A Sister's Scheme
Namgung Hyeon.
Was she a year older than me? I couldn't remember clearly, but I knew she was older.
Since I had never bothered to look into her, I didn't know the details. I only knew she had a nasty personality to match her pretty face.
She was definitely beautiful.
Even her furrowed brow was lovely, and her features were so clean-cut that any man would lose his mind just looking at her.
Compared to my sister who ran away from home, she was only slightly lacking.
Just thinking about my sister gave me goosebumps.
'...Well, that woman doesn't just rely on her looks.'
With a temper like hers, it wasn't about looks—she was just a terrible human being.
Anyway...
As I rubbed my arms to chase away the goosebumps, Namgung Hyeon questioned me.
"What... did you just say?"
Was her pride wounded by my words? Her expression was no joke.
Yes, it was the exact same face she made when she was trying to find fault with me.
"Ah, did you not hear me?"
Then I should kindly repeat it for her.
"I said I'm not going."
"...Why?"
"Excuse me?"
She tilted her head as if she couldn't comprehend. What kind of bizarre question was that?
"What do you mean, why? I'm not going because I don't want to. Do I need another reason?"
"I mean, why don't you want to talk to me...? That shouldn't be the case...?"
"..."
Ah, I see. In our brief exchange, I identified her problem. Usually, when she asked to talk, everyone probably followed her willingly.
I understood. With looks like hers, it was entirely possible. Unlike my past life, I had also benefited a bit from my handsome face in this life.
Moreover, I knew exactly how to handle someone with that kind of personality. I nodded immediately and spoke to her.
"Why would I have a conversation with someone who has a nasty temper, looks down on people, and throws a massive fit whenever things don't go her way?"
"..."
Namgung Hyeon's eyes widened at my words. The solution was simple.
Just blast her with whatever was on my mind.
"Am I crazy? Or are you? This is absurd. Why are you even asking why? If you wanted to talk, you should have started with an apology. Even this is looking down on me. I know you were pampered at home, but if you have business with me, you should resolve the past first."
Startled by my relentless barrage, Namgung Hyeon took a step back.
I stepped forward to close the distance and kept going. Without realizing it, I put force into my eyes.
"This is why I don't talk to people from wealthy families. None of you ever listen to a damn word, do you?"
I took a breath and continued to vent.
"You'd only realize how grateful you should be for your position if you spent two days rolling around as a low-ranking recruit in the Alliance. But of course, you don't know that, which is why you threw such a fit from our very first meeting."
I heard the old man trying to stop me, but I ignored him.
Ah, talking about it brought back all the hardships I'd endured, and my emotions flared.
"And after all that, what? You want to talk? What kind of bullshit is that? Did you leave your brain at home? Unless you've lost your mind, this makes no sense—"
I stopped mid-sentence. I still had plenty left to say, but Namgung Hyeon's reaction was strange.
The hand clutching her skirt trembled violently, and her cheeks and ears, which had been slightly flushed, were now as red as ripe apples.
Her eyes were even welling up with tears, looking like they were about to spill... Ah, there they go.
Namgung Hyeon began to cry.
Watching her, my father's words suddenly came to mind.
'Everything else is fine, but beware of a woman's tears. They are quite dangerous.'
For a man who was a master at seducing women to give such a warning, it had to be true.
Seeing a beauty like Namgung Hyeon cry did look rather pitiful.
However.
"What did you do so well that you're crying about it?! Seriously, this is why—!"
Unfortunately, I wasn't the kind of guy who fell for that.
I continued to scold her for quite a while longer.
"Sniff... Hic..."
The sound of sobbing echoed clearly from behind me.
Anyone else would have been shocked to hear it. After all, who would have expected a direct descendant of one of the Five Great Noble Clans to be sitting near a well, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand and crying?
"Ugh... Hic..."
She was crying so sorrowfully that not only tears but snot was running down her face.
It was honestly a bit gross. No matter how outstanding and beautiful she was, snot was a bit much.
Meanwhile, in that situation, I was sitting next to Namgung Hyeon, offering comfort.
"Hey, stop crying and dry your eyes. Haven't you cried enough? How much more are you going to cry? You'll end up filling your stomach with water because you're thirsty."
This was comfort.
She was crying so much, so telling her not to cry out of concern counted as comfort, didn't it?
The old man shook his head in disbelief. It was quite annoying, but I didn't argue.
Since I was the one who made her cry, I didn't really have a leg to stand on.
"Hic... Ugh..."
"...This is driving me crazy..."
There was no sign of her stopping. Once the floodgates opened, she couldn't shut them.
What should I do now? I pondered for a moment and came to a decision.
"Well then, I hope you sort things out. I'll be taking my leave now."
I would ditch her quickly. I didn't want to stay here any longer, so I tried to make a run for it.
Grab.
"Oh, for heaven's sake..."
Like a ghost, Namgung Hyeon grabbed my clothes. I tried to shake her off with force, but I failed.
'...Why is she so strong?'
I couldn't break free. Was she actually stronger than me...?
Only then did it click. Come to think of it, Namgung Hyeon was also of the Namgung Clan, and as a direct descendant, she had to be a martial artist.
Of course she was stronger than me.
"..."
Once that thought crossed my mind, I stopped moving.
I spoke to Namgung Hyeon.
"...What is it?"
My voice was much softer than before.
At my question, Namgung Hyeon looked up at me with her tear-stained face.
"...Wow, you're a mess of tears and snot. Don't look at me like that. It's completely unappealing."
"..."
"I'm joking."
Actually, it was seventy percent truth, but I forced myself to call it a joke. If I didn't, I felt like she would cry even more.
"So, what is it?"
When I asked why she grabbed me, Namgung Hyeon spoke.
"Le... Let's... ta... talk..."
What was she saying?
Her pronunciation was completely mangled, as if she were speaking without teeth. Just as I was trying to decipher it.
Yoo Chun-gil translated for me.
"Ah, you want to talk?"
Namgung Hyeon nodded at my words. Naturally, her tears didn't stop.
A talk? Since she was holding onto me this desperately, I was curious about what she wanted to say.
"But there's something you have to do before that, isn't there?"
If so, there was something I needed to receive first.
"An apology."
"...!"
"Apologize to me. Formally."
I wiped away my reluctant expression and disgusted voice. With a completely serious face, I spoke to Namgung Hyeon.
"That comes first, doesn't it?"
Apologize for being rude to me back then. At my demand, Namgung Hyeon's pupils trembled.
One second. Two seconds. Three seconds. Time ticked by. When it reached five seconds.
Flick. I brushed off her hand and stood up.
"If you don't want to, then don't."
I turned around without hesitation, and just as I was about to walk away.
"I... I'm sorry..."
Namgung Hyeon spoke in a tearful voice. She sniffled, swallowing something because of her runny nose. I didn't want to imagine what she was swallowing.
"...I formally apologize... for my rudeness to you back then, Young Master. So please... give me a chance to speak with you."
"Hmm..."
I turned my head slightly and glanced at her.
It was quite a sight to see her trembling, her pride clearly wounded.
That was enough.
"Very well."
As soon as I gave my permission, Namgung Hyeon's face brightened.
The person who had been crying her eyes out in anger just moments ago now looked so relieved just because I agreed to talk.
It was a bit pitiful.
Ah, of course.
'I was the one who steered it this way, though.'
Pressuring her to make the situation flow like this was entirely my intention.
I closed the distance and approached Namgung Hyeon.
I bent my knees to match her eye level and asked.
"So, what do you want to talk about?"
"T-That is..."
Namgung Hyeon hurriedly pulled a letter from her robes.
"...Actually... would you like to join hands with me?"
"Join hands?"
I tilted my head at her words.
My eyes remained fixed on Namgung Hyeon's pupils.
"What kind of partnership are we talking about?"
"...To be honest, I want to push my brother aside."
"Ah, is that so?"
I grinned. The context of the conversation didn't matter.
The only thing that mattered was Namgung Hyeon's reaction.
Thinking I was reacting positively, the corners of Namgung Hyeon's eyes shifted slightly.
"Yes... And as it happens... you defeated my brother in the duel, Young Master Bang... If you join hands with me now, I can offer you a great deal."
"Like what, for example?"
"F-For example..."
Her voice trembled. Her eyes darted from left to right for a split second, trying to be subtle.
It was the classic sign of someone trying to recall something. More precisely, she was trying to remember something she had memorized.
"Not to mention the support of the Namgung Clan that my brother promised... I can grant you access to our merchant group, and if you wish, I can even help arrange a betrothal with the Namgung Clan."
"A betrothal? With whom?"
When I spoke with feigned interest, Namgung Hyeon pointed to herself with trembling fingertips.
"...With... with me..."
"Aha... With Lady Namgung?"
With you?
'Hmm.'
It was true that Namgung Hyeon was a direct descendant, and marrying into her family as a son-in-law wouldn't be a bad future.
The problem was...
"In exchange for all that, what do I have to do?"
If I was to receive so much, what did I have to give Namgung Hyeon in return?
When I asked out of curiosity, Namgung Hyeon spoke as if she had been waiting for this moment.
"...I want you to give me the Blue Dragon Orb... the one you possess, Young Master."
She was referring to the blue orb Namgung Seong had been looking for.
"Ah, that orb? You need it?"
"Yes... With that, I can surpass my brother."
"Mmm. I see."
"I think it's a good deal for you too... After all, if my brother wakes up now, you will find yourself in a difficult position, Young Master Bang."
I widened my eyes and asked.
"Me? Why?"
When I asked as if I knew absolutely nothing, Namgung Hyeon swallowed hard and spoke.
"W-Well, because... you struck my brother's vital spot even after the duel was over, Young Master Bang... and my family cannot simply let that slide."
"That's true."
She was right. If Namgung Seong, who was currently unconscious, woke up and made an issue out of this, it would definitely go badly for me.
The duel had already ended, but I had kicked him in the groin out of anger.
But if I allied with Namgung Hyeon here? It meant she would protect me from Namgung Seong's clutches.
Nice. Not a bad trade. As I nodded repeatedly in response, Namgung Hyeon spoke to me as if she had succeeded.
"So... if you join hands with me..."
"But your brother is already awake, isn't he?"
At my sudden remark, she shut her mouth.
She froze solid, looking like she had turned to stone. It was so funny that I burst out laughing.
"Haha... Ah... Sorry. It was just a bit funny."
"...What... are you talking about?"
"What do you mean, what am I talking about?"
*Ahem.* I stopped laughing and forced a serious expression.
"I'm asking if your brother is already awake."
"...No. My brother is currently in his sickbed..."
"Come on. That's not true."
I subtly dropped the formal tone. Even if I did, it probably wouldn't register in Namgung Hyeon's ears right now.
"You came here on Namgung Seong's orders. Everything you just said came straight from his mouth."
"N-No..."
I ignored Namgung Hyeon's denial. There was no need to listen to it.
"The conditions themselves weren't bad... but your acting skills were lacking... What a shame. Actually, no. The conditions weren't even that good. Who's marrying whom? If you're going to do this, do it right. I couldn't get into it at all."
Where did the problem start...?
First of all, Namgung Hyeon showing up out of nowhere was the problem.
On top of that, she suddenly claimed she wanted to push Namgung Seong aside and take his place?
It wasn't even funny.
"If this is the best scheme you guys could come up with, I'm highly disappointed... but whatever."
I smiled brightly at Namgung Hyeon, and unlike before, she avoided my gaze.
"Anyway, you need the Blue Dragon Orb or whatever it's called, right? That's fine. I was planning on giving it back anyway."
"...!"
Namgung Hyeon flinched. Was it really that surprising that I had planned to return it all along?
It wasn't a lie. Furthermore...
"R-Really?"
"Yes. It's an important item. It should be returned to its original owner."
"T-Then..."
"So I already returned it earlier."
"What...?"
Namgung Hyeon's face went blank at my words.
Returned it?
"What... to whom...?"
"To whom else? The Namgung Clan, of course. Since it belongs to them."
"..."
She seemed to have understood, as her face gradually turned pale.
Indeed.
The Blue Dragon Orb that Namgung Seong had tried to retrieve 'secretly' would, in less than two days...
"...be delivered safely to the Family Head of the Namgung Clan."
Per my request, Cheon Ui-jin would deliver it under the name of Cheongwol Gate.
In short, this meant...
"Will you tell your brother not to worry too much?"
It meant Namgung Seong was utterly screwed.
And sure enough.
"You bastard—!!"
Not long after, a furious roar echoed from a certain bastard.