TEDNCGUH 12

Chapter : 12

“So, my niece went back to the academy without even staying a single night?”

“Yes.”

Great Elder Namgung Gyu looked down at the subordinate bowing before him, the corners of his eyes twitching slightly.

However, all the subordinate could perceive while keeping his head lowered was the endlessly gentle tone of his voice.

“It’s been so long since I last saw her, yet I couldn’t even exchange greetings this time. It saddens me that my niece seems so distant—not only from her own home but even from the blood relatives she was born to.”

The subordinate who had been listening suddenly lifted his head.

“The young lady has always had a cold personality, hasn’t she? Please don’t take it too much to heart.”

“I try not to. But I worry that perhaps she keeps her distance because she thinks this uncle of hers merely uses the family head instead of serving him properly.”

“How could that be possible?”

“…Why wouldn’t it be? You know well how illegitimate eldest sons born before the legitimate heir are treated.”

Especially those born to lowborn mothers—former courtesans—such illegitimate sons were like husks: beings who must spend their entire lives paving harsh roads for their younger legitimate brothers while being constantly watched, lest they grow greedy for things they must never desire.

“That may be true in other clans, but our Namgung clan would never be like that. Above all, doesn’t the family head sincerely regard you as his elder brother?”

“I know. But just because the family head feels that way doesn’t mean I can expect my niece to feel the same toward me.”

Namgung Gyu sighed and waved his hand dismissively.

Seeing the highly respected Great Elder so disheartened, the subordinate wore a sorrowful expression before bowing and leaving the room.

Once left alone, Namgung Gyu’s expression changed completely.

“That insolent brat! Let’s see how long you keep up that arrogance!”

Bang!

His hand slammed down on the table, brimming with fury.

After returning to the academy, Yeonhwa devoted herself to training—determined to fully make her own the insights she had gained during the recent joint exercises.

At the same time, she ordered Jiwonhyeong to investigate various matters she herself had previously ignored or shown no interest in.

Meanwhile, within both the academy and the Alliance, rumors began spreading rapidly that Miss Namgung was searching for a marriage partner.

* * *

An extravagantly luxurious carriage came to a halt before the main gate of the Martial Alliance.

The sizable procession following behind it moved in perfect unison.

They slowed so carefully that not even a speck of dust rose, then took their positions and waited for the carriage at the front to open.

Among the lower-ranked warriors guarding the gate, the newcomers’ eyes widened in shock.

“Who could it be to arrive with such grandeur? Aren’t Lord Munryeong and Lord Muryeong already inside the Alliance?”

Instead of his usual scolding, the mid-ranked warrior in charge laughed heartily.

“Can’t you tell just by looking? You can practically smell the money! How many people do you think can come and go through the Martial Alliance like that?”

“Could it be…?”

“That’s right. Lord Jaeryeong has arrived! I knew something good was coming today—my bowels were smooth this morning and even my wife didn’t nag me! Turns out it was for something this great!”

Just as the newcomers began wondering whether their superior had lost his mind from excitement—

The ornate carriage door opened, and a man stepped out.

“Wow!”

Gasps of admiration burst out everywhere.

Whenever the Three Lords were mentioned, their unparalleled talent was always brought up—but just as inevitably, their extraordinary looks were praised as well.

If Munryeong Moyong Yunhwan possessed flawless features—his slightly pale complexion blending with a scholar’s refined aura to give him an elegant dignity that inspired both respect and admiration…

And if Muryeong Tak Museong had a ruggedly handsome face with bold lines—his distinctive ash-gray hair and eyes earning him fanatical support from martial artists and making him an object of intense desire for many women…

Then Jaeryeong Yang Uijun’s appeal was broader.

With skin as clear and lustrous as jade, elegantly shaped eyes, and sparkling pupils that instantly evoked goodwill, he was beloved by everyone regardless of age or gender.

Moreover, unlike the other two whose overwhelming presence intimidated people, Yang Uijun had a cheerful personality and got along easily with anyone.

“Greetings, Lord Jaeryeong!”

The mid-ranked warriors guarding the entrance rushed forward in a crowd.

But they never got the chance.

The moment Yang Uijun stepped down from the carriage, close attendants from the Jungcheong Merchant Guild surrounded their precious young master.

Seeing the mid-ranked warriors unable to approach, Yang Uijun smirked and pulled a small pouch from his robes, tossing it lightly toward them.

A mid-ranked warrior caught the flying pouch with both hands. Yang Uijun formed a circle with his thumb and forefinger and flicked it upward.

“Use that to have a drink with your comrades later—and for now, help organize the things I brought. You can do that, right?”

“Of course! Absolutely! We’d do it even without this—it’s our duty!”

“But it’s nicer when you get something, isn’t it?”

At his playful scrunch of the nose, the mid-ranked warrior laughed loudly and nodded.

“That’s true! Then I’ll accept it and share it fairly with the others!”

As if to say the rest was up to them, Yang Uijun waved his hand and walked toward the gate.

The other guards gathered around the mid-ranked warrior holding the silk pouch, peeking curiously.

He pushed them back with his palm, tucked the pouch into his chest, and patted it firmly.

“Focus on organizing Lord Jaeryeong’s luggage first. We’ll open this together later.”

The others withdrew reluctantly.

“Does Lord Jaeryeong give things like that every time he comes?” one of the new recruits asked.

Another mid-ranked warrior answered.

“You could say that. Whoever’s on gate duty when he arrives always gets something like that to share—and it’s not just a few coins either. Those days are considered lucky, you know!”

“Ah… so that’s why earlier…”

Realizing why their superior had been so excited, the recruit was nudged in the side by another man, who gestured toward the long line of Jungcheong Merchant Guild members unloading cargo across from the gate.

“Let’s hurry and help. The sooner we finish, the sooner we divide the money. If the next shift shows up first, we might have to share with them too.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the warriors guarding the Martial Alliance rushed toward the carriages.

“You don’t have to be so kind even to those vermin, Young Master,” said Oh Bugwi, one of Yang Uijun’s closest aides.

Yang Uijun shrugged.

“Come on, don’t talk like that. It’s nothing anyway. Just toss them a little and let them work happily.”

For Yang Uijun—who found spending money the easiest thing in the world—there was no reason not to.

Oh Bugwi looked like he wanted to say more, but seeing how annoyed his master seemed, he closed his mouth.

Ignoring him, Yang Uijun glanced around.

With his movement, his light-brown hair flowed in soft curves. Fingers pale and flawless—as though they had never done a day of hard labor—brushed aside the strands falling over his eyes.

Through the hair slipping down again, light-brown eyes of the same shade glowed gently in the sunlight.

Not spotting the person he was looking for, he raised one eyebrow.

“What? Why isn’t our girl out here?”

“You mean the young lady?”

“Yeah, our Yeonhwa. She always used to wait around the entrance whenever she heard I was coming.”

He gestured roughly at his waist, showing how small she had been when she started doing that.

“She must be busy. She’s not at the age to trail behind you anymore, Young Master.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. She’ll be getting married soon, after all.”

“Married? That little kid?”

“Little kid? She’s already nineteen. And didn’t I report it to you recently? The news her friends in the Alliance sent—and the rumors spreading lately?”

“Did you?”

Tilting his head, Yang Uijun thought for a moment before quickly losing interest.

“Well, I guess so.”

Oh Bugwi had expected this reaction. As he prepared to repeat the report from a few days ago, Yang Uijun stopped him.

“We’ve already arrived—what’s the point? I’m going to meet them anyway. I’ll hear it there.”

To Oh Bugwi, the other two members of the Three Lords were terrifying figures—people he could barely muster the courage to look in the eye even after extensive mental preparation.

But to his young master, they were simply friends he could treat casually and speak to without restraint.

As he watched his master stroll naturally toward the center of the Martial Alliance, brushing past him, Oh Bugwi couldn’t help but feel as though a halo shone around his back.