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Chapter 22
Geum Seolha waited for Madam Baek’s answer. Only now could she finally see the entire board clearly before her eyes.
Tension dampened the back of her neck with sweat.
No one knew.
Not even the protagonist of the original novel, The Heavenly Martial Emperor.
Not anyone currently within the Geumrin Merchant Group.
Well, that was only natural.
Even Madam Baek, his own blood relative, never realized the truth.
Even Geum Seolha would never have discovered it if it had not been described in the original story.
“You need proof before you can trust me, so I’ll be the one to prove it first.”
Geum Seolha spoke first.
“I’ll bring back the medicine.”
“…!”
She calmly met the gaze filled with shock and disbelief.
“But that’s as far as it goes.”
Geum Seolha reviewed the original story’s information once more.
“That medicine only delays the condition. It’s not a complete antidote.”
“Then…”
“If the medicine works, that man will wake up. That will be my proof.”
Geum Seolha spoke evenly. If she wanted people to believe the words of a child with nothing to her name, she had to reveal her cards first.
“What would you have me do?”
At last, the words Geum Seolha had been waiting to hear left Madam Baek’s lips. A faint smile appeared on her face.
“Take back control of Geumrin.”
The eyes of the investigation team focused on Geum Seolha.
“And don’t hand it over to anyone.”
“…”
“Don’t leave any room for injustice or schemes to creep in. Hold it tightly and never give it up to anyone.”
Madam Baek stopped breathing for a moment at the completely unexpected request.
“That is an exceedingly favorable demand for me.”
“No. It’s favorable for me as well.”
No one in this family cherished or cared about Geum Seolha.
That doesn’t matter.
But it was troublesome when emotions led to practical disadvantages.
“From the money meant for maintaining my status, to firewood and meals.”
“…”
“I want all of those things to be distributed as fairly to me as they are to my blood relatives.”
“…Has Madam Hong gone that far?”
Anger tightened Madam Baek’s jaw. Geum Seolha’s lips softened into a smile.
“Yes. And it probably isn’t limited to me.”
Those of low status and humble origins.
The people they believed they could mistreat without consequence.
Madam Baek’s expression hardened as if she had immediately understood. Satisfaction flickered across Geum Seolha’s eyes.
Not bad.
She had already guessed as much after hearing how the maids spoke of Madam Baek, but the woman was even better than expected.
“My proof comes first, right? We can continue this conversation after I’ve proven myself.”
The fact that Madam Baek had listened this far to what sounded like a child’s boast was impressive enough.
“Though, could I ask for one thing? A sachet you’ve made yourself.”
“A sachet made by me?”
“Yes. And the dagger that man should have been carrying.”
Madam Baek fell silent for a moment before nodding readily.
“Please wait a moment.”
She left the pavilion and returned much later carrying the requested items. After carefully storing them away, Geum Seolha spoke.
“I’ll come back within four days. As soon as I obtain the antidote, have Yeongyeong informed immediately.”
“Yeongyeong… You mean the child from the Medical Hall?”
Quick to understand. Geum Seolha’s gaze became noticeably warmer at the response.
Who bothered remembering every maid’s name? The woman before her was someone who paid attention to those beneath her.
“That’s right.”
Geum Seolha nodded lightly and pushed herself away from the pavilion pillar. They had talked enough for one night.
“I think things are about to get busy, so I’ll head out first.”
Madam Baek watched her retreating figure, her footsteps light and carefree as though she expected no answer.
“Why are you showing me such kindness?”
The question caught Geum Seolha by the ankle. She turned halfway around.
“Because you showed kindness first.”
For the first time, a gentle warmth touched the moonlit face of the child.
“I already told you. I know it was you who assigned a physician to Eunseol and arranged for her to be cared for in the central quarters instead of among the lower-ranking attendants in the Medical Hall.”
“…”
“I never forget what I receive, whether it’s kindness or hatred. I always repay it. So you can stop doubting me.”
Madam Baek froze at the sight of those eyes blazing like the sun. They reminded her of someone.
Young Master…
The child before her wore the same smile as that man.
Geum Seolha grinned.
“Besides, time will prove everything.”
She shrugged.
Madam Baek did not seem like the sort of person who would entrust everything to intangible trust alone.
“We’ll see each other again soon.”
With a casual wave, Geum Seolha turned and left.
Madam Baek remained standing there for a long time, staring blankly at the place where the child had disappeared.
When Geum Seolha safely returned to the Medical Hall, she found physicians and maids moving about in a frenzy.
“What… is going on?”
It was Eunseol’s room.
Geum Seolha immediately broke into a run. The moment she flung open the wooden door, she saw Yoo Eunseol lying there, her face deathly pale.
Her heart dropped.
“Eunseol?”
Staggering forward, Geum Seolha rushed to her side.
“…Young Miss.”
“Why is she like this?”
Her lips trembled.
“You said she would recover. You said she had already passed the critical stage.”
Her sharp gaze turned toward Yoo Wonkang.
“Explain.”
Confronted by her surging anger, Yoo Wonkang slowly closed and reopened his eyes.
“Everyone, leave.”
At his command, the busy attendants set down what they were carrying and withdrew.
His gaze fixed on Geum Seolha, who stood unmoving like a statue.
“I heard the child suffered from a chronic illness.”
“I know.”
“But it wasn’t a chronic illness.”
“…What?”
Geum Seolha froze.
Her eyes immediately turned to Ha Dowoon.
Do you know something?
But Ha Dowoon’s stiff expression was accompanied by a shake of his head. He knew nothing.
“What… do you mean by that?”
“It’s poison.”
“…”
“What appeared to be symptoms of a chronic illness were merely a disguise. Its true nature is poison.”
The old physician’s eyes held certainty. This was no flimsy speculation.
Realizing that, Geum Seolha gritted her teeth.
“What are you talking about? Are you saying what we believed was a chronic illness all this time was actually poison?”
“Yes. While her body was healthy enough to endure it, it may have appeared to be a well-managed chronic condition.”
“Then the reason she’s like this now…”
“Her weakened condition caused the symptoms of poisoning to progress rapidly.”
Geum Seolha staggered.
“Then what kind of poison is it? How do we cure it?”
She desperately pressed him for answers.
A shadow crossed Yoo Wonkang’s face.
“I’m sorry, Young Miss.”
“Physician Yoo.”
“With my abilities… maintaining her current state is the best I can do.”
“Maintaining her state… is the best?”
Geum Seolha instantly understood the implication.
“You mean the best outcome is for her to lie there and do nothing but breathe.”
The ground beneath her feet felt as though it were collapsing.
She stood there looking completely lost, like a child who had wandered too far from home.
Yoo Wonkang spoke again.
“The world is vast, Young Miss. There are physicians far greater than I.”
“…Ah.”
A faint sound escaped her lips.
“Right. That’s true.”
Her ragged breathing slowly steadied.
Even in the worst situations, there was always a solution.
I just need to find the Divine Physician.
The greatest healer in The Heavenly Martial Emperor.
The man who could supposedly save anyone whose breath had not yet completely ceased.
I have to meet him.
A new goal engraved itself into Geum Seolha’s heart.
“How long… can you keep her in this state?”
Yoo Wonkang checked Eunseol’s pulse once more.
Feeling the faint yet stubborn beat, he thought carefully.
“Three years. At the very least, she can hold on for three years.”
“Three years.”
Geum Seolha repeated the words.
Three years.
No matter what, she would make it possible.
Realizing from her reaction that she had no intention of giving up on Eunseol, Yoo Wonkang hurriedly got to work.
He inserted needles to stabilize her meridians and considered the ingredients needed for a tonic that would replenish her vitality.
Watching him with a blank expression, Geum Seolha turned her head.
“Dowoon. Come with me for a moment.”
Seeing the unusual look on her face, Ha Dowoon silently followed.
Thanks to spending the entire day moving around the Geumrin Merchant Group, it wasn’t difficult to find a deserted area.
“Young Miss!”
A hand grabbed her shoulder and spun her around.
Geum Seolha snapped back to reality.
“Are you all right?”
“Of course. I’m fine—”
Before she could finish, her vision blurred.
Though her face looked completely broken, as if she were about to burst into tears, not a single tear fell.
As though she believed she wasn’t allowed to cry.
She looked like a child trying desperately to pretend to be an adult.
Ha Dowoon reached out and pulled her into an embrace.
“What are you doing?”
Her voice was so small and fragile it was barely audible.
Recalling the way Eunseol used to act, Ha Dowoon awkwardly patted Geum Seolha’s back.
“This is not your fault, Young Miss.”
“I know that.”
“Wouldn’t Eunseol be furious if she saw you like this?”
“…About what?”
“You’re not eating properly. You’re not sleeping properly either.”
“…”
“She cared about you more than anyone.”
If she saw you suffering like this, she would probably be the one crying.
His gentle words finally broke through.
A sob escaped Geum Seolha’s lips.
“H-how is this not my fault?”
Eunseol had ended up like this because she protested on her behalf.
“It’s my fault.”
“No.”
Ha Dowoon firmly cut her off.
“If we follow that logic, then everything in this world would be your responsibility.”
The young miss was trying far too hard to become an adult.
“You may be angry. You may cry. But don’t blame yourself.”
If that kind-hearted girl were here, she would have comforted Geum Seolha in exactly this way.
Ha Dowoon gently patted her back as the tears finally burst free.
The wrong lay with those who committed evil acts.
There was no reason for her to bear that burden herself.
Better to cry until there was nothing left than to let the pain rot away inside.
Just as Ha Dowoon expected, Geum Seolha cried as though her breath might stop.
Yet the moment her tears ceased, she regained her composure more completely than ever before.
“Come with me somewhere, Dowoon.”
The girl who had once claimed she trusted no one glanced toward Eunseol’s room, where the latter still needed Yoo Wonkang’s care.
Then she looked at him.
“Where do you wish to go, Young Miss?”
The words that left Geum Seolha’s mouth next caused Ha Dowoon to freeze in place.
