Chapter 87 Most brazenly, the news of Jin Cheong-ak's survival was delivered by a group of escort guards passing the carriage.
The only words written on the scrap of paper that flew in through the wide-open window were:
<戀戀不忘 — unable to forget, lingering in longing>
He misses me and cannot forget.
Yeo Il tore the paper into tiny pieces and cast them one by one out of the carriage.
The image of his grinning face as he scribbled it down made her let out a hollow laugh.
"Namgung Soyo, we have arrived."
Blinking once to shake off her drowsiness, Yeo Il descended with the servant's assistance.
The moment her feet touched the ground, a chill utterly unlike the temperature she had felt at the Namgung Clan brushed against her skin. She had thought her seat uncomfortable for quite some time; it seemed they had climbed fairly high.
"From here onward, you must proceed on foot. If you have grown greatly fatigued along the way, Elder Pae ordered that you be escorted back to the Namgung Clan—"
"Soyo is perfectly fine. Let us descend."
Namgung Jeok-myeong, who had approached her side, cut the servant off firmly. The servants bowed deeply and drove the carriage away.
"Hmm. Let me see—the trees here have already turned deep with autumn color."
"..."
"I heard the road was treacherous. There were cliffs even along the way here. The crape myrtle blossoms fell like snow—"
"You do not need to describe it all."
Perhaps he was simply playing the attentive elder brother before Namgung Pae, but whatever the reason, Yeo Il felt no need to feign modesty before the two men.
At her words, Namgung Jeok-myeong clicked his tongue.
"Soyo, how is it that your sensibility is so utterly dried up? I have never met a woman as indifferent as you."
"I am sure you have not. The women of Giyeonru are all warm and gentle, after all."
Startled, the man let out a couple of small sighs as he grumbled.
"That is… as you know, Cho-hong and I are little different from close friends—"
His words trailed off before Namgung Pae's dry scoff sounded.
"Are you watching my reaction?"
The remark carried a barb, yet Namgung Jeok-myeong laughed it off with ease.
"Ha ha, Uncle, you have surely suffered no small amount of worry because of me. It cannot be helped that I am mindful."
"For once, you behave according to your age. You usually act slick and carry yourself like a fully grown man."
"...Have you forgotten my age? I am a fully grown man, Uncle."
"But here, at least, you seem the youngest."
Namgung Jeok-myeong raised a brow and glanced at Yeo Il.
She pretended not to hear, but from not far away came the sound of someone trudging closer. She opened her eyes slightly and saw a merchant descending along the mountain ridge with a massive bundle on his back.
After exchanging a few words with the merchant, Namgung Jeok-myeong returned and placed something in Yeo Il's hand.
"A mooncake. Eat it whenever your energy wanes. Of course, if your legs give out, I will carry you, so do not worry."
Did he think her a newborn mouse? It was absurd, but she nodded vaguely.
"Are you headed to Hangryong?"
At the merchant's question as he rearranged his bundle, Namgung Jeok-myeong replied leisurely,
"We are."
"This road has been eerily quiet of late… Take care. A road without travelers is not meant to be traveled."
"Has something happened at Hangryong?"
"What would a mere merchant like me know? The Gate Master of Hangryong is a man surrounded by all sorts of rumors. Nothing would surprise me."
"Ha ha… to that extent?"
"Ah? You did not know, Young Master? Just hearing a few of the tales tells you how sinister that man is. The only survivor among seven siblings, inheriting the entire fortune of his merchant father; rumors that he was not even a true son; that he bewitched the Yu couple with evil spirits and destroyed their household—such stories abound."
Listening with interest, Namgung Jeok-myeong murmured,
"Hmm. I heard the Gate Master of Hangryong is such a breathtaking beauty that rumors plagued him from birth…"
"Where there is smoke, there is fire, is there not? Hup—"
As the merchant slung his bundle back onto his shoulders—
Tak—
A small pebble flicked from Yeo Il's toes struck the merchant's palm, which was covering his face, and fell to the ground.
She felt his gaze linger upon her, yet she merely feigned ignorance and took a bite of the mooncake.
"…In any case, be careful. I will be on my way."
He was no ordinary merchant.
He had blocked the pebble—launched with internal force—effortlessly, and his movements were not merely defensive reflex.
A retired martial artist. Or a spy sent to observe them.
"Soyo."
"Yes."
"Have you swallowed the mooncake?"
She answered with her mouth still moving.
"Not yet."
"That is good. Spit it all out."
Impeccable vigilance. Yes, all well and good, but—
"…You mean to spit it here?"
When his large hand extended beneath her chin, Yeo Il could not conceal her astonishment.
"Yes. Is there a problem?"
A problem? None. When she recalled that he shared blood with Namgung Hui-myeong, what was there to be shocked about?
Even so, she possessed some sense of propriety. Calmly pushing his hand away, she turned aside—and instead of spitting out the mooncake, swallowed it whole.
"…Do not tell me you swallowed it?"
"Yes. It would be wasteful. There is no poison, so rest assured."
Namgung Jeok-myeong scolded her in a sharper tone than before.
"Soyo, have you forgotten how many times you have coughed blood? How can you be certain there is no poison?"
"I am certain, Brother. You know I would not come this far only to fall to something as trivial as poison."
He fell silent, seemingly in agreement. She chewed the remaining mooncake deliberately. Namgung Jeok-myeong sighed faintly.
"Do you have something to say to me, Uncle? Why do you keep staring?"
A low laugh sounded.
"Though I have watched you since you were an infant."
"That is not a promising beginning."
"Then and now, you remain naïve enough to make one laugh at times."
Namgung Pae resumed walking, and Namgung Jeok-myeong and Yeo Il followed.
"Brother Jeok-myeong does have a surprisingly pure side."
"Yes. So much so that it is hard to believe he is my elder brother's son."
"..."
"Do not look at me like that. Being unlike my brother is your most dangerous weapon."
"I find your words difficult to understand."
"Perhaps because I have no intention of making you understand."
"Would it harm you to explain?"
"People can never truly understand one another, Jeok-myeong. Understanding is an illusion. Merely a means of comfort."
"Yes, yes. Very well. Continue as you please, Uncle. I will manage my own understanding."
At the natural exchange between the two men, Yeo Il was inwardly surprised.
The man who hides his true thoughts at every turn loosens his guard somewhat before Namgung Pae.
Given their ostensibly hostile relationship, it was unexpected. It did not resemble men shaking hands while holding daggers behind their backs.
It was almost…
"..."
Almost what?
I do not know.
Was it because they were blood-related?
If so, that was something she could not understand.
And that made sense. Family affection was something Yeo Il would never feel—not until the very moment she closed her eyes for the last time.
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