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Chapter 39
At that look, Dowi furrowed his brow. Wol had been gazing into the distance, but soon turned to look at Jegal Gyeong-o. His blue eyes were gleaming sharply. Saryeol raised her hand and lightly stroked Wol’s back. At her touch, Wol’s gaze settled. Saryeol stepped forward first and cupped her fists in greeting.
“Nice to meet you. My name is Namgung Saryeol.”
“Miss Namgung, a pleasure to meet you. As I’ve heard, you truly are a great beauty.”
“Is that so?”
“It is. It’s truly unfortunate what happened to my father.”
He spoke with a strangely mocking expression. It was a sneer aimed at her circumstances—how, as an illegitimate child, she had nearly been sold off as a secondary wife. The two men’s faces twisted, but Saryeol replied calmly.
“I suppose so. I, too, find it quite regrettable that I missed the chance to become Young Hero Jegal’s mother.”
“…What did you say?”
“If I had married the head of the Jegal family, wouldn’t I have become the young hero’s mother?”
“……”
“On the one hand, I’m relieved I don’t have to be called ‘Mother’ by someone so much younger than me—but now that I see you, it does feel rather regrettable.”
“……”
Jegal Gyeong-o shut his mouth and glared at her. Saryeol merely met his gaze quietly with her golden eyes. In the end, Jegal Gyeong-o was the one who backed down in their battle of presence.
“It seems I’ve detained some very busy people. Then, let us meet again at the competition.”
“…Very well.”
Dowi said unpleasantly. Jegal Gyeong-o passed by them, and Dowi asked Saryeol,
“Are you all right?”
“There’s no reason I wouldn’t be.”
“…Well, that’s a relief, then.”
“There’s no need to take the words of people like that to heart.”
“…Somehow, you seem more like the adult here.”
Dowi let out a hollow laugh.
After leaving the area, Jegal Gyeong-o ground his teeth. More than anything else, because his father had returned half-crippled after suffering an incident at the Namgung family, his own standing within the clan had become ambiguous. After his father came back as a half-invalid, discussions arose within the family for some time about who should be put forward as the clan head. Of course, the position of young clan head belonged to Jegal Gyeong-o himself, but he was neither old enough nor skilled enough to ascend to the position of clan head.
Thus, the clan head position passed to his uncle. That uncle had a son, and from Jegal Gyeong-o’s perspective, he could not help but be wary of him. The position of young clan head did not change easily, and while he currently held it, with his uncle now the clan head, there was no telling what might happen in the future.
If only he’d get seriously injured in this friendly match.
Friendly matches were meant to foster goodwill, so deaths were rare. But being seriously injured was another matter entirely. Since his uncle’s son was no slouch in skill, he was placing his hopes on the Namgung family.
Even if I don’t like it, they’re still called the greatest clan in the end.
Beating that fellow wouldn’t be difficult—but making it so he could never hold a sword again was another matter. Namgung Dowi, known as the Azure Sky Divine Dragon Sword (蒼穹神龍劍), did not have the temperament to be that cruel with his hand.
Should I rely on the Sichuan Tang Clan or the Hebei Peng Clan instead?
The dispositions of those two clans weren’t particularly good; with just a little provocation, they might take the bait. He hadn’t decided how to provoke them yet, but one way or another, he had to eliminate that fellow in this friendly match—for the sake of keeping the young clan head position secure.
If I can’t make him a half-cripple, then I’ll have to show martial might so overwhelming he won’t dare covet it.
But since that fellow’s skill and his own were evenly matched, it would be hard to display superior martial prowess right now. That left only underhanded methods. It would be nice if he were poisoned by the Tang Clan of Sichuan, or if he lost an arm—or one side—at the hands of the Hebei Peng Clan.
“So, what is that fellow doing now?”
At that moment, a Jegal warrior who had been following him like a shadow revealed himself.
“He is training at the inner courtyard’s martial grounds.”
“Persistent bastard. No matter how hard he tries, the young clan head position is mine.”
He clicked his tongue.
“Oh, and one more thing.”
“Yes.”
“That woman, Namgung Saryeol.”
“Yes.”
“I heard she nearly became my father’s secondary wife. Now I see why my father had his eye on her.”
Jegal Gyeong-o thought for a moment, then smiled.
“We can’t afford to miss a marriage alliance with the Namgung family. It wouldn’t be bad to push for a match with me, the young clan head.”
“Understood.”
“Inform the main house.”
“Yes!”
“It’s far too grand a position for an illegitimate girl, but there’s no way the Namgung family would refuse.”
He wanted to see that haughty, aloof face twist. With an unpleasant smile, he left with his warrior—and from behind the inner courtyard wall beside them, someone had been listening. The unidentified man quietly withdrew.
Around that time, Saryeol, Wol, and Dowi had returned to their respective rooms to rest. The inner courtyard’s martial grounds were not something one could view freely, so there was nothing more to linger over.
“It does feel more orderly here,” Sohwa said as she brushed Saryeol’s hair.
“Not really.”
“Yes?”
“There are snakes crawling about.”
“Snakes, of all things?”
Saryeol thought of Jegal Gyeong-o. A snake of a man. But it didn’t bother her much. After all, at best he was only a snake—no match for her. The problem was that he didn’t know that himself. He was excessively arrogant.
“He’ll be knocked out in this competition anyway.”
Whether he was the young clan head or something else, he’d lose face thoroughly.
As they passed the time quietly, footsteps sounded outside. The person had suppressed their presence well, but not enough for Saryeol to miss it. At this level, Wol and Dowi had likely noticed as well.
He’s coming this way.
She stood up and slid the paper door open herself. The man standing there startled violently and leapt back.
“Who are you?”
“M-Miss, I mean….”
She looked calmly at the unfamiliar man’s face. On closer inspection, he bore some resemblance to Jegal Gyeong-o. But if that man was a snake, then this one was…
“A turtle?”
“Pardon?”
“Never mind. It seems you’ve come to see me—please, come in.”
“Ah, a, a man entering a lady’s quarters so freely is—”
“Please, come in.”
“…Y-yes.”
Thus, the man sat with Saryeol at the table. Sitting across from each other, they remained silent for a moment as Sohwa set down hot tea. After waiting a little, Saryeol took a sip and asked,
“What brings you here?”
“I—I’ll introduce myself first.”
“Please do.”
“My name is Jegal Gang-o.”
“Jegal Gang-o?”
“Yes. After the former clan head became an invalid, my father became the next clan head. He is the uncle of the current young clan head.”
“I see.”
Saryeol sipped her tea and thought. Then what reason did he have for coming to see her? If he wanted to make a deal about what to do with the young clan head, he ought to have gone to Dowi, not her. At present, the Jegal family knew nothing of Saryeol’s abilities.
“I was worried that my elder brother, Gyeong-o, might do something improper toward you, miss….”
“…Something improper?”
“To be honest… my brother has a poor temperament. He takes after the former clan head—someone who always pays back what he’s been dealt.”
“You speak rather freely about your family’s affairs to an outsider.”
At that, Jegal Gang-o smiled bitterly.
“I lost my affection long ago as I watched the family grow increasingly corrupt.”
“Is that so?”
“Ahem—anyway.”
He cleared his throat and continued.
“It seems my brother intends to propose another marriage arrangement to you, miss.”
“His own marriage?”
“Yes. Compared to becoming the former clan head’s secondary wife, it might seem like a much better position—but my brother is notorious for his womanizing. You absolutely must avoid him.”
“…Is that why you came to advise me?”
“Haha, am I being meddlesome? But marrying into a family like this…”
He frowned, unable to hide his lingering bitter smile.
