Chapter 41
“……”
Was it because of the weight carried by that name — Cheonmuryeong?
The imposter’s shoulders trembled faintly.
Eighteen years ago, after the mutual destruction of the Cult Leader of the Demonic Divine Sect and the Alliance Leader of the Martial Alliance — the two who once contended for supremacy of the world — the title of “Strongest Under Heaven” had remained vacant.
But then, Cheonmuryeong seized that title with overwhelming might and an undeniable presence.
No one dared to object that his era had come.
And perhaps because of that, it was the most despairing era of all.
To even speak his name aloud was practically leaving half your fate to luck.
Yet Ye-il had spoken the most plausible name she could think of, even as she secretly hoped she had made a mistake.
Judging by his reaction… maybe not.
[Didn’t I always tell you? This brother cherishes you more than you know.]
Cheonmuryeong, the Supreme Evil.
That man had returned.
Disgusting.
Her mood plummeted like a stone into a dark abyss.
Ye-il made a gesture as if she would tear the thin mask off the imposter’s face at any moment and threatened him coldly.
“Are you done talking? I’ll count the last five. Five. Three. One.”
Perhaps sensing the deadly change in her demeanor, the imposter hastily raised his hand.
“Tomorrow!”
“……”
“Tomorrow… during the Namgung Gathering, Namgung Soyo will be killed — and the blame will be placed on the young master. Then, under the pretext of protecting Namgung Hee-myeong, they’ll expel the young master from the clan.”
“Do you have a plan for that?”
“……”
Crunch.
“Y-yes! There is a plan! Though I couldn’t discover who the fake Namgung Soyo truly is, it turned out to be for the best. Once the Namgung Clan finds the Death Register hidden in the empty manor, they’ll be annihilated.”
Now she was certain.
The imposter had killed Namgung Chumyeong and infiltrated the clan for one purpose — the Death Register.
And then, the clan’s extermination… I suppose there’s no time to delay if he can’t repair his false face anymore.
The Namgung Gathering was a kind of banquet.
To “assassinate” during such an event usually meant one thing — poison in the food.
“Are you planning to use Hong-yu?”
Hong-yu was a deadly poison often used by assassins of the Killing Pavilion to commit suicide.
It was the same toxin Ye-il had found smeared on the dagger she had seized from the imposter’s sleeve earlier.
It shimmered like oil with a red hue — hence the name Hong-yu, “Crimson Oil.”
At the mention of the poison, the imposter finally seemed to yield. His defiance softened visibly.
“I’ve already arranged it through someone trustworthy.”
For an assassin to use the word trustworthy — that could only mean another agent of the Shadow Pavilion had already infiltrated.
Does Namgung Jeok-myeong even know?
“This is your last chance. Don’t disappoint me.”
Before the imposter could answer, Ye-il struck a pressure point, rendering him unconscious.
Only after confirming he had fainted did she slip out of the chamber.
The day of the Namgung Gathering.
The moment she opened her eyes, luxurious chests began arriving one after another into her room — each filled with lavish clothing and ornaments.
Chang-ah and Seol-yeong, who had opened the first few boxes, were wide-eyed.
“I’ve never seen skirts and jackets this beautiful! Even the sleeveless vest — it shines as if it glows without sunlight! This must be made from the finest silk.”
The young maid stroked the pale yellow gown with trembling hands, then gasped again at the shoes and ornaments inside another chest.
“Look! These embroidered shoes are so soft! And this jade hairpin — have you seen the little peach blossom decoration? Isn’t it adorable?”
“Who sent these?”
Seol-yeong, who was carefully checking that no poison or concealed weapons were hidden in the chests, answered,
“The young master sent them. He said they’re gifts prepared for you to wear at the Namgung Gathering — you may use them as you please.”
Counting all the accessories and fragrant sachets, there were easily over a dozen.
Spread out like this, even Ye-il — who had almost no sense for aesthetics — could clearly recognize Namgung Jeok-myeong’s taste.
Girlish. Fresh. Cute.
The complete opposite of her.
“You’ll wear them, right? Please? I swear, everyone will be mesmerized by your beauty today!”
Perhaps because she usually dressed so plainly, Chang-ah’s excitement was sky-high.
So Ye-il simply let the girl have her way.
It would have been amusing to attend in her usual simple clothes and watch Namgung Jeok-myeong’s disappointment, but it wasn’t worth crushing the girl’s enthusiasm for that small satisfaction.
After dressing her with heartfelt effort, Chang-ah looked up at Ye-il, eyes sparkling with awe.
“You look… you look so beautiful! Like a goddess descending with petals in the summer heat! The young master will be so proud to see how perfectly these clothes suit you!”
“Right. Bright and lively as forsythia — perfect for getting bloodstained.”
“…P-pardon?”
Ignoring Chang-ah’s horrified expression, Ye-il picked up a sachet that gave off a faint, sweet quince fragrance.
Even the scent — quince yellow.
How irritating.
“So you’ve decided to kill after all.”
Seol-yeong’s tone was calm, resolute — as though she’d been waiting for this day.
“Kill who?”
“Anyone. Just tell me what to do.”
“Practice the stance you corrected yesterday — at least three hundred times.”
“…That’s all?”
“And wake Jin Cheong-ak. We’ll be leaving soon.”
Disappointed, Seol-yeong went to the window and shook the dozing Jin Cheong-ak awake.
He yawned widely, but when he saw Ye-il dressed unlike her usual self, his eyes widened and his mouth clamped shut.
After a long pause, he finally muttered,
“You’re dazzling enough to make my eyes spin… but not really my type.”
“Right. Your type’s a naked woman, isn’t it?”
“…N-naked?”
Chang-ah glared at him with pure contempt.
Unable to endure even the maid’s look of disgust, Jin Cheong-ak quickly tried to defend himself.
“Come on, what do you take me for? If you must know, I prefer women like winter — not those who look like spring or summer, bright and lively in yellow or jade-green…”
“I’m not interested in the details. Chang-ah, let’s go.”
“Yes, miss!”
Ye-il left the room, escorted by Jin Cheong-ak and supported by Chang-ah.
The Namgung manor was far more crowded than usual.
Before too many eyes turned their way, Ye-il pulled Jin Cheong-ak aside, slipped him a small vial, and whispered in his ear,
“When everyone’s attention is on me, pour this into Namgung Hee-myeong’s food — discreetly. Then, the left side…”
Luckily, she finished explaining the key details just before they encountered Namgung Hee-myeong himself.
“Servant, I’ll attend to Soyo myself. You may leave. …But Soyo, why are you dressed so flamboyantly? You could’ve just worn your usual plain clothes.”
“Good afternoon, Young Master Namgung. You’re dazzlingly handsome today, as always.”
And standing beside him — of course — was that man: Go Sang-baek.
The very man Dan Ri-muk-ran had wanted to pair with Namgung Soyo.
As Ye-il reached out her hand for support, Namgung Hee-myeong grabbed it abruptly.
The air between them stiffened slightly.
“…You needn’t be so wary, Young Master Namgung. You saw Lady Dowager herself entrust Lady Soyo to me. I assure you, I wouldn’t dare offend her in such a public setting.”
“Hmph. It’s not you I distrust — she reached toward me, so I just caught her hand. Anyway, her seat is beside mine. I’ll take her.”
“Young Master Namgung…”
Despite Go Sang-baek’s weary sigh, Namgung Hee-myeong held Ye-il’s hand firmly and strode into the banquet hall.
Once some distance had opened between them and the others, he leaned close and whispered,
“From now on, be cautious of that guy. I’ll tell your maid — if you ever find yourself forced to change paths or take a detour, know it’s because of Go Sang-baek.”
Open hostility.
“Do you think he harbors wicked intentions toward me?”
“Come on, Soyo. Hate to say it, but… there isn’t a single man alive who wouldn’t have wicked thoughts looking at your face. Well, except me and my brothers! I thought you’d have enough sense to realize that. So why’d you get all dressed up and polished today?”
“These are the clothes Brother Jeok-myeong prepared for me. How could I refuse?”
“What? Brother sent them? What a waste — giving away fancy clothes and trinkets instead of bringing valuable medicine. I’ll have to talk to him about this.”
His grumbling went on for a while, but it died abruptly the moment they stepped into the grand hall.
