The Ignored Granddaughter of a Murim Family - Chapter 123

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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 123
* * *
Baek Li-myeong examined my dantian and could immediately tell it hadn’t recovered. Having already witnessed my consultation with Seok Ga-yak, Baek Li-myeong made no effort to hide his contempt toward Bangsi Eomeom.
Once the commotion had settled,
“Oh, that’s right. I brought this for Baek Li-ri. It’s nothing special.”
I presented a small wooden box with slight embarrassment. Lady Shim, who had barely spoken a word and remained nearly motionless until now, showed interest.
“For Li-ri?”
“Yes.”
Lady Shim accepted the box and opened it.
A soft clink—delicately carved wooden toys of a boy and girl. While not expensive, the craftsmanship was refined enough to make a suitable gift for a child.
Lady Shim smiled softly.
“What adorable figurines. Thank you.”
“Ahem.”
Bangsi Eomeom suddenly cleared her throat. Baek Li-myeong’s brow furrowed, and Lady Shim’s shoulders tensed as she hastily closed the box.
“I shall deliver it.”
Lady Shim bit her lip slightly and handed the box to Bangsi Eomeom. Regardless of what happened next, I stifled an emerging yawn and rubbed my eyes. After such a tumultuous ordeal, my energy had completely drained away.
‘Though I didn’t actually cry, I certainly shed enough tears to exhaust myself.’
Baek Li-myeong appeared equally fatigued. He exhaled a long sigh and issued orders to dismiss the guests.
“I shall ensure Li-ri receives this. Thank you for coming. You’ve been caught up in this unnecessary commotion, but I trust you understand.”
He spoke with absolute authority. Then Baek Li-myeong turned his gaze toward Lady Shim.
“Mother, please escort Yeon home.”
I widened my eyes in surprise. Lady Shim also responded a beat late.
“…Escort her?”
“Yes. If people see Yeon’s face, what will they whisper about?”
“Ah.”
He had an uncanny ability to catch any hint of negative gossip about himself.
Then Bangsi Eomeom stepped forward.
“I shall do it.”
“Bangsi Eomeom, have you already forgotten the commotion you caused?”
At his cold words, Bangsi Eomeom clamped her mouth shut.
“Mother should go.”
Lady Shim looked uncertainly between Bangsi Eomeom and Baek Li-myeong. I sighed inwardly. The young lady of the Baek Family taking cues from a servant—what a sight!
Baek Li-myeong pressed further.
“Mother, what are you doing? Go now. I’m exhausted.”
Lady Shim bit her lip and stood up.
“…Very well. Ha Ui-won, I entrust her to you.”
Good heavens. Baek Li-myeong treated his own mother like a servant while his mother deferred to the servant’s judgment. What a mess.
‘Well… it’s not my concern.’
In fact, I was relieved. The thought of leaving with Bangsi Eomeom made me feel suffocated. Lady Shim led me to another chamber.
A maidservant brought a basin, but I dismissed her, saying I would manage alone. After washing my face and composing myself, I left the room.
‘Where is Lady Shim?’
That was when I heard it.
“Hic, hic.”
A sound like a ghost’s wail drifted from somewhere. I glanced around and followed the direction of the noise. The source was Lady Shim herself.
Standing behind a massive pillar, Lady Shim was weeping into a handkerchief, her shoulders trembling. I froze in surprise before carefully approaching her.
“Great Lady… are you alright?”
Lady Shim startled, only then realizing I was there.
“D-did my brother ask you to leave? You don’t have to take me with you. I can go alone.”
“No, no. That’s not it.”
Lady Shim hastily wiped her eyes.
“D-don’t misunderstand Baek Li-myeong. It’s just that… the reason he sent me away was… he was afraid I might cry if I stayed…”
Seeing my confused expression, Lady Shim added an explanation.
“Soon Ha Ui-won will need to remove the bandages for treatment, and each time he does, I… I react that way.”
“Is my brother’s wound really that severe?”
“…”
Ah, I shouldn’t have asked. Fresh tears were already welling up in Lady Shim’s eyes. I spoke as if startled.
“Great Lady, please don’t cry. If you cry much more, you’ll need to wash your face!”
Unlike my younger self, if Lady Shim had to wash her face, it would become a tedious affair. She wouldn’t dream of going out bare-faced. If she added even light makeup, who knew how long it would take.
Understanding my meaning, Lady Shim bit her lip firmly and steadied her breathing. I watched her for a moment before speaking.
“Great Lady, I have some salve that I obtained from Man Shin-ui’s Alchemy Chamber.”
Lady Shim, who had been weeping, looked confused about why I was suddenly bringing this up.
Before my regression, I had spoken with Lady Shim—whom I rarely saw—only once, alone. Within the sprawling Baek Family Estate lay a half-abandoned pavilion that few ever visited. Its attached back garden was overgrown and unkempt.
I had discovered it by chance, and whenever I didn’t want to be seen crying, I would go there. I no longer remembered why I had needed to cry then.
In any case, it was one of those days when I was weeping there. Rustle, crackle. I heard the sound of footsteps on grass and the whisper of fabric.
Lady Shim offered me a handkerchief and spoke.
“This pavilion will be renovated within a few days.”
At that time, I had simply taken the handkerchief and fled in haste. True to her word, the pavilion was renovated days later—into a place where the Twin Cousins and their friends could drink and revel.
Back then, I had assumed she had come to inspect the place before the renovation began and happened to see me, so she informed me. But later, when I was older and thought about it more carefully, something seemed off. Lady Shim had been alone. She hadn’t brought a servant with her.
It was well-known that Lady Shim was extremely timid. Would such a cautious person ever venture out without a servant? Moreover, if she had come to inspect beforehand, she would have needed a servant’s help even more.
So… had she come to tell me about that place?
All of this was merely speculation. I had never met Lady Shim alone again after that.
I continued speaking.
“When the Namgung Clan investigated Man Shin-ui’s Alchemy Chamber, I obtained one of the items they brought back.”
“…”
“Would you like to use it?”
Lady Shim’s lips parted slightly. Her tears had already stopped, her eyes blinking rapidly.
“It seems to be made by Man Shin-ui himself, so… if you don’t mind.”
Lady Shim, who had been breathing heavily, spoke carefully.
“…Are you really giving this to me?”
“There were only three to begin with, so I could only bring one. That’s why I can only give you one.”
So Man Shin-ui’s ointment was a limited edition. The remaining two had been taken by the Namgung Clan.
Lady Shim seized my hand urgently.
“Thank you. Thank you so much. I’m truly grateful.”
In the end, she broke down in tears again. So Bu-in crossed my mind briefly. The two women shared nothing in common—neither temperament nor appearance—and yet they possessed something identical.
This tender anxiety over their children’s affairs… Was this what mothers were truly like?
I found myself envying Baek Li-myeong, just a little.
* * *
On a night when the moon hung suspended above the rooftops, someone moved cautiously through the darkness.
A girl clutching her skirts hurried nervously through the shadows. A guard posted at the Residence Quarter’s wall stopped her, but upon seeing the token she produced, he let her pass.
After passing through several checkpoints in this manner, the girl slipped into a storage room. When the moon had climbed high into the sky above the rooftops, she emerged once more.
About fifteen minutes later, a middle-aged woman exited the storage room. She passed through no checkpoints whatsoever—everyone knew who she was.
Bangsi Eomeom. No one would dare detain the Great Lady’s personal attendant.
Bangsi Eomeom proceeded directly to the Great Lady’s quarters. As always, when she sensed movement near the Great Lady’s chambers, she entered her room.
“Have you been coughing already? Rest a while longer.”
“When you grow old, sleep becomes elusive.”
The Great Lady gestured to the opposite side. Another servant filled the teacups before her and Bangsi Eomeom.
“What did she say?”
“She confirmed that she is indeed learning the first stage of the Mubaek Divine Art.”
“Hmm.”
“And regarding Baek Li-ui-gang’s beating of a servant—it was confirmed that Dang-geum had entered the back garden, which was the true cause.”
An uproar had erupted this afternoon.
Baek Li-ui-gang had beaten a servant with a cane. The incident from a year ago when he had forced his daughter’s maidservant to kneel had long since faded from memory, leaving him with a reputation for generosity among the household. So when he administered such severe punishment to a servant, everyone was taken aback.
“After that, he merely spouted meaningless complaints.”
Essentially, he was asking for help because his standing in Baek Li-yeon’s quarters had weakened. Moreover, another servant had been beaten today because of Dang-geum. It was obvious how the other servants would view her.
“There are times when stupidity proves useful, and times when it becomes a hindrance.”
Unable to even control the heart of a single child left alone in the Baek Family Estate—it was pathetic. I had deliberately placed a greedy, foolish child there, but now that circumstances had shifted, her stupidity had become a liability.
“What shall we do? Should we replace Dang-geum with another maidservant?”
“Leave it for now.”
“Or what of the child already in Baek Li-yeon’s quarters?”
“A child already there?”
“Yes, there is one child who seems quite suitable.”
Bangsi Eomeom continued her explanation as the Great Lady’s eyes gleamed with interest.
“…Do you remember So Nok?”
“That child Baek Li-ui-gang brought back—an orphan, isn’t she?”
“Yes. She cannot speak and has no backing except Baek Li-ui-gang himself. It appears his servant intended to educate her so she could serve Baek Li-yeon.”
“And?”
“It seems the child has incurred Baek Li-yeon’s displeasure.”
“Displeasure? That child dislikes someone? Have you not seen how she treats Baek Li-myeong?”
Rumors had spread that Man Shin-ui’s ointment had been given to Lady Shim for treating Baek Li-myeong—a servant who had come with the Namgung Clan made such a fuss about how precious such an item was that it became common knowledge.
And because of this, Baek Li-ui-ran had thrown another tantrum, questioning why she had accepted it. Yet even Lady Shim, who was ordinarily obedient, refused to yield on this matter.
“A servant from the Namgung Clan happened to mention it in passing.”
Bangsi Eomeom’s eyes gleamed as she lowered her voice.
“Baek Li-yeon was swept away in a landslide because of So Nok.”
The Great Lady’s hand froze as she reached for her teacup.
“When the landslide occurred, there were three children present—a boy, So Nok, and Baek Li-yeon. Apparently, Baek Li-ui-gang was so focused on rescuing the boy and So Nok that he lost hold of Baek Li-yeon.”
The Great Lady’s brow furrowed.
Bangsi Eomeom continued.
“That incident is why Baek Li-yeon resents So Nok.”
Her own father had chosen to save another child and let her slip away.
“…Indeed, it is understandable to harbor such resentment.”
A faint smile played at the corners of the Great Lady’s lips.

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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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