THWCS 27

Chapter 27

Unjeong quickly shook his head.

He didn’t want to stir up trouble for no reason.

“All right. I’ll send it to the Hanseong Bureau and have it checked.”

At Unjeong’s reply, Yishin added,

“Also see if there’s a way to lift the Curse of Dream Confusion.”

“Is that even possible? Isn’t the jade token a sacred object?”

When Unjeong asked back, Yishin let out a scoff.

“A curse is sorcery. Sorcery is cast by people. If there’s someone who cast the curse, then there must be someone who can undo it.”

“Is that… really how it works?”

Unjeong tilted his head, something he rarely did.

It sounded logical, yet at the same time it felt forced.

After all, this jade token was an object whose history ran alongside a thousand years of the Geom clan.

“There’s no harm in looking, is there?”

Yishin turned away.

Watching Yishin’s back as it melted into the darkness in an instant, Unjeong frowned.

There truly was nothing to lose.

And yet, Unjeong couldn’t understand what Yishin was thinking at all, which made him feel frustrated.

So which is it—do you want to live after lifting this curse, or do you truly not care if you die?

“I’ve lost count of how many times we’ve gone to Yeongyeongdang in just two days.”

“There’s something I didn’t get to finish discussing with the Head yesterday.”

Still weighed down by last night’s nightmare, Yeongwon forced her heavy eyelids open as she walked toward Yeongyeongdang, following Sorae.

“What is it about?”

“…Marriage.”

Yeongwon answered with a heavy sigh.

Sorae, too, grew gloomy.

She had served Yeongwon for nine years, and this was the first time she had ever seen her scream in her sleep, drenched in sweat and suffering because of a dream.

Only then did Sorae realize just how terrifying the so-called “Curse of Dream Confusion” truly was.

“Do you think the Head will be there today? He’s never been there whenever we went.”

“Even if he isn’t, we’ll wait until we meet him. This curse must be lifted no matter what.”

“Yes, miss.”

Unlike her usual playful self, Sorae answered quietly and looked at Yeongwon with concern. She looked as though she’d lost three or four nyang of weight overnight.

“…Isn’t that Head really blind as a knot-hole? How could he reject such a beautiful miss? If you lined up all the young masters in Hanseong who’d want to marry you, the line would stretch all the way outside the city walls. He doesn’t even know how lucky he is.”

Grumbling in frustration, Sorae complained, and Yeongwon let out a small chuckle.

She knew all too well how much Sorae cared for her.

Her body felt sluggish and her head heavy from the nightmares that had plagued her all night, but she couldn’t afford to lie sick in bed all day.

Because of that dream, Yeongwon was determined to persuade Yishin no matter what.

Or perhaps he, too, had suffered a nightmare last night?

Had that changed his mind?

And if not, what words could she use to sway his heart?

Lost in such scattered thoughts as she walked, Yeongwon reached a bend in the road. Just beyond it lay Yeongyeongdang.

But as she turned the corner, she collided hard with someone and fell backward.

“Oh my! Hey! You should watch where you’re going!”

Startled, Sorae cried out and rushed to support Yeongwon.

Steadying herself, Yeongwon looked to see who she had run into.

In front of her stood a very thin girl of about eleven or twelve, wearing a faded reed-colored jacket and an acorn-brown skirt, shrinking back nervously.

“Ugh, these are clothes I wore for the first time today, and now they’re dirty. What a shame.”

“I’m sorry, miss. I was in a hurry and didn’t watch where I was going.”

At Sorae’s grumbling, the girl flinched and bowed her head repeatedly, looking on the verge of tears.

Yeongwon gestured to Sorae, who was busily brushing off her crimson silk skirt, and instead examined the girl, who was dressed in relatively neat cotton clothes.

The girl was holding a wrapped bundle; judging by its shape, it seemed to contain something like a basket.

“What’s your name?”

When Yeongwon asked gently, the girl lifted her round eyes.

Then her eyes widened, and she stared at Yeongwon blankly with her small mouth slightly open.

Her innocent, awkward look reminded Yeongwon of Sorae when she was younger, and she swallowed a smile.

“The miss is asking you. What’s your name?”

When the girl didn’t respond, Sorae asked again after finishing brushing off Yeongwon’s skirt.

“D-Dallae.”

“Your name is Dallae?”

“Yes. My mother likes dallae flowers.”

Dallae answered with a shy smile, and Yeongwon smiled back with her eyes.

Then she looked in the direction Dallae had come from and asked,

“May I ask where you’re coming from? There’s nothing over there but Yeongyeongdang, isn’t there?”

At Yeongwon’s question, Dallae turned around to look behind her, then looked back at Yeongwon.

She blinked vacantly a few times, as if thinking, then suddenly covered her mouth with her small hands and lowered her voice.

“Why?” Sorae asked, puzzled by the strange behavior.

Rolling her eyes around, Dallae whispered,

“I heard a rumor in the marketplace that the Head is getting married soon… They said a betrothed lady came up to the mountain. Could it be you, miss? They said she’s as pretty as a fairy.”

“A fairy, they say? Then that must be our miss!”

Before Yeongwon could stop her, Sorae blurted out, then immediately lowered her voice and asked slyly,

“But there’s already a rumor going around the marketplace?”

Dallae nodded.

After gazing at Yeongwon with curious eyes, she lifted the bundle she was holding to her chest.

“I’m on my way back from delivering breakfast to Yeongyeongdang.”

“Breakfast? To Yeongyeongdang?”

Though she had half expected it, Yeongwon was still a little surprised by the child’s words.

Just yesterday, she had spent a full three sishin—six hours—at Yeongyeongdang.

Yet during all that time, wandering around the side gate, neither she nor Sorae had seen even a single servant doing chores.

They hadn’t even seen a maid bringing in dinner that evening.

That was why Sorae had even speculated that Yeongyeongdang was only nominally the Head’s residence, and that Yishin might be eating, sleeping, and living elsewhere.

“Dallae, do you bring meals to Yeongyeongdang every day?”

Yeongwon bent down to ask her directly, and Dallae nodded.

“The Head only eats breakfast. For lunch and dinner, he eats out or buys food.”

“Then… is there no one else who tends to Yeongyeongdang?”

Seizing the opportunity, Yeongwon questioned Dallae. She had rarely had the chance to learn anything about the Geom clan or Yishin.

What she was asking was all superficial enough that it wouldn’t put such a young child in a difficult position.

“No. I do the laundry too.”

“You do everything?”

“Yes. I don’t clean, though. The Head said I’m still young and don’t need to do too much work.”

At the child’s clear, bright answer, Yeongwon felt taken aback.

Yishin Geom had said something like that?

It was hard to believe that a man known for being fierce and cold, with words as sharp as blades, would say something so considerate.

Still, there was no reason for such a small child to lie.

“I see. But Yeongyeongdang is so large—why are you the only one serving there?”

“Because everyone else is afraid to go to Yeongyeongdang.”

“Afraid?”

“Yes.”

As if emboldened by Yeongwon’s gentle, flower-like smile, Dallae spoke freely, but then suddenly hesitated. She stepped closer and cupped her hands around her mouth.

Sensing she was about to whisper, Yeongwon leaned in and turned her ear toward the girl.

“There’s a ghost that appears in the Head’s courtyard. Everyone else is scared. My father says it’s because he’s committed many sins, so he’s afraid of ghosts. But Dallae is good, so ghosts don’t scare me.”

At the child’s whisper in her ear, Yeongwon smiled unconsciously.

“I see. Say, can unni ask you just one more thing?”

When Yeongwon asked, gently stroking the hair near Dallae’s ear, Dallae nodded.

“What kind of person… is the Head, as you see him?”