Surviving as the Sacheon Dang Clan’s Servant - Chapter 27

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 27
“Lady So, let me get that! You’ll catch a cold.”
I startled and rushed down from the Pavilion, but Namgung Hui was already in the Pond. He didn’t mind his sleeves getting soaked as he fished out my shoes.
He was ruining expensive silk just to retrieve my shabby leather shoes. At this unexpected gesture, my mouth fell open.
Namgung Hui caught my bewildered stare and laughed, his eyes crinkling as if it were nothing.
“A lady can’t show her bare feet.”
And you’re fine being completely drenched?
The boy waded out dripping water, then shook the moisture from my shoes.
Then he sat me down on the Pavilion steps.
“Young Master? What are you doing?”
“Relax. Just sit still for a moment.”
Namgung Hui spoke as casually as if helping a lady dry her feet were the most natural thing in the world, drawing a handkerchief from his sleeve and wrapping it around my foot.
The silk handkerchief carried a delicate osmanthus fragrance—a sweet, floral scent hardly befitting a martial artist.
It didn’t seem like Namgung Hui’s preference; his mother or elder sisters had probably pressed it upon him.
A young master who carried a scented handkerchief… if he were only five years older, I might have felt a flutter of something.
Namgung Hui carefully wiped the dirt from my foot and squeezed the moisture from the leather shoe. Just as he seemed ready to slip it back on, I waved my hand in protest.
“Y-Young Master? I can do it myself. Give me the shoe.”
“Wait. I’m almost done.”
“Even so—eek!”
Namgung Hui tested the inside of the shoe with his hand, then lifted my foot and settled it on his own knee.
For someone who’d just lectured me about propriety and bare legs, his gesture was remarkably unselfconscious.
Where on earth did the little one learn to do this?
I watched the crown of his round head as he worked, his hands practiced and deft as he slipped the shoe onto my foot.
Once he’d brushed away every trace of dirt, Namgung Hui looked up at me and smiled brightly.
“There. All done.”
That pristine, luminous smile left me momentarily speechless.
Never mind that he was soaked through—what was he so pleased about?
I gazed toward empty air, deflecting, and managed to force out a sentence.
“Young Master, you shouldn’t be this kind to just anyone. People will misunderstand.”
I’d almost been touched. The servant girls my age are always dreaming of romance with some young master from a renowned family in a distant province. I’m not, of course.
Namgung Hui paid my reproach no mind.
“Father always puts on Mother’s shoes for her. He says a man should cherish and serve his wife as a matter of course.”
That’s between husband and wife. You and I aren’t anything to each other, so you can’t do that.
So it was something he’d learned by watching.
Remembering Namgung Sang’s usually frigid demeanor, I felt an odd twinge. The Clan Leader seemed devoted to his wife in ways his appearance didn’t suggest.
“And you’re not just anyone. When we return to Anhui, I’ll formally send…”
Namgung Hui trailed off, mumbling the end of his sentence.
“I’m sorry? What did you say?”
“Nothing. It’s a secret.”
When I pressed him, Namgung Hui sealed his lips as if it were nothing worth discussing. I let it pass and changed the subject.
“Well, you should change your clothes first.”
“This is fine.”
“The weather’s still cold. You’ll catch a chill. The Guest House is close anyway.”
I urged him again, but Namgung Hui shook his head in refusal.
“I can’t. Everyone at the Sacheon estate will laugh if they hear we came all this way just to splash around in water. It’d hurt my dignity.”
You don’t have any dignity as it is.
I rubbed my forehead and let out a long sigh.
“You still need to change. If you stay in those wet clothes and fall ill, I’ll be the one punished.”
“What kind of martial artist falls sick from a little water?”
Namgung Hui fussed dismissively, but the moment our eyes met, he quickly backtracked.
“Fine, I’ll change.”
“Good thinking.”
At my praise, Namgung Hui’s face lit up with satisfaction as he bounded up onto the Pavilion roof.
The boy came trotting back toward me, barely taking time to fasten his shoes, looking rather pleased with himself.
“You’re coming with me, right?”
His eyes held an expectation that we’d go together, and I couldn’t help but smile. I answered him.
“Of course. Let’s go.”
* * *
Contrary to Namgung Hui’s concern, the Guest House where the Namgung Clan was staying stood empty. Namgung Hui turned to me with an anxious expression.
“No one’s here, right?”
“That seems to be the case.”
Still uneasy, Namgung Hui examined the surroundings for a long moment before leaning close and whispering to me.
“Wait here for a moment.”
With that, he bolted away and changed his clothes with practiced ease. He moved like someone who had done this many times before.
At his age, he shouldn’t be so comfortable with Wall Scaling and Costume Change. What kind of trouble is he getting into regularly?
By the time my worry for the Namgung Clan’s future had fully set in, he returned wearing a pristine white Long Robe as though nothing had happened.
Despite the impeccable fit of his garments, his hair was a mess.
Tangled strands hung beneath a crooked Hair Ornament.
“Young Master. Your hair needs attention. Shall I fix it for you?”
“Yes.”
He answered obediently and plopped down onto the Main Hall platform. The moment my fingers touched his head, he flinched sharply and drew in a sharp breath.
Just a touch, and such a reaction.
“Does it hurt? I’ll be gentle.”
Of course, I kept that thought to myself. Drawing on every bit of professional grace, I began to carefully untangle the Hair Ornament.
The delicate silver Hair Ornament was fashioned in the shape of a dragon cradling clouds.
The ornament, from which silver seemed to pour endlessly, suddenly made the Namgung Clan’s wealth feel very real.
With craftsmanship of this caliber, a single Hair Ornament could surely purchase an entire house. No wonder the boy was so free with silver coins at the Market.
Envying such boundless wealth, I drew the comb through Namgung Hui’s hair. Each stroke seemed to naturally arrange itself into place.
“It doesn’t pull or hurt, does it?”
“No.”
Once I had tamed the unruly hair into a neat style and tied it back, I crowned it with the Hair Ornament. Against the white Long Robe, it looked refined and dignified.
“There. All done, Young Master.”
I gave his shoulder a light pat to signal completion, and Namgung Hui fidgeted, running his fingers along the nape of his neck. He looked oddly bashful.
“Thank you.”
“It was nothing. Will you be heading back to the Banquet Hall?”
“Has an hour passed? Yes. The adults should all be at the Banquet Hall by now. Let’s go back.”
He rose and took a confident step forward.
“Young Master. Not that way—this way.”
I caught hold of him before he could wander off in the wrong direction and turned him toward the Banquet Hall.
He returned with an embarrassed cough, then fell into step beside me, matching my pace.
As we walked side by side, I noticed something remarkable: his footsteps made almost no sound. I found myself staring at his feet.
He seemed to be walking normally, yet there was no sound. Is this what happens when you master the Footwork Technique?
Aware of my gaze, Namgung Hui tilted his head.
“What?”
“I find it remarkable that you make no sound when you walk.”
“All Martial Artists do the same. You hide your presence so your movement pattern can’t be read.”
“I see. So you practiced to walk silently?”
“Something like that. Isn’t Dok Wang teaching you? Once you start mastering the Basic Techniques, he’ll teach you the Footwork Technique.”
……True enough. I need to learn the Footwork Technique too.
Once the guests depart, I’ll begin proper training, so I ought to prepare myself mentally for what lies ahead.
When will I ever succeed in hitting a carp with a coin? Is it even possible?
I gazed down at my own hands in growing unease when Namgung Hui spoke up.
“You know.”
“Yes? What is it?”
Namgung Hui seemed to have something on his mind; his fingers fidgeted restlessly. After a long hesitation, he finally asked.
“What are you doing tomorrow?”
“I couldn’t say. Surely tomorrow’s duties are waiting for me.”
“That’s not an answer. Don’t joke.”
When I replied flatly, Namgung Hui gave me a deflated look. I was being serious.
“I really mean it. I’ll have work tomorrow as well.”
“……I see. Understood.”
He turned his head away, and his shoulders sagged visibly. My answer had disappointed him.
But I had no time to play with him. Until the banquet ended, I would be stuck among the Servants.
Just as I was about to speak and smooth over the awkward silence, one of the Servants approached and addressed Namgung Hui.
“Pardon me. Young Master. May I be so bold as to speak?”
“What is it?”
“The Banquet Hall is severely short-handed. Would it be acceptable for me to take this child to help?”
Why are you asking him? What about my opinion?
Namgung Hui seemed to wonder the same thing, narrowing his eyes before refusing flatly.
“No.”
“Thank you… Pardon?”
“That won’t do. So Hye is coming with me.”
“But… but the work—”
The servant seemed flustered, as if he’d expected permission to be granted without question.
I studied the weasel-faced servant for a moment and remembered he was one of Sim Yang’s crew. What was his name again? It escaped me.
Reluctant as I was, there was no point in making an enemy of Sim Yang’s faction. If I refused, the blowback would inevitably fall on Song Ji.
I scratched my head and stepped forward.
“No, Master Namgung. I’ll go and come right back. Please go inside first.”
Namgung Hui’s brow furrowed as he looked between me and the servant. His expression made clear his displeasure. I gestured urgently toward him with my chin.
Quickly now.
As I urged him to hurry inside, Namgung Hui cast a sidelong glance back at me and sighed.
“Fine. But you’d better come back soon.”
“Yes. I’ll see you shortly.”
Namgung Hui kept turning around as he walked, reluctant to let me out of his sight. I waved to him reassuringly.
The servant offered a practiced smile and bowed toward Namgung Hui. The moment he turned away, however, the smile vanished as cleanly as if it had never been.
“Hey. This way.”
What’s with this guy, barking orders at me like that?
I worked hard to keep my expression neutral as I asked.
“Where are we going?”
“If I tell you to come, you come. Why do you ask so many questions?”
“I can’t follow you if you don’t tell me where we’re going.”
“You don’t need to know. Just follow.”
His sharp retort made my brow furrow for an instant. The nerve of this guy. Why had I agreed to this?
A chill settled over the exchange, and wariness bloomed in my chest. It was clear he was leading me somewhere isolated, but I had no idea where.
What was he plotting?
The moment I stepped into the alley, tense and watchful, something cascaded down onto my head.
A reek that bit at my nostrils made my stomach turn. Filth—fetid slop.
“Ugh, what is this?”
I cried out and looked up to find Sim Yang glaring down at me, his face twisted with rage.
Had he lost his mind?

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————