At the gate of the Namgung Clan, the gatekeeper questioned them sternly. Seol Yeong responded with practiced ease.
“Lady Namgung Soyou has arrived. Please inform the clan head at once.”
“Hmm? Lady Soyou’s carriage, you say? Strange. She was supposed to return escorted by our clan’s guards. Why are there no escorts in sight?”
Even a casual listener could hear the suspicion in his tone. Seol Yeong cleared his throat loudly, raising his voice so that everyone around could hear.
“You’re asking where the Namgung Clan’s escorts went? I’ll tell you: they’re all dead! They were slain en route when assassins ambushed Lady Namgung Soyou!”
The dramatic announcement shocked not only the gatekeeper, but also passersby who stopped to stare at the old carriage parked outside the gate.
“Assassins? Did he say Namgung’s guards were wiped out by assassins?”
“Who could be inside that carriage to warrant such an escort?”
“I’m not sure… They said it’s Namgung’s daughter… Wait, did Namgung have a daughter?”
With an air of pride, Seol Yeong turned back to the gatekeeper and shouted.
“Well? If you understand, open the gate! Lady Soyou was wounded by an assassin’s blade. She needs treatment immediately!”
“A-all right! Calm down, I’ll go inform the young master right away!”
His racket got them through the gates easily enough, but Yeo Il, still seated quietly inside, found herself troubled.
They told us to wait… even after hearing she’d been ambushed?
Even if she was an illegitimate child, that wasn’t how one treated a daughter of a prestigious clan. And to report it to the young master, not the patriarch? It was clear how they viewed her.
Soon, the gatekeeper returned.
“Young master Namgung Jeokmyeong says to bring Lady Soyou inside.”
As the Namgung gates opened, Yeo Il gave a subtle nod. Chang-a, understanding the signal, held her hand tightly and stepped forward, her voice loud and clear.
“My lady is blind. Please, servants and guards of the Namgung Clan, refrain from making threatening noises!”
“Blind? Lady Namgung is blind?”
“Oh dear…”
With that, the crowd doubled. People whispered among themselves as they peeked at the carriage.
Stepping down carefully with Chang-a’s help, Yeo Il kept her eyes softly closed. Those who got a glimpse of her face gasped audibly.
“We’re on level ground, my lady. You may walk freely.”
“Thank you.”
Yeo Il smiled faintly at Chang-a’s words. The servant guiding them blushed deeply and lowered his head. Behind them, Seol Yeong muttered under his breath.
“So she’s blind too… We’re going to be the ones doing all the heavy lifting.”
He wasn’t wrong. The real Namgung Soyou had gone blind as an infant, something they hadn’t known until recently. Now, Yeo Il had no choice but to keep her eyes closed and rely on guidance.
“Sympathy is the easiest goodwill to earn. It’s not a bad thing.”
“Sure, my lady. Nothing’s ever bad for you.”
At that moment, an irritable voice sounded from up ahead.
“Did you say assassins?”
“Yes, young master. The guards escorting Lady Namgung Soyou were ambushed.”
“Ha! What a disgraceful death! Not some nameless vagabonds, but Namgung’s own warriors, taken out by mere assassins? Unbelievable. Who started this nonsense?”
A terrified servant pointed toward Soyou, who was walking calmly with her entourage.
A boy of about eighteen approached, glaring at her.
“Hey! I’m Namgung Huimyeong, third son and rightful heir of the Namgung Clan. Are you the so-called Namgung Soyou who was supposed to arrive yesterday? You’re claiming your delay was due to an assassination attempt?”
Namgung Huimyeong. The name rang familiar. Yeo Il recalled the information Chang-a had given her.
[The Namgung patriarch has three sons. The youngest, Namgung Huimyeong, is hot-headed and arrogant. He’s a nuisance—prideful, rude, and immature.]
The suspicion in his voice made it clear: this one would be trouble.
Yeo Il kept her mouth shut.
“Are you ignoring me? Why don’t you answer?”
Still silent.
“Are you deaf? I asked if your delay was due to an ambush!”
Still nothing.
“Damn it! Speak when spoken to, Namgung Soyou!”
He shouted right in her face and that was her cue. Yeo Il flinched dramatically and fell backward with a soft cry.
“Young lady! Are you all right?!”
“I’m fine, Chang-a. I was just startled.”
“My lady is blind and wounded! And this is how you treat her? Is this the Namgung way?!”
Chang-a’s voice rang out accusingly, and Huimyeong’s face turned bright red.
“What?! How dare a servant talk back to me! I didn’t even—”
Then a calm voice interrupted.
“What’s all this noise?”
A young man dressed just as finely as Huimyeong stepped between them.
He was slightly shorter, more composed, and reprimanded Huimyeong with a scolding click of the tongue.
“Little brother. Were you harassing Soyou? She’s our sister. You mustn’t treat her like that.”
“Come on, brother Chumyeong! I just asked a question and she fainted on me—”
“Then it’s good that’s all it was. But lower your voice. We can hear you from the gate.”
As Yeo Il rose to her feet, she mentally repeated the name: Namgung Chumyeong, second son of the clan.
[Of the three brothers, Chumyeong has the best reputation. Merchants speak highly of him—kind, wise, capable… a true gentleman.]
True to form, the first thing he said to Yeo Il wasn’t a greeting, it was concern.
“Are you all right, Soyou? …Wait, your arm. When did that happen?”
“Lady Soyou was injured during the assassin attack.”
“What?! Assassins? Good heavens, excuse me!”
Without hesitation, Chumyeong scooped her up in his arms. He tilted slightly—she was heavier than expected—but recovered quickly and began walking.
“Thank goodness the physician is here already. We’ll have that wound treated immediately. Huimyeong! Stop standing around and follow me!”
In his arms, Yeo Il asked softly.
“Thank you for your kindness… Are you perhaps Lord Namgung Chumyeong?”
“Yes, I’m your second brother, Chumyeong. I assumed you’d forgotten me after all these years… but you remember?”
Soon they reached a chamber. Throwing open the door with urgency, Chumyeong called out.
“Brother! Did you hear? Soyou was ambushed by assassins, she needs treatment immediately!”
The man sitting inside turned his head. He was tall, bright-eyed, with a commanding presence. He closed the book he had been reading and nodded slowly.
“Yes, I heard. Ha! Funny thing. I called for the physician because I couldn’t shake off last night’s drink. Seems my timing was perfect. And that lovely young woman is…?”
“This is Namgung Soyou. Brother, please drink less. It’s harming your health.”
“Bah, as if some wine could harm this body.”
Chumyeong helped Yeo Il into a chair. From beyond her closed eyelids, she heard a cool, almost indifferent voice.
“So you are Namgung Soyou, our fourth sibling.”
There was only one person in this household Chumyeong would call “brother.”
Namgung Jeokmyeong, the clan’s heir and acting patriarch.
At last, the three Namgung brothers had gathered and the false Namgung Soyou had entered the lion’s den.
