Chapter 3
Chapter 3
I hurriedly washed my hands with clean water, and the child burst into laughter.
"Haha. To handle Poison as if it were rice cake dough and not know it's Poison, you're a curious one."
"I, I'm not going to die, am I? Should I take some kind of antidote pill?"
"You look perfectly fine. You haven't been poisoned at all."
The child shrugged and picked up the laundry I had thrown down.
"We don't wash clothes tainted with Poison. We burn them. Everything you're carrying should be discarded. How could they give you such things to wash?"
His eyes narrowed. I hesitated before answering.
"I don't know."
"Isn't it obvious? Someone is trying to kill you with their tricks."
The child's dark blue eyes gleamed sharply. A chill ran down my spine at his cold voice. Why me?
My face paled, and the child flicked my forehead.
"Just kidding."
"Huh?"
"What would I gain from killing you? The other Maids must be trying to tease you. They probably thought you'd cry and make a fuss about dying, but you obediently washed the clothes, so they thought it was great and kept giving you the same work."
"Ah..."
So that was it. No wonder no one was around when I was doing laundry. I didn't even realize it was hazing.
He smirked at my dumbfounded expression and advised, "You have no tact, child. You need to know how to give in appropriately to blend in with the group."
Now that he mentioned it, no one had called me by my name for the first three days. No one except Songji spoke to me.
As he said, So-hye seemed to be ostracized by the others.
I still had to finish the laundry...
Looking at the robes strewn on the ground, anger welled up inside me.
To give me laundry tainted with Poison just because they hate me is going too far. Isn't this attempted murder?
As I stabbed at the laundry with anger, the child clutched his stomach and laughed.
"Haha, no wonder you're disliked when your face gives everything away."
If Songji said the same thing, I must be swearing with my expressions.
After laughing for a while, the child said, "Don't make that face. I told you, you don't need an antidote."
"Are you sure I'm okay?"
"You'd know better than anyone. You don't feel anything, do you? I was wondering how you could be fine after handling such potent Poison for days."
So that was it? I thought he was just visiting out of boredom. I blinked, looking completely clueless, and he clicked his tongue softly.
"Tsk. That 'I don't know anything' face is just like Hwayeon's, no wonder I can't help but care."
The old-mannered Young Master, resting his chin on his hand as if I were hopeless, slowly began to explain for my sake.
According to him, it was difficult to survive in the Tang Clan without Poison resistance.
Even though Poison was only manufactured and studied deep within the inner quarters, it was impossible to completely block the Poison that permeated the air.
Therefore, the servants of the Tang Clan underwent training to develop Poison resistance. The medicinal soup given out once a week was actually Poison for training.
"I drank it yesterday too."
"You don't need to drink it. It's a waste of medicine. You're better than most Martial Artists."
That was Poison? No wonder it tasted so awful.
In any case, many people quit their jobs during that process.
No matter how much money they were paid, not many people wanted to work while ingesting Poison.
After weeding out people, all that remained were distant relatives with a thin trace of Tang Clan blood, illegitimate children with nowhere else to go, or the children of servants who were born in the Tang Clan and naturally worked there.
There were even rumors that the Tang Clan bought commoners with money to experiment with Poison concentration, and seeing how they gradually built up resistance by feeding them medicinal soup, it didn't seem like a complete fabrication.
"Is that rumor true?"
"Nonsense. Poison skills are used when fighting Martial Artists. What would we gain from experimenting with Poison on commoners?"
Could I trust him?
It was unsettling, but I decided to agree for now.
"Then, Young Master, do you drink Poison too?"
"I think I did when I was younger."
"Huh? Even younger than now?"
The child shrugged at my shock.
"It's okay. The Poison King Hall has a secret method for adjusting the concentration of Poison according to a person's age and size."
His tone was meant to reassure me, but I wasn't reassured at all.
...How did they gather that secret method? It must be true that they experimented with Poison concentration for money, not just a rumor!
"Our ancestors have been raising promising talents and recording data for hundreds of years, so you can trust it."
"I, I see."
That meant they had been feeding Poison to their family members and recording their reactions for hundreds of years.
They didn't feel anything strange even after conducting bio-experiments on their parents, siblings, sons, daughters, nephews, and grandchildren. These people were all abnormal.
I respectfully clasped my hands together. I shouldn't get cocky just because I'd become a little closer to the Young Master.
The child seemed amused by my reaction and smiled brightly. His smile was so radiant that it seemed like spring flowers were blooming behind him.
That made it even scarier. It felt like he would feed me Poison while smiling.
"Alright. Eat this."
After laughing for a while, he took something out of his sleeve and handed it to me. It was a lump carefully wrapped in plain cotton cloth.
It wasn't real Poison, was it?
I wiped the moisture from my hands on my sleeve and hesitantly received the lump.
Unwrapping the pure white cotton revealed a flour confection soaked in honey.
It was a Tang confection I had only heard about.
Thank goodness. It wasn't Poison.
Relieved, I chuckled softly.
Our Young Master used sophisticated language as if he were an adult, but he carried sweets in his pockets. He was kind of cute.
I smiled and split the confection in half, offering it to the child.
"Young Master, let's eat together."
"I'm fine. You eat it."
"Don't say that, let's eat together. How can I eat this precious thing all by myself?"
After I repeatedly urged him, the child scratched his cheek and took the half confection, stuffing it into his mouth in one bite.
He grimaced as he chewed, as if he didn't particularly like sweets.
Seeing the child adjusting his clothes with a grumpy face, curiosity arose. I blurted out a question.
"Young Master, I have something I'm curious about. May I ask?"
"Speak."
"Why do you carry things in your sleeves? Wouldn't it be more stable to carry them in your waistband or inside chest pocket? It seems uncomfortable when you walk."
"..."
The child seemed speechless, as if he hadn't expected that question. After staring into space for a while, the child barely managed to answer.
"...There's a certain knack to it."
"Ah."
He probably hadn't thought about the reason either. It was better not to ask further.
As I pretended to agree, the child changed the subject.
"In any case, it seems someone is playing tricks, so go see Madam Jin. The Tang Clan's Poison is not something to be taken lightly."
I nodded, chewing on the confection. I had no intention of taking on work that I didn't have to.
* * *
I went to see Madam Jin right away, carrying the laundry tainted with Poison.
Madam Jin, who was organizing the ledger with the Chief Steward, frowned when she saw me and covered her nose.
"What is this smell? Did you bring it without finishing the washing? Where do you think you are!"
"Oleander, I see. The principle is to discard robes tainted with Poison, is there a problem?"
The Chief Steward, cutting off Madam Jin's words, stared at me intently. He noticed the matter before I even spoke, he was a quick-witted man.
Madam Jin, startled by the word Poison, took a step back. I nodded obediently.
"Yes, Chief Steward. All the laundry I've received recently has been tainted with Poison. No one will listen to my complaints, and it's too much for my body to handle, so I came to report it."
It was a sophisticated way of saying, 'The other Maids are bullying me, so please resolve it.'
I tried to imitate the tone of a character in a martial arts novel, but I wasn't sure if it was right. Was it 'soin'? 'Sonyeo'? Which was right?
While I was pondering, Madam Jin's face turned pale.
"Chief Steward, I never ordered the washing of discarded items. There must have been a mistake in the handling of the lower staff."
At Madam Jin's excuse, the Chief Steward's eyes narrowed sharply. Approaching me and checking the laundry, the Chief Steward sighed and asked me.
"Do you need an antidote pill?"
"I'm okay, no. If you give it to me, I will gratefully accept it."
I hurriedly changed my words. I might be fine now, but I didn't know when I might be poisoned. It would be good to have an antidote on hand.
Nodding, the Chief Steward rummaged through the sleeve of the robe and took out a small wooden box.
I bowed and received the wooden box. A strange fragrance, like the scent of an antidote, wafted up. As I carefully put the wooden box away, the Chief Steward asked.
"What is your name?"
"So-hye."
At that, the Chief Steward's eyes widened. Madam Jin also seemed surprised, opening her mouth and looking at the Chief Steward.
The Chief Steward hesitated, as if choosing his words, then cleared his throat.
"Ahem, I see. Leave that there. You don't have to do the washing. Madam Jin."
"Yes. I will look into it. I will take care of the aftermath, so please don't worry, sir."
Nodding, the Chief Steward gestured lightly. It seemed like he was telling me to leave. I also bowed to him and turned around.
No more laundry tainted with Poison. No more!
I left the Chief Steward's office feeling refreshed. But just as I was about to leave, Madam Jin approached and grabbed me.
"Y-you, So-hye...?"
"Yes?"
She awkwardly grabbed my sleeve, fidgeting as she took my hand. It was a completely different attitude from when she had scolded me outright at first.
I awkwardly licked my lips. Why was she suddenly like this?
"Are you really So-hye?"
"Yes."
"Really, really, are you So-hye, the daughter of Choryeon?"
Madam Jin asked, her eyes welling up with tears. Her dark eyes held emotions like longing and sorrow.
...I don't know about that. I've never seen my mother.
This was awkward. I wanted to let go of Madam Jin's hand.
