I Decided to Give the Contract to the Male Vassal - Chapter 46
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————
Chapter 46
Fortunately, the Leader didn’t mention the Bloodstone Flower.
“Then stay comfortably in the guest hall until the wedding day. I’ll make sure the wedding ceremony is prepared perfectly.”
“Thank you.”
As Sect Leader Gwon Museong began to move, the atmosphere around me became much lighter.
He departed suddenly, leaving only silence in the pavilion.
Without realizing it, I had been extremely tense, as sweat had formed on my palms. Even the strength in my legs had drained away.
‘The Leader must have wanted to confirm the agreement with Seolsan Jeokga through me.’
He seemed to truly value the prophecy about the bloodline of the Jeok family.
Though my legs felt weak, I couldn’t show weakness in Gyojeon, the heart of the Demonic Sect.
I acted as if nothing was wrong and followed the servant toward the guest quarters.
In the garden, trees with green leaves that showed careful tending had sprouted, and red flowers bloomed in the flower beds.
Unlike the shabby residence where Hee-rin had stayed, this was an elegant and refined place.
Everything from the decorative shelves to the tea bowls and cups appeared to be of the highest quality.
Looking at the soft bed gave me a strange feeling.
Even during my time as the leader of Sangteon-dang, I had never enjoyed such luxury.
“Cheonjon really prepared a lot for you. This is really wonderful, Miss.”
Sawol widened her eyes in admiration. In contrast, Okxiang seemed tense.
“Look at me. You must be tired from the long journey, so shall I bring tea first? Please wait a moment.”
Sawol busily went outside, leaving only Okxiang and me.
“Miss.”
Okxiang looked around, then handed me a small letter.
It seemed she had received it through one of the masked servants as soon as she entered Gyojeon.
Just before heading to Cheonyanggung, I had sent a letter to Chung-rin through Okxiang.
The content was that I wanted to make contact with him.
So this letter must be from Chung-rin.
When I unfolded it, I saw the familiar code language as expected.
I’ll come find you soon.
It meant he was near Gyojeon and could come to meet me.
Only those who held important positions in the Demonic Sect could enter Cheonyanggung, so Chung-rin must certainly have such a position.
‘It seems he climbed quite high while working as a spy in the Demonic Sect.’
Otherwise, there would be no way he could meet me just before the wedding.
When I carefully went outside, I saw a birdcage hanging on a perch at the entrance of the garden.
“Wedding ceremony~ Wedding ceremony~!”
The parrot inside the cage was squawking, mimicking a woman’s voice.
An ordinary person might have found that parrot simply cute, but it looked different to my eyes.
‘It’s a surveillance eye.’
They must have borrowed the parrot’s eyes to monitor what happened in the guest hall of Cheonyanggung.
I had heard that Gyojeon was composed of various mechanical devices and mystical formations.
According to Chung-rin’s information, Gyojeon had never been attacked until the previous Heavenly Tiger Alliance leader and the Demonic Sect Leader fought their life-and-death battle, meaning they had been thoroughly protecting this place all along.
I wanted to directly confirm with my own eyes what had changed compared to the information I had obtained during my Sangteon-dang days, but now I had to stay quietly like a proper guest.
So I decided to only go as far as the rear garden.
Red cloth tied to the branches in the rear garden hung down in long strips.
Perhaps because it was where the bride who would hold the wedding ceremony was staying, Cheonyanggung was decorated everywhere with red cloth like this.
As I was about to carefully step outside the cloth, there was a rustling sound of footsteps on the ground.
A figure was silhouetted behind the red hanging cloth. He too wore a bamboo hat so his face wouldn’t be visible.
“If I were you, I wouldn’t go outside.”
It was Chung-rin’s voice.
I knew he would come to meet me, but I hadn’t expected him to come straight to the guest hall of Cheonyanggung like this.
Though his face wasn’t clearly visible due to the hanging cloth, he was different from when I met him in his identity as Chung-rin.
Perhaps because of the neat clothing he wore, he looked like a scholar who had studied literature.
It was when I stepped forward to approach him.
“You shouldn’t show your face before the wedding, so it would be better to talk from there. I am Yeo Gyeong-o, leader of Chomunhang.”
Chomunhang.
It was one of the 28 halls that supported the Heavenly Sect.
It seemed Chung-rin had risen to a higher position than I had expected.
“It’s my first time meeting you. I am Hee-rin of the Jeok family.”
I too treated him carefully as if meeting him for the first time.
‘Chomunhang is the place that handles the mystical formations of Cheonsan and Gyojeon. This means Chung-rin has gained the Leader’s trust.’
I was a little surprised by that fact, but what followed was even more surprising.
– Miss Jeok. It doesn’t seem like you wanted to meet me simply because of wedding matters.
I could sense strange curiosity in the telepathic message he sent.
– Are you perhaps thinking of using the Third Prince to shake up the Demonic Sect’s board?
Indeed, like someone who dealt with information, he didn’t focus only on the results before his eyes.
Chung-rin was probably able to rise to the position of Chomunhang leader thanks to this meticulous personality.
That’s exactly why I needed him even more.
❖ ❖ ❖
The day before, in Chomunhang’s office.
Yeo Gyeong-o, who was both Chung-rin the shadow of Sangteon-dang and the leader of Chomunhang, opened Jeon Seo-eung’s message tube and confirmed the short code.
I’ll be going to Cheonyanggung soon, so I’d like to meet you there.
Though it was barely more than one line, Yeo Gyeong-o couldn’t take his eyes off it for a long time.
The first place he met Hee-rin was Sohungru of Bukxiangnyo.
At that time, it wasn’t difficult since he met her as Chung-rin, a spy of Sangteon-dang, but the place she mentioned this time was Cheonyanggung.
That place was like an iron fortress that no one could enter except during events directly supervised by the Leader.
‘…Did she notice my position, or is she testing how far I can go?’
When faced with such an attitude, one person from the past naturally came to mind.
Chung-rin, leader of Sangteon-dang of the Heavenly Tiger Alliance.
Like her, who could see through situations with just a few clues, Chung-rin was also looking one step ahead.
When he tested Chung-rin at Sohungru, he instinctively realized.
The gaze that observed people, the unique techniques of Sangteon-dang that subdued opponents, the boldness to propose deals – she who possessed all of these resembled Chung-rin.
However, there were clear differences too.
Chung-rin knew how to control everything, but Chung-rin accepted the surrounding flow and created balance within it.
‘Chung-rin managed to enter Cheonyanggung using that method.’
Just seeing Third Prince Wicheonso get involved in that wedding ceremony made it certain.
‘Perhaps Chung-rin might bring change to Cheonsan.’
He had witnessed countless times how a small bird’s wingbeat returned as a storm. So he couldn’t take this change lightly.
‘I wonder what exactly Chung-rin is looking at…’
Curiosity and wariness intersected.
If he helped her, he too would enter into that change.
Conversely, if he kept his distance from her, he might be able to withstand without being swept up in the storm she created.
He burned the letter, then unrolled a new scroll.
It was an order document stamped with the seal of Cheonmugung.
[Since Cheonjon’s honored guest will hold a wedding ceremony at Cheonyanggung, organize the rules of Cheonyanggung and inform the guest.]
Whenever guests entered Cheonyanggung, the rules had to be changed for safety, and Chomunhang always had to handle it each time.
Thanks to this, he could easily create a justification to officially meet Chung-rin.
The problem lay elsewhere.
‘Should I reveal my identity even to someone who isn’t from Sangteon-dang?’
Just because she had learned from Chung-rin didn’t mean he could trust Chung-rin too. The Demonic Sect was no different from thin ice.
Still, his deliberation wasn’t long.
Since Chung-rin had come to Cheonyanggung anyway, they would face each other eventually.
Since she had promised to help with revenge, it would be better to hear what kind of request she would make and respond accordingly.
As soon as he reached this conclusion, he immediately headed to Cheonyanggung.
When he actually faced her, even though he had revealed that he was the leader of Mageyo’s Chomundan, Chung-rin wasn’t particularly surprised.
As if she had known from the beginning, she hid and controlled her emotions while dealing with him.
Perhaps because of this, she felt mysterious to him.
– Miss Chung. It seems the reason you wanted to meet me isn’t simply because of the marriage issue.
– Are you perhaps thinking of using the Third Prince to shake up Mageyo’s board?
Curious about her true intentions, he asked through telepathy.
However, instead of answering, Chung-rin responded with a question of her own.
“What brings the Leader to Cheonyanggung?”
Since she couldn’t answer the question here, it was her way of saying she would act naturally.
“I came to deliver the rules of Gyojeon under Cheonjeon’s orders.”
“Please tell me the rules and I will follow them.”
“Cheonyanggung is a place where day and night are different. I’ll teach you slowly.”
According to his explanation, the only places where she could walk were the Rear Garden and Garden, and even that became impossible after sunset.
Since the freedom given to a woman before marriage was limited, it wasn’t particularly strange.
“It’s so complicated that it might be better not to move at all.”
“Instead, if you follow the rules properly, it’s safe enough that you can go out alone even in the evening.”
He raised his hand beyond the red curtain and pointed toward a sharply rising pavilion.
“You’ll also be able to visit the pavilion where you can look down at Cheonsan’s night view at a glance.”
“I’d like to see it. Could the Leader perhaps guide me there?”
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————