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Chapter : 11
“I’m coming in.”
Creak—
“You! Cough—!”
The moment she opened the door, a loud shout rang out.
Since it had been a long time since any proper conversation had passed between father and daughter, Yeonhwa did not expect normal communication.
She slowly approached the bed.
A frail man in his fifties glared up at her in anger.
“I heard you aren’t taking your medicine.”
“So what if I’m not? I know my own body best.”
“Then you must also know that in this condition you won’t simply fail to improve—you’ll only get worse.”
“That’s enough! More importantly, there’s something you need to do.”
When Yeonhwa remained silent, Namgung Cheok assumed she was listening and continued.
“There’s been trouble at our main family in Anhui. A small escort agency’s shipment got tangled up with an event from our Changcheondae, and a dispute broke out. Tell Munryeong Pavilion to handle it. And inform Jaeryeong Pavilion that this quarter our trading company has suffered serious losses, so—”
It sounded like it would never end.
Yeonhwa cut him off.
“It seems you’ve already entrusted such matters to Samryeong.”
Namgung Cheok frowned.
“Those matters aren’t even pocket change for Jaeryeong. And the issue in Anhui is only complicated for us. For Munryeong, a single word would settle it.”
“Just because it’s trivial to them doesn’t mean we can recklessly ask for favors.”
No matter how strong a bond was, if you kept wearing it down like this, eventually you would hit the bottom.
No—perhaps they had already gone past the bottom and dug themselves into a deep pit.
If they kept repeating the same behavior without understanding their place, they might one day forget how to climb out and become trapped inside that pit.
Though Yeonhwa clearly drew a line…
If people could communicate properly, why would disputes arise?
“Seonyu!” Namgung Cheok suddenly shouted.
“If our Seonyu were still alive, what was easy for them would have been even easier for him! My son was a once-in-a-millennium genius who would have risen as the head of the Five Great Families—no, the greatest leader of the entire Murim Alliance! And Samryeong, who promised to stand in his place—would they refuse even this small request?!”
His words were out of order and twisted in cause and effect.
It seemed only his ambition—to rebuild the Namgung family and inscribe the achievements under his son’s name for generations—was keeping him going.
Yeonhwa shook her head.
“That was Samryeong’s goodwill, not a right we can demand. If we truly need their help, we should formally ask and repay the favor in the future.”
“You just don’t want to look needy in front of them, so you spout righteous nonsense!”
Namgung Cheok grabbed whatever was within reach and hurled it at his daughter.
Crash! Clang!
“Everything you enjoy was given to you by Seonyu! Everything poured over you from head to toe—everything! So shouldn’t you devote yourself to the Namgung family that should have been his?!”
Yeonhwa glanced over the shattered objects scattered across the floor before lifting her head.
She met Namgung Cheok’s gaze directly.
“Oh? Is that why you tried to sell me off to someone like O Min-gi of the Yangryuk Trading Company?”
“What did you say?”
He might not know O Min-gi personally, but the Yangryuk Trading Company sounded familiar.
Why was that name coming up now?
Seeing his confusion, Yeonhwa continued.
“Brother Hyechan and Sister Hyeju brought him to me during this training session. When I rejected him, they invoked the family head’s orders. Wasn’t that your doing?”
Namgung Cheok hesitated.
“…It seems there was some misunderstanding along the way.”
He wanted to quietly gloss over it, unwilling to criticize his nephew—the leading candidate to fill the vacant Young Lord position.
But that was precisely why Yeonhwa had to address it.
“If you truly wish to honor Seonyu, Family Head, then instead of using dishonest shortcuts to raise his name and the family’s prosperity, shouldn’t you teach the household to walk the right path—even if it’s difficult?”
And the position of family head should be given to someone who could set that example.
Absolutely not—
“My cousin is not that person. And the Grand Elder who backs him is even less suitable. I hope you will establish a new grand plan for the sake of the family.”
Clenching her fists, Yeonhwa finally spoke the words she had long suppressed.
Namgung Cheok’s eyebrows twitched.
He was displeased by this rebellion from a daughter who had always silently obeyed his commands.
And the more he listened, the more outrageous it sounded.
“If everyone you mentioned is wrong, are you saying I was wrong to give them opportunities? A mere girl dares to shame her old father! Why? Do you think if no one stands above you, you could become the family head yourself?”
As he spoke, the idea seemed increasingly real to him, and his eyes grew fierce.
“Are you truly dreaming such delusions?!”
Finding nothing left to throw, he grabbed a pillow and swung it.
Yeonhwa lightly caught the pillow flying toward her face and took it from him.
“Namgung Yeonhwa! How dare you! You—you… truly…!”
“You may not believe me, but I have never once thought such a thing.”
“Really? Then you’re not entirely shameless. You already enjoy all the benefits meant for the entire family thanks to Seonyu. If you grew greedier than that, you wouldn’t even be human.”
“….”
“Don’t take my words the wrong way. The head of the family must carry on the lineage. Any children you bear would have a different surname, wouldn’t they? Even if you brought in a husband, his bloodline couldn’t truly bear the weight of the Namgung name. That’s only natural.”
Hearing the same story she had always heard, Yeonhwa let out a faint laugh.
“You’re right. Why did I think that was natural all this time?”
“What?”
Namgung Cheok stared at her, thinking he must have misheard.
But Yeonhwa’s eyes were cold.
All traces of expectation and affection had faded, leaving only darkness.
“When I had given up, everything seemed tolerable enough. But it’s strange—after changing my mindset, everything now feels unreasonable and suffocating. Why did I endure it for so long?”
Those she had given her heart to were already broken, and all that remained were family members who treated her like she owed them a debt and subordinates from the Black Tortoise Unit who kept their distance.
If not for Deputy Commander Wonhyeong and that strange person who called her “Little Cat,” she might have truly felt alone in the world.
Thinking of them weighed on her heart, yet also gave her courage.
‘If I had stayed still, it would be one thing. But once I’ve taken a step forward, I can’t stop now!’
Yeonhwa dusted off the family head’s pillow she was holding and placed it back where it belonged.
Namgung Cheok, finally regaining his senses, shouted at her retreating back.
“Soon I will search for a suitable marriage match with the Grand Elder! You will marry for the family—and even after marriage you must continue to help the family! Remember this well! That is your duty and obligation as a daughter of the Namgung clan!”
Without a single reply, Yeonhwa opened the door and walked out.
Bang!
As the door slammed behind her, she moved away from the family head’s residence.
She straightened her back and masked her expression so the many watchers secretly observing her movements could not guess what had happened.
Despite her calm appearance, her mind was in turmoil.
“Marriage…”
If it was unavoidable, she would at least turn it to her advantage.
“If it can break the rigid framework and bring about change to set a new board in motion, then this could become an opportunity for me.”
At the same time, another word lingered in her mind.
“Family head…”
She truly had never thought about it before.
But even without desiring it, if others preemptively tried to hold her back and growled for her to step aside—
didn’t that prove she might possess at least some qualification to covet that position?
“Family head…”
What had been vague in her thoughts gained substance the moment she spoke it aloud.
Yes.
Until now, she had been unable to pursue what she wanted because she had not shown enough capability.
But if she truly became the family head, it would mean she had proven her worth to walk her own path.
Declaring her will to advance toward that path—
how could she fail to achieve what she desired?
Only now did Yeonhwa seem to realize the simple truth: that she must stand on her own feet to see the road ahead and gather the strength to walk it.
“I will do it.”
Her voice grew firmer as she repeated that she would succeed.
Namgung Cheok would never know—
that his careless words had awakened a completely new path within her.
As Yeonhwa disappeared, those who had been secretly watching her from throughout the Namgung estate scattered in all directions.
