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Chapter 21
“……Is that so?”
“Yes. If you find anything strange, stay here and come to me.”
“Is it alright to stay here?”
“It’s probably better than your family’s house. I’ll make sure to explain it well.”
“Thank you.”
Sayeol said this as she stood up. He looked at her and spoke.
“How about trying formal training at the academy?”
“I don’t want to disturb the atmosphere.”
“Understood. Let me know if you change your mind.”
Sayeol greeted him and then left. As she stepped outside, Sohwa quickly ran up to her.
“What did he say?”
“He said there’s no major issue.”
“Oh, thank goodness. I knew it would be fine.”
Sohwa let out a relieved sigh. Sayeol looked at her for a moment before turning to glance at the academy’s disciples who were training. Unlike her disappointing family house, their skill levels weren’t bad. After all, the problem wasn’t with the ‘Namgung’ family, but with her father’s weak character.
She stood there for a while, watching them. Some of them glanced in her direction, but she didn’t pay much attention. No one would likely come up to talk to her anyway. They probably didn’t know much about the illegitimate daughter of the Namgung family, so she probably seemed like an unexpected firstborn daughter who fell from the sky.
Tap, tap.
However, the sound of fast footsteps approached her. Somehow, she could tell who it was, so she slowly turned to face the direction of the sound.
“Sayeol…!”
The scent of water hit her immediately. Sayeol felt her body being embraced by someone slightly damp. It was Namgung Dowi, who had let his long black hair fall freely. He must have finished his solitary training, bathed, and come straight here. Sayeol considered returning his embrace for a moment but stopped. She used to have a faint feeling for him, but now it felt as if he belonged to someone else.
“Brother, your younger sister is worried.”
“Ah, I see. I was too hasty.”
Dowi’s face appeared, and he was looking down at her with a neat, handsome face.
“It’s been a while, older brother.”
“Yeah, it’s been quite a while…”
Dowi looked down at Sayeol while droplets of water fell from his still-wet hair. Sayeol silently looked up at him, studying his expression, which was almost full of emotion. He was especially fond of her. But she didn’t really understand why he cared for her. Until now, she had just thought of him as a kind person.
“I heard you just arrived. You should go inside and rest.”
“I also heard you just finished your solitary training. You should rest as well.”
“Don’t worry about me.”
Dowi smiled kindly and gently pulled her towards him. Then, he noticed Wol, who was standing a few steps behind them. Wol’s blue eyes gleamed through his black hair. Dowi felt uneasy about the look in Wol’s eyes and asked Sayeol.
“Who is that person…?”
“Ah, he is the one who escorted me here.”
“…I see?”
Dowi didn’t approach him. Wol, as if not wanting that, turned his gaze away. Sayeol, guided by Dowi’s hand, headed for the reception hall. She briefly looked back at Wol. Wol and Sohwa waved their hands, seemingly trying to give her space to spend time with her older brother after a long time.
‘No need for that.’
At the moment, Namgung Dowi felt like a somewhat uncomfortable family member to her. If he were someone who hated her, it would have been different, but he was someone who cared for her. The way he looked at her with such affection was something ‘he’ had never done.
Sayeol entered the reception hall with Dowi and sat down.
“Was the journey here difficult?”
“There were no problems.”
“Good. I was just a bit curious since the family assigned an external guard.”
“Ah.”
At that moment, one of the academy’s disciples brought in tea. Sayeol glanced over and saw that the disciple was wearing the academy’s uniform. After sipping the hot tea slowly, Sayeol responded.
“Most of the guards assigned by Namgung have died.”
“What?”
Dowi jumped up in surprise. Sayeol motioned for him to sit back down as if it was no big deal.
“We encountered some black-clad bandits. It was strange, but they seemed to be robbing people. That’s when I met Wol.”
“Wol, you say…?”
“Yes, he’s the one who was standing behind me earlier.”
“He seems older than you.”
“It just turned out that way. Anyway, with Wol’s help, we went to a local noble’s house, and there were… ears there.”
“What?”
Dowi jumped up again, this time so roughly that the table shook. Sayeol was glad she was holding her teacup because Dowi’s teacup had spilled.
“Ears? What do you mean?”
“Just what I said. The noble’s ancestor seemed to have accumulated too many bad deeds, and that’s why there were ears. Wol and I dealt with it and were a bit late.”
“Injuries? Were you hurt?”
Dowi rushed over, turning the table to check her body. Sayeol blinked in surprise and gently patted his shoulder to calm him down. He froze and looked into her eyes. Sayeol, trying to soothe him, spoke softly.
“Most of it was taken care of by Wol. So, there’s no need to worry.”
“…Sigh.”
Dowi slumped to the floor in a way that lacked any decorum. Sayeol, still holding his damp hair, gently brushed it, then took both of his hands and helped him sit back in a chair.
“Please don’t worry so much. Everything has been resolved properly.”
“No, you’re not the Sayeol I knew. Why are you so calm…?”
His words made Sayeol pause for a moment. She quietly looked at Dowi and chose her words carefully before answering.
“There’s been a lot that’s happened.”
“What do you mean, a lot has happened?”
“Well, the marriage proposal with the Jegeol family has progressed.”
“What?!”
Dowi jumped up for the third time, his face twisted in anger. He was probably angry at the family for pushing through such a matter while he was absent.
“How could they arrange such a thing… Was it a proposal with the heir?”
“No. It was with the family head.”
“That…!”
His anger deepened. Sayeol lightly grabbed his hand and rubbed it, feeling the intensity of his anger subsiding. He seemed especially weak toward his younger sister. He didn’t show this much concern for the youngest sister, but perhaps he felt sympathy for Sayeol.
“I should have been there…”
“It’s fine. How could you have known? Anyway, it’s all resolved now, so I’m here.”
“Then how exactly was it resolved?”
Sayeol paused for a moment. How could she explain this all? The fact that she had stabbed the head of the Jegeol family, that he was now barely alive, her grandfather had become half-senile, and that her father had taken over as the head of the family—it would be hard to explain all that at once.
“You should ask Uncle about the details…”
“I understand for now.”
Dowi returned to his seat and drank the hot tea all at once. He then said to her:
“I’ll have a room ready for you in the guest section. Please stay there.”
“Thank you for your consideration.”
With that, Sayeol stood up. It seemed better to return now, as Wol and Sohwa were likely waiting outside. Dowi watched her leave, feeling a strange emotion. The child who once shyly smiled and called him ‘older brother’ was now gone, replaced by someone cold, like an icicle, standing before him.
‘What has happened while I’ve been gone?’
It would be a painful memory to ask her about.
