The Second Son's Invitation
"Is my way of speaking really that strange...?"
"Honestly, it doesn't suit your appearance at all."
She looked like an incredibly cute little kid, yet the words coming out of her mouth sounded like they belonged to some world-weary old man. The phrase "old soul" practically invented itself.
"...Then I'll try speaking in a more normal tone."
After clearing her throat with a deliberate hem, Dokgo Rin addressed me again. This time her voice had softened noticeably, carrying a gentle lilt that hadn't been there before.
"How about now? Does this seem better to you?"
I crossed my arms and nodded.
"Definitely an improvement."
She was perfectly capable of talking like this, so I had no idea why she'd been using that elderly tone until now.
"Hehe, that's a relief. From now on, I'll speak this way in front of you."
Whether it was my praise that pleased her or not, Dokgo Rin covered her mouth with her sleeve and smiled demurely like a proper young lady. Then she suddenly glanced out the window.
"By the way, aren't you getting hungry? I'd like a little something to tide me over before lunch."
I didn't miss the opportunity.
"If that's what you want, I'll head to the kitchen right away."
As I stood up from my seat, Dokgo Rin nodded.
"Then I'll leave it to you."
"Yes!"
The thought of finally escaping this suffocating room filled me with joy. I was about to dash out when I stopped and turned back.
"Um, Miss? Which way is the kitchen?"
Come to think of it, today was my first day on the job.
***
While Chilbok headed to the kitchen to fetch snacks, Dokgo Rin remained alone in the room. Her sharp gaze fixed on the scene outside the window. Her biological brother—the second son of this household—was walking toward the very room where she stayed.
Dokgo Seok, you pathetic excuse for a human.
He wasn't even worth the courtesy of an honorific. In her previous life, this was the man who had single-handedly destroyed the three-hundred-year-old Dokgo Clan. He was the root of every misfortune that followed.
Driven by his ambition to become the next clan head and his inferiority complex toward his older brother, he had sold his ten-years-younger sister to their father's disciple. On the day the plan was executed, his accomplice Wiji Cheon betrayed him, and he was quietly eliminated.
If Chilbok hadn't noticed something was wrong and hidden her in the clan's secret training ground, the powerless girl she had been back then might have ended up as Wiji Cheon's plaything.
Just imagining it was horrifying. That was why she could never forgive Dokgo Seok.
Knock, knock.
"Little sister, may I come in?"
"Yes, please enter."
The moment she gave permission, the door swung open on both sides. The person who stepped inside was a handsome man in his mid-twenties who shared similar features with their father, Dokgo Jin.
Unlike the warmth she had shown to Lee Chilbok, Dokgo Rin spoke with a thoroughly businesslike attitude.
"To what do I owe the sudden visit to your sister's room, Second Brother?"
Dokgo Seok spread his arms wide with an affable laugh.
"Hahaha, does your one and only brother need a reason to see his sister? Come here, Rin. It's been a while—let's have a hug."
Hearing those words, Dokgo Rin nearly grimaced in disgust. But since she still needed to hide her true nature, she decided to play the part of the obedient little sister.
"That's no trouble at all."
She rose from her seat and, without hesitation, stepped into Dokgo Seok's embrace. He promptly slipped both hands under her arms and lifted her small body high into the air.
"Hahaha! Little sister! You need to eat more! How can a daughter of the Dokgo Clan be this light?"
But despite her youthful appearance, Dokgo Rin's mind was that of a thirty-year-old woman. Even as Dokgo Seok teased her, the corners of her mouth didn't twitch once.
Noticing his youngest sister's icy reaction, he glanced around awkwardly before setting her down. He turned to the maid standing behind him.
"Did I do something wrong to her?"
The maid bowed her head.
"Though it is presumptuous to say, the wrongs you've committed against the young miss are too numerous to count."
"Haha... is that so?"
Even though he was nearly the age she had been when she regressed, he still acted like a child. He gave an embarrassed smile and studied Dokgo Rin's expression.
"So that's why our youngest is making such a sullen face. Your brother is sorry. Is there anything you want?"
Dokgo Rin, who had been silent, let out a small sigh.
"There's no need to apologize if you don't mean it. I simply didn't feel like playing along with such childish antics."
Dokgo Seok clutched his chest as if wounded.
"Ugh! To think that even my little sister has grown so cold toward her brother while I wasn't looking. Where has the little Rin who used to follow me everywhere calling 'Big Brother! Big Brother!' like a baby chick gone?"
"Exactly how long ago are you talking about that you're bringing it up now?"
Her face flushed as she spoke. Dokgo Rin ordered the maid standing behind Dokgo Seok to prepare some refreshments. Once the maid left and only the two of them remained in the room, she sat down and casually gestured for him to take a seat as well.
"So did you really come to see me without any particular reason?"
Dokgo Seok rubbed his chin with a sheepish expression.
"Little sister, your brother has one favor to ask."
As expected.
Dokgo Rin had never believed for a second that the man before her would visit without some scheme in mind. She stared at Dokgo Seok as he sat across from her.
"What kind of favor are we talking about?"
"It's nothing complicated. The Murim Alliance Leader, Elder Wiji Cheon, is holding his sixtieth birthday banquet soon. Would you come with me to Shaanxi Province?"
"...!"
Dokgo Rin flinched at the unexpected request. It had been so long ago that she'd forgotten, but the event had indeed taken place. In her ignorant past life, she had excitedly accepted his invitation simply because it meant leaving the clan. Looking back, that very decision might have been what first caught Wiji Cheon's attention.
Should I refuse to attend in this life, then?
The thought crossed her mind for a moment, but she quickly changed her mind.
No. If I act differently from my previous life, I have no way of knowing what variables might appear. In that case, it might be better to attend the banquet and poison Wiji Cheon there.
During the time she had been called the Heavenly Poison Witch, three things had defined her. The Dokgo Clan's signature martial art, the Nine Palace Matchless Sword Art. The poison techniques of the Sichuan Tang Clan that she had learned from her mother, Tang Mi-ryeong. And the assassination skills that utilized her specialized poisons.
While the sword art and assassination techniques would take time to reach their former level again, poison was different. As long as she had the ingredients, she could create toxins at will. Among the poisons she had developed with Chilbok's help was one so lethal that even the Ten Thousand Poisons Immunity could not withstand it. That was precisely why she had earned the title of Heavenly Poison Witch.
"Very well. Since it's my second brother's request, I should naturally accept."
Dokgo Seok, who had been sitting anxiously, broke into a huge smile at her answer.
"Thank you! Your brother can finally breathe easy! As expected, blood is thicker than water!"
She watched with calm eyes as he laughed heartily. She wished the maid would return soon. Simply sharing a room with the fool who had led their clan to destruction felt like it was suffocating her to death.
Right at that moment—
Creak.
"I've returned, Miss Rin."
Chilbok, who had gone to fetch simple snacks, returned with the very maid who had been sent to prepare the refreshments. For some reason, they had come back together.
"Oh! That was fast! Do you have wings on your feet or something?"
When Dokgo Seok asked, the maid bowed respectfully.
"Forgive me, but the young miss had already ordered me to prepare refreshments. I simply went to the kitchen and returned with this child."
"Is that so?"
Dokgo Seok's gaze naturally shifted to Chilbok, who was holding the tray. Since it was a face he had never seen before, curiosity sparked in his eyes.
"What's your name?"
Chilbok answered with a composed expression.
"This servant is called Lee Chilbok."
"Lee Chilbok? I've never seen you before. When did you start working in this household?"
"I just started today."
"Hoo. Preparing refreshments without being told—you're quite perceptive for your age."
Dokgo Seok stroked his chin, then reached into his back pocket, pulled out a silver coin, and tossed it over.
"Here. Buy yourself something tasty once you're done. Consider it a gift from me."
"Thank you!"
Chilbok hugged the freely obtained silver coin to his chest as if it were precious and bowed deeply. Dokgo Seok watched him with evident interest. Dokgo Rin observed the scene with half-lidded eyes before calmly sipping the green tea the maid had prepared, as if nothing had happened.
I need to warn Chilbok ahead of time. Tell him never to get involved with that man.