I Thought the Youngest Daughter of the Sichuan Tang Family Was Hated - Chapter 11

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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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News of the Family Council Meeting spread like wildfire.
Which meant only one thing: Father was coming.
Yet like me, everyone seemed skeptical.
“My, could the Patriarch truly be returning?”
“Impossible. Didn’t you hear? It’s a matter involving the family curse.”
Whispers echoed throughout the household—Father coming, Father not coming.
And yet Dang Gui-heon remained certain of Father’s return.
Dang Lim too had seemed uncertain at first, but after hearing the contents of my letter, he nodded knowingly.
“You wrote that you cry every single day? Then he’ll definitely come.”
I cannot describe how my heart raced upon hearing those words.
‘Does Father still love me? Truly?’
Perhaps the poisoned wine I received was merely a misunderstanding born from the hallucinogenic herb.
Memories I thought crystalline blur in an instant, and certainties become lies.
If Father loved me as my brothers do…
‘Ah, I don’t know!’
A sharp ache pierced my chest, and I abandoned the thought.
Harboring such hope was still not easy for me.
Yet I could not suppress the quickening of my heart.
I hoped the Family Council Meeting would succeed. I wanted to see Father.
I wanted to know his true feelings.
Since this council was convened because of me, I wished to help my brothers…
“Young Miss, someone from Damrok Trading Company has arrived.”
I had a task to accomplish: selecting new maids!
“May I enter and pay my respects?”
“Of course!”
When I returned the day I first met Seo-o Elder, the maids in my quarters had vanished.
Dang Gui-heon had arrested everyone involved in the hallucinogenic herb incident.
They had always been more absent than present, so I felt little inconvenience, but Dang Gui-heon hastily recruited replacements, saying it would damage my reputation to be without attendants.
He was so meticulous about it that he entrusted the task to the Merchant Guild he belonged to, unwilling to trust the Jungwon Guild.
“It is an honor to meet you, Young Miss! I am Jo Man, the Patriarch’s assistant.”
Jo Man—the name itself overflowed with capability, drawing my admiration.
“I manage all merchant expeditions beyond Sichuan. Should you desire any treasure, please tell me. I shall search the entire realm to find it for you.”
“Wonderful! Truly?”
When I broke into a radiant smile, Jo Man’s eyes widened in surprise before he responded with a confident grin.
“Indeed. Leave it to me.”
Soon, following Jo Man through the open door, a stream of women entered.
“All of impeccable background and lineage. Swift hands too. Of course, none are outsiders!”
They bowed deeply to me, their spines perfectly straight as blades.
“They shall all attend to you from this day forward.”
That he had assembled these women in merely four days was remarkable.
“Would you like to choose one from among these?”
Jo Man tilted his head toward me, hands clasped behind his back.
“Choose what?”
I blinked in confusion, and Jo Man answered kindly.
“A personal maid to attend most closely to you, Miss.”
A personal maid—now that I thought about it, I vaguely recalled such a position existing.
“Hmm.”
Since this person would be constantly at my side, it seemed best to choose her myself.
But I had no idea who to select.
To my eyes, they all looked more or less the same.
I was lost in thought when—
Swish, swish. Swish. Whoosh.
“Hm?”
I heard the sound of sweeping from somewhere.
Swish. Whoosh. Swish. Swish….
Outside the window, perhaps?
As if enchanted, I turned my head and spotted a young girl standing beyond the rear gate.
She looked to be about eighteen years old.
My gaze inexplicably fixed upon her downcast, drooping eyes.
“…What about that girl over there? Won’t she do?”
“Hmm—.”
Jo Man followed my gaze out the window, fell silent for a moment, then spoke.
“Indeed, your discernment is excellent. She appears to have a kind heart and would not shirk from difficult work.”
Jo Man showered me with praise as if he had prepared it beforehand.
“However…that girl is not under my jurisdiction, unlike these other maids here….”
He meant: She belongs to the Jungwon Guild. I don’t trust them.
He trailed off, studying my face.
His eyes searched to see whether I understood the reason the Jungwon Guild could not be trusted and why separate maids had been brought in.
“Hm?”
I blinked and tilted my head as if I knew nothing at all.
“Ugh! When you look at me with those eyes….”
Jo Man clutched at his chest and muttered.
‘Oh. It really works.’
Dang Lim had taught me this before.
He said that if you want something from someone, you don’t necessarily need to ask directly.
“You just need to blink. Tilting your head is good too.”
I didn’t fully understand what he meant.
Do young ladies usually make requests with their eyes?
“Hmm?”
When I tilted my head to the other side once more, Jo Man took a step back.
“But… the Second Young Master did instruct me to hear out the young lady’s every word….”
He then muttered under his breath as though laboring under tremendous pressure.
Finally, he cleared his throat and answered quietly.
“…Very well. Let me call her.”
“Wonderful!”
I clapped my hands together.
‘It actually worked.’
The technique truly was effective. The art of persuasion known only to young ladies.
Jo Man’s servant rushed off and immediately summoned the Maid from outside the window.
The Maid clutched her broom tightly, her face etched with apprehension as she followed the servant, then timidly stepped into the room.
Trembling and with her head bowed low, she resembled a drenched puppy.
“I… I… Did I perhaps… do something wrong?”
Her speech was remarkably slow.
“I have not yet granted you permission to speak.”
“Eek—!”
Even her gesture of covering her mouth was sluggish.
“….”
Jo Man’s eyes conveyed a clear question: are you truly certain about this one?
I nodded cheerfully with a bright smile, and Jo Man let out a reluctant sigh.
“…What is your name?”
Jo Man asked in a stern tone.
“Um… well….”
The Maid hesitated in her response.
“G-Gong Myo… ma’am.”
The moment I heard that name, goosebumps erupted across my skin.
‘What is this? Just now….’
Something felt strange.
From the very beginning, my gaze kept returning to her, and I sensed that I could not let this woman slip away.
I leaped from my chair and drew closer to her.
Fear filled Gong Myo’s eyes as she looked down at my approaching figure.
Taking her hand, I smiled as warmly as I could manage.
“I’m Hee-yeon. Dang Hee-yeon. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“Yes? Ah, it is… an honor to meet you, young lady.”
With a bewildered expression, Gong Myo bowed at my eye level.
“I look forward to working with you.”
“Yes, working together…? Eh?”
Gong Myo’s gaze alternated between me and Jo Man.
I turned to Jo Man and nodded brightly.
It was a signal conveying: ‘I’ve decided on this girl.’
Understanding perfectly, Jo Man’s pupils wavered before finally settling.
‘Hmm? She doesn’t seem particularly shaken.’
I had expected her to object, claiming I couldn’t be trusted, but she didn’t.
He turned smoothly toward Gong Myo and spoke.
“Gong Myo. From today on, you are the young lady’s personal attendant maid.”
“Ah. …Yes?!”
At Gong Myo’s voice, the heavens themselves seemed to cry out.
Wow. So she could shriek like that?
I covered my ringing ears and looked up at Gong Myo.
I grasped Gong Myo’s hand—still seeming to struggle with comprehension—with both of mine.
Then I smiled broadly and spoke.
“Yes! Gong Myo, you’re my closest person now.”
Gong Myo said nothing, her eyes darting between Jo Man and me.
With arms crossed, Jo Man’s gaze turned sharp and cutting.
His eyes threatened that it would be better for her well-being if she simply expressed gratitude and stayed silent.
Gong Myo slowly, her trembling legs bending, knelt down.
“Th-thank you…. I will work hard….”
“I trust you!”
At my cheerful response, Gong Myo lifted her head.
I glanced at Jo Man, and he continued smiling with perfect composure.
‘He’s probably planning to investigate Gong Myo’s background once he’s given his consent.’
He simply didn’t want unnecessary conflict with me.
I wanted to tell Jo Man something.
That he didn’t need to worry so much.
Because….
‘I’m certain.’
Seeing her up close, conviction washed over me.
I had met her before the regression.
After I fled the household, I had encountered an older version of Gong Myo.
How could I have possibly met a member of the Dang Family who lived so tightly bound together in Sichuan?
I couldn’t quite remember yet, but I thought the memories might return as I grew closer to her as my personal attendant maid.
“Young lady, I shall retire now.”
After exchanging farewells with me, Jo Man and Gong Myo—who had left to show her around the quarters and teach her duties—returned.
Gong Myo’s face had grown hollow from exhaustion.
I descended from my chair with a gentle smile.
“You’ve worked hard. Let’s eat together.”
I distributed a sweet pastry to each of them.
“Th-thank you, young lady!”
Gong Myo bowed deeply and popped the sweet pastry into her mouth. She must have been craving something sweet.
“Thank you.”
Jo Man followed suit with his thanks and quickly placed the sweet pastry in his mouth.
That was when it happened.
“Miss.”
A Maid’s voice called from beyond the door.
“You have a visitor.”
“Ah, finally.”
Jo Man nodded as though he had been expecting this.
‘Another visitor? What for?’
As I tilted my head, the shadow cast upon the paper door shifted.
“It is a Commander’s Warrior.”
Behind the Maid, the silhouette of a broad-shouldered man fell across the threshold.
‘Why would a martial artist come here?’
I blinked, looking up at Jo Man.
“Miss.”
He continued with a faint smile.
“Your personal guard has arrived.”

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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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