The Ignored Granddaughter of a Murim Family - Chapter 146

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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 146
* * *
The next morning, I was finally able to meet with Cheonsan Yeom-je.
As the Old Servant lifted the curtain, I found Baek Li Pae-hyuk, Baek Li-ui-gang, Cheonsan Yeom-je, and Yalyu already seated inside. I offered my greetings to the two elders and entered.
“Good morning.”
“Yes, come in.”
Yalyu filled the teacup before me with a smile.
“Good morning. I’ve missed you.”
His eyes, marked with a beauty spot, softened as his lips curved into a radiant smile. In childhood, his face had been nearly expressionless, but somewhere along the way, he’d learned to wield it properly. The transformation was striking.
Caught off guard, I answered half a beat too late.
“…Ah, yes. Good morning.”
Despite my foolish response, Yalyu maintained his smile as he gazed at me.
Clang.
The sharp sound of Baek Li Pae-hyuk’s teacup lid striking its rim shattered the moment. He turned to Cheonsan Yeom-je with a gruff tone.
“You said you’d come to bid farewell, so I summoned my granddaughter. Now offer your parting words and be on your way.”
“My, what poor hospitality.”
“Putting up an uninvited guest who ruined a banquet for a night is more than enough. I’m an old man with little time left—let that suffice.”
Pfft!
I startled and sprayed tea across the table. As I coughed, Baek Li-ui-gang handed me a handkerchief.
Indeed, time had passed far more quickly than I’d realized.
Compared to when I’d last seen Cheonsan Yeom-je at the Namgung Clan, his vitality had visibly diminished.
Though I didn’t know his exact age, I could surmise he was roughly the same generation as my grandfather.
In a world where the average lifespan was fifty years, someone of that age had already lived well beyond their natural span.
From what I remembered, this was around the time when Cheonsan Yeom-je’s name would gradually fade from the world.
Yet the casual manner in which my grandfather and Cheonsan Yeom-je discussed it left me bewildered.
Soon enough, as if this truly were merely a farewell visit, the two exchanged only a few pleasantries before rising.
Baek Li-ui-gang and I then accompanied Cheonsan Yeom-je to see him off. I couldn’t think of what to say. I simply kept my mouth shut until we reached the Inner Gate, where I finally spoke.
“Will you truly depart alone, sir?”
“Why? Must I serve as that boy’s guardian until I die?”
“Pardon? No, that’s not what I meant…”
“Hmph. I intend to enjoy my final journey in peace.”
“…”
Cheonsan Yeom-je was leaving Yalyu here—simply dropping him off, as it were.
Returning something he’d merely borrowed for a time.
Yalyu’s expression showed no particular reaction to whatever Cheonsan Yeom-je said.
Wait—wasn’t the relationship between master and disciple in this world like that of parent and child? Was I misunderstanding something?
Cheonsan Yeom-je, who had been looking at me, opened his mouth as if to speak, then closed it again. When he finally did speak, his tone was surprisingly gentle.
“Take care of yourself.”
“You as well, sir.”
Then he turned sharply and crossed through the Inner Gate.
Father followed after Cheonsan Yeom-je and spoke.
“I shall escort you to the city gates.”
“That won’t be necessary.”
Yet Father stubbornly continued after Cheonsan Yeom-je. Cheonsan Yeom-je merely glanced back at him, clicked his tongue once, and proceeded forward without further comment.
Yalyu did not follow.
“Aren’t you going with them?”
Yalyu tilted his head as if puzzled.
“Why? He said it wasn’t necessary.”
“That’s what he said, but….”
Was it truly alright? This could very well be the last time. Something felt oddly strange about it all.
It was then that Yalyu’s eyes met mine, and he offered a gentle smile. Simultaneously, a voice transmission arrived as if carried on the wind to my ears.
[I entrust him to your care.]
I turned to look, but Cheonsan Yeom-je was no longer visible.
* * *
The sun hung high, and the shadows grew shortest—the hour approaching noon.
Children’s laughter spilled out from beyond the expansive pavilion.
Within that pavilion, clusters of people gathered in small groups, their eyes darting repeatedly toward one figure as they whispered incessantly.
“He’s truly handsome. Wow, I thought Young Master Park was the most beautiful, but….”
“The rumors weren’t exaggerated at all.”
At the center of their attention sat a young man whose features were as finely sculpted as a work of art.
His high, prominent nose and firmly set lips appeared somewhat arrogant, yet when combined with his pristine, elegant jawline and his impeccably composed bearing that tolerated no disorder, he seemed both aristocratic and noble.
“I never expected the young master of the Namgung Clan to attend. This is an unparalleled opportunity—should I go and try to speak with him?”
“Don’t be foolish. I’ve heard his temperament is not to be trifled with. If you approached him carelessly….”
Though most in the pavilion showed considerable interest in the young man, the atmosphere discouraged easy approach, so they merely stole glances and observed his reactions.
Click.
The door opened and a new person entered, but those already engaged in paired conversations paid no attention to the newcomer.
Not until someone’s voice rang out.
“Yeon!”
As I surveyed the pavilion, I was startled by the call of my name and the sudden barrage of gazes that fixed upon me. Yet those eyes quickly shifted past me to what lay behind.
“Is that the one from the Cheonsan Sect…?”
“My goodness, I thought Young Master Park was the most handsome in the world.”
“You said that when you saw the young master of the Namgung Clan too.”
I nearly burst into laughter at that exchange.
I recognized many familiar faces—distant relatives of the Baek Family, children from the same academy. Yet there were quite a few I’d never seen before, and they regarded me with curious eyes.
And there in the center of the hall sat Baek Li-myeong, positioned as if he were the master of this very banquet. When our eyes met for a moment, he offered a greeting with a slight nod, his expression showing no displeasure whatsoever.
Ah, it seemed he had cultivated himself somewhat during this time.
I too greeted Baek Li-myeong with a bright, cheerful expression.
At my response, I noticed the corners of Baek Li-myeong’s lips trembled slightly.
‘Still a long way to go.’
As I inwardly scoffed, Seo Ha-ryeong pushed through the crowd surrounding me and rushed toward me.
“Why are you so late?”
“I had to greet someone for a moment.”
“That’s fine for you, but what about him?”
Seo Ha-ryeong exchanged a glance with Yalyu. Word had spread throughout the city the day Yalyu arrived with the Cheonsan Yeom-je, and she had already greeted him that day.
“He came with me.”
“He’s still the same as ever, isn’t he?”
Seo Ha-ryeong clicked her tongue and led us forward. We arrived at a round table that could seat five or six people, where Namgung Ryu-cheong was already seated as the honored guest.
I picked up some refreshments and asked from across the table.
“Ryu-cheong, how is the banquet?”
“….”
“If you ask me, I think he’ll have a frown line between his brows by the time he’s twenty. Don’t you think?”
Seo Ha-ryeong burst into laughter.
I noticed several young men stealing glances at Seo Ha-ryeong as she laughed.
How much longer would she carry on? Suddenly, Seo Ha-ryeong grabbed my sleeve and pulled me. When I looked at her, I heard her voice transmitted directly to my mind.
“What?”
The answer came through the same silent transmission.
[Where’s the privy?]
“Ah, I’ll call a servant to guide you….”
Seo Ha-ryeong gripped my arm so tightly it hurt.
With her eyes wide open, staring at me, I had no choice but to stand up with her.
“Fine, fine. Let’s go.”
Whether he understood where we were going or simply wanted to follow, Yalyu rose to his feet as well.
“Yalyu, you wait here.”
“I don’t want to be apart. It’s been so long since we’ve seen each other.”
At his almost pleading tone, I heard several people around us gasp sharply.
My own eyes widened in surprise.
‘No, if you say it like that, people will get the wrong idea!’
At that moment, with a loud clack, Namgung Ryu-cheong set down his teacup and spoke coldly.
“Enough. You’re not the only one here.”
Yalyu regarded Namgung Ryu-cheong with an expressionless face.
Namgung Ryu-cheong did not back down, his gaze sharp and icy.
In the chilled atmosphere, several people watched them with keen interest.
Clap!
I clapped my hands together to draw everyone’s attention.
“Both of you, stop it. Yalyu, you could have come along if you were actually a woman.”
“Ah….”
Yalyu finally seemed to understand, and he sat down quietly. With his head slightly bowed and his face flushed, he murmured.
“Sorry.”
“That’s enough. I’ll be back soon. Don’t fight while I’m gone.”
“….”
“….”
“You understand, don’t you?”
“….”
“….”
She refused to answer until the very end.
Unable to extract a response despite Seo Ha-ryeong’s persistence, I slipped away from the Banquet Hall.
“The two of them still don’t seem to get along.”
“When were they ever on good terms?”
“Well, it’s been years since they last met. I thought perhaps things might have improved somewhat….”
“Hmph.”
Seo Ha-ryeong let out a derisive snort, then broke into a cough.
“Ugh. It’s suddenly turned quite chilly. Ah, I’m glad I took your advice and wore thicker garments.”
Despite the brilliant sunshine that dazzled the eyes, the air carried a crisp coolness.
Seo Ha-ryeong drew her robes closer as she spoke.
“Did you hear the rain last night? It sounded like someone was dumping buckets of water from the sky. I was worried about today because of it. But just as you said, it stopped abruptly the moment morning came.”
I didn’t remember the weather every day—my memory wasn’t that exceptional. Yet this day remained vivid in my mind. The weather, the sunlight, the temperature itself.
After seeing Seo Ha-ryeong off, I walked through the Garden. The ground was still damp, not yet dried.
‘It was here.’
In the distance, the faint sounds of musicians playing and children chattering drifted through the air.
I made my way to the small Stone Bridge in the Garden. Standing atop it, I gazed down at the water’s surface, which remained turbid from yesterday’s rain.
So much had changed since the past that it could no longer be counted on one’s fingers. Yet there were also things that remained unchanged, like the weather itself.
I wondered if this incident too would unfold as it had before.
It wasn’t long after I began admiring the scenery that something came flying toward me.

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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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