The Ignored Granddaughter of a Murim Family - Chapter 320

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Side Story: Chapter 14
He first learned of the child’s existence upon receiving a letter from an unknown sender.
The woman called Yu-mo, claiming her days were numbered and begging his pardon for her boldness, had sent the letter.
She said the letter had arrived a month prior. Calculating the time it took to reach him, more than two months had already passed. Baek Li-ui-gang rushed out of the estate.
But he was already too late—the house Yu-mo had described stood empty. Not a single possession remained. He left the vacant dwelling and made inquiries throughout the surrounding area.
He found the child on Market Street in a nearby county.
“Cursed beggars!”
Something had happened; the street was in considerable commotion.
An adult man was raging at a small beggar child who lay prostrate on the ground.
Baek Li-ui-gang, assessing the situation, stepped between them.
The man had begun to explode in anger, but upon seeing Baek Li-ui-gang’s refined features and bearing, he hesitated and retreated a step.
“W-who are you?”
“The child appears quite young. Perhaps that will suffice.”
The man rolled his eyes, opened and closed his mouth soundlessly, then spat directly onto the ground.
“Bah! Count yourself lucky!”
Eon-du, Baek Li-ui-gang’s servant, holding the horse’s reins, pushed through the dispersing crowd and approached.
Eon-du exhaled a deep sigh, his expression full of unspoken words.
I understood what he meant to say—this was not the time to concern himself with such matters.
He knew as well as I did that we needed to find that child as quickly as possible. Yet I could not simply walk past such a scene.
Baek Li-ui-gang spoke to the child.
“Are you hurt?”
“….”
“I mean you no harm.”
The child, clutching his head, showed no sign of rising.
Watching him, Baek Li-ui-gang left the matter to Eon-du and departed briefly, returning shortly after.
At the scent of steamed buns, the child lifted his head. Even then, he did not know. This child was his daughter.
He had merely tended to the child’s wounds and, wondering if by chance, asked whether any parentless children had recently appeared in the area.
“Your name is Yeon?”
At the fifth question, the child nodded. Yet this child was the one he had come seeking. His daughter.
The recently deceased guardian, the place of residence, the name, the child’s characteristics mentioned in the letter—through several questions, he could confirm that this child was indeed his daughter spoken of in the letter.
Yet it felt utterly unreal. Baek Li-ui-gang stared blankly at the child.
Was this child truly his and her daughter? Could he truly believe the contents of the letter?
The story in the letter seemed plausible, but there was not a shred of credible evidence.
He searched the child for traces of himself and her. He could discern nothing.
Suspended between doubt and belief, Baek Li-ui-gang mechanically opened his mouth.
“I am your fath….”
But he could not finish the words.
Did he truly have the right to call himself her father?
How could he suddenly appear and claim such a title when he had not even known of her existence until now? He himself could not believe it.
Then he saw the child’s gaunt, skeletal wrist.
The child was small and frail, their entire body covered in wounds from the harsh life on the streets. Had he arrived even a moment later, there was no telling what might have become of them.
Baek Li-ui-gang opened his mouth.
“…Will you come with me?”
The child’s expression twisted with fear.
Baek Li-ui-gang tried to lower his threatening aura as much as possible and attempted a gentle expression. But since he had never worn a gentle expression for a child before, he couldn’t be certain he’d managed it correctly.
Whether he had failed or not, the child seemed even more terrified, as if they might burst into tears at any moment.
“….”
Even if becoming family would be difficult, I could at least become a place they could rely on while growing up.
Considering the child’s biological mother, the Baek Li Estate was realistically the best place for protection.
But what if they refused, saying they wouldn’t come, that they didn’t want to?
Yet there was no need to worry further. I felt a small fidgeting touch. Looking down, a tiny hand was gently grasping my finger.
“…Yes. Let’s go.”
I was not afraid of the curses and blame that would be directed at me. I only worried whether someone like myself could get along well with a child.
But my worries proved meaningless. The child was adorable and lovely. Before long, I found myself crying and laughing at their every small gesture.
How could one stop the fine mist from seeping into parched earth? The child was the greatest gift the world had ever given me.
The small child who once grasped my finger eventually grew and became an adult, leaving my embrace. It was more happiness than I deserved.
* * *
One year after Baek Li-yeon and Namgung Ryu-cheong’s grand wedding.
Namgung Mu-cheol, who had been the Namgung Family Head, passed the position to Namgung Wan and retired from active duty as the Emeritus Family Head. Naturally, Namgung Ryu-cheong became the Young Family Head.
Namgung Ryu-cheong had been helping his father with his duties bit by bit before, but once he formally became Young Family Head, work poured in far beyond comparison to before, keeping him quite busy for several days.
And now that the handover was nearly complete, he finally had some free time and came to see his wife’s face.
Just as the female servant at the door recognized him and was about to greet him, Namgung Ryu-cheong lowered his voice first.
“How long has it been?”
“About half a double hour, sir.”
Namgung Ryu-cheong nodded in understanding and walked past the threshold, entering the Residence Quarter.
Baek Li-yeon was lying diagonally on a platform by the window on the right side. Whether she had fallen asleep while reading, she held a letter tightly in her hand.
Beside her was a white cat named Gyeol-i. Usually the creature wandered about so freely that it was hard to see its face except at mealtimes. But recently, it had oddly stuck close to Yeon without any intention of leaving.
The female servant, who had been fanning in front of a bowl of ice, belatedly noticed Namgung Ryu-cheong and bowed respectfully.
Namgung Ryu-cheong took the fan from the female servant and gestured for her to leave.
The female servant, treading quietly, left the chamber soundlessly, and as Namgung Ryu-cheong sat on the platform, Gyeol-i raised her tail and stood, then leaped down from the platform.
Namgung Ryu-cheong called out softly without even looking at Gyeol-i.
“Yeon.”
According to what he had heard from his father-in-law, she had been a light sleeper since childhood, waking at the slightest sound.
At first, he truly felt her waking at his slightest movement, just as described. But now it seemed she had become quite accustomed to his presence. He found that subtly satisfying.
Though he was somewhat dissatisfied that she had become so accustomed to him that she no longer seemed to notice the female servant’s movements lately.
‘Still, it’s better that she sleeps well than keeps waking up.’
Namgung Ryu-cheong carefully removed the letter from Baek Li-yeon’s grasp. From the handwriting, it appeared to be a letter from his father-in-law.
Namgung Ryu-cheong set the letter aside on the windowsill and gazed at Baek Li-yeon, whose breathing was steady. Though a year had already passed, there were still moments when she felt like an illusion.
Namgung Ryu-cheong leaned down and placed a light kiss on her forehead. Then, as he was about to slip his hands beneath her shoulders and legs to lift her—
Baek Li-yeon’s brow furrowed slightly as she opened her eyes.
“…Ryu-cheong?”
Seeing this, Namgung Ryu-cheong lowered his head and kissed her.
What he’d intended as a light kiss deepened gradually, and Baek Li-yeon, who had been half-risen, fell back once more.
A soft moan escaped between their joined lips, and he felt her push against his chest. Namgung Ryu-cheong parted his lips slightly and asked.
“Are you awake?”
In her eyes, slowly returning to awareness, a faint hint of resentment flickered.
“Of course I’m awake….”
Her voice sounded as though submerged in water. Namgung Ryu-cheong glanced at the bright window with regret and rose to his feet.
“You’ve been sleeping quite a lot lately.”
“Perhaps it’s because the weather’s growing warmer. For some reason, I feel drowsy.”
Baek Li-yeon stretched and then suddenly, as if remembering something, glanced around the room.
Namgung Ryu-cheong pointed toward the window.
A neatly folded letter lay there.
“Ah, there it is. Have you read it?”
“No.”
Laughter glimmered in Baek Li-yeon’s eyes.
Namgung Ryu-cheong asked.
“What does it say?”
“Baek Li-ri’s betrothal has been arranged. Ah, I wasn’t laughing because it’s amusing—Father mentioned he had a strange dream.”
“A strange dream?”
Baek Li-yeon reached toward a basket of plums on the table as she spoke.
“Yes. Mother gave me this basket, saying plums had arrived. Would you like some?”
“No.”
“In the dream, I played a game of Go against some old man beneath a Peach Blossom Tree and lost repeatedly, accumulating an enormous debt. Even when Father tried to stop me, I wouldn’t listen—I wagered all of Father’s wealth on the final game and won. So the old man became furious and flew up into the sky.”
Namgung Ryu-cheong’s expression was as though his eyes and mouth had been drawn with straight lines.
“I’m… not sure what to make of it.”
Since his counterpart was his father-in-law, Namgung Ryu-cheong refrained from voicing his thought that it was merely a nonsensical dream.
But Baek Li-yeon continued as if she understood what he was thinking.
“No, I don’t mean the dream is amusing. If he has nothing to say, he could simply send word—why does he need to write down such strange stories and send them?”
Watching Baek Li-yeon, who appeared in good spirits with a smile playing at her lips, Namgung Ryu-cheong understood why his father-in-law would send such peculiar messages.
Shortly after, as they prepared to leave the Residence Quarter dressed for training, a visitor arrived.
“Mother.”
“Mother.”
As Baek Li-yeon entered, she was now the So Bu-in, while Yang So-ok, who had previously held that title, was now called the Great Lady.
“Are you both going to train?”
“Yes.”
“Then later, Yeon, come to the Inner Quarters for a moment. I heard there’s been a joyous occasion at the in-laws’ house. I’m preparing a congratulatory gift and would like you to choose it.”
“Yes, I understand.”
The Great Lady nodded with a smile and turned as if to leave, then suddenly remembered something and spoke.
“By the way, those plums I gave you today—don’t eat them. Send them back.”
“Ah… you’ve already finished it all?”
“My, it must have been sour.”
“Not at all. It was sweet and delicious.”
Namgung Ryu-cheong, who had been silent the entire time, interjected.
“What are you saying? It was incredibly sour.”
“You didn’t even eat any—how would you know?”
“….”
Namgung Ryu-cheong clamped his mouth shut again, and Baek Li-yeon wore a bewildered expression before suddenly flushing slightly.
The Great Lady fell silent for a moment, then turned to the Female Servant who had been following behind.
“Go fetch Heo Physician at once!”

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————