Until now, Grandfather had never met me directly. He had heard everything about me only through my uncle.
Because of that, he probably hadn’t noticed anything particularly strange.
But this time, I had gone to the main hall by myself.
On top of that, he had seen my uncle and Yeon Hwi-cheon looking flustered the moment they saw me. There was a good chance he’d realized that something was wrong.
If so, I could understand why Heo Jin-byeok had come here.
‘This is my chance to tell Grandfather everything the servants have done to me.’
I quietly rose from my seat.
“My lady?”
Hongdan’s sharp voice followed me.
I staggered toward the window.
Creak—
Then I reached out and pretended to close it.
“Lady, what are you doing?”
Hongdan frowned deeply and strode toward me.
“Why are you closing the window, Lady?!”
“Why? Am I not allowed to?”
I tried to suppress a cough as I retorted. Hongdan snorted as though she found my behavior ridiculous.
“Why do you think so?”
She made a gesture as though covering her nose with her hand.
“It smells!”
“…What?”
I deliberately raised my voice and widened my eyes, pretending to be hurt.
I wanted my voice to carry clearly outside the window.
Thinking that I had been offended, Hongdan became even more emboldened.
“You smell foul, Lady! Ugh, you smell like a sick person!”
As Hongdan continued spewing out words exactly as I’d intended, I suppressed the smile threatening to appear on my lips.
Then I deliberately steered the situation even further.
“So… because I smell like a sick person, you have to keep the window open? Cough! Even though I’m this sick and cold?”
“Hah! Do you only think about yourself, Lady? What about me, being stuck in a filthy room with a disgusting, sick person?! Huh?!”
Thankfully, Hongdan still hadn’t realized what I was doing and continued talking without restraint.
I slowly nodded.
“Then…”
I shifted my gaze toward one corner of the room.
That was where my jade box was kept—the one Hongdan rummaged through every day as though it belonged to her.
Looking at it, I quietly asked,
“But why did you search through my jade box every day?”
“……!”
Hongdan’s tirade abruptly stopped.
“Th-that’s…”
I deliberately spoke louder and more clearly.
“You said I’m filthy. Then aren’t my belongings filthy too? So why did you steal valuables from my jade box?”
It was the first time I’d openly confronted her, and Hongdan seemed to feel guilty. She hesitated for a moment.
“Wh-what’s wrong with that?!”
Suddenly, Hongdan screamed.
“You weren’t going to use them anyway! You’re going to die sooner or later! Wouldn’t it be better for someone who’s alive to use them?!”
At those words, I finally raised the corners of my lips and smiled quietly.
Hongdan froze at my unexpected reaction.
And then—
“I’ve heard enough.”
A cold, dry voice rang out from beyond the door.
I turned around.
A man dressed in black robes was standing there.
Heo Jin-byeok.
Realizing that the situation was serious, Hongdan’s lips began to tremble.
“Wh-who…?”
“I have come under the orders of the head of the household.”
Without even blinking, Heo Jin-byeok declared in a low voice,
“Take this arrogant servant away. She cannot even recognize her own master.”
Hongdan’s legs gave out, and she collapsed onto the floor.
“N-no! It’s a misunderstanding! I was just—Ack!”
Heo Jin-byeok’s subordinates, who had been waiting outside the detached residence, immediately entered and roughly seized Hongdan by both arms.
“Let go! H-how dare you people—! Lady! Lady!”
Hongdan screamed and stretched her hand toward me.
“Lady, please save me! I’ve done everything wrong! Please…!”
I looked down at her as she begged, tears and snot running down her face.
“You said I was going to die anyway.”
As I recalled all the violence and humiliation that had been inflicted on me over so many years, I spoke clearly.
“Now, I wonder who will die first?”
Having said everything I needed to say, I stepped back without hesitation.
Hongdan’s face twisted with terror.
“Aaah!”
She was dragged away.
“Phew…”
Only then was I finally able to let out the breath I’d been holding.
“Greetings, Lady.”
Heo Jin-byeok approached me and respectfully bowed.
I gladly accepted his greeting and finally said something I’d wanted to say for a very long time.
“Search Hongdan’s quarters and bring my belongings back.”
“……”
Heo Jin-byeok briefly wore an unreadable expression.
I calmly added,
“…They were things my father gave me, so make sure they aren’t damaged.”
“Yes, Lady.”
After giving Heo Jin-byeok my instructions, I picked up my bowl of porridge again.
I thought it would have gone completely cold, but thankfully, when I brought the spoon to my lips, there was still a faint trace of warmth.
Even that small warmth filled me with a sense of abundance that was difficult to put into words.
It felt as though it were gently embracing a wound that had been festering for years.
‘For some reason… I’m sleepy…’
Perhaps because the tension had finally left my body. After filling my stomach a little, exhaustion came rushing back.
Slowly—
Before I could even take more than a few spoonfuls, I fell asleep again.
***
A quarter of an hour later.
“What?! You mean the word of what happened to that child has reached Father’s ears?!”
Yeon So-taek’s furious shout echoed throughout the main hall.
The people following him shrank their shoulders and lowered their heads, nervously watching his mood.
‘Damn it… What am I supposed to do about this?’
Yeon So-taek let out a deep sigh and rapidly turned things over in his mind.
“Mess up my clothes. Now.”
“Pardon? What do you mean…?”
The servants who had rushed over exchanged bewildered looks.
“What are you standing there for?!”
Yeon So-taek’s expression twisted viciously, leaving them no choice but to obey.
“My lord, forgive me.”
One of them nervously twisted open his collar, while another loosened his belt.
The neatly fastened jade belt became crooked, and one side of his perfectly arranged collar fell loose.
The servants hurriedly wiped his temples and the back of his neck with damp cloth.
Then they lightly smeared medicinal residue onto the ends of his sleeves, making him look as though he had just finished treating a patient and rushed out.
Yeon So-taek deliberately rubbed his eyes roughly with the back of his hand.
His eyes quickly reddened, and his already pale complexion looked even more haggard.
“It’s done.”
One of the servants spoke briefly.
Yeon So-taek looked over his disheveled appearance once.
“I am going to the detached residence.”
He strode quickly down the corridor, soon reaching the path leading toward the detached residence.
“Stop.”
At that moment, a heavy voice halted his steps.
Yeon So-taek turned and discovered Yeon Baek-yu. He hurriedly bowed.
“Greetings, Father.”
“Are you going to Ryeong-hwa?”
Yeon Baek-yu, dressed in a pristine white robe, strode toward him.
“I just stopped by there and am on my way back. She is sleeping soundly, so don’t disturb her unnecessarily.”
Yeon So-taek immediately assessed the situation and looked at Yeon Baek-yu with an expression filled with concern.
“Yes. I heard that one of Ryeong-hwa’s personal servants had been behaving improperly behind everyone’s backs, so I was on my way to the detached residence because I was worried.”
Then he immediately bent deeply at the waist.
“It is my fault, Father.”
Yeon So-taek apologized first, causing Yeon Baek-yu to swallow the words he had been about to say.
“Come with me. There are too many eyes here.”
Yeon Baek-yu finally led the way, his hands clasped behind his back.
Yeon So-taek slowly raised his bowed head, revealing a chilling look in his eyes.
“You all stay here. I will follow him alone.”
After signaling the people behind him, he followed his father.
***
The two entered the inner chamber of the main hall, a place only the head of the household was permitted to enter.
Even the household retainers could not approach it without permission.
Once the door closed, a subtle silence settled between the two.
“I came here in such a hurry from treating a patient that I could not even make myself presentable. I apologize.”
Yeon So-taek was the first to break the silence.
Only then did Yeon Baek-yu turn around and examine his son’s appearance.
His clothes really did look as though he’d just finished treating a patient and rushed over.
Yeon Baek-yu let out a faint sigh and gestured for him to sit.
“Sit down first.”
“Yes.”
The two sat facing each other with a teacup between them.
Yeon So-taek bowed deeply and lowered his head once more toward his father.
“From now on, I will strictly supervise those responsible for caring for Ryeong-hwa so that something like this never happens again.”
“You truly knew nothing about this?”
At Yeon Baek-yu’s question, Yeon So-taek’s eyes twitched slightly.
“Well…”
His complexion turned pale as he hurriedly began making excuses.
“The servants conspired with one another and deceived us behind our backs. If it had only been one or two people, perhaps I could have noticed, but when everyone deliberately tried to deceive us, how could I possibly have known?”
“Then are there others besides that personal servant who dare to harm Ryeong-hwa?”
At Yeon Baek-yu’s sharp question, Yeon So-taek hesitated.
A self-deprecating smile soon appeared on his lips. There was something chilling about it.
“It isn’t Ryeong-hwa’s fault, but it is true that her illness has caused quite a disturbance in the household, isn’t it?”
Yeon So-taek continued in a cautious tone.
“So I thought it was inevitable that some people’s attitudes toward her would not be favorable.”
It was a subtle way of shifting the blame onto Ryeong-hwa.
Yeon Baek-yu slowly closed his eyes, then opened them again.
“I am disappointed.”
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