The Ignored Granddaughter of a Murim Family - Chapter 308

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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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Side Story: Chapter 2
From the moment I first laid eyes on those attackers, I could sense that something hidden lay beneath the surface. And when I inquired about it, I knew they would feign ignorance and deny any knowledge.
Since the majority of the guards had already fallen to the merchant caravan, they would certainly need our assistance to reach the next village. I could help them, but being used without understanding the situation left a bitter taste in my mouth.
‘But the Muyang Escort Agency?’
Something about it felt oddly familiar. As I searched my memory for where I’d heard that name, I stopped in my tracks and asked.
“…Could it be the Muyang Escort Agency in Cheonju?”
“Oh, yes, that’s right. Do you know of it?”
Wang Jang-go’s face brightened with the joy of meeting someone from afar who knew of his organization.
Oh no.
“….”
When no response came, Wang Jang-go laughed awkwardly, and Namgung Ryu-cheong regarded me with puzzlement.
‘How many escort agencies exist in this world, and why did it have to be this one…?’
A young man came limping toward us from across the lead carriage that had just arrived. He appeared to be in his early twenties, with a clean-cut, upright appearance.
Wang Jang-go hurried over and helped support the young man.
Blood seeped through the tightly wound bandage around the young man’s thigh.
“I am Hak Jin-pyeong, the escort leader of this expedition. My father is Hak, the director of the Muyang Escort Agency. I should have introduced myself immediately, but my injured leg delayed my greetings. I am truly grateful for both of your assistance.”
…Fate was truly mysterious in how it unfolded.
* * *
As expected, Hak Jin-pyeong asked us to remain with them until they reached the castle. After hastily regrouping the caravan, we arrived at the castle without any further attacks, fortunately.
The Muyang Escort Agency members, looking like defeated soldiers, secured lodgings at the inn, and Hak Jin-pyeong prepared better guest rooms for Namgung Ryu-cheong and me.
At some point, I stirred slightly awake.
“You’re awake?”
Namgung Ryu-cheong’s voice came from beside my pillow.
“Mm. When did I fall asleep?”
“I’m not sure. When I arrived, you were already sleeping.”
“….”
When I didn’t respond, Namgung Ryu-cheong spoke.
“Are you going to sleep more? We should eat dinner.”
“Mm. Ah, I….”
I mumbled drowsily and nestled deeper into his embrace.
I felt the soft, rhythmic motion of his hand brushing through my hair. Outside these walls, Namgung Ryu-cheong would malfunction like a broken toy at the mere touch of a hand, yet here, in this moment, his touch came naturally.
Just before I drifted back into comfortable sleep, his voice reached me.
“What do you plan to do?”
“About what…?”
“The bandits. Or should I say the Demonic Cult Members?”
“Ah….”
“From what I can sense, it seems bandits and Demonic Cult Members are mixed together. What do you think?”
“Mm. Half, half….”
“Perhaps remnants of the Demonic Cult have occupied a mountain stronghold in the area.”
“….”
“Among those who escaped alive, there may be someone who recognized us. The man wielding the crossbow certainly seemed to have recognized us.”
Irritated by his constant fretting, I silenced him with sharp taps against Namgung Ryu-cheong’s body. But my palms only ached more against his unyielding frame. Annoyed, I rolled over to face the opposite direction.
Namgung Ryu-cheong finally fell silent. Yet, having begun to wake, I found sleep elusive even with my eyes closed—stray thoughts circling endlessly through my mind.
After struggling to rest, I eventually surrendered and bolted upright.
“You’re awake.”
Namgung Ryu-cheong rose from the sleeping quarters, following my lead.
“How am I supposed to sleep when you keep talking!”
“I barely said anything.”
I glared at Namgung Ryu-cheong with undisguised irritation as he walked away.
“You know I can’t fall back asleep once my mind starts working!”
Namgung Ryu-cheong approached the table, poured hot water from the teapot into a cup, and offered it to me as I grumbled.
His dark hair still held moisture, as though he had only recently finished washing.
I exhaled deeply and accepted the teacup.
We had sent word to both families announcing our marriage, shared a guest room, slept in the same bed, and woke together—but it ended there.
Until we received proper consent from both sets of parents and held a formal wedding ceremony, Namgung Ryu-cheong maintained an iron principle: he would not lay a hand on me.
At first, I was exasperated. Later, I thought, what harm could waiting do? and agreed. But that was naive thinking.
Namgung Ryu-cheong was so earnest about it that he initially insisted on using separate guest rooms.
Was he joking?
That simply wouldn’t do.
If that were the case, why travel alone together at all!
I outwardly maintained composure and countered his proposal with logical reasoning.
First, I argued that if word reached both families that we claimed to be married yet slept in separate rooms, they would hardly believe us.
Second, we had no money.
Neither of us had anticipated this journey lasting so long, so we hadn’t brought substantial funds.
Moreover, we could have visited the trading posts that dealt with the Baek Li Family or the Namgung Clan, presented our credentials, and withdrawn money.
But we were fugitives. The moment we accessed family funds, our location would be exposed. We couldn’t risk it.
Even if I overlooked the first reason, the second—the harsh reality of money—rendered noble principles useless.
Incidentally, I had already established hidden reserves in various places, so I could sustain years of travel without Baek Li Pae-hyuk or Baek Li-ui-gang discovering the truth. But Namgung Ryu-cheong didn’t know this.
Though we had promised to hide nothing from each other, this was unavoidable. When I confessed later, he would understand.
In any case, Namgung Ryu-cheong and I ended up sharing a single guest room, and I wondered just how far his stubbornness would extend.
And now… sigh.
What good does getting angry do?
We have time aplenty.
I drained the tea Namgung Ryu-cheong offered in one gulp.
After drinking two more cups, I finally lowered my hand. Exhaling slowly with half-lidded eyes, I looked at him and met his gaze—dark and penetrating, as though it could pierce through me.
That intense, passionate stare was fixed upon my lips, still wet from the tea.
He asked softly, as though restraint was becoming unbearable.
“May I kiss you?”
“You don’t need to ask every time.”
Even as I said this, I knew he would ask again next time.
The moment I closed my eyes as if granting permission, I felt a hand grasp my chin. The subtle tea fragrance I had tasted moments before mingled sweetly with the sensation.
Namgung Ryu-cheong was no longer the man who had stiffened, uncertain how to respond.
Lost in a hazy sensation, my body tilted backward. One hand wrapped around the nape of Namgung Ryu-cheong’s neck while the other pressed against the sleeping quarters for support.
In that instant, Namgung Ryu-cheong suddenly pulled away. It felt as though someone had splashed cold water across my drowsy senses. I was bewildered, wondering if this was some cruel jest.
“What is this sudden—?”
As I pressed my hand against the sleeping quarters in reproach, a strange sense of familiarity washed over me. Why did the sleeping quarters feel lower and far softer than before?
Watching Namgung Ryu-cheong’s ears and neck flush in real time, I understood.
“Mm.”
What I had pressed my hand against earlier was not the sleeping quarters at all. No wonder it had felt so firm.
“….”
I spoke before Namgung Ryu-cheong could suffocate himself holding his breath.
“Where did my shoes go?”
The moment I bent down to look beneath the sleeping quarters, Namgung Ryu-cheong promptly retrieved them for me.
By the time I had put on my shoes, stood, and finished tidying and binding my hair, Namgung Ryu-cheong had also returned to his normal complexion.
Sitting across the table, Namgung Ryu-cheong spoke as though his face had never been flushed.
“Someone from the Muyang Escort Agency came by earlier.”
“Why? Ah, let me guess—they wanted to repay the favor by having dinner together?”
Namgung Ryu-cheong nodded.
I brushed back my falling hair as I spoke.
“I’ve suddenly lost the desire to go downstairs for dinner.”
“Then we can eat here.”
“Shall we?”
I felt Namgung Ryu-cheong’s hand brush through the rest of my hair, gave a small yawn, and pulled the snack bowl containing roasted peanuts toward me from the table.
Namgung Ryu-cheong lowered his hand and spoke.
“You don’t intend to help?”
“….”
“If the Demonic Cult truly covets Cheon-ma’s treasure, they won’t abandon this so easily.”
“They’re persistent, so that’s likely true. But do we really need to assist with the Muyang Escort Agency’s business expansion?”
“Business expansion?”
“Yes. The Muyang Escort Agency isn’t originally a large escort house. Cheon-ma’s treasure isn’t the sort of cargo the Muyang Escort Agency can handle.”
Items that become the subject of escort transport are called cargo, and this time, the Muyang Escort Agency’s cargo was precisely Cheon-ma’s treasure.
Namgung Ryu-cheong fell silent for a moment before speaking.
“You mean this trouble arose because the Muyang Escort Agency accepted a job they couldn’t handle themselves?”
“In my opinion….”

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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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