to be meditating while surrounded by wooden dolls.”
“Not drawing or fooling around in her room?”
“Yes, it seems like some sort of training method unique to the Zhuge family.”
That’s strange. It’s not how Miss Zhuge usually spends her time.
When her mind is restless, she always draws or has some silly daydreams. She usually rolls around with a funny expression.
“Understood. I’ll be going out now, so don’t forget what I told you, Deputy Head.”
“I will do as you instructed.”
There’s not much time. I quickly left the Man Geum Battlefield.
“Move quickly!”
At the mansion of Man Geum Jeon, amidst the din that had yet to be organized, the successor leading Man Geum Battlefield was getting ready for a journey, causing even more commotion than usual.
Near the pond within the mansion, aside from the spot where a wooden doll as big as a person stood, things were quite chaotic.
“Ugh.”
Zhuge Hyang glowered at her wooden doll with her emerald green eyes.
If someone saw her, they’d think that while everyone was busy, Miss Zhuge was leisurely practicing martial arts. But the reality was different.
After a long stand-off with the wooden doll, Zhuge Hyang finally mustered her courage.
“Ah, Dad. Mom. I’m back. Let me introduce you. This is my precious person!”
In front of Zhuge Hyang, there were two dolls. One was her father, another her mother, and next to them was Kang Yoon-ho.
In this tense standoff, what was she supposed to do?
In fact, Zhuge Hyang was practicing earnestly.
“Ah! I forgot to say the name again!”
Zhuge Hyang held her head in frustration and crouched down.
I must not tremble. Dad must be really angry. If Master Kang finds himself in a difficult situation, I need to pull myself together.
Zhuge Hyang closed her eyes and imagined her father, Zhuge Geuk, standing there with an incredibly angry face.
‘This is too hard!’
I have to speak clearly without stuttering or dragging on. Master Kang encouraged me to gather my courage and go, so I must support him!
Zhuge Hyang imagined that this time, it would not be her introducing herself, but Kang Yoon-ho doing so and protecting her.
“Please give your daughter to me. I will make her happy for the lifetime.”
“No, Master Kang. I’m already happy right now!”
The silver-haired, blue-eyed beauty couldn’t suppress her grin of embarrassment.
‘I think I can leave it to Master Kang; he’s the kind of person who can handle it well.’
A man who can overcome any obstacle. Just holding his hand gives me confidence that no matter what happens, it’ll be fine.
“No! This time, I must help!”
It’s about me and Master Kang, gripping each other’s hands tightly to face the obstacles together.
Zhuge Hyang imagined proudly walking into the Zhuge family’s main gate, holding onto Kang Yoon-ho’s hand.
‘How could she bring such a solid husband?’
‘No way! I thought Miss Hyang wouldn’t date! How could she bring such a handsome man!’
‘He’s reportedly the successor of Man Geum Battlefield! He must be incredibly capable!’
“I can do it when I need to.”
Zhuge Hyang’s shoulders shook unknowingly.
‘If that happens… maybe…’
If everything goes smoothly…
Zhuge Hyang, with her face all lit up, bent her head low and quietly murmured her cheeky thoughts, worried someone might overhear.
“If I do well, I might even become the main wife!”
With two other competitors, nonetheless.
What if I could surpass the fiancée that Master Kang loves? What if I could even surpass Ha-yeon unnie, whom I thought I could never beat?
Just like a hunting dog, I could never catch up to them. But could I take a leap like a cheetah and catch up in an instant?
Just as the corners of Zhuge Hyang’s mouth started to rise.
“What are you talking about?”
A man’s voice came from behind Zhuge Hyang.
“Ah?! It was nonsense! I’m so sorry!”
Is it Master Kang? Zhuge Hyang jumped like a frog, turning her body towards the direction of the voice.
“Miss, we’ve been searching for you. Here you are.”
“Wh-who are you?”
The person who had come to see Zhuge Hyang was not Kang Yoon-ho. It was a silver-haired, blue-eyed man, a member of the Zhuge family.
“It seems you couldn’t see my face properly since I was hiding behind that black hair last time. I am Hyun-won Dae, Zhuge Jak.”
“Oh, hello.”
Zhuge Hyang greeted him shyly, like a child meeting a distant relative, awkward during a family holiday.
“You’ve seen me a few times, but you don’t recognize me?”
“Ah, well, I… I’m not good at recognizing faces.”
Zhuge Hyang, who usually has difficulty even making eye contact with strangers, clearly couldn’t remember the faces of her numerous family members.
“I see. But, Miss, who are you apologizing for?”
Zhuge Jak asked, hiding his slight disappointment at her previous reaction.
“Oh, it’s nothing!”
How could she explain that she had fantasized about easily overtaking the two hunting dogs, who were originally cheetahs?
Flustered, Zhuge Hyang stammered and mumbled.
“Miss… were you being threatened?”
Zhuge Jak seemed to come to an unexpected conclusion based on Zhuge Hyang’s behavior.
“Y-yes?”
———
“Threatened?”
What is he talking about? Zhuge Hyang questioned her ears.
“The naive young lady suddenly cohabiting with a man with black hair must have some deep, hidden reason behind it.”
Zhuge Hyang looked bewildered, but Zhuge Jak was already lost in his thoughts.
“Ah! I see…”
She did have her reasons. Starting from the fake Ho Pil incident, various events intertwined.
“There’s no need to explain. I’ve heard rumors about Joseon people enough.”
Of course, the circumstances Zhuge Jak was imagining were different.
“Rumors?”
Zhuge Jak nodded as if he knew everything.
Something seemed odd. How could a naive young lady suddenly cohabit with a dark-haired man? There certainly had to be some connection to the rumors I heard before.
“Yes, it’s a common rumor. The cunning dark-haired man approaches a pure woman who just arrived in the capital.”
A look of regret crossed Zhuge Jak’s face, feeling he had failed to protect the lady.
“Y-yes?”
“Surely, you were spellbound by the open atmosphere of Wuhan after moving there. It’s not like you to roam outside, right?”
The pure country girl who came to Wuhan, filled with yearning for a glamorous world, becomes mesmerized by its charm.
“I just stayed at home.”
Zhuge Hyang shook her head, but it sounded like Zhuge Jak didn’t hear her since he was lost in his own world.
“Certainly, it’s probably because of that bookstore in Wuhan that the rascally dark-haired man set his eyes on you. Isn’t that right?”
“It’s true that I met Master Kang because of the bookstore. But for other reasons…”
“Exactly! As expected, he must have approached you suddenly! Asking you to come with him for drinks!”
“Wha…”
Why does it feel so eerily accurate? Zhuge Hyang momentarily found herself lost for words.
“Just as I expected! You must’ve been unable to refuse since the engagement you’re not too keen on! He probably pressured you to get a drink! Even though you wanted to refuse, there was no way to say no! With his charming face inviting you to drink, I bet you felt a tingle of curiosity!”
“Ah…”
“It must have been! It’s clear! You awkwardly shared a drink offered to you by a smiling man! It shouldn’t have happened! The first experience was sweet, causing you to mistakenly believe it would be a delight! In reality… it was all a dark-haired man’s plot!”
“Huh? Plot?”
“It’s a common trick used by the rascally black-haired men! A sweet drink to coax you into getting drunk, thus dragging you to bed!”
Drunken by sweet liquor, the moment you think you are merely tipsy, it’s too late. This liquor is enough to make someone a baseless fool. You lose your senses in no time.
“Oh.”
“Without a doubt! Most likely…! By the time you came to your senses, it was already too late. And you were directly threatened! The only way to return home was to submit to him!”
If that black-haired scoundrel was living with the naive young miss Zhuge Hyang, there had to be this kind of plan. Zhuge Jak’s trembling hands tightened into fists.
“D-Daeju? Excuse me…”
“I also know that women who go with Joseon men never return! Damn those black-haired rascals! But, Miss, you must regain your senses! Even if not entirely, there’s still a chance!”
“…”
It’s not getting through. As Zhuge Hyang waited for Zhuge Jak to finish his excited ramblings, she kept calm.
“If you just tell me you’re being threatened, I can deal with him right away!!!”
“No, that’s not it.”
She answered immediately.
“Miss?”
The head of the family was surprised and asked back. Zhuge Hyang’s voice, meanwhile, came out so calmly it was almost unfathomable.
“Master Kang is a good person.”
“You…”
“You don’t have to lie to me.”
“Master Kang is absolutely not that kind of person.”
Without stuttering or dragging on, she voiced her conviction, even filled with anger.
Zhuge Hyang’s voice carried a strong conviction, fueled by the situation where her beloved fiancé was being baselessly slandered.
“Really… is that true?”
Was he wrong all along? Zhuge Jak, suddenly uncertain, looked surprised, and Zhuge Hyang finally smiled.
“Yes! Indeed!”
“I see…”
Zhuge Jak was bewildered; he never thought she would show such a reaction, unable to probe further.
“Hehe!”
Why is Miss Zhuge so hyper this morning? Is it because today is the day they depart to the Zhuge family?
“Miss Zhuge, do you have something joyful happening?”
“Hehe! I defended Master Kang’s honor!”
Miss Zhuge spoke proudly, puffing out her chest, as if she had accomplished something.
“Yes?”
“Ah! That’s… there’s something about that!”
Why is she shrinking again? What happened?
Before I could ask, the waiting Deputy Head approached me.
“Last night, the guards of the Zhuge family tried to sneak away and got severely reprimanded by the head. Upon checking, there was quite an interesting story.”
I could hear quite an intriguing piece of news from the Deputy Head.
“Is that true?”
“Seems to be so.”
So that’s what happened. I might be able to use this on our trip.
“Hey, Yoon-ho! Everyone’s waiting for you. Are you coming out or what?”
While chatting a bit with the Deputy Head, Gil-san entered the room, fully prepared for our journey.
“Gil-san, are you really going?”
“How could I miss the chance for the Zhuge family head to bring his daughter’s cohabitant? Of course, I’m going!”
“Haah.”
It’s not bad having Gil-san along, but it seems he treats this trip like a tourist outing since it doesn’t directly involve him.
“Don’t worry! I’ll have a word with your uncle! Save me a spot in the carriage! Hurry up!”
Gil-san thumped his chest with a confidence that he’d take care of everything and waved us goodbye as he left the room.
‘The Zhuge family…’
What might happen when we get there?
My fiancée, heading to meet her furiously angry father, gazed up at me with a tense face and cautiously asked.
“Master Kang, are you okay?”
The silver-haired, blue-eyed beauty, now able to meet my gaze, looked at me worriedly with her green eyes.
I found myself mesmerized by such a look.
“Ma-Master Kang?”
Her pale face flushed with pink. Was it embarrassing for her to keep staring? Or was she uneasy about leaving?
Zhuge Hyang’s green eyes trembled as she looked at me.
“Ah?!”
I took her hand.
Right. What reason is there to hesitate?
“Let’s go. To the Zhuge family.”
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