Surviving as the Sacheon Dang Clan’s Servant - Chapter 44

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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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Chapter 44
Dang Ju-hee.
The Great Lady of the Dang Clan, whose hobby was crafting Extreme Poison, earned herself a notorious reputation among the servants.
Her moods shifted as easily as breathing.
Where could you find a Dang Clan member with a good temperament? But Dang Ju-hee was particularly severe.
‘She’s eaten too much poison. People say if toxins affect the brain, it makes them unstable.’
Some blamed the poison,
‘No, that’s just how she was born. Look at the Great Lord’s temperament—don’t you see? The Madam is incredibly temperamental too.’
Others said it was simply her nature.
Either way, the fact that Dang Ju-hee was impossibly temperamental remained the same.
If Dang Young-ho was consistently unbearable, Dang Ju-hee hopped like a mad thing from stone to stone—mad one moment, perfectly sane the next, and then mad again.
Hearing tales of this mad woman’s visit made my mouth go dry.
I had no idea what wind had blown this notorious young lady my way.
“What brings you here so early?”
“I had something to see you about.”
As if I hadn’t already asked what that something was.
Even with the dumbest expression I could muster, Dang Ju-hee remained unfazed.
“You have Ten Thousand Poisons Immunity, don’t you?”
“I’m sorry? Yes.”
“What a shame. I had such a pretty poison that would have suited you perfectly, but I won’t be able to make you taste it.”
What nonsense. A poison is a poison, no matter how pretty.
The Elder Council said the same thing—why do the Dang Clan love poisoning people so much?
As Dang Ju-hee licked her lips with a fresh expression, a snow-white serpent poked its head from inside her sleeve.
“Eek!”
Song Ji cried out despite herself and quickly covered her mouth. I too began backing away slowly.
“Um, that snake—could you please put it away?”
“Baek-i doesn’t bite.”
It doesn’t bite you, anyway. Can’t you see it hissing right now, hunting for prey?
“Still. I don’t like slimy things.”
“That so? Baek-i, get inside.”
At my repeated request, Dang Ju-hee promptly coiled the snake back into her sleeve.
She strode deeper into my quarters, her eyes gleaming with curiosity as she surveyed the Separate Quarters.
“It’s small.”
“Yes, yes. It is. Would you like some tea?”
“Don’t need any. You don’t have clothes, right?”
“I’m sorry?”
“You’ve been working as a servant all this time. You don’t have anything to wear.”
…… This girl. What is she on about?
I was momentarily speechless. Her expression seemed free of malice, yet all I felt was bewilderment.
“Or do you? I brought some just in case.”
“Pardon?”
“Oh, maybe you don’t like wearing someone else’s old clothes? I should give you unworn ones instead. Yeah, that’s better.”
Making a decision entirely on her own, she clapped her hands toward the door.
“So-so.”
A servant appeared, groaning under the weight of a wooden chest.
“So-so, pick out only the new clothes that haven’t been worn yet.”
“All twelve robes are unworn, young lady.”
“Is that so? Then bring them all out.”
“Yes, young lady.”
The servant responded politely and began pulling silk clothing from the chest.
…… What is this girl really doing?
They say when people are shocked enough, their minds go blank, and it was true. I stood there dumbstruck before finally raising my voice.
“Excuse me, what is this……?”
“Not ‘excuse me’—call me Ju-hee.”
“I’m sorry?”
“You can call me Sister Ju-hee. I like you.”
“But why? We’re meeting for the first time today.”
“You’re pretty.”
……
Is this woman actually insane?
The more I conversed with Dang Ju-hee, the more my mind grew clouded. Yet she remained utterly serene, even as I stared blankly into space.
“You’d look wonderful in white. Try this on.”
“Sister, I appreciate the thought, but do you know what time it is? I haven’t even washed my face yet.”
“What about this hair ornament? Butterflies are all the rage these days.”
Are you even listening to me? I told you—I haven’t washed my face.
Dang Ju-hee, brimming with excitement, stripped off my clothes and dressed me without hesitation. She unbraided and rebraided my hair, giggling all the while, treating me entirely like a newly purchased doll.
I abandoned all resistance and surrendered to her whims.
“I couldn’t do this with So-hye because she hates being dressed up. It’s fun.”
Well then. As long as you’re happy.
She doesn’t seem like a bad person, but her state of mind is… somewhat concerning.
“Shall I paint your nails too? Do you prefer red or black?”
“Sister, shouldn’t we go eat?”
“I’ll paint them black? Oh my, is that bracelet Yangji White Jade? How pretty. You’ve infused it with Nerve Poison? To ensure death, Hemolysis Poison would be superior, though.”
“Yes, yes.”
“Don’t you grow out your nails? I have many beautiful Protective Claw Covers.”
“What’s that?”
“This.”
Dang Ju-hee, who had been painting my nails, raised her left pinky finger to show me. It was a nail guard fitted perfectly over the fingertip.
The Protective Claw Covers, studded densely with jewels, gleamed so garishly it hurt to look at—and yet the sight kept conjuring an oddly familiar snack.
Like wearing a cone-shaped corn chip…
She mistook my peculiar expression for genuine interest in the covers, her eyes brightening.
“Want to grow your nails out? I’ll give you some covers. I’ll even give you Extreme Poison to coat the tips. Let’s study the Poison Crafting Method together.”
“The Poison Crafting Method? Sister, don’t you use Hidden Weapon Technique?”
“Sometimes? But just throwing from a distance is tedious. I prefer getting close, trading blows, colliding head-on.”
“I see.”
“And besides, striking with something in your hand hurts far worse than throwing. If you channel Internal Energy through a Jade Ring when you hit, even the Heuk-un Platform warriors cry out in pain.”
So they’re knuckles, then. But more importantly, why is she beating the Heuk-un Platform warriors?
“You’re studying Martial Arts with Grandfather, aren’t you? What have you learned? Did you study Fist Technique? Learn it quickly so we can have a Martial Duel.”
“I’d rather not.”
“Why? Don’t like Fist Technique? Then shall we duel with Hidden Weapon Technique instead?”
“No. I just… don’t enjoy Martial Duels.”
Calling it a duel sounds refined, but she’s really just asking me to fight. Why does every conversation end in combat?
Dang Ju-hee tilted her head at my refusal, as if baffled.
“Why? There’s nothing more thrilling than a duel.”
“You find dueling… enjoyable?”
“Of course. The surge of blood, the rush—it’s exhilarating. And I can even beat Dang Young-ho. During a duel, you don’t get punished for it.”
Despite her delicate appearance, Dang Ju-hee possessed a martial spirit. She loved adorning herself, yes, but the blood of a warrior ran through her veins unchanged.
Though I could have sworn I heard something disturbing just now.
“Pardon? Who are you beating?”
I pressed for clarification, and Dang Ju-hee answered while blowing gently on my wet nails.
“You don’t know Dang Young-ho? Our eldest. Haven’t you seen him yet? By sheer luck he was born first and became Secondary Household Head—that Eight-Tenths Person.”
I heard her correctly, then.
I found myself pitying Dang Young-ho.
To be looked down upon by absolutely everyone—if that’s not a talent, what is? Being disrespected so thoroughly might have twisted the boy entirely.
After chattering away while painting all ten of my fingernails, Dang Ju-hee set down her brush with satisfaction.
“If it chips, just tell me. I’ll paint them again. I can even coat the tips with poison.”
“Did you put poison on them?”
“No. I didn’t.”
“You’re sure?”
“Actually, I put a little on.”
“What?”
“I’m joking.”
…That didn’t sound like a joke. I should wash my hands.
As I stared at my hands suspiciously, a familiar voice drifted into the room.
“I didn’t expect to find you here. Have the two of you already grown close? That’s wonderful to see.”
“Brother Un!”
Dang Ju-hee leaped up and rushed into Dang Un’s embrace. He staggered at the impact, then patted her back reassuringly.
“My, my. You’re getting stronger by the day, Ju-hee. Soon this older brother won’t be able to handle you.”
“Brother, look! I dressed our youngest. She looks nice, doesn’t she?”
Dang Ju-hee released Dang Un and gestured brightly toward me, her dark eyes sparkling with the gleeful anticipation of a child awaiting praise.
Dang Un smiled and indulged his sister’s whim.
“Is that so? My Ju-hee is quite affectionate, isn’t she?”
“Brother, it’s me! Yesterday…….”
Dang Ju-hee launched into a detailed account of things no one had asked about, chattering away without pause.
Dang Young-ho was an Eight-Tenths Person, but Dang Un was a true brother.
As I conjured up the hazy image of Dang Young-ho’s face, I suddenly understood Dang Ju-hee’s differential treatment.
If you put a flatfish and a graceful deer side by side, I’d pick the deer too. Dang Un is beautiful. Incomparably so.
The fact that she’d shown me favor right away made sense now—Dang Ju-hee clearly chose her people by their faces.
“Yes, Ju-hee. Let’s go have something to eat now. So-hye, come along.”
Dang Un reached out a hand to me, having listened to Dang Ju-hee’s chatter without the slightest sign of displeasure.
I slipped between the two of them and headed toward the Main Dining Hall.
* * *
Truth be told, my chief worry had been whether I could manage to eat while sitting across from Dang Mu-hyeok.
Looking at that face while eating made me feel as though my tongue would break out in needle-pricks.
But that bastard wasn’t really the main problem.
The real trouble came from my own blood relatives.
As I took my seat at the table beside Dang Un, I had to strain every muscle to maintain a smile.
The eldest, Dang Young-ho, reeked of alcohol from dawn, belching without restraint.
The lunatic at the table—the fourth one, Dang Ju-hee—was squeezing deadly venom from a serpent’s head, pressing down on it again and again.
And the one next to her, blowing on a flute as if performing a king cobra show…….
“Brother, who is that person?”
“Ju-yeop, you mean?”
The fifth one, it turned out, was Dang Ju-yeop.
His skill was so wretched that he’d be pelted with stones if he performed in the streets, yet his expression was pure artistry itself.
……I really want to go home.
As my face cycled through seven different expressions, Dang Un laughed softly and spoke.
“Just because one is born into a Martial Family doesn’t mean one must dedicate oneself entirely to martial training. The ability to appreciate Leisurely Pursuits is also a noble way to live, wouldn’t you say?”
Brother. That sounds like you’re telling me that this bastard is just naturally an Idle Wanderer who skips his training and runs around playing, so I should leave him alone.
It was complete chaos, yet everyone but me seemed accustomed to these antics, their faces perfectly composed.
Watching the state of the gathered siblings, I had a strong premonition that the three who hadn’t arrived yet would be no better.
Separate from how I felt about that man—my father—I actually felt a bit sorry for him.
How is there not a single normal one among them? A complete harvest failure of children.
As if reading the distress gnawing at my heart, Dang Un handed me a teacup. It was chilled green tea steeped over ice.
“Would you like some cold tea? Summer’s approaching, so they’ve brought ice out from the Official Ice Storage.”
“……Thank you, brother.”
I drained the cold tea in one gulp and crunched the ice between my teeth, hoping this ordeal would pass quickly.

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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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