I Became the Eldest Daughter of a Fallen Family - Chapter 23

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 23. It’s Deception, Really
“What? Why is the Wi Clan’s young master trying to arrange a betrothal with me? I’ve only seen him twice, and barely at that—just in passing.”
Before So Yeon-hee could even finish, Hong-ssi’s brows shot up sharply.
As if she’d heard something she shouldn’t, she brought her palm down on the table with a bang and erupted. “Twice! You’ve already met twice! This won’t do. Drop whatever work you’re doing at once. No—even if you don’t, don’t you dare go to Jinseong!”
So Jin reached out in alarm and caught his mother’s arm. “Mother, please. Yeon-hee isn’t a girl of poor character. Why must you fly into such a temper?”
It was his role, as always, to catch the sharp edge of Hong-ssi’s fury before it could reach the rest of the family.
But today, it seemed, her anger was directed at something—someone—else entirely.
“Do you think I don’t know my own granddaughter’s character? The problem isn’t Yeon-hee. It’s that Wi dog! The Wi Clan and our So Clan are fundamentally incompatible. Whether it’s once or twice, you mustn’t have anything to do with them!”
It was more than mere displeasure. There was something grave, almost vengeful, in her response.
So Yeon-hee tilted her head, curious. “But aren’t they on the side of the Consort Yeon? Did something happen between our families in the past?”
Before Hong-ssi could open her mouth, So Jin cut in abruptly, blocking the words. “Hem. That’s not something you need to know. It’s all ancient history now—meaningless, past and done with.”
His tone was so firm that even Mother Jang, who had been quietly observing, startled and ventured a careful question. “What on earth is going on? You’re usually so frank and forthcoming. When you speak like this, it only makes me more anxious. They wouldn’t try to harm our Yeon-hee, would they?”
A family vendetta was not something to dismiss lightly when a daughter’s safety hung in the balance. Jang-ssi fixed Hong-ssi with worried eyes.
Once the situation had taken that turn, how could Hong-ssi hold her tongue?
Despite her son’s desperate, silent plea—his head shaking behind his back—she opened her mouth with a voice as clear as a bell. “They won’t harm her. But if we allow them to pursue a broken thread and renew their insistence, that’s another matter.”
“A broken thread?”
“Yes. Your father and An Seo General were close friends. They swore that when they had children, they would become marriage allies. Wi Mi-in, who went to the Imperial Palace as a concubine to the Emperor, was actually your father’s betrothed. I never imagined she’d be so persistent with her letters even after the betrothal was completely broken off.”
She delivered this truth without thinking of the aftermath it would bring.
* * *
Life sometimes confronts us with unwelcome truths.
Each time it did, So Yeon-hee found herself recalling a very old Korean saying.
‘Ignorance is bliss,’ it went.
She’d have been grateful to have reached a civil understanding with whoever said knowledge is power, but this saying kept arriving fashionably late.
Yet there was no use pretending not to know what she now clearly understood.
So Yeon-hee turned to her mother quietly. “You didn’t know either? That Father had a betrothed?”
“I knew he was betrothed. But I never imagined she’d still be sending letters after the marriage. For her to break off the betrothal by fleeing in the night, and then dare to unsettle a married man—”
Jang-ssi’s teeth ground together.
Her expression was so fierce that So Yeon-hee was almost grateful that the Meat Grinder could now pulverize meat rather than require a blade.
‘This is awkward. Of all times, why must a marital crisis erupt now?’
The atmosphere in the So household had shifted to something like a Siberian winter after Grandmother’s bombshell declaration.
It was so oppressive that everyone moved about pretending to find tasks, their eyes fixed on Mother’s every expression.
So Yeon-hee and So Yeon-su had tried to slip away quietly, but Mother had caught them.
Now the sisters stood side by side, swallowing hard.
“What do we do now? Mother doesn’t look like she’ll forgive Father anytime soon.”
“A marital quarrel is like trying to cut water with a blade. But in this case… I’m at a loss too.”
So Yeon-hee whispered back to her younger sister, keeping her voice as low as possible while watching Mother’s mood. If only Mother would lose her temper and shout—that would be easier. Instead, she just stayed silent. And Father, the one at the heart of it all, wasn’t even trying to explain himself.
‘But Father doesn’t seem to have lingering feelings for Wi Mi-in. If he did, he wouldn’t have married Mother right after the broken betrothal and fathered three children with her.’
The answer was the same whether she considered Father’s usual temperament or how he treated Mother.
Really, would any man be so tender with a woman he didn’t care for?
The only question was whether Mother believed in Father’s sincerity.
So Yeon-hee watched her mother’s profile as she ground meat with exaggerated focus, then suddenly asked, “This Wi Mi-in—she must have been quite beautiful if she became an imperial concubine?”
“Presumably. According to rumor, she was the most beautiful woman in all twelve provinces of the Dae Jin Kingdom.”
“While Mother was just a somewhat well-known young lady from her hometown?”
“The phrasing is crude, but not entirely inaccurate.”
“Then there’s no secret about your origins. Neither Yeon-su nor I are particularly stunning beauties.”
“I’ll beat you yet!”
“Ow!”
So Yeon-hee tucked her neck in as Mother’s affectionate hand came down. Then, bracing herself for the next blow, she pressed on. “So what’s the real problem? Whatever happened between you and her, it’s done. She’s gone. Meanwhile, Mother has us, and Yeon-u—the precious grandson of the So Clan.”
So Yeon-hee talked fast, insisting that Father would be buried beside no one but Mother, no matter what first love had once existed.
Yet Jang-ssi’s stern expression didn’t soften.
After a long moment of thought, she finally unburdened herself. “You’re still young. You don’t understand. The truly frightening rival isn’t the concubine right before your eyes—it’s the old love who’s already left far away.”
“But Father doesn’t seem to yearn for her at all. He doesn’t even remember the exact date of her passing.”
“But—”
“But nothing. If Father truly had lingering feelings for Wi Mi-in, wouldn’t he have rushed to propose to Mother the moment the betrothal was broken?”
So Yeon-hee quickly jabbed her younger sister’s ribs. At that, So Yeon-su began churning out flattery like a vending machine. “Big sister’s right! Father treasures Mother so much!”
“Of course. And what man would father three children with a woman he didn’t love? The eldest one practically came before the marriage itself. Father is clearly head over heels for Mother… ow! Ow! It hurts!”
“You have no shame! Who would call you a sheltered maiden after hearing such things! Hmm?”
The sharp crack of her hand echoed through the kitchen. But instead of dodging, So Yeon-hee clung to her mother and whimpered.
“If I’m speaking so shamelessly, isn’t it because I see you doubting Father despite how devoted he is? Truly, you’re worrying for nothing!”
Jang-ssi raised her hand to strike again but let out a long sigh instead.
She knew her daughter spoke the truth.
One could see it in the So sisters—they were spitting images of their mother. Jang-ssi had a rather fierce temperament for a woman of her station.
Yet So Jin had never once raised his voice to her, despite everything. Even when she nagged him endlessly over some trifle, he’d merely smile and let it pass.
Perhaps it was the influence of his mother, Hong-ssi—her nature was no tame thing either. But one thing was certain: he treasured Jang-ssi.
Did Jang-ssi herself not see her husband’s sincerity?
“I didn’t mean to doubt your father. Surely I know his nature better than anyone. It’s just… he’s too handsome.”
Every time they went down to the Well together, the village women’s gazes would settle on So Jin.
‘When was it they looked down on us as a family of convicts—and when exactly did they stop?’
During their family’s hardest days, how else could they have gotten withered vegetables from the village women? No matter how much Jang-ssi begged at their doors, she was turned away. But whenever her husband went to the village, he’d return with this and that. A hundred fires would ignite in her chest each time.
But what could she do? This was the fate of a woman married to a handsome man.
“Alas. When you marry someday, you’ll understand how I feel.”
With a heavy sigh, Jang-ssi gripped the Meat Grinder’s handle and turned it with renewed force.
And So Yeon-hee’s expression only grew more troubled as she watched.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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