Translator: Nox

Chapter 23

23

Dang Jung's expression stiffened.

"Listen, brat. Stop flapping your tongue."

"That kid doesn't know anything. Brother, are you really senile? What are you thinking?"

Peng Lak, who had been grumbling, shut his mouth. It seemed Dang Jung, belatedly aware of me, was using Telepathic transmission to stop him.

Faced with Dang Jung's angry demeanor, he scratched his head and backed down.

"It's not like I said anything wrong, geez. Okay, okay, don't get angry. How can I live if I'm scared all the time?"

"That mouth of yours will never grow up. You're the type whose mouth would float even if you fell into a lake."

Dang Jung kicked his calf with a grumpy face.

"Ouch! This old man is trying to kill someone!"

Peng Lak clutched his shin, making a fuss and exaggerating. Judging by the fact that he was rubbing a spot other than where he was kicked, he seemed to be teasing on purpose.

The two had returned to being close friends, as if they had never been at odds.

But I couldn't bring myself to smile along. My mind was blank, as if I had been hit on the head.

'Tsk. That face of hers, saying she doesn't know anything, is just like Hwa-yeon's, so he can't help but be drawn to her.'

'Her crying face also resembles Hwa-yeon, making me worry.'

My stomach churned. My heart pounded unpleasantly.

I had vaguely sensed that Dang Jung was seeing someone else in me.

But I never knew it was Dang Jung's sister.

And I certainly didn't know she resembled her so much that Peng Lak would advise him not to project a dead person onto a living one.

How should I describe this feeling?

Betrayal? No. I had only known Dang Jung for a couple of months. We weren't close enough to use the word betrayal.

Disappointment? What was I expecting to be disappointed?

On the contrary, my life as a Maid had become easier thanks to Dang Jung. I had only benefited, not lost anything.

It's just…….

I seemed to be relying on Dang Jung more than I thought.

My fingertips trembled. I tried to think rationally.

He's only human, so it's understandable. If I were in the Central Plains and saw someone who resembled my family, I would be drawn to them too.

Even knowing they were unrelated, I would probably want to buy them a meal. That's just how people are.

So what? It's okay. It's nothing.

I took a deep breath and forced myself to move my legs. My heavy heels dragged on the ground.

Dang Jung, who noticed the changed sound of my footsteps with uncanny perception, turned around. He examined my complexion and sighed.

"So-hye-ya. Come here."

"……Yes."

I hesitantly approached Dang Jung. I wanted to act like nothing was wrong, but my heart was pounding.

Dang Jung, who put his arm around my shoulder, stretched out his other arm. A spherical, translucent barrier enveloped the three of us.

But even with the wondrous sight, I felt nothing. My chest was tight, and it was hard to breathe.

Peng Lak stroked his beard and asked.

"What are you going to say that you even put up a barrier?"

"This kid is my granddaughter."

"What?"

"Granddaughter."

Dang Jung pressed his temples as if he had a headache.

"Mu-hyuk's youngest daughter, born out of wedlock. There are circumstances, so she hasn't been officially recognized yet. Do I have to say such embarrassing things? So-hye misunderstood because of you."

"Oh, my. This is..."

Peng Lak twisted his beard with an embarrassed face. He looked like he had made a mistake.

"I was being meddlesome. I'm sorry, kid."

"Yes? No, it's alright."

"Goodness, bloodlines are truly amazing. Even though you're family, it's incredible how much you can resemble each other. So-hye, was it? Come visit the Peng Clan with your brother sometime. I'll treat you to a grand feast as a sign of my apology. The wine brewed in Hebei, Eun, is not allowed. The meatball dish is quite delicious."

He messed up my hair, muttering to himself. He seemed to be saying whatever came to mind in his embarrassment.

It hurts, Elder.

My head shook with every movement of his large hand, making me feel nauseous. The strong grip was loosening my bun, leaving my hair disheveled.

Dang Jung, unable to watch any longer, struck Peng Lak's wrist.

"Why are you pulling the hair of someone's precious granddaughter?"

"When did I pull anyone's hair? Are you alright? I'm sorry."

"Haha, ha. It's alright."

I smiled weakly and tidied my messy hair. Dang Jung, who took out a comb from his sleeve and handed it to me, clicked his tongue.

"Don't pay attention to that idiot's words. It's not like that."

"Yes."

I nodded and forced a smile. But my mood didn't improve.

I had seen how Dang Jung treated Dang Mu-hyeok and Dang-un. He wasn't someone who was unconditionally kind just because they were direct descendants of the Tang Clan.

If I didn't resemble Dang Jung's sister, would he have taken an interest in me? Would he have noticed that I had Immunity to all poisons?

Probably not. The reason he was kind to me was simply…….

"Child."

Dang Jung called me kindly. When I raised my head, Dang Jung and Peng Lak were looking at me with benevolent expressions.

"Let's go for now. When we get back, Grandpa will tell you old stories."

Dang Jung patted my shoulder. I forced my heavy steps forward.

* * *

As soon as they arrived at the pavilion, Peng Lak excused himself, saying he was going for a walk in the back garden.

"I must be getting old. I feel a bit queasy after eating just a few pieces of meat. I'll go digest a bit."

Dang Jung didn't even bother to reply to the lame excuse, waving his hand as if to tell him to get lost.

He looked like he was about to slap Peng Lak for complicating the situation.

Dang Jung took me to the tea room and sat me by the window where the sunlight streamed in. Then, he took out his cherished tea set and placed it in front of me.

The sound of boiling water and the fragrant scent of flowers filled the tea room. It was jasmine tea.

Dang Jung, who poured flower tea into a transparent jade cup, said.

"If you don't feel like it, at least smell the fragrance. It will make you feel better."

"Yes."

I replied and slowly picked up the jade cup.

I bit my lip to compose my expression, but the stiff muscles didn't move as I wished.

When I held the cup without saying anything, Dang Jung asked softly.

"You're curious about who Hwa-yeon is, aren't you?"

I nodded slightly. Dang Jung, who met my eyes, smiled.

"Hwa-yeon is my sister who I lost long ago. She passed away when she was about your age. It's been over a hundred years."

"……."

"She was a talented and headstrong child. Just like you, So-hye, she was a tomboy whose thoughts were written all over her face."

A look of longing appeared in his dark blue eyes. Dang Jung was once again seeing Hwa-yeon in me.

I quietly sipped the flower tea. The flower fragrance, which should have been sweet, felt bitter.

Dang Jung, who slowly closed and opened his eyes, continued.

"But Hwa-yeon didn't receive the Tang Clan's Martial Arts Technique. Her marriage to the Hubei region was arranged since she was in her mother's womb. Since she would become an outsider once she married, there was nothing she could learn except for the basic Internal Martial Arts."

"Her marriage was arranged when she was in her mother's womb?"

"Yes. It was an important marriage agreement."

When I asked in surprise, Dang Jung replied calmly.

The Tang Clan's marriages were said to only seek profit, and it seemed that even an unborn child couldn't escape the sacrifice for the family's benefit.

Dang Jung, who was watching my expression, continued slowly.

"Of course, Hwa-yeon didn't give up. She followed me around every day, begging me to teach her Poison skill. But I couldn't grant her wish. Because of the foolish thought that I couldn't break the family's strict rules. Hwa-yeon left the family at the age of sixteen for a political marriage. And……. She passed away while giving birth."

I gasped and put down the teacup. Dang Jung's voice was calm as he spoke of his dead sister, but his expression was full of sadness.

"Neither the child nor the mother survived. At the time, I had left for Jianghu, so I heard the news very late. I was a useless brother who couldn't even see her off on her way."

"Grand Elder."

"If she had learned even a little Martial Arts Technique, she wouldn't have passed away so futilely……. I still regret it. Well, it's just an old man's lingering attachment now."

Dang Jung, who spoke calmly, looked out the window.

Was it just my imagination that his dry eyes seemed to be wet?

Even the old man, who seemed to have transcended worldly affairs, had indelible scars.

"Grand Elder, I……."

"Child. Why are you making such a face?"

"I'm……. I mean……. I'm sorry."

"You have done nothing wrong. I should be the one apologizing. This old man is the one who created this situation."

I carefully took Dang Jung's hand. I was unfamiliar with Dang Jung's self-reproachful appearance.

"At first, I was drawn to you because you resembled Hwa-yeon. It's an obvious fact, so I won't deny it. This old man……."

Dang Jung hesitated before opening his mouth.

"……I thought that if Hwa-yeon had a daughter, she would be like you, So-hye."

Dang Jung, who smiled bitterly, lowered his gaze. His long eyelashes cast a faint shadow.

"Ah……. So, the reason you were trying to teach me Martial Arts Technique was……."

"I wanted you to live differently from Hwa-yeon. Isn't it enough for one person to have their talent wasted by being bound by rules?"

I sighed softly.

The man in front of me now was neither the Poison King Dang Jung who bestowed opportunities upon the protagonist, nor the Grand Elder of the Sichuan Tang Clan, Dang Jung.

At this moment, he was merely a man whose heart was wounded by the death of his sister.

A man who had been submerged in a swamp of guilt for a time that would have changed the landscape dozens of times, a man who had lost someone precious.

I bit my lower lip tightly.

There was no reason to blame Dang Jung. When I thought about it, hadn't I also only thought of him as a prickly character in a novel?

We hadn't been looking at each other properly.

Yes. Even if he was interested in me because I resembled his younger sister, it didn't negate the kindness he had shown me.

It was a story that only someone of Peng Lak's age would know, and it wasn't like he had deliberately deceived me.

It was just that the situation had turned out that way.

Thinking that way made me feel at ease.

When I released his hand, Dang Jung raised his head. His eyes were darker than usual.

His face didn't reveal any emotion, but to my eyes, he looked desperately lonely.

"It's okay."

"……."

"I'm okay. Grand Elder."

I hugged Dang Jung tightly.