Chapter 9
Flap.
Taking the sound of a page turning as his cue, Sobuk opened the window. The smoke from the incense burner that had filled the room slowly scattered with the breeze.
“Shall I go have a chat again today?”
Sobuk asked, but Se-hwi continued staring at his book without answering.
Used to being ignored, the boy bowed politely and turned around, leaving the room.
When he said nothing, it usually meant agreement.
Ever since arriving at the inner residence, Sobuk had been going around chatting with the maids.
At the end of the day, he would report the stories he gathered—just like he had been doing until a moment ago. Of course, there was rarely any response.
That had been the small routine he’d carried out ever since he began serving the Third Young Master.
Officially, the Third Young Master claimed he had no face to see the First Madam. Therefore, he would refrain from going outside during daylight hours and simply read books.
But Sobuk knew better. The Third Young Master rejected every gift the First Madam sent and clearly disliked her.
Still, matters concerning those of high standing were not something a mere servant like him should dare to speculate about.
Thinking of it that way, the girl who had come to give her morning greeting today seemed to be acting cocky just because she had a pretty face.
What good was a pretty face? She wasn’t someone who would ever catch the Young Master’s eye anyway.
Before he knew it, Sobuk had arrived in front of the library pavilion.
The Moyong clan’s library had another name.
Hwansisugak— the place where martial manuals from every sect were gathered.
Sobuk pulled out a bundle of rough cloth from inside his robe and unfolded it. Inside were carefully wrapped pieces of Goryeo byeong (yugwa).
He had carried them carefully so they wouldn’t break, and thankfully they were all intact.
“Well then, shall we have another round of gossip today?”
Sobuk knocked on the door and stepped inside.
Meanwhile, Se-hwi, who had been turning the pages of his book, spoke when he sensed someone lingering outside the door.
“If you’ve come, then enter.”
The door opened—but it remained quiet. Normally Sobuk would rush in front of him and chatter endlessly, yet today was different.
Instead of coming inside, he just clattered around outside the room.
“Why are you silent? Come and speak.”
“What… story do you mean?”
The hand that had been turning the page stopped.
“It’s breakfast time, so I brought a meal. What story were you referring to?”
Se-hwi shut the book he had been reading with a sharp thud and walked out of the inner chamber.
On the table were a steaming bowl of soup and several side dishes.
“That’s unnecessary. And I rarely eat breakfast in my quarters, so you don’t need to bring it here from now on.”
From the age of thirteen onward, Se-hwi had stopped eating meals in his own residence. Instead, he ate at his grandfather’s quarters, where a separate kitchen had been arranged.
And there was no way the current kitchen servant wouldn’t know that.
Looking at the maid’s troubled expression, Moyong Se-hwi thought she was acting remarkably natural as he turned back toward the inner room.
“Um… about earlier.”
Moyong Se-hwi stopped abruptly.
“Thank you… for saving me back then.”
Whatever else the situation might have been, he had saved her, so she felt she ought to thank him.
If she had remained unconscious where she fell, people might truly have mistaken it for a suicide attempt.
Come to think of it, I might have been thrown out.
She had wanted it to look like she simply slipped by accident, but the Third Young Master had witnessed her jumping down.
For many reasons, it seemed best to thank him.
“Lately… my head’s been a bit strange.”
“That’s enough.”
“Ah, and the food—”
“Take it outside. You can eat it yourself if you want.”
“Really? Thank you.”
She had to take it quickly before the Third Young Master changed his mind.
She hurriedly packed the food back into the lunch box, then stepped backward as she withdrew.
Moyong Se-hwi stood there blankly, blinking as he watched her.
Something about her seemed unusual.
Since childhood, he had long grown tired of the unnecessary attention that people—both men and women—directed at him.
That was one of the reasons he only kept Sobuk by his side.
It eliminated troublesome matters and, more importantly, allowed him to control information within the residence while gathering outside information through casual gossip.
Sobuk’s harmless appearance and cheerful demeanor made people lower their guard and spill information easily.
Well… being treated like this isn’t so bad either.
The girl didn’t even glance his way while putting the food into the container.
Why did that child keep seeming suspicious to him?
He hoped it was merely unnecessary concern.
If she was acting like that to deceive him, she would have to be an exceptionally talented spy.
But a maid who tried to die the moment there was a change in personnel between the inner and outer residences…
Perhaps she wasn’t that much of a genius after all.
Well, I’ll just watch her slowly.
There was plenty of time.
Ah, this is driving me crazy.
For the past few days, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t recall the plot of the novel.
Well, it can’t be helped.
So she had been going around different places gathering information about her new master—not because he was the protagonist of the novel, but to secure a solid backing for herself!
After organizing what she had learned, it looked like this:
Born to a secondary wife.
The only son of the Moyong clan head.
Spends the entire day holed up in his room reading books like a shut-in. Nickname: the Pale Scholar.
Judging by his spotless bookshelves, he seemed like a germaphobe.
Hmm… only about four pieces of information so far.
She would need to learn more about his personality and preferences later.
Still, remembering the day he assigned her to organize the books made her wonder if he had a tendency to torment people.
When she followed his order and entered the inner room, every space except the bed was filled with books.
Books produced dust too, yet the room was so immaculate it made her wonder whether his respiratory system was even okay.
“From this end to that end. Shake the dust off outside, then place them here. I have my own method of organizing them.”
After dusting off the books and seeing them arranged in perfectly straight lines afterward, she couldn’t help thinking that whoever became his future wife would probably suffer a lot.
And today again, she was returning to her quarters after spending the entire day organizing books.
“Ah, my shoulders hurt.”
The sun was setting low in the sky. A faint moon was already visible.
Oh right… today’s the full moon, isn’t it?
The date written on the note.
“Did he say anything today?”
Chuseol looked curious the entire time about what the Third Young Master might have said.
“…I wish he’d talk about something personal. Other than when giving orders, he doesn’t speak at all.”
“Ah.”
Dan-so, who had been listening to their conversation, suddenly spoke as if something had come to mind.
“Oh, right. I heard that when he doesn’t answer, that’s actually his answer.”
“Huh?”
“It’s true. If you ask what you should do and he doesn’t respond, it means you should go ahead and do it.”
“Who said that?”
“Sobuk did.”
Hearing that, I widened my eyes and looked at Dan-so.
“You know Sobuk?”
“Yeah, you’re speaking about him awfully familiarly.”
“Well… it’s not like we’re close…”
Dan-so avoided their gazes awkwardly, and Chuseol immediately began teasing her.
I stopped Chuseol and urged them to hurry and go to sleep.
After the lights were put out, I lay under the blanket wiggling my toes and thinking.
Lately Chuseol’s gotten quite used to the work… and she’s become such a light sleeper. How can I sneak out without being noticed…
“Grrrkhh…”
The sound of snoring startled me. I lifted the blanket slightly and saw Chuseol sleeping while snoring.
Beside her, Dan-so’s blanket rose and fell steadily as if she were in a deep sleep.
Now’s the time.
Creak.
I quietly closed the door to our quarters and slipped outside.
Pitch-black darkness covered the path as I carefully felt my way forward.
Even so, I wasn’t sure if this was the right thing to do.
Damn curiosity.
Come to think of it, curiosity never ended well.
In movies and novels, people always died because of it.
But… surely I won’t die, right?
Lost in useless thoughts, I soon arrived at the rear garden.
Whoosh… rustle…
The sound of bamboo leaves swaying in the wind and brushing against one another filled the garden like the sound of rain.
Looking around cautiously, I squeezed my body into the dense bamboo grove.
There might be someone else who owns that note. I should hide first.
Simply wandering around at night was dangerous.
So she had to move as carefully as possible.
This should be enough… I won’t be seen, right?
After pushing deeper between the bamboo stalks, I crouched down facing the place where someone might appear and began waiting.
Vaguely. Silently.
