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Chapter : 10
Tak Museong ignored the people who greeted him with bows.
Everyone knew that Muryeong’s temperament was cold and harsh, so they avoided him on their own.
Those gathered at the main gate whispered about when Muryeong had arrived, then gradually dispersed. The Divine Envoy Squad also vanished, leaving only Yeonhwa and the Black Tortoise Unit behind.
As Tak Museong looked over Yeonhwa, he frowned.
“What is it?”
Instead of answering her question, Tak Museong reached out his hand.
Smack!
The face of Ji Wonhyeong, who had been standing beside Yeonhwa, snapped violently to the side.
Smack! Smack!
The blows continued, making Ji Wonhyeong’s body stagger.
His face quickly swelled red and blue until it was difficult to recognize his original features.
When Tak Museong raised his hand again, Yeonhwa spoke.
“What wrong has the vice-captain committed?”
At her question, Tak Museong slowly lowered the hand he had raised and gently touched the rim of her ear.
A sharp wound, about the length of a finger joint, was revealed where something had grazed the ear hidden beneath her hair.
“You’re injured.”
Yeonhwa clenched her fist tightly.
“I didn’t even realize.”
“Yes, you didn’t need to know. But your vice-captain should have. Isn’t that why I placed him at your side?”
In the past, she would have listened in silence.
“The vice-captain is an aide meant to make up for my shortcomings—not a servant assigned to clean up after me!”
Tak Museong’s eyes changed at her words.
“Something happened. Something must have happened to change you like this.”
He brushed her hair aside so the wound on her ear was fully exposed, then slid his hand down and lifted her chin.
He noticed a new flame burning in the steadfast resolve deep within her eyes—a flame that had once gone out under his hand many times before.
Looking at her face, he seemed to realize the cause and let out a low laugh.
“You’re putting your faith in something that trivial?”
Like Suho Unit Leader Gu Heeryang.
When Yeonhwa tried to push him away, Tak Museong released her first.
It was clear he was worried she might get hurt if she struggled with her weak hands.
“It has nothing to do with Unit Leader Gu,” she said.
Though she denied it, he didn’t look convinced.
Tak Museong warned her again.
“Don’t give your heart easily to the weak. They break too quickly. In the end, they will only wound you.”
“But, brother…”
Wasn’t it her brother—the one who saw everything in the world except Yeonhwa herself as weak and evil—who truly hurt her?
Since gaining new ‘brothers,’ she had seen far too many people suffer just from a single careless word she spoke.
If a maid she was close to got even a small scratch, her head would be cut off. The wrists of guards who gave her snacks that caused her stomachaches were severed—too many to count.
“Haven’t you also given your affection to me, brother?”
“You are my sister. What kind of elder brother wouldn’t love his own sister? And how could you be called weak? You have three brothers who protect you.”
“……”
“You could have everything you want just by sitting still. The three of us will take care of everything for you.”
That likely included her revenge.
To them, it probably didn’t matter that even if she gave up everything else, the one thing she could never relinquish was achieving her revenge with her own hands.
“I’ve just returned and have many things to organize. I’ll take my leave now.”
With that, Yeonhwa turned away first.
Watching Ji Wonhyeong follow after her, Tak Museong murmured quietly,
“She used to be so afraid of me. Now she says everything she wants to say.”
The feeling was strange—he couldn’t tell whether it was good or bad.
Still, he was certain that the joint training, though not long, had left a deep mark on the younger sister he cherished.
The path away from Muryeong felt heavy with every step.
A weighty gaze seemed to stab into her back the entire way, soaking her clothes with sweat.
And yet Yeonhwa kept moving forward.
As soon as she turned the corner of a pavilion and stepped out of Muryeong’s line of sight, she stopped.
Letting out a long, silent breath, she turned her head.
Ji Wonhyeong stood there, his face now twice as swollen and completely ruined.
He waited for her to speak, but as time passed, he couldn’t help asking—her complexion looked so bad that he wanted her to go rest quickly.
“What… is wrong…?”
He opened his mouth, but the wound at the corner of his lips tore further, interrupting him before he finished.
Yeonhwa shook her head.
“If something’s wrong, it’s with you, Vice-Captain.”
Only then did Ji Wonhyeong realize she was worried about him, and his eyes widened.
He burst out laughing, then grabbed his mouth and groaned.
“Haha! Ha… ow.”
Pretending to exaggerate his groans to hide the real pain, he shrugged.
“How many people have taken Muryeong’s blows directly and still walked away on their own two feet? Even the infamous Gyeongmyeong Envoy of the Demonic Cult failed—but I did it.”
He tried to brush it off as nothing more than good luck, but Yeonhwa said nothing.
Her gaze grew heavy, and Ji Wonhyeong smirked.
What on earth is she worrying about?
He remembered the first mission the Black Tortoise Unit had ever undertaken.
Twenty members had marched out confidently, eager to show off their skills—only to fall into a trap aimed at Namgung Yeonhwa and be slaughtered mercilessly.
Only two people survived that day…
Namgung Yeonhwa, who had just become captain, and Ji Hyeongwon, known as the eternal vice-captain.
Ji Wonhyeong still vividly remembered the horrific scene.
And he never forgot who had saved him that day.
Not a mighty warrior or a grand banner—but the young girl he had once mocked as all show. When danger came, she didn’t retreat. She stepped forward, shielding his wounded body and swinging her sword.
Her frail back had been more powerful than anything he had ever seen.
That was when he realized—
whom he would serve from then on,
for whom he would devote his life,
…for whom he would even face death.
So for the woman before him, there was nothing he wouldn’t do.
“It’s something I’ll be proud of for life. Please don’t worry.”
Satisfied that he had finally spoken clearly without stuttering, Ji Wonhyeong looked at her—only to be startled when Yeonhwa turned away as if he were a fool.
“Captain?”
“……”
“Captain!”
He hurried after her, but his expression was not dark.
Something was definitely changing.
After Ji Wonhyeong volunteered to handle the cleanup from the external training and the minor internal issues within the Black Tortoise Unit, Yeonhwa headed toward the Namgung Clan.
Once news spread that the Divine Envoy Squad had returned, her family had summoned her twice from the main house.
By the time dusk fell,
she arrived at Namgung Manor, located deep within the territory of the Five Great Families on the western side of the Martial Alliance.
The Namgung clan members staying in the manor froze when they saw her.
“Greetings, young lady!”
She nodded at their collective bows.
Passing through them, she entered the inner quarters where the direct lineage resided.
“You’ve arrived?”
Hearing movement outside, Chief Steward Mang Boseo came out to greet her.
“How is the Patriarch?”
“No significant improvement… It seems he still refuses to take his medicine.”
The reason was obvious.
“So the medicinal herbs sent from Jaeryeong Pavilion are all going to the Elders’ Hall?”
“…Yes. I’m sorry I couldn’t prevent it.”
“If even the master won’t claim what is rightfully his, how could you refuse the Elders’ Hall’s demands or protect those treasures?”
Mang Boseo bowed, thanking her for understanding.
After giving her several reports and receiving instructions, he withdrew.
Left alone, Yeonhwa stood before the patriarch’s bedchamber and announced her arrival.
“It’s me.”
Even after she made her presence known, no answer came from inside.
Yeonhwa decided not to waste any more time.
