The Price of Severing Blood Ties
The Price of Severing Blood Ties
The family head, his wife, their children. And the rest.
Every single one of them looked at me with eyes filled with hostility, fear, and revulsion.
However, there was one more thing they couldn't hide no matter how hard they tried.
Relief.
I could catch a glimpse of relief, almost liberation, as if thinking, 'This is the end.'
After reading that, I was certain.
As expected, even at this point, I was already being treated that way.
Still, as if at a stage where he couldn't bring himself to admit it, the family head asked in a voice that seemed barely restrained.
"What are you saying now?"
"Exactly as I said."
"Are you telling me to sell my daughter?"
"You go too far."
As if he wanted to burn me up right there, red light was streaming from the family head's eyes.
In fact, the surroundings got a bit hot, but I didn't stop.
"I merely came to fetch her."
Perhaps the family head thought I was lying with a straight face, as he didn't curb his anger at all.
Honestly, why can't people trust my words?
I'm doing this to save her from withering away in your grasp.
"Yes. I will serve her without lacking anything as befits a noble lady. I've prepared separate quarters and already secured servants. From teachers to guards, everything."
"You expect me to believe that?"
The eldest son behind the family head cut in as if he couldn't listen anymore.
"Do you think we don't know what kind of business the young master of Cheongun has been doing? Did you think no one knows where the daughters of debtors get sold off to?"
"This is not a place for you to interrupt, mind your tongue..."
The family head tried to stop him but I showed my hands and signaled that it was fine.
"No, it's a reasonable suspicion. It's also good concern. The concern a family should show."
I continued speaking without hiding my smile.
"However, if I had intended to send your daughter to such a place... just know that I wouldn't have come here directly."
"...What exactly do you want?"
"I've already said it. I came to fetch her. Do you think I'm hiding something? Or perhaps you think I would go back on my word even after making a promise? I won't sell her off or mistreat her. I have no intention of harming your family's prestige."
"...You really just came to fetch her?"
"Yes. I will pay as much as is needed. Name your price."
The family head's face twisted.
It was closer to contempt than anger.
"Are you really asking me to put a price on my daughter?"
"If you can't put a price on her, then we can forget it. In that case, the support will also be off the table. Ah, now that I think of it, when do you plan to repay the money you borrowed to hold the last banquet?"
I thought it might be a bit too much, but I didn't feel much guilt.
Even though it's like this now, later on, they'll be frantic trying to figure out how to sell her off.
If they're going to sell her off anyway, it's better to buy her now when she's least scarred.
The family head was bowing his head with his mouth shut as if weighing the options.
He no longer showed anger.
He only asked.
"Will you truly treat that girl as a lady of the Jujak family?"
"Yes."
"You won't hand her over to a brothel, won't molest her, and won't sell her name for your business?"
"I already told you that if I had intended to do so, I wouldn't have come here. On the day I break my word, you may come and burn me to death."
He didn't move for a while.
I waited without rushing him.
So he could have time to gather his thoughts.
"...Five hundred nyang of gold."
When the family head finally spoke, the surroundings stirred.
I couldn't tell if it was because he had placed a price on his daughter, or because the price he called was a huge sum.
"Five hundred nyang of gold, is that correct?"
The family head answered yes.
Five hundred nyang of gold.
For me both before regression and now, it was by no means a small amount.
At least, it wasn't an amount one could willingly produce on the spot.
Because with that money, one could build several splendid tiled houses and still have plenty left.
He called such an outrageous price because he secretly hoped I would say it's too much and back off.
Or at least that I would try to haggle once.
I looked at him and nodded.
"Yes, let's do that."
When I said it as if it were nothing, even the family head seemed unable to hide his embarrassment and asked back.
"Just now, what did you say..."
"I said I would give you five hundred nyang of gold. In addition, I will have the Cheongun Merchant Guild procure the materials and labor needed for the Jujak family's reconstruction. In return."
I took out a document from my pocket and slid it toward the family head.
"Please entrust the young lady's person to me from today."
"...Crazy bastard."
The family head muttered that in front of me, as if he couldn't contain his contempt and shock.
On a normal day, I would have used that as a handle to extort more, but since today was a special day, I decided to let it slide.
Well, it wasn't exactly wrong anyway.
Because I was indeed crazy.
From that day, on that vacant lot. From the moment I saw her crawling on the scorched ground, not even allowed to collapse.
I had been crazy all along.
Even while trembling, he eventually stamped the document.
"Then, can I consider this transaction concluded?"
I asked him as I took the document.
Instead of answering, he looked at me for a long time with eyes full of emotion.
Containing contempt, an inexplicable fatigue, and a strange sense of liberation.
With this... now, finally, everything I have has gained meaning.
Thinking that, I felt a corner of my heart become at ease.
"...Bring Hwari here."
The family head said as if in sorrow, but no one moved immediately.
No matter how awkward, it seemed there was still resistance to selling their own daughter to someone else.
But even that crumbled when the wife rose from her seat.
The wife's face was pale, but at a glance, her expression looked almost like a smile.
I tried to follow her, but the family head told me to wait here, so I obediently did so.
There was no need to rush.
Because I had already pulled her out of their grasp.
It would be better to give her some time to compose herself.
———
As I waited in the room, I heard footsteps approaching.
It was only one person, but I was still scared.
I wondered what they would say this time.
But at the same time, I held onto hope.
Because it might be Father coming to find me.
Maybe Father would say he was sorry and that I must have been very startled.
It might not be. Father had a habit of conveying good words through others.
Or maybe it was my brother. He might open the door and tell me things are fine now.
Because my elder brother was always warm to me. It wouldn't be strange for him to come to me first once the shock settled.
Or maybe Mother would come and hug me.
She would say she can't indulge me forever, but eventually she would smile helplessly and hug me.
Maybe my older sisters would come and try to play a trick on me as usual.
They might playfully braid my hair and then say it looks pretty and hold up a bronze mirror to me.
Was it someone coming to give me a scary look, or someone coming to say things are okay now?
I waited anxiously, and the footsteps stopped in front of the door.
I tried to make out who it was through the faint shadow, but I couldn't tell at all, and was about to open the door when.
"Hwari-ya."
Mother called my name.
"Mother...?"
It was nothing special, but I was so overjoyed that I caught my breath.
Because since the fire, Mother hadn't called me by my name.
"...Come out, Hwari-ya."
It sounded a little sad, but that didn't matter much now.
Because I was so happy I could cry.
After hiding my unsightly right arm deep inside my sleeve, I pushed open the door.
Was everything finally okay?
That hope welled up.
Until I opened the door and saw Mother's face.
I didn't know what had happened, but at least she didn't seem to have come to tell me things were fine now.
Before, as soon as she saw me, she would smile helplessly and look pleased, but now...
Something was unsettling.
I couldn't put into words what was unsettling, which made it more unsettling.
It was strange.
Before, as soon as she came in, she would sigh and scold me for what I was doing here, but then she would personally straighten my hair with a bamboo comb.
She would say 'What is that attire?' but wouldn't try to hide her smile.
Mother's face, not smiling at all, was so unfamiliar.
I quickly checked if maybe my unsightly right arm had been revealed, but that wasn't it.
I held my sleeve tightly with my left hand so it wouldn't slip down, and slowly approached Mother.
Instead of coming closer to hug me, Mother naturally kept her distance and spoke.
"Follow me, Hwari-ya. There's someone you need to meet."
"Ah, I understand. Let's go!"
I tried not to think too much about why she was keeping her distance.
Mother didn't bother to answer, silently nodding.
...It was so different from what I had imagined, but still, Mother had come to call me. She even called me by my name.
That alone made me happy.
Keeping some distance from me must be because her startled heart hasn't calmed down yet.
It must be because the house is still in a mess.
So, it will be fine. Someday.
If I keep being a good kid, if I don't show any sharp edges, if I become a useful child, surely things will be fine.
Following Mother like that, I arrived in front of the main building.
Mother stopped in front of the door.
Then she tried to put her hand on the door, but withdrew it trembling.
As if she didn't want to open the door.
"Um... Mother?"
I tried to carefully ask Mother what was wrong, but as soon as I called her, she opened the door.
Even so, she stubbornly avoided meeting my eyes.
"Go in."
As I obediently entered, the family members came into view at once.
Father, Mother, my elder brother, older sisters, and even grandmother and grandfather.
Everyone was looking at me with those scary eyes, making me instinctively shrink.
"Ugh..."
However, this time something was strange.
If their eyes happened to meet mine, they would hurriedly look away, and even when looking at my sleeve, they would squeeze their eyes shut.
I didn't know why, but I could tell something had changed.
It was easy to notice that it was because of that person.
Because while everyone was tense, that person alone looked as comfortable as if in his own home.
And that person was smiling at me.