The Ignored Granddaughter of a Murim Family - Chapter 59

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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 59
* * *
With Namgung Ryu-cheong having fled, my training naturally came to an end. As I turned to head back to my Residence Quarter, Seo Ha-ryeong chased after me.
“Show me your quarters!”
“There’s not much to see. It’s just a guest room the Namgung Clan provided. All guest rooms are pretty much the same.”
“Still!”
“You were already here this morning….”
That’s when I noticed the bruises on Seo Ha-ryeong’s wrists—a sickly blue color.
“Fine. Let’s go.”
“I wanted to see your quarters when I came this morning, but you were asleep. Plus, that boy kept glaring at me, so I waited a bit and then left.”
One shouldn’t just enter someone’s quarters while they’re sleeping without permission….
“What exactly is your relationship with that guy anyway? I don’t like him!”
“Well, my father brought him here….”
“Baek Li-ui-gang? When is he coming?”
“I’m not entirely sure myself….”
As we continued our conversation, we arrived at my Residence Quarter. I stopped short in surprise as we passed through the outer gate.
“Yalyu?”
He stood exactly as he had when seeing me off—apparently he’d been waiting here today just as he had yesterday.
I’d told him not to wait like this. A sigh escaped me. Yalyu’s expression hardened slightly as he noticed Seo Ha-ryeong beside me.
When I glanced back casually, I found Seo Ha-ryeong hiding behind me. But since she was taller and broader-shouldered than I was, it proved rather ineffective.
“Um… didn’t you two see each other this morning?”
Yalyu opened his mouth as if to say something, then closed it and quickly disappeared inside. I patted the back of Seo Ha-ryeong’s hand, which was gripping my arm, and led the way forward.
“Let’s go inside.”
Once inside my Residence Quarter, Seo Ha-ryeong looked around and spoke.
“It’s so dark and gloomy.”
“It’s because of my eyes.”
Every window in my chamber was covered with thick navy fabric to reduce the incoming light.
“This place would make anyone sleepy. Ah! So that’s why you sleep so late? You lazy thing!”
“…It’s just that I haven’t fully recovered from travel fatigue yet.”
“What’s travel fatigue?”
“Exhaustion from traveling?”
As I removed my eye covering, Seo Ha-ryeong took it with curiosity and examined it.
“Does wearing this help?”
“Yes.”
“Can I try it on?”
“…Let me look at your wrists first.”
“Why? Oh, I’m fine!”
I ignored her protest and pulled her hand toward me. The bruises on her wrists from Yalyu’s grip were still vivid—this was the real reason I’d brought her to my Residence Quarter.
‘If a servant happened to see this….’
They would surely ask what had happened. Unaware of my intentions, Seo Ha-ryeong spoke.
“That’s right. I’m curious about something—how did you know that the Female Servant told So Bu-in about it?”
I asked Yalyu to prepare materials for a wrist compress and turned my gaze toward Seo Ha-ryeong.
“You were with me all day yesterday.”
“That’s true.”
“And you came to see me at dawn.”
“Yes.”
“And then you went to train.”
“Exactly!”
Seo Ha-ryeong looked at me as if urging me to continue. Apparently, this much wasn’t sufficient explanation.
“You were with me late into the night yesterday, came to find me at dawn, and went straight to train. When would you have had time to visit So Bu-in? Besides, you said you didn’t do it. So I figured one of the other people present must have told her.”
Seo Ha-ryeong’s mouth fell open as she gazed at me with sparkling eyes.
“You’re clever!”
“It’s nothing special.”
At my words, Seo Ha-ryeong murmured softly.
“But why didn’t the Young Master of the Namgung Clan believe me?”
“Well….”
There was nothing I could really say to that.
Seo Ha-ryeong’s shoulders drooped, and after a brief pause, she continued.
“Is it because I’m not good enough?”
That bastard Namgung Ryu-cheong!
Why would you say such things to her!
Even if I pretended yesterday’s events never happened, she wasn’t foolish enough to forget such a wound so easily.
That spirited girl now looked so dejected she seemed ready to dig a hole in the ground. I found myself desperately wishing Yalyu would return soon to dispel this awkward, gloomy atmosphere.
“I suppose he dislikes me because my skills are lacking.”
“Next time you win and humble him.”
Seo Ha-ryeong’s eyes reddened as she pouted.
“How could I? You saw it yourself.”
“Yes, I did.”
I hesitated for a moment before deciding to speak.
“The Young Master of the Namgung Clan has a weakness too.”
“A weakness? What do you mean?”
Seo Ha-ryeong blinked and looked at me. Fortunately, the look of imminent tears had vanished.
“Hmm, how should I put it?”
I scratched my cheek and continued.
“When the Young Master of the Namgung Clan uses certain techniques, there’s a gap in his defense. If you target that spot, you might actually be able to win once….”
Seo Ha-ryeong cut me off and exclaimed.
“Really? There’s something like that!”
“Well, I’m not entirely certain, but….”
“Tell me! Tell me!”
“I will. But first, let’s take care of your wrist compress.”
Just then, Yalyu entered carrying a basin and towels.
Seo Ha-ryeong extended her wrist.
“Hurry, hurry! And you have to tell me what you find!”
I placed the warm towel on Seo Ha-ryeong’s wrist and examined it closely. I mean truly examined it.
Seo Ha-ryeong’s wrist, worn from days of relentless exertion, showed quite a bit of qi congestion. Following what I had observed in Man Shin-ui’s Alchemy Chamber, I pressed on the congested areas while subtly channeling my energy into them.
Suddenly, Seo Ha-ryeong pointed her finger directly at my eyes.
“Yeon, you…!”
“What?”
Seo Ha-ryeong blinked rapidly.
“Huh? No? Wait, it was definitely gold!”
“What are you talking about?”
“Your eyes just turned gold!”
“Gold?”
What on earth was she saying?
Bewildered, I glanced toward where a mirror would be, and suddenly I recalled Man Shin-ui. Just before I lost consciousness, the last thing I saw was Man Shin-ui’s eyes appearing faintly golden.
‘Could it be that what I saw then wasn’t an illusion after all?’
Seo Ha-ryeong turned to Yalyu.
“You saw it too, didn’t you? You did? It was definitely gold!”
I looked at Yalyu with wavering eyes. When our gazes met, Yalyu bluntly dismissed her.
“That’s nonsense.”
“No, it’s true!”
Seo Ha-ryeong cried out indignantly, but Yalyu, showing no interest, simply turned his head away.
* * *
After this day, both Seo Ha-ryeong’s and Namgung Ryu-cheong’s training ceased, and I could not see Namgung Ryu-cheong for some time.
Only after several days did I learn that Namgung Ryu-cheong had been confined to the Family Shrine as punishment and was forbidden to leave until he had copied an entire book on etiquette and propriety.
Unlike the storm that had swept through before, peaceful days followed. During this time, I assisted Seo Ha-ryeong with her training and devoted myself to practicing control of my own energy. And the golden eyes that Seo Ha-ryeong had witnessed that day were indeed not a mistake.
Every time I wielded my ability—specifically, when I moved the surrounding qi according to my will—my eyes changed color.
‘Thank goodness Yalyu was perceptive enough to pretend he didn’t notice.’
Seo Ha-ryeong seemed to have completely forgotten about that incident.
Absorbed in mastering this golden-eyed ability, I began to feel the onset of a headache and came out for a walk by the lakeside to get some fresh air.
Wielding qi affected both concentration and stamina. Though the moon was hidden behind clouds, the light spilling from the Two-Story Pavilion near the lake sparkled across the water’s surface like scattered gold dust, illuminating the surroundings.
It was a beautiful sight, yet I squinted slightly and turned my gaze toward the darkness. In the center of the unlit lake, a few lotus flowers that had bloomed late swayed gently in the breeze.
Yalyu tilted his head and asked.
“Does your head hurt?”
“No, the light is too bright.”
Beside me were not only a female servant but Yalyu as well. I had brought him along since staying only in the Residence Quarter felt suffocating.
I pointed toward the lake and spoke.
“If you come in summer, it’s incredibly beautiful. The lake is filled with lotus flowers.”
“Have you seen it?”
“Huh? Oh, no. I’ve just heard about it.”
“Yes.”
I glanced at the Female Servant. Fortunately, she seemed to think it was merely a child’s slip of the tongue and didn’t give it much thought.
Yalyu also appeared unbothered.
“Let’s stay a bit longer before heading back.”
“Okay.”
‘A little fresh air shouldn’t be a problem. There won’t be anyone at the Lakeside at this hour.’
The moment I thought that, someone appeared.
It was Namgung Ryu-cheong. To encounter him in this vast Namgung Clan—what a remarkable coincidence.
‘Has he just come out of the Family Shrine?’
Namgung Ryu-cheong, who had been approaching the Lakeside, stopped when he saw me. And upon seeing his face, I concealed my startled expression.
‘He’s lost weight.’
His punishment at the Family Shrine must have been grueling. His skin, which had been beautifully bronzed from the sun, had turned pale, as if he hadn’t seen daylight in days.
For a moment, I felt a pang of sympathy. Punishment or not, the child had been confined for days without seeing the sun, forced to do nothing but read books.
I extended an olive branch toward Namgung Ryu-cheong.
“Hello. It’s been a while.”
“….”
But what returned was not a greeting—only a glare that looked ready to kill me on the spot.
I scratched my head awkwardly and tried again.
“Are you out for a walk?”
“….”
Still, no response came.
‘Well, it seems I’ve truly earned his hatred.’
And it felt strange. In my previous life, Namgung Ryu-cheong had been very kind to me.
But I had treated that Namgung Ryu-cheong coldly. Knowing the future as I did, I understood that the moment I became entangled with him, all manner of humiliation would be heaped upon me. So I didn’t want to be entangled. I ignored him repeatedly and spoke harsh words meant to wound.
Yet Namgung Ryu-cheong endured it all and persistently tried to interact with me.
In the novel, he had treated Baek Li-yeon as an unavoidable burden—the master’s daughter—but his attitude was so different from the story that I had doubted multiple times whether he was truly Namgung Ryu-cheong.
There’s no helping it. Well, there’ll be another chance to reconcile later. For now, Yalyu is here too. It would be better to leave rather than let the two of us become entangled unnecessarily.
“Then I’ll be going. Enjoy your walk.”
I was turning to leave when—
“Wait.”
Namgung Ryu-cheong called me to a stop.

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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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