Chapter 11
“How can our young lady have such beautiful hair? It’s like ebony.”
The nanny stopped Unyeong, who was about to go outside, and sat her down in front of the dressing table, beginning to brush her hair.
“Mmm. Really?”
The nanny seemed excited about this rare outing. It was the familiar, warm presence Unyeong had dearly missed.
“Oh, miss, does it hurt when I pull your hair?”
“No, nanny. It’s fine.”
“Then… are you feeling unwell?”
“No, I’m not sick. I really am fine now.”
Even though she firmly denied it, the nanny placed her hand on Unyeong’s forehead to check for a fever. Not satisfied with just that, she also felt her cheeks and the back of her neck, finally looking relieved.
“See? I told you I’m fine. Really, I’m okay, nanny.”
Everything was okay. This moment, right now, was good.
Unyeong wasn’t in the hell that the Celestial Palace had created—she was in the safe and peaceful Seol family estate.
That was enough.
“All done. Is anything uncomfortable?”
“No. Nothing, nanny. Thank you.”
“Oh, don’t thank me. My joy is seeing how beautiful our young lady looks.”
“And mine is seeing you smile, nanny.”
“Oh my, is that so? Then I must smile more often to keep you happy, miss.”
“Exactly. Smile a lot, nanny.”
“Yes, I will.”
Yes, if she could protect this smile, that would be enough. She would make sure her nanny never had to lose anything again.
Unyeong clenched her fists tightly once and stepped forward.
Despite stepping out with great resolve, Unyeong’s body wasn’t strong enough to go far. For now, she just went into the garden of her quarters.
Her residence, Yeonhongwon, was where her mother had lived before passing.
The Seol family estate was vast.
There was an outer garden that handled external affairs of the Seol clan and the Seol Trade Group, and an inner garden where the direct family members lived.
Unyeong’s quarters, Yeonhongwon, were located at the deepest part of the inner garden. The garden there was breathtakingly beautiful.
She had heard her mother had personally designed the garden. With her hands behind her back, Unyeong slowly walked down the small path, inspecting the plants.
“Hmm. That’s Flying Dragon Grass… and that’s Yin Wind Flower. Oh wow, is that Snake Poison Flower? What is this, a relocated Sichuan Poison Clan? She sure planted these things carefully.”
From the day Sogyo mentioned her mother, Unyeong had suspected it.
Perhaps her mother was originally from the Sichuan Poison Clan.
She had wanted to confirm it, but even Sogyo didn’t know her mother’s origins. All he knew was that she was a martial artist trained in poison arts.
Seeing this garden confirmed her suspicion. Hidden among the trees and flowers were clearly poisonous plants.
To someone unfamiliar with poisons, this might appear to be nothing more than a gorgeous garden. The poisonous plants were obscure, and their appearances were quite dazzling.
But they couldn’t escape the eyes of Unyeong, who had studied poison and experienced it firsthand.
The poisonous plants were thriving and clearly well-tended.
“Very fresh. Packed with poison. Nicely grown.”
Though her mother had left her past behind, she was a martial artist versed in poisons. Not knowing when poison might be needed, she must have planted these here.
And after some forty years, her daughter Unyeong had finally uncovered her legacy.
Unyeong’s eyes deepened as she gazed upon the plants.
She began to recall what she knew of her mother.
Her mother had been Seol Jadan’s second wife. She was rumored to have been his first love—but no one knew if that was true.
Seol Jadan’s first wife died of illness when his eldest son, Seol Dojin, was five.
One day, while returning from a trade trip, Seol Jadan came back with a pregnant woman.
She was stunningly beautiful, but didn’t reveal her background—not even her real name. She was simply introduced as Lady Sa.
Rumors quickly spread—some said she was of low birth; others claimed she was the daughter of a fallen noble who’d become a courtesan.
Even the family head, Seol Wonpyeong, disapproved of her, and whispers about her filled the estate.
Although she became Seol Jadan’s legal wife, she never participated in family affairs. It was said she never left her quarters in the inner garden and quietly waited to give birth.
The child she gave birth to was Seol Unyeong.
Because she was the child of a controversial woman, some in the household quietly kept their distance from Unyeong.
“Who manages the garden? Nanny, or… maybe Sogyo?”
Unyeong paused. The nanny following her also stopped walking.
She turned and looked at her nanny’s face again. Clearly, the nanny was not a martial artist.
“Miss, is something wrong? Shall we go back inside?”
“No. I just wanted to take a closer look at that flower. It’s blooming beautifully, isn’t it?”
Unyeong grinned and walked toward the Seoshimhwa (Heart-Eating Flower).
Seoshimhwa was a rare flower—true to its name, it could “steal the heart.” Its deep purple petals were enchanting and bewitching.
However, the calyx and stem held poison, making it useful for concocting toxic substances in small amounts.
Touching the stem wouldn’t cause serious poisoning…
But for a child just recovering from illness, even a small dose might be dangerous.
Just as Unyeong reached out to touch the flower’s stem—
“Ah! Miss!”
Found you.
I knew it. It was the nanny.
“Yes? What is it?”
Unyeong turned to her with an innocent expression. The nanny hurried over.
“Th-the wind is getting cold. Let’s go inside now.”
“Huh? But I’m sweating.”
Unyeong wiped her forehead as if she really were sweating. The nanny’s face turned pale.
That was probably enough teasing.
She hadn’t planned to take revenge over the poisoned porridge or medicine. Really, she hadn’t. She just wanted to see who was tending the poisonous plants.
If someone was taking such good care of them, even if not a martial artist, they had to be knowledgeable in poisons.
In other words—talented.
And she had been taught to treat talent with respect.
There was no more need to tease. From now on, she’d need to stay on the nanny’s good side.
Poison, when handled right, had many uses—not just for harming others.
“Okay. Nanny, let’s go back in.”
“Yes, good choice.”
The nanny let out a relieved sigh and led Unyeong back. Unyeong nodded and glanced back at the Seoshimhwa.
Bathed in sunlight, the crimson petals seemed especially vibrant.
“Just wait a bit longer, my beauties.”
With thoughts on how she might make good use of them, Unyeong turned away.
“Hey, Halfwit!”
First, she’d have to fully absorb the pure poison energy within her body, and then see how resistant she’d become.
Back then, she had to deal with things as they came, but now she had the time to try different methods.
“Hey! Halfwit!”
There were quite a few types of poisonous herbs—meaning many poisons to be made.
‘How should I coax the nanny into giving me some? Hmm… Maybe I should drop hints during martial arts training? Say I’ve developed an interest in poisons?’
She needed to find a way to bring up poisons naturally without making the nanny suspicious.
“Hey! Halfwit! Can’t you hear me calling you?”
Someone blocked Unyeong’s path and shouted.
Unyeong had no choice but to stop walking.
‘Huh? That ‘Halfwit’… they can’t be talking to me, right? No way… Wait, are they really calling me that?’
She looked at the kids standing in front of her with cocky attitudes.
Digging through old memories, she recognized them.
Her grandfather, Seol Wonpyeong, had a younger brother who died young, leaving behind a son.
That son was Seol Jacheong, Unyeong’s first cousin once removed.
Seol Wonpyeong had cherished his late brother’s child so much that he allowed him to live in the inner garden, normally reserved for direct bloodlines.
The two kids in front of her were Seol Jacheong’s daughter, Seol Yohong, and son, Seol Dopung. Yohong was two years older than Unyeong, Dopung one year older.
Seeing their crooked posture and sneering expressions, Unyeong remembered.
‘That’s right. You two existed. You were my nightmares back then. Ugh, how humiliating. Such insignificant brats were my nightmares.’
She had been so happy to see the people she missed that she forgot—there were others she had not missed.
Nightmare-like presences from her childhood.
She looked at their faces again and slowly smiled.
With eyes cold as ice.
‘Well, well. How disgustingly nostalgic, you brats.’
Who the real nightmare would be… would soon be clear.
