BCWCD 09

Chapter 09

At a glance, even the whites of his eyes were bloodshot red.

On top of that, perhaps because he had a headache, he kept pressing his fingers to his temples every so often.

‘As expected, he really didn’t sleep properly last night.’

Hongseol was observing Namgung Ho’s face with deep wrinkles gathered across her smooth forehead.

“What are you staring at so intently?”

At Namgung Ho’s blunt voice, Hongseol hurriedly lowered her gaze to her bowl.

Nom.

The stir-fried bamboo shoots she hastily stuffed into her mouth to pretend she had been eating were pleasantly crunchy.

“You must not be distracted while eating.”

“Yes, yesss.”

With her cheeks puffed full from the bamboo shoots, Hongseol nodded and pretended to focus on using her chopsticks. But her mind was still busily turning.

‘If only I could get some haematseipul, I could cure Eun-gong’s insomnia.’

Hongseol recalled the scented pills made from haematseipul that the maid Cheongok had once prepared.

‘She said you crush the leaves and dry them. I think I could do that much too.’

The problem was where she could get haematseipul.

The green herb shaped like a baby’s palm had the advantage of growing well anywhere that received sunlight. Because of that, it could easily be found even in the corners of buildings or at the edges of back gardens.

‘I’m sure that herb must be growing somewhere in the Namgung family estate too.’

But for Hongseol to personally go out and pick haematseipul herself, the outside world was far too frightening.

After all, this was the Namgung family, overflowing with dog beastmen!

‘What if I go out alone and strange Namgung family people pounce on me!’

Just imagining it made her heart plummet.

As Hongseol shook her head, unable to gather the courage.

Right then, an unfamiliar maid entered carrying fresh tea water. Namgung Ho rose from his seat.

“I have business to attend to at the Patriarch Hall for a while. Let us eat the stir-fried fleeceflower root this evening.”

Hongseol obediently answered.

“Yes.”

“While I am away, Ihwa will stay by your side.”

“Yes…….”

Looking at the unfamiliar maid’s face, Hongseol nodded anxiously.

‘If it had been Maeran, I would’ve felt more at ease…… But it can’t be helped.’

Once Namgung Ho left, the maid Ihwa began clearing the empty dishes.

After roughly finishing the cleanup, Ihwa brought out a plate of fruit preserved in sugar as a palate cleanser. The moment she saw it, Hongseol’s eyes widened.

“Huh, this?”

The maid Ihwa looked toward where Hongseol’s finger pointed.

“It’s candied loquat. Don’t you like it?”

“Nooo, that’s not it. That herb…….”

Hongseol’s gaze was fixed on the decorative herb laid beneath the candied fruit.

Wide green leaves spread out like a baby’s palm.

It was haematseipul.

“Ah, this is just for decoration. In some regions they occasionally use it as food, but in the Namgung family, not really…… The Great Elder Patriarch dislikes the sharp scent of this herb.”

Ah, that won’t do then.

Hongseol’s face darkened.

Even if she painstakingly made a scent treatment to cure insomnia, wouldn’t it be pointless if Namgung Ho refused it?

‘But they say medicine that’s good for the body is bitter in the first place.’

Didn’t Namgung Ho himself make Hongseol eat those terribly bitter slices of fleeceflower root?

So if he wanted to become healthy, Namgung Ho would simply have to endure the sharp scent of haematseipul too.

Having finished calculating things in her little head, Hongseol spoke.

“Can I take this herb?”

“Huh? This is jiji, Miss. If you touch it, your hands will get sticky.”

Ihwa firmly shook her head.

“But!”

“If it’s for playing house, I’ll bring you something else, so please don’t touch this.”

Hing.

As someone living under another’s roof, she could not continue pestering an unfamiliar maid.

Downcast, Hongseol picked up a piece of candied loquat with her chopsticks and ate it.

Annoyingly enough, it was extremely sweet.

In the pitch-black middle of the night.

“I can do this, I can do this…….”

Hongseol’s trembling voice echoed through the inner chamber.

It had already been half a shijin , about two hours) of this.

She had carefully waited for a time when no one would be around before preparing to go outside, and yet.

Hongseol’s feet simply refused to move.

‘Th-the outside is too scary!’

Hongseol, with her tiny round eyes, clutched the door tightly with her little hands.

Far away, she could see the back garden buried in deep darkness.

It was the place Maeran had told her about last night while helping prepare her bed.

As expected, asking Maeran about things was far easier than asking the unfamiliar Ihwa.

“You know, Maeran. Where do all the vegetables served at dinner come from?”

“The vegetables used in Changcheongak’s kitchen? Usually the cooks go to the market every morning to buy them.”

“What about vegetables that aren’t used often?”

“Ah, herbs like those are grown directly in the small garden at the edge of the back garden. It’s only a tiny patch of land, but quite a lot of interesting herbs grow there. Naruk grass, mint, and such…….”

Hongseol’s eyes sparkled.

If that was the case, there would surely be haematseipul in that garden too.

If she asked the maid Maeran, the girl would likely fetch her some haematseipul right away, but a child accustomed to rejection never even thought that far.

“If you’re curious about the garden, shall we go see it tomorrow? Nearby there’s also the training ground used by the direct-line young masters.”

“N-no!”

Recalling Maeran’s words, Hongseol swallowed hard with a solemn face.

‘Young masters of the Namgung family? If they see me, they’ll definitely try to bully me.’

Since they were dog beastmen, maybe they would even charge at her and try to bite her neck.

The thought made her courage shrivel up again. Hongseol desperately comforted herself.

“I-it’s nothing special. It’s just the back garden. Since it’s the middle of the night, no one will be there.”

But it was still a place where dog beastmen might come charging out at any moment!

“Eek!”

Hongseol shook her head to drive away the terrible thoughts rising inside her.

As she did, she happened to glimpse Namgung Ho’s residence through the gap in the opened door. Amber light flickered through the curtains covering the window.

‘He still hasn’t been able to sleep tonight either…….’

I really have to help him.

Gathering her courage, Hongseol picked up the lantern placed at her feet.

Warmth seeped through the oil-coated paper.

Yes, this feeling.

It was a sensation Hongseol knew very well too.

‘It’s warm… like the hand that covered my eyes….’

The day blue martial robes had filled her vision.

‘Eun-gong pitied me. And he gave me food, clothes, and a place to sleep.’

For his sake, crossing through the darkness to gather haematseipul was nothing at all.

Recalling the memories of that day, she finally found the determination to push through the darkness.

Creeeak.

Summoning her courage, Hongseol stepped out through the door, which sounded eerier than usual tonight.

“Phew, what a relief!”

Hongseol hurried her steps toward the back garden.

The guards of Changcheongak, who normally always stood watch at the front gate, were absent today for some reason.

Thanks to that, Hongseol was able to reach the edge of the back garden without anyone stopping her.

The vegetable patch personally cultivated by the cooks of Changcheongak’s kitchen was lush and green with all sorts of herbs.

“Where is the haematseipul?”

Holding her lantern high, Hongseol stepped inside.

Black dirt slipped into her silk shoes, but she didn’t care.

“Not this one, not this one either…….”

Some had clusters of round leaves, some were sharp like thorns, some had curled tips.

No matter how much she searched, she could not find the herb with leaves shaped like a baby’s palm.

“I guess there isn’t any haematseipul. What should I do?”

Hongseol looked ready to cry.

Just then.

A rustling sound came from somewhere.

“Ah!”

Startled, Hongseol buried her head among the grass. Before she knew it, she had already flung away the lantern and was trembling violently while clutching both sides of her head.

But even after a long while passed, there was no further sound.

Hongseol barely managed to lift her head.

“M-maybe it was just the wind…….”

The soil of the unlit garden looked pitch black and ominous. Raising her head, Hongseol looked around for the lantern.

The extinguished lantern had rolled away and now lay against the base of a tree.

One corner of it looked somewhat dented.

‘Did it break?’

It wasn’t even hers to begin with.

Fear suddenly seized Hongseol, and she hurriedly stood up.

Panicked, she ran toward the lantern, only for her foot to catch on a stone and send her tumbling.

“Eek!”

At that moment, an unfamiliar sound rang out, but Hongseol failed to notice it.

Because right where she had fallen, she found the very thing she had been desperately searching for.

“Here it is, haematseipul!”

It didn’t matter that she was covered in dirt or that her knees were scraped.

Hongseol cheerfully got up and began plucking the haematseipul.

“Hehe.”

She had only picked for a short while, yet before she knew it, her arms were full of haematseipul.

In high spirits, Hongseol returned to Changcheongak with light footsteps.

Watching her from afar, a shadow moved to the place where Hongseol had just been gathering herbs.

“What in the world was she planning to use this for?”

He plucked one of the remaining haematseipul leaves and brought it to his nose.

“Ugh. I simply can’t grow fond of this scent.”

Frowning, he tossed the leaf far away and turned around.

A tranquil afternoon where shadows stretched long.

Namgung Ho sat at a table in Changcheongak’s tea room, pressing against his temple.

The headaches that tormented him daily were especially severe today. It was because he had barely slept for several days.

For that reason, he had instructed that no one was to enter the tea room.

And yet…….

“Tch, now what is it this time.”

From far away, a couple of trivial presences brushed against his senses. Those presences were approaching the tea room where Namgung Ho was staying.

Along with them came the sharp scent of a herb he disliked.

“Who goes there?”

Namgung Ho asked in an irritated voice. A hesitant reply soon came.

“U-um, it’s Maeran. Miss Hongseol says she has something she wishes to tell you.”

A puzzled crease formed on Namgung Ho’s forehead.

Why would Hongseol, who should have been playing in her quarters, come here?

“Enter.”

When the maid Maeran opened the door, Hongseol timidly stepped inside. Both her hands were hidden behind her back.

“So it’s Hongseol. What is it?”

Namgung Ho deliberately softened his expression. He worried the child might become frightened if she saw his face.

“U-um, I have a gift I want to give Eun-gong.”

A gift?

Before Namgung Ho could fully process Hongseol’s words, she stretched both hands forward.

“This is…….”