The Ignored Granddaughter of a Murim Family - Chapter 15

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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 15
‘Ah, forget it. Let’s just say rabbit. Who would know?’
Either way, hadn’t I accomplished my purpose of presenting something to Grandfather?
My mind was utterly scattered by this unexpected encounter. Worried I might make another mistake, I began inching toward the door to make my escape.
“Well then, Grandfather, I—hic—shall take my leave now.”
“Stop right there.”
Damn.
I turned around with the cutest smile I could muster. They say you don’t scold someone who’s smiling, so surely I wouldn’t be punished.
But Grandfather said something far more terrifying than any scolding.
“Since we’ve met, let me ask you something.”
Then he settled into his chair and gestured to the seat across from him.
“Sit there.”
Oh no! How long is this conversation going to be if he’s asking me to sit? My steps toward the chair felt heavy. Once I was seated, Grandfather spoke to me in a gentle voice.
“Yeon.”
“Yes, Grandfather.”
“Do you think Pyo and Ak-i will surpass the third rank this year?”
“I beg your pardon?”
I looked at Grandfather with a bewildered expression.
That’s… absolutely impossible.
But I couldn’t say that.
“How would I know such a thing?”
“Yet you brought up closed-door training as if you’d been waiting for the moment, didn’t you?”
“It’s because Aunt—hic!—said they would surpass it.”
“No, you knew. From the beginning, you knew Pyo and Ak-i couldn’t surpass the third rank.”
“…”
“After watching you all this time, I’ve come to see you’re a very clever child. You brought up closed-door training to help me, didn’t you? Am I wrong?”
I looked up at Grandfather in shock. The surprise was so great that even my hiccups seemed to stop.
So I really have been causing trouble. For Grandfather to have figured it out already…
Like a child caught in wrongdoing, I lowered my eyes and shook my head.
“…No, Grandfather. Everything you said is correct.”
Lies wouldn’t work here. In a situation like this, it was better to reveal the truth. A clumsy falsehood would only provoke his anger.
I continued cautiously.
“It seemed like you wanted to send my brothers to the Academy.”
“Don’t meddle from now on!”
His sudden rebuke, which I hadn’t anticipated at all, made me jerk my head up in alarm.
His gaze was stern. I bit my lip and, swallowing my bitter feelings, apologized.
“…I’m sorry.”
“You didn’t understand.”
Grandfather tapped the table lightly.
“Because you acted so boldly, what will Pyo and Ak-i think of you? Won’t they believe you’ve made fools of them? How will those children conduct themselves going forward!”
Baek Li Pae-hyuk continued, his tone tinged with exasperation.
“You have not mastered martial arts, and your body bears many injuries. What would you do if the twins decided to torment you deliberately?”
I lifted my head sharply, my mouth falling open in bewilderment.
‘Wait? Grandfather understands the twins quite well, doesn’t he?’
Unaware of my inner thoughts, Baek Li Pae-hyuk pressed on.
“You have neither your mother nor your paternal grandmother in this household. Even if your father takes notice, he cannot involve himself in every childish squabble. Your father cannot remain at home forever! And do not even dream that I would take your side over such trivial matters!”
On the surface, it sounded as though he were warning me not to rely on his and Father’s authority to behave recklessly.
But I understood. These words came from genuine concern for me.
‘What is this? Why such counsel all of a sudden? Did he not dislike me? Could it be…?’
Perhaps, through all that had transpired, he had developed a faint affection for me. If so… I swallowed hard.
I decided to press further.
“But Grandfather, what if they provoke a fight even though I do not wish for one?”
Baek Li Pae-hyuk raised his eyebrows.
“What do you mean by that?”
“Pyo and Ak-i called me defective, a useless wretch who cannot even use martial arts.”
“What? They said such things to you?”
Baek Li Pae-hyuk’s eyes widened as though hearing this for the first time. I nodded vigorously to convince him.
“Yes. It was when Father stepped away briefly, before you arrived that day.”
Baek Li Pae-hyuk paused, then slammed his hand against the table.
“Where did they learn such vulgar speech! How has Baek Li-ui-ran raised these children? Why did you not tell your father and let this pass?”
“It was merely a childish quarrel.”
Baek Li Pae-hyuk’s expression shifted to one of being caught off guard.
I quickly delivered my prepared words, my face taking on a slightly bitter cast.
“Grandfather, if I hear such words and do not fight back, would I have the right to wield a sword even after my body heals?”
“…”
“I wish to become confident in myself.”
A confidence unbroken by any adversity.
Was this not precisely the attitude warriors cherished most? And it was my genuine truth.
* * *
‘How did things come to this?’
I stared blankly at the lavish spread of delicacies before me, spoon in hand.
“Why are you not eating?”
This is all because of the meatball stew!
When I tried to leave, Baek Li Pae-hyuk stopped me and insisted I eat before departing. I meant to refuse, but the mention of meatball stew made me hesitate without thinking… and this meal was the result. I could already picture my cousins’ uproar upon learning that I had dined alone with Grandfather.
‘But it tastes so good…’
I did not realize I was swinging my feet contentedly as I savored the meatball in my mouth.
“Eat with more vigor! That is why you are so frail. Try this as well. It is Deer meat.”
“Deer?”
“Yes. You have never seen one before, I imagine. It has a tawny coat and resembles a young ox in form.”
“That’s right. You wouldn’t have seen one before. It looks like a young cow, but tan-colored.”
I picked up a thin slice of marinated meat.
‘Delicious!’
It was so delicious it felt almost unfair.
Baek Li Pae-hyuk furrowed his brow, interpreting my expression.
“Why do you look so glum when eating something delicious?”
“Because it’s so delicious….”
I mumbled and quickly added more.
“I’m sad that Father can’t eat it with me.”
“What a peculiar thing to frown about. Your father has plenty to eat, so stop worrying and just eat!”
I laughed and clattered my bowl again. Then Baek Li Pae-hyuk, who had been silent for a while, spoke once more.
“You keep mentioning your father at the end of every sentence. Do you like him that much?”
I nodded as if he were asking something obvious.
“How is Baek Li-ui-gang doing these days?”
I tilted my head at the cryptic question.
“I mean, how is he managing lately. You two are always together, aren’t you?”
I blinked and counted on my small fingers as I spoke.
“He wakes at dawn and does some light training, then has breakfast with me when I wake up. After tea, we go for a walk together, and he teaches me to read. Then he reviews books all morning. When I nap, he takes care of some matters and comes back….”
“Not that sort of thing… No, never mind.”
Baek Li Pae-hyuk trailed off with an expression suggesting there was no point asking a child such things.
‘What was he trying to ask?’
I couldn’t fathom any reason for his question. After pondering briefly, I placed a piece of Deer meat before him like an innocent child.
“You should eat too, Grandfather.”
Perhaps it was the shock and hiccupping fit, or the tension that followed—but after a late lunch eaten to fullness, sleep crashed over me like a tidal wave.
This was the problem with a child’s body. No matter how willing the spirit, the flesh could not endure. I found myself covering my mouth and yawning constantly, even before a fine cup of tea.
Baek Li Pae-hyuk clicked his tongue at the sight of me.
I made excuses with my eyes half-closed.
“It’s just my usual nap time….”
This was the only time I was separated from Father.
Baek Li Pae-hyuk spoke.
“If you’re sleepy, rest here for a while.”
“But….”
“In that state, you’ll fall asleep on the street on your way back.”
“Grandfather, really, what are you saying?”
Baek Li Pae-hyuk let out a hollow laugh at my words, but I was already half-delirious.
“Then you’re a child, not an adult?”
“But still….”
I tried several times, thinking I needed to stay alert, but it became increasingly difficult to even hold my head up.
“Then without shame….”
“Good heavens, where did you hear such words?”
I was led by the Servant’s hand and laid down somewhere. As a thick blanket covered my body, a sense of security washed over me. I fell into the depths of slumber in an instant.
“Let me ask you just one thing.”
Grandfather’s voice came from the head of the bed.
“…Yes, please speak.”
“Do you know anything about your mother?”
“Hmm….”
Thinking back on it, it was a deeply serious subject.
Perhaps Grandfather had wanted to ask me this question from the start, which was why he’d told me to eat before leaving. But at that moment, half-drowsy as I was, I couldn’t think such thoughts and answered hazily.
“I don’t know. She never, never told me anything. But… am I foolish?”
“Foolish?”
“Haha… how could I not know…? Mother abandoned me….”
At my words, Grandfather’s eyes widened.
But I fell into a deep sleep without seeing that expression on his face.

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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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