Chapter 14
Chapter 14
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 14
Chapter Title: Those Who Come Are Not Friendly
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Jeong-a realized that until now, she had never truly given proper thought to the concept of 'loyalty.'
After being sold to the Luoyang Sword Clan, she had encountered so many kind people up to this point.
And she believed she had been faithful in repaying their kindness.
Those actions had fundamentally stemmed from the idea of giving back as much as she had received.
She realized she had approached the Eldest Young Master in the same way.
If she did this much for the Eldest Young Master, he would protect her in return—
But what about from the Eldest Young Master's perspective?
* * *
When Jeong-a returned, she saw Yeon So-hyeon reclining leisurely, reading a book.
This time, it was a medical text.
Jeong-a first announced her return, then took out the Second Young Master's letter.
"Here is the Second Young Master's letter."
"Is that so?"
The moment he received it, he tossed it into the brazier beside him.
With a whoosh, flames flared up briefly, belching black smoke, and in an instant, the letter turned to ash.
"E-Eldest Young Master...?!"
This time, even Jeong-a couldn't hide her shock.
"Why?"
Yeon So-hyeon turned the page as if nothing had happened.
"That letter was one the Second Young Master sent to you, sir."
"I heard you."
A nonchalant reply.
"Ah, well, I suspect that letter concerns me as well."
"You?"
Another page turned.
"Yes... I believe it was regarding my disposition, something the Second Young Master sent to you, sir."
"I see."
Yet another page turned.
Jeong-a licked her parched lips and spoke again.
"Is it all right not to read it?"
"Yeah."
Another page turned.
"Ah, yes... Understood, sir."
Only then did Yeon So-hyeon add briefly,
"If it's truly important, he'll come himself."
At those words, Jeong-a's mouth fell open and wouldn't close.
"......."
Yeon So-hyeon waved his hand from behind the book.
"Bring some tea. And refreshments."
"Yes, yes. Right away, sir."
As Jeong-a hurriedly gathered herself to fetch water, Yeon So-hyeon asked,
"If you were so curious, why didn't you read it first?"
"What do you mean by that, sir...?"
Jeong-a looked at him, but his gaze remained fixed on the book.
"If it bothered you that much, why not read it ahead?"
Jeong-a dropped to her knees in haste.
"How could a mere servant like me dare to do such a thing!"
The finger turning the page paused for a moment.
"...Is that so?"
"Of course, sir!"
Jeong-a cautiously lifted her uneasy eyes to Yeon So-hyeon.
But his expression remained hidden.
"Bring the tea."
* * *
She couldn't understand it.
Waiting for the water to boil, Jeong-a sighed as her mind grew tangled.
'What did he mean, exactly...'
If it had been anyone else, she could have dismissed it as a joke or idle talk.
But it was the Eldest Young Master himself who said it.
She had only seen him in person for a single day, yet even so, she could hardly imagine him speaking without purpose.
"......."
Her wandering gaze fell on the dining table tucked in the corner.
It was the same table where she and the Eldest Young Master had eaten.
"...Hm?"
Jeong-a sprang up and began scrutinizing the dishes on the table.
She recalled Yeon So-hyeon's behavior at mealtimes since yesterday.
Then she remembered what the expert—now the liaison for the front gate overseer, Yeon So-hyeon himself—had told her.
'...So that's how it is.'
She hurriedly finished her preparations and left.
* * *
"Eldest Young Master, the tea and refreshments are ready."
"I see."
Jeong-a approached Yeon So-hyeon carefully and began brewing the tea with practiced movements.
"May this servant join you?"
"Sure."
Jeong-a nodded slightly and prepared a share for herself as well.
"The tea is ready."
"I see."
Yeon So-hyeon responded but seemed absorbed in his book.
Jeong-a sipped her tea with elegant poise, trying her best not to draw his attention.
It had an excellent aroma.
Then Yeon So-hyeon's hand groped for the teacup without lifting his eyes from the book, and he began to drink.
Jeong-a proceeded to enjoy the refreshments one by one alongside her tea.
And she became certain.
'It was just as I thought.'
The Eldest Young Master, Yeon So-hyeon, only ate after Jeong-a had done so first.
What she had noticed at the dining table earlier was exactly that.
When Jeong-a had stepped away midway through the meal, there had been a dish she prepared with care but hadn't tasted—yet it remained untouched.
And that dish was one Jeong-a had made, not something Yeon So-hyeon prepared.
Had he just happened to appear every time she made a meal, casually helping out because he had nothing better to do?
'Poison in food or drink...'
He trusted her not one bit.
To be precise,
He viewed his relationship with her as one of certain exchange—nothing more.
Even if she had read the Second Young Master's letter first, Yeon So-hyeon probably wouldn't have minded.
After all, the letter was about her.
Instead, any letters truly important to the Eldest Young Master would never be shown to her in the future.
Come to think of it, Yeon So-hyeon hadn't even asked why the Third Young Master's Three Absolutes Warriors or the Second Young Master's chief retainer had come knocking.
Her thoughts reached that point, and without realizing it, a sigh escaped her lips like a confession.
"...This servant was just another unwelcome guest, wasn't she."
Yeon So-hyeon's hand paused on the page.
"...I see."
Then the page turned again.
Jeong-a gave a hollow laugh and said,
"I'm sorry for the late report, but after the Third Young Master's Three Absolutes Warriors, the Second Young Master's retainer came as well."
"I see."
"And I sent them all away. I told them on my own that you weren't receiving visitors, sir."
"I see."
The words bottled up inside Jeong-a began to spill out.
"I am a fool."
"Is that so?"
"I've been acting so clever, pretending to know everything, but I was blind to what truly mattered."
This time, there was no reply.
Only the sound of turning pages.
But for Jeong-a, that felt far more comfortable.
"I wonder if it wasn't just about scrambling to survive all this time. Or perhaps working so long in the guest reception hall, where there was never anyone truly worth serving. It all started when I was sold to this Luoyang Sword Clan."
Her story began from the moment she first arrived at the Luoyang Sword Clan.
Now even the page-turning stopped, but Jeong-a no longer minded.
And her tale soon reached the Second and Third Young Masters.
"...That's how the Second and Third Young Masters learned of my existence. At first, nothing happened. But soon..."
The story continued to how a contest of pride over Jeong-a erupted between the Second and Third Young Masters, how it intensified, and how she ended up in Yuang Pavilion with the chief steward's help.
She confessed everything about her conversation with the chief steward.
She detailed her thoughts and judgments in seeking out Yeon So-hyeon.
She even laid bare what she had thought while facing the Second and Third Young Masters' retainers today.
And finally, she spoke of her 'eyes.'
"...Eldest Young Master."
"I see."
At some point, Yeon So-hyeon had set the book aside and was silently gazing at her.
Jeong-a met his inscrutable eyes and asked,
"If this servant pledges her absolute loyalty now, offering everything she has, will you accept it?"
She hoped for his usual simple 'I see' or 'yes.'
"...Hmm."
But unlike before, no easy answer came from Yeon So-hyeon's lips.
Instead, he turned the question back to the crestfallen Jeong-a.
"No matter what happens, no matter what you learn, no matter the danger, can you devote yourself fully to me?"
Jeong-a nodded firmly.
"Of course, sir."
But Yeon So-hyeon smiled faintly and added another question.
"Do you know about my father?"
It was an absurd query.
"Isn't he the Retired Family Head? Confined to bed by illness, handling all matters great and small from his sickbed..."
That was why the Eldest Young Master's father was the Retired Family Head, not the current one.
A Family Head unable to act normally would step down to Retired status, leaving the Luoyang Sword Clan's headship vacant.
Then lightning flashed in Jeong-a's mind.
"No way...?"
Yeon So-hyeon nodded.
"It's not illness. My father has long been unconscious from poison."
"Such...?"
Jeong-a's eyes fell on the medical book Yeon So-hyeon had discarded.
"He handles no matters great or small—he lacks even consciousness. In truth, the Luoyang Sword Clan is run by its supreme decision-making body."
"......."
Jeong-a could say nothing in the face of this staggering secret she had just learned.
It was a top-level classified matter, known only to a tiny few even within the Luoyang Sword Clan—knowledge alone could mean death.
"From a young age, I've managed my food and drink within this Yuang Pavilion."
"......."
With its vast grounds allowing farming in any season thanks to absolute isolation, it was possible in Yuang Pavilion.
"And yet, how many poisoning attempts do you think there have been up to now?"
"...I dare not guess, sir."
Yeon So-hyeon gave a wry smile.
"Well, after I achieved mastery in medicine and pharmacology, poison attempts became meaningless anyway. But it became a habit."
Moreover, he was now the practitioner of the ancient demonic art, the Jeam Jincheon Sutra.
He sipped the now-cooled tea and spoke again.
"Even the fact that I only eat what others have touched—I didn't realize you had noticed until you pointed it out."
"......."
Rolling the empty teacup on his palm, he asked,
"What I just told you is merely a glimpse of the darkness harbored by this Luoyang Sword Clan. Will you still serve me?"
Jeong-a steadied her trembling hand with the other and replied,
"...Make me your servant."
Yeon So-hyeon still gave no answer.
Instead, he drew a bundle of documents from his sleeve.
"Look at this."
Jeong-a accepted the letter respectfully and unfolded it carefully.
The moment she saw its contents, her breath caught.
It was none other than a report from the chief steward to Yeon So-hyeon.
It detailed everything the chief steward had uncovered about her.
Even events she herself couldn't remember were mentioned—not just facts, but further pages of multifaceted analysis and evaluation.
"Read the last page aloud."
With shaking hands, Jeong-a opened the final page.
"...Therefore, if this girl honestly confesses all the aforementioned facts, employ her like a horse or ox."
Cold sweat beaded on Jeong-a's forehead.
"But if she cannot shed her innate nature and tries to bargain with the Eldest Young Master..."
Her voice trembled.
"...Quietly eliminate her, so the other young masters pose no threat to your peace—I so advise."
The bundle slipped from her hands and fell with a thud.