Chapter 13
Chapter 13
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 13
Chapter Title: Uninvited Guest
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"From now on, you're the main gate contact. Stand by at the main gate indefinitely."
"Yes?!"
The mysterious master lifted his head and stared at Yeon So-hyeon.
"There's facilities at the main gate that the previous contact servants used. Use them as your lodging."
Yeon So-hyeon continued without paying him any mind.
"Your access is permitted everywhere except the residence. Don't forget it."
His words were tantamount to officially designating him as an errand boy.
"E-Eldest Young Master?"
And one who had to wait indefinitely right in front of the main gate, no less.
"Why?"
Yeon So-hyeon pressed on before the mysterious master could even respond.
"If you don't like it, then do whatever you want again this time."
"......."
It was far too heavy a statement for a mere master to bear.
At the very least, he had no options available to him here.
"......I shall obey the Eldest Young Master's command."
The Eldest Young Master didn't even reply, instead turning his gaze toward Jeong-a.
"What are you still doing standing there?"
"I shall take my leave, Eldest Young Master."
Without the slightest hesitation, she bowed deeply in respect and retreated backward.
* * *
"Is this how you treat guests who've come calling?!"
It was the first thing the hulking brute—a head taller than even the burly guards—bellowed upon spotting Jeong-a.
Jeong-a read him over with her 'eyes' while bowing her head in greeting.
"......Pleased to meet you. I am Jeong-a."
The Three Absolutes Warrior showed no interest in accepting her courtesy.
He scoffed and said,
"Take me inside. I need to see your master."
'......What a lunatic.'
Jeong-a sighed inwardly.
The surrounding guards watched with keen interest, clearly showing no intention of helping.
"The Eldest Young Master has not granted permission to enter."
"What......?!"
Jeong-a deliberately cut him off.
"If you have business with me, then say it here."
She kept her eyes modestly lowered, her face utterly expressionless.
It was the very picture of poise that the courtesans had dubbed her "ice flower."
And naturally, that provocative demeanor set the Three Absolutes Warrior off.
"You crazy bitch......?!"
As he took a step toward the main gate,
as he crossed one step into the boundary marker of the main gate,
"Halt."
Not even the sound of a sword being drawn could be heard.
It was simply as if it had always been that way.
The swords of the guards—masters disguised in guard uniforms—were all aimed squarely at the Three Absolutes Warrior.
"Wha—what?"
The Three Absolutes Warrior panicked and fell back.
Then, the guard captain (now relegated to Yeon So-hyeon's contact) who had been clutching his head from behind let out a sigh and issued a warning.
"This is a top-security controlled zone. To pass through arbitrarily, you'll need at least a Class 1 security clearance, or......"
He bared his teeth, unable to hide his irritation.
"......Fuck it, point is, you don't qualify, so don't push your luck."
His eyes gleamed menacingly.
"This is your final warning."
"A-alright."
The Three Absolutes Warrior raised both hands to show he meant no hostility.
Only then did the guards sheathe their swords and step back to resume their roles as spectators.
The guard captain simply leaned against the gate and plopped down right there.
And started tearing at his hair again.
"Ahem, ahem."
Faced with their attitude of non-interference so long as he didn't enter, the Three Absolutes Warrior cleared his throat a few times and decided to focus solely on Jeong-a.
"You're coming with me to see the Third Young Master."
It was a brutish demand, but his momentum had noticeably deflated.
Jeong-a didn't so much as twitch her head as she refused.
"My whereabouts are not decided by the Third Young Master."
The Three Absolutes Warrior sneered at her.
"That's not for you to decide. You think a lowly wench like you gets to quibble?"
It was an insult, but Jeong-a didn't blink as she replied.
"I am merely stating the main family's protocols."
"Enough. The protocol is you come when the Third Young Master calls. Let's go."
He thrust out a hand like a pot lid, and Jeong-a naturally took a step back.
"You little bitch......?!"
With her retreat, he could no longer grab her without stepping inside.
"My name is Jeong-a, by the way."
He bristled, his toes twitching.
Just one step.
One step, and he could wring the neck of this uppity wench.
But ignoring the mysterious masters watching with amused faces was impossible.
"......We'll see if you're still so cocky in front of the Third Young Master. I'll make sure to watch."
The grinding of his teeth echoed chillingly.
"You'd best take good care of yourself until then. The Third Young Master doesn't like using other people's hand-me-downs."
Jeong-a dipped her head slightly in farewell.
"I won't see you off."
He spat on the ground and turned away.
As she watched him leave, Jeong-a wanted nothing more than to collapse right there.
The pressure radiating from the Three Absolutes Warrior was ferocious beyond measure—something no ordinary person without a scrap of inner energy could withstand.
Yet she stood ramrod straight without a tremor, enduring to the end.
Part of it was her resolve not to show weakness to anyone, but above all, another guest was approaching the main gate.
"Hmph."
"Heng."
The middle-aged man he passed snorted softly, while the Three Absolutes Warrior snorted loudly in return.
Just from that exchange, it was easy to guess where the middle-aged man hailed from.
"I am the steward in charge of the Second Young Master's Lake Pavilion."
"I am Jeong-a, the maid serving the Eldest Young Master, and I greet the Lake Pavilion steward."
He unfurled a fan (in the dead of winter!) and peered at Jeong-a over it with evident displeasure.
"What nonsense. I have no business with you, so guide me to your master at once."
"My apologies, but the Eldest Young Master is not receiving guests."
"What......?!"
Veins bulged on the hand gripping the fan.
"You're saying this even knowing I'm here on behalf of the Second Young Master?"
Jeong-a's expression didn't change as she replied.
"I am truly sorry."
The steward's eyes narrowed over the fan.
From Jeong-a's stance and demeanor—standing just outside the gate—he gleaned far more than words could convey.
"......I thought you were just impudent, but you're a shameless wench to boot."
Jeong-a offered no response to his low, anger-laced murmur.
He shifted his gaze from the unresponsive Jeong-a to the guard captain slumped on the ground and offered a greeting.
"You've had it rough."
His tone alone revealed he had sized up that these were no ordinary folk.
It was proof he hadn't clawed his way to steward through flattery alone, despite lacking any inner energy.
"Is it truly the case, as this girl says, that the Eldest Young Master is refusing visitors?"
One of the frontmost guards shrugged at his question.
"We wouldn't know."
"Ahem, is that so? Does anyone here know?"
In that brief moment, the guard captain—who had been clutching his head—glanced fleetingly at Jeong-a.
She flinched slightly at the look but didn't avert her eyes.
"Ahem, if no one knows, then there's nothing for it."
The steward drew a letter from his bosom and continued, displaying the envelope clearly stamped with the Second Young Master's seal.
"As the one charged with the solemn duty of delivering the Second Young Master's letter, I have no choice but to......"
At that moment, accompanied by a short sigh, the guard captain rose from his seat.
"The Eldest Young Master is not receiving guests."
The steward's long eyebrows twitched.
"......Is that so?"
The guard captain smacked his lips and said,
"I'm just coming from getting chewed out over that very issue myself."
"Ahem......"
The steward stroked his thin mustache.
"This is awkward."
He gathered his thoughts for a moment, then clicked his tongue.
"Well, nothing to be done then."
Jeong-a moved to accept the proffered letter from the Second Young Master.
But the steward didn't release his grip, instead looking to the guard captain.
"Could you perhaps confirm that this girl delivers the letter properly?"
The guard captain made a thoroughly unenthused face before reluctantly nodding.
"I'll see to it."
Only then did he relax his hand, allowing Jeong-a to tuck the letter away.
"......Remember this well."
He glared down at her with serpent-like eyes and spoke in a low voice.
"No matter what schemes you spin in that tiny head of yours, in the end, you're dancing in the palm of the Second Young Master's hand."
He offered a nod to the guards and turned to leave.
"Lake Pavilion steward, I won't see you off."
All that came back to Jeong-a's farewell was a snort.
Once he was sufficiently far away, one of the guards shrugged.
"......What a bunch of assholes."
"Yeah."
Then they all nodded approvingly at Jeong-a.
"Impressive spirit from such a young lady."
"Mm, mm. Don't know the details, but that poise is something to admire."
It was phrasing ill-suited to guards.
"Thank you for looking kindly on me."
But Jeong-a considered it a positive outcome.
They had acknowledged her not as false guards, but in their true capacities, sincerely.
After exchanging brief greetings with them, Jeong-a concealed her trembling body and barely managed to take a step.
"Hey, hold up a moment."
It was none other than the guard captain.
"......Do you have something to say to me?"
He had followed her all the way to the wooded path, where he spoke to her in a low voice.
"The Eldest Young Master never explicitly forbade visitors, did he?"
Jeong-a bit her lip for a moment.
"He didn't command it directly, but as I see it......"
He waved a hand to cut her off.
"You know as well as I do—I harbor not a shred of goodwill toward your Eldest Young Master."
"......."
"Still, the reason I'm saying this is simply because it sticks in my craw seeing a girl about my daughter's age in such a bind."
Jeong-a bowed her head.
"I shall keep it in mind."
He sighed briefly, cursing his own meddlesome nature, then continued.
"You know the Eldest Young Master could protect you but chose not to, right?"
At those words, Jeong-a betrayed a troubled look.
"......I am merely a lowly maid."
He waved it off.
"No, no. Seems there's a misunderstanding—my point isn't what you think."
He scratched his head vigorously and said,
"Spending my whole life with a sword has left me woefully short on words. But living as a warrior sharpens what catches my eye."
His gaze turned to Jeong-a.
"Are you trying to pledge loyalty to the Eldest Young Master? Or just protect yourself? Watching you presume to speak for him earlier made me think that."
It felt like a thunderbolt.
Jeong-a froze in place.
"The Eldest Young Master could have chased them off with a single word. So why didn't he?"
In the end, she could offer no reply.
Seeing her like that, the guard captain gave a wry smile.
"Well, I'll be off then."
Only then snapping out of it, Jeong-a hurriedly asked him.
"Don't you need to confirm I deliver the letter?"
He was already turned and heading back to the main gate.
"Nah, nah. Handle that yourself. I've got to figure out how to get away from that Eldest Young Master ASAP."
He vanished in an instant.
But turning in the opposite direction, Jeong-a found herself unable to easily move her feet.
The guard captain's words lingered relentlessly in her mind.
'Are you trying to pledge loyalty to the Eldest Young Master? Or just protect yourself?'