I Became the Eldest Daughter of a Fallen Family - Chapter 42

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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 42. Me? You mean me? (1)
Baek’s face drained of color in an instant.
He dropped to his knees and prostrated himself repeatedly, yet mercy had vanished entirely from Gyo’s gaze.
Low and cool words followed, measured and deliberate.
“False testimony to defame your benefactor, scheming to provoke a duel, and on top of it all—you lost even in raw skill. What confidence possessed you to attempt something so audacious?”
“P-please, madam. I only……!”
“Would you have dared such a thing without contempt for our Cheongpyeong Wui House in your heart? Is that not so?”
“No! Absolutely not, madam!”
Baek cried out almost as if wailing.
His terrified expression resembled that of a condemned prisoner standing before the executioner’s block.
At that moment, Wui Hyo-gwang, the head of the Wui Household, intervened with a belated cough, restraining his wife whose neck had flushed crimson.
“Ahem! Compose yourself, madam. The child in your womb will be startled. Besides, regardless of the circumstances, he is your own relation. Surely Baek would not have acted with intent? There must be some misunderstanding.”
But no sooner had he finished than objections erupted.
The Grand Matriarch Baek spoke first, her tone low and grave as she counseled Wui Hyo-gwang.
“Head of Household, there is no need to defend him simply because he is my relation. If he has erred, he must face appropriate punishment. I shall hold no grudge over today’s affair—see that you handle it properly.”
“You speak truly, Grand Matriarch. We cannot keep one who has damaged the honor of the Wui Household under its roof. It would be best to expel him at once.”
Though this was So Yeon-hee’s first encounter with the speaker,
a brief exchange was enough to make her grasp roughly where the head of the Wui Household stood within the household hierarchy.
As expected, Wui Hyo-gwang hastily wiped the cold sweat from his temples and nodded.
“N-now that I hear it, madam’s words do have merit. Ahem! Baek, I’m afraid you must leave our household.”
“Oh, my lord! I was wrong! When I heard that a young lady not yet sixteen had taken charge of recipe development, I foolishly thought she’d risen through means other than skill! I was ignorant, but I harbored no malice, my lord!”
“Surely you should say such things to the injured party, not cling to me?”
“Of course I must apologize to the lady! Absolutely!”
At Wui Hyo-gwang’s gruff tone, Baek suddenly turned and crawled toward So Yeon-hee on his knees, pressing his palms together and beginning to plead earnestly.
“Lady So! I was foolish and caused you trouble. I meant no harm—please show mercy this once. I beg you!”
An old man—old enough to be her father—was now weeping openly and bowing his head before her.
She was not of a temperament to remain unmoved by such a sight, and Baek’s apology seemed genuinely sincere. So Yeon-hee found herself genuinely at a loss.
She had assumed he was the type to cry “She must have used a Honey Trap!” whenever a woman took on anything significant,
but it seemed he had merely misjudged—assuming that because of her youth, her skills must be lacking.
‘It’s hardly impossible for a girl of sixteen to lack the mastery of a head cook with decades of experience, so the misunderstanding is understandable enough.’
Yet regardless, days of his interference had already damaged her reputation beyond easy repair.
‘If I forgive too easily, I worry he’ll use that as a weakness. But if I remain firm, he’ll say I’m being disrespectful to an elder, and I’ll earn criticism for it. This is troublesome.’
So Yeon-hee exhaled a short, exasperated sigh.
At that very moment,
Wui Hyo-gwang, whom she had taken for a spineless figurehead, suddenly shifted direction and unleashed a bombshell.
“Do you think bowing your head now erases the crime you’ve already committed? If you lacked skill and still slandered others, you should have been prepared to be cast out! At the very least, expelling you cleanly will restore face to the Wui Household in the eyes of the So family!”
“But, but that said……the Grand Matriarch’s Birthday Celebration Banquet is upon us. Please, allow me to remain just until the banquet, my lord!”
“Hah! On what grounds should I entrust you with the banquet? The head cook for the celebration will be none other than this young lady here. Now be off!”
With the gravity befitting the household head, Wui Hyo-gwang drew himself up and barked the words.
For a moment, the relief of his sharp rebuke seemed to ease her frustration.
……Wait. He’s making me head cook for the banquet?
‘But I’m not a chef.’
So Yeon-hee’s face went white as paper in an instant. She stepped forward urgently, blocking the path of the servant who was about to drag Baek away, and stood before Wui Hyo-gwang.
“W-wait, Lord Wui! Please, just a moment!”
Perhaps the title “Lord,” typically reserved for those in official posts, sounded pleasing to his ear.
Wui Hyo-gwang turned to look at So Yeon-hee with a somewhat brightened expression and replied.
“Ahem, ahem! ……Yes, what is it?”
So Yeon-hee, as if she’d been waiting, lowered her head in deference and carefully chose words that would not offend him, touching on the matter with appropriate modesty.
“I am grateful for your kindness, but if someone without professional training takes the position of head cook, there will surely be gossip. How could I bring such trouble upon the Wui Household?”
“Ha ha! So modest! I have already amply experienced your culinary skill. What cause have you for hesitation? Besides, regrettably, there is no head cook in all of Cheongyangn County to compare with Baek. Since you have surpassed him, overseeing the banquet cuisine should present no difficulty for you.”
That’s your opinion, sir!
So Yeon-hee’s words stuck in her throat. She stood gaping, lost for speech. The frustration grew so intense her head began to ache.
Barely collecting herself, she quickly shook her head and spoke.
“I am still young and have no experience overseeing such grand banquets. The Cheongpyeong Wui House is not merely an illustrious family of Cheongyangn County, but a lineage that has produced loyal servants across generations. How could a mere sixteen-year-old girl be entrusted with the banquet cuisine of such a house? Lord, I beseech you—withdraw your words.”
Then Wui Hyo-gwang began to falter, his face growing troubled.
“But then……what am I to do? I must expel Baek, yet you refuse to be head cook. Hmm……”
He fanned himself with an uncertain expression, but soon could bear it no longer and cast his gaze toward Gyo.
“M-madam, what do you think……?”
At this, Gyo exhaled quietly. Wui Jeong, seated beside her, even pressed his palm to his forehead without a word.
It was at that precise moment that Ju Ha-yoon stepped forward quietly and spoke.
“Uncle, you have already said you would expel Baek. To retract those words now would damage your face. However, the young lady’s words also have merit. What if we let Baek oversee only the banquet itself, while asking Lady So merely to supply special items like Tofu and Duhua?”
How remarkable—to unravel such a tangled and awkward situation in one stroke. No wonder this man has survived the Imperial Palace, heart of court intrigue!
So Yeon-hee felt admiration surge within her and quickly added her voice.
“That would be most appreciated. If it’s merely a matter of supplying Tofu and Duhua for cooking, I am perfectly capable of that. Should you wish, I can also teach the method for preparing Tofu in Sweet and Sour Sauce.”
In this era, a recipe itself was a treasure of considerable worth.
Yet Sweet and Sour Tofu, even with the method known, is difficult to prepare without the tofu and its essential seasonings.
So Yeon-hee dangled the bait with practiced boldness, her eyes brightening with anticipation as she looked at Wui Hyo-gwang.
Wui Hyo-gwang nodded eagerly, as if he had found an escape route.
“Ahem! Yes, that will do nicely! Truly, the prince possesses wisdom. Then, Lady So, I ask that you ensure my mother’s birthday table is truly magnificent.”
“Surely! I shall serve it with the finest quality, my lord—I mean, Lord Wui.”
So Yeon-hee smiled brightly and bowed. Wui Hyo-gwang rose from his seat with a satisfied air.
After watching Gyo, the Grand Matriarch Baek, and Wui Jeong depart in turn, So Yeon-hee quietly caught her breath.
‘That was truly a succession of mad improvisations. If it hadn’t been for Ju Ha-yoon—the Sixth Prince—things could have gone very wrong.’
So Yeon-hee glanced toward the raised platform and followed with her eyes the retreating form of Ju Ha-yoon as he moved away with his attendants.
‘He gave the disease and then the cure. He’s done it again. Still……thanks to him, I managed to develop the Duhua well. And the supply contract worked out perfectly.’
Was he trying to help her, or was he using her?
It was too early to say.
So Yeon-hee retrieved the Backpack she had hidden beneath the cooking station and shouldered it.
“Th-thank you, lady. I don’t know how to repay such kindness……. Thank you so much!”
“It’s nothing. Since things have come to this, let’s do well together from now on.”
She soothed the teary Baek, whose eyes were swollen from weeping, and smiled gently.
Having thus lightened her burden, she was leaving the Wui House when
she quickened her pace, seeing the sun had sunk lower in the sky than she’d expected.
“Lady So.”
A low, quiet voice called her name from some distance behind.
‘What now? Unless you’re about to offer me a ride in a donkey cart home, don’t you dare stop me again!’
The path was difficult enough; if night fell and she encountered a wild beast crossing the ridge, it would be catastrophic.
As she turned her head with growing anxiety and something approaching irritation, wondering if he’d mastered Mind Reading,
Ju Ha-yoon approached, leading a Donkey Cart, and stood before her.
“……Get in.”

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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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