Chapter 107
Chapter 107
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 107
Chapter Title: Part 7: Unborn
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“We must hurry back north! Prepare the fastest ship or carriage available!”
The moment they arrived at the inn, Dong Ga-hyu bellowed at the top of his lungs, his face drained of all color. The servants scattered in every direction.
“Run! I said run!”
Dong Ga-hyu even nagged at the backs of the fleeing servants.
‘At this point, the only way to survive is to become one of that Eldest Young Master’s limbs!’
He stared down at his hands, which were still trembling.
‘Then he won’t be able to dispose of me easily. The more competently I handle things, the longer my lifespan will be…!’
Someday, a path would open up.
In truth, abandoning everything and fleeing overseas would offer the highest chance of survival.
But to throw away everything he had built up until now?
That option had never even crossed his mind.
‘I’ll survive! I won’t accept defeat after coming this far! In the end, the one laughing last will be me!’
Whether he would succeed as he resolved was another matter altogether.
* * *
Even Elder Yeom, who had spent half his life in the north, had never been familiar with the name “Uguray Tribe.”
He had merely heard of it.
It was a tribe so remote, both geographically and politically, that it had no ties to the Central Plains.
Even merchant caravans using the Silk Road would have little to do with them.
Yet the Eldest Young Master sitting before him now knew that tribe inside and out.
He even knew of events that had taken place within the tribe before he was born.
Moreover, how had he discovered that the culprit of that incident was the same figure as the north’s enemy in the current war?
As if sensing his doubts, the Eldest Young Master smiled at him.
“This Eldest Young Master has friends everywhere.”
“Is that so….”
It was an utterly insufficient explanation, but one that was impossible to probe further.
It was said that a network of reliable informants was as valuable as a vein of gold.
Asking about its origins was tantamount to coveting that network outright—no wonder words failed him.
“....”
With a low hum, his father seemed lost in thought. Yeom Baek-ha cautiously spoke up.
“…May this humble girl presume to ask what puzzles her?”
“Of course.”
Yeon So-hyeon nodded readily.
“Why did Dong Ga-hyu act so subservient toward you, Young Master? When he first entered, it seemed he had no idea you knew his secrets.”
She was an exceptionally intelligent woman, yet she couldn’t arrive at the answer.
And rightly so—this was a question impossible to even guess at without specific information.
The Eldest Young Master smiled gently as he replied.
“The answer to that seems to be something Elder Yeom has already surmised.”
The Eldest Young Master looked at Elder Yeom.
“Why don’t you explain it yourself, Elder Yeom?”
‘I thought I’d hidden it well….’
Elder Yeom gave a wry smile inwardly before asking the Eldest Young Master.
“…As you know, this concerns confidential matters about you. Is it all right to tell my daughter?”
“Of course. Isn’t she your successor?”
With permission granted, Elder Yeom gave a concise explanation.
“I once heard from the Elder Council that the Young Master has had a betrothal arranged for some time. It’s information controlled outside the council.”
“A betrothal?! For you, Young Master?!”
Yeom Baek-ha reacted as if she’d heard tragic news about her lover. The Eldest Young Master looked utterly perplexed.
But Elder Yeom, who had long known his daughter’s feelings, gave a wry smile and continued.
“Until now, the bride’s family was unknown, but seeing Dong Ga-hyu’s reaction today, I’ve figured it out.”
“…A betrothal for the Young Master? A betrothal for the Young Master? A betrothal for the Young Master? A betrothal for the Young Master?”
Yeom Baek-ha had posed the question herself, but now she looked unwell.
Elder Yeom decided to give his daughter a moment to recover and asked the Eldest Young Master.
“Is my guess correct?”
The Eldest Young Master, who had been eyeing Yeom Baek-ha curiously, nodded.
“It is.”
Turning back to Elder Yeom, the Eldest Young Master asked.
“It seems you’ve even guessed the family of the betrothed.”
“That’s right.”
“What do you think it is?”
After a brief silence, Elder Yeom answered.
“The family of the Northern Great General, the Murong Family.”
Yeon So-hyeon nodded.
“Precisely.”
* * *
Noon had arrived before they knew it, so the Eldest Young Master suggested a meal and a short rest.
He provided the Yeom father and daughter with a private space for two to dine quietly—a considerate gesture on his part.
He knew Yeom Baek-ha was still recovering as a patient, and her complexion had worsened amid the prolonged conversation and constant tension.
“Haa….”
Of course, Yeom Baek-ha was a patient, but the real reason for her pallor was something else.
“Whew….”
After barely picking at her food, Yeom Baek-ha let out long sighs repeatedly.
“Of all families, it had to be ‘that’ Murong Family.”
She muttered in a grumbling tone.
“Someone like me can’t even compete…. I’ve lost before the fight even starts. A total rout.”
Elder Yeom, wiping his mouth after finishing his meal, gave a wry smile.
“To admit defeat so readily? That’s not like you.”
“Ugh…, but what can I do?!”
Yeom Baek-ha puffed out her cheeks.
“The Murong Family has wielded influence in the north for over a thousand years.”
These days, it was said that there was no northern territory without the Murong Family—their position in the Central Plains was that crucial.
“The imperial house treats them like royalty. A royal house! A royal house! The daughter of such a Murong Family would be a princess!”
Teasing his daughter, Elder Yeom remarked.
“And aren’t you a proper princess yourself?”
It was a jab playing on her nickname, the Law-Enforcing Maiden.
“Father!”
As his daughter glared daggers at him, Elder Yeom personally prepared tea and waited for her mood to settle.
After a moment of silence, having cooled her head, Yeom Baek-ha spoke first.
“…Now only the real negotiations with the Young Master remain. Will it turn out well?”
It was a heavy topic.
But one they couldn’t avoid.
Elder Yeom, deep in thought for a long while, finally spoke with difficulty.
“…It’ll be hard to expect a good outcome.”
“....”
Yeom Baek-ha started to say something but ended up biting her lip.
“The Young Master’s abilities far exceeded what I had anticipated.”
Elder Yeom spoke in a tone laced with a sigh.
“I wasn’t swayed by rumors and never underestimated his talents. But….”
Instead of his trailing father, Yeom Baek-ha spoke up.
“…The Young Master we saw today was so different from the one I thought I knew.”
Elder Yeom nodded heavily in agreement.
“Even the elders at the main house believed his power stemmed from divine stratagems, so after seclusion, he’d remain independent without forces and focus on shaking the board from afar.”
A sneer curled at his lips.
“But they were all wrong.”
He gazed up at the ceiling.
“He transcends his age and experience.”
His voice was soft, but to Yeom Baek-ha, it rang like a scream.
“He is already a fully realized sovereign.”
The bizarre, overwhelming aura that gripped the room.
The eloquence that wielded dominance in conversation at will.
The profound depths of his heart, impossible to fathom.
Yet the Eldest Young Master was no solitary king.
The flood of congratulatory letters and gifts pouring in even now revealed an unimaginably vast and deep network.
And likely, the powerful intelligence network built from it.
The overwhelming support from Luoyang’s underclass, stemming from the legacy of his mother, the Grand Matron.
What of the Sword Clan itself?
His ties to the Elder Council, evident in the special task force guarding Won-gak Pavilion.
Elder Yeom didn’t know the details, but for some reason, even the old elders who despised him at first sight.
Though ignored by the warriors, he had somehow secured the loyalty of Tal-myeong-gwi-geom, one of the clan’s top swordsmen.
He commanded a Sword Unit of excellent maids and promising servant girls.
His close alliance with the Fourth Young Master, with whom he’d always been on good terms, went without saying.
That was the strength revealed by the Eldest Young Master, freshly out of seclusion.
“However….”
Resolve rose in Elder Yeom’s eyes.
“This father will not yield everything in the end.”
* * *
At the same time, in Won-gak Pavilion’s dining hall.
A vast space where Won-gak Pavilion’s personnel took turns gathering for meals.
“....”
The captain of Elder Yeom’s warriors was breaking out in cold sweats.
He hadn’t managed a single proper bite since sitting down.
“Why aren’t you eating?”
The reason sat across from him, calmly dining.
“Doesn’t it taste good?”
At the Eldest Young Master’s words, the servant girls chattering and eating nearby all turned their gazes to the warrior captain.
“N-no, it’s delicious!”
He hurriedly shoved food into his mouth.
He couldn’t even tell what it tasted like.
“You’ll choke. Have some water.”
As the Eldest Young Master kindly poured him water himself, the captain screamed inwardly.
‘If you weren’t here, I wouldn’t choke!’
* * *
Elder Yeom silently showed his daughter the note he’d received from Won-gak Pavilion’s maid.
“The Young Master wishes a private audience.”
His observation for his successor’s sake was now over.
It also meant the final battle determining the Yeom father and daughter’s fate was approaching.
Elder Yeom rose from his seat.
“I’ll be back.”
Yeom Baek-ha looked at her father with worry.
“…Do you have a new strategy?”
Their prepared strategies were now virtually useless.
Elder Yeom nodded.
“Yes.”
He turned his gaze toward the Eldest Young Master’s office, visible through the window in the distance.
“For now, I intend to clash honestly.”
Hiding her trembling hands under the table, Yeom Baek-ha forced the brightest smile she could.
“Please come back safe!”
Her face looked exceptionally pale.
* * *
Won-gak Pavilion office.
Jeong-a prepared fresh tea and reported.
“The moment you broke that merchant’s spirit, Master, Elder Yeom nearly lost his will to fight as well.”
“But he endured in the end. He didn’t break.”
Yeon So-hyeon, leaning back leisurely in his chair, smiled as if amused.
“He’s the type who finds a way out even in a dead end.”
A spirit that never gives up.
“It’s also a virtue common to undefeated generals.”
It was praise.
From Yeon So-hyeon, for a man whose allegiance—foe or ally—was yet undecided.
“…Making it sound so easy again.”
Il-ryeong, who had been cleaning the floor, pouted.
“Didn’t you want Elder Yeom under your command, Master?”
Yeon So-hyeon laughed at her bold words.
“Of course. In the main house’s political arena, one elder holds power like a thousand troops and ten thousand horses.”
Jeong-a nodded.
“You currently have no official allies in the Elder Council, Master.”
‘Seriously, what is he thinking? I can’t figure it out at all.’
Il-ryeong sighed and finished wiping the floor.
Her mood was foul from the lingering stench of Dong Ga-hyu’s cold sweat.
“Elder Yeom is heading this way.”
Jeong-a reported, gazing far beyond the wall.
Yeon So-hyeon slowly rubbed his palms together and flashed a broad smile.
“Come, Elder Yeom. What path have you found?”