Chapter 8 …
‘Who is that girl?’
Earlier, just as he was about to be hit on the head, something had flown towards him.
It was like a light, or perhaps a barrier that wrapped around him.
The club that was swinging towards him was blocked by that barrier, unable to land a single blow.
And when he turned his head in surprise towards the direction it came from, he saw a girl looking at him.
“It felt like… she knew me.”
The face that looked at him with surprise. It seemed like she even knew his name.
But she was a child he didn’t know at all. Besides, why…
‘Why did I suddenly run away?’
When he came to his senses, he realized he had run all the way here to avoid her. And he had even used his ‘ability’ to do it. He couldn’t understand the reason.
What in the world…
“Huff.”
A sudden dizzy spell made his vision spin, and the boy braced himself against the wall.
But his body, which hadn’t eaten properly for days, had been beaten, and then pushed beyond its limits by using his ability, finally gave out.
San slumped down, leaning against the wall, and gritted his teeth.
He couldn’t afford to collapse here.
‘I have to go back…’
But his body had already lost all its strength. His consciousness continued to fade.
San’s eyelids slowly closed.
The Geumeo (禽牙) Fortress, located in the northern part of Garyeoguk, was quiet.
Just like the woman who currently protected this fortress, Woon-yeom.
Rustle. Rustle.
In the silence, only the occasional sound of pages turning filled the air.
Woon-yeom was a calm and quiet person by nature, and naturally, the atmosphere within the fortress had been subdued for the past few days, reflecting the temperament of its master.
It was usually much more bustling, but now, most of the family’s members were outside the fortress.
Her son, the heir to the family, had left to deal with a tragedy within the territory and the subjugation mission in the mountain range, and her husband and grandson had also left the fortress.
It felt a bit lonely, but Woon-yeom didn’t mind the quietness of the fortress now.
No, she actually liked it. It was still calm, just…
“L-Lady Woon-yeom!”
No, it had been calm until just now.
“I-I think you should come out and see!”
“…Hm?”
“The Family Head has just arrived!”
“Already?”
“But… he has a child with him!”
“…Hm?”
Woon-yeom tilted her head, wondering if she had misheard.
A child?
What child?
The flustered maid’s voice explained the situation outside.
“It’s a girl… I-I don’t know whose child she is, but the Family Head is treating her very affectionately…?”
“…A girl?”
Woon-yeom paused at the young maid’s report.
Finally, we’ve arrived at the Lord’s fortress!
As we got closer, I could see the fortress servants, who had come out to greet the Lord, standing in an orderly line at the entrance.
‘Wow.’
It was a scene straight out of a movie from my past life.
Everyone had dignified and solemn faces, standing in a neat line, waiting for the Lord.
As we approached, an elderly man standing at the very front stepped forward and bowed. Following him, all the others behind him also bowed their heads.
“You have returned, Family Head. We are glad to see you return safely.”
“Yes. Has everything been alright here?”
“Yes. There has been nothing out of the ordinary in the fortress. A few days ago, a letter requesting assistance arrived from Seolmugung, so the Elder and the Young Master have gone there.”
“I see. I’ll hear the details later.”
The elderly man, who seemed to be the butler, briefly relayed the news to the Lord and then stepped back.
Subsequently, the servants standing in an orderly line parted to the left and right, creating a path down the middle.
The Lord slowly urged his horse forward, and the soldiers behind followed him into the fortress.
“Ooh…”
Sitting in front of the Lord on the horse, I let out a sigh of admiration and glanced up at him.
“What’s with that look?”
“Nothing. It’s just impressive.”
“Suddenly?”
Seeing a scene that seemed like it could only be found in a movie, my eyes sparkled without me realizing it.
During the entire journey, all I saw was him yawning wearily and lying down haphazardly in the tent to sleep every night.
But seeing him receive the greetings of the fortress people so familiarly made him seem like a different person.
‘Seeing him like this, it really hits me that he’s an important person.’
I looked at the Lord, who was raising an eyebrow at me, and nodded contentedly.
‘As expected, the lifeline I’ve grabbed.’
Feeling reassured, I turned my head again and the magnificent exterior of the fortress filled my view.
The thick fortress walls, built of stacked rock, lacked the splendor of a palace but looked incredibly solid and safe.
Their appearance gave the impression that this place would be perfectly safe.
It gave me a sense of security similar to what I felt when looking at the Lord.
“So, what are your impressions of arriving at Geumeo Fortress?”
“The fortress really resembles its owner.”
“What?”
“Even its appearance is just like…”
I stopped mid-sentence as I was about to speak.
I had only just noticed the dozens of pairs of eyes directed at me.
“Eep.”
“Huh?”
The servants lined up on both sides were all staring at the Lord and me with wide eyes.
Facing so many gazes filled with confusion and curiosity, my only thought was…
‘I-It’s overwhelming…’
“Kid? Yeong-ah?”
Seeing me suddenly frozen solid, the Lord tapped my head a few times with one hand. Then,
“Gasp!”
“Oh my!”
“Good heavens…”
A series of soft, astonished exclamations rose from the surroundings. What’s with these reactions?
‘Seriously, it’s too much! Everyone, please stop focusing on me!’
Caught off guard by the excessive attention, I completely short-circuited.
Without thinking, I shrunk back and hid my face in the Lord’s embrace. From above, I heard a sound of, “Huh?”
Finally, the elderly man, unable to watch any longer, cautiously asked the Lord.
“And this young lady is…”
The Lord finally looked around and seemed to realize the reason.
“Ah, right. I forgot to introduce her.”
The horse slowly came to a stop. The Lord shifted slightly to reveal me to everyone.
“Say hello. She’s the child I’ll be raising from now on.”
“Gasp!”
“Oh my!”
“Good heavens…”
Then, just like before, soft exclamations of surprise erupted from all around. I rolled my eyes and opened my mouth.
“A-Annyeonghaseyo.” (Hello.)
“Gasp!”
“Oh my!”
“Good heavens…”
For some reason, the same exclamations seem to be repeating since a while ago.
The Lord ruffled my hair and said,
“Her name is Nanyeong. She’s ten years old. A bit small for her age, isn’t she? I haven’t been able to take proper care of her until now. Everyone, please look out for her from now on.”
Wait, something about this…
‘If you say it like that, it sounds strange, you know?’
He must be referring to the past few days we spent in the encampment, but his explanation was so concise that it somehow felt like it carried a different meaning.
The more the Lord introduced me, the more the servants’ eyes filled with confusion.
Everyone’s eyes busily shifted back and forth between the Lord and me, looking at us repeatedly.
The gazes directed at the Lord were gradually tinged with suspicion. It seemed like some kind of misunderstanding had arisen.
‘They all think I’m his secret hidden daughter or something!’
I could almost see the dramatic story of my and the Lord’s secret birth mystery blooming like clouds in people’s heads.
The butler grandfather, who had been looking at me with a confused expression, finally managed to speak.
“P-Pleased to meet you, Young Miss. I am Heo San, the steward in charge of managing the Seol Family household.”
Following him, just like before, all the other servants bowed their heads.
“Y-Yes! Hello! Please take care of me from now on!”
“Right, that should suffice for introductions, shouldn’t it?”
No. It doesn’t seem like it’s sufficient at all!
“Phew, that was exhausting…”
Somehow, after clearing up the misunderstanding, I came to the room the maids guided me to and lay down on the bed. A whole day had already passed, and the sun was setting outside.
“The Lord might be more oblivious than I thought.”
[That could be.]
“And the other people in the fortress…”
My first impression of the people of Geumeo Fortress could be summed up in three points.
First, they have vivid imaginations!
Second, they’re a bit overwhelming!
And the third was…
I wriggled and turned over, burrowing into the blankets.
‘But they all seem kind.’
I recalled the demeanor of the fortress people who had interacted with me.
“We’ll heat up bath water for you right away!”
“We need to find clothes that the Young Miss can wear…”
“You must be hungry after the long journey? A meal will be prepared soon, please wait a little!”
The maids who attended to me, the butler grandfather, and the servants I encountered all smiled kindly when our eyes met.
‘This is good, Duri. Everyone is smiling at me.’
[Well, it’s a relief that the people seem decent.]
At Cheonsugwan, no matter how much I made eye contact and smiled first, the priests never smiled back at me.
They only ever looked at me with cold, expressionless faces.
The only adult who smiled at me was Administrator Baek Ri.
‘…But turns out he was the worst of them all.’
When I first learned that all the kindness and warmth he showed me was fake, I can’t even describe how lonely I felt.
Remembering the faces of the people who smiled at me and spoke to me kindly earlier, a warm, fluffy feeling seemed to bloom in a corner of my heart.
[But, I’m not sure about that person.]
“Huh? Who?”
[Seol Doha’s mother. Woon-yeom.]
“Ahh…”
I nodded at Duri’s words.
Earlier, after entering the fortress, I had met Woon-yeom, the Lord’s mother.
‘She was a bit scary.’
Snow-white hair, a characteristic of the family, and a thin face that looked cold and aloof.
Woon-yeom’s face as she looked at me seemed to have no discernible expression.
That expression reminded me of the priests at Cheonsugwan who used to look at me, and I found myself getting nervous when greeting her.
‘After receiving my greeting, she just gave a slight nod and didn’t say a word.’
“Maybe she doesn’t like me?”
A child suddenly appearing at the fortress. And a child of unknown origin at that…
‘Hmm. That’s a possibility too.’
I nodded.
[By the way, isn’t he coming today?]
“Who?”
[Seol Doha.]
“Who knows. He’s probably busy, right? Since he just returned to the fortress.”
The Lord, who had gone with Woon-yeom to discuss work matters, seemed to be very busy. Usually, around this time, he would always come by to play silly pranks.
‘Maybe he won’t stick around like before.’
Even though I had gotten used to being around him for the past few days, I felt a tiny bit disappointed.
Before I knew it, it was late at night.
Doha and Tae-woo finally stepped out of the office well past midnight.
