An Unwelcome Guest
Baekri Yeong-hyeok looked as if he wanted to grab his sister's hand and drag her out of the Thousand Death Alliance this very instant. Strangely, the mere thought of it made Hwa Banya's stomach churn. What is this, an elopement? He wanted nothing more than to sneer at him. Do you even realize what kind of face you're making right now?
But why has the mere thought of Baekri Yeong-hyeok been grating on my nerves so much? He had already been thoroughly irritated when Chocho made a fuss, squealing that he was the most handsome man she had ever seen in her life, and now he was feeling it again.
For Baekri Yeongso, however, the silent war of nerves between the men was the furthest thing from her mind. She was too busy staring at her own flesh and blood, unable to suppress the smile that kept tugging at her lips. And the moment Yeong-hyeok, having finished his greetings with Banya, shifted his gaze slightly to the side, the siblings' eyes met.
"It's been three years, Brother."
"Indeed. We could have met much sooner, if only someone hadn't been so stubborn." Yeong-hyeok shot her a playful, scolding look.
"I only did as I was taught."
"Still refusing to lose a single argument, as always."
She had sorely missed this affectionate bickering. Just as Yeongso was about to offer a bright, girlish smile—just like the youngest daughter of the Baekri Clan used to do in the old days—another man entered the reception room. The moment she recognized him, her face froze.
"Ah, this was decided at the last minute, so I couldn't mention it in my letter," Yeong-hyeok added, gesturing toward the man in question. "Jang-gyeong accompanied me on this trip."
A remarkably handsome young man, looking as though he had stepped right out of a painting, bowed politely to Banya. His deep, resonant voice brought to mind the elegant strumming of a geomungo.
"Greetings. I am Seo Jang-gyeong, the second son of the Duke of Wonik from the capital. I believed it would be wise to have someone with government connections assist you, so I came along with Brother Yeong-hyeok."
Her former fiancé turned his gaze to Yeongso. "It has been a long time, Sister Yeongso."
It had been three years since she was last addressed that way. No one else in the world called her by that title except for Jang-gyeong. Yeongso couldn't even manage a simple nod. She was utterly, completely frozen.
What kind of novel shitshow is this? Banya looked back and forth between his wife, his brother-in-law, and his wife's former fiancé.
He could tolerate his hostile brother-in-law's arrival. After all, Baekri Yeong-hyeok was his wife's biological brother. It made sense for Yeong-hyeok—who was unmarried and had only himself to look after—to answer his sister's call, rather than her other siblings who had families of their own to tend to.
But Seo Jang-gyeong tagged along?! How on earth was it appropriate for a wife's former fiancé to show up alongside her brother? Had those Orthodox bastards completely lost their minds? If this had happened within the Unorthodox factions, it would have been a blatant, intentional insult.
Of course it is. What else could it possibly mean? "Divorce that pathetic husband of yours. Your brother is here to help you get a divorce. We even brought your real husband-to-be, so we can marry you off the moment we head back to your maiden home." That had to be their intention. At least, it would be if those bastards were Unorthodox!
Hey, Heavenly Killing Star. What does this situation look like to you? Banya glared at Ma Ryun, who was standing at attention beside him. He didn't even need to use sound transmission. His face already spoke a thousand words.
His sly subordinate maintained a steadfast expression that screamed, I have absolutely no idea. But there was no way Ma Ryun didn't know. Banya had only asked as a formality anyway.
Are these bastards seriously trying to flirt right here in the Thousand Death Alliance? He couldn't tell what his wife, Yeongso, was thinking, but his damn brother-in-law and that former fiancé bastard were clearly of one mind.
One calls him 'Jang-gyeong,' and the other calls him 'Brother Yeong-hyeok.' They looked far more like a family than Banya and Yeong-hyeok ever did with their reluctant, forced titles of brother-in-law.
And 'Sister Yeongso'? Who gave him permission to utter his wife's name so casually? This wouldn't do. Should he just cut the bastard's tongue out? As long as he stopped the bleeding properly, a wound like that wouldn't kill him. It was fine as long as he didn't die, right? Banya clung to a thread of rationality, trying to soothe his boiling insides.
"So you are the rumored Seo Jang-gyeong. I have heard much about you."
"Did Sister Yeongso speak of me?"
"No. My wife has never—not even once—mentioned your name. I am speaking purely of the rumors that have reached my own ears."
Banya gestured toward the chairs. Why don't you take a seat before I snap your legs, you little brat? "Let us sit and talk."
It was customary to serve tea to guests. This was a universal rule of the world, regardless of whether one belonged to the Orthodox or Unorthodox factions. Even if one couldn't afford cheap leaf tea, they were expected to at least serve plain boiled water. Serving absolutely nothing was a silent, blunt message: Take the hint and get out.
Taking a sip of the dark tea, which exuded a rich, elegant aroma of orchids, Baekri Yeong-hyeok spoke calmly. "I am surprised my brother-in-law would serve such fine tea."
"Did you expect an uneducated scoundrel like me to just pass around bowls of cold water?"
Instead of answering, Yeong-hyeok took another sip of his tea. It was a silence that bordered on affirmation. Banya's smile sharpened.
"I could never do that. Especially when Young Master Seo here must have rushed all the way from the capital to Na'an without stopping..." Banya placed a heavy, deliberate emphasis on the words without stopping. "How terribly parched you must be."
"...I appreciate the Alliance Leader's consideration." Jang-gyeong, who possessed a neat and upright appearance, gave a polite nod. "However, I did not set out from the capital."
I already know that, you bastard. Banya slyly pretended to wait for the rest of his explanation. Yet, Jang-gyeong stopped there, simply savoring the aroma of his tea once more. These bastards are messing with me. Now I see why you two are so close. Banya regretted not telling the maid to boil the tea water to a scalding, bubbling heat. If he had, their throats would have shriveled up while they waited for it to cool.
"If not the ducal estate in the capital, have you perhaps been staying at my wife's maiden home?"
"Yes."
"And why is that?" Banya feigned a look of deep concern. "Did Young Master Seo's house happen to burn down?"
"Once the Alliance Leader's mourning period was over, Sister Yeongso was supposed to return to the clan. I had hoped to see her after all this time and catch up on everything." Jang-gyeong let out a soft sigh. "But then, an unexpected event occurred..."
So you utterly loathe the fact that this Alliance Leader returned alive. Banya felt a sudden surge of regret that he had never once thought to beat Seo Jang-gyeong to a pulp during his past nineteen regressions. Though, to be fair, it would have been impossible to kill the bastard with his own hands back then, since Jang-gyeong would have been in the capital three years ago. Still, watching this slick-looking punk repeatedly spout "Sister Yeongso" in his own reception room made his blood pressure spike.
I'm not usually a man who beats around the bush like this. On the day of his twentieth regression, he had nearly gone mad trying to deceive his wife before midnight. He remembered how he had finally lost his mind right before the clock struck twelve.
"As you well know, my lady, mind games aren't really my style. If I peel their skin off layer by layer until they confess, even a dead man will open his mouth. But you... How much time is left until midnight? Ha... What more do I have to do here?!"
The young Hwa Banya had endured five years in the Red Flower Palace, a place that despised him. If it had been an Orthodox sect instead of the Red Flower Palace, he wouldn't have lasted even five hours. He would have lost his mind wondering why these people insisted on speaking in such convoluted riddles.
"Indeed. Who could have guessed that a dead man would return to life on the very day his mourning period ended? Even I didn't see this coming." He was reaching the absolute limit of his patience, trading thinly veiled insults with a faint smile plastered on his face. He needed to get these eyesores out of his sight before he snapped their miserable necks.
Banya looked at his wife, who hadn't uttered a single word since her former fiancé had appeared. "My lady." No matter how many times a bastard like Seo Jang-gyeong called her "Sister Yeongso," he would never, ever be able to call her this.
Yeongso, who had been clutching her teacup, looked up at her husband like a startled rabbit. "Now that the greetings are out of the way, why don't you show our guests to their rooms?"
"Me?"
"Of course. Are you not the mistress of the Thousand Death Alliance?"
Yeongso looked hesitant, unsure if she should readily agree to her husband's suggestion. Only after Banya urged her once more with a warm smile did she finally leave the reception room with the guests. Watching his wife's retreating figure as she walked away with impeccable grace, Banya gestured to Ma Ryun.