The Ignored Granddaughter of a Murim Family - Chapter 17

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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 17
The child wore a deep indigo silk robe embroidered with willow branch patterns, and around the waist cinched with a sash hung pale sky-blue jade fragments and river stone beads that swayed with every movement.
Beneath long, delicate eyelashes, the child’s eyes sparkled as they narrowed slightly while speaking.
“Did I startle you? I’m sorry.”
Eon-du, who had been about to chide the young lady for her rudeness, quickly stepped back upon sensing the noble aura emanating from the boy.
I examined the boy before asking, “…Why is it useless?”
“Its wing is broken here.”
Looking closely at where the boy pointed, I could see one wing was slightly twisted.
A fledgling with a broken wing in the wild—how pitiful.
“…Then it will die. Poor thing.”
The fledgling, unaware of its own plight, continued chirping weakly with one wing drooping limply.
Come to think of it, the parent birds who had been protecting their young moments ago should have come flying at this sound, yet they remained motionless in their nest. It seemed this chick had been abandoned as well.
Then the boy asked, “Why did you do that?”
“Do what?”
“Have the Academy servant bring the children in early.”
The boy’s gaze shifted to my disheveled black hair.
“You gave me a hair ribbon.”
So he had been watching all along?
The boy tilted his head curiously as he asked, “Was that necessary? Couldn’t you have just stopped them? Aren’t you cousins with the Baek Li Family twins?”
I nearly scoffed without thinking.
‘If I had stopped them, would they have listened? They would have only made more of a fuss.’
But there was no need to tell such things to a boy I’d met for the first time, whose name I didn’t even know.
I smiled gently and replied, “My older brothers have such strong competitive spirits that if I had stopped them, they would have tried even harder to catch it.”
“Competitive…spirit?”
The boy’s eyes widened at my unexpected answer, and he burst into laughter—a remarkably clear and melodious sound.
I stared blankly for a moment before suddenly coming to my senses and turning to Eon-du, saying, “Let’s go.”
“Huh? Already?”
Ignoring the boy’s words, which still carried traces of laughter, I turned away.
Eon-du glanced down at the bird in his hands.
“What should we do with this one?”
I bit my lip slightly and sighed.
“Put it back in the brush.”
“But…”
“Even if we return it to the nest…it will die anyway.”
I spoke without strength in my voice.
I bit my lip slightly and let out a sigh.
“Put it back down in the grass.”
“Um…”
“Even if I put it in the nest… it’s going to die anyway.”
I spoke weakly.
There was no good solution. If I carelessly disturbed the nest, the parent birds might abandon the other chicks as well, and if I took this one with me, I would need to care for it for life—something I wasn’t confident I could do.
‘At the Baek Li Estate, I can barely manage my own survival….’
That was when the boy stepped forward.
“I can treat it, little wing.”
I turned to look at the boy, startled.
“So you finally notice me.”
The boy smiled brightly and offered a respectful bow with the graceful bearing of bamboo swaying in the wind.
“I haven’t introduced myself yet. My name is Seok Ga-yak. I’m a distant relative of Seok Tae-ui and arrived here not long ago.”
* * *
I gazed with wonder at the blue brick walls, the glazed tiles, and the imposing buildings that radiated an extraordinary presence.
‘Did Tae-ui really earn this much from his profession?’
The scale wasn’t comparable to the Baek Li Estate. Yet everything was meticulously maintained—from the exquisite and beautiful garden to the neat appearance of the servants’ attire, all reflecting careful management.
As I wandered about in admiration, the handsome boy beside me spoke.
“You seem to like peonies.”
It was Seok Ga-yak, who had guided me to this place.
‘Seok Ga-yak….’
I had never encountered him in my past life, nor was he ever mentioned in the story.
“The Baek Li Estate’s garden is mostly white peonies. This color is new to me.”
“The Pear Blossom Garden at the Baek Li Estate is also famous for its beauty.”
I was following Seok Ga-yak as I toured the residence when I suddenly stopped in my tracks.
Seok Ga-yak turned to me with a puzzled expression.
“What’s wrong?”
“…Is my father here, by any chance?”
“No, he isn’t.”
“Really?”
I tilted my head and furrowed my brow, looking toward the direction of the stables.
‘I thought I saw my father’s shadow…?’
But I couldn’t retrieve the fleeting impression that had passed through my mind.
“I must have been mistaken.”
As I tried to brush it aside carelessly, I suddenly sensed something odd in Seok Ga-yak’s demeanor.
‘How is he so certain that my father isn’t here?’
Seok Ga-yak and I had just entered this residence. So when he heard my question, shouldn’t he have been puzzled, or at least asked a servant if a guest had arrived?
But Seok Ga-yak had stated flatly and without hesitation that my father wasn’t here.
‘…What is he hiding?’
But what possible reason could there be for keeping my father’s presence here a secret from me, his own daughter?
Pushing aside the rising suspicion, I entered the room he was guiding me to.
The interior was even more lavish than the exterior. It was filled with ornate furniture decorated in gold and silver. As I settled onto a plush cushion embroidered with grape patterns in golden thread, Seok Ga-yak accepted a tray from a servant.
A white teacup was placed before me, and Seok Ga-yak poured the tea with a gentle sound. The liquid was a clear, pale pink.
“It’s a tea that draws out the body’s excess heat.”
He was referring to the internal injuries I had sustained from falling into a state of demonic cultivation. Though he claimed to be Seok Tae-ui’s relative, I set aside my doubts but remained cautious.
“Did Seok Tae-ui really say something like that to you?”
“I sometimes help organize Seok Tae-ui’s medicine shop. A few days ago, there was a prescription with peony bark, chrysanthemum, and other ingredients—remedies to draw out the heat from severe internal injuries. And since your eyes are red and your lips are dry with a slight fever, I realized you were the one who needed those medicinal materials.”
“I see.”
Right. For all his pretense, Seok Tae-ui wouldn’t go around spreading others’ health information. I was fortunate.
Yet something about Seok Ga-yak’s explanation still felt suspicious.
‘Is that really how someone my age typically behaves?’
The twins and Baek Li-ri didn’t seem like ordinary children. They were certainly intelligent, but their perceptiveness and demeanor itself were distinctly different.
“Did you study medicine?”
“Yes.”
“Then you don’t attend the Academy?”
“I do.”
I tilted my head in confusion.
“I’ve never seen you there.”
“That’s because I’m in the morning class. I’ve been receiving instruction from Master Ki since I was young.”
He was around my age but already in the intermediate class?
Seok Ga-yak rested his elbows on the table, watching my expression of admiration.
“I came to ask the Master something during his break time.”
Seok Ga-yak’s eyes gleamed as if he’d witnessed something amusing, and he smiled brightly at me.
I felt only discomfort. Perhaps reading this, Seok Ga-yak suddenly stood up.
“Well then, wait here for a moment.”
The tea Seok Ga-yak brought was slightly sour and sweet.
I sipped it as I waited—longer than expected—when Seok Ga-yak returned faster than I’d anticipated.
“I’ve stabilized it for now. We’ll need to observe how it progresses over time. Even if it recovers, we can’t return it to its nest by human hands.”
“Thank you for your help.”
Seok Ga-yak looked at me as if he didn’t understand.
“Why won’t you raise it?”
“…”
I lowered my eyes without speaking.
Every animal I’d raised in the past had died. Through the twins’ mistakes. Or for no reason at all. And based on what happened before, I would be away from the Residence Quarter for a while soon.
I couldn’t explain these circumstances. I arranged my expression into something sorrowful and spoke.
“I understand you’ve studied medicine, but I can barely take care of myself. How could I possibly care for a sick bird?”
“Surely the Baek Li Estate doesn’t lack servants?”
“…”
“Haha, there’s no need to lie.”
What? He was asking even though he already knew?
No, actually it was fortunate that he knew.
I dropped my fabricated expression and spoke plainly.
“Family matters are best kept hidden from the outside world. This is the first time we’ve met.”
I meant he shouldn’t pry rudely since I had no intention of explaining.
‘An intelligent child would understand this much.’
The teacup was nearly drained, its bottom finally visible. It was time to take my leave. As I lifted my head, my gaze met that of Seok Ga-yak, who had been watching me intently.
Seok Ga-yak wore a radiant smile.
“I have a feeling we could become wonderful friends.”

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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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