Chapter 4
Haena blinked foolishly.
There was no doubt she must have misheard. Yet she did not have the courage to ask again.
After turning over what she thought she had heard several times, Haena finally widened her eyes and asked.
“Then… then.”
“….”
“Are you saying Lord Tamrang Seong-gun… is my sister?”
Meeting Seowan’s gaze—those eyes like a glowing sunset—Haena briefly lost her words.
“Does that matter?”
“It does!”
For a moment, Haena shouted, forgetting even her fear.
But her courage faded just as quickly.
Seeing the child cautiously watching her again, Seowan let out a low sigh.
“You became a traitor of the Yeonga family because I abandoned you there.”
“….”
“If someone else had found you instead of me, you would have died.”
Even after hearing such a cold truth, Haena remained composed.
In the end, Seowan asked directly.
“Then why do you not resent me?”
She had expected Haena to say the same things she had once heard from her own mother.
It was an obvious truth, and Seowan had already prepared herself to accept that resentment as she stood before the child.
“Ah… that is…”
But those eyes were far too innocent.
Haena hesitated and lowered her head.
Fidgeting with her small hands, she lifted her gaze again.
“But… you came to find me… and you saved me.”
“I might not have.”
“B-but you did.”
Haena answered firmly despite trembling slightly. Then she continued hesitantly.
“There is someone who gave me my name. He used to be the chief steward of the family until two years ago.”
At the memory, Haena’s expression darkened slightly. She swallowed.
“He always told me I wasn’t abandoned. He was the one who found me first—me, left at the front gate.”
He had been Chief Seo.
He had taken care of Haena like a father, even when everyone else turned away.
“They said even the clothes I was wearing… even the swaddling cloth… were extremely expensive silk. The kind only noble families would use.”
It was something meant to say she was a precious child—so she should be well cared for.
The man had smiled brightly as he said it.
“He said there must have been circumstances where they couldn’t raise me. But they still left me there hoping I would live well.”
As she spoke, Haena’s voice grew heavier.
Chief Seo had died two years ago.
It was when Haena had been assigned to the underground storage room that he discovered what was happening below while trying to look after her.
He had desperately tried to stop the head of the family.
Out of lingering affection for the young master he had once served since childhood.
But Yeongimun was no longer the same person he had known.
To ensure no information leaked, he killed Chief Seo and discarded his body without even holding a funeral.
After his death, Haena was left alone.
Whenever she felt lonely or sorrowful, she recalled his words.
That she was a precious child.
That somewhere, her family surely wished for her happiness.
“Never forget that I will always wish the same for you as well, Haena.”
Those were his last words to her.
Tears fell from Haena’s lowered face.
Noticing this, Seowan slightly furrowed her brows.
Haena lifted her head again, her eyes reddened.
“Isn’t that right?”
Seowan did not answer. But she also did not deny it immediately.
“I think so. You recognized me right away and brought me here…”
“….”
“If you thought it didn’t matter whether I lived or died, you wouldn’t have done this.”
Haena continued speaking while holding back tears.
“Chief Seo always said that whatever a person does will come back to them. So I thought… that day was my punishment.”
But then Seowan appeared.
The one who had wished for her to live well.
The one who had once called her a precious child.
“I was really happy when you saved me then.”
Haena’s lips curled upward. The smile, mixed with tears, made her face look strange.
“Thank you… both eight years ago, and now.”
She bowed deeply.
Her already small frame looked even smaller as she bent forward.
Looking down at her, Seowan felt a complicated emotion.
She had once thought the child resembled her—but perhaps she was wrong.
Neither she nor her mother had even the smallest trace of kindness. And yet this child was so gentle.
She must resemble her father.
Perhaps, just as she herself might truly have been the child of Tamrang Seong-gun, the promise Haena’s father made to her mother might also have been real.
Would it have been better to search for the child’s father instead of leaving her at the Yeonga household?
But regret cannot change the past.
“You do not need to thank me.”
Seowan said coldly.
“As the one who took care of you said, I am merely responsible for what I have done. So tell me what you want. What compensation do you desire?”
Haena lifted her head, bewildered.
Seowan, uncharacteristically patient, added an explanation.
“I mean compensation for what you endured at Yeonga. Say anything. I will grant it as long as it is within my ability.”
Haena’s eyes widened.
She looked flustered, but Seowan did not take back her words.
“Um… then… can I stay here? I’ll do any work you ask. I don’t need pay.”
At her carefully chosen answer, Seowan’s expression darkened.
“You are asking me to make you a maid of this estate?”
At the cold response, Haena’s shoulders slumped.
“I-I’m sorry. I made a mistake. Please forget I said that.”
Haena had nowhere to go.
If she were thrown back onto the streets alone, she did not know what would become of her.
It seemed inappropriate to employ a child from a traitor’s household as a servant.
Then what should I do…
As Haena gloomily worried about her future, Seowan’s voice came again.
“I will arrange your residence.”
Haena, who had been staring at the floor, looked up in surprise.
“The compensation I spoke of is not that small. Think properly and speak again.”
Gulp.
Haena swallowed nervously.
Being allowed to live here as a young lady instead of a servant was already more than she deserved, yet even that was not considered sufficient compensation.
What am I supposed to ask for?
Saying she needed nothing felt impossible under Seowan’s sharp gaze.
After much hesitation, Haena finally spoke the greatest request she could think of.
“Th-then… can I call you sister?”
Seowan accepted Haena’s request.
Though immediately afterward she frowned as if she had just heard something ridiculous and asked twice whether that was really all.
But Haena nodded firmly, and in the end Seowan reluctantly agreed.
She muttered that she would have to keep a separate account of the debt, but Haena, too relieved to have her request granted, did not hear it.
Before long, the sun began to set.
After Seowan returned to her quarters, Cheongyeon prepared dinner and helped Haena change into sleeping clothes.
It had been a long day.
She had thought she would die, yet she had survived. She had also learned of the existence of a sister she had never known.
As soon as she lay down, exhaustion washed over her.
“Good night, young lady.”
With Cheongyeon’s gentle words, Haena fell asleep as though fainting.
How long she slept, she did not know.
Haena felt a bright light stabbing at her eyes.
“Mm…”
She frowned and pulled the blanket over her head.
But the light did not fade.
It’s so bright…
Just as she shifted restlessly, a thought suddenly struck her.
What time is it?
Her eyes flew open.
Startled, Haena sat up. Looking out the window, she realized the sun was already high in the sky.
Even though it was early summer, it was likely past the hour of Si (around 9–11 a.m.).
No way!
Haena hurriedly climbed out of bed.
Normally, she woke up at dawn (around 5 a.m.).
It was her duty to prepare meals for the children in the underground room and clean the place.
The morning had already passed. They must be starving.
As she hurriedly moved, the room came into view.
It was no longer the cramped underground space of Yeonga with its worn-out bed.
Sunlight poured through perfectly crafted windows, filling the elegant, tidy room.
“…Ah.”
Right. That was right.
Even though she understood her situation had changed, her body had not yet caught up.
As Haena, slightly relieved, sat back down on the bed, she heard footsteps outside the door.
“Lady, are you awake?”
