Surviving as the Sacheon Dang Clan’s Servant - Chapter 3

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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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Episode 3
I washed my hands frantically in clear water, and the child burst out laughing.
“Ha ha. How amusing—handling poison as though it were dough, yet not knowing it was poison at all.”
“I’m not going to die, am I? Do I need to take an antidote or something?”
“You’re fine. You were never poisoned in the first place.”
The child shrugged and picked up the laundry I’d thrown down.
“We don’t wash clothes stained with poison in this house. We burn them. Everything you carry around ought to be destroyed—these are ruined clothes. How could anyone give such things to you to launder?”
His eyes narrowed. I stammered out a reply.
“I’m not sure.”
“It’s obvious, isn’t it? Someone was scheming to kill you.”
The child’s blue-green eyes glinted with menace. His cold voice sent a chill down my spine. Why would anyone want to kill me?
My face went pale, and the child flicked my forehead with his finger.
“I’m joking.”
“Pardon?”
“What good would it do to kill you? The other servants were just trying to bully you. They figured you’d panic and wail about dying, but when you meekly went and fetched the clothes, they thought ‘Good, she’ll do it,’ and kept giving you the same task.”
“Ah……”
So that was it. Now that I thought about it, no one was ever around when I did the laundry. I hadn’t even realized it was hazing.
Seeing my blank expression, he lifted the corner of his mouth and offered advice.
“You lack cunning, girl. You need to know when to yield—that’s how you blend in with the group without trouble.”
Now that he mentioned it, it made sense. In the first four days, no one had called me by name. Apart from Song Ji, I hadn’t spoken to a soul.
By his account, So Hye seemed to be cast out from the group.
I still had to finish the laundry, though……
Looking at the garments scattered across the floor, my anger flared up.
They deliberately gave me poison-stained clothes to wash? That was too far. This was attempted murder.
Unable to contain my fury, I stabbed at the laundry with purpose, and the child doubled over with laughter.
“Ha ha. You wear your hatred so plainly on your face—no wonder they dislike you.”
Song Ji had said the same thing. I must have been cursing people out with my expression alone.
After laughing for a while, the child spoke.
“You don’t need to look so worried. No antidote is necessary.”
“Are you really sure?”
“You’d know better than I would. You haven’t felt anything, have you? I was amazed when I found out you’d been handling extreme poison for days without any symptoms.”
That was the reason? I thought he was just visiting out of boredom. I blinked with the look of someone who understood nothing, and he clicked his tongue softly.
“Tch. That ‘I know nothing, my lord’ expression—it’s the same as Hwa Yeon’s. I can’t help but take pity on you.”
With an air of exasperation, the young master rested his chin in his hand and began explaining things to me slowly.
According to him, surviving at Danggga without Poison Resistance was nearly impossible.
While poison was only manufactured and researched deep within the Inner Hall, it was difficult to completely seal off the poison that seeped into the air.
For that reason, the servants of Danggga underwent training to build their Poison Resistance. The Medicinal Broth distributed once a week was training poison.
“I took it yesterday too.”
“You don’t need to. It’s a waste of the broth. You’re better than most martial artists I know.”
So that’s what that was. No wonder it tasted so foul.
In any case, many people quit their work in the process.
No matter how much money was offered, few people wanted to work while consuming poison.
After culling the workers again and again, what remained were the distant branches with thin blood ties to Danggga, illegitimate children with nowhere else to go, or the children of servants born and raised within Danggga’s walls.
There were sinister rumors that Danggga bought commoners with money to experiment on with poison concentration, and watching the way they carefully built tolerance through the Medicinal Broth, it seemed those rumors weren’t entirely baseless.
“Is the rumor really true?”
“It’s just gossip. The Poison Technique is used against martial artists—what would they gain from experimenting on commoners?”
Should I believe him?
Though uneasy, I decided to nod along acceptingly.
“Then do you take poison too, Young Master?”
“I believe I did when I was younger.”
“Yes? Younger than you are now?”
I gasped, and the child shrugged.
“It’s fine. The Poison King Clan possesses secret knowledge for adjusting poison concentration according to a person’s age and size.”
His tone was meant to be reassuring, but I felt no reassurance whatsoever.
……How did they gather that secret knowledge? So the sinister rumors weren’t rumors at all—they really did experiment with poison concentration for money!
“Our ancestors have recorded it over the course of centuries by maintaining Genealogical Records and observing the results.”
“I, I see.”
In other words, they’d been giving poison to family members for hundreds of years and documenting their reactions.
To conduct biological experiments on your own parents, siblings, children, nieces, nephews, and grandchildren without finding anything wrong with it—this family was entirely abnormal.
I folded my hands respectfully. I mustn’t get too familiar with the young master and become careless.
My reaction must have amused the child—his eyes crinkled with delight, and when he smiled, it was so radiant that spring flowers seemed to bloom behind him.
That was precisely what terrified me. He’d smile just like that while feeding me poison.
“Fine. Eat this, then.”
After laughing for some time, the child produced something from his sleeve and held it out to me—a bundle wrapped carefully in plain cloth.
It couldn’t actually be poison, could it?
I dried the moisture from my palms on my skirt and hesitantly accepted the bundle.
When I peeled away the spotless cloth, a honey pastry dusted with flour emerged.
A honey pastry—the kind I’d only heard of in stories.
Thank goodness. No poison after all.
Relieved, I let out a small giggle.
Here was our young master, affecting refined speech to seem mature, yet carrying pastries in his pocket like some hidden weakness. It was endearing, in an infuriating sort of way.
Grinning, I broke the pastry in half and offered a piece to him.
“Young Master, won’t you share it with me?”
“I’m satisfied. You eat it.”
“Please, sir. How could I possibly eat something so precious all by myself?”
When I pressed again, the child scratched his cheek, then accepted the half-pastry and popped it into his mouth in one go.
The sour face he made and the way he worked his jaw suggested he wasn’t particularly fond of sweet things.
Watching him arrange his clothing with that petulant expression sparked my curiosity. I blurted out a question.
“Young Master, there’s something I’ve been wondering about. May I ask you?”
“Go ahead.”
“Why do you keep things hidden in your sleeves? Wouldn’t a pouch at your waist or an inner pocket be more secure? It seems like it would be uncomfortable when you walk.”
…….
The child seemed caught off guard by the question. He stared into empty space for a long moment before managing a reply.
“……There’s a technique to it, of sorts.”
“I see.”
He probably hadn’t given it much thought himself. Better not to press further.
When I nodded understandingly, he changed the subject.
“In any case, someone seems to be playing pranks. Go find Lady Jin. The poisons of Danggga are not to be trifled with so carelessly.”
I worked my own piece of pastry between my teeth and nodded obediently. I had no intention of taking on unnecessary trouble.
* * *
Straightaway, I went to find Lady Jin, the poisoned laundry bundled in my arms.
Lady Jin, who had been reviewing ledgers with the Chief Administrator, frowned at the sight of me, then pinched her nose shut.
“What is that smell? Did you bring this without finishing the cleansing wash? Where do you think you are!”
“Oleander poison, by the scent. It’s protocol to dispose of any cloth contaminated with toxins, but there appears to be a problem.”
The Chief Administrator cut off Lady Jin’s tirade and fixed me with a sharp stare. He’d grasped my business before I’d even opened my mouth—a man with keen intuition.
At the mention of poison, Lady Jin recoiled in alarm. I bowed my head respectfully.
“Yes, sir. All the laundry I’ve received lately has been contaminated with poison. No one will hear my complaints, and I lack the capability to handle it alone. I’ve come to report the matter.”
A polished way of saying, ‘The other servants are harassing me; please resolve it.’
I’d managed to adopt the manner of speech befitting a character in a martial arts novel, though I wasn’t certain I’d gotten it right. Was it ‘I’ or ‘this one’? What was the proper form?
While I was still deliberating, Lady Jin’s face drained of color.
“Chief Administrator, I never ordered the cleansing wash of waste materials. It seems there was an error in the servants’ handling of their duties.”
At Lady Jin’s excuse, the Chief Administrator’s eyes narrowed sharply. He stepped closer to examine the laundry, then released a heavy sigh and turned to me.
“Do you require an Antidote Pill?”
“It’s not necessary—I mean, yes, I would be grateful if you offered one.”
I scrambled to correct myself. Even if I wasn’t affected now, there was no telling when poisoning might strike. It seemed wise to have an antidote on hand.
The Chief Administrator nodded and reached into the cloth bundle to produce a small wooden case.
I bowed deeply as I accepted it. An unusual fragrance—the scent of the Antidote Pill—rose from within. As I carefully tucked the case away, the Chief Administrator asked,
“What is your name?”
“So Hye, sir.”
The Chief Administrator’s eyes widened. Lady Jin too appeared startled, her mouth falling open as she stared at him.
The Chief Administrator seemed to be choosing his words carefully, his lips working soundlessly before he cleared his throat.
“Ahem. Very well. Leave that here. You need not undergo the cleansing wash. Lady Jin.”
“Yes, sir. I understand. I shall handle the aftermath myself, so please have no further concern.”
The Chief Administrator nodded lightly and gestured with his chin—a sign for me to go. I bowed to him and turned to leave.
The poisoned laundry was finally finished. Done!
I left the Chief Administrator’s office feeling liberated. But just as I was about to depart, Lady Jin caught up and grabbed my arm.
“Um, that is, So Hye…… yes?”
“Yes?”
She grasped my sleeve awkwardly, then took my hand, her composure visibly shaken. This was a far cry from her sharp reproaches moments before.
I licked my lips uncomfortably. Why the sudden change in manner?
“Are you truly So Hye?”
“Yes.”
“Truly, are you really Cho Ryeon’s daughter, So Hye?”
Lady Jin’s eyes glistened with tears as she asked, her voice trembling. In those dark pupils lay emotions of longing and sorrow, layered one upon another.
I’m afraid I cannot say for certain. I’ve never met my mother.
An awkward silence settled over us. I found myself wanting to withdraw my hand from Lady Jin’s grip.

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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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