The Ignored Granddaughter of a Murim Family - Chapter 63

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

Chapter 63
“Cough! Hack! Hack!”
I choked on the tea mid-sip and sputtered it out. I wiped my mouth with my sleeve and looked at Namgung Ryu-cheong.
I never expected him to do something like this.
I sighed and spoke.
“Honestly, I don’t understand why you’re doing this to me. Are you sorry? Are you trying to apologize?”
Namgung Ryu-cheong, who had been silent, gave a barely perceptible nod.
“What are you trying to apologize for? My injured hand?”
“Yes.”
“Let me ask you one thing. You—or rather, Young Master, did you apologize to Miss Seo?”
“Miss Seo?”
Namgung Ryu-cheong’s expression showed confusion as to why Miss Seo was being brought up.
I tapped the table and spoke.
“You lost to Miss Seo that day.”
That sparring match had ended inconclusively because of my injured hand. But since his sword broke, it was Namgung Ryu-cheong’s defeat.
Honestly, I felt sorry for Seo Ha-ryeong, but if Namgung Ryu-cheong had continued sparring with a broken sword, he would have won. Yet regardless, the common perception was that the one whose sword broke had lost.
People considered it unseemly to exchange blows after a sword broke, even in a non-lethal match.
“Shouldn’t you take back all those dismissive remarks you made while looking down on Miss Seo?”
Namgung Ryu-cheong’s eyes widened as if he’d never considered it, then his face gradually contorted.
“Surely you don’t think only physical wounds count as injuries? You should apologize first for the emotional wounds Miss Seo suffered from all those hurtful words you’ve said.”
“That’s…!”
“Am I wrong?”
I cut off Namgung Ryu-cheong’s words and pressed on.
“What did you say to Miss Seo after the tea ceremony at Ja-cheong Pavilion? You said ‘your level doesn’t match mine,’ didn’t you? That was only Miss Seo’s second or third time meeting me, and she was subjected to such an insult in front of me.”
How humiliated must she have felt? No wonder she couldn’t bear the sorrow and burst into tears.
“And you know what? That day was the first time Young Master and I met.”
How could she possibly become close with someone who spoke such harsh words? A normal child wouldn’t have understood the deeper meaning behind it.
But the person in question was Namgung Ryu-cheong. His face flushed red, then gradually turned pale. Seeing him like that, I genuinely felt sorry.
‘Did I push too hard?’
But without this much pressure, Namgung Ryu-cheong would never bend his stubborn pride.
‘But I can’t let him stay with Yalyu like this.’
Namgung Ryu-cheong, who had been glaring at the table with clenched fists, stood up.
“I understand. I’ll take my leave now.”
I felt relieved at his words. Honestly, I didn’t think I could say anything harsher than this. Namgung Ryu-cheong stood but didn’t leave, pausing briefly to gaze at me intently.
I tilted my head slightly, as if asking why he was doing that.
“…Never mind.”
Namgung Ryu-cheong turned and left the bedroom.
As he reached the door to leave, Namgung Ryu-cheong suddenly stopped.
“You?”
Yalyu was standing outside the door.
I had already known. I could sense the energy standing outside the door the whole time. But Namgung Ryu-cheong seemed completely unaware, his expression hardening.
In stark contrast, Yalyu smiled as he looked at Namgung Ryu-cheong.
A smile with the corners of his mouth raised. I was startled when I saw that smile.
‘It’s exactly the same!’
It was exactly like the smile Yalyu wore when he was about to slit my throat in the past. Well, it wasn’t strange that he smiled the same way since he was the same person, but….
The fortunate thing was that I no longer felt a chill or fear when I saw that expression now.
Yalyu passed by and spoke.
“I will take good care of Yeon, so you need not concern yourself, Young Master.”
My mouth fell open.
Why was he acting like a servant again? He must already be upset from our conversation just now, and here he was fanning the flames of the fire.
I called out urgently.
“Yalyu! Come here.”
From here, I could only see Namgung Ryu-cheong’s back. I couldn’t see his expression, but the way his hand gripped the door frame with such force made it easy to imagine.
I watched anxiously. Fortunately, Namgung Ryu-cheong, who had been standing at the threshold, left without saying anything.
I confirmed several times that Namgung Ryu-cheong had left, then looked at Yalyu. Yalyu had returned to his usual expressionless face as if he had never smiled.
“Why are you provoking the Namgung Young Master?”
Yalyu, who had been avoiding my gaze, spoke quietly.
“…I don’t like him.”
I opened and closed my mouth silently several times, unsure whether to speak, then muttered to myself.
“I’m hardly in a position to say anything to you about that.”
I had deliberately provoked him to make Namgung Ryu-cheong leave as well.
Yalyu had probably heard my entire conversation with Namgung Ryu-cheong from outside the door. I felt terrible after pushing the boy into a corner like that.
I became somewhat dejected and stared blankly at the tea that Namgung Ryu-cheong had left for me. I had been doing this for a while when Yalyu suddenly spoke.
“…I’m sorry.”
“Hm?”
“I won’t do it again. I was wrong.”
Yalyu looked at me uncertainly, gauging my mood. Why was he suddenly like this?
I looked at Yalyu and opened my mouth.
“I won’t ask you to be close. Just don’t fight.”
“Okay.”
I smiled bitterly and turned my head away.
‘I miss Father….’
That thought suddenly came to me.
‘Where could he be by now?’
Everyone at the Namgung Clan was kind, and Uncle Namgung Wan treated me very well, but I still missed him.
‘When Father arrives, I’ll return to the Baek Li Estate.’
Then Uncle Baek Li-ui-muk, Baek Li-myeong, and the twins would be….
Thinking of that, the melancholy from before suddenly vanished, and my life at the Namgung Clan became quite satisfying.
…Or so I thought, and not even half a day had passed.
“Yeon!”
A loud voice carried all the way to the Inner Quarters. I was leisurely reading a book when I jumped in surprise and hurried out to the Residence Quarter. Seo Ha-ryeong was sprinting across the Courtyard like a young colt.
Upon seeing me, Seo Ha-ryeong threw herself into my arms. Staggering from the impact, I instinctively grabbed the doorframe with my injured hand.
“Ow!”
In that instant, a sharp pain shot through me so intensely my hair stood on end.
Seo Ha-ryeong looked at me in alarm.
“Oh, right! I’m sorry!”
The Female Servant, who had been brewing medicinal broth in the shade of the Residence Quarter, rushed over in panic.
“Young Miss!”
“What do I do, what do I do! I’ll fetch the physician at once!”
“No, it’s fine.”
I gritted my teeth and spoke.
“Just be quiet. Lower your voice.”
“Huh?”
Seo Ha-ryeong glanced around and lowered her voice.
“Now that I think about it, where’s Yalyu? Why isn’t he beside you?”
“He stayed up all night.”
“I see.”
Fortunately, there was no sign of Yalyu appearing. He’d watched me through lunch and then left, so he was probably exhausted.
As we talked, the pain subsided considerably.
“So what’s the matter?”
“Oh, right. You sent Namgung Ryu-cheong to apologize to me, didn’t you?”
“Huh? Oh, well… yes, I suppose I did.”
It seemed Namgung Ryu-cheong had indeed gone to apologize to Seo Ha-ryeong based on my words.
‘He works fast. Either way, this is good.’
If they got along well from this point on, it would be ideal. After all, they would grow up as childhood friends regardless.
And then Seo Ha-ryeong showed a completely unexpected reaction.
“No, he suddenly came to me saying he was sorry. I thought Namgung Ryu-cheong had lost his mind!”
“What, what did you say?”
Lost his mind…
“Take him back!”
“No, what do you mean take him back?”
“Namgung Ryu-cheong!”
I looked at Seo Ha-ryeong in bewilderment.
“Why would I take him… and besides, didn’t you say Namgung Ryu-cheong apologized?”
“Yes!”
I gestured for her to lower her voice and spoke.
“You said you wanted to become close with Namgung Ryu-cheong.”
“That’s right. I did.”
…did? The past tense felt ominous somehow.
Seo Ha-ryeong pouted her lips and spoke.
“Hmph, I have no interest in some girl who only knows how to swing a sword.”
“That’s not….”
I stared at Seo Ha-ryeong in utter disbelief.
“…You said being strong was cool?”
Seo Ha-ryeong drew in a breath, glanced around cautiously, then lowered her voice and cried out.
“No! Yeon, you’re cooler!”
I blinked rapidly and pressed a hand to my chest.
“Me?”
“Yes!”
“Why me…?”
Just then, the Female Servant who had been quietly beside me called out to me.
“Young Miss, Miss Baek Li.”
I gestured for her to wait a moment and looked at Seo Ha-ryeong.
Seo Ha-ryeong spoke.
“You protected the Female Servant!”
“Huh?”
“Mother said that truly cool people are those who protect the weak!”
Seo Ha-ryeong’s eyes sparkled as she gazed at me.
“And honestly, it was incredibly cool. The way you caught that broken wooden sword—just like that! It was really…. Plus, you’re smart too, Yeon.”
“Me? I’m smart?”
It was difficult to follow Seo Ha-ryeong’s train of thought.
“Yes! You just—with one word, you completely silenced Namgung Ryu-cheong. That’s right, you even taught him the weakness in his swordsmanship! If it weren’t for that, he probably wouldn’t have apologized. Hmph.”
Seo Ha-ryeong pouted and crossed her arms.
“I don’t like him anymore. No, I hate him! So I don’t need him! You take him with you, Yeon! You hurt your hand anyway, so you need someone to help you.”
As I stared at Seo Ha-ryeong with a dumbfounded expression, my gaze drifted past her and I froze. Namgung Ryu-cheong stood there with a dark expression, though I had no idea when he had arrived.
The Female Servant called out to me with a pitiful tone.
“Miss Baek Li….”
I wondered why she was calling me like that—surely not…?
When I looked at the Female Servant with wavering eyes, she wore an anguished expression.
I laughed awkwardly and spoke.
“Young Master Namgung… How long have you been here?”
At the mention of Young Master Namgung, Seo Ha-ryeong spun around, yelped, and hurriedly hid behind me.
“I heard everything.”
Namgung Ryu-cheong glanced at Seo Ha-ryeong hiding behind me.
“You hate me?”
“Ha, ha, ha.”
As I laughed awkwardly, I decided to just leave brazenly. After all, I hadn’t said anything bad about him, had I?
“You should have done better. Young Master Namgung’s reputation is really quite poor.”
“I don’t need that sort of thing.”
Seo Ha-ryeong, who had grabbed my shoulder and was hiding behind me, let out a cry that made my ears ring.
“I don’t need it either!”
For some reason, I had a feeling that life at the Namgung Clan was going to become utterly exhausting.

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