I Thought the Youngest Daughter of the Sichuan Tang Family Was Hated - Chapter 35

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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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At the brief question, Dang Cheon-mu’s gaze turned glacial.
Dang Mu-seon paused mid-sip and shifted his attention toward Namgoong Sae-ryun.
“I’ve heard the news. Your daughter….”
“Everyone knows that story. Is there really a need to rehash it?”
Dang Cheon-mu cut off Namgoong Sae-ryun’s words mid-sentence, his question edged with sharpness.
“Haha. So it’s true that you treasure your daughter dearly—so much so that you begrudge even speaking of her.”
Namgoong Sae-ryun merely smiled with ease.
“Compose yourself. I’m simply curious.”
“About what?”
“Why hasn’t your daughter’s marriage been arranged?”
At his question, Dang Cheon-mu exhaled slowly.
Without bothering to conceal his irritation, Dang Cheon-mu tapped his cup repeatedly as he spoke.
“As you age, it seems you’ve developed an interest in the marriage affairs of other households.”
“It’s natural to be curious about Dang Cheon-mu’s daughter. I wonder where you intend to marry her off to.”
At Namgoong Sae-ryun’s continued words, ripples spread across the wine cup.
A hairline fracture traced delicately along the cup’s rim.
Dang Cheon-mu’s expression darkened.
Yet Namgoong Sae-ryun remained unperturbed.
As if his very purpose was to provoke him.
If that was his aim, he had succeeded.
The daughters of the Dang Family had traditionally taken husbands into their household and married without ever leaving—generation after generation.
But Namgoong Sae-ryun clearly assumed he would naturally marry Dang Hee-yeon off to another clan.
This was because Dang Hee-yeon was a defective direct-line princess who could not practice martial arts.
His true assessment of Dang Hee-yeon became painfully clear.
Dang Cheon-mu took a moment to steady himself, suppressing the urge to tear that handsome smile to shreds.
“What of our Do-hwi?”
It was then that Namgoong Sae-ryun made a peculiar proposal.
“Though we are both part of the Sega Society, our two families have not shared deep ties until now. Why not forge a new connection through marriage?”
Dang Cheon-mu’s eyes narrowed to slits.
‘So this is why he summoned us directly.’
He quickly grasped the situation.
Regardless of what happened to the Dang Family, the Sega Society had operated without incident all this time.
There was no reason for the Sega Society Master to summon the Dang Family directly.
Or so he had believed—until now.
To everyone in the Sega Society, not just Namgoong Sae-ryun, Dang Hee-yeon was a coveted prize.
The Dang Family, uniquely insular even among the great martial clans.
To ostracize and check them, it was necessary to forge deep ties.
And until now, the only method of forging such ties had been to surrender their children to the other side.
But not Dang Hee-yeon.
Since Dang Hee-yeon possessed no knowledge whatsoever of the Sacheon Tang Clan’s martial techniques, there was no compelling reason not to marry her off.
If he could dispose of his youngest daughter—a burden on the family—by exchanging her for expensive betrothal gifts, it would be an ideal arrangement from Dang Cheon-mu’s perspective.
Of course, this assumed that Dang Cheon-mu viewed Dang Hee-yeon as a commodity to be traded, just as they did.
Dang Cheon-mu suppressed his anger and opened his mouth.
“We have no objection.”
Crack! The sound of shattering glass filled the air.
Before Dang Cheon-mu could even finish speaking, Dang Mu-seon, who had been listening quietly from behind, crushed his wine cup to powder.
His gaze burned with fierce intensity as he fixed it upon the back of Dang Cheon-mu’s head.
Even those seated nearby recoiled, yet Dang Cheon-mu continued speaking without the slightest change in expression.
“But are you certain? Sending your only son to a distant land?”
At his question, Namgoong Sae-ryun’s eyes blinked rapidly.
Seeing him pause as if considering the meaning, Dang Cheon-mu pressed further.
“Moreover, won’t your son harbor resentment?”
“That is….”
Uncertain of the intent behind the question, he trailed off.
Dang Cheon-mu explained it plainly for him.
“The boy has been lavished with affection from his elder brothers, so surely a single husband will not satisfy him.”
Namgoong Sae-ryun’s weary eyes hardened.
“Are you saying my son is not satisfactory?”
“I merely express concern. Are you truly comfortable with your precious only son becoming merely one of my daughter’s many husbands?”
….
Namgoong Sae-ryun, who had been asking questions with a mischievous tone, finally fell silent.
Dang Cheon-mu’s expression remained composed, yet his resolve was absolute.
I will never—absolutely never—hand my daughter over to that snake.
Dang Mu-seon, watching from behind, shared the same conviction.
These treacherous vipers dare to overstep! They deserve to be put in their place!
Namgoong Sae-ryun concealed his hardened expression and resumed his affable smile.
“What a shame, then.”
His tone suggested it had merely been a casual proposal.
Without hesitation, he turned his gaze away from Dang Cheon-mu.
As Namgoong Sae-ryun exchanged warm greetings with the Peng Family Master, Dang Cheon-mu beckoned the Chief Steward closer.
Lowering his voice, he whispered something sinister into the Chief Steward’s ear.
“Ensure that no man sets foot in my daughter’s guest quarters.”
***
“Ugh… I’m so sleepy…”
I had thought I could rest immediately after Dang Mu-seon told me to recover from the journey, but that wasn’t the case.
The moment we arrived, we were dressed up elaborately and then summoned to a garden.
It looked as though a mountain had been miniaturized and transplanted here. Stone paths wound along flowing water, and several small pavilions were arranged around them.
Had I been in my right mind, I would have marveled at the sight, but now I felt little enthusiasm.
“Oh! I missed it.”
“Just catch it there. Hurry and run!”
The cheerful laughter of children echoed in my ears.
Was this a gathering of the direct descendants of the great Murim families?
The colors of the robes each wore were vivid and varied.
‘They all seem close to one another.’
I was the only one meeting everyone for the first time.
Feeling slightly intimidated, I grasped Dang Lim’s hand.
Dang Lim glanced down at me, then raised his voice to Dang Eum and Gong Myo.
“How could you leave our Yeon-ah here alone? Really?! The child is frightened!”
What? They were planning to leave me here by myself?
My eyes widened at hearing this for the first time.
“That won’t do. Yeon-ah needs to make friends on her own.”
Gong Myo shook her head firmly and dragged Dang Lim to the side.
“Besides, you have someone you need to meet, don’t you?”
“Th-that is…”
At Gong Myo’s words, Dang Lim’s ears turned red.
I gazed up at them blankly.
‘Who are they supposed to meet? Everyone?’
Sensing my gaze, Gong Myo approached me.
She bent her knees to meet my eyes and gently took my hand.
“Will you be alright on your own? We have somewhere we need to go for a moment.”
“Where… are you going? Can’t I go too?”
Gong Myo smiled awkwardly.
“Well…”
She seemed to be deliberating her answer.
Was there something so complicated that I wouldn’t understand?
“A prospective bride.”
Then Dang Eum, who had been standing behind, answered in her stead.
“A prospective… bride?”
“Sister. Wouldn’t ‘betrothed’ be a more fitting term than ‘prospective’?”
Gong Myo laughed sheepishly and turned to look at him.
“That woman calls me her prospective groom too.”
Dang Eum shrugged as if there was nothing strange about it.
‘Ah. Now that I think about it, everyone must have one.’
Everyone was at an age where they ought to have a betrothal arranged.
“Then what about Dang Lim, older brother?”
I looked up at Dang Lim and asked, and he scratched the back of his neck before answering.
“Well, that’s the thing… I don’t need one.”
His tone suggested he found such matters to be nothing but a nuisance.
“Right. Marriage talks aren’t even on his mind these days.”
Dang Hee-yeon patted Dang Lim’s shoulder as she spoke.
“Which is exactly why you should at least go pay your respects. Come on, this way.”
Dang Hee-yeon firmly dragged Dang Lim along.
“Call for me if anything comes up.”
With that parting instruction, they vanished toward the pavilion situated at a distance.
“….”
I found myself alone in an instant.
Gong Myo and Dang Dam were waiting outside the garden, and my Nanny was organizing luggage in the Guest Hall, so I was truly by myself.
Since this gathering was meant to foster camaraderie, all attendants had to remain outside.
I began to slowly survey my surroundings.
‘So everyone my age has gathered here.’
I examined the faces of the children running about with narrowed eyes, one by one.
I was searching for Namgoong Do-hwi among them.
‘Since things have come to this, why not try to become friends right away.’
Forgetting my fatigue, my heart began to swell with anticipation.
“That one? The half-cripple?”
“Yeah. So pale too.”
My heart, which had been racing with excitement, deflated in an instant.
Perhaps I had stared at the children too openly.
Several of them began to whisper about me—loudly enough for me to hear every word.
‘…Half-cripple, they say? That’s harsh language.’
They probably called me that because I was from the main line but couldn’t use martial arts.
“So would that one break if we poked them? Father said criminals are like that, and told us to be careful once we grow up.”
The whispers reached my ears clearly.
They spoke such frightening things without a care. Must be a trait of those Sega Society brats.
“Hehe. Should we test it?”
I shot a sharp glare at the boy who spoke loudly enough for all to hear.
He was a boy about my age.
Judging by the deep blue robe he wore, he appeared to be from the Peng Family.
“Oh? So you can glare too. Guess you’re not scared.”
When our eyes met, he grinned even more wickedly, and I found him utterly detestable.
‘Is there a rock anywhere? I’d love to throw it at him!’
A brat like that needed to be hit once to come to his senses.
Of course, he would easily dodge any stone I threw, but even if he let his guard down and got hit, I could hold my head high.
That bastard attacked first.
I crouched on the ground, searching for a good stone to throw, when the children’s whispers grew louder.
“Hey. Is he crying?”
“He’s crying! He’s crying!”
Crying? Hardly.
This was merely one step back for a greater advance forward.
I was gathering stones to match the number of children facing me.
Then suddenly, a small hand entered my field of vision.
The tiny hand was already covered with calluses, densely packed across its surface.
I recognized the figure immediately—the white sleeve and the long scar running across the palm gave it away.
“Don’t mind them. If you cry, you’re the only one who loses.”

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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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