I Thought the Youngest Daughter of the Sichuan Tang Family Was Hated - Chapter 5

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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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I replied with an expression of complete innocence.
“Hmm? I was just taking a walk.”
“Is that so?”
At my words, Dang Gyo-gyo’s expression visibly softened.
‘She’s showing her relief far too openly.’
“What is this place? It smells like medicine!”
As I pointed toward the Warehouse and asked, Dang Gyo-gyo’s eyes swept over me from head to toe.
“Did you go in there?”
“What? No! It’s too heavy for me to open. Sister, would you open it for me?”
Dang Gyo-gyo turned her head away sharply and decisively.
“Absolutely not. It’s dangerous.”
“Oh, dangerous?”
I clasped my hands together as if frightened, and Dang Gyo-gyo’s eyes gleamed with satisfaction.
“Yes. If Father found out you went in there, he would certainly scold you.”
“Oh no….”
Pleased with my reaction, Dang Gyo-gyo pressed forward with renewed confidence.
“Do you see this?”
A brilliant hairpin gleamed above her upswept hair, catching the light.
Large jade beads were perfectly encased in a gold setting.
“Father gave this to me as a special gift. Because of you, no less.”
I had indeed wondered where that hairpin came from.
Even the daughters of noble families could not casually obtain such a treasure, yet she wore it so freely….
‘So Father gave it to her.’
Dang Gyo-gyo swept back the hair adorned with the hairpin and spoke with concern.
“But if you do something to fall out of favor again, what will happen to you? You’ll be cast out, won’t you?”
This manner of speaking from Dang Gyo-gyo felt strangely familiar.
“My, your sleeves are quite worn, Yeon-ah. Didn’t Father give you any fabric for new clothes?”
Each time, she would feign concern for me while boasting of Father’s favoritism toward her.
In the past, such words would shatter my heart and cause me anguish, but not now.
“I must be more careful…!”
I nodded my head vigorously.
As a bonus, I let my eyes shine as though receiving sound advice.
“Thank you, Sister!”
“Uh… yes. Right.”
Dang Gyo-gyo blinked, as if my response was not what she expected.
It seemed that in the past, I would have wept at such words.
‘It really does seem like I would have.’
Perhaps annoyed that I did not cry, Dang Gyo-gyo opened her mouth again.
“…And did you see today? It seems Dang Lim really hates you. His expression was so unpleasant….”
I listened to Dang Gyo-gyo’s words while blinking my eyes.
“….”
I had just realized something significant.
I had heard words like these before.
Words that feigned concern for me on the surface, yet ceaselessly reminded me of my own worthlessness.
“You should eat something now. Second Brother is only waiting for the day he can hold your funeral rites. We can’t let that happen, can we?”
“From now on, you must prove your usefulness. Dang Lim is so ashamed of you because your dantian is ruined…!”
The cruel words from my memories crystallized with terrible clarity.
Now I understood why Dang Gyo-gyo’s voice had been woven through them.
These were not words spoken by Dang Lim or my second brother Dang Gui-heon—they were words relayed by Dang Gyo-gyo.
And I had remembered them as though they were truth.
‘It was you.’
Whether intentionally or not, Dang Gyo-gyo had manipulated my memories.
I clenched my fists and glared at her.
“Why are you looking at me like that? I’m only worried about you.”
Indignation and fury burned within me. I wanted nothing more than to strike that cunning girl to the ground and weep bitterly.
But I could not.
Setting aside whether I would lose—the undeniable fact was that Dang Gyo-gyo held Father’s favor.
‘This must be connected to the Hallucination Herb somehow. Using that as leverage to dispose of her in one stroke is the right move.’
I forced my trembling fists open, relaxed my tense expression, and let my brows droop.
“But… Sister. Brother’s mood was bad because of you….”
I fidgeted with my fingers and spoke in a tone of concern.
“Sister, you haven’t been feeling well lately, have you?”
“What?”
Dang Gyo-gyo’s eyes narrowed.
“Ah, really… I shouldn’t be saying this…!”
I shifted nervously from foot to foot.
After feigning hesitation several times, I heaved a reluctant sigh before continuing.
“Your breath… it smells like feces. Brother’s expression crumpled the moment your face came close, didn’t it?”
“Th-that’s…!”
Dang Gyo-gyo gasped and covered her mouth. Then she cautiously sniffed her own breath.
Her face flushed crimson—apparently the smell was real.
“I’m so worried about you, Sister. Could there be an illness in your stomach?”
“Th-this…!”
Dang Gyo-gyo’s clenched fists trembled.
“…How infuriating!”
I thought she might attack, but instead she spun around and stomped away furiously.
She was probably going to rinse her mouth.
“Hmph, wash it well. Scrub your tongue thoroughly!”
I stuck my tongue out at her retreating figure. Yet despite winning the verbal exchange, I felt no joy.
“….”
My gaze kept drifting toward the glimmering hairpin.
***
Pigeons streamed endlessly into the Pavilion.
Dang Gui-heon, the second son of the Dang Family, snatched the message tubes attached to the pigeons and began writing.
He was issuing orders to the Merchant Guild branches scattered throughout Sichuan.
“…Ugh.”
Dang Lim, perched on the nearby railing, groaned while furrowing his brow.
From the way he kept stealing glances at Gui-heon, it was clear he was waiting for his brother to speak first.
“Ughhhh…!”
But Dang Gui-heon ignored him completely, as if he couldn’t hear a thing.
“…Brother.”
Finally, Dang Lim reluctantly broke the silence.
“What is it, little brother?”
Gui-heon answered as if he’d been waiting for this.
“I saw Hee-yeon.”
He paused. The brush that had been flowing smoothly across the paper came to a halt.
“It’s been almost a year since she left the house.”
“Did she seem well?”
“…That’s the thing…”
He opened his mouth, then closed it again, exhaling a deep sigh.
“Brother, do you know what this is?”
Dang Lim held out the box he’d been clutching the entire time, asking his question.
“Hmm?”
Gui-heon set down his brush and took the box. When he opened the lid, the fragrance of peach blossoms wafted out.
“It smells pleasant.”
He placed a handful of incense in his palm and pressed it with his thumb—it crumbled instantly.
“It’s well-dried. Is it meant to be burned in an incense burner?”
“Yes. Hee-yeon burns it in her room, but I’ve never seen it before.”
Gui-heon’s eyes narrowed slowly.
With his pale skin, sharp features, and cool mouth, every movement flowed with serpentine grace.
Like a snake, indeed.
“How could I not know something that comes from the Medicinal Properties Hall?”
In contrast, Dang Lim resembled an eager young hunting hound.
His competitive spirit and pride were especially evident in his sharp eyes and prominent nose.
“…That would be impossible.”
Gui-heon, who had been examining the box slowly, smiled coldly as if he’d assessed something.
His mouth twisted into a crooked grin.
A strong wind blew, and the atmosphere grew cold.
Unaware of this shift, Dang Lim rested his head in his hands and muttered.
“A sick girl comes out alone looking for this. What are the servants doing cooped up in the quarters?”
Dang Lim ground his teeth with a guttural sound.
“I held back because I didn’t want to startle the child.”
“You did well to restrain yourself.”
“Didn’t I? And he’s probably not even fully recovered yet.”
Dang Gui-heon pushed the box aside and his hand, wielding the brush, accelerated noticeably.
“It’s strange. The child’s clothes seem rather worn.”
Gui-heon’s brow twitched.
Every fine item that arrived at the Merchant Guild was sent to Yeon-ah whenever the opportunity arose.
“…It seems there’s a rat among us.”
Someone within the Dang Household had rendered all that effort meaningless.
“We all deliberately stayed away. I especially… had no shame left to show my face.”
Dang Lim’s shoulders sagged as he recalled what had transpired before.
“Right. Let your older brother look into what’s happened.”
Gui-heon rose from his seat, patting Dang Lim’s now-dejected back.
As Dang Lim stood to follow, worry still lingered across his face.
“Here.”
Gui-heon handed something over.
It was an elongated wooden box wrapped in silk cloth.
“A hairpin?”
Dang Lim guessed the contents without even looking inside.
“Yes. A jade hairpin. It looked nice and light.”
“Hmph….”
Dang Lim exhaled sharply through his nose, tilting his chin upward.
“What good is sending it? She won’t even wear it. Say something to her. Tell her to start wearing things like this.”
“You give it to her directly.”
“…What?”
His raised chin dropped back down.
“Me?”
Dang Lim pointed to himself with his mouth agape, and Gui-heon regarded him with clear, knowing eyes.
“Not through a servant. You. Personally. Give it. To Yeon-ah.”
His eyes narrowed with a subtle smile.
“Understood?”
“How could I! I still haven’t… what? I haven’t even asked for forgiveness yet… Ugh?!”
Gui-heon thrust the wooden box forcefully against Dang Lim’s chest.
Fearing it might drop, Dang Lim caught it with both hands.
“Uh, ah!”
The box bounced two or three times between his fingertips, ricocheting this way and that.
“Phew. …Huh?”
After finally steadying his breath, Dang Gui-heon had vanished without a trace.

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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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