Translator: Nox

Chapter 20

20

A short while later, the three of us were sitting in the drawing room.

Namgung Hwi looked extremely nervous. He had his fists clenched neatly on his knees and was glancing at Dang-un.

In contrast, Dang-un seemed calm. Leaning back in his chair, he sipped his tea elegantly.

"..."

"..."

"..."

Someone, please say something. I'm suffocating.

An awkward silence hung in the air. I stole glances at Dang-un and Namgung Hwi, chewing on my lip.

Frozen stiff, Namgung Hwi was staring at his teacup, oblivious to my gaze. Dang-un, on the other hand, immediately met my eyes and smiled faintly.

You're the elder here; you should try to break the ice.

Giving him a pointed look, I tugged at Dang-un's sleeve, and he tilted his head as if asking what was wrong.

I tugged at his sleeve again. Just say something, anything.

Dang-un blinked at my nagging, then straightened his clothes as if understanding.

He retied the strings of his outer robe and slowly opened his mouth.

"Is the tea to your liking?"

"Yes. It's excellent tea."

Namgung Hwi quickly replied.

For the record, Namgung Hwi hadn't even touched his teacup.

It was a relief that he at least knew to offer lip service even without tasting it.

Unfazed, Dang-un savored the aroma of the tea and said gently, "It's from Mongsan. I'm glad the tea from Sichuan pleases a guest who has traveled so far."

Brother, you don't look glad at all.

Despite his gentle voice, Dang-un's gaze was cold.

He was emphasizing that Namgung Hwi was an outsider and reminding him that this was Sichuan.

"That's... yes. I apologize."

Namgung Hwi, understanding the hidden meaning, broke out in a cold sweat. But Dang-un didn't seem inclined to let it go.

"If you've enjoyed the tea sufficiently, would the Young Patriarch be so kind as to tell me which family you are a guest of? I will accompany you to the guest quarters where your party is staying."

Roughly translated, that means, 'So, which family's kid are you, and let me see your parents' faces.'

I gaped at the elegant veiled jab.

No, I asked you to break the ice, not interrogate him. He's got the Tang Clan blood in him, alright; he's got quite the temper.

Dang-un seemed displeased that some unknown family's child had entered the inner sanctum of the Tang Clan, and even the Grand Elder's residence, without permission.

"..."

"..."

Silence fell again.

Now, Namgung Hwi's legs were trembling. He seemed anxious that revealing his identity would cause his family's reputation to plummet.

Watching their standoff, I sighed deeply.

It wasn't that I wanted to protect Namgung Hwi. But if things continued like this, it could escalate into a conflict between families.

If that happened, they would investigate, and if Namgung Hwi explained why he had entered Dang Jung's residence, my story would naturally come out.

That was absolutely unacceptable. I needed to stay as quiet as a mouse, and I couldn't expose my existence to everyone.

Damn it. You owe me one later, Namgung Hwi.

I forced a smile and took Dang-un's hand.

"Brother, don't be so angry. I invited him."

"What do you mean?"

"He's my friend. I heard that Grandfather would be away, so I told him to come visit, but I guess I didn't think it through. I didn't know you were coming today, either. If you're going to scold someone, scold me."

Dang-un looked back and forth between Namgung Hwi and me with a suspicious gaze. His eyes seemed to ask how I knew a child from another family.

Ah. Dang-un must know I don't have any friends. I hurriedly added an excuse.

"We met by chance a few days ago and became friends. We went to the market street together. We decided to be friends then."

"…Is that so?"

"We even bought Japa rice cakes and played together. He said it was his first time eating Sichuan rice cakes. Right, uh, right?"

When I urgently sought his agreement, Namgung Hwi nodded vigorously. Only then did Dang-un's eyes soften.

"I misunderstood. I thought a guest from outside was bothering you."

I smiled silently, covering my mouth with my teacup.

Was it just my imagination, or did 'misunderstood that he was bothering you' sound like 'if I found out he was bothering a Tang Clan child, I would formally protest to his family'?

Brother, you have a talent for noble young lady rhetoric.

Dang-un, who had already returned to his gentle deer-like eyes, admonished Namgung Hwi.

"Even so, Young Patriarch, it would be best if you returned now. The event starts tomorrow, and if you're away for too long, your family elders will worry."

"Yes. I will."

Namgung Hwi answered quickly, jumping up from his seat and clasping his fist in the other hand. He looked like he wanted to escape as quickly as possible.

I also rose to my feet, following him.

"I'll see him out."

"Alright. Be back soon."

Dang-un smiled brightly and put down his teacup. But with a cracking sound, the table collapsed.

"D-Dang-un, Brother?"

"It's nothing. Just a fly buzzing around."

The table broke. The table broke, Brother.

This one's got quite the temper too.

Namgung Hwi's face turned white at the blatant hostility.

I retracted my judgment that Dang-un was unusually gentle for someone of the Tang Clan.

Anyone with the surname Dang must be out of their mind.

---

Namgung Hwi was silent as we walked along the road. His face was drained of all color.

He must have been shocked. It was his first time out of the house, and he got scolded by someone else's elder, so his heart must be pounding.

But he deserved it. A lot.

I clicked my tongue at Namgung Hwi's dejected appearance. He seemed to need time to collect his thoughts.

I quietly moved my feet so that he could calm down.

After fidgeting with his fingers for a while, Namgung Hwi mumbled softly.

"Thank you."

"For what?"

When I pretended not to know and asked again, Namgung Hwi answered hesitantly.

"For saying I was your friend. If they had found out there that the Namgung Young Patriarch had climbed over the wall without permission, my family's prestige would have fallen to the ground."

It was a relief that he at least knew that his actions would drag his family's prestige through the mud. I chuckled and comforted him.

"Just don't make any more mistakes."

And Dang-un would recognize him right away if they ran into each other at the banquet.

To believe that he wouldn't be caught in the end just because he had escaped one crisis was naive.

Namgung Hwi said gloomily, "I think I got too excited. This isn't Anhui, and I didn't think things through."

"Excuse me?"

"I'm sorry for suddenly showing up too. You might have had a reason for not coming out, but I just thought you were ignoring me."

I blinked at the unexpected words. He seemed to have been mulling over today's events.

Even though he's young, he's still the protagonist. It's not easy to admit your mistakes right away, so that's impressive.

Come to think of it, Namgung Hwi had immediately admitted his mistake and apologized on the day he bruised my wrist.

His words and actions were unrefined, and he was clumsy at dealing with people, but he wasn't a bad guy.

He's still young, so wouldn't he gradually get better as he got older?

Of course, I had no intention of personally turning that wild colt into a proper human being. Grow up on your own, like a protagonist should.

Namgung Hwi, his cheeks flushed as if embarrassed by his own words, said hesitantly, "Anyway, thank you for today."

"You're welcome."

I had done it for my own benefit, and it wouldn't be bad to have Namgung Hwi owe me a favor.

I might not see him again, but who knows? Maybe he'll help me in the distant future.

Of course, that's if I'm still alive by then.

Ugh, I shouldn't think negatively.

I shook my head, shaking off the stray thoughts. In the distance, I could see the guest quarters where the Namgung Family people were staying.

Only then did I remember the letter I had forgotten about.

"Ah, the letter..."

"About the letter..."

"You go first."

"No, you go first."

...Why is the timing so off?

We looked at each other and smiled awkwardly.

"I'll speak after the Young Patriarch."

When I yielded the order, Namgung Hwi looked at the ground as if he was embarrassed and mumbled.

"Well, I wrote that letter late at night... It was a little... No. It wasn't anything important, so forget about it."

"Ah."

I haven't read it, so even if I wanted to remember, I couldn't. He's being so shy about telling me not to worry about it.

When I nodded to show that I understood, Namgung Hwi asked in a whisper, "What were you going to say?"

"It wasn't anything important either. I was just going to say that you shouldn't write letters because I can't read them. I don't know how to read."

Then Namgung Hwi asked back as if it was strange.

"Why not? Weren't you studying? Your hands were covered in ink."

Ink?

Startled, I raised my right hand, and I could see my hand and sleeve were stained black.

It was so black that anyone would think I had dipped my hand in ink and pulled it out.

I'm going crazy. When am I going to wash this off?

As I shook my hand in disgust, Namgung Hwi chuckled.

"You didn't know? You were like that a few days ago too. You were covered in ink, like someone who had never held a brush before."

I've never held a brush before. I only used it in calligraphy class in elementary school, and I've never had a reason to use it in my life.

Hiding my ink-stained sleeve behind my back, I mumbled, "...Please forget about it."

"You do know how to write, right? You have to reply to the next letter. I'll write it again and give it to you."

"I told you, I don't know how to read. I haven't even finished the Thousand Character Classic yet."

"Then you'll finish it soon. You can send it slowly, so study and send it. Got it? I'm going now."

"No, how long do you think that will take...?! He's really leaving?"

Namgung Hwi, who had arbitrarily forced me to reply, went straight into the guest quarters without even hearing my answer.

His steps were light, and he seemed somehow excited.

I stared blankly at Namgung Hwi's retreating figure.

He's not a bad guy? He only says what he wants to say.