I Thought the Youngest Daughter of the Sichuan Tang Family Was Hated - Chapter 16

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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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“Ugh… ugh…! A lizard…!”
Gyo-gyo’s anguished moans from nightmares seeped beyond her quarters.
The maids bustled about frantically, struggling to bring down her fever.
Deep into the night, Gyo-gyo’s quarters remained brightly lit.
In a small pavilion overlooking that light, figures gathered.
They huddled together like rats, whispering amongst themselves.
“Where in this world would the Dang Family faint at the sight of poison?”
“Is she really the replacement they brought in for that youngest daughter?”
“How could she not be? The Family Head brought her in personally. And right after that youngest daughter became unusable!”
“That’s why the Elder took her in as an adopted granddaughter right away. Otherwise it would be pointless….”
The one who had raised his voice suddenly fell silent.
“…You’ve arrived.”
Everyone rose to greet Dang Seo-o Elder.
In the silence, only the sound of a cane tapping echoed. Then the Elder slowly dragged his chair and sat.
“Have you disposed of the evidence?”
An old, oily voice resonated through the pavilion. After his brief question, all but two sat down.
The remaining two kept their heads bowed, their voices stiff as they answered.
“The problem is, this young master moved the Merchant Guild….”
“B-but we did eliminate all the decisive evidence.”
The Elder’s eyes narrowed. He exhaled through his nose, displeased.
“Hmph. So that means tomorrow, that arrogant bastard will defy me again.”
“…We apologize. Even with ten mouths, we have no excuse.”
“How are we to make up for this….”
“The Family Council Meeting is tomorrow. Wash your necks and wait. If things go wrong, you two will bleed first.”
A chill swept across their necks. They swallowed hard.
As the atmosphere grew heavier, the one seated beside the Elder awkwardly opened his mouth.
“Surely things won’t go wrong? Haha….”
Those shrouded in shadow all chimed in with his words.
“Y-yes. The Family Council Meeting won’t even be held.”
“The Family Head would never abandon his oath and return. Unless he’s lost his mind!”
Dang Seo-o clicked his tongue and tilted his teacup.
“Tsk. Unsatisfying. How could we possibly fail against one small girl?”
He sipped the hot tea while glancing at the two standing before him. They flinched.
“But what if he does return? What then?”
“Didn’t you say all the decisive evidence has been eliminated?”
“Still, what if….”
“Even if he returns, it doesn’t matter.”
Dang Seo-o cut off the timid voice and spoke.
He fiddled with his cane while chewing and swallowing a leaf floating in his tea.
“As long as the Former Patriarch Elder doesn’t step forward, even if the heavens split, Sichuan is our world. Don’t you know? The Family Head’s legitimacy was obtained through his protection.”
As Dang Seo-o spoke with such certainty, the anxiety drained from their faces.
“And.”
He opened his mouth with a grin, driving his words home like a wedge.
“Do you truly believe the Family Head will return for a useless daughter?”
His piercing eyes gleamed from the shadows.
His mouth split wide, revealing black teeth within.
“For the sake of one worthless girl?”
At Dang Seo-o’s words, they exchanged glances with one another.
That’s right.
The Family Head would never abandon his oath for a single girl like that.
Since the Family Head’s departure, controlling the Family Clan had proceeded smoothly.
And it would continue to do so.
***
As dawn broke and the sun reached its zenith, we made our way toward the hall where the Family Council Meeting was to be held.
The conference chamber stood upon a high hill near the Family Head’s residence.
Clad in heavy ceremonial robes, I climbed the stairs cradled in Dang Dam’s arms.
‘I’m truly grateful to have a bodyguard.’
The thought of ascending these towering stairs in such burdensome attire without Dang Dam sent a chill down my spine.
Leaning against his chest without a bead of sweat upon him, I soon reached the summit.
The first thing that came into view was the Training Ground, polished smooth with blue-grey stone.
Beyond it stood a low building of bronze hue.
Many people stood before the building, divided into two groups on either side of the entrance.
‘Is that the conference chamber?’
As we drew closer, the faces of the crowd became clearer.
“Oh?”
I spotted two familiar faces within the throng.
Gwi-heon and Dang Lim were mingling with the people on the left side, engaged in conversation.
The moment Dang Dam set me down, I called out to them.
“Older brothers!”
Had I called out too hastily? Both groups turned their gaze toward me at once.
I rushed toward my older brothers, feigning indifference.
“Is that her…?”
“Yes. This incident…”
I could hear the people on the right side whispering amongst themselves, eyeing me with displeasure.
There was one person encircled by them. It was Dang Seo-o.
‘So these are the collateral branch forces.’
Then the left side must be our allies.
“Yeon-ah.”
As I surveyed my surroundings while running, I reached my older brothers.
“Good morning.”
“Are you still sleepy? Your eyes are practically drooping.”
Dang Lim poked my cheek playfully.
“No, I’m completely awake!”
“Awake, my foot.”
As Dang Lim chuckled, Gwi-heon smiled along with him.
Both of them looked as relaxed as ever.
Weren’t they nervous at all?
‘They’re staring at us with such piercing eyes.’
I glanced cautiously toward the right side of the group.
I could see Dang Seo-o and Gyogyeo.
‘They’re smiling.’
And doing so with such brazen confidence, as if to say, “Look at us.”
The moment I saw their smiles, an ominous premonition washed over me.
“…Surely not.”
I turned my head carefully.
I couldn’t afford to show any sign of panic.
Without exaggeration, everyone was watching me.
As I surveyed my surroundings slowly, it became unmistakable.
They weren’t here.
Neither the Steward nor Dang Eum, who had set out with us.
‘…They haven’t arrived yet.’
The Family Head—my father.
On the way here, I had deliberately avoided thinking of Father.
Every time I recalled him, my chest ached.
My heart raced so violently that the pain was almost unbearable.
But now, as the Family Council Meeting drew near and Father still hadn’t appeared, my blood ran cold.
‘We both prepared so hard.’
I tugged at Gwi-heon’s sleeve and asked in a hushed voice.
“Brother, where is Father?”
I saw Gwi-heon’s expression stiffen, if only for a moment.
Then, as if nothing had happened, it quickly relaxed.
“He’s running a bit late, it seems.”
He spoke as though Father would arrive soon, trying to reassure me.
But I had seen that hardened expression. My own face fell in response.
“There’s been heavy rain in that region, you know. The roads must be treacherous, so he’s probably delayed.”
Dang Lim added his words, supporting his neck with a casual hand.
If anything, Dang Lim seemed even more composed.
“What if he doesn’t come?”
“That won’t happen.”
Dang Lim spoke with absolute certainty, his expression unwavering.
How can you be so certain of that?
I gazed up at Dang Lim, my question laden with doubt.
“This young master.”
Dang Seo-o’s voice cut through the air.
“Quite some time has passed. Yet the Patriarch’s procession is still nowhere to be seen, it seems.”
Dang Seo-o’s group had already turned their full attention toward us.
“No, wait. Didn’t someone make a grand proclamation? That the Patriarch was coming?”
As one of them spoke in mockery, they laughed with sinister amusement.
“In the first place, does it even make sense to summon the Patriarch over something so trivial?”
“Indeed. We’re merely confirming the Patriarch’s absence. Haha.”
“We should be grateful to this young master.”
Their disparaging remarks and gazes concentrated intensely on Gui Heon.
I grew worried about Gui Heon.
No matter how much older and cleverer he was among the three of us…
‘He’s still only fifteen.’
It pained me to see him subjected to public ridicule by the clan elders.
“Brother, let’s go inside. Let’s stay inside, yes?”
I tugged at Gui Heon’s sleeve once more.
His gaze, which had been fixed on Dang Seo-o, lowered toward me.
I studied his expression carefully. If there were tears welling in his eyes, I genuinely wanted to go and give those people a piece of my mind.
In spirit, at least.
“Does your leg hurt?”
Fortunately, Gui Heon’s face appeared unaffected.
Rather, his eyes gleamed with contempt directed at them.
‘He’s no ordinary person either. Gui Heon.’
And Dang Lim beside me, glaring at them as if he could kill with his stare.
“I’ll carry you. Come.”
Gui Heon lifted me up effortlessly.
He gently tapped my hair, which was rolled up into twin buns, as he spoke softly.
“Just be patient a little longer. Once Father arrives, we can go inside.”
I nodded in agreement.
It seemed the doors to the meeting hall wouldn’t open without the Patriarch’s presence.
That must be why Dang Seo-o was standing outside so obediently.
“Mun Yak. Ring the bell.”
Through the veil of mocking laughter, Dang Seo-o’s voice rang out once more.
The man standing beside him bowed his head and stepped forward.
Mun Yak grasped the bell rope hanging in front of the meeting hall and called out.
“Due to the Patriarch’s absence, the Family Council Meeting is hereby dissolved.”
“What did you say?”
“We haven’t waited long at all! Let us wait a bit longer, please!”
Our group stirred with unease.
My mind grew hazy, buried beneath the voices of those who bristled with agitation.
‘He really isn’t coming?’
Is it truly ending like this?
If the Family Clan fractures, the future will not change.
We cannot even properly contain the internal crisis—how could we possibly withstand the enemies descending upon us from without?
“I will count to five and dissolve the Family Council Meeting. One.”
The man began counting, indifferent to our protests.
I glanced back and forth between Gwi-heon and Dang Lim in panic.
Gwi-heon patted my back, while Dang Lim stared intently at the bell.
His gaze still held no wavering.
‘Does he truly still believe? That Father will come?’
“Two. Three.”
Father won’t come.
He doesn’t love me as much as my brothers do.
That’s why he left me behind.
“Four.”
There’s no way he’d come. His coming would be the strange thing.
“Fi—”
The moment the man pulled the rope.
A gust of wind swept through, and a black silhouette flew onto the rooftop of the building.
The swaying bell stilled.
A man in a black martial robe, who had appeared without warning, pressed the bell down firmly with his foot.
“Brother…!”
Dang Lim’s voice burst forth with excitement.
It was Dang Eum.
His long black hair whipped about his face, obscuring it from clear view, yet we could be certain.
Dang Eum, who had set out on campaign with Father, had returned.
“What, what is this? He definitely wasn’t there!”
The people on the right side began to murmur in confusion.
They all turned to look behind them, toward the stairs.
The angle was wrong to see anyone ascending. Yet it could be felt.
The presence of one climbing these stairs.

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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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