The Survival Story Of A Fallen Lady - Chapter 5

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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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Chronicles of a Fallen Noblewoman’s Survival – Episode 5
The road to Muk Wang Palace.
The sound of the carriage wheels echoed behind them.
Beneath the damp hair, her gaze remained fixed quietly on the carriage.
“I owe my life to you, Wang Ya.”
She had expected to resent him.
Everyone who faced a demon emerged ashen, gripped by terror.
She had thought she would blame him, curse the day she ever came to Muk Wang Manor, swear that none of this would have happened otherwise.
Yet instead, she found herself offering thanks.
‘Does she not fear demons?’
No.
He had seen it.
The mud-caked hand trembling faintly.
‘The Fragrance of Longing seemed not truly hers either.’
Then whose was it?
Questions accumulated against his will.
‘This is exactly why I resisted taking a Jae-in in the first place.’
What he had wanted from a Jae-in was simple.
Shallow entanglement.
He harbored no intention of giving his heart to anyone from Wi Wang’s faction; he meant to avoid any connection whatsoever.
Yet the woman in the carriage kept forcing her way back into his thoughts.
‘What game is this?’
His grip on the reins tightened.
Soon, the capital of Muk Wang Manor came into view—Han Ju.
“Welcome back, Wang Ya! You must be weary from your journey.”
An elderly man in spectacles stood among the servants, waiting to receive him.
“I wondered how you’d bring back a Jae-in, but I’m relieved to see you’ve managed it.”
He smiled, the creases around his eyes deepening as he watched the carriage that followed his lord.
Seo Heon gestured quietly to him.
Manager No.
Manager No, quick-witted as always, produced a stone tablet and brush.
Seo Heon wrote a single line with the water-dampened brush.
[Have someone investigate the background of that Jae-in.]
Black characters bloomed on the stone tablet, then faded on the wind.
* * *

“This is where you’ll be staying, Jae-in.”
Manager No led her to a small courtyard with a pond attached.
Black pillars and white lime-washed walls.
The Muk Wang Palace, untouched by spring’s warmth, was desolate beyond measure.
‘He said she was from the Jin Family…’
This was no landscape fit for a nobleman’s daughter raised in the warm, gentle climate of the Southern Region.
Manager No had steeled himself to hear her complaints in advance.
And yet.
“The old pine tree is truly picturesque, isn’t it?”
Pardon?
Manager No adjusted his spectacles.
“Yes, yes indeed! It’s over five hundred years old. When snow blankets it, it’s quite spectacular!”
“I imagine so. I saw such beautiful snowscapes on the way here.”
“Of course! What’s fallen now is nothing compared to deep winter—the snow piles up to the top of one’s head!”
Manager No’s voice climbed higher as his tension melted away.
“When our Wang Ya was young, whenever snow came, he’d run about like—well, like a proud wolf in the mountains, with such dignity, treading through the drifts! Yes indeed.”
So that was it.
Even that quiet man had known such days.
So Ah watched the wrinkles deepen around Manager No’s cheerful eyes and felt certain of something.
Muk Wang Manor was his entire life.
‘In my past life too, he remained a loyal retainer at Wang Ya’s side to the very end.’
Since he managed all affairs both within and without Muk Wang Manor, there was every reason to draw close to him.
“Jin Jae-in, and Wang Ya wishes to see you for a moment.”
Following Manager No’s guidance, she arrived at the Private Chamber of Muk Wang.
As she stepped inside, a masked man sat waiting.
The Private Chamber was so quiet that even dust seemed to settle in absolute silence.
That he had summoned her this way instead of relaying a message through Manager No meant he had something important to say.
“Please, sit.”
A place prepared for Written Communication.
So Ah took her seat across from Seo Heon.
On the desk lay a water-filled ink stone, brush, and other implements arranged with care.
Then Seo Heon slid an Oath Document toward her.
The characters were written with strength yet precision.
So Ah read through Seo Heon’s words.
Though couched in measured language, his meaning was unmistakable.
[First. You shall ask nothing about the curse.
Second. You shall harbor no discontent with the austere life of Muk Wang Manor.
Third. In accordance with Jae-in regulations, you shall depart the manor at twenty-three.]
So Ah’s eyes halted on the final clause.
A standard regulation applied to all Jae-in candidates.
Any Jae-in who has not received royal favor by twenty-three may take her Palace Departure.
In other words, this condition was his declaration that he would take no interest in her whatsoever.
Seo Heon knew how cruel his proposal was.
He was driving a nail through any hope she might have of becoming a concubine.
Moreover, Jae-in who departed at twenty-three found it difficult to secure good marriages.
Still, Seo Heon harbored a quiet hope.
【If you are unwilling, I will return you to the Jin Family whenever you wish.】
That So Ah would reject the terms.
That the bond, unwillingly forged on both sides, might be severed.
But then—
“I accept.”
So Ah lifted her eyes from the document.
Seo Heon’s fingertips trembled.
“Might I also add a condition of my own?”
It was an answer he had not anticipated—bold, even.
‘Is this for Wi Wang, after all?’
A strange light flickered across Seo Heon’s lips for a moment, but he quickly offered her the brush.
【Write it down.】
So Ah, as if she had already given it thought, began inscribing sentences beneath his clauses.
[Fourth. You shall guarantee my safety.]
It was not an unreasonable condition.
After all, she was a Jae-in belonging to Muk Wang Manor.
Though he had brought her here without affection, he had no intention of shirking even the most basic duty.
[Fifth. You shall permit free passage outside.]
At this, Seo Heon shook his head.
【This place lies close to Demon Valley. I cannot guarantee your safety if you venture out carelessly.】
As he transferred his voice to writing, So Ah spoke.
“Would it be acceptable if safety were assured?”
After a moment’s consideration, Seo Heon nodded.
If she wished to venture outside, he could simply assign someone to watch over her.
[You must request permission through Manager No before departing.]
“Thank you, Seo Heon.”
So Ah bowed shallowly, then moved the brush one final time.
[Sixth. You shall ask nothing about anything.]
Seo Heon’s brow furrowed.
“Just as I shall not pry into your curse or secrets, I ask that you harbor no curiosity about me.”
So Ah gently extended the Oath Document back to Seo Heon.
‘So we are to draw a line between our lives,’ he thought.
Behind the mask, his eyes narrowed.
【If you were to bring shame upon Muk Wang Manor, I could not ignore it.】
If she were secretly serving Wi Wang, for instance—
As he wrote, So Ah bowed her head.
“I understand your concern.”
The warning was sufficient.
There was no reason for him to refuse an offer like that.
‘I’ve already had someone look into the background.’
Manager No glanced sidelong at Seo Heon.
After a moment’s hesitation, Seo Heon nodded.
【So be it.】
Seo Heon pressed his seal willingly onto the document.
And beside it, So Ah’s crimson thumbprint was marked.
* * *

There were no servants brought from the Jin Family.
No attendants close enough to follow her either.
The luggage she’d brought was modest.
So Ah dismissed the others and toured Muk Wang Palace alone.
Just then, a hawk that had been soaring through the sky descended to perch beside her.
【I’ve completed a circuit, So Ah. The moment those rat-creatures spotted me, they bowed their heads without a word.】
“You’ve worked hard, Un Jo.”
So Ah gently stroked Un Jo’s beak.
Un Jo’s eyes closed in contentment.
The moment she arrived here, she had begun recruiting the small creatures that scurried through the palace.
【The animals around here are desperately weak for food.】
“Is that so? But you’re helpless when it comes to food yourself.”
【What are you talking about! When have I ever been weak for food……!】
She drew a piece of meat from a small pouch and tossed it; Un Jo’s beak snapped open to catch and swallow it in one motion.
See.
A burst of laughter, and Un Jo swallowed the jerky awkwardly.
【This is merely a service fee.】
“Of course it is.”
【I’m telling you, it’s true! Food is scarce around here, so if you offer anything edible, they’ll fetch whatever you want.】
No doubt.
In barren lands, beasts grow weak to human kindness.
Better than people, at any rate.
At least beasts harbor no deceit.
Their desires are transparent, and their gratitude for what they receive is honest.
“I’m always grateful to you, Un Jo.”
She scratched his head again; Un Jo puffed out his feathers with pride.
Then.
“Why are you all standing about like fools?”
A gruff voice echoed from the direction of the barracks storehouse.
“But Seo Heon commanded that charcoal be distributed evenly to each barracks…….”
“Commanded? Ha—did that mute actually speak?”
The gruff voice rang out in mockery.
‘To speak of Muk Wang so carelessly—who on earth could this be?’
So Ah concealed herself beneath the eaves and tilted her head to listen.
Behind the storehouse.
A group of soldiers stood in a line before a general whose beard was thick and unkempt.
“Rather, according to the orders that came down before…….”
“Orders? Think carefully about this.”
The general struck the soldier’s shoulder roughly.
“Do you think that mute will save your life in wartime? A man without even a voice to give a command—what could he possibly do on a battlefield? I hold your lifeline. Do you understand?”
“Yes, General Maeng!”
General Maeng, then.
So Ah’s eyes narrowed slowly.
So this was where the unease within Muk Wang Manor had always stemmed from, before her return.
Men who seized the lord’s commands, using Seo Heon’s silence as their excuse.
That Seo Gon had been able to strike at Seo Heon must have been because of internal complicity and tacit consent.
“Un Jo. We have work to do.”
【Sigh—how would you ever manage without me, So Ah!】
Puffing with pride, Un Jo spread his wings and soared into the sky.

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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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