I Thought the Youngest Daughter of the Sichuan Tang Family Was Hated - Chapter 13

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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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“Ah, Miss. Would you like me to bring some tea?”
That’s right. Her name was Gong Myo.
Even back then, she had those drooping eyes.
“…Miss?”
My instinct was correct.
I made the right choice keeping Gong Myo by my side. The memory surfaced thanks to Dang Dam, but the thread of truth lay in Gong Myo’s hands.
‘How did Gong Myo survive?’
Did she know the war would begin beforehand?
If so, from when?
“Miss…”
“Hmm?”
Ah. After Jo Man left, I had been so lost in thought, retracing my memories.
I could see Gong Myo standing there helplessly, holding the teapot.
‘…Surely it’s not starting from now.’
Then what happens?
Is all of this acting? That makes no sense.
“Myo-myo.”
When I called Gong Myo by her nickname, her eyes widened noticeably.
The corners of her stiffened mouth lifted slightly—quite endearing, actually.
“Do you have any relatives outside the Dang Household?”
“Pardon?”
Gong Myo blinked and opened her mouth slightly.
“I’m not sure. I’m an orphan, so…”
“Ah.”
I nodded. It was an answer that made me feel oddly apologetic.
In any case, there’s no way someone rescued Gong Myo.
‘When will someone approach Gong Myo?’
Someone who knows the truth.
I stared blankly into empty space. The memory still flickered before my eyes.
She was crying.
Why on earth?
“Miss, this is Dang Auk tea. It has a pleasant aroma, and it’s… quite good. Please try some.”
Gong Myo carefully set down the teacup.
My reflection appeared in the tea that had steeped to a pale blue.
If I cannot correct the future, I die with it.
‘How strange.’
I don’t feel the urge to escape immediately.
Steam drifted and brushed past Dang Dam, slipping out through the window.
Did Dang Dam feel the same way?
I must protect. Even if it’s me.
My older brother.
My Nanny.
Father, who might come to love me.
‘…My family clan.’
I cradled the warm cup in both hands and took a long sip of tea.
“It’s truly fragrant.”
A richly nutty aroma—sweet enough to coat the tongue—bloomed across my palate.
“The color is… quite lovely, isn’t it?”
Gong Myo asked with a satisfied smile.
I nodded and swallowed another mouthful.
‘But should I trust drinking tea that Gong Myo gives me?’
The doubt flickered for a moment, then vanished.
Somehow, I didn’t sense that Gong Myo would harm me.
Though it was purely intuition, I should still be cautious….
‘Besides, would she really poison me in front of Dang Dam?’
I shrugged and finished crunching through the sweet pastry.
“Mm.”
As I rolled the round pastry on my tongue, thoughts of my older brothers surfaced.
They must be busy preparing for the Family Council Meeting by now—and since I’ve already saved the household staff, perhaps there’s something I could help with?
Gui-heon and Dang Lim were both investigating everyone involved in the Hallucination Grass incident.
‘What exactly have they discovered? The physician changed, the maid changed….’
And even the location of the well in the Back Garden had shifted.
“I want to help too….”
As I murmured quietly, Dang Dam and Gong Myo turned to look at me.
“Young Miss, is something troubling you?”
Gong Myo asked, noticing my sullen expression.
Hmm, should I answer her truthfully?
‘Well, we’ll be spending time together anyway, so there’s no point hiding it.’
I tied the pastry pouch shut and spoke boldly.
“I miss my older brother!”
“My.”
“Why hasn’t he been coming lately?”
I tilted my head as I asked.
“Well, that is….”
Gong Myo only blinked, unable to answer. It was natural—she wouldn’t know either.
“He is occupied.”
Dang Dam answered in her stead.
I looked at him in response to his matter-of-fact reply.
“The Family Council Meeting—that’s why he’s busy, right?”
“Correct.”
“Because of the poisonous herb in my room?”
“Yes.”
“A poisonous herb?!”
Gong Myo, who had been listening quietly, startled and clapped her hand over her mouth.
Dang Dam and I exchanged glances.
“Yes. We’re trying to uncover which faction was involved in it.”
To be precise, we’re searching for evidence that Dang Seo-o and Gyo Gyo were involved.
“M-Master. Is it appropriate to speak of such things to the young lady?”
Gong Myo asked, trembling as she lightly touched Dang Dam’s shoulder.
Dang Dam looked down at Gong Myo and answered tersely.
“I believe it’s better she hears it than remains ignorant.”
“But still….”
Gong Myo looked at me, visibly flustered.
“Hmm.”
Regardless, I rested my chin in my hand and fell into serious contemplation.
‘They must have traced who brought in the hallucinogenic herb we found in the Warehouse back then.’
From there, they would have begun their investigation.
If I’m to be of help, I should look into other matters.
‘Wait, now that I think about it….’
I took the container of hallucinogenic herb with me. But how did someone brew tea with the hallucinogenic herb for me?
The quantity was too large to have been set aside beforehand.
Then there was only one conclusion. There had to be a separate hiding place.
“Let’s go!”
I tucked my pouch securely into the side table and stepped forward with determination.
“Pardon? Young lady, where are you going?”
“A walk!”
Gong Myo followed after me.
“But you’re still not feeling well….”
Unlike the hesitant Gong Myo, Dang Dam stepped ahead and opened the door for me.
“It’s best to move the body at times like these.”
“But….”
The two of them disagreed.
I quickly slipped past the two of them into the Corridor.
My pace was quite brisk.
I finally had something real to do.
‘I’ll find it myself. That evidence.’
***
What’s the best place to hide something?
‘It won’t be in the Warehouse. I already hid it there once and got caught. So this time, she probably put it somewhere no one would search.’
If I were Gong Myo, where would I hide it?
The Poison Hall where all the toxic plants are gathered? Or the Medicinal Properties Hall filled with materials of similar scent?
“Huff… haah!”
By the time I’d been rushing around breathlessly, I was already out of breath.
“Young lady, are you alright?”
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
I wiped the sweat beading on my forehead as I answered.
Yet even after hearing my response, worry didn’t fade from Gong Myo’s expression.
Dang Dam seemed the same, staring down at me intently.
They exchanged glances with each other, then nodded simultaneously.
And then….
“Forgive my rudeness.”
My body lifted off the ground.
Dang Dam hoisted me up effortlessly and settled me on one of his shoulders.
“Eek!”
Startled, I grabbed Dang Dam’s sideburns.
“Ow! Ah! …Whoa!”
After tilting my head back and forth a few times, once I found my balance, an astonishing sight unfolded.
“It’s so high!”
My field of vision had risen so much that I could see beyond the Stone Wall’s roof.
I could even see all the servants walking in the distance.
“Young lady, are you alright?”
“Yes!”
I laughed, looking down alternately at Gong Myo and Dang Dam.
“This is fun!”
Delighted, I bounced my feet excitedly.
“Where would you like to go?”
Dang Dam asked.
I craned my neck and looked around, unable to decide easily.
I wouldn’t be able to visit both places today.
“Hm?”
A long ladder came into view beyond the Stone Wall.
The ladder, propped diagonally toward the sky, wasn’t standing still—it was moving.
“Huh?”
Below it, I could see workers carrying the ladder.
There was also a horse dragging a mountain-like pile of wooden logs behind them.
“What are they doing?”
As I pointed and asked, Gong Myo bounced over to check beyond the Stone Wall.
“Ah, they’re building a watchtower, Miss.”
“A watchtower?”
“Yes. From a high place—well, it lets you see everything below clearly. Just like you’re doing now.”
I knew that much, but what I was curious about was the ‘why.’
I knew there were already dozens of watchtowers embedded in the Outer Wall and Inner Wall, so why did we need another?
“We already have so many tall ones, don’t we?”
I asked, pointing at the watchtowers rising around us.
Now that I looked closer, several of the watchtowers appeared freshly constructed.
“Well… they’re building it even higher. More… so we can see farther, you see.”
At Gong Myo’s answer, my head nodded of its own accord.
‘They’re strengthening surveillance.’
It hadn’t been long since we suffered at the hands of the Demonic Cult’s remnants.
‘Really, our household has seen no shortage of troubles.’
When we fought the Demonic Cult, we had to defend from the very front lines, and because of that, we earned the enmity of their remnants and were ambushed.
And then, not long after, we were accused of colluding with the Demonic Cult and faced extermination.
‘When I think about it that way, it really doesn’t make sense.’
What truth could possibly be hidden? Were we framed?
It was possible that some other external force had orchestrated a scheme to bring down the Dang Family.
‘Come to think of it…’
They wouldn’t even need to orchestrate anything, would they?
We were greatly weakened right now. Even the clan head wasn’t in his position.
It wouldn’t have been strange if heterodox sects or other rival clans took advantage of this gap to attack.
But why weren’t there any signs of that?
“Say, Myo. That one there, that tall one.”
I opened my mouth, pointing at a watchtower.
“They’re building it because Mother passed away, aren’t they?”
“…Miss…!”
Gong Myo seemed startled by my question.
Perhaps she was taken aback that I was accepting Mother’s death so directly.
Dang Dam also seemed shaken, his grip tightening.
“They’re building it to protect us, aren’t they? If bad people come, we have to drive them away. Right?”
“….”
“But what if that doesn’t protect us? Father isn’t here either….”
They listened to my words in silence.
It seemed to pain them that I was worried about such things.
“That won’t happen,” Dang Dam said gravely, his voice low.
It wasn’t something forced out to reassure me, but words spoken with conviction.
“That’s right, Miss.”
Gong Myo also drew her hands together and stepped closer to me.
Gong Myo also drew her hands together and took a step closer to me.
Dang Dam turned his head away, evading her approaching face.
“W-we have Dok-jon with us, don’t we…!”
“Dok-jon?”
She blinked.
“Who is that?”

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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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