The Ignored Granddaughter of a Murim Family - Chapter 8

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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 8
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Patter, thud, pitter-patter.
Whoosh.
The sound of rain woke me.
When I turned my head toward the cool, moisture-laden breeze, I noticed the window was slightly ajar. My attendant was nowhere to be seen.
‘I should close that window.’
After receiving treatment from Seok Tae-ui at Subaekdang, my body had seemed to be improving steadily, but with the rain, it felt heavy again.
“Cough, cough.”
I coughed and rose from the bed, groaning as I shuffled over to close the window. The rain had been falling for quite some time—the table by the window and the floor were completely soaked.
‘I’ll need to wipe that up….’
My head ached.
My overall condition was far from ideal. Clutching my throbbing head, I made my way toward the round table in the center of the chamber to get some water.
The moment I picked up the teapot, I sighed.
‘It’s empty.’
It had been empty last night too.
I hadn’t wanted to wake the sleeping attendant, so I’d simply endured it and gone back to sleep—yet here it was, empty again.
‘Things were better at Subaekdang.’
There, the teapot never ran dry. The moment I stirred, the waiting maidservants would enter and attend to my needs.
They say humans are creatures of habit. At first, I’d found such attentiveness burdensome, but I’d grown accustomed to the meticulous care of Subaekdang’s servants.
I yawned and lay back down on the bed.
When I opened my eyes again, bright sunlight streamed through the closed window. The table remained damp and wet.
My body felt somewhat lighter, but my head still throbbed, so I remained lying down.
Voices drifted in from outside the Residence Quarter.
“Ow, ow, ow! This is so frustrating! Every step hurts like death.”
“Dang-geum! Lower your voice!”
“Why should I! This is absolutely ridiculous. Does she really think she’s part of the Baek Li Family? How was I supposed to know where the Central Hall is!”
My attendant Dang-geum was passing near my chamber window, speaking with another maidservant.
The other maidservant whispered in response.
“The mistress heard about it, so what could she do? They say Chun-dol received twenty lashes and is still lying down. You got off easier than that.”
“What do you mean easier! So Chun-dol gets to rest because of this?”
“Of course. How could he work after twenty lashes? He won’t be able to move for a week….”
The voices gradually faded until they were no longer audible. Then, moments later, the door was thrust open roughly. The curtain fluttered violently as wind rushed in.
“Young Miss! You’re awake.”
It was Dang-geum.
Opening the door like that would wake anyone from sleep.
I sat up, supporting my head with my hand.
“I just woke up. Dang-geum, there was no water in the teapot, so I need some—”
“Miss, look at this. My calves are completely torn from the caning!”
Dang-geum cut me off and dramatically lifted her skirt hem. The welts crisscrossing her legs looked painfully raw.
“Why on earth did you go to the Central Hall? You got beaten because of the young lady!”
“….”
Though Dang-geum was lazy in most things, she had always managed to fill the teapot and bring the washbasin on time.
It was nearly the only task she performed, and it seemed she had abandoned even that because of this incident.
I lowered the hand that had been pressed to my head and spoke.
“How is this my fault? You’re the one who was lazy.”
“What, what did you say?”
Dang-geum doubted her own ears. Until now, whenever she said anything, Baek Li-yeon would merely nod with an awkward smile.
After all, even as a direct servant, she was just a useless burden in the family head’s eyes—a vagrant picked up from the streets, playing at being mistress. It was laughable.
Her own father, Baek Li-ui-gang, rarely stayed at the Baek Li Estate anyway. Having a daughter had changed nothing.
Baek Li-yeon had no one to rely on but Dang-geum, and she had exploited that fact thoroughly. Under the guise of speaking for the young lady’s own good, she had scolded her harshly several times, crushing her spirit.
After that came easier days. She only had to be careful not to be discovered by the young master or Baek Li-ui-gang.
That day, as usual, she had been indulging in a long afternoon nap when the lady’s attendants came rushing in like a storm. It was as if lightning had struck from a clear sky!
Dang-geum cried out in exasperation.
“Young lady! How could you say such a thing? If the Fourth Young Master knew how thoughtless you were being, how disappointed he would be!”
“Fine, fine. Just fill the teapot and go rest.”
“Isn’t the young lady old enough to fill a teapot herself now? Well, I understand.”
With a pouting lip, Dang-geum hurried out with the teapot, worried I might change my mind.
‘Even after being beaten, she hasn’t changed.’
How much longer would I have to endure this?
I understood why Dang-geum behaved this way.
‘She thinks it was just bad luck.’
She had been punished because my words happened to reach Grandfather’s ears, but she believed he would never truly care about a worthless creature like me.
‘The other servants probably think the same way.’
They would be cautious for a while, but soon they would return to their old habits.
I had barely finished washing my face and was changing clothes when a maidservant burst into the room in a flurry.
“Young lady, young lady! Go Chong-gwan has arrived!”
“Hmm?”
Go Chong-gwan held a high position managing finances within the Baek Li Estate—someone I would have no reason to encounter.
He was the family head’s most trusted confidant, having served the Baek Li Estate for many years, and even the eldest uncle and aunts dared not command him.
“Why has Go Chong-gwan come here? Haven’t you heard anything?”
“I’m not sure either. …Didn’t the young lady summon him?”
“Me? No.”
The maidservant’s expression clearly showed her worry that something had gone wrong again.
It had been only days since the Grandmother’s attendants had come and administered a beating. Now that another important person had arrived, she was already trembling with fear.
Looking back now, it was the same maidservant who had been chattering with Dang-geum as they passed by earlier.
‘Am I really the purpose of his visit?’
If he had come to see Father, there would be no reason for him to summon me.
I hurried to prepare with the maidservant’s assistance. Since I hadn’t finished changing clothes, despite my haste, it still took time before I left my chamber.
But Go Chong-gwan, when I met him, wore a bright expression as if he hadn’t waited long at all.
I masked my bewilderment and offered a greeting.
“Good day to you.”
“It is an honor to meet you, Miss Baek Li-yeon. I am Go Chong-gwan. This is the first time I’ve had the pleasure of introducing myself in person.”
I glanced toward my father’s residence.
The commotion had drawn even the servants outside, yet Father had not appeared—it seemed he had stepped away for a moment.
“I hear you are still recovering. Come now.”
At Go Chong-gwan’s gesture, a servant beside him produced a cushioned chair as if from thin air.
By the time the servant had settled me into the plush seat, my confusion only deepened.
Then two sturdy servants emerged bearing an enormous wooden chest—so vast I could have lain down inside it with room to spare. In fact, there were three such chests.
‘What in the world is happening?’
Go Chong-gwan gestured toward one of the chests.
“Open it.”
I felt a flicker of tension.
The chest opened, and I found my mouth falling open of its own accord.
The servants around me wore expressions no different from my own.
Lustrous silk damask in exquisite hues, jade toad ornaments, golden pendant necklaces, tea sets inlaid with lotus motifs, crimson jade red as blood—
Treasures beyond easy valuation tumbled forth.
What was this, where did that come from… Go Chong-gwan’s explanations continued without end.
“What is all this?”
“Gifts from the Family Head to you, Miss.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“The Family Head has always presented such gifts to his family members upon returning from his travels.”
He seemed to place particular emphasis on the word “family”—or was that merely my imagination?
I surveyed the displayed treasures with a sense of being overwhelmed, then suddenly lifted my head.
The murmuring servants. Dang-geum had appeared among them at some point, her eyes wide with astonishment.
‘Ah, I see now.’
This was Grandfather’s proclamation.
That though I had driven them away, they were still direct bloodline and must be treated accordingly.
‘I never expected him to go this far.’
I had thought it would end with merely punishing the servants appropriately.
Go Chong-gwan held up a white fur pelt that gleamed with lustrous sheen, his expression warm.
“This white sable fur is of particularly fine quality, so I recommend having it made into a collar without excessive handling.”
“Ah… thank you.”
It was then that a handsome young man strode purposefully into the residence entrance. My father.
“Go Chong-gwan, it has been quite some time.”
“You have arrived, Fourth Young Master.”
Father approached and simply lifted me from the chair into his arms.
“Oh!”
Father placed his hand upon my forehead to check my temperature, then exhaled in relief. He turned immediately to Go Chong-gwan.
“Please convey to the Family Head that my child begs forgiveness for her unfilial conduct, and expresses her gratitude for his grace. However, I must respectfully decline such treasures—Baek Li-yeon is still too young to receive gifts of such value.”
Father?
If I hadn’t been held in place, I would have jumped to my feet.
‘I can’t refuse this!’
This was, in its own way, Grandfather’s extended hand of reconciliation.
Unlike my bewilderment, Go Chong-gwan seemed to have anticipated Father’s refusal and answered smoothly.
“Haha, please don’t worry, sir. I’m distributing these to everyone else as well. Since young lady Baek Li-ri has already received hers, why would young lady Baek Li-yeon not deserve one?”
Baek Li-ri was my cousin, a year younger than me and the daughter of my uncle.
Go Chong-gwan continued.
“But more than that, sir, please take a look at these. Medicinal herbs. Even apothecaries struggle to procure such quality without paying a premium. This is fifty-year-old fleece flower root, and this is wild ginseng….”
Father hesitated and found himself drawn toward the herbs almost unconsciously. There were many medicinal ingredients I needed. While the Baek Li Estate never lacked for herbs, such premium grades were rare.
After wavering for some time, Father succumbed to Go Chong-gwan’s arguments—that since everyone else had received theirs, refusing would suggest the Baek Li Estate patriarch was discriminating against his grandchildren, and that my health should be the top priority. He ultimately accepted gratefully.
Go Chong-gwan smiled broadly and spoke.
“I knew you would, sir.”
“…You know me far too well, Go Chong-gwan.”
“I’ve watched the Fourth Young Master since infancy, so it’s only natural. Ah, I nearly forgot something.”
Go Chong-gwan, still smiling warmly, reached into his robes and produced something. His careful movements suggested he was handling something extraordinarily precious.
‘Why does that box look familiar?’
…No, surely all boxes look the same anyway.
I dismissed the feeling as mere coincidence.
Go Chong-gwan presented the box respectfully and spoke.
“This is the Heavenly Life Golden Soul Pill sent by the patriarch.”
“…!”
“Please use it as you see fit, young lady.”
“…!”

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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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