Chapter 6

After Sa-yeol disappeared, Hyeonwon’s wife, Lady Seo (Minmyeong), came to see him.
She could not hide her happiness.

For 100 years, ever since the Heavenly Demon Cult suddenly vanished, the world had been peaceful.
Because of that, family leaders who had trained for decades often refused to retire—
They remained in power far longer than before.

Lady Seo fluttered in like a butterfly and sat beside her husband.

“It’s alright, my lord. Everyone knows that even the greatest masters can fall to qi deviation.”

She spoke cheerfully, even though she didn’t understand what had truly happened.
Of course, she knew the situation was serious—
but she remained confident.

Her own family—the Golden Seo Clan—was wealthy and influential.
There was no way the Jegal family would exclude them when seeking alliances.
She had heard that Jegal’s finances weren’t as strong as other great clans.

“My father will help. You’ve finally taken the seat of family head.
The Jegal family already has a young heir, so we only need to compensate them properly…”

She smiled sweetly.

“And as for that useless thing—let’s send her off quickly.”

Lady Seo spoke as though finally lifting a thousand-year burden off her chest.
But Hyeonwon said nothing.

Lady Seo assumed her husband’s silence was his last bit of pity for the illegitimate daughter—
and she scowled at once.

“That girl! Who cares if she gets mistreated in the Jegal household?
Was she treated well here?
After the old tutor left for the academy, who even looked after her?!”

BANG!

“…Yes.”

“M-My lord…?”

The expression on Hyeonwon’s face startled her.

He did not look like the man she knew.
His face was pale—almost frightened.
He looked like someone standing before a monster far more terrifying than the Jegal family.

“Call Do-wi.”

“Do-wi? Why would you call a child studying at the academy?”

“I said call him!”

Being ordered around like a servant, Lady Seo’s face flushed with humiliation.
She leapt to her feet.

“You cannot speak to me like this! Do as you please!”

She stormed out of the temporary headquarters, her thoughts bubbling.

Namgung Sa-yeol…
Since when did anyone care about that little brat?

He’s unfit to be lord.
His father died, and he’s completely lost his mind.

Clicking her tongue, she walked down the corridor with her maids.
One older maid—her trusted right hand—leaned close and whispered something she had just learned.

“My lady… I heard something strange.”

Lady Seo raised an eyebrow, giving permission to continue.

“They say… the one who stabbed Jegal Hwangho wasn’t the old lord.”

“…If not Father-in-law, then who could harm a master like Jegal Hwangho?”

The maid hesitated, wetting her lips nervously, then whispered even softer:

“Namgung Sa-yeol.”

“What?”

At that moment—
They saw someone standing in the dark corridor ahead.

Black clothes.
A golden belt—the Namgung emblem.

And unmistakably white hair, aged like an old man’s, though belonging to a young girl.

Namgung Sa-yeol.
The child they despised.
The child was tied to the unbelievable rumor they had just heard.

“What is that outfit?”

“What is wrong with it?”

Sa-yeol lifted her chin slightly—
a behavior completely unlike her usual cowering self.

Lady Seo felt as though the girl before her was someone she had never met.

“…You—no.”

Lady Seo had been the mistress of the Namgung household for years.
Before, she’d lost her temper because Sa-yeol touched her daughter’s belongings…
But this situation was different.

And my husband’s strange behavior… shielding her… That is even more unsettling.

“That outfit. I’ve never seen it.”

“Father gave it to me.”

Sa-yeol smiled—
a smile she had never once shown before.

“I am also a Namgung, am I not?”

“…”

Creak.

Sa-yeol stepped closer—deliberately making noise.
Normally, martial artists made no footstep sound.
But Sa-yeol had never learned even basic chores, much less martial arts.

Still…
For some reason, Lady Seo felt as if the sound was made on purpose.

Because after the first step—
Her following steps were silent as death.

“If you disliked me so much,
You should have ended my life when I was a newborn.”

“… What did you just say?”

“You didn’t want to dirty your hands, but you hated the sight of me.
So you let things reach this point.”

Her golden eyes narrowed slightly at Lady Seo.

The look resembled a snake
that had lived too long in a dark jar.

Lady Seo flinched.

“W-Who are you?”

Lady Seo asked instinctively.
Sa-yeol blinked innocently, tilting her head.

More… more…
until her neck bent at an unsettling angle.

“I’m Sa-yeol.”

Lady Seo fled in panic, her maids scrambling after her.

Sa-yeol watched them leave with a calm expression.

At her side, So-hwa whispered with a complicated look:

“…You did that on purpose, didn’t you?”

“Was it obvious?”

“How could I not recognize my lady?”

So-hwa sighed inwardly.

In moments like this, Sa-yeol still resembled the girl she originally knew—
playful, mischievous, easily amused…
Though lately she behaved like someone entirely different.

Unlike the other family members, So-hwa knew Sa-yeol’s true personality.
She knew the girl could laugh at small things, tease her, and joke around.

The problem is… now she’s able to act like that toward other people.

Who would’ve imagined Sa-yeol of all people would confront Lady Seo like that?

So-hwa sighed again.

After the former lord fell, Sa-yeol’s father, Hyeonwon, began supporting her openly.

He even moved her out of that storage-like room.

Not just anywhere—
into the main residence.

She barely had any belongings, so she simply moved herself.
Clothes she never had before were suddenly brought in—
as if to please her.

Golden ornaments she had never been permitted to touch
now filled her wardrobe.

The sparkles were almost blinding—
It was her first time seeing clothes like that.

This morning, we didn’t even know how to dress her in such fine garments…

That alone showed how terrible Sa-yeol’s life had been.