Chapter 91
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 91
Chapter Title: Someone Else's House, My House (1)
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First visit to another family's mansion.
I dressed as formally as I could manage. I donned a fairly expensive suit custom-made under the Arbiter name and had perfectly memorized the purpose of the visit along with the anticipated questions and answers that Aira had prepared overnight.
'Showing her Yoo Yejeong's doll might be enough on its own... but it could just as easily backfire.'
Sentimental choices could turn into poison sometimes.
"I am Kang Ihyeon of Arbiter. I have come to the Yoo family at the behest of the Maker Sect."
With a polite introduction, I followed the elderly servant into the reception room. As expected, the mansion's interior brimmed with a cold, serene aura. The hallways displayed portraits of past family heads alongside the swords they had wielded.
At the end of this room, the head of the Yoo family—or their representative—would be waiting for me.
Or so I thought...
It was a little unexpected.
"Why... are you here?"
One person stared at me with eyes wide like a startled rabbit. She was dressed in neat men's attire, but the feminine scent hidden beneath was one I could never forget.
Yoo Seolhyeon.
The woman who had once sobbed beneath me.
'All that preparation for nothing. If it was her, I wouldn't have had anything to worry about.'
I was slightly surprised by her flustered face but flashed a perfectly roguish smile as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"Long time no see, Yoo Seolhyeon. That's the question I should be asking. Why are you here?"
"Ah, no... The Maker Sect said they were sending a representative... so I stepped in instead..."
She stammered in her panic, like someone caught red-handed in a crime.
Then, as if suddenly realizing something, she stared at me with vacant eyes.
"So... you're...?"
"Yes, that's right."
I smiled warmly and bowed once more, this time with far greater formality.
"Kang Ihyeon, Arbiter's representative. I have come to formally request the Yoo family's cooperation on the Maker Sect's new doll project, Young Mistress."
'Young Mistress.'
At the title, her expression flickered subtly.
Just as I suspected.
I didn't know what had gone down within the family, but it seemed she had earned the family head's trust.
After a brief moment of confusion, her gaze hardened once more—cold and resolute.
"...Allow me to offer a formal greeting as well. I am Yoo Seolhyeon of the Yoo family."
The woman standing quietly at my side bowed politely in kind.
Yoo Seolhyeon's eyes naturally turned to her.
"And you are...?"
"Ah, my assistant."
"Doris Finch. A pleasure to meet you, Young Mistress."
I had originally planned to bring Aira Petrovna, but I couldn't rule out the chance that the Yoo family might remember her face.
Instead, I brought Doris Finch, who had some knowledge of crafting and, more importantly, looked every bit the part of an 'outsider.'
'Look at those dark circles. Anyone can tell she's a project-buried staffer.'
I first handed over the prepared documents and introduced our guild, Arbiter, which had taken over the project.
Of course, I kept my true ownership of the guild under strict wraps, playing the role of a mere 'Maker Sect delegate' to the hilt.
"Arbiter is a new intelligence guild collaborating with the Maker Sect. Using our networks and intel, we scouted talent capable of restoring the doll from the previous project. As a result, we succeeded in reconstructing the precious dolls that were damaged or lost during that project's run."
I paused to gauge her reaction, then added the clincher.
"Among those restored... is the doll of the former family head, Yoo Yejeong, of course."
"I see. Our stance is that we wish to dispose of that doll."
Contrary to my expectations, Yoo Seolhyeon's response was utterly flat.
Like she was hearing about someone else's troubles—cold and dry.
'Dispose of it? Your own mother? Is she insane?'
I puzzled over her unexpected reaction for a moment before realizing the reason.
She hadn't grasped the true meaning of my words.
"Dispose of it, Young Mistress? Wouldn't that be a bit hasty?"
"Hasty? That doll left an indelible scar on us. Even seeing it again is unpleasant."
"I fully understand your feelings. But it seems you may be unaware of one crucial fact."
"...What do you mean?"
I met her eyes directly and hinted at it.
"Dolls retain memories up to the point just before their destruction. They hold fragments of every memory the original body possessed."
In other words, through that doll, she could essentially speak to her mother again—dead as she might be.
At those words, Yoo Seolhyeon's mask crumbled in an instant.
Her pupils shook violently, like an earthquake had hit.
"Th-that's possible? You mean I can talk to Mother again...? Is that... really true?"
Her voice trembled faintly.
Watching her, I fanned the flames even more.
"Well, rather than me guaranteeing it... wouldn't it be better for you to see for yourself, Young Mistress?"
"Young Mistress, no! Don't fall for it!"
The elderly servant at her side urgently began trying to dissuade her as she wavered.
"He claims it retains memories, but the doll from the previous project was just a shell mimicking her appearance! There's no way restoring it could make such an absurd thing possible! He's lying, Young Mistress!"
He stated it definitively.
But I ignored him entirely, fixing my gaze only on Yoo Seolhyeon's shaken eyes as I spoke.
"Please don't worry, Young Mistress. The contract doesn't need to proceed until you've verified everything yourself. The servant's concerns are valid, but I have no intention of deceiving the Yoo family."
I gave her my most trustworthy smile.
"If I show you all the proof first... then you'll believe me, right?"
At my words, Yoo Seolhyeon hesitated briefly. Then she turned to the servant with resolve.
"It's fine. I've seen this man at the Academy before. He's not the type to lie about something like this."
"But, Young Mistress..."
"It's fine. I'm telling you I'm okay with it."
At her firm tone, the servant unwillingly bowed his head.
I drove in the final nail.
"This concerns top-secret Maker Sect matters. I'd like to speak with you alone, Young Mistress."
She hesitated once more but ultimately accepted.
I signaled Doris Finch at my side as well.
"Doris, step out for a bit."
"Yes, sir."
Finally, in this vast reception room, only Yoo Seolhyeon and I remained.
"Long time no see, Yoo Seolhyeon. Still pretty even in guy's clothes."
Now alone, I approached her more casually, grinning slyly.
"Honestly? I've missed you."
It was just a light tease to ease the mood, but she had no resistance to such lines—her face flushed bright red in an instant.
"Wh-what...! Step back! And... don't use informal speech!"
"What's wrong with it? Between us."
"There's no 'us'!"
She glared at me indignantly, then sighed as if realizing how foolish she looked.
"Haa... So, how did someone like you end up in such an important position?"
"Hm... Guess they found my Maker skills pretty useful to the sect. When the higher-ups order it, what can a powerless grunt like me do but obey?"
"...So you had no choice either."
"Yeah. We're in the same boat."
At my answer, her gaze softened just a touch.
"Hoo... Alright. Then tell me what you really meant. Can I... truly speak with Mother again?"
Instead of answering her earnest question, I fiddled with a small doll in my pocket.
A few days prior, I had already coordinated with Yoo Yejeong's clone.
It was half blackmail, of course.
'Yoo Yejeong, you know what happens if you spout nonsense, right? As you can see, I've altered my face enough that even your daughter won't recognize me. Don't let on.'
'...Ugh, got it.'
I could have undone her memory manipulation after taking Aira's original body, but I hadn't.
It carried some risk, but I figured it was more advantageous to keep her as Aira's husband for controlling Yoo Yejeong.
And that judgment was spot-on, judging by the scene before me.
I wasted no more time.
I pulled out the small wooden doll modeled after Yoo Yejeong from my pocket.
And soon, it began to grow, as if alive—from tiny doll to human shape. Bones and flesh formed, skin and hair sprouted.
When she finally appeared in full, her one and only daughter, Yoo Seolhyeon, stared wide-eyed.
"Mother...!"
Tears welled up in her eyes, one drop after another.
Yoo Yejeong's clone looked around blankly, still processing. Then she spotted her weeping daughter.
"Seolhyeon... Ah?"
Her daughter's name slipped from her lips after so long.
Yoo Seolhyeon could hold back no longer and rushed forward, embracing her tightly.
"Mother! Is it really you? I missed you so much...!"
"...Me too, dear."
Mother and daughter reunited after years apart.
I simply watched their tender reunion quietly from a step back.
Yoo Yejeong understood the situation better than anyone right now.
She knew she was merely a clone and what would happen if she exposed me now.
As she embraced her tearful daughter, she glanced my way for just a moment.
Then, as if resigning herself completely, she immersed in the long-awaited reunion.
After that, the stiff atmosphere of our meeting rapidly thawed.
Yoo Seolhyeon was no longer the dignified Young Mistress of the Yoo family. She was just an ordinary little girl chattering away to her mother about everything that had happened—her Academy life, her friends, even her dealings with Seraphina.
It took a while to finally interrupt her endless chatter and resume business.
"So, convinced now?"
"...Yes."
At my words, Yoo Seolhyeon nodded like a child, still nestled in her mother's arms.
"I believe you. And the Yoo family will... actively cooperate with your project."
Finally, the answer I wanted came from her lips.
But she didn't stop there.
She pulled away from her mother's embrace and faced me squarely once more as the Young Mistress of the Yoo family. Her eyes now held not doubt or wariness, but earnest trust and hope.
"However, there's one thing we need to address."
"Yeah?"
"My grandfather... is a stubborn man. Even if I tell him now, he won't believe it right away. He might even brand you a con artist trying to deceive our family."
She clenched her fists tightly.
"I'll convince Grandfather. I promise. So, give me some time. Stay at our family estate tonight—just one night. I'll take full responsibility and give you a positive answer by morning."
Her voice carried a grim determination, as if staking everything on it.
I gazed at her for a moment.
'One night.'
It was an opportunity too good to pass up.
She didn't hold all the real power, after all.
"Understood, Young Mistress. I'll trust you and wait."