-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 8
Chapter Title: The Child's Identity
-----------------------------------------------------------------
It was about finding the Namgung Sega's child.
Even if they'd announced a different gender to sow confusion, people were flocking, eager for the Namgung name and the massive bounty that came with it.
It was so bad that some even feigned madness, trying to pass off their own daughters as the one.
But could the Namgung Sega truly have made such a blanket announcement without foreseeing this very situation?
‘No way.’
Unless they were fools, the Namgung would have anticipated this chaos.
Yet, the fact they offered such a massive reward implied a definitive method of identification, one impervious to petty deceptions.
“I assumed there'd be a way to verify my identity once I arrived at the Namgung. Am I wrong?”
At Ilhwa's words, Namgung Mucheon's eyes blazed with an even more menacing intensity.
His piercing gaze was enough to send a chill down one's spine.
After a brief moment under that piercing stare, his lips seemed to curve ever so slightly, and then Namgung Mucheon let out a booming laugh.
“Hahahahaha!”
His laughter boomed, reverberating through the Cheonhojeon.
The Steward and Seop Mugwang also wore smiles.
“You are right! The way to prove the Namgung's child lies within the Namgung itself.”
Namgung Mucheon, a hint of amusement still in his eyes, propped his chin and gazed at her.
“However, not at this moment. The one who can verify your identity is on their way, but you'll have to wait a few days. Will you agree to that?”
There was no reason to object.
“Yes, I will.”
“Very well.”
Namgung Mucheon raised his hand and instructed the Steward.
“Give the child a room in the inner chambers.”
The Steward stepped forward in shock.
“Patriarch, the inner chambers are too much.”
The inner chambers were a place where only direct descendants of the Namgung could stay.
Allowing someone not yet recognized as a Namgung child into the inner chambers could lead to objections from other blood relatives.
However, as it was the Patriarch's command, the Steward reluctantly suggested an alternative.
“Wouldn't it be better to provide one of the high-ranking guest quarters in the outer hall instead of the inner chambers?”
The high-ranking guest quarters were specifically for esteemed visitors among the general guest accommodations.
It was a suggestion made because he perceived Namgung Mucheon's desire to treat the child with utmost respect.
“Hmm.”
Namgung Mucheon looked displeased.
As the Steward found himself in an awkward position, Ilhwa stepped forward, aiding him.
“I'd prefer the guest quarters myself.”
Namgung Mucheon's gaze deepened.
“The guest quarters are where visitors to Namgung stay. You want to stay there?”
Ilhwa understood the meaning behind Namgung Mucheon's question.
‘Are you merely a guest of the Namgung?’
He must be displeased that she, who came claiming to be a Namgung child, would choose to stay in the guest quarters.
After all, he was someone who valued the Namgung's pride more than anyone.
However, staying in the inner chambers when not fully recognized would be a burden.
‘It wouldn't do to stir up trouble the moment I arrive.’
Considering what lies ahead, it would be best to be recognized as a member of the Namgung without stirring up any issues.
“The inner chambers are where I'll end up anyway, so I'd like to try staying in the guest quarters. I've heard the Namgung's guest quarters are excellent, and I'm curious to see how good they truly are.”
At her words, laced with the certainty that she would indeed be recognized as a Namgung member, Namgung Mucheon's lips curved once more.
“If that is what you wish. Then, it shall be the Cheongaekwon.”
“…!”
The Steward was shocked once again.
“The, the Cheongaekwon, you mean? Patriarch, the Cheongaekwon is….”
Isn't that a place that only opens for the most esteemed of guests?
For merely this young child?
“Is anyone currently staying in the Cheongaekwon?”
“No, but….”
The news of the Cheongaekwon being opened would surely cause no small ripple within the family….
“Provide the Cheongaekwon.”
As if the flustered Steward's concerns were irrelevant, Namgung Mucheon did not retract his decision.
In truth, Ilhwa didn't care where she rested her head, as long as it wasn't the inner chambers.
To her, the Cheongaekwon was merely a guest room with a slightly better bed.
“Thank you for your consideration, Patriarch.”
“You may withdraw now.”
Ilhwa bowed to him, then turned and exited the Cheonhojeon.
As she scurried away, oblivious to the ripples Namgung Mucheon's decision would cause within the family, the Steward gestured with a flustered 'Oh, oh.'
Then, belatedly, he exclaimed 'Ah, wait!' and hurried after her.
“Isn't it excessive? Especially when nothing is confirmed yet.”
As Seop Mugwang watched the two figures depart, he subtly posed a question, and Namgung Mucheon's lips curved into a deeper smile.
“One can become a lifelong friend by sharing a single cup of water. How could I not recognize someone of my own blood?”
Seop Mugwang looked at Namgung Mucheon with a surprised gaze.
In the past eight years, Namgung Mucheon had met hundreds of children. Among them, he had never spoken with such certainty.
“Then…”
“To say the Cheongaekwon is excessive is incorrect.”
Namgung Mucheon clenched and unclenched his hand. His gaze held a wistful light, as if recalling an unforgettable sensation from a very long time ago.
“It would be woefully insufficient.”
* * *
“What did you say?”
Outer Hall Master Namgung Yeom, who was immersed in his paperwork, asked the Steward again with a blank expression.
“He ordered the Cheongaekwon to be opened.”
“The Cheongaekwon… you say? Did the Patriarch truly give such an order?”
“Indeed.”
“Is it perhaps related to the urgent conclusion of this morning's meeting?”
“It is.”
‘I expected something urgent had come up, as he hurried the meeting to an end….’
Could a guest important enough to warrant opening the Cheongaekwon truly have visited the Namgung?
It had been almost a year since a guest last stayed in the Cheongaekwon, so it was certainly surprising. However, guests often arrived without prior notice.
The Namgung's Outer Hall was prepared to treat guests with utmost respect even for such sudden visits.
“Understood. I will instruct them to prepare quickly. Where is the esteemed guest currently?”
“Before that, I have some instructions for you.”
“Instructions, you say…?”
* * *
Outer Hall Master Namgung Yeom stared at the young child standing before him, momentarily lost in a daze.
‘Do not ask who the esteemed guest is, or why they visited Namgung. You must never try to pry into their affairs. Simply ensure they can stay comfortably. Inform the maidservants of this as well.’
He had assumed it was a special guest based on those words.
‘A child?’
Surprised, as he had never imagined the esteemed guest would be a child, Namgung Yeom quickly composed his expression and offered a cupped-fist salutation.
Outwardly, he appeared to be none the wiser.
For the martial world was a place where events defying common sense often occurred.
“Greetings to the esteemed guest. I am Namgung Yeom, the Outer Hall Master of the Namgung.”
Ilhwa returned the cupped-fist salutation.
‘Try to conceal your name as much as possible. That is, if you wish to avoid troublesome affairs…’
Those were the words of the Steward who had led her to the Cheongaekwon.
Ilhwa, understanding it as a warning to be careful since her status as a Namgung child hadn't been definitively confirmed, readily agreed.
There was no harm in being careful.
“Please come in. I will guide you to the Cheongaekwon.”
Fortunately, the Outer Hall Master did not ask her name or identity.
Ilhwa followed behind him.
“The Cheongaekwon is the pride of our family. Even when no esteemed guest is staying, it is cleaned five times a day, and the bedding is changed daily.”
It essentially meant it was impeccably clean.
“If you need anything, the maidservants are always on standby, so please tell them anything. The Cheongaekwon is especially guarded by the Namgung's trained inner chamber martial artists, so…”
“Excuse me…”
“Yes. Is there something you need?”
“May I look around by myself?”
“Ah.”
The Outer Hall Master was a perceptive man.
As receiving guests to the Namgung was his primary duty, he was naturally quick on the uptake.
“I seem to have disturbed the esteemed guest's rest. I will withdraw now. If you need anything, please call for a maidservant at any time.”
The Outer Hall Master bowed respectfully to Ilhwa, then departed from the Cheongaekwon.
Inside the vast Cheongaekwon, only Ilhwa remained, aside from the maidservants waiting like shadows.
She had visited this place in her previous life and was familiar with its layout. However, Ilhwa deliberately wandered around the Cheongaekwon.
The small pond where golden carp resided, the pavilion where warm tea was always prepared, and even a hot spring one could enjoy without any disturbance.
Ilhwa, who had explored various parts of the Cheongaekwon as if familiarizing herself with its layout, finally made her way to her room.
She had deliberately explored a layout she already knew, to mislead the maidservants.
‘Everything I do, everything I eat, will be reported to the Patriarch, won't it?’
As long as she stayed in the Namgung Sega, she couldn't escape the Namgung's watchful eyes.
It was something she had prepared for the moment she crossed the Namgung's threshold.
After circling the Cheongaekwon, Ilhwa arrived at her room, closed the door, and immediately lay down on the bed.
“Hah…”
It was still morning, the sun not yet high in the sky.
So much had happened in less than half a day.
‘Finally, the Namgung.’
She had somewhat expected it, but returning to the Namgung, a place she had considered an enemy in her previous life, felt stranger than she had imagined.
The strangest feeling was facing those she had killed with her own hands in her previous life.
The Patriarch Namgung Mucheon and Bipunggeom Seop Mugwang had not died by Ilhwa's hand.
In her previous life, they were masters of a realm Ilhwa could not contend with, and it was Hyeolma and the Six Blood Lords who killed them. However.
‘Namgung Mun. Namgung Yeom.’
The Namgung's Steward and Outer Hall Master.
Especially the Steward, Namgung Mun, was someone Ilhwa had personally tortured to obtain the Namgung's secret martial arts manual.
When she closed her eyes, the events of that time vividly resurfaced.
The futile roar of the weak, who, even as they lay dying, had poured out venomous glares and words at her.
