Chapter 18

* * *
Seok Gayak looked at the jade-colored hair tie in his hands. Decorated with embroidery and a few pearls, it looked like any other hair tie that might belong to a child from a wealthy family.
“Is she gone?” a voice asked.
“Yes,” Gayak answered.
“You were careless. To think you’d actually bring Lord Euigang’s daughter while he was here.”
“You’re right. I didn’t think it through. I was so surprised when she asked about him as we were passing the stable.” Gayak laughed.
Imperial Physician Seok noted that, if anything, he seemed quite amused by the whole ordeal. It was the first time since his arrival that the boy seemed to show signs of life, when before he’d let the days slip by as though he were nothing more than a ghost. “I’ll try to appease Lord Euigang for now. Please be careful from now on,” he said, sighing. “What a pitiable father and daughter.”
“So you do have a shred of compassion in your heart.”
Physician Seok shut his mouth at Gayak’s gibe.
Gayak had been at the school, watching Yeon as she watched the twins. A thin, sickly-looking girl, she’d been staring at the twins, frowning with obvious disapproval. But in the end, she’d left without saying a word. So much for the daughter of the great Baengri Euigang, he’d thought as he turned to go find his teacher.
Then Scholar Ki’s servant had suddenly beckoned for the children in the courtyard to return to class. It was an odd thing for him to do—there was still quite a bit of time left before class resumed. Suspicious, Gayak had decided to watch the courtyard a little longer and witnessed the girl return to the empty courtyard. Her hair, which had been tied up prettily in buns just a moment ago, was now undone.
That was when he realized that she was the one who had sent the rest of the students back into the classroom by bribing Scholar Ki’s servant with her hair tie. And then...
“I suppose it will die then. Poor thing.” Her voice had wavered as though she were about to cry, but her eyes had remained dry.
“You seem to have taken a liking to that child,” Imperial Physician Seok said.
“I have. She’s interesting.”
* * *
The carriage rattled and shook around me. My eyes were closed from exhaustion when Eondu called to me from outside the window. “Young miss, isn’t that heavy? Here, let me take it.”
“No, it’s fine.” I hugged the box in my arms closer to my chest even as I yawned with fatigue. It was a fancy black wooden box inlaid with mother-of-pearl butterflies and vines.
First, I’ll put one in Father’s study... Minimalism wasn’t bad, but a flower would certainly add a touch of elegance to brighten the space up. One for my room, and then I’ll dry the last one and make a sachet out of it. Perfect.
Gayak had picked these flowers for me as a farewell gift, even putting them in a box to make sure they wouldn’t be damaged on my way home. The flowers were so large and in such full bloom that just three buds were enough to fill the entire box. There’s something suspicious about him, but he doesn’t seem like a bad guy...
The carriage soon pulled up in front of the Baengri clan compound. As I carefully stepped out of the carriage, I turned toward the front gate where I sensed a commotion brewing.
“Nothing doing.”
“Just take a proper look.”
“Argh, I said there’s no point! Why are you so stubborn?”
“Is this how the noble Baengri clan treats its guests?”
“Some bum who can’t even prove his identity, a guest? You better leave before we make you.”
What kind of lunatic was he to be causing a scene in front of the Baengri household? Countless guests came and went every day, but rarely did any of them cause a commotion, as even the guards securing the front gate were martial artists trained in the techniques of the Baengri clan.
Eondu frowned. “Young miss, shall we go another way? Young miss…?” When there was no reply, Eondu turned to look back and jerked in alarm. The little miss he served was already halfway to the source of the racket.
“Get out of our sight before we drag you out!”
“I’d like to see you try.” A sword sheathed in cloth was gripped tightly in the stranger’s hand.
“Oh, you don’t think we can? Beat it, or you’ll regret it for the rest of your life.” The gatekeeper mocked the stranger, holding his spear threateningly in front of him.
Just then a child’s voice rang out, carefree and unconcerned, interrupting the tense encounter between them. “What’s going on?”
The man and the gatekeeper both looked at me as one. The gatekeeper scrunched his face up, clearly recognizing me, but I couldn’t see the stranger’s expression.
He was wearing dark traveling clothes caked with grime, and his sword was swaddled in cloth, making it impossible to guess at his identity. On top of that, a cloth mask pulled up over his nose covered half his face, and a bamboo hat hung low over his face, revealing nothing but two dark eyes. Everything about his attire screamed, I am a suspicious person!
But I knew from the moment I saw his eyes that this was my father’s closest friend—and the catalyst who had driven my father to his death. Namgoong Wan, deputy head to the illustrious Namgoong family of the ten great clans, and the father of Namgoong Ryuchung, the hero of this novel!
What’s he doing kicking up a fuss here?
If even I could recognize him, there was no way my father’s attendant Eondu couldn’t. He scrambled after me, his eyes shooting open once he caught up. “Nam—!” Eondu froze, his shout cut off mid-word. He slowly closed his mouth, his eyes shifting frantically from side to side.
“Eondu,” I asked, “what’s wrong?”
“It’s, um, well... Young miss, it’s just—” Eondu kept glancing at Lord Wan. I immediately grasped the situation. Is Lord Wan using qi-speak?
Qi-speaking was a technique that allowed a martial artist to draw upon their inner qi to send a message to another without being overheard by others. Most people who’d reached a certain level of mastery were able to use it. However, there was a way to discover if someone was using qi-speak even without sound: watching the movement of the lips and throat. One had to at least mouth the words to use qi-speak, so generally keeping an eye on someone’s lips and throat would let you determine whether they were using qi-speak.
Of course, Lord Wan’s face and neck were entirely covered up, making it difficult to tell. But if Lord Wan hadn’t stopped him, there was no reason for Eondu to be making such a face, as though he desperately wanted to say something but couldn’t.
Remember, you don’t know him yet. I blinked as naturally as possible, pretending that I was merely surprised by the presence of a stranger. “I heard shouting. Is something the matter? If it’s within my power, I’ll do what I can to help.”
“And you are?”
I gathered my hands in front of me and bowed respectfully. “Baengri Yeon of the Baengri clan, at your service.”
Lord Wan’s brows furrowed into deep valleys.
At that moment, the gatekeeper interjected. “This does not concern you, young miss.” He then turned to Lord Wan. And you, I told you to get the hell out of here!”
Lord Wan glared menacingly at the gatekeeper, who flinched back but jutted his head forward in defiance. This was Baengri territory, after all, and he was a warrior of the Baengri clan. The gatekeeper’s body language said he knew there was nothing this stranger could do to him. He’s going to end up regretting that...
Lord Wan, who’d been gripping his sword as though he were a split second away from drawing it, glanced at me and exhaled loudly. From underneath the cloth mask, his low, irritated voice began to explain the situation.
The more I heard, the more I was at a loss for words. As his getup gave away, Lord Wan had attempted to enter the Baengri residence without revealing his identity. Of course, he wasn’t just groundlessly demanding to be let in. Lord Wan had attempted to vouch for himself using a letter of invitation from my father instead of showing his identification tag.
The problem arose here. Claiming that they couldn’t confirm whether the letter of invitation really was from my father, the gatekeepers had stopped Lord Wan from entering. It made no sense that the gatekeepers wouldn’t have recognized my father’s handwriting or personal seal, but even setting that aside, why wouldn’t they have called for someone who could verify it?
Instead, the gatekeepers had just tried to drive him away.
“And that’s how this happened,” Lord Wan finished.
I looked at the gatekeepers in disbelief. They evaded my gaze.
“Let me take a look at the letter,” I said.
“You?” Lord Wan’s eyes narrowed.
I nodded reassuringly. “I know my own father’s handwriting.” I stopped for a moment and explained. “He’s teaching me how to read and write, you see.”
“He is...?”
Lord Wan had visited around this time in my last life as well. But I don’t remember him causing a commotion... Maybe I just hadn’t heard about it because I’d been holed up in my quarters.
I scrutinized the letter that Lord Wan handed over reluctantly, peering at me with suspicion. It had indeed been written by my father. It was a simple letter of invitation addressed to no one, but Father’s seal was clearly recognizable. This was the sort of letter often sent to invite someone who wanted to keep their identity hidden.
Lord Wan watched me study the letter with an expression of amused skepticism. I folded the letter neatly back up and returned it to him. “I can confirm that this is my father’s writing and seal. Please, come in.”
Just as I moved to lead him inside, the gatekeeper stepped up and blocked our path. “I cannot allow that.”
What is it now?!

Chapter end