TYDOFC 23

Choyo said nothing.

Then, the Manhyeolsa (Ten-Thousand-Blood Serpent) slithered quietly toward her feet.

If I gave the order, it looked ready to coil around her ankle and climb up her shin at any moment.

It didn’t open its mouth or make any threatening noise.

‘Even so, the Manhyeolsa is the most poisonous viper in the world.’

Even someone confident in their poison arts would tense up in front of it.

And yet, Choyo did not move.

She stood utterly still, like a statue.

A moment of silence passed—

Then, only after the viper began to yawn did Choyo finally speak.

“My lady…”

A brief pause, and then—

“You are indeed as clever as the rumors say.”

Choyo lifted her chin and looked at me.

Her eyes—black as polished go stones—met mine, unwavering this time.

Her gaze was so deep that it felt like every glance was a calculated move in a long game of Go.

How many moves has she lived by, thinking through those eyes all her life?

I met her gaze.

If Father and Grandfather personally sent her as a bodyguard, then she must be trustworthy.

But even so, I can’t let my guard down.

In my past life, I was killed by my uncle.

Was he an untrustworthy man?

Of course he was useless—but he was still my blood.

And yet, he killed me.

Tang Pae-jin chose the day when all the elders of the Tang clan had gone to Tangsan, and murdered both me and Father.
He even brought in assassins from the Poison River Sect inside the Tang estate.

There was no way he did it alone.

There must have been others helping him from within the clan.

That’s why I had to be extremely careful about who I kept near me.

Besides, I couldn’t shake the thought that this might be another test from Father and Grandfather.

As our eyes crossed again, Choyo opened her mouth once more.

“Let me introduce myself properly. My name is Jeongyang, and I’ll be serving as your bodyguard starting today. My master is Ilhwa, one of the Twelve Venomous Flowers.”

“Your face?”

Without hesitation, Choyo reached out and grabbed her own cheek.

Riiip!

She tore the skin from her face without pause.

A finely crafted human-skin mask peeled away, revealing her true face underneath.

Her real face was much younger—her skin was clear, her almond eyes lifted slightly, her lips thin and her cheeks rosy.

I studied her delicate features and asked cautiously,

“This is your real face, right?”

“You can touch it if you’d like.”

“There’s no need. I can tell without touching.”

“How can you tell?”

“Your eyes.”

I rose slightly on tiptoe to peer closer at her.

“My eyes?”

“Your eyes and your mouth. They move naturally now. Before, something felt off.”

Especially the mouth.

I tapped her lips lightly.

“When you spoke before, your lip movements were unnatural. It was like your lips couldn’t keep up with your words.”

The reverse disguise technique using human-skin masks is never perfect.
After all, it’s just wearing another person’s face.

That, too, was something I had learned from Father—in my past life.
He had been my teacher then.

“And before, you didn’t look me straight in the eye. But ever since you entered the room, you’ve been looking directly at me. Even now.”

Liars don’t make eye contact.

Afraid of being found out, they unconsciously avert their gaze.

But now, Choyo looked straight into my eyes—
as if she had nothing left to hide.

“Good. So, who else knows your real name, Jeongyang?”

“Only my master.”

“Then I’ll keep it secret too. I’ll call you Choyo.”

“Thank you, my lady.”

“You may hide your face again if you wish. It’s fine—I’ve already seen your real one. But give me a heads-up before you do.”

“Of course, my lady.”

“And let’s make a code word, just in case. If I can’t recognize you, that could be a problem.”

If your companion or guard is skilled in disguise or bone-shifting, a secret code is essential.
Otherwise, it’s all too easy to mistake someone else for them.

I opened my palm and took Choyo’s hand, guiding it forward.

Then, I tapped my palm twice with her long fingers.

“If you ever have to change your appearance with disguise magic when I’m not around, tap my palm twice like this. That way, I’ll know it’s you even without looking at your face.”

“Twice.”

“Yes, twice.”

Choyo nodded.

Having a bodyguard was a good thing.

Tang Pae-jin probably doesn’t know who she really is.

Father said Choyo’s existence was a secret.

“Even the fact that she’s Ilhwa’s disciple?”

“Yes. To others, she’s just a bodyguard I found outside.”

That makes sense if she’s expected to become the next of the Twelve Venomous Flowers.

But Father also said that all of this had been arranged with Grandfather.

Then why had Grandfather assigned me a disciple of the Twelve Venomous Flowers?

I was only eight years old.

Even the boys of the Tang family rarely left the estate at that age.

And I was a girl—
a girl of Sichuan’s Tang Clan, where strict family traditions still held sway.

So what was the real reason for giving me a personal guard?

Ugh, my head hurts.

Being given another chance at life was great.
But the number of headaches that came with it was not.

My brain’s going to explode…

Then—

“My lady, may I come in?”

“Yes, come in.”

No sooner had I answered than Xi-bi Yeongyeong came in carrying a tea tray.

She set it down in the middle of the room and pulled away the cloth covering it.

Underneath were beautiful, colorful confections.

“Wow, snacks?”

“Yes, Young Master said to prepare them for you today. He bought them himself from outside! Aren’t they pretty?”

“Mm, I’ll have to thank him.”

I nodded and quickly popped one into my mouth.

Yeongyeong giggled softly.

“And these fruits were sent by Young Master Ho.”

She pointed toward a plate of dried fruit.

“Brother Ho? When?”

“He sent them through Ye-ryeong. Probably right after he returned to his quarters.”

Judging from that, Ye-ryeong must have been one of Brother Tang Ho’s maids.

Snacks, out of nowhere?

Was it because he’d enjoyed our brief meeting?

I picked up a couple of dried fruits and chewed thoughtfully.

Sweet and slightly bitter—quite good.

“I’ll have to thank him, if I get the chance…”

“I’m sure you will. You can go outside freely now, my lady! When you see Young Master Ho next, tell him the snacks were delicious. He’ll be delighted.”

Yeongyeong smiled brightly.

I smiled back.

Of course, we’ll probably meet again.

But that would only happen while Brother Ho was still staying at the Tang estate.

He rarely stayed put—always out and about.
And when he left, he was gone for ages.

So I’d likely have to wait a while before I could thank him.

Oh well, later would be fine.

I continued eating the confections without overthinking it, sharing a few with Yeongyeong.

She grinned widely as we enjoyed the treats together.

Then—

Knock, knock.

Someone else knocked on the door.

Wow, lots of visitors today.

Maybe Choyo again?

I quickly popped the remaining sweet into my mouth and brushed off my hands.

Then I leaned forward and called out,

“Mm! You can open it.”

The door opened—
and Gayon peeked her head in.

Looking a bit uneasy, she glanced behind her before saying,

“My lady, you have a visitor.”

“A visitor?”

“Yes.”

Her expression turned a little puzzled.

“Young Master Rip has come to see you.”