The server boy sprinted over, clearly trying hard to suppress the jittery panic in his face. He leaned in and whispered to Moyong Sohae.
“My Lady. A young lord in green robes has arrived. He’s wearing a waistbelt with the Dang Clan emblem.”
Moyong Sohae furrowed her brow slightly and muttered, “I didn’t see him come in.”
“Pardon? Ah… He must’ve came in on foot. Maybe you just missed him?”
“Was he with anyone else?”
“He had two women with him, but they seemed to have stepped out for a bit. Shall I guide you to him?”
“I’ll give him a moment. Just tell me where he is.”
Not only had he asked for her as soon as he arrived, now he was just waiting by the window—but now she was putting off going to him? The server boy couldn’t make sense of this young lady’s whims.
But really, why should he? All he needed to do was collect his promised coin. He pressed his hands together, looking hopeful. No hint of shame crossed his face, not even wondering if he seemed servile.
Moyong Sohae didn’t bother to hide her condescending gaze, but she still handed him the promised silver. The server boy lit up instantly, bowed repeatedly, and pointed her to the far right corner of the third floor before scurrying off.
If what he said was true and Moyong Yeonhwa and the Young Lady of the Dang Clan had stepped out, all the better. She hadn’t seen Dang Iheon since the chaos the other night.
She couldn’t shake the feeling that Dang Iheon had sniffed out at least part of her schemes. Even if she had to pin everything on her grandfather, Moyong Sohae needed to assert her own innocence.
The image of his green robes draped across Moyong Yeonhwa’s shoulders still flickered in her mind. She washed away the fresh wave of anger with a few sips of tea and slowly rose to her feet.
Her movements were so graceful, the stairs barely creaked as she ascended.
Compared to the second floor, the third was nearly empty. She headed to the far right corner and slowly drew back the curtain.
* * *
As soon as he saw me, Dang Iheon greeted me with a gentle smile. That damned smile of his, like he was so pure.
“Yeonhwa. The trip wasn’t too rough, was it?”
“Oh, not at all. It was actually a nice change of pace. Young Lady Dang, how have you been?”
“Wonderful. Exploring Liaoning has been surprisingly fun. If there’s anywhere you like, take me there sometime.”
I was just about to sit and exchange greetings when I heard footsteps. We’d picked the far corner on purpose, so if someone was heading this way, it was definitely for us.
Sure enough, the curtain lifted. And there was a familiar face.
“It’s you.”
I muttered, and the man pulling back the curtain grinned.
“Oh, my goodness! I was so shocked when I heard you were here. I wasn’t prepared at all! Please forgive the lack of welcome.”
It was Chae Yeop, the owner of Hwaan Tea House, where that auction was previously held.
That’s right. I’d changed the meeting location last minute to the Hwaan Tea House. My carriage still went to Cheongo Tea House, of course.
In case someone was watching the carriage, I’d grabbed Hyangah and leapt out mid-ride. Then bolted toward a second carriage I’d arranged earlier, using light footwork. Hyangah, hanging from my back, had muttered in a dazed voice:
‘…Should’ve learned martial arts. Damn.’
I wonder if Sohae’s figured it out by now? Too bad I didn’t get to see her face when it happened. Oh well.
Even if none of this went as planned, pissing off Sohae alone was worth the price of admission. Hyangah was wrong—I am not a generous person.
While I smiled quietly to myself, Chae Yeop made his rounds greeting the Dang siblings. They’d all attended the auction, so they knew each other.
I asked him, “So, how’s business?”
“Oh, thanks to you, some very fine guests drop by now and then. I’m scraping by.”
“Right. You only make real money when the rich bastards show up. Pebbles don’t pile into mountains—they’re still just pebbles.”
“Exactly, exactly.”
Honestly, Chae Yeop looked a lot healthier than last time. His eyes were bright and his skin had a shiny glow. Must be making more than just “scraping by.”
Then, lowering his voice slightly, he added, “More people coming means more stories floating in. If there’s anything I can help with, just say the word.”
Tea house owners like him often moonlight as information brokers. Even the infamous Haomun, who trade in rumors, are just merchants at the core. Where there are people, there are whispers.
Maybe I’ll make use of Chae Yeop someday.
But now wasn’t the time for secret chatter—we had guests.
“Let’s catch up later. First, I’m starving.”
“Oh, apologies for taking up your precious time. Since our most treasured guests have arrived, we’ll serve you only the finest today.”
“Let’s see what the Hwaan kitchen’s made of, then!”
Chae Yeop nodded confidently and strode off. As the first round of tea came out, Dang Choye smiled.
“I knew I wasn’t wrong about you. Chae Yeop can’t even breathe properly when Young Lady Moyong’s around.”
“That’s just because I carry the Moyong name. Nothing to do with charm.”
I waved it off, and she laughed heartily. So much more cheerful than she first seemed. Oddly, I found myself liking this moment—just the three of us sitting here like this.
No—more than that. It actually felt good.
In my last life, I never had a friend I could truly open up to. Now, I almost regretted it.
Then Dang Choye suddenly dropped her voice and asked cautiously, “So… I heard a little from Iheon. That there was some… unpleasantness within your clan.”
Just recalling it made Dang Iheon’s face stiffen.
“Sister. That was clearly someone trying to smear Yeonhwa. Utter baseless nonsense.”
“I know. I just worried if my future sister-in-law might’ve been hurt by it.”
She snapped, side-eying her brother. I could tell she meant well. But being treated like I was already part of the family made it hard to just smile and nod.
Better to steer the topic elsewhere.
Thankfully, food began to arrive in waves. Chae Yeop hadn’t been bluffing—each dish looked so good, the table legs practically groaned.
“Well, I’m handling it just fine. Wasn’t even that concerned to begin with. Let’s set those worries aside and eat. This all looks delicious. Seems like Chae Yeop really went all out.”
I blabbed on purpose, trying to shift the focus to the meal. It worked. Dang Choye smiled and picked up her chopsticks. Though she added one more thing:
“I also included a note about you in my letter to Sichuan. Told them you were a kind, exemplary young lady. So don’t worry about anything on that front.”
“…I see.”
Kind and exemplary, my ass. I’m very sorry that such premium lies made their way all the way to Sichuan…
I buried my face in the plate of steaming roast duck and stir-fried pork intestines.
Thankfully, the topic didn’t circle back. Sometimes they brought up old childhood stories I didn’t know, and I just nodded along. But most of it was about recent happenings in the Martial World—and I really enjoyed that.
Even after the meal, over tea and sweets, the chatter kept flowing. Dang Choye smiled warmly.
“A friend you can talk with is worth more than gold. Which means I’m now the richest woman in Sichuan.”
Then she added, “I felt terrible after our last meal. I acted out of anger and made things awkward. She is your cousin after all…”
“Oh, about Sohae? Don’t even worry about it.”
“Honestly, I’ve never liked her. Even now, I don’t think what I said was wrong. I just feel bad it hurt you. Please don’t scold me for talking behind her back.”
She reminded me a bit of Hyangah, all grown up and trying to be proper. I couldn’t help but laugh.
“Oh—sorry. It’s just… my maid, who I think of as a friend, said the same thing once. That just came to mind.”
“Seems she’s a good judge of character.”
“I guess so. Actually, there was this one time…”
That led me to tell the story of the tangerines. I still wasn’t sure if Sohae really sent those to provoke me like Hyangah said.
I laughed as I said, “She was going to feed them to the pigs, but I stopped her. It wasn’t the fruit’s fault.”
But Dang Choye’s face immediately went cold. So did Dang Iheon’s. And that made my smile slowly fade, too.
Wait. Did I say something weird? Do I sound like someone who eats pig slop…?
Then Dang Choye cleared her throat gently.
“Honestly, Young Lady Yeonhwa… You’re just too… pure. I mean that as a compliment, but there are bad people who’ll use that against you.”
“Pure? Me?”
Excuse me?
Then Dang Iheon cautiously added, “It’s like… you take what people say a little too literally, maybe…?”
“Oh, you mean I’m oblivious.”
They both fell awkwardly silent for a moment, like they’d stepped into quicksand. Then Dang Choye sighed and nodded.
“Still, you need to learn to spot when someone means to hurt you. People wield their tongues more than their swords.”
“Mmm…”
“If there’s weight behind a comment, you should catch it. And know how to deliver words with your own weight, too.”
Hyangah, Sahyeon, these two… they all say the same thing. Maybe I really am that oblivious. But what really puzzles me is—
“I feel like I could learn to spot it with practice… but do I really have to respond the same way? Wouldn’t it be simpler to just break their bones instead?”
I held up a solid fist.
“People have a surprising number of bones, you know.”
If they’ve got that many bones to spare for their words, I’ll break a few. Then we’ll talk real fast.
Dang Iheon’s face paled slightly. Dang Choye, thinking I was joking, laughed.
“Well, sure, that would be ideal. But refined young ladies fight in shadows. Their bodies stay upright and elegant, but they go to war behind the scenes.”
“That sounds hard.”
I sighed deeply, and suddenly Dang Choye’s eyes lit up.
“I’ll teach you. How about it?”
I barely had time for swordsmanship, let alone this crap… but since I still had time left in the Moyong Clan, who knew what could happen.
“No harm in learning.”
I rose from my seat and offered a polite fist salute.
* * *
At the same time, Moyong Sohae was clenching her jaw so hard her head ached. Her blood surged with fury.
But she couldn’t lash out—not yet. She just kept imagining herself slapping the man in front of her. Over and over and over again.
“Would you care for more tea?”
The man asked smoothly. Sohae glared at his sharp features and shook her head.
“I’ve had more than enough. If you’re just going to play games, stop. Young Lord Dang Ri.”
She had no choice but to endure. The bastard was Dang Iheon’s sixth cousin—Dang Ri. He’d followed Iheon the whole trip!
Yet somehow, when she’d pulled back the curtain, it was just Dang Ri sitting there. He’d looked at her with a strange expression and asked:
‘Were you looking for my cousin?’
Sohae had been speechless. Where the hell was Dang Iheon? Why was this bastard here instead? Were those women real? Did the server lie?
Swallowing her questions, she’d forced a smile.
‘Oh… I just heard someone from the Dang Clan was here. Thought I’d check… sorry for the interruption.’
She’d tried to leave. But then, unexpectedly, Dang Ri had set down his teacup and stopped her.
‘My cousin had urgent business. Told me to wait here. I was terribly bored—would you keep me company until he returns?’
She hadn’t had the heart to reject him outright. That had been a whole hour ago.
Now her patience was threadbare. Worse yet, he barely spoke. Every time she shifted to leave, he’d throw out a few half-hearted words to stall her.
“I don’t think your cousin’s coming. I’ll be going now.”
She stood abruptly and yanked the curtain aside. Time to check if Moyong Yeonhwa’s carriage was still here.
But then Dang Ri, who’d been calm the whole time, suddenly grabbed her wrist.
The jolt made her body lurch, the table rattled, and a loud clatter rang out.
Dang Ri spoke—not quietly.
“You came to see me first. If you leave like this… I’ll be very disappointed.”
It sounded more loaded than it should’ve.
The noise and tension drew glances. A few people turned to stare—and quickly looked away, like they’d seen something indecent.
Moyong Sohae’s face drained of all color.
She didn’t need to hear a single word to know exactly what they’d be whispering next.
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