Chapter 58
Something about his words stung me needlessly, so I quickly changed the subject.
"I'll step out for a bit."
"Where to?"
"To see Lady Seo. I promised, so I have to go."
I left my quarters with my maid. Yahul stood at the doorway as if seeing me off. He looked so lonely and forlorn.
Father needs to come back soon.
He couldn't even step outside the quarters—this was practically half-confinement, wasn't it?
At least if we go to the Baek Ri Clan...
Even there, we'd have to be careful, but it had to be better than the Namgung Clan.
Lost in such thoughts, I followed the maid when I sensed two energies inside a nearby building. In the bustling Namgung Clan, full of people, it wasn't unusual. But one of the energies felt familiar, stopping me in my tracks.
The faint orange energy...
That's Namgung Ryu-cheong, isn't it?
His companion seemed to be an adult woman, but I couldn't be sure who.
Who could it be?
Most people's internal energy was so faintly colored that it was hard to distinguish. Sizes varied, but not by extreme degrees, making it tricky to memorize people by their energy alone.
Time to practice what I worked on in the carriage.
I drew in the surrounding energies like handling my own internal energy, sharpening my hearing.
"...What are you going to do about Lady Seo...?"
The woman with Namgung Ryu-cheong was his mother, Lady So. Her usually gentle voice sounded oddly sharp.
Namgung Ryu-cheong's voice followed.
"Did Lady Seo say something to you, Mother?"
"Sigh, Ryu-cheong. Does that even matter?"
"But..."
"Enough. I wasn't finished. Ryu-cheong, when you see Lady Seo today, apologize properly and train with her for half a shichen every day from now on. I've already told her myself."
"Mother!"
"Your father was furious about how you treated Lady Baek Ri yesterday. He was raging to confiscate your sword and lock you in the ancestral hall—I barely calmed him down."
Uncle Namgung Wan had done that? He'd glared at Namgung Ryu-cheong now and then during the feast, then apparently blown up at home afterward.
I was fine with it, though.
Still, I couldn't help fiddling with the corners of my mouth as they lifted.
"Why can't you treat a sweet girl like Lady Seo properly...?"
Namgung Ryu-cheong kept getting scolded after that. Having heard enough, I started walking again when a group of trainee boys and girls appeared from the opposite direction.
"Ri-yeon!"
Seo Ha-ryeong bounded out from among them.
As I looked up in surprise, she turned to the tallest girl.
"Senior Sister! This is the friend I told you about!"
The others were all trainees sent from the Su Hyang Sect for exchange. Including Seo Ha-ryeong, there were twelve of them, and they all seemed close. Most were around adolescence, with Seo Ha-ryeong standing out as the youngest.
I hurried to greet them.
"Hello. I'm Baek Ri-yeon of the Baek Ri Clan."
A few trainees whispered, eyeing me curiously. I caught snippets about the Baek Ri Clan and my father. Bad memories surfaced unbidden—the unpleasant stares and murmurs that had always followed me.
Biting my lip, I looked up to find friendly gazes instead.
Huh?
Then Seo Ha-ryeong said to me,
"Oh, right! Starting today, I'm training half a shichen a day with Young Master Namgung!"
"Oh? Really?"
I already knew from eavesdropping but feigned surprise.
Seo Ha-ryeong beamed, seemingly oblivious to yesterday's mess.
From Namgung Ryu-cheong's reaction earlier, it doesn't sound like great news.
But why rain on her parade when she was so happy? I smiled.
"Congrats."
She grabbed my wrist.
"Then let's go!"
"Me too?"
"Yeah! You said you'd watch me train!"
"I did say that..."
But if I went, Namgung Ryu-cheong might not like it.
"Well, Ha-ryeong, we'll head out then."
"Train hard and don't slack off!"
The Su Hyang Sect folks bid her farewell one by one. Then the eldest-looking senior sister bowed politely to me.
"Lady Baek Ri, let's have tea sometime. And please take good care of our wild girl here."
"Senior Sister!"
"Haha."
I stood there utterly dumbfounded, hearing their clear laughter. Then Seo Ha-ryeong practically dragged me to the training ground.
Namgung Ryu-cheong was already fully prepared. I glanced around—no sign of his mother nearby. She'd finished talking with him and left in the opposite direction from us.
"Young Master Namgung!"
Seo Ha-ryeong greeted brightly, but he shot her a sharp glare.
That was when I should have realized something was off.
Clack! Wooden swords clashed, and one spun through the air before thudding into the dirt.
Namgung Ryu-cheong pointed his sword.
"Again."
Seo Ha-ryeong bit her lip and trudged to retrieve it. Her small shoulders slumped.
And no wonder—she'd already lost her sword over ten times like that.
Just hit her already.
Though he could end it cleanly by targeting a vital point, Namgung Ryu-cheong mercilessly knocked her weapon away every time. It crushed her pride all the same.
As she returned with the wooden sword, her eyes brimmed with tears on the verge of spilling.
He lowered his gaze coldly.
"What? Gonna run to Mother and tattle again?"
"...?"
Seo Ha-ryeong blinked in confusion, and he glared harder.
"Don't play dumb. You know exactly what I mean."
Then it clicked.
That's why Namgung Ryu-cheong's acting like this.
He'd been summoned by his mother today and scolded to treat Seo Ha-ryeong well. He assumed she'd snitched about yesterday.
"I didn't tell Lady Seo anything! I swear!"
He sneered.
"Who else would it be?"
"I didn't do it!"
"Whatever. Just pick up the sword."
I sighed and stepped between them.
"Enough."
"Ri-yeon?"
Namgung Ryu-cheong frowned at me.
"This doesn't concern Lady Baek Ri."
"Seems like Young Master Namgung's misunderstanding something."
"Misunderstanding?"
I nodded and beckoned to the two maids waiting at the training ground entrance.
The approaching maid asked,
"Did you call for me?"
"Yes. I had a question."
"What is it, Lady Baek Ri?"
"Did you see Lady Seo last night or this morning?"
My maid answered first.
"I haven't."
Seo Ha-ryeong's maid said,
"I did."
I glanced at Namgung Ryu-cheong. His face had hardened, as if guessing my point.
"Why did you see her?"
She bowed briefly to him before replying.
"Lady Seo summoned me first... and asked about what happened between Lady Seo and Young Master Namgung."
"Thank you for telling the truth. You may go."
"Yes."
As the maids withdrew, I looked at him.
"You heard that, right?"
"......"
"Stop taking it out on Lady Seo."
"......I never did."
I tilted my head.
"Well, whatever. You should apologize to her anyway, don't you think?"
He scowled fiercely at me. I met his gaze calmly.
Biting his lip, he glanced at Seo Ha-ryeong, lips twitching a few times—then abruptly turned and stormed out of the training ground.
I shrugged and turned to her.
"You okay?"
"......"
She stared at me blankly, mouth agape. I waved a hand in front of her face.
What, did she pass out standing up?
Suddenly grabbing my waving hand, her eyes sparkled as she shouted,
"That was so cool!"
"Huh?"
"You were totally cool...!"