Chapter 251: Lady Of White Flowers, Mi Hyoran (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 251: Lady Of White Flowers, Mi Hyoran (1)
How had it come to this?
My mind was a blank slate, unable to grasp the situation. I stopped rubbing my eyes and slowly lifted my head from my kneeling position on the floor.
Sip.
Before me, a woman sat calmly sipping tea.
The sight felt profoundly strange—her posture was firm, her demeanor utterly composed. Was it because she was so utterly out of place in my room? Yes, that had to be it.
The person before me was the Lady of White Flowers, Mi Hyoran herself. Head of the renowned White Flower Merchant Association, mother to Gu Huibi and Gu Yeonseo, and the current Lady of the Gu Clan. Yet here she was, drinking tea in my quarters.
She possessed a youthful beauty that clearly showed where her daughters had inherited their looks. Yet, her eyes held a fierceness that was unmistakably of the Gu bloodline.
Tap.
The sound of her teacup meeting the table broke the silence, echoing unnaturally loud in the still room. Lady Mi’s piercing gaze landed on me, and I flinched involuntarily.
“It has been a while,” she said, her voice stiff and cold.
Unlike my fiery sisters, Lady Mi maintained an aura of icy distance. Father is the same, so I wonder where Gu Huibi got her personality from. Not that I was one to talk. When it came to nasty dispositions, Gu Huibi and I were quite similar.
After a long hesitation, I finally managed to speak. “…It has been a while…”
Lady Mi abruptly stilled at my greeting. Her gaze intensified, fixed on me. It was a strange reaction. Why?
“…Interesting.”
“Huh?”
“…”
…Seriously?
To be fair, when Lady Mi still lived in the clan, I would offer a greeting whenever we crossed paths, despite my discomfort. But I stopped even that minimal courtesy after my mother disappeared. I was too consumed by my own shattered existence to care about anyone else. Besides, Lady Mi had left the clan around that time.
But now wasn’t the time for such thoughts. I pushed them aside and mustered the courage to ask, “…May I ask why you have come to visit me?”
Why had she come here so suddenly? I was genuinely curious.
…Huh? Was my question odd?
Lady Mi’s eyes shifted almost imperceptibly, a hint of change flickering within them. “I heard you had changed a great deal. It seems the rumors were not unfounded.”
“Well, it’s only natural to change, considering how long it has been.”
“I see. It must have been quite a while for you…” Lady Mi took a final sip of her tea and rose gracefully from her seat. “I merely came to see your face, having heard of your return. Do not dwell on it.”
“…Pardon?”
“We shall have a proper reunion in the future. Your father must be looking for you by now.”
With those parting words, Lady Mi turned and walked toward the door, leaving me perplexed and bewildered. Did she truly come just to see me? I was utterly confused, unsure how to even react.
What was that all about?
I pondered whether she had some other motive, but it was impossible to gauge her intentions just by looking. She wasn’t someone I disliked or feared, but her presence always made me uneasy.
Just as Lady Mi reached for the door…
Slide!
It slid open abruptly, and someone burst into my room.
“Little Brother! You are skipping your…!”
It was Gu Huibi.
The instant her eyes met Lady Mi’s, the shift in her expression was almost comical. Confusion morphed into sheer terror in a heartbeat.
“Mo…ther?”
“…Interesting.”
Lady Mi’s response was as calm as ever, but cold sweat instantly beaded on Gu Huibi’s cheek.
“…I could have sworn I told you to conduct yourself properly…”
“It’s not like that… I-I just wanted to check on my little brother…”
“Are you trying to justify your wrongdoing?”
“…”
Gu Huibi’s mouth clamped shut at those few icy words. This had always been the case—she was powerless against her mother. Or perhaps it was more accurate to say she became utterly submissive. In Lady Mi’s presence, the fearless tiger with an unquenchable inner fire transformed into a docile sheep.
“…I had planned to visit you and Yeonseo later, but it seems we have much to discuss right now.”
“M-Mother… about that…”
“Follow me.”
Gu Huibi shot a desperate glance in my direction, a silent plea for help.
How sad. But what can I possibly do?
I was powerless to intervene.
In the end, Lady Mi firmly grasped Gu Huibi’s arm and dragged her away without any resistance. I could only stand there, dumbfounded, watching them depart, leaving a strange calm in their wake.
* * *
In my past life, my relationship with Lady Mi was far from ideal, though not entirely terrible. To be blunt, I did my best to avoid her because I found her intimidating and uncomfortable.
I remember one day, walking through the garden with my mother, we coincidentally—or perhaps purposefully on her part—ran into Lady Mi. That garden belonged to the residence where my mother, Gu Ryunghwa, and I lived.
It was around that time I became petrified under Lady Mi’s gaze. As the child of a concubine, facing the legal wife of the Lord was an incredibly difficult task. I never knew how to behave. Even with the utmost respect, she would never see me in a positive light. How could she? I was the concubine’s son, destined to become the future Lord. I highly doubted it.
After my mother disappeared, and I began to harbor resentment toward the entire clan, Lady Mi became one of my targets. Some might ask why I held so much animosity toward so many, but even I couldn’t give a clear answer. Perhaps I was simply still immature. I despised the world, so even if Lady Mi wasn’t at fault, I wanted to resent everything.
Lady Mi rarely showed herself in the clan, busy with her own affairs. Consequently, Gu Huibi and Gu Yeonseo would frequently come to spend time with me.
Did she perhaps dislike that?
It was entirely possible. It was understandable for her to disapprove of her daughters associating with me and my mother. No matter how I looked at it, I could find no reason for her to view me favorably.
That was precisely why her actions later were so hard to understand.
During the tumultuous period after I had transformed into a Demonic Human, when the world was crumbling under the emergence of the Demonic Cult, one merchant association selflessly sacrificed itself to support others.
That association was the White Flower Merchant Association.
While others prioritized their own survival, the White Flowers stood out, devoted to aiding those in need. Everyone wondered why she had made such a decision. The head of the association, Mi Hyoran, answered with a calm expression.
“My son has caused trouble, and as his mother, it is only right for me to seek a solution.”
Mother and son, huh?
It was strange hearing such words from her.
…Why?
I considered it might be reputation management, given the attention her association was receiving. But knowing Lady Mi, even from a distance, I couldn’t imagine her doing something solely for such a reason. She wasn’t that type of person.
She kept her word, continuing to help others even at great personal cost, despite losing her own children and risking her entire association. She maintained an iron will.
Did she truly not resent me at all?
Was such a thing even possible? How could she not resent me, the one who had led her children and husband to their deaths? I was merely the child of a concubine, sharing not a drop of blood with her.
Even though my regression had undone those events, I still found it difficult to face her. Was it guilt weighing on me? It was hard to say definitively, but it certainly felt that way. At least, that was what I felt.
“…I see.”
“…Yeah.”
A voice suddenly broke through my thoughts, pulling me back to the present.
I raised my head to see the familiar faces gathered in the decently sized meeting hall. Everyone present was a blood relative of the Gu Clan. Father sat at the center, and even Gu Yeonseo, whom I hadn’t seen in a while, was there.
Although this meeting was meant to celebrate my return and Gu Huibi’s, the atmosphere was far from cheerful. Then again, we weren’t the type for festive revelry.
I’d heard that Gu Ryunghwa and the Sword Queen had returned to Mount Hua. Another familiar face caught my eye—one that wasn't Gu Ryunghwa’s.
It has been a while.
I observed the girl seated across from me: my second sister, Gu Yeonseo. She seemed to be avoiding eye contact, as if she didn’t want to be there, but likely had no choice with her mother present.
I wonder what she’s been doing all this time.
From a brief overview, I could see she had made progress in both physical strength and Qi since our last encounter. She seemed to be around the third or fourth rank, and quite close to her breakthrough wall. She must have trained incredibly hard.
Although our eyes met occasionally, Gu Yeonseo still seemed uncomfortable around me, turning away each time.
“I heard you are to be engaged to a girl from the Namgung Clan,” Lady Mi said, interrupting my thoughts.
Bump.
I felt Gu Huibi flinch beside me. I should be the surprised one, so what was her problem? Did she get punished? Judging by how Lady Mi had dragged her away, she must have been scolded heavily. Maybe she’d heard something then.
“Not formally yet, but the engagement is in the works,” I replied.
If all went according to plan, I would soon travel to Anhui to proceed with the engagement.
“Namgung, huh…? Not a bad clan.”
Lady Mi fell silent, a look of concern crossing her face. I was taken aback by her casual assessment of one of the Four Noble Clans as merely “not bad.”
“Do you think the girl is suitable?” she asked.
“…Huh? Ah, yes… she’s… suitable,” I stammered, surprised by the personal question. I hadn’t expected her to ask for my opinion. Was she satisfied? Lady Mi simply nodded.
“…You said she is currently in the clan, correct?”
“Yes.” She was probably asleep by now.
This meeting was for blood relatives only, so Namgung Bi-ah hadn’t attended. It would have been an uncomfortable situation for her, and frankly, for me too. She’d looked like she wanted to come, but I couldn’t bring her.
The atmosphere was far too quiet for a gathering. Father was naturally reserved, but Gu Huibi, who was usually a boisterous noise-maker, remained silent, making everything incredibly awkward.
Sip.
As the silence dragged on, Lady Mi took another sip of tea and spoke again. “I also heard about the girl from the Moyong Clan.”
I looked around, trying to see who she was addressing. Hm? But no one else reacted, and her gaze was fixed on me. So she’s asking me.
A wave of nausea washed over me—the first time I’d felt this way since my regression. “That’s correct.”
She must have already heard the details. What more did she want to know?
“…My association’s offers were all rejected, yet the Tang Clan and the Moyong Clan are establishing a business in Shanxi with you…?”
Oh. Was she blaming me?
With the Moyong Clan’s business acumen, any merchant association would thrive working with them. Yet the White Flower Merchant Association had been turned down, while the Gu Clan had suddenly found success. It was understandable she wouldn’t be pleased, given her association was separate from the clan.
Although I shouldn’t be the one apologizing…
Even so, I watched her uncomfortably. She nodded in response.
“I heard you played a significant role in it. Good work.”
“…Pardon?”
Her sudden compliment caught me completely off guard, leaving me speechless. I hadn’t expected that.
“Hmm…” Lady Mi seemed preoccupied with something else. It appeared things weren’t going as she’d expected, or perhaps she was thinking of something entirely different.
…I just hope she doesn’t pay too much attention to me.
Unfortunately, my discomfort persisted.
Why had she returned?
Lady Mi had left the clan around the time my mother disappeared. In my past life, she hadn’t returned until I was in my twenties. To be exact, it was around… the time I became Young Lord.
So why was she here now? Had something happened? If her merchant association was facing trouble, she might have come to the Gu Clan for aid. But Lady Mi didn’t seem desperate enough to convince me she was in trouble. Of course, as a long-time association head, she was skilled at hiding her intentions.
I never heard anything about the White Flowers facing issues in my past life, either.
…But with so many changes thanks to my interference, thinking about my past life was futile.
After enduring more uncomfortable silence, the meeting finally ended. Everyone began to rise. Father, who had remained silent throughout, stood first, followed by Lady Mi and the Gu sisters. Gu Huibi was practically dragged away once more.
As she left, Lady Mi glanced in my direction. When our eyes met, I nearly choked on a dumpling I was eating. I managed to gulp it down with water, wearing a dumbfounded expression.
“What the hell…?”
I still had no clue about her purpose. It seemed she wanted something from me, but since she hadn’t said a word, I had no way of knowing.
* * *
Shortly after…
Swish-!
Namgung Bi-ah swung her sword gracefully under the moonlit sky, the sound of the blade echoing in the stillness. Lost in her training, she was startled by the unexpected arrival of a visitor.
She turned her gaze toward the guest—someone she had never met before.
“Nice to meet you.”
The moment she recognized the woman, her eyes widened in disbelief.
After a moment of silence, the guest spoke calmly, causing Namgung Bi-ah to tense. “May we have a brief conversation?”
Namgung Bi-ah’s mind raced, wondering if she had any snacks or tea to offer. Alas, she realized with despair that there was no way she would have such things in her quarters.