Chapter 22
Jeogal Haesu (Jegal Haesu) showed no interest at all, which made Soso feel embarrassed.
Namgung Jin answered for her.
“There are personal reasons I can’t disclose. But I can personally guarantee Lady Baek’s identity.”
It wasn’t an awkward excuse — there were people who, for private reasons, didn’t reveal their family name.
“Ah, I see. Well then, thank you both for attending the banquet. I am Namgung Hyuk.”
“My apologies for the late introduction. I am Jegal Haesu. I am under the protection of the Namgung household for certain reasons.”
Soso, catching the cue, greeted Namgung Hyuk.
“I am Baek Sam. I sincerely wish the head of the household a happy birthday.”
“Hahaha, thank you. If you are Jin’s friend, you’re family to our house as well. We’ve prepared delicious food, so please help yourselves.”
“Thank you.”
Jegal Haesu, using hunger as an excuse, tactfully led Soso off to a secluded corner.
Namgung Jin tried to follow them, but relatives crowded around him and he lost sight of them.
“Lady Soga-ju, who is the young lady with you?”
“Is this the moment we finally hear good news?”
“She’s very picky with her taste in men — no wonder she ignored others before!”
“I hear her martial skills have improved a lot. That’s impressive!”
Namgung Jin forced a puzzled smile at the torrent of questions.
Namgung Hyuk watched the attention falling on Namgung Jin from a step behind.
He unconsciously clenched his fist so hard it ached.
This banquet was meant to celebrate his birthday. Yet his nephew had stolen all the attention.
‘It’s supposed to be my day. Namgung Jin, you make me look miserable even today…’
Jealousy twisted him inside. He bit his lip until it bled and finally moved away.
If he stayed any longer he felt his public image of “an uncle who adores his nephew” might crack.
Meanwhile, Jegal Haesu and Soso slipped under a distant tent where they could avoid most gazes.
“I finally feel alive again,” Soso said.
“Seems so. Maybe I really have become prettier,” Soso added.
“So are you happy about that?”
“…Not exactly unhappy, but standing out too much isn’t great either. I’m so wishy-washy, huh?”
“Sometimes it’s hard to be blessed with a handsome face. I understand how you feel.”
Soso shot a look of incredulous disdain at the man who brazenly praised his own looks. She had to admit he was handsome, but his shamelessness annoyed her.
“Hahaha. Seeing you can’t deny it, I must be handsome then.”
Ugh — his words prompted only a sigh.
‘Lord Eonwoo, is it really right to follow Jegal Sohyeop?’ Soso thought, missing the ever-decent Lord Eonwoo more than usual today.
A strange voice cut into their conversation.
“Would you like some sweets? The Namgung house’s confections are truly excellent.”
It was a woman’s voice, as smooth as rolling jade beads.
Soso, drawn to the voice, looked toward it. A woman she hadn’t noticed before was there.
She was about Soso’s height, her face veiled in silk like Soso’s, so it was hard to see her features.
Who could she be?
She wasn’t a commoner. Two reasons made that clear.
First, her clothes were refined and elegant; second, she had appeared without a sound — she seemed to be trained in martial arts.
Jegal Haesu also seemed startled by the woman’s sudden appearance.
“I didn’t realize we had a guest.”
The woman chuckled softly and handed sweets from the table to them, one by one.
“I’m glad to have someone to talk to.”
Receiving the unexpected sweets, the two looked at her in confusion.
Beneath her veil came a lovely voice.
“Lady, did you hide here because you’re uncomfortable with people’s attention?”
“Yes.”
“I, too, have had times when I disliked being the center of attention.”
Even though the veil hid her face, Soso felt the woman must share similar circumstances.
A pleasant voice, a good fragrance, delicate hands offering sweets — that alone made Soso imagine her beauty.
“It’s embarrassing to say, but I was burdened by everyone always staring at my face.”
As expected, Soso’s guess had been right.
“Have you overcome it now?”
“Not at all. But I’m trying to for the sake of my beloved husband and son.”
“Oh.”
At that moment the woman asked Soso a question.
“Are you two lovers?”
Jegal Haesu and Soso answered at the same time.
“No!”
That was Soso’s reply…
“Who knows about relationships between men and women?” came Jegal Haesu’s cheeky retort.
Soso gave him a glare and lightly stamped on his foot.
“Sohyeop! Don’t say strange things to strangers!”
“Sama, have you forgotten the hot night we shared…? I threaded my fingers through needles and even sewed your clothes for you…”
He could spin a tale that would make it easy to misunderstand that he had once made her a set of the legendary ‘Ten-Thousand-Snow Three-Dragon’ clothes; his tongue was unmatched at fabricating such nonsense.
“I don’t remember that.”
“It’s a memory only I keep…”
Laughter from the veiled woman sounded like small, amused chuckles.
Soso felt an odd embarrassment, as if some private thing had been exposed.
“Since your stories don’t match, it’s clear you two are not lovers.”
The veiled woman bluntly summed it up.
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Sama, what a pity… Anyway, I won’t argue further. Please, just eat the sweets.”
“All right.”
Free from Jegal Haesu’s nonsense, Soso bit into a sweet.
It melted the moment it touched her tongue.
The sweetness was just right, and it tasted wonderful; Soso felt as if paradise filled her mouth.
But as she swallowed, her expression noticeably darkened.
Unreturnable thoughts of the Cheongseong Sect suddenly rose in her mind.
‘They’re all dead — can I, alone, enjoy these sweets?’
She had not wished to be reborn; simply being alive felt like a sin.
Those who had cared for her were dead — the fact that she alone lived tore at her heart.
At that moment, a delicate hand covered her trembling one that held the sweet.
Expecting Jegal Haesu, Soso found instead a much smaller, gentler hand.
When she turned her gaze, the veiled woman had taken hold of Soso’s hand.
“It’s all right.”
Though Soso had said nothing of her story, the woman seemed to understand the depth of sorrow she carried.
Thanks to the woman’s warm touch, Soso’s shaking hand calmed. Her heart, steeped in anguish, eased a bit.
Soso inhaled deeply and exhaled.
“I don’t know your circumstances, but try to let some of it out by enjoying something tasty.”
“…Thank you.”
The woman was peculiar and mysterious; Soso’s curiosity about her identity grew.
At that moment, Namgung Jin was seen approaching from afar.
He walked in a weary, drawn-out way, looking more exhausted than when last seen — clearly bothered by people.
“You hid here well. Everyone kept asking about Lady Baek’s identity… phew.”
Namgung Jin let out a sigh, and his gaze suddenly fell on the veiled woman beside Soso. His face instantly filled with astonishment.
“……”
Dazed, Namgung Jin called to the woman.
“Mother, are you here?”
It was Namgung Jin’s mother — Seollin, called “the Most Beautiful in the North Sea.”
She had suffered deep emotional wounds and been weakened, so she needed care.
Seollin, whose identity was now exposed, smiled softly; she did not seem to try to hide herself.
With amusement in her voice, Seollin spoke to Namgung Jin.
“Jin-ah, if you stay still, Jegal Sohyeop might steal your lover from you.”
