The Ignored Granddaughter of a Murim Family - Chapter 305

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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 305
* * *
Click. I opened the outer door of Father’s Study and closed it behind me.
The outer chamber of Father’s Study was primarily used to receive guests. At the moment, Father and Uncle Namgung Wan were facing each other within.
A deep breath escaped me unbidden.
“Phew.”
“Sigh.”
Remarkably, someone else exhaled in perfect synchrony with me—Shim Bu-gwan.
Our eyes met, and we exchanged knowing smiles before hastily retreating from Father’s Study.
“Shim Bu-gwan, it’s been a long time.”
“Indeed, it has. I heard you had been unable to wake for quite some time, so I was concerned. But seeing you in such good health, my worries were unfounded.”
“And you’ve been well, I trust?”
“Thanks to So Ga-ju withdrawing from the front lines early, I haven’t even ventured near the Cheonma Dae-chong, fortunately.”
Suddenly, Shim Bu-gwan lowered his voice.
“But I’m curious—did the young lady truly defeat Cheon-ma?”
“Hahaha…”
“Shim Bu-gwan.”
Another Aide called out to him as if to stop him.
“Ahem. Ah, and how is the young master faring? Where is he staying at present?”
“Namgung Ryu-cheong is doing well. He’s at my Residence Quarter now. You’ve come to fetch him, then?”
“Yes. Sigh. The young master is truly… Please speak with him, young lady. He may not listen to So Ga-ju, but surely he will listen to you…”
“Haha. I’m not so sure. Oh, and how is So Bu-in?”
We continued walking while exchanging pleasantries.
“You must be exhausted from such a long journey. I’ve had a place prepared for you to rest, so please take your ease first.”
“Understood. We shall meet again shortly.”
I smiled and bowed as Shim Bu-gwan and his party followed a Servant toward the Guest Room.
I watched them depart before turning away at an appropriate moment.
* * *
Sunlight scattered across the river’s surface as a small boat carrying a sailor and a woman passed between fishing vessels, oars cutting through the water.
The small boat drew alongside a large ship and came to a stop.
With the sailor’s assistance, I climbed the ladder. A hand extended from the deck above grasped mine and pulled me up decisively.
Namgung Ryu-cheong set me upright on the deck.
“Where are Father and Baek Li Dae-hyup?”
“I don’t know. I did all I could. The rest is up to them.”
Uncle Namgung Wan, being a young master of Sega Clan origin, placed his own judgment above all else, regardless of what was said. He had to be convinced on his own terms.
I had brought the two of them face to face, but whether they would reconcile now depended entirely on Father’s efforts.
“Quite the devoted daughter.”
I looked at Namgung Ryu-cheong with confusion. His sarcastic tone was identical to his father’s.
“…You really don’t mind not seeing Father?”
“How many times must I say it?”
“What’s wrong with you?”
“Me? I wouldn’t dare have any complaints.”
I ended up frowning. Lately, he’d been acting strangely stubborn.
‘Why is he like this?’
Was it because of the fragrant sachet?
No, it seemed to have started from the day Father gave him the sword, but I couldn’t figure out why.
I released Namgung Ryu-cheong’s hand and asked, “Where’s our guest room?”
Where is our guest room?
Namgung Ryu-cheong turned and led the way ahead.
This grand vessel I’d boarded was a massive two-story ship that traversed the Shangjiang River, the largest tributary of the Yangtze River.
Namgung Ryu-cheong had boarded first with my luggage, and without asking a single question about where we were going, he simply followed my lead.
Among the bustling crew members, I could see well-dressed passengers in fine silk garments conversing cheerfully with one another.
It was after we’d entered the corridor from the deck and walked a short distance.
“Young Master, you’ve arrived!”
A woman’s eyes sparkled as she welcomed Namgung Ryu-cheong. She appeared to have been waiting in front of a guest room.
“Forgive my boldness, but we met at the stern earlier, didn’t we? I wanted to thank you for your help. Since fate has brought us together, perhaps we could exchange names….”
Ha, a hollow laugh escaped me.
Namgung Ryu-cheong was currently under a disguise technique. His appearance fell short of his true form, yet this was already happening.
“I merely did what needed to be done. There’s no reason to speak of fate.”
Namgung Ryu-cheong spoke in an indifferent tone, as if it were an ordinary matter.
But the woman was quite persistent.
“Please don’t say that. Won’t you have some tea with me….”
“Who is this?”
I wrapped my arms around Namgung Ryu-cheong’s waist and leaned my face against his shoulder. I could feel the taut muscles beneath my palms.
The woman’s eyes widened at the sight of me.
“Oh my, you have a companion….”
The flustered woman hastily retreated, and Namgung Ryu-cheong quickly pulled away.
“….”
Watching him recoil as if I were plague itself, I narrowed my eyes before entering the guest room.
The room was so spacious it hardly seemed like a cabin on a ship, and it contained the luggage Geum-swe had sent ahead.
I immediately began unpacking and asked, “What did you help her with?”
“She nearly fell on the stairs, so I caught her.”
I snorted and twisted my lips. “You’re quite popular, aren’t you? Anyone would think we’d been apart for days. We haven’t even been separated for half a day, and you’re already charming women.”
“I didn’t charm her.”
“Right, right. I know, I know. Even before your regression, women would flock to you just sitting still. I remember that well.”
Namgung Ryu-cheong’s brow furrowed. He wore an uncomfortable expression, then suddenly asked, “What about you?”
“Ah, right. I know, I know. Even before you regressed, women would approach you just sitting there doing nothing.”
Namgung Ryu-cheong furrowed his brow. Namgung Ryu-cheong, who had been wearing an uncomfortable expression, suddenly asked.
“What about you?”
“What?”
“What about you?”
“Hm? What do you mean, what about me? Oh, I found it!”
After rummaging through things for a while, I finally located it and held it up to Namgung Ryu-cheong with a flourish.
“Ryu-cheong, ta-da!”
The soft white handkerchief was embroidered with delicate pale pink flowers.
“What is it?”
“A gift. You’ve worked so hard all this time.”
Namgung Ryu-cheong gently traced the peach blossom embroidery on the handkerchief, his eyes widening.
“This is….”
“I made it for you. What do you think? I did a pretty good job, didn’t I?”
I spoke with emphasis, sensing his doubt.
“Do you know how hard it was to make this in secret? I practiced on several pieces just to make it look nice. I really did make it myself.”
“I can tell.”
“Hm?”
Namgung Ryu-cheong’s expression softened into a smile.
He looked at me with genuine joy in his eyes. I could only stare back at him blankly.
“Thank you.”
In that moment, my heart began to pound fiercely.
I swallowed hard and took a small step back. Certainly, yes. It was a face that was bad for the heart.
To be honest, I felt a little embarrassed giving him the handkerchief. After all, wasn’t Namgung Ryu-cheong better at embroidery than I was?
At first, watching him struggle with it had been amusing, but later when I decided to give him my own embroidered work as a gift, I felt self-conscious and even regretted it a little.
But I never expected him to be this pleased.
“Do you like it?”
“Yes.”
“It’s nothing special….”
“Nothing special? You did better work on mine than on Father’s. That’s why I like it more.”
“What?”
I found myself staring at Namgung Ryu-cheong with an incredulous expression.
“Don’t tell me you were jealous?”
I exclaimed in disbelief.
“I made one for your father!”
And he had even embroidered the most difficult part himself!
Namgung Ryu-cheong glanced at me dismissively, as if to say what did it matter.
“So you made two for Father and….”
I clenched my teeth. If I let myself laugh once, I wouldn’t be able to stop. And then Ryu-cheong would sulk again.
If that happened, I might not be able to bring up the real reason I had wanted to show him the handkerchief.
I pressed down the corners of my trembling lips and tapped the spot beside me on the window seat. After Namgung Ryu-cheong sat down, I asked him.
“Have you been pouting about this the whole time?”
“….”
Namgung Ryu-cheong kept his mouth firmly shut and avoided my gaze slightly.
I too rested my chin on my hand, watching the river flow peacefully beyond the window. After a moment, I spoke again.
“Actually, I made one for you before. It was crafted far more beautifully than this.”
“What are you talking about?”
Namgung Ryu-cheong looked at me as if asking when that could have been, and understanding dawned on him.
Yes, I had given him one before the regression.
“Back then, there was no point in martial training, so I spent my time on things like this instead. Of course I made it far better. But you didn’t seem to care for it much. So I didn’t know you would like it.”
Though it was an ancient memory, the wound from that rejection still lingered. Speaking it aloud felt surprisingly liberating.
“You gave it to me before the regression?”
“Yes.”
“And I didn’t like it?”
“Ah, yes. But it’s fine now. You just showed me you liked it, so it’s all resolved.”
Namgung Ryu-cheong, gripping the handkerchief tightly, wore an oddly displeased expression.
I tilted my head in confusion.
I had brought this up to let him know that the embroidered gift wasn’t made only for Uncle Namgung Wan, but that I had made one for him first.
‘Why does he seem even more upset?’
Namgung Ryu-cheong opened his mouth as if to say something, then closed it again and exhaled heavily.
“I’m not upset about that.”
“Then what?”
“When are you entering closed-door cultivation?”
My mouth fell slightly open.
“H-how did you know?”
“Did you really think you could hide it?”
“….”
“How long are you planning to stay in seclusion?”
I grasped at my sleeve and spoke quietly.
“…I haven’t decided yet.”
Namgung Ryu-cheong nodded and continued.
“You can’t waste this opportunity now that you’ve recovered.”
“….”
“To catch up with the others, you’ll need to dedicate yourself to training for several years at least. Going in for a short time would be worse than not going at all. The abilities you inherited from Man Shin-ui are remarkable, but relying solely on them is precarious.”
Namgung Ryu-cheong spoke with genuine conviction.
“And you wanted to properly learn martial arts like everyone else, didn’t you? You were troubled about it.”
I bit my lips hard. Every word struck at my heart without mercy.
“And what displeased me wasn’t that you didn’t tell me about entering closed-door cultivation. It was that you didn’t share your troubles with me.”
“….”
I had no words to offer.
Namgung Ryu-cheong chuckled softly, gazing down at the handkerchief.
“You’ve always been like this. You think too much and never share your thoughts with others.”
“I… I’m sorry. Um….”
“It’s fine. Sometimes it’s frustrating and irritating, but there’s nothing to be done. I love you despite all that.”
“….”
“So enter closed-door cultivation. I will wait for you.”

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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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