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Chapter 17
“Then if you want to know the answer, it’s better to move somewhere else first.”
At Geum Seolha’s words, Eun Seokho hesitated for a moment before nodding. Taking a rarely used, secluded shortcut that the maids often used, they quickly returned to her quarters. Once inside, Geum Seolha finally slumped down, the tension draining from her body.
Now that she was inside her quarters, she could finally relax a little.
“What happened to your aunt, exactly?” Eun Seokho kept pressing for an answer.
Watching him, Geum Seolha chose her words carefully.
“If you were that worried, you should’ve climbed over the wall like I did.”
“That…”
“I even climbed over it myself. For someone who’s the deputy commander of the Yellow Dragon Unit, you could’ve easily done the same and figured out what was going on.”
She had asked a question, but instead of an answer, she received another question. Eun Seokho opened and closed his mouth before falling silent.
“Why aren’t you saying anything?”
“…Ma’am.”
“What?”
“I did try, but the security was too tight. It was difficult to break through.”
At those unexpected words, Geum Seolha’s brows furrowed.
“Difficult?”
But it was easy for me.
“Then I must ask you instead. How did you manage to climb over without being detected?”
“No one stopped me, so I just climbed over…”
Could it be that she had already been discovered?
‘No. If that were the case, they wouldn’t have allowed me to enter that room.’
Geum Seolha quickly dismissed the thought and said awkwardly, “I guess I was just lucky.”
“That kind of thing is possible…?”
“If it weren’t, I would’ve been caught immediately. Am I wrong?”
A reasonable argument made Eun Seokho let out a deep sigh.
“Is your aunt safe?”
“She is. So you don’t need to look so worried.”
“I still don’t understand why she’s shut herself away and refusing all visitors.”
Eun Seokho muttered in frustration, and Geum Seolha rested her chin on her hand.
‘She must be doing it so no secrets leak out.’
She sighed as well once the thought reached her. Who exactly was that man for Madam Baek to be protecting him so tightly?
‘And I still don’t understand why that would become a weakness.’
Was that man a criminal? The thought suddenly flashed through her mind, and Geum Seolha shot to her feet.
“That’s it!”
“Miss?” So Yeongyeong and Eun Seokho looked at her in confusion. Geum Seolha’s eyes sparkled as she looked at Eun Seokho.
“You said you’re close with Madam Baek, right?”
“Yes… I am, but…”
So what about it?
At the sudden question, Eun Seokho stared at her blankly.
“My relationship with my aunts isn’t good, so I just find it interesting that yours is.”
Geum Seolha explained casually, but neither So Yeongyeong nor Eun Seokho was fooled. Still, Eun Seokho decided to pretend not to notice.
“There are only two blood relatives left in the world, so it’s only natural to be close.”
When he mentioned Madam Baek, his expression softened.
“If Aunt hadn’t taken me in and raised me, I would’ve died on the streets.”
Despite the calm tone, the content was heavy. Geum Seolha’s eyes deepened.
“No family, huh.”
“She is my only family. At least, that’s how I see it.”
While Geum Seolha seemed deep in thought, Eun Seokho added lightly as if it were nothing.
So Yeongyeong hesitated before speaking up.
“I could tell something was going on, but I never imagined Madam Baek’s nephew would be the deputy commander of the Yellow Dragon Unit.”
Geum Seolha recalled the man she had seen earlier. No matter how she looked at it, there was no resemblance between him and Eun Seokho. And since Madam Baek had said she had no other family, then that man couldn’t be family.
Which meant—
‘He really might be a criminal.’
It made sense why he was being hidden so carefully. Why he would become a weakness.
While it was unclear what kind of relationship that man and Madam Baek had, two things were certain.
Either he was important enough that she would step back from power…
Or he was someone precious.
Geum Seolha’s eyes sharpened.
The clues she had were enough. Now she needed a plan to turn the situation around.
“How is Madam Baek as a person?” she asked.
“Madam Baek?” Eun Seokho asked back in confusion, and she nodded.
“I’ve heard a lot of rumors, but I’ve never actually met her properly.”
In truth, the original Geum Seolha might have, but she did not have such memories.
Only then did Eun Seokho think of the rumors about her and hesitate. After a while without an answer, So Yeongyeong cautiously spoke.
“If it’s okay, can I say what I know, miss?”
“Go ahead.”
At the immediate permission, So Yeongyeong began.
“She’s a fair and kind person. She never raises her voice. She’s considerate of her subordinates, so there are hardly any maids who dislike her.”
A flicker of interest appeared in Geum Seolha’s eyes. Kind and gentle, yet with strong authority.
“She was strict,” Eun Seokho added.
That’s it.
Geum Seolha turned to look at him.
“She rarely raises her voice or gets angry, that part is true.”
“…”
“But she is not just a gentle person.”
His firm, precise tone made So Yeongyeong flustered. Geum Seolha quietly looked at him.
“That’s different from what Yeongyeong felt.”
“To me… she was especially strict.”
Eun Seokho smiled bitterly. There had been times he felt hurt and disappointed, but even then, he understood why.
“Perhaps she was trying to prevent unnecessary rumors.”
He remembered warm hands brushing his hair at night when his parents were not there. He remembered clothes, worn and torn from training, being carefully mended and ironed.
He could not fail to recognize that care and affection.
“She was a person who valued principles and never compromised easily.”
“Even with the deputy commander of the Yellow Dragon Unit?”
“She was even stricter with me.”
Understanding flashed across Geum Seolha’s face.
“Interesting. So you weren’t that upset about it?”
At her teasing tone, Eun Seokho’s lips softened slightly.
“When I was younger… I would be lying if I said I wasn’t.”
“And now?”
He didn’t answer, but everyone understood.
“Someone so rigid about principles actually made an exception for him,” Geum Seolha murmured.
So Yeongyeong was also surprised.
“Incredible…”
“Incredible?” Geum Seolha echoed.
“Of course, miss. People even joke that if laws and rules were shaped into a person, it would be Madam Baek.”
So Yeongyeong realized too late that she might have spoken too freely and glanced at Eun Seokho. He only nodded calmly.
“Even without much verbal affection, that was her way of showing love.”
“…”
“So I was fine with it.”
A spark flashed in Geum Seolha’s eyes.
Madam Baek, who strictly followed rules to the point where it was a topic of conversation, had only bent them once—for her blood relative.
“Miss? What are you thinking so deeply about again?” So Yeongyeong asked nervously, recalling how she had suddenly talked about climbing walls earlier.
Geum Seolha simply shook her head lightly.
“Nothing.”
She had found a way to persuade Madam Baek.
“You asked earlier if she was safe, right?”
Eun Seokho listened closely even though she was clearly changing the subject.
“She is safe. It’s nothing serious.”
“But I definitely smelled blood from you earlier—!”
“I ran into a physician.”
Eun Seokho shot her a doubtful look. The scent he had noticed was thick with blood. It was not something that could come from a minor collision.
“The physician was covered in blood.”
“What?”
“He was called urgently and didn’t have time to prepare properly.”
Her shameless tone made Eun Seokho stare at her, trying to judge whether she was telling the truth.
“If you don’t believe me, you can ask the physician yourself.”
“Who was that physician, miss?”
As if waiting for that question, Eun Seokho immediately asked. Geum Seolha clicked her tongue inwardly.
So suspicious.
“Physician Yu.”
“Physician Yu… Do you mean Yu Wankang?”
“Yes.”
Geum Seolha casually shifted the suspicion onto Yu Wankang. Since she had already set things up earlier, he would handle it appropriately.
‘He’s very perceptive.’
She felt a bit guilty for passing it off to Eun Seokho, but this would only make things more complicated otherwise.
‘Perfect.’
Having offloaded the troublesome matter onto Yu Wankang, Geum Seolha straightened her chest as if she were completely innocent.
“Understood, miss. It’s late, so I’ll take my leave now.”
It wasn’t because it was late—it was because he had gotten all the answers he wanted. Geum Seolha glanced at him.
“Thanks for earlier.”
“Anyone would have stopped you if they had seen you like that, miss.”
“Still, you were the one who stopped me.”
At her words, Eun Seokho bowed slightly and left the room.
“Haa… as expected of a martial artist.”
Geum Seolha slumped again.
In truth, being a martial artist was less troublesome than the fact that he was Madam Baek’s relative.
“I’ll help you change your clothes, miss.”
Geum Seolha accepted So Yeongyeong’s help and removed her maid uniform. She touched the yellow garment.
“No, I’m not changing this.”
“…Pardon?”
“I still have somewhere to go.”
“…At this hour?”
So Yeongyeong stared out at the dark window in shock.
“This isn’t that late.”
Besides, the darker it is, the better.
Smiling brightly, Geum Seolha made So Yeongyeong even more uneasy as she watched her.
