Chapter 35
35
8. Heir to the Poison King
Left alone, I slowly unfolded the silk bundle.
Inside was a neatly folded letter and a simple wooden hairpin.
It was the hairpin I had seen at the night market yesterday.
I ran my fingertip over the cloud pattern carved at the end of the hairpin and let out a hollow laugh.
So that's where he went all of a sudden? He went to buy this? Did I look like I liked it?
I was also curious about the contents of the letter. What did he write that made him insist on a reply?
I wrapped the hairpin back up and tucked the bundle into my arms. It would be best to check the letter slowly when I returned to my quarters.
I hope there aren't too many words I don't know.
* * *
All morning, I did laundry, swept the floor, and dusted the furniture.
Thanks to the Maid's diligent work, the Guest quarters were spotless, with no trace of anyone having stayed there.
When I thought I had made enough of an impression that I had come to work, I poked Songji in the side.
"Sister, I'll go ahead first."
"You're going to the Elder's quarters as soon as you finish work? You're working hard too. Okay."
Songji, looking sympathetic, patted me.
Sorry, Songji. I'm going to rest. If the Elder isn't there, I'll lie down for a bit.
I handed the tray I was holding to Songji and darted out of the Guest quarters.
The moment I entered Dang Jung's residence, anticipating a chance to slack off, Dang Jung's voice came from above.
"You've come. I was just about to call you."
I looked up and saw Dang Jung sitting on a willow branch. In his left hand, he held a long pipe from which smoke was rising.
Is he smoking?
As I stared at the long pipe, Dang Jung chuckled and said,
"It's agarwood. It helps calm the mind."
"You're smoking incense in a long pipe?"
"Isn't it a hassle to carry around an incense burner?"
"……Ah. Yes."
He jumps over walls, roughly boils tea water with Internal Martial Arts, and now he smokes incense in a long pipe.
I'm not sure if he's unbiased or just pursuing efficiency.
At my half-hearted reply, Dang Jung narrowed his eyes and glared at me. Startled, I averted my gaze, and Dang Jung snorted and jumped down from the tree.
He landed silently in front of me and lightly pinched my nose.
"Ouch. That hurts."
"Such dramatics. I know you were making fun of your grandpa."
I wasn't making fun of you.
He waved the long pipe to extinguish the incense and plopped down under the shade of the tree.
The way he looked, sitting on the dirt floor like a child playing, made me feel uneasy.
"……Should I bring something to sit on?"
"Why bother. You sit too."
"Yes."
Dang Jung sat me down on the ground and took out a Gaiwan from his pocket to brew tea.
"The scent is nice. It smells savory."
Dang Jung blinked in surprise at my admiration.
"You can tell now? At first, you looked like you were wondering why I was giving you water with grass clippings in it."
I didn't think that harshly.
Dang Jung closed his eyes and took a deep breath, as if savoring the scent of the tea. He slowly blinked his long eyelashes and opened his mouth.
"I have summoned the Council of Elders."
"The Council of Elders? The one where retired elders give unsolicited advice when they're bored?"
"……That's not wrong, but they've never given unsolicited advice. Where do you learn such words?"
Ah. The Elder is a Grand Elder.
I hurriedly looked around, but Dang Jung didn't seem to care at all. He sipped his tea and continued.
"They're lazy, but they'll crawl out if this old man calls them."
"Ahaha, you must have something important to discuss."
Dang Jung replied as if it were obvious.
"Important. It's the first time you'll be appearing before the Council of Elders."
That's right. The first time I'll be appearing before the Council of Elders…… Wait, what?
"Pardon?"
"You'll be coming with me. Prepare yourself."
"Pardon?"
At the absurd words, I dropped the teacup I was holding.
"You still don't have any strength in your hands. You need to eat more meat."
Dang Jung, who had lightly caught the teacup I dropped, clicked his tongue and said.
I dropped it because I was surprised by the Elder's strange words.
"But won't meeting the Grand Elders draw attention? You told me to stay quiet."
"I'm taking you there to draw attention. I need to show everyone that this old man is protecting you."
"Why all of a sudden……."
"I will move the Council of Elders to demand your registration to the Tang Clan from the Patriarch. I will say that this child, whom I have marked as the heir to the Poison King, must be registered."
Dang Jung's gaze touched the scar on my neck and then fell away.
"That way, attention will be focused on you, who suddenly appeared. The more rumors about you snowball, the more people pay attention to your every move, the safer you will be."
He sighed and added,
"The insignificant ones won't dare to attack."
I looked at Dang Jung hesitantly. Many words came to mind, but it was difficult to utter any of them.
It seemed he had decided to change his attitude because of what happened in Sim-yang.
I knew this would happen someday. I had expected from the beginning that I couldn't hide for long.
After moving my lips for a while, I barely managed to open my mouth.
"What do you want me to do?"
"Prove your worth before the Council of Elders. That is the first thing you must do to be recognized as a member of the Tang Clan."
Prove my worth.
The heavy words weighed heavily on my heart. I swallowed hard and replied.
"Yes, Grandpa."
"Then hurry and prepare yourself. Madam Jin is waiting inside."
"……Grandpa. Did you mean prepare right now?"
"Strike while the iron is hot. What's the point of dragging it out? Go inside quickly."
Ugh, you should have told me at least a day in advance.
I screamed and ran into the residence.
* * *
The start of the preparations was a bath.
Madam Jin put me in an orchid bath, loosened my tied hair, and soaked it in water boiled with hibiscus leaves. Then, she combed out the tangled strands of hair one by one with a fine comb.
I awkwardly shrank back.
Being attended to by an adult who was my superior until yesterday made me uncomfortable.
Seeing me stiffen, Madam Jin asked kindly.
"Young Miss. Are you uncomfortable anywhere? Shall I raise the water temperature?"
Your attitude is incredibly uncomfortable.
Looking around, I cautiously opened my mouth.
"The water temperature is fine. ……Madam, could you please speak comfortably?"
"I cannot. You must get used to being served now. Lower your speech as well."
He scolded me in a stern voice.
Please consider my position as someone being spoken to formally by my mother's friend.
In any case, Madam Jin quickly removed my old grime as if she were used to washing others.
"Young Miss. Would you close your eyes?"
When I closed my eyes, I felt the sensation of thick thread touching my face. The moment I flinched at the feeling of my skin being pulled, my eyebrows were plucked out.
"Ugh, that hurts!"
"Please stay still, Young Miss. It will be over soon."
Despite my screams, Madam Jin did not stop her cruel hand movements. Rather, she sped up and shaved off the peach fuzz on my face.
While I was stunned by the shock of my facial skin being peeled off, Madam Jin took me out of the bath and dressed me in a pure white robe.
She cracked eggs soaked in alcohol into a large bowl, and then began to apply it to my face using a wide brush.
When I wrinkled my nose at the fishy smell of eggs mixed with alcohol, Madam Jin said sternly.
"Do not frown. It will cause wrinkles."
I squeezed my eyes shut and held my breath. I felt like I was going to sneeze every time the smell rose.
When the egg dried on my face and became stiff, Madam Jin wiped my face clean with new cleansing water.
As if that wasn't enough, she soaked a new silk cloth with plenty of whitish liquid and placed it on my face.
If it was hard to breathe because of the smell earlier, this time it was hard to breathe because the cloth covered my nostrils.
Isn't this torture?
I flared my nostrils and hoped that this moment of hardship would pass quickly.
Finally, Madam Jin removed the silk and applied a generous amount of white powder mixed with water to my face using a cotton swab.
Next, she rubbed rouge made from safflower water on my lips. She did the same on both cheeks.
"We don't need to draw the eyebrows."
Madam Jin combed and tidied my eyebrows, then dried the moisture from my wet hair with a towel.
The process of drying my long hair, applying osmanthus oil, and styling it was incredibly tedious and long.
Just as I was nodding off, Madam Jin finished styling my hair and raised me up.
"Young Miss. I will help you change your clothes."
I admired the splendid green Palace dress and put my arms through the sleeves for a moment, but a groan escaped my lips at the sensation of being weighed down.
The weight of the layers of silk was heavy, and it was difficult to move my arms because the sleeves were too long.
Who wears something like this?
To make matters worse, the hem of the dress kept dragging on the floor. When I stepped on my own hem and staggered, Madam Jin hurriedly supported me.
"Young Miss. Hold on to me."
Madam Jin, who had adjusted my clothes so that the hem would not drag, opened the door. I carefully walked outside, trying not to step on my skirt.
Dang Jung, who saw me, had a satisfied look on his face.
"Good. Now that you're cleaned up, you're presentable. You've worked hard."
He gave credit to Madam Jin and approached me with a large dart.
The length, which was easily over a span, sent a chill down my spine.
"Gra, Grandpa? What are you going to use that for?"
Dang Jung replied as if he were asking something obvious.
"Don't I need to pierce your ears?"
If you pierce them with that, I'll get a nostril instead of an ear hole.
"It's too thick. Won't it hurt?"
"You're such a scaredy-cat. It won't hurt. If you're really scared, close your eyes."
Dang Jung, who ignored my opinion, leaned towards me.
At least change the dart to a thinner one.
I squeezed my eyes shut, trying not to see the approaching hand. I felt a cool metal touch my earlobe, and then a pricking sensation.
"You can open your eyes now."
Oh. It really doesn't hurt.
When I opened my eyes, Madam Jin showed me a bronze mirror in front of my face. There were jade earrings crafted with gold on both of my ears.
When I touched my ears in wonder, Dang Jung chuckled.
"Such dramatics. All that's left is to put on the pibeak. Let's go now."
He draped a thin silk over my shoulders and picked me up.
In the blink of an eye, Dang Jung leaped over dozens of walls and set me down in front of an unfamiliar residence.
The Qi felt from inside the residence made me shrink back. I took a deep breath.
Beyond this door are the elders who will test me.
Can I endure it? My heart pounded with fear.
Dang Jung, who noticed that I was nervous, whispered softly.
"Child. No matter what happens, do not panic. I will be behind you."
He lightly took my hand and released it, then stepped forward and gently pushed the door open.
Creak!
With a chilling sound, the door to the Council of Elders opened.
