The first time Moyong Sohae met Dang Iheon was when he came to visit Liaoning Province after growing close to Moyong Yeonhwa. At the time, he was just making his debut in the Martial World. Still young, just barely stepping out of boyhood and into manhood.
Until then, the only man Sohae had ever observed up close was Moyong Gyeom. Maybe that’s why she’d never felt even a flicker of interest in the opposite sex.
But the moment she saw Dang Iheon, she fell. Hard. There was nothing light or frivolous about him—his kindness didn’t grate, and his seriousness didn’t suffocate. That balance showed in every glance, every subtle gesture.
‘…If it’s him, I think I could marry him.’
That thought struck her for the first time in her life.
But it wasn’t long before the betrothal agreement was finalized between Dang Iheon and Moyong Yeonhwa. Sohae had run straight to him. He’d been preparing to return to the Sichuan Dang Clan, and in her haste, she’d stumbled and fallen right in front of him.
Dang Iheon had rushed over and reached out his hand. She could still remember the warmth of it.
‘Are you… are you really going to marry Sister Yeonhwa?’
‘…Most likely, yes.’
He’d looked a little uncomfortable. But in that vague answer, Sohae had caught the slimmest—but unmistakable—glimmer of hope.
Maybe she had a chance. Once Moyong Pae had the Moyong Clan in his hands, she’d be just as good as Yeonhwa in every way.
But—
“…Y-Young Lord, I… I’m just not feeling well, that’s all…! That’s why I—!”
The eyes Dang Iheon now turned on her held not a single trace of warmth. She tried to shout through her tears, frantically wiping her face with her sleeve, but he didn’t so much as flinch. Just being seen in this state was humiliation enough—but having him look at her like she was filth? That chilled her to the bone.
In a panic, Sohae whipped around and shouted at Yeonhwa.
“Sister! How could you do something this cruel? Were you trying to kill me? You put poison in my tea!”
“Me?”
“S-Seriously?!”
Sohae let out a shrill cry at Yeonhwa’s calm, almost confused response. Staggering upright, she took a shaky step toward Dang Iheon, voice trembling with desperation.
“S-she… no, Sister Yeonhwa put poison in my tea! I only threw it up in time because I realized what she’d done! How could she do something so evil to her own sister? What did I ever do to deserve this…?”
Yeonhwa simply watched her with a neutral gaze before giving a slow shrug. Then she asked lightly:
“When did I ever say that? Someone might actually take you seriously.”
“What…?”
Sohae stared, stunned. Then she whirled back around—and her jaw nearly dropped.
Yeonhwa was sitting there with an utterly serene expression… calmly sipping her tea. After a few slow, appreciative sips, she set the cup down.
“All I said was that I wanted to return the favor. Just giving back what I received.”
“Th-that’s…”
“So what—you’re saying you served me ‘that kind’ of tea before?”
That question made Sohae’s brain stutter. She scrambled to recall—
‘I prepared a very special tea. I just couldn’t stand not returning the favor.’
‘Oh, yes. Exactly what you think.’
A chill swept through her body like ice water. That’s right. It had sounded ominous. But Moyong Yeonhwa had never said outright that she’d poisoned the tea.
She’d just assumed, and flipped the hell out.
And Dang Iheon… he might’ve witnessed that entire meltdown.
Sohae’s legs gave out and she collapsed to the ground.
“…That’s not fair! You—you said the tea was special, that you were returning a grudge—I had every reason to believe…!”
“Hm.”
“Sister, do you really think I would try to poison you? How could you twist the heart of a sister who cares so much about you?”
She was grasping at straws now, acting like she’d been grievously misunderstood. But she still didn’t dare look in Dang Iheon’s direction.
Yeonhwa leisurely poured herself another cup.
“Here I was, sincerely glad my dearest sister had come to see me being alive and well, so I brought out the finest tea I had… and you accuse me like this? My heart’s just torn to shreds.”
She took a sip, nice and slow, and continued.
“You’re the one who suddenly shoved your hand down your throat and threw up on the ground. What exactly did I do wrong? The sin of serving tea in return for tea? You brought me grapes and tea once—so I offered tea back.”
“……”
“If I’d known you wanted me dead that badly, maybe I really should’ve made it special.”
“Shut your damn mouth!”
Backed into a corner, Sohae shrieked. She was so blinded by rage, she completely forgot Dang Iheon was even standing there.
Shards from the broken cup still littered the garden floor. One jagged piece caught her eye—and she lunged for it.
But Dang Iheon was faster.
“Enough, Young Lady.”
He kicked the shard away with a flick of his foot and let out a sigh. No warm gestures now. Just a cold voice, stripped of even the faintest courtesy.
“You’re making a scene.”
And honestly, there were no better words to drag Moyong Sohae straight into hell.
* * *
Dang Iheon took Sohae aside, saying he wanted to have a word. Only Hyangah and I were left in the garden.
Hyangah couldn’t contain herself, stomping her feet in frustration.
“How dare she treat you like that?! What if something had happened to you, my lady? How could she—!”
“She wanted something to happen to me. That’s why she did it.”
“She should pay for this with her life! You mustn’t forgive her, my lady! Even if you do, I’ll go straight to the Clan Head myself!”
I let out a laugh. Not because it was funny—just… strange. She was this worked up over someone else’s problems.
“Don’t worry. I’m not forgiving anything. A grudge like this? I’ll be charging interest.”
I’d lost too much this time to let it go.
If it weren’t for Sahyeon, I might’ve really had to give up martial arts in this life. Honestly, even now, I haven’t fully recovered.
My energy center is still cracked. Which basically means I can’t fight for long. I burn out too fast.
‘Well, the immediate danger’s passed. Now we’ll have to see if there’s a way to reinforce your energy center.’
That was what Sahyeon said, after who-knows-how-long of circulating his energy into me like it was nothing.
When I opened my eyes and turned to look at him, he was drenched in sweat. His face was pale, like he’d emptied every ounce of energy in his body.
Something in my chest twisted painfully at the sight.
‘…You saved me. Again.’
‘Told you I wasn’t lying. Try believing me next time, huh?’
He’d stretched with a groan, visibly exhausted, glanced once at the lightening sky—and vanished. Said he needed to circulate his energy for a whole day to stabilize himself again.
“…My lady! My lady!”
“Eh?”
Hyangah’s voice snapped me out of the memory. I must’ve spaced out again. Maybe she assumed I was still unwell, because she carefully draped a wind cloak over my shoulders.
“Let’s go back inside, my lady. I’m sure Young Lord Dang will come by again.”
“…Yeah. He probably will.”
“He—he won’t… waver, will he?”
Hyangah whispered that last part, clearly anxious. She glanced toward the garden gate where they’d exited.
I snorted softly.
“No way. Doesn’t matter what she says—Sohae’s already way past the point of no return.”
* * *
With a face like stone, Dang Iheon brought Sohae all the way to his residence. He jerked his chin toward the door.
“I’d rather not shout where others can hear. Get inside.”
His expression was colder and harsher than she’d ever seen it. Sohae hesitated.
Any other day, she would’ve been thrilled to be invited to his quarters, maybe even blushed. But not now.
“I—I’m not exactly… presentable right now. I’d be too ashamed to go in like this. Maybe I could wash up and change first, and then we could—”
“No. That won’t be necessary.”
The rejection was immediate. Brutal. Sohae’s face twisted. If he had even a shred of regard for her reputation, he wouldn’t have said that. But she couldn’t very well storm off like a child, so she forced herself through the door.
“Dang Ri. Stand guard outside. You know what to do.”
“Yes, my brother.”
Dang Ri bowed politely. Sohae shot him a venomous glare, but he didn’t even flinch.
Clack.
The two of them stepped inside. The door shut behind them. Dang Iheon didn’t offer her a seat. Just stayed standing and said:
“What the hell were you thinking?”
“My Lord, you’re misunderstanding. That situation back there—it was just a coincidence, I swear—”
“Enough.”
Sohae had spent the whole walk here scrambling for excuses. But before she could even get through the first one, he cut her off.
“Don’t you dare speak another deceitful word.”
“…What?”
The hairs on her neck stood up. Dang Iheon’s jaw was clenched so tight the muscles looked ready to burst.
“As I said earlier, I didn’t bring you here to listen to pathetic lies. I already know you tried to harm Yeonhwa.”
Her legs started shaking from sheer panic. The Dang Iheon she knew had always been gentle and kind. This version of him—cold enough to draw blood—was a stranger.
Still, she couldn’t admit to anything. She clenched her trembling hands into fists and raised her voice instead.
“You’re just accusing me now! What else am I supposed to say? You didn’t even consider that I might not have done it!”
There was a flicker of disgust in his eyes.
“You’re still denying it? Unbelievable. Have you forgotten why I came to Liaoning in the first place?”
“Because… someone used poison in the name of the Sichuan Dang Clan—”
She stopped. Too fast.
Sohae bit the inside of her cheek hard. Dang Iheon had been tracking the source of the poison. Her heart plummeted.
His face darkened.
“Exactly. And I found it. The poison Yeonhwa drank is directly linked to the bastards I’ve been chasing. Convenient, no?”
“I see. That’s why I’d just come from meeting with the Moyong Clan Head.”
“……”
“And then I walked into the garden… only to see you, pretending to be worried about her. You, of all people.”
That word—you—came out like a curse. Sohae felt it like a knife.
Coming from Moyong Pae or Moyong Gyeom, she could’ve taken it. But from Dang Iheon?
The man in front of her was nothing like the one she had longed for.
His once-comforting presence now loomed like a threat. The warmth in his eyes had vanished, replaced by cold steel.
His temple pulsed. The vein there stood out, throbbing with rage.
“M-My Lord, please. You have to calm down. I swear, this is all a misunderstanding. I only visited her out of concern! Since when is a sister checking on her family a crime? That tea earlier—it was a prank! I just got startled—!”
“What were you hoping to gain? Why do something so vile?”
“I’m telling you—I didn’t!”
“No. Choose your words very carefully.”
“……”
“I’m holding back. Barely.”
That low, tightly restrained threat made Moyong Sohae freeze. Her fake expression slowly peeled away.
“Do you really not know?”
Her voice turned cold.
Then she let out a hollow laugh.
“I’ve always hated that bitch.”
🫰🏼🍓🍓🍓💜🍓🍓🍓🫰🏼
Hey All! I hope you like this translation!
My updates may be slow, but I do read/edit my chapters!
If you’re enjoying it, show me some love?
💕💗 https://ko-fi.com/stanrofanscans💗💕
✨Wanna read more of my translations?✨
💖https://linktr.ee/stanrofanscans💖
