Surviving as the Villainess’s Servant in a Martial Arts Novel - Chapter 48

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 48

 

Starting with the Master’s shout, Young Miss began to run.

 

I was flustered. What about the Master? What would happen to the Master?

 

But there was no time to look back. As soon as we started running, as if anticipating the situation, the Masked Man with the chain whip threw a flying dagger.

 

Swoosh!

 

The flying dagger came flying toward me rapidly. At the same time, Young Miss swung her hand and threw something.

 

Clang!

 

It was a golden dart.

 

The golden dart flew and struck the flying dagger precisely. However, perhaps lacking in power, it couldn’t knock the flying dagger down and only managed to change its direction. When the gleaming flying dagger stuck into the ground at my feet, I got goosebumps.

 

Only then did I come to my senses and pick up speed. If I stopped here, it wouldn’t just be me who would be in danger.

 

“Huff, gasp…”

 

Really, I ran like crazy.

 

Fortunately, no more flying daggers came. Perhaps the Master who had followed us was interfering with the Masked Man who had thrown the flying dagger.

 

However, I didn’t know whether I should consider this fortunate or unfortunate, so I just bit my lips.

 

We went deeper and deeper into the mountain.

 

The commotion behind us grew more and more distant. In fact, I could barely sense it. All I could feel was the bushes brushing past my body, my heart beating like crazy, and Young Miss’s back in front of me.

 

How long had we been running like that?

 

Rustle-.

 

Before we knew it, the surroundings had become quiet.

 

I looked around while gasping for breath. In the mountain where silent darkness had descended, there were no people, no animals, no signs of any presence to be found.

 

Only the two of us remained.

 

Only two people.

 

‘In the end, even the Master…’

 

Would it have been different if I had power?

 

If I hadn’t been content with reality and had become Namgung Jeong’s disciple to learn martial arts, would something have changed?

 

Of course, I don’t think I could have faced the Masked Man just by learning for a few days. But couldn’t I have at least helped? Couldn’t I have created the opportunity for even the Master to escape?

 

No, not just the Master. Chief Steward too, Brother Im too, Uncle Hwang too, even A-so…

 

“Seo Dan!”

 

At the voice that suddenly rang out, I raised my head.

 

Right in front of me, I could see Young Miss’s beautiful face. The cotton cloth had already disappeared.

 

“Snap out of it! We can’t stop here.”

 

“Young Miss, you are…”

 

“Save the regrets for later. Now is the time to only look ahead.”

 

“…”

 

“If we keep running around like this, we’ll eventually get caught. Seeing that assassins appeared even here, the paths down the mountain might already be blocked. Let’s hide first and assess the situation…”

 

However, Young Miss couldn’t finish her words.

 

Because I heard a presence behind me.

 

I turned around following Young Miss’s gaze. I wasn’t without the vague hope that it might be the Master.

 

But hope is merely hope.

 

What was there was…

 

“…Again.”

 

A Masked Man in black clothes.

 

Holding a sword dripping with blood.

 

Thud!

 

The moment I realized this, I blocked Young Miss.

 

I didn’t want to think about whose blood that was. I didn’t want to think about whether we could escape from here either.

 

The only thought that came to mind was that I had to protect Young Miss. This time, for certain, absolutely…

 

I didn’t take my eyes off the Masked Man slowly approaching. While doing so, I twisted my body and stretched one hand behind me, preparing.

 

Just as I was about to push Young Miss away and charge forward.

 

Clang-!

 

Sparks flew in the darkness.

 

Before we knew it, someone was blocking our path. Only after confirming the familiar silhouette did I shout.

 

“Master…!”

 

It was Master.

 

Master, whom I thought I would never see again, was there.

 

Of course, Master’s condition wasn’t very good.

 

His whole body was in rags as if he had fought a fierce battle. His neatly arranged hair was disheveled, and his long robe was torn here and there. Blood was even seeping through the torn collar.

 

No matter how you looked at it, he wasn’t in good condition, but Master didn’t retreat. He just stood silently to protect us.

 

A moment of silence passed.

 

Master was the first to move.

 

Clang! Clang!

 

Dozens of exchanges happened in the blink of an eye.

 

Whether it was because the surroundings were dark, or because their movements were so fast. I couldn’t see clearly how the battle was progressing.

 

But I could feel it. Right now, Master was in danger.

 

It was different from Master’s appearance that I had seen before escaping. Unlike then, his breathing was ragged, and especially his right arm seemed injured as his sword-holding posture was twisted.

 

The Masked Man seemed to sense this too, as he kept attacking toward the right arm. When the Masked Man finally slashed Master’s right shoulder—

 

“Ah…!”

 

Master simultaneously stabbed the Masked Man’s heart.

 

He chose to attack instead of giving up his shoulder.

 

“Kugh…”

 

The Masked Man pierced by the sword spat out blood with a gush. When Master pulled out the sword, his body collapsed to the ground.

 

The Masked Man who had been writhing on the ground soon died. Master quietly looked down at the corpse and then turned around. Just as I was about to support the staggering Master.

 

Thud.

 

Master dropped his sword.

 

At that moment, I saw it.

 

The dagger embedded in Master’s abdomen, the blood that had thoroughly soaked his lips.

 

“Ah, ah…”

 

I reached out my hand.

 

The Master’s body crashed to the ground.

 

“Father-!”

 

Young Miss’s scream echoed through the air.

 

* * *

 

The life of Seo Cheong-ja, Master of Seo Family, had been smooth.

 

Born as the eldest son of the Seo Family, he was marked early as the heir and received successor training. This was because there were no siblings to compete with.

 

This was because Seo Cheong-ja’s parents, the Previous Master and Lady of the House, did not get along well.

 

The Previous Master and Lady of the House were married through an arranged marriage between clans, but their personalities clashed from the beginning and they often fought.

 

The Previous Master had a rigid side, while the Lady of the House had a fiery temperament. They fought whenever they met, and there was no respect or affection to be found between the couple.

 

The Previous Master even had a first love that he couldn’t forget even after marriage. The Lady of the House knew this and despised her husband even more.

 

That’s why Seo Cheong-ja never expected it.

 

That he would have a younger sister.

 

It was an accident. The Previous Master, who had gotten drunk for the first time in a while while entertaining guests, mistook his wife for his first love and spent the night with her.

 

Eventually, the Lady of the House became pregnant, and thus an unwanted child was born.

 

Naturally, the child’s birth was not blessed. The Lady of the House, who had suffered from depression since pregnancy, never looked for the child again after giving birth, and the Previous Master also avoided the child with distaste.

 

But Seo Cheong-ja was curious about the child.

 

He was curious about his first sibling, curious about what his sister would look like. He had heard that babies were only as big as his forearm and wanted to see if that was really true.

 

Eventually, Seo Cheong-ja secretly entered the Wet Nurse’s Room. And there he discovered her.

 

“Aeu…”

 

A child with plump, chubby flesh. A small being whose eyes sparkled as she waved her hands and feet.

 

Seo Cheong-ja approached the child as if enchanted. Then he extended his finger to the child who was waving her hands. The child, who had been looking at Seo Cheong-ja in bewilderment, raised her hand. Her small hand wrapped around his finger.

 

At the same time, Seo Cheong-ja felt a strange premonition.

 

That he would never forget for the rest of his life the sight of her smiling brightly as if he were the only person in the world, and the warmth he felt on his finger.

 

“Yeong-yeong .”

 

Seo Cheong-ja gave the child her name like that.

 

Using the character yeong meaning “to shine.” For the child whose eyes sparkled like stars.

 

“From today on, you are Seo Yeong-yeong, Young-a.”

 

Seo Cheong-ja raised Seo Yeong-yeong on his back.

 

Although there was a twelve-year age gap between Seo Cheong-ja and Seo Yeong-yeong, it was because the Previous Master and Lady of the House didn’t care for Seo Yeong-yeong at all.

 

However, Seo Cheong-ja cared for Seo Yeong-yeong without complaint. He was even happy to do so. Because Seo Yeong-yeong, who sparkled her eyes and followed only him the more affection he gave her, was adorable.

 

Seo Yeong-yeong grew up healthy under Seo Cheong-ja’s care.

 

Her baby fat disappeared and her limbs grew longer. As her childish features faded and mature energy began to hover around her face, Seo Yeong-yeong had become unrecognizably beautiful.

 

It was around that time that problems arose.

 

“Get married.”

 

One day, the Previous Master announced this.

 

At that time, Seo Yeong-yeong’s hobby was boat riding, and that day too she was enjoying boat riding with her maid. That’s when some old man spotted Seo Yeong-yeong.

 

That old man was Lord Jong, a prominent figure from Cheongju in Shandong Province. He was a well-known wealthy man in Cheongju, had once held office in Beijing, and had connections to the Imperial Court. And he was sixty years old.

 

Lord Jong fell in love with the beautiful Seo Yeong-yeong at first sight and immediately proposed marriage to the Seo Family Estate.

 

Seo Yeong-yeong was only seventeen years old.

 

The Previous Master was delighted. He had been wanting to establish connections with the Imperial Court anyway, so this seemed perfect. Only Seo Yeong-yeong was devastated and pleaded desperately.

 

“Father, I can’t do this. I’m not ready yet. Please, anything but marriage…!”

 

“Ungrateful child, where do you think the money for your food, clothes, and shelter came from? If you know gratitude at all, then quietly obey your father’s words!”

 

“Father, Father!”

 

But no matter how much Seo Yeong-yeong begged, the Previous Master remained firm. Eventually, Seo Yeong-yeong ran to Seo Cheong-ja.

 

“Elder Brother, please stop Father. Father listens to what you say. Please beg him to call off the marriage, won’t you?”

 

“Young-a…”

 

Seo Cheong-ja also felt sorry for Seo Yeong-yeong.

 

However, on the other hand, he was troubled.

 

Seo Cheong-ja had never once gone against his father’s will in his entire life. Seo Cheong-ja had always been a good son to his parents, and now he lacked the courage to rebel.

 

But Seo Cheong-ja didn’t admit that he was a coward. Instead, he thought it was because Seo Yeong-yeong was being immature and tried to persuade her.

 

“Young-a, don’t think of it so negatively. Although Lord Jong is older, he’s that much more accomplished. He has excellent character and good nature too. He’ll surely treat you well.”

 

“…”

 

“Moreover, the Jong Family Estate wields greater influence than our Seo Family Estate. If you become the mistress there, you’ll enjoy tremendous wealth and power. More than now…”

 

“Elder Brother.”

 

Seo Cheong-ja was startled. At some point, Seo Yeong-yeong had been staring directly at him. It was a dark look in her eyes that he had never seen before.

 

Seo Yeong-yeong spoke quietly.

 

“…I never wanted wealth and power. What I wanted was just, just…”

 

However, Seo Yeong-yeong couldn’t finish her words in the end. She just hung her head low and shed tears.

 

Eventually, Seo Yeong-yeong left Seo Cheong-ja’s quarters without another word. Though Seo Cheong-ja felt uncomfortable, he didn’t take the matter seriously. He simply thought that with time, Seo Yeong-yeong would change her mind too.

 

But he was mistaken.

 

After that, Seo Yeong-yeong was nowhere to be seen.

 

Not the next day, nor the day after that.

 

Seo Yeong-yeong had disappeared just like that.

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