Chapter 13
“Where are we going now?”
After breakfast, I followed Yeji unnie as she led me somewhere.
I used to think that only fancy young ladies had multiple maids. But now that I had some too, it felt strange.
Yeji unnie smiled kindly and answered me.
“You don’t need to use honorifics with me.”
“Why not?”
“Just think of me as someone below you. You’re in a higher position than I am.”
In the Black Gate Sect, the master’s disciples were called gongnyeo (for girls) and gongja (for boys).
I was the master’s first disciple, so I was called the Daegongnyeo, meaning the “first lady disciple.”
If a boy became a disciple under me, he’d be called Igongja.
But I wasn’t used to this big title. I used to live in the outer servant quarters, where I wasn’t even allowed to look directly at the inner maids.
And now, I was suddenly in charge of inner maids like Yeji unnie? That didn’t feel real at all.
I gave her an awkward smile.
“…Is that so?”
“Yes, Yeonhwa agassi. You’re now the only disciple of the head of the Black Gate Sect, the Daegongnyeo. So, you shouldn’t bow or speak formally to me.”
“Oh… I’m not used to it yet.”
“You’ll get used to it soon.”
Yeji unnie slightly lowered herself to match my eye level, smiling warmly.
“If it’s hard, just treat me like your friendly older sister.”
That made me feel a lot more comfortable.
She probably expected a noble and commanding Daegongnyeo, but I could only treat her like a nice neighbor unnie.
I hesitated a bit and then finally spoke.
“Yeji… unnie?”
As soon as I called her that, all the other maids looked at me with curious eyes.
I wasn’t used to getting that kind of attention.
But Yeji unnie just laughed brightly.
“Yes, Agassi! Now let’s go get you dressed up!”
The building where I’d be living was called Dohwagak. It meant “Peach Blossom Pavilion,” since the flowers bloomed beautifully in spring.
It felt too fancy for me. But they said any disciple of the sect master should have their living quarters.
Still…
‘Why is this place so luxurious?’
Everywhere I looked, there were expensive decorations that I could never afford, even with years of wages.
I asked about a beautiful vase on the table, and when I heard the price, I nearly dropped it from shock.
And that wasn’t all.
Next to my bedroom, there was an entire room just for clothes and accessories.
I had touched fancy dresses before, but this room was full of silk and gems. My jaw dropped open.
‘Master… are you going to end up broke because of me?’
My master, Samaryun, didn’t live in a place this fancy. His room was very simple and neat.
I looked at the dress Yeji unnie handed me and remembered his quiet little room.
“Unnie… is this okay to wear?”
“Agassi, do you not like the skirt?”
Yeji unnie looked confused. I gulped.
“No, it’s not that… It’s just… this feels too fancy for daily wear. Am I going somewhere special today?”
“Of course! Today is your official greeting to the Black Gate Sect! You should look your best.”
“Well… I guess you’re right…”
Today was the day I’d greet everyone as the Daegongnyeo. Still, it felt overwhelming.
Do rich girls live like this every day?
I used to do laundry for warriors. How did things end up like this?
Even after putting on the dress, the maids swarmed me with accessories.
“Agassi! Look at this! Such beautiful jade!”
“Don’t you think this one’s prettier?”
“No way! This one matches you best!”
I used to think all hairpins looked the same, but I was wrong.
Noble ladies wore different ones every day.
I just rolled my eyes back and forth, stuck between excited maids, unsure what to choose.
“Agassi, which one do you like better—this yellow one or the green jade one?”
Two maids looked at me eagerly, each holding a fancy hairpin.
They stared so hard I couldn’t help but burst out laughing.
“Pfft!”
Was this what it felt like to be loved?
Even if I had to leave someday because I was from the demon cult…
‘It still feels nice.’
Getting this much attention from someone other than my master or family made me feel really happy.
In the end, I chose the yellow jeweled hairpin.
It was shaped like a tiny flower and sparkled beautifully. Looking at myself in the mirror, I couldn’t believe I was wearing it.
‘I need to remind Master to save money later…’
What if he goes broke because of me?
Or maybe… does he have that much money to spare?
I stepped down from the chair, still wondering.
“You look amazing, Agassi.”
“Unnie, you think so too, right?”
I giggled with Yeji unnie, and the other maids smiled happily behind us.
This wasn’t just like being a noble lady.
It felt like I was a princess of the Black Gate Sect.
After getting all dressed up, it was time to go somewhere else.
Yeji unnie said it was where the inner staff worked.
“I-I have to greet the inner staff?”
“Of course! You’ll be staying in the inner quarters now. Only important people are allowed here.”
I nodded hard. The inner quarters were quieter than the outer ones, and I’d heard many high-ranking people walked around there.
“First, we’re going to see the Chief of the Inner Quarters.”
“The Chief? Isn’t that an important person?”
“Yes! He oversees everything in the inner quarters.
If anything goes wrong, he’s the one to talk to. So it’s good to make a nice first impression.”
I see… Just like there was a chief in the outer quarters, the inner quarters had one too.
The outer chief had been scary. I only saw him from far away, but everyone got super tense when he showed up.
Remembering that, I followed Yeji unnie as we walked.
“The Daegongnyeo has arrived to give her greetings.”
We showed the guards our ID badge and entered. I think this was the main building…
Then suddenly, I heard an old man shouting angrily.
“You’ll only learn if I punish you harshly! Your careless behavior hasn’t changed a bit!”
“But, Chief! Please listen to—”
“Silence! You’re worse than a snake’s leg! How dare you make excuses!”
A young man’s voice was quickly drowned out by the old man’s thunderous yell.
I looked at Yeji unnie. She gave me a nervous smile.
“Someone must be getting scolded during a meeting. That’s the Chief’s voice.”
“…He sounds scary.”
“Let’s wait a little before going in, Agassi.”
I had to make a good impression on someone that scary? My brain couldn’t even process the rest of the conversation because I was so tense.
“He fainted! Take him to the infirmary!”
Someone was carried out on a stretcher. It looked like he collapsed after getting yelled at by the Chief.
“…Unnie, do I have to say hi?”
“Ahaha…”
Yeji unnie avoided my gaze. She was planning to throw me to the wolves!
Then a crowd of people came out, and an old man appeared with some serious guards around him.
He looked so scary—worse than the village chief who used to scold me when I was little.
‘Still not as scary as Master though…’
“…Are you from the servant quarters?”
Even though I wished he wouldn’t notice me, the Chief had spotted me and walked over.
“Yes, Chief. The Daegongnyeo has come to greet you.”
Yeji unnie quickly answered. The Chief stared at me like a snake watching prey.
‘Can I even greet him properly?’
I thought of my master’s words and tried to calm my racing heart.
“Without a doubt, you’re already my amazing disciple.”
Just remembering those words made me feel a little braver.
I needed to leave a good first impression—be confident!
“H-hello, sir! I’m… Yeonhwa, and I’m… seven years old this year!”
I stuttered all over the place.
‘He looks way too scary!’
His snake-like eyes stared right through me like I was lunch.
Please… just eat me quickly and don’t make it hurt.
But then—
“Wahahaha!”
To my surprise, the Chief burst into laughter.
