The Moyong Clan’s precious youngest daughter.
That fact alone meant nearly everyone in this estate treated me with unprompted kindness, and all sorts of special privileges fell into my lap as if by birthright. Even though, in a Martial Arts Clan, someone who hadn’t learned any martial arts was basically dead weight.
The clearest proof was that Moyong Jegeom—who normally refused to take on disciples and preferred seclusion—was my personal teacher.
And the second proof was the way, whenever I roamed around the clan grounds, warm smiles and greetings would float naturally toward me.
It took quite a while for me, who’d been more accustomed to daggers and throwing knives flying at my head, to get used to this kind of baseless goodwill.
But today, on my way out after greeting my teacher, something felt off. Normally, servant girls would wander around in twos or threes, gossiping together, but now, whenever our eyes met, they gave me hurried little bows and practically scampered away.
“What the hell?”
Were they… talking shit about me?
Well, everyone talks shit when no one’s watching, even about the king. Why not me? But then, remembering the note tied to that damn arrow yesterday, it left a weird taste in my mouth.
What exactly was this mysterious bastard’s “deceit” that they claimed to know?
Did these people somehow already know what it was?
But even if they learned I was actually Seol Danhae, who would believe it? Besides, if any rumor like that had truly spread, Moyong Wi or Moyong Muhyeok would’ve hauled me in for questioning long ago.
Still stuck with that unsettling suspicion, I stepped into my quarters.
Hyangah ran right up to me.
“You’re not planning to go to afternoon training today, are you, my lady?”
“Eh? Of course I am. Even if it rains or snows, nothing stops me.”
“No. I’M going to stop you today!”
“…Why?”
I blinked at her in confusion. Hyangah burst out,
“My lady, did you forget you’re having dinner tonight with Young Lady Dang and Young Lord Dang? If you go off to train, there won’t be enough time to get you ready afterward!”
Ah, that… Honestly, I’d kind of forgotten. But I answered shamelessly.
“Why fuss over that? It’s just dinner. As long as I’m not stark naked, it’s fine.”
“Heavens, my lady! What are you saying? Young Lady Dang is your future sister-in-law! Of course it’s good to make a nice impression!”
That shut me up for a second. I couldn’t exactly spill that I’d already agreed to break off the engagement with Dang Iheon, so I just flapped a hand dismissively.
“Nah. Young Lady Dang’s actually super sweet. She won’t care if I don’t doll up. If it’ll really bother you, I could… come back from training a bit earlier—”
“Absolutely not! You’d still come back when the sun is already sinking, wouldn’t you? If you want to leave, my lady, you’ll have to step over my dead body.”
…Honestly, Hyangah probably would’ve made an excellent gatekeeper.
After a long, petty back-and-forth, I finally admitted defeat.
I agreed to skip afternoon training—just for today—on the strict condition that she’d never try to stop me again for any reason.
Hyangah fussed over me with a deeply satisfied look the entire time.
“It’s best to dress simply, my lady. But if you wear that soft, light yellow skirt, it’ll make you look youthful and pure!”
“…Sure…”
Do whatever you want…
Dinner was set to be held in the back garden. Hyangah mentioned there were these lanterns someone had gifted us, made to look like plum blossoms, and said they’d look stunning all lit up.
Dang Choye wore an outfit that looked even more relaxed than last time.
It still subtly showed she was of the Dang Clan—her light green top and deep moss skirt were embroidered in silver thread with bamboo and clouds. Considering most women’s clothes were decorated with flowers or butterflies, it was a uniquely her kind of choice.
Of course, I had no right to comment on Dang Choye’s odd taste. I was only wearing what Hyangah had shoved me into.
“Thank you for agreeing to this on such short notice. We’d already been all around town, so I thought—if we’re going to meet up, why not sooner rather than later? So I forced this guy to help me set it up.”
Ah, and this was a gift. Dang Choye grinned wide as she handed me a box nearly as big as both my hands together. It was polished lacquer, glossy even from the side—obviously expensive. Jewelry, maybe…? Whatever it was, it had to be something precious.
I couldn’t help but secretly hope it’d be worth selling for a good chunk of money as I opened it.
Click.
The second I saw what was inside… my chest tightened.
“Restoration pellets?”
“They won’t be as potent as ones specially refined by major clans or sects, but they help purge toxins and refine inner energy. Honestly, they’re not that rare, so it’s embarrassing. Still, I heard you’ve been pouring yourself into martial training lately, so I thought this might help, even a little.”
I stared down at the softly fragrant pills for a moment, then asked Dang Choye in all seriousness,
“So… is this your way of proposing marriage?”
“…Huh?”
“Giving someone a gift this nice—doesn’t that basically mean you want to marry them?”
Ever since that arrow incident, there’d been a constant uneasy weight in my gut, but it suddenly vanished all at once.
This was the first time I’d ever received a gift so perfectly tailored to me!
Dang Choye’s eyes went wide. Then she burst into loud, carefree laughter without even trying to hide it. Even normally stiff Dang Iheon cracked up.
Honestly, I was half-serious, but I ended up laughing too. It really was the first time anyone had given me something so thoughtful. Who cares about dresses or jewelry—those weren’t my thing anyway.
After a while, Dang Choye waved her hand, still chuckling.
“If you weren’t already set to marry Iheon, I really would have proposed. How do you manage to say things in such a hilarious way? If we were family, I bet life would never be boring.”
…Crap. My conscience twinged, what little of it I had.
I awkwardly looked away and tried to smile. Then I glanced sidelong at Dang Iheon, but the bastard was pointedly staring off in another direction.
So I blurted the first thing that came to mind.
“People do tell me that sometimes.”
Of course, the only person who’d ever actually said that to me was Sahyeon. I’d thought he just had a weird sense of humor and was too easily amused, but apparently Dang Choye was the same. Every time I opened my mouth, she laughed like it was the best thing in the world.
I’d never met anyone who reacted so enthusiastically to every little thing I said. It left me weirdly off-balance.
At the same time… it was kind of fun. Did I have a hidden talent for clowning? I was discovering a lot of unexpected skills in this life.
Dang Iheon looked slightly puzzled by his sister’s unrestrained delight, then spoke, sounding faintly pleased.
“My sister’s talked about you quite a bit, Moyong Yeonhwa. She said you seemed bold and good-hearted—someone she genuinely wanted to grow close to.”
Dang Choye smiled and added,
“I’m mostly stuck in Sichuan’s main city, so I don’t have many friends. With my personality, there aren’t many I can completely open up to. Then I met Moyong Lady exactly as I’d always dreamed and just fell for you at first sight.”
Honestly, I didn’t understand that at all. If you were going to make friends, shouldn’t it obviously be someone this spirited and generous?
I spoke from the heart.
“That makes no sense. Anyone can see you’re wonderful. If it were me, I’d have claimed you as my best friend right away—slung on a pack, and we’d have spent our lives roaming the Martial World together.”
Of course, that cracked Dang Choye up again. She even clapped Dang Iheon on the shoulder, saying it like she was teasing.
“Looks like I’ve stolen your future wife, little brother.”
“Won’t that trouble Lady Moyong? Please stop.”
Dang Iheon snuck a glance at me and sighed. He was completely helpless in front of his sister—like a little kid.
The chatter didn’t stop until the table was packed tight with dishes. Dang Choye was lively and claimed she didn’t have many friends, yet she was shockingly well-versed in Martial World gossip.
Who in which sect was currently considered the top young prodigy, when the next Martial Tournament would be held—she even had stories about how some sword master’s second concubine turned out to be a spy from another sect and wrecked his life.
She spoke so colorfully it was fun just to listen. Enough that I nearly forgot someone had tried to shoot me with an arrow yesterday.
“I love hearing news from outside. Some sneer that it’s improper, but if I’m fated to be stuck inside and married off somewhere, my ears might as well be wide open to keep life interesting.”
“…Ah.”
I’d briefly forgotten, thanks to how bright she was. Dang Choye was from the Sichuan Dang Clan. Women born into that clan were strictly managed, forbidden from learning the Dang Clan’s martial arts, and not even allowed to marry into other martial families—measures to keep secrets and hidden weapons from leaking out.
For the same reason, any woman who married into the Sichuan Dang Clan was required to live there for life. Even if divorced, she could never leave.
To stay that bright under all that—Dang Choye was truly something.
“If it were me, I’d have run off ages ago. You’re incredible, Young Lady Dang.”
“Oh, I’ve thought about it plenty of times. But stepping out alone, with nowhere to go and no clue what to do—it was too daunting.”
“….”
“They say if you keep a donkey tied up too long, even if you untie it, it’ll just stand there.”
Comparing herself to a donkey seemed too cruel. I wasn’t normally the type to feel pity, but for some reason, I wanted to reach out and grab her hand.
Come to think of it, in my last life, hadn’t I been just another donkey tied up by the unorthodox sects?
“Someone could always come along and pull you into an adventure.”
“Just the thought makes me giddy.”
Dang Choye laughed as she started eating. Compared to Sichuan’s spicy, pungent dishes, these must have tasted bland, yet she didn’t complain once.
Dinner was going warmly when a commotion flared up in the distance. Footsteps rushed toward us.
It was Hyangah—specifically, the sound of her trying to stop Moyong Sohae from barging in. Of course, Moyong Sohae was every bit a noble daughter of a famed clan, so her own steps were perfectly silent.
She glided up in a white silk dress embroidered with golden lotuses, looking almost like a fairy. The moment her eyes met Dang Choye’s, she lit up like she’d run into an old friend.
“Young Lady Choye! I couldn’t hold myself back when I heard you were here. It brings me such joy to see you visiting the Moyong Clan.”
This wasn’t some common dining hall for random visitors—crashing an intimate dinner uninvited was beyond rude. Even the bastards from unorthodox sects knew better.
But seeing Moyong Sohae’s radiant face, it almost seemed plausible someone could be that thrilled.
The Dang siblings looked slightly unimpressed. After all, right now Moyong Sohae was the uninvited intruder.
Dang Choye calmly dabbed her lips and said,
“I was so eager to see Lady Yeonhwa that I completely forgot about you, Lady Sohae. It’s a pity—we’d have loved to have you join us, but the meal was only prepared for three.”
I was a bit taken aback. As if this massive Moyong estate could ever actually run out of food!
I heard a tiny snort. Glancing back, I caught Hyangah standing there with the most innocent face in the world.
Moyong Sohae looked briefly flustered. But almost immediately, she recovered and flashed another dazzling smile.
“Oh, I only came rushing over because I missed you so, sister. I’ve already eaten. But wouldn’t it be alright if I simply sat with you all for some pleasant conversation?”
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