It was a night so still, even the moon seemed to be holding its breath.
The stench of blood and burning wood stabbed at my nose. The Moyong clan was ablaze. The towering, magnificent halls that had once embodied the glory of the family meant nothing before the flames.
Amid the crumbling buildings and collapsing people, I stood looking down at a trembling woman.
“…Are you the youngest daughter?”
I asked coldly. The delicate woman—clearly someone who’d never suffered a day in her life—nodded in terror. Her large eyes were brimming with tears.
“There’s no one left to help you. Your parents and brothers are all dead.”
“……Please…”
“Blame the fact you were born here, and that you met me.”
I raised my sword, locking eyes with her.
Didn’t even give her time to beg for her life. I swung down without a shred of hesitation, severing her neck.
That was my past.
And, just as easily, it could be a future that hadn’t yet come.
Only now, I was Moyong Yeonhwa.
That woman whose head I cut down—who gave a faint, choking sound and then died in silence, unable even to close her eyes in that pool of dark red blood.
***
Ha. I felt disgustingly uneasy.
That was my very first thought when I opened my eyes.
I’d dreamed of that night the entire time I slept. Maybe this pretty, worthless body was finally growing familiar—because it felt like I’d spent the whole night endlessly killing myself.
My whole body ached. Had I tensed up even while sleeping? Just how weak was this body supposed to be? Everything felt uncomfortable—my mind, my flesh. The smell of ash kept stubbornly clinging to the inside of my nose.
There was only one answer.
Get stronger—fast—and get the hell out of here.
I threw off the covers and stood. Today was the day I’d start learning martial arts. When your head’s a mess, it was always best to move.
I had Hyangah fetch me some training clothes. They couldn’t quite give up on decorations, so there were still fancy embroideries all over, which annoyed me, but it was infinitely better than those cumbersome skirts.
The training ground would start its lessons at lat morning, so if I headed out now, I had plenty of time.
Though this wasn’t some outing, Hyangah insisted on stuffing me with snacks. She clearly didn’t believe I was serious about learning martial arts.
I didn’t bother wasting time arguing. I packed everything neatly. Honestly, it was a little exciting to finally move this body again.
But the closer I got to the training ground, the more…
“…What the fuck.”
I was pissed.
A swarm of brats.
It wasn’t an exaggeration to say the place was crawling with kids. They were all clutching wooden swords nearly half their size, darting around in every direction.
It seemed Moyong Muhyeok had been worried about me starting training today, because he was waiting off to one side. The moment he spotted me, he came hurrying over. I opened my mouth with an openly sour look.
“This…”
I couldn’t quite finish with “What the hell is all this?” but Moyong Muhyeok seemed to understand anyway. His expression turned awkward.
“That, well… Since you didn’t want to take on a personal master or learn from us, the only option was to start with the basics like this.”
So I was supposed to grab a wooden sword and learn alongside a bunch of runts who barely reached my waist.
By now, the kids had started openly staring at me in wide-eyed curiosity.
A sigh slipped out.
Seol Danhae… how the hell did you end up like this.
“…Maybe it’d be better to look for a teacher after all.”
“Yes, your brother thinks so too. I’ll speak with Father about it, so don’t worry. Then shall we wait until a master is arranged to begin training?”
“No. I’ll just push through until then.”
I picked up one of the wooden swords set out for me. It felt a bit foreign compared to real blades, but I liked how it settled into my hand.
And the moment I picked it up, those curious eyes grew even brighter.
“She’s gonna train with us!”
“But she’s an adult, right?”
“I heard Miss Yeonhwa doesn’t know how to use a sword at all.”
“Gasp—so we could beat her?”
Their nonsense—no, front-stabbing rather than backstabbing—kept echoing around me.
Don’t make me laugh, you tiny snot-nosed punks.
If you knew who I really was, you’d wet yourselves, snot and tears streaming everywhere.
I shamelessly held my sword and lined up behind the kids. Before long, a martial artist with a peppered beard appeared and stood sternly at the front. He shot me a startled glance but quickly regained his composure and looked around.
Moyong Muhyeok, who hadn’t yet left, wore a worried expression as he watched me.
I lifted my chin and stared straight ahead.
So what if I was learning among kids?
I gripped my stance with deadly seriousness.
This was neither shame nor anything else.
It was shameful.
“Me too! Miss, me too!”
“Yeah, right. You’re already soaked. Get lost. Life’s not so easy that everything goes the way you want—learn that now.”
“Hing… but I wanna…”
How… exactly did I end up like this?
“…Sigh. Fine. Last one.”
I grabbed the tearful kid and chucked him right into the pond.
Laughter rang through the air, bright and clear. As he splashed down, the others who’d already been thrown in laughed along.
Turns out these were kids with a bit of martial training—they didn’t flail helplessly in the water. Some floundered for a moment, but in the end, they all enjoyed it.
Meanwhile, my arms felt like they were going to fall off.
The brats had no clue about my agony and just kept lining up for more. Some even snuck back into line after already being thrown, so no matter how many I tossed, the line never got shorter.
How had this happened?
After training, I’d tossed the snacks Hyangah packed to the kids. While sharing them, they’d gotten it into their heads to start showing off.
If they’d stuck to arm wrestling or something, it would’ve been fine. But somehow, their curious eyes ended up on me.
Wiping oil from my fingers on my sleeve, I’d muttered,
“I’m an adult. Of course I’m stronger than you lot.”
The kids weren’t easily convinced.
They kept pestering me—How strong? How strong exactly?—some even giving me suspicious looks. Someone even muttered, But they said girls aren’t strong…
Had they never heard of Seol Danhae? Damn little punks.
Still, it was ridiculous to start bragging to a bunch of snot-dribbling kids about what a great martial artist I’d once been.
So I held it in and said,
“Even without martial arts, I could toss all of you into that pond. Don’t push it.”
Why had I said that?
Why?
I only threw one brat, just to prove a point, but instead of being scared, they got stars in their eyes and all lined up.
And I—weak against kids whining or crying—couldn’t just leave.
Everyone else only stood by, whispering and watching. Not a single person stepped in to help. Heartless bastards.
Then, finally, someone delivered the most beautiful words.
“Um, my lady… The young lord is looking for you.”
Turned out to be one of the clueless attendants who always followed Moyong Muhyeok.
Thank you! Thank you, Moyong Muhyeok!
Say something embarrassingly mushy today, I’ll forgive it all!
I nodded fiercely, shoved through the cloud of kids, and didn’t forget to growl,
“Heard that? Only the ones who can beat the young lord should dare stand in my way.”
Hearing Moyong Muhyeok’s name, the kids finally drooped.
Then they just waved, saying we should play again tomorrow.
Play my ass. What did they think I was—their friend? Damn it, I should just…
Rubbing my heavy shoulders, I walked off. The servant trailed two steps behind, glancing nervously at me.
The way he moved screamed clueless and timid.
“Where’s my brother?”
When I asked, the boy hesitated, then admitted,
“Um… Actually, I made it up. I could tell playing with the children was… exhausting. I have a lot of younger siblings myself.”
He gave me a sheepish smile. I stared him down until he ducked his head.
So basically—he’d saved me.
Receiving kindness was something I never took lightly.
“Thanks. Here.”
It was too small to be called a reward, but I handed him one of the leftover pastries Hyangah had packed.
“It’s cold but not hard yet. Still good.”
He fidgeted, then finally took it after I held it out again, bowing low.
Perfect. I’d gratefully received the kindness—and repaid it. That was plenty righteous of me.
“What was your name again?”
“M-me? I’m… uh, Sahyeon…”
Sahyeon.
Probably wouldn’t remember, but I repeated it silently anyway.
“Alright, Sahyeon. I’ve repaid the debt. Now go handle your business. I’ll walk alone from here.”
“Y-yes.”
I roughly tied back my messy hair and shuffled toward my quarters.
Then a fantastic idea struck, and I spun around.
“Hey, Sayun!”
“It’s Sahyeon…”
“Yun, Hyeon, whatever. If you see me stuck like that again, come up with an excuse to get me out. Actually, just come watch whenever I’m training. I’ll clear it with your master.”
The sudden order left him flustered, but he finally nodded.
Maybe I should swap one of my current attendants for him.
A bit dim, easy to trick—would make slipping out a lot simpler.
When I finally stumbled back into my quarters, Hyangah shrieked that I looked like a puppy rolling in dirt.
Calling your master a dog, seriously…
Hyangah scrubbed me down like I really was a dog, then dressed me.
When I complained it wasn’t nightwear, she flatly said,
“You still have to eat! And take your medicine. Come on—everyone’s waiting in the garden.”
…This family seriously needed to learn how to cut the cord from Moyong Yeonhwa.
My consciousness kept drifting.
I was hungry, sleepy, and now that night had fallen, even cold. Honestly, the Beggar’s Union lived better than this.
“Oh my, look at Ahwa—she’s dozing off.”
“She must be very tired. It was her first day of training, after all.”
“I heard from Sahyeon that all the children pestered her to play.”
“She never used to like kids much. The children were always a bit afraid of her.”
“Mother… you don’t suppose it’s because Ahwa’s already old enough for marriage? Just thinking of it makes me sad.”
I could hear them whispering nonsense, but didn’t have the energy to lift even a finger to stop them.
Ugh. Shut up and eat. I’m not asleep…
Then I felt something slip from my hand and jerked awake.
I was left holding a single chopstick. Moyong Ha had caught the other just before it hit the ground and placed it back in my hand.
Moyong Wi asked, voice full of worry,
“Are you alright, Ahwa?”
I nodded… or I thought I did, but my head dropped, and I startled awake again.
No good.
In the end, I turned away from the beautiful, oil-rich feast and stood.
“I’m too tired. Sleep needs to come first, so I’ll excuse myself.”
I gave a rough nod and staggered off.
I nearly collapsed a few times, only saved by Moyong Cheon, who’d apparently followed. When had he even come?
That was the last I remembered.
I didn’t recall making it back to my quarters, but when I woke, it was sunrise. Unlike the fitful dreams from nights before, I’d slept so deeply not even a dream had come. My body still ached, but my mood was surprisingly good.
Even this pitiful body would toughen up soon enough—then I wouldn’t be so tired I couldn’t even hold chopsticks.
Still, skipping dinner left me starving.
It seemed wrong to wake Hyangah. Maybe I’d just poke around the kitchen.
I sat up—and spotted a pile on the table.
On top of the cloth covering it was a letter.
The clan head, madam, and young masters left this for you in case you woke up hungry. Please eat, and take your medicine. Please!
I lifted the cloth.
All kinds of fruit, a few big dumplings, some vegetable soup.
There was also cold medicine with candy, and a plate with three confections. Must be from those twins. Maybe the fruit was from Moyong Muhyeok, the dumplings from Moyong Wi, the soup from Lady Eon.
The sun was just starting to brighten the world.
Alone in the silence, I slowly picked up a dumpling and bit in.
It was stuffed with meat. Even cold, it was delicious.
I’d been so hungry—this was perfect.
Perfect, but… I only managed a few bites before setting it back down.
I was used to taking other people’s food.
So why did it feel like this?
If the real Moyong Yeonhwa were here, she probably wouldn’t have felt anything at all.
