The Ignored Granddaughter of a Murim Family - Chapter 287

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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 287
I jolted upright immediately. Only then did I realize I had been resting my head on Namgung Ryu-cheong’s lap.
What I’d thought was soft yet firm and reassuring turned out to be Namgung Ryu-cheong’s thigh!
I was certain I’d been sleeping on a makeshift bed of branches with leaves still attached!
“What in the world are you doing!”
“You reached out first.”
“….”
Namgung Ryu-cheong answered shamelessly to my outburst.
“I did reach out, but not for that reason! I didn’t even know I was using your lap as a pillow! If I’d known, would I have done it? When exactly did this…!”
I had no choice but to stop my anger at his following words.
“I just wanted you to be comfortable.”
“What?”
“You looked uncomfortable. You were groaning the whole time you slept, so I thought I’d help a little.”
“….”
“Besides, you woke up and thanked me, then went back to sleep. So I thought you knew. Anyway, I’m sorry.”
“….”
I was at a loss for words, staring at my sleeping spot and Namgung Ryu-cheong’s extended legs.
Groaning, was I?
I did tend to dream a lot. My father would sometimes wake up from the sounds of my dreaming and come to rouse me.
So perhaps I’d unconsciously thought he’d come to watch over my sleep and thanked him for it….
Namgung Ryu-cheong reached out and combed through my tangled hair.
The gesture was so natural that I flinched, yet I couldn’t bring myself to pull away.
Namgung Ryu-cheong seemed determined to be utterly shameless.
And what was more amusing was that I found myself unable to be angry at such behavior.
I simply bit my lip and turned my head away, as if that would somehow let me escape this bewildering situation.
In my turned gaze, I caught sight of the robe draped over me. It was Namgung Ryu-cheong’s long coat.
Due to the warm weather, it was a thin sleeveless style, and when I lifted it slightly, a subtle fragrance wafted up—the same scent I’d noticed when nestled against Namgung Ryu-cheong.
I wiped my face and spoke.
“How long was I asleep?”
“With the fog, I can’t say exactly, but it felt like less than two hours.”
“I slept that long?”
That explained why my body felt so refreshed.
“Why didn’t you wake me? I’ll keep watch now, so you should sleep.”
“It’s fine.”
“Fine? What’s fine about it?”
As I returned his coat, something suddenly tumbled from the hem. A small silk pouch, slightly smaller than my palm.
I picked it up without much thought, brushed off the dirt, and discovered it was a sachet.
‘Carrying a sachet even in the dense forest. He truly lives up to his young master reputation.’
The subtle fragrance I’d sensed from Namgung Ryu-cheong must have come from here.
I was about to hand it back to him when I suddenly pulled it away again before he could take it.
“What is this?”
The embroidery was terribly familiar.
A crudely stitched pink peony, the inexperience evident in every stitch.
“I gave this to Namgung Wan, so why do you have it?”
“….”
Namgung Ryu-cheong’s brow furrowed sharply as he reached out to snatch the sachet away.
But unlike before, I wasn’t flustered, and with my wits about me, there was no way I’d let him take it so easily.
“Give it back.”
“Ah, wait a moment.”
I blocked Namgung Ryu-cheong from snatching it away and searched my memory.
Right… so I was making it as a gift for my father when Namgung Wan practically coerced me into making one for him too, and after receiving a dagger forged from Baek Li steel, I had no choice but to take up the embroidery needle. Since sincerity mattered most to my father, even a clumsy stitch would suffice, but giving something so poorly made to him felt awkward, and besides, my hand was injured at the time… I simply didn’t want to do it….
My father would understand that the sentiment was what counted, even if the embroidery was crude, but giving something so sloppy to him felt wrong, and my hand was injured back then anyway… I just really didn’t want to do it….
“Besides, you basically made most of this yourself anyway.”
“Yeah. I made it, so I’m keeping it. What’s the problem?”
At his cheeky response, I narrowed my eyes and looked at Namgung Ryu-cheong.
His ears were flushed red.
In the crimson firelight, it was hard to notice unless you looked closely. The nape of his neck was also tinged with a faint blush.
I clenched my teeth and suppressed the laughter threatening to burst forth.
‘Seriously, why is he like this?’
Every time I saw him like this, I didn’t understand why I felt the urge to tease him further.
I spoke as if I didn’t know.
“Then give it to me.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You made it, so I want it. Give it to me. You can just make another one.”
“….”
Namgung Ryu-cheong couldn’t respond and clamped his mouth shut.
I waited a moment for his answer, then pressed him.
“Well? Give it to me. You’re not going to refuse when I ask, are you?”
“….”
Namgung Ryu-cheong, who had been silent, finally spoke.
“That one’s gotten old and worn, so I’ll make you a new one. Give that back.”
“You’ll make me a new one?”
“Yes.”
“But I want this one.”
“….”
I bit down hard on the inside of my mouth.
Honestly, even I thought I was being insufferable.
“….”
“….”
“Fine, keep it.”
It was an answer that came after a long silence.
I couldn’t help myself and burst into laughter.
“Ahahaha!”
Namgung Ryu-cheong glared at me with visibly irritated eyes.
When I returned the sachet to him, Namgung Ryu-cheong took it with slightly hurried movements, his gaze still sharp. Then he spoke.
“Take it if you want it.”
“Ahahaha!”
My laughter rang out clearly through the mist.
I barely managed to suppress my laughter and wiped the corners of my eyes.
“No, I didn’t actually want it. I was just teasing. Sorry. It’s just… you….”
I was simply curious how far you’d go to fulfill my requests. I kept that thought to myself without speaking it aloud.
“Yeah. That’s what I thought.”
Namgung Ryu-cheong sighed. It was a sigh that felt thirty percent exasperated and seventy percent relieved.
I smiled brightly and spoke.
“You really do like me, don’t you?”
“What have you been listening to all this time?”
“Fair point.”
I nodded and then spoke.
“So you promised to make me another one next time, right?”
“Sigh.”
Namgung Ryu-cheong let out another deep sigh and acknowledged my words.
“Ahahaha!”
When was the last time I laughed this hard? For some reason, my chest felt light and refreshed.
After laughing for a while, I drew my legs close and spoke.
“You should get some rest too. I’ll keep watch.”
“No need. I’m not tired.”
That couldn’t possibly be true. Since he had to chase after me, he must have slept as little as I did.
But I understood why he refused to sleep. He was afraid that while he rested, I would leave alone.
So I didn’t press the matter further.
The small fire flickered gently.
A comfortable silence settled between us, and I slowly opened my mouth.
“Ryu-cheong.”
I felt his gaze on me.
No—Namgung Ryu-cheong had been watching me all along.
I continued slowly.
“I still don’t understand my own heart. Whether I like you or if I’m just lonely, whether I just want to rely on someone or if I’m trying to run away….”
After my regression, I spent over ten years trying not to love Namgung Ryu-cheong. I believed it was something I had to do.
And until now, I lived believing I had succeeded.
“When everything is over, I’ll tell you then.”
“So in the end, you’re saying you have to leave?”
I tilted my head slightly and opened my mouth.
“I have something to tell you.”
I gazed upward at the starless sky, chin resting in my palm, obscured by the thick fog.
This place lay beyond the reach of celestial observation. The fog existed for precisely that reason—the mist shrouding the Cheonma Dae-chong possessed no supernatural properties, merely density.
“The truth is, I’ve regressed.”
Namgung Ryu-cheong’s breathing shifted subtly.
“I was certain I’d died, but when I opened my eyes, I found myself back in the past.”
I gave him time to process.
Soon, Namgung Ryu-cheong spoke.
“So… what you’re saying is that Yalyu cutting your throat actually happened to you?”
Not whether regression was possible, whether it was real or false, how I’d returned—but this. He asked this first.
“Yes.”
“That bastard should never have been allowed to live…!”
“You believe me?”
“Is that what matters right now? Why would you keep that monster at your side? What were you thinking! Does Baek Li Dae-hyup know about this?”
“No, Father doesn’t know.”
Namgung Ryu-cheong, venting his fury, looked as though he would have challenged Yalyu to a death match had he been present.
I smiled softly and spoke.
“You’re the first I’ve told. Aside from the one who discovered it first.”
“What? How did that bastard find out?”
Jealousy flickered across Namgung Ryu-cheong’s eyes.
I thought it absurd that he’d be jealous over something so trivial, yet I couldn’t understand why his expression pleased me so.
I suddenly wanted to touch his cheek.
My fingertips trembled, but instead of reaching out, I said something I knew would delight him.
“I knew that if I ever told anyone, I would tell Father first.”
“Really?”
The corners of Namgung Ryu-cheong’s mouth lifted slightly. He tried to hide it, but I’d known him long enough—this much was transparent.
Knowing he’d be pleased, I asked teasingly.
“You like that?”
Namgung Ryu-cheong nodded as though it were obvious and spoke.
“Your father is your first priority. If I’m ahead of him, that means I’m your first priority, doesn’t it? I haven’t lost to anyone since I came of age.”
I let out a scoff.
“What are you saying? I’m the Martial Arts Tournament champion!”
“You can lose to me. Because you’re my first priority.”
“…”
I was momentarily speechless.
“Why?”
“…Wow, you’re such a flirt.”
“Me?”
Namgung Ryu-cheong raised his eyebrows.
Namgung Ryu-cheong and I talked through the night.
We spoke of trivial matters—how we’d been living, childhood memories—conversations of little consequence. Yet I knew the warmth of those hours would remain etched in my memory forever.
Gradually, light pierced through the darkness. Dawn had broken.

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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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