Inside the grand hall, I was forced to kneel while the whole clan watched from above.
The old man who’d summoned everyone at this ungodly hour stamped his foot in rage. Everyone else looked half-dead from being yanked out of bed, but he was brimming with energy, like a tiger that’d been slapped awake.
“Look at this! Just look at this disgrace! Is that even a human face anymore?!”
He grabbed his grandson’s jaw and shook it so hard I thought it’d pop off. The swollen mess of an eye couldn’t even open—looked more like a lump of half-kneaded clay than an actual face.
“Pfft.”
A laugh slipped out somewhere. The old man whipped his murderous glare that way, and whoever it was clammed up instantly.
“Elder Pae? Perhaps we should calm down first. We ought to hear both sides before jumping to conclusions. And… maybe let go of Gyeom’s jaw.”
Another elder tried to placate Moyong Pae.
Moyong Gyeom, his face already bloated beyond recognition, was still quivering with humiliation and rage. He tried to glare at me, but honestly, with his eyes that swollen, it was more of a guess.
So what. I sat there looking as clueless as I could.
Moyong Wi and Lady Eon had only just returned late at night, and they were still clearly bewildered by this whole sudden spectacle.
Finally, Moyong Wi spoke up, his face and voice tired.
“So, according to Elder Pae, Yeonhwa ambushed Gyeom from behind, slammed him to the ground, then beat him senseless with a wooden sword, resulting in… well, this serious injury. Is that what you’re saying?”
“Yes! How could a mere girl, just because she’s learned a little swordplay, dare to ambush her older cousin like this! This violates every rule of our clan—it’s no matter of affection or leniency. As Clan Head, you must punish this grave offense severely!”
Several elders nodded along. Probably the same types who’d sneered the moment they heard I was learning martial arts.
Honestly, I had thought on my way here—dragged by Hyangah muttering “it’s probably nothing”—that this was a bit of a mess.
Of course the moron who had to mouth off at me turned out to be the grandson of none other than this Moyong Pae.
Then again, like grandfather, like grandson. Hardly shocking.
Moyong Pae was frothing more than I’d expected.
“Even if times are changing, there is still order, still proper rank between men and women! I’ve said it again and again—this business of a girl learning the sword is absurd!”
Yeah, well. I was pretty sure his outrage was less about “order” and more about how I’d humiliated him so thoroughly that time I stood up for my master.
Moyong Muhyeok, the Young Master, looked ready to cut in but Moyong Wi subtly gestured for him to hold his tongue. Then he fixed me with a stern look.
“Moyong Yeonhwa. Is it true? Did you ambush your cousin Gyeom and assault him as Elder Pae describes?”
My mood soured immediately. Moyong Pae and his little dog had literally yanked the whiskers of a sleeping Black Ring Sect cat. And it was an annoyed cat.
I was tempted to get up and beat them both even more senseless. But. Even if my fists were usually quicker than my brain, I hadn’t survived long enough to become a sect master by relying on my fists alone.
Besides, with people like this, there was a medicine way stronger than fists.
***
Two hours earlier.
“Mo-yo-hwa… guh…!”
That’s what Moyong Gyeom slurred out, drooling and puffy, when Moyong Pae demanded to know who’d done this to him. Moyong Pae, of course, couldn’t make heads or tails of it.
His grandson finally gave up trying to speak and scribbled out “Moyong Yeonhwa” on a scrap of paper. His hands shook so badly the letters looked like worms having a seizure. Moyong Pae squinted, read it, and went speechless.
Clearly, the boy had been dropped on his head—drunken brawls were one thing, but now he was claiming he’d been beaten up by the clan’s most delicate girl?
Then again, Moyong Pae never had much hope for this grandson. He’d given up on the bastard years ago. So really, was it that bad if he was going to sacrifice the boy’s name a little more for something useful?
Because this was a golden opportunity. A perfect excuse to go after Moyong Wi’s precious only daughter. Sure, everyone would see it was a flimsy case. But scandals like this wore people down. Made them wonder.
“Why is there always some fuss with the clan under this Head?”
That’s why Moyong Pae and his cronies never missed a chance to nitpick. Add to that the personal grudge he held ever since I’d cut him off at that elder council, when he tried to mouth off at me while I was securing my master’s treatment.
‘If a few harsh words would change my mind, you think I’d be here? What joy is there in sitting around with a bunch of dried-up old men? Just teach me if you’re going to teach me, otherwise keep your dusty speeches for your bedroom walls.’
Yeah. He’d probably been waiting for payback ever since.
So here we were.
“She just sits there, silent—that’s as good as admitting guilt!” Moyong Pae crowed.
And finally, I opened my mouth.
“…I truly don’t understand…”
My voice was so soft you had to strain to catch it. When I slowly lifted my head, my big round eyes were brimming with tears.
“I’ve no idea why… why I’d ever beat my dear cousin so badly you can’t even recognize his face. I’m just… so terribly distressed…”
“…What.”
Moyong Pae actually stammered.
He remembered me spitting venom like a snake, glaring at him like a thug. What the hell was with this meek little wisp, sniffling and fluttering?
A fat teardrop slid down my flawless cheek. My fragile shoulders trembled.
Someone clucked their tongue. Sympathy was starting to creep in around the hall.
Even Moyong Pae could see that nobody really bought the idea I’d beaten Moyong Gyeom to a pulp. They were only here because it was easier than refusing the old bastard. And now that I’d started crying?
It was all over. You could practically hear the tide turn.
So Moyong Pae cleared his throat thunderously to break the mood.
“Have you ever known a guilty party to simply confess? Leaning on the power of being the Clan Head’s daughter, of course she’d deny ever striking her elder cousin! What else would you expect?!”
Moyong Cheon let out a mocking laugh.
“Maybe Gyeom dreamed it up while drunk? Yeonhwa’s always been such a gentle thing. Wasn’t it actually Gyeom who bullied her when they were little?”
Before Moyong Pae could bark back, one of his loyal lapdogs snapped.
“Aha! So this is revenge, then?”
“You honestly believe that’s how it went?”
And Moyong Ha, who never opened his mouth at these meetings, actually spoke up.
Everyone knew the Young Master’s brothers spoiled their little sister rotten. Of course they’d jump to my defense.
Moyong Pae scowled. “Quiet. Everyone knows you three dote on that girl. Your words mean nothing here—stay out of it.”
Right now, there were three types of people in this hall.
Those who were sure I could never have done it and wouldn’t let such underhanded attacks stand.
Those who figured I probably couldn’t have done it, but didn’t want to get dragged into a muddy family feud.
And finally, those who said: well, it doesn’t really add up, but let’s blame Moyong Yeonhwa anyway.
That last bunch were Moyong Pae’s cronies, all too happy to back him up. They’d resented Moyong Wi becoming Clan Head from the start.
“Would Elder Pae invent such a thing out of thin air? Even for the Clan Head’s daughter, we must thoroughly investigate and preserve order!”
“That’s right! No smoke without fire, as they say.”
“Truly, if children misbehave, it’s the parents’ fault…”
“The discipline of this clan—!”
“Oh, for heaven’s—!”
Moyong Pae paused dramatically, long enough for Moyong Wi to hear every spiteful whisper.
It was perfect. Even if it was obvious nonsense, the scandal alone was enough to make Moyong Wi look weak. And if I got a proper scolding out of it too? All the better.
I kept my head bowed low, looking every bit the delicate flower. With so many people muttering about it, it was only natural I’d seem distressed.
Moyong Pae lifted his chin, basking in it.
And that’s when Hyangah, standing anxiously by the door, suddenly rushed forward to support me. Like she thought I might collapse right there.
I nearly burst out laughing. Moyong Pae didn’t look amused either. Oh, if only all these people could’ve seen the way I’d barked him down that day.
“Honestly, wouldn’t she be better off joining a troupe of traveling clowns? The gall—talking down to me, then beating my grandson like this, and now playing the pitiful maiden? Disgusting.”
“Forgive me… I’m just so tired and dizzy…”
I offered my most feeble apology, dabbing sweat from my brow. The sleeve of my pale pink robe slipped down, showing off a slender wrist. When my face came back into view, fresh tears were falling again.
With dainty, uncalloused fingers, I dabbed at my eyes.
“It pains me so terribly… to be the cause of this tiresome ordeal at such an hour. If… if punishing me will settle this matter, then by all means, I’ll accept it.”
What the hell was with this syrupy tone?
Nobody seemed bothered by it except Moyong Pae. The rest of the hall finally began to openly push back. It was hard to see it as anything but harassing a helpless young lady.
“If she were guilty, would she speak so?”
“Exactly! To drag the whole clan here in the middle of the night just to badger a powerless girl—how shameful.”
“Really, Elder Pae. What is this even?”
“It’s obvious to anyone with eyes!”
The voices defending me spread like wildfire. It was easy to join in once the ball was rolling.
You bastards. Moyong Pae ground his teeth.
“Pull yourselves together!”
His voice, laced with inner force, boomed across the hall. His face went a blotchy red-blue.
“Gyeom may be my grandson, but he’s also one of this clan’s future pillars! How can you all be so blind, falling for the tears of a mere girl and ignoring the clan’s honor? She must be punished!”
Then Hyangah, sweet little Hyangah, piped up at the perfect moment.
“My lady has done absolutely nothing wrong!”
She was just a maid, but her shout rang through the hall with astonishing force. Everyone gaped at her.
One elder from Moyong Pae’s camp snarled. “How dare a servant speak at a clan council! Get that wench out of here!”
But Hyangah was undeterred. “What strength could my lady possibly have? Look at her! Her wrists so slender they might snap! She’s so frail I have to fetch her special light teacups!”
Bullshit, obviously. Total lies. Who trains in swordsmanship because they’re too weak to lift porcelain?
But the real kicker? Everyone actually looked moved, like they believed it.
I sat there limply holding Hyangah’s arm, looking like I barely had the energy. In truth, my grip probably had veins popping. Was I stopping her or egging her on? Hard to say.
Moyong Pae whipped his sleeve with a snarl.
“Stupid girl, speaking nonsense because you’ve never been educated—”
Then he faltered. Because if you looked close, you could see Hyangah give the tiniest nod.
She yelled, “Even if I’ve no learning, I know this much! My lady’s only been training a month—how could she ever manage to thrash Young Lord Gyeom like that?!”
…Honestly made me feel kind of twice as insulted.
“That’s only because it was a sneak attack—!”
“On someone who’s wielded a sword his whole life!”
“Get her out—!”
Several family stewards moved to drag Hyangah away. She shrieked, practically lying down and kicking her legs.
“How could my lady have beaten him so wretchedly, left him such a ruin! Ohhh, if you punish her to death I’ll hang myself right from the beam, become a ghost, and wail here every night! Waaaah!”
The door slammed behind them, her screams fading into the distance. Someone cleared their throat awkwardly. The whole hall rippled with uneasy murmurs.
Moyong Gyeom actually looked more stunned by Hyangah’s words than by the beating itself.
And Moyong Pae? Thoroughly humiliated.
“Ah… the devotion of servants is truly remarkable.”
“Not wrong though, is it? Everyone can see—Yeonhwa’s barely handled a sword. How could she have done this?”
Someone turned to Moyong Jegeom. “As her teacher, what do you say? Has she that kind of sword talent?”
The old master finally spoke, voice deep and grave.
“She’s only just begun internal cultivation. She has yet to learn anything that could truly be called swordsmanship.”
Everyone nodded. Of course. That was only reasonable.
Even Moyong Gyeom had been training since childhood under Elder Pae himself.
“A strange affair indeed. There’s one who was beaten, but no one who could’ve beaten him.”
“Did he just… get thrashed by ghosts?”
People started openly glancing at Moyong Pae, whispering like they were barely holding back laughter.
He clenched his fist. He wasn’t backing down now. He’d staked everything on this, even his grandson’s reputation. He needed at least some tiny punishment to save face.
“Don’t be fooled by tears! She’s a snake—she lured my grandson into a false sense of security and struck him down. That alone demands punishment!”
“Oh? And by what power did she do this? Yeonhwa’s perfectly fine—where’s your proof?”
Someone sounded utterly done with it. This endless farce was wearing thin.
One of Pae’s cronies tried again.
“He said it was a sneak attack! Of course there wouldn’t be traces!”
“Oh really. So if a five-year-old snuck up on you, you’d be this bruised?”
“What? Watch your mouth!”
“I was only using a comparison because your story’s nonsense! How about you watch yours?”
“Oh? Oh! ‘You,’ is it?”
“Still half-asleep, old man? When did I—”
“You said ‘you,’ you bastard!”
“What? Bastard? This bastard? You wanna say that again?”
“Nope!”
Fully awake now, the elders began breaking into outright shouting matches, splitting into sides. Truly high-class. ‘That bastard, this bastard, horse bastard, cow bastard’—I heard them all.
Right in the middle of that fine brawl, someone suddenly screamed.
“WITNESS!!!”
Silence. Moyong Gyeom, apparently shaken back to life, was the one who’d yelled.
Someone muttered blankly, “What? His neck’s stuck?”
“No, he said there’s a witness.”
“Oh. That.”
The elders started murmuring again. Moyong Pae swung his gaze to me—and froze.
Because I, who’d been delicately wiping tears all this time, was now blinking in awkward surprise.
His trained eyes read my lips perfectly.
‘Ah, fuck.’
