Chapter 8 [And lastly, Namgung Jeok-myeong… despite being the Sogaju (Clan Heir), his reputation is the worst. He's the best-looking and has the best martial physique among the brothers, but as a person, they say he's nothing but a butcher who's crazy for wine and women. They say if Namgung Jeok-myeong becomes the next Gaju, the clan will obviously decline. He has no sense for money and no interest in learning, so he's a little ignorant, too…]
A faint scent of alcohol drifted to the tip of Yeo Il's nose. It came from Namgung Jeok-myeong, so even if she could not speak to "women," it was clear he was faithful to "wine."
"Now, show me your left arm. Before the physician arrives, we should clean the affected area."
When the temporarily wrapped cloth was pulled away, a sharply cut wound was revealed. Clicking his tongue, Namgung Jeok-myeong dabbed at the area with a cloth dampened with water. At his careless handling, the second brother shoved the eldest aside.
"Elder Brother, wiping it like that won't make it clean. I'll do it."
"Ah. As expected, our second brother is good at this sort of thing. Yes, indeed."
Namgung Chu-myeong's touch was far more deft than his elder brother's.
After a brief silence settled—
"But, Soyo."
Namgung Jeok-myeong asked her,
"How did you manage to arrive alive?"
Yeo Il listened quietly to the calm voice without any visible agitation.
At times like this, it's frustrating that I cannot open my eyes. With only a voice, it's unclear whether he means how are you alive or why are you alive.
"If the men we sent as your escort all died, then they likely weren't ordinary assassins."
Yeo Il answered softly.
"By chance, a hero passing along the same road saved us."
"A hero?"
"Though I cannot see, the moment that person appeared, I could feel the assassins falling like autumn leaves in a harsh wind and fleeing in panic."
"You were truly fortunate. Then did you ask your benefactor's name?"
"They said they only did what anyone should, made graves for my maids and escort warriors who died unjustly, and then vanished."
"They don't seem ordinary. A child who cannot see returns and immediately stirs up a major incident. Since the retainers died protecting you, we will soon hold rites for them."
Yeo Il nodded quietly.
Suddenly, the third brother, Namgung Hui-myeong—who had been watching their conversation with a dissatisfied face—raised his voice.
"Then who on earth attacked her? Sending assassins—this is no different from a declaration of war against the Namgung Clan! We need to cut the roots cleanly! Second Brother, do you have anyone you suspect?"
"I'm not sure. Hui-myeong, as you know, there are very few who even know of Soyo's existence, inside or outside the clan. The culprit may be someone close to us."
"Still, it's a relief the wound doesn't look deep. Ah—has Physician Jang arrived? I need to leave now, so take care of Soyo."
Perhaps because Seol-yeong had shouted at the top of his lungs about an assassin attack, the physician arrived quickly and sat facing Yeo Il.
"Yes. Do not worry, Sogaju (Clan Heir)."
"Leave? Where are you going, Elder Brother?"
To the third brother's flustered question, Namgung Jeok-myeong smiled kindly and replied.
"Unfortunately, I have a prior engagement I must attend to. I'll probably return tomorrow morning, so keep that in mind."
As if it were an unexpected statement, Namgung Chu-myeong shoved his chair back and sprang to his feet.
"Don't tell me you're going to Giyeonru again. You can't, Elder Brother! Today is the day Soyo returned, isn't it?"
"Haha. A true man cannot break a promise with a woman, can he? Don't paint me as heartless. I thought Soyo would arrive yesterday, so I delayed the appointment to today. And Physician Jang will treat the wound well, so there's nothing to worry about."
"This involved assassins! Elder Brother must investigate the truth more thoroughly!"
In Namgung Jeok-myeong's eyes as he looked at Namgung Chu-myeong blocking the door, deep annoyance rose.
He let out an obvious heavy sigh and gently pushed Namgung Chu-myeong's shoulder aside.
"Chu-myeong, how can I investigate more thoroughly right here? Now that Soyo has arrived at the main house, she won't be threatened again. Even if we hurry for one more day, the vanished assassins won't be caught. Well—if you're that uneasy, then you solve it yourself. I won't interfere."
Leaving those words behind, Namgung Jeok-myeong abruptly left the room.
Public opinion was fairly accurate.
But something was strange.
What was strange was that someone who was the Namgung Clan's Sogaju (Clan Heir) could be this willful.
If disgrace had spread so widely that the world mocked him, the Gaju should have personally restrained him.
Namgung Chu-myeong shook his head and leaned back into his chair again.
"When will he ever come to his senses…"
"Hmph, you dream big. I told you, didn't I? Elder Brother is completely smitten with that woman named Cho-hong at Giyeonru. At this rate, he looks ready to hand over his liver and gallbladder, too."
After badmouthing Giyeonru for a while, Namgung Hui-myeong said he would do some breathing and cultivation and then sleep, and left the room.
After the physician finished treatment, the second brother—left alone among the siblings—patted Yeo Il's shoulder with an apologetic face as he sighed.
"I'm sorry, Soyo. The sun is already setting, so rest well for today."
"Thank you for your concern, Chu-myeong."
As Namgung Chu-myeong was just rising, he turned back to Yeo Il.
"We share blood—why do you keep such distance? Call me 'Elder Brother' comfortably."
"Thank you. But… where is Father?"
"…Let's talk about that tomorrow as well. Now, take my hand. I will guide you to your room."
So it was that.
Something happened to the Gaju.
That was why the illegitimate daughter who returned home was received by the Sogaju (Clan Heir), and why the brothers expressed concern about the Sogaju (Clan Heir)'s misconduct.
If the Gaju is absent, there's no one to control the Sogaju (Clan Heir).
Then what, exactly, had happened to the Gaju?
The next morning.
The moment the sun rose, Chang-a ran into Yeo Il's room.
With a dazed face, she slapped her own cheeks repeatedly until Yeo Il reached out and stopped her. Only then did she mutter, looking unable to believe it.
"I… it feels like I'm dreaming, Great Hero. This isn't a dream, right? This is the mortal world, right?"
"From the fact you're calling this Namgung Soyo 'Great Hero,' it does seem you're still wandering in a dream."
"Ah! S-sorry, Young Lady Soyo. Yes, Great Hero is now my Young Lady Soyo. I won't make the mistake again."
Then, as if no one had even told her to, she threw herself into cleaning the room, looking tightly wound with tension.
"Chang-a."
"Yes?"
Yeo Il put a small piece of sweets into Chang-a's mouth.
Chewing with a startled expression, Chang-a looked at the colorful assortment on the plate and bounced in place.
"Oh my goodness, they're so pretty it feels like a waste to eat them! And they're so sweet! Young Lady, you should try some too! The tea fragrance is amazing, and the tableware all looks expensive. The meals must be delicious too, right? If the older sisters had lived to taste these, it would've been so nice…"
Trailing off, Chang-a's face visibly fell, and she went back to cleaning the room. Thinking she might be the type who needed to move to feel calmer, Yeo Il left her alone this time.
It was understandable she was anxious. They were, after all, carrying out a bold fraud against the Namgung Clan.
Today is the day I properly face the Namgung Clan's relatives. Before that, Namgung Chu-myeong will probably come to fetch me.
But contrary to Yeo Il's expectation, Namgung Chu-myeong did not come to see her even as the midday sun sank.
It wasn't only Namgung Chu-myeong.
Neither of the other two brothers showed their faces, nor did the Gaju appear.
Instead, Seol-yeong—who had gone out at dawn to roam the marketplace gathering information related to Namgung Soyo's birth mother—returned first.
Of course, he did not come back with anything useful either.
"I came up empty. Not even the smallest rumor was circulating about Namgung Soyo's birth mother."
"No one at all?"
"Yes. And I didn't see a single person who even knew who Namgung Soyo was. Maybe because of that, yesterday's incident seems to have had a pretty big ripple effect. People are saying all sorts of strange things overnight—like the abandoned daughter returned to ride the clan's power, or they finally found their lost daughter late… all kinds of rare rumors were flying around."
"It's strange that no one knows her. It seems the four siblings of the clan lived together, even if only briefly."
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