The Ignored Granddaughter of a Murim Family - Chapter 318

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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 Episode 12
2. When Spring Blossoms Bloom
Five months had passed since I left home. With Namgung Ryu-cheong’s declaration of defeat, our journey came to an end.
Ryu-cheong and I made our way to the Namgung Clan, where Uncle Namgung Wan and Father awaited us. We had no choice but to kneel and beg their forgiveness for our transgressions.
After considerable complications, we finally obtained permission for the betrothal. Since Namgung Ryu-cheong had declared defeat, the arrangement took the form of me entering the Namgung Clan.
However, there were conditions.
The first condition was that any firstborn child would unconditionally bear the Baek surname. It was the same arrangement as my aunt’s twin children, whom no one mentioned by name anymore.
If we had a second child, they would take the Namgung name, and should a third be born, they would be registered back into the Baek Family.
The second condition was that I would spend roughly one year out of every three at the Baek Li Estate. If we had children, they would come as well. As for Namgung Ryu-cheong… that was none of his concern.
The final condition was that the wedding ceremony be conducted with proper propriety and ritual.
After the agreement was finalized, I set out for the Baek Li Estate with Father. Naturally, I assumed we would begin wedding preparations immediately. But…
“Father, please tell me already. When exactly is the wedding? You said there wasn’t much time.”
Father sipped his tea with unhurried composure and regarded me.
“A woman who shows anxiety about her wedding is hardly an appealing sight.”
I frowned slightly as I spoke.
“It’s just you and me here. What’s the point in putting on a false face?”
“Do not worry. Your grandfather has already consulted the auspicious calendar and selected the most favorable date for the ceremony.”
Then tell me already!
For two months now, he had only said the date was set without revealing when it actually was.
During the first month, I thought perhaps he was occupied with various matters. But as days turned into weeks, there was no sign of progress.
I had never conducted a wedding myself, but I had witnessed others do so. For men, it meant being consumed with preparations for betrothal gifts and dowries; for women, it meant being frantically busy with trousseau arrangements.
Some time ago, sensing something amiss, I sought out Grandfather. But he merely spoke in circles, saying only this:
“If your affection runs deep and your karmic bond is strong, what cause have you to be anxious?”
The true meaning behind those honeyed words was this:
How long can youthful love truly last? Once separated from sight, the heart grows distant as well. If we keep you apart long enough, won’t your feelings fade naturally?
In other words, he intended to drag out the process. I never expected Grandfather, who had originally championed the union with the Namgung Clan, to be so stubbornly obstinate.
I turned to Father with a melancholy expression and told a lie.
“Father, Grandfather already told me.”
Father paused momentarily, then lifted his teacup and spoke.
“…Is that so? Then why do you ask me again?”
“I wanted to confirm that what I heard was correct.”
It wasn’t entirely a lie. I hadn’t heard the actual date, but I had certainly heard that Grandfather intended to drag out this wedding indefinitely.
After barely managing to extract the date from Father, I was shocked.
“Ten years from now? Ten years? Father!”
“You said you already heard, so why are you so surprised?”
“Does it look like I shouldn’t be surprised right now?”
Ten years from now—how old would I even be? Good heavens! No wonder he was so reluctant to speak!
When it came to this wedding, Father was proving to be a most uncooperative ally.
“You know well that your grandfather is stubborn. I lack the skill to persuade him.”
“Father! Dad!”
“Calling me that won’t change anything.”
All group projects in this world truly deserved to be abolished!
It wasn’t that he refused—it was that he’d only permit it ten years from now.
‘Who on earth came up with this petty, contemptible scheme?’
No, think positively. At least I received permission, which is why he mentioned ten years at all.
Still, I couldn’t suppress the sigh that escaped me.
A heavy exhale—I was racking my brain over how to overcome this murky obstacle when an entirely unexpected guest arrived at the Baek Li Estate.
It was So Bu-in, the mistress of the Namgung Clan and Namgung Ryu-cheong’s mother. Namgung Ryu-cheong had come with her. It was only natural—he couldn’t let his mother travel alone.
When I saw Namgung Ryu-cheong again after so long, his gaze refused to leave me.
Witnessing this, So Bu-in let out an amused laugh and spoke.
“After you left the Namgung Clan, Yeon, this boy fell so ill I thought he’d contracted some grave disease. And yet, here stands the cure?”
I couldn’t lift my face from the shame.
Ryu-cheong, what on earth were you doing at home?
After exchanging warm greetings with So Bu-in, I asked with a hint of concern and curiosity.
“My lady, you must have traveled far. What brings you here?”
The complete absence of advance notice told me my father was away.
So Bu-in spoke in a familiar tone.
“Shouldn’t you call me Mother?”
“Ah, well… that is…”
Namgung Ryu-cheong interjected with a stifled cough.
“Mother.”
The lady glanced at her son and spoke with a light laugh.
“I was only teasing. We haven’t formally married yet, so it wouldn’t be proper for you to call me that. I hear he’s quite foolish about such things.”
The lady didn’t reveal her true purpose and went to meet my grandfather instead.
I suspected her visit concerned this indefinite marriage date. Ten years from now. If the Namgung Clan had any sense, they would never agree to it.
The moment So Bu-in disappeared, Namgung Ryu-cheong reached for my hand and spoke.
“I missed you.”
I grasped his hand firmly in return and smiled broadly.
“I missed you too.”
“Ahem, ahem!”
Jang Bu-gwan, the overseer assigned under the pretense of escorting Namgung Ryu-cheong, cleared his throat and instructed us to step one pace apart.
* * *
“It’s been a long time since we last met.”
“I don’t recall ever seeing you before.”
“We met once at a banquet twenty years ago.”
“Perhaps. I’ve attended more than one or two banquets. My memory fails me.”
Despite Baek Li Pae-hyuk’s curt reply, So Bu-in answered with a graceful smile lingering at her lips.
“How could a supreme master like the Baek Li Family Head spare attention for a mere woman such as myself?”
So Bu-in continued.
“However… hehe, most people don’t forget me. You truly possess the bearing of a hero.”
Baek Li Pae-hyuk twisted his lips as he spoke.
“When assessing a person, appearance is merely the surface—nothing more.”
“Yet my son resembles me and is quite handsome, so marriage proposals have never ceased since his childhood.”
They were referencing the past when they had attempted to arrange his marriage.
Baek Li Pae-hyuk spoke.
“Just as the moon’s shape changes each night, so too does the nature of human affairs—nothing remains constant.”
In other words: ‘That was ages ago. The circumstances then and now are entirely different, are they not?’
“Yet even if the moon wanes each night, it eventually returns to its full, round form.”
Which translated to: ‘Though it may have receded somewhat, the situation ultimately remains unchanged, does it not?’
Baek Li Pae-hyuk spoke with evident irritation.
“You certainly have no shortage of words before me.”
“I am merely a woman, but my father-in-law is the Namgung Family Head—I have grown accustomed to such discourse.”
“….”
Baek Li Pae-hyuk fell silent.
Who could have imagined that behind So Bu-in’s delicate, flower-like beauty lurked such a formidable spirit? She had not yielded a single word even before the Baek Li Family Head.
So Bu-in erased her smile and spoke with gravity.
“Parents know their children best, and I know Ryu-cheong’s nature better than anyone. He inherited his father’s stubbornness, and no one has ever overcome it. For more than ten years—
this was an exaggeration
—Yeon has had eyes only for that boy. A wedding ten years hence? I have already waited ten years; surely I cannot wait another ten? It would be nothing but wasted time.”
“….”
The Baek Li Family Head remained silent, and So Bu-in continued.
“My son is as I have described—but in your eyes, what manner of person is Baek Li-yeon?”
“….”
“Then would it not ease your mind to arrange the marriage as swiftly as possible and see grandchildren born without further delay?”
The lady lifted her teacup with an unhurried gesture. Her slightly downcast eyes emanated a profound atmosphere.
“When Yeon first visited the Namgung Clan, I gave her the bracelet that has been passed down to daughters-in-law through the generations. Even then, I foresaw it. Ten years, I said we would wait. When that time comes, you must not change your word.”
After days of deliberation, Baek Li Pae-hyuk finally relented.
He cared not for Namgung Ryu-cheong’s stubbornness, but he knew Baek Li-ui-gang’s stubbornness better than anyone. And his granddaughter had been raised under her father, Baek Li-ui-gang. It was clear whom she resembled.
Moreover, seeing his granddaughter so delighted at Namgung Ryu-cheong’s visit…. Ah, yes. His granddaughter’s happiness was what mattered most.
How much longer could he live? Within his remaining years—perhaps three or four more—Baek Li-ui-gang would assume leadership of the family.
Though Yeon had defeated Cheon-ma, she was still far too young.
The power she had wielded in that victory had long since dissipated. Whether she could manifest it again in some distant future remained uncertain, but for now it was impossible.
One could force the matter, but with Baek Li-ui-gang present—his internal poison already resolved—there was no need. By age and martial prowess alike, it was only natural that Baek Li-ui-gang become the Family Head.
Baek Li-ui-gang was perhaps too rigid in his principles, but Baek Li Pae-hyuk believed he would lead well. As for what came after his son…he chose not to concern himself. By then, he would long be dust.
Thus Baek Li Pae-hyuk summoned Baek Li-ui-gang and set the wedding date: the thirty-first of March the following year, when flowers bloomed in abundance.

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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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