Chapter 07

Yeon So-hyeon looked down at Jeong-ah, who lay unconscious on the bedding of his bedchamber. She was a woman with not an ounce of internal energy, yet she had been able to perceive a formation on the level of a barrier, and even managed to glimpse into his ‘dark domain.’

Those eyes, shining with a golden light… I’ve surely seen them somewhere before…

He closed his own eyes for a moment, sifting through the memories of his previous life, and an involuntary gasp escaped his lips.

“…Of course. So you were that woman.”

He and she had never met face-to-face. Moreover, her appearance was so different from the one he remembered that he hadn’t recognized her at once.

“How did you end up as a person of this family…?”

In his hand, he held the directive from the General Steward that Jeong-ah had brought.

“…What a truly tragic fate.”

With a careful touch, he gently brushed back a lock of Jeong-ah’s hair that had fallen across her face.

“And what a truly strange thing fate is.”

All he had done was dismiss his servants in the morning. As a result, in less than half a day, a person he had never once met in his past life had appeared before him, designated as his new handmaiden. He smiled and shook his head. The occurrence of the unexpected. Was this not what made the affairs of the world still interesting, even to him?

He rose and left the bedchamber. To prepare for her eyes, he first needed to find a way to perfectly conceal his Demonic Qi. To not only conceal it but also control it would be the icing on the cake. Half a day, perhaps. A full day at the latest should be sufficient. It was merely a matter of suitably modifying and creating a mind technique¹ capable of perfectly hiding his aura; what need was there for it to take any longer than that?

With this thought—one that no grandmaster[1] of the martial arts would ever agree with—Yeon So-hyeon calmly entered his study.

“…Sleep well. We’ll meet later, Golden-Eyed Witch[2].”

***

It felt as if the events before she fainted had been nothing more than a nightmare. Jeong-ah awoke feeling remarkably refreshed. How long had it been since she had slept so deeply? Forgetting the Sword Clan of Luoyang, forgetting the Second and Third Young Masters, it was as if she had returned to her childhood, to the time she had lived with her family. How long had it been since she had opened her eyes without a single worry, fear, or trace of anxiety?

Pushing aside the covers that had wrapped her in a warm embrace, she sat up. A teapot and cup had been placed by her bedside. She poured the cool, infused tea and drank it in, savoring the fragrance. In that moment, she felt as if she wanted for nothing in the world. Having worked in the clan’s reception hall, she had tasted countless high-quality teas, but never one that put a person so at ease as the leaves she was tasting for the first time now.

Furthermore, the bedding she had been lying in, though old and worn, was of a quality she had never before slept on. And the teacup in her hand, though slightly chipped, was it not a priceless piece of celadon[3]?

Where am I…?

The room she was in was quaint and cozy, yet it exuded a natural, elevated grace. Her eyes were drawn to the calligraphic hanging scroll[4] on the wall, its characters brushed with a terrifying elegance; the sandalwood carvings of mountains and fields; and the earthenware pot filled with dried flower petals that gave off a soothing scent. After carefully rising and neatening the bedding, she walked to the window. She lifted the ebony-wood[5] sunshade that had been blocking the intense rays of the setting sun and opened the paper-paned window.

“Ah…”

The landscape that unfolded before her drew a natural gasp from her lips. A vast domain, encircled by a forest, stretched out wider than she could take in with a single glance. The Wongakjeong, situated at the very edge of the Sword Clan’s estate, was directly connected to the wilderness that lay beyond. And it had drawn that wilderness into its embrace, shaping it into a garden. There were wide meadows, gentle hills, streams and marshes, and even a pond and a lake. Bathed in the light of the setting sun, the view was breathtaking.

And above all else…

It was currently the second month. Luoyang was in the midst of winter, but here in the Wongakjeong, it was spring.

As she stood there, lost in the astonishing scenery, a curiously playful voice reached her ears.

“What do you think? Beautiful, isn’t it?”

The voice pulled her back to reality.

“Ah…!”

The one who had spoken to her from the courtyard was dressed in worn, undyed cotton robes.

“So. Did you sleep well?”

He gave her a small wave.

“Ah, yes. Thanks to you…”

He had the slender frame of a young man and the soft-featured face of a boy. With his fair skin and gentle features, she thought he was better described as a beautiful youth[6] rather than a handsome man.

“Good. I’m glad to hear it.”

He then smiled mischievously.

“It’s giving me a neck ache trying to talk to you way up there. Get yourself ready and come down to the first floor.”

Without waiting for a reply, he turned and ambled around a corner.

“Ah…!”

It was only then that Jeong-ah realized. The beautiful youth from a moment ago was none other than the Grand Young Master of the Sword Clan of Luoyang, the man known by the slur ‘the Swordless One’—Yeon So-hyeon. And she now understood that she was standing in his personal bedchamber, and that in their very first meeting, she had been brazenly looking down on her new master as they spoke.

***

“…So. Your name is Jeong-ah, is it?”

As Yeon So-hyeon spoke, leaning back languidly in his chair, Jeong-ah, who had regained her usual composure, answered calmly.

“That is correct, my lord.”

At her response, Yeon So-hyeon gave a sly grin.

“You were quite heavy earlier.”

Of course, it was a joke on his part. Having gained the power of the scripture, there was no way the weight of a single woman would have been heavy to him.

“Ah, ah! M-My apologies, my lord!”

She realized it then. There were currently no servants at the Wongakjeong. The one who had carried her unconscious form was none other than the Grand Young Master of the Sword Clan of Luoyang. Jeong-ah’s mind spun.

Come to think of it, I fainted in that forest. First, I met the masters disguised as guards, then that horrifying formation, and then…

It was like waking from a terrible nightmare only to find you could no longer remember it.

I’m sure I saw something, but was that a dream…?

The shock had exceeded her mind’s capacity to cope. Her memories had been scrambled, and the parts she could not handle had been erased. Yeon So-hyeon watched her confusion with a steady gaze and spoke again.

“Fortunately, I happened to find you collapsed during my walk. Even in the warmth of the Wongakjeong, if you had been found any later, it could have been serious.”

At his words, Jeong-ah rose from her chair, knelt on the floor, and bowed her head.

“I will never forget your grace in saving this lowly one’s life.”

Yeon So-hyeon waved his hand.

“I heard you. You may rise.”

He then picked up the directive from the table and unfolded it. But Jeong-ah showed no sign of getting up.

“In serving you from this day forward, I will not spare my body and will devote my very life…”

“Enough. Did I not say I heard you?”

Yeon So-hyeon cut her off, his eyes looking at her over the top of the paper. His gaze was devoid of any emotion.

“Besides, I do not recall ever agreeing to accept you. Have you decided on your own to serve me?”

He shook the directive.

“Or is this paper from the General Steward now giving orders to me, the Grand Young Master?”

His words struck Jeong-ah like a bolt of lightning. Come to think of it, she had simply assumed she would be serving him.

“…Please kill this lowly one!”

No. She had certainly been prepared to be interviewed by the Grand Young Master. But fainting in the forest had thrown everything into disarray.

“Goodness. I save your life, you decide on your own to serve me, and now you ask me to kill you.”

Jeong-ah lowered her head even further.

“…My deepest apologies.”

Yeon So-hyeon clicked his tongue, took a sip of tea, and spoke again.

“I never asked for a handmaiden in the first place. All I need is a manservant or a maid who is good at chores…”

At his words, Jeong-ah quickly replied.

“I, too, began my work at the Great Sword Clan of Luoyang with all manner of chores. I may not meet your standards, but I will do my absolute best…”

“Is that so?”

Hmm. Yeon So-hyeon gave a small nod, his tone turning serious.

“Then, one most important question remains.”

Jeong-ah swallowed dryly. Though hidden by his derogatory title, the Grand Young Master was said to be a man of unparalleled talent in not only the scholarly arts¹¹ but also in various other skills.¹² What kind of condition would he set?

“Do you know how to cook?”

“I… beg your pardon?”

Without thinking, Jeong-ah lifted her head to look at his face, then quickly lowered it again.

“The food. Cooking. Do you know how to cook?”

His voice was dead serious.

“I… I certainly do, but I would not dare compare my skills to those of a professional chef…”

As Jeong-ah stammered in response to the baffling question, Yeon So-hyeon slapped his knee.

“So are you confident or not?!”

Jeong-ah answered reflexively.

“I am confident, my lord!”

“Excellent! You’re hired!”

***

Jeong-ah stared blankly at the flames dancing in the small hearth. Dressed in worn work clothes she had found in the maids’ quarters, with a smudge of soot on her face and her apron spattered with broth, she was almost unrecognizable as the graceful woman she had been. It had been so long since she had worked in a kitchen, and it had been utterly chaotic. But with her excellent memory, her renowned skill at her work, and her eyes all working in concert, she was now simply waiting for the rice on the stove to cook.

That was… hectic.

She warmed her hands by the fire and sighed softly. It had all started when she fainted in the forest because of the formation. She had been carried by the Grand Young Master himself and woken up in his bedchamber, and what followed had been a series of mortifying blunders. Her face flushed just thinking about it. She, who had been called the ‘Ice Flower’[7] by the extraordinary personages and high-ranking nobles who visited the Sword Clan of Luoyang, had lost her composure so easily.

I was confident I could remain outwardly calm even with a knife to my throat…

Even the masters who could use qi sense had no idea she had detected their probe. And yet, she had been flustered so absurdly.

It’s all because I fainted so unexpectedly on that forest path…

Her hands, which had been rubbing together before the fire, stilled.

“…No.”

When she woke up in the Grand Young Master’s bedchamber, she had felt undeniably refreshed, and her mind had been perfectly clear. Although she hadn’t grasped the situation, it shouldn’t have been enough to make her lose her composure in the conversation that followed. Looking down on the Grand Young Master was a problematic act, but it certainly wasn’t enough to make her panic. With her years of experience in the reception hall, she was skilled enough to handle such a minor mistake with grace.

And what about the conversation after that? He had thrown just a few words at her, and she had acted like a new recruit being hazed. Her panic, her mistakes, and the fact that only now was she looking back and realizing how strange it all was… all of it…

…It came from the Grand Young Master.

From their first meeting to the very end, he had never once relinquished control. He had steered the flow of conversation exactly as he wished and had completely shaken her, a woman renowned as the Ice Flower for her unshakeable calm.

That man is the Swordless One…?

The same person whose servants had acted so insolently that he had no choice but to dismiss them just this morning?

An image of Yeon So-hyeon during their conversation appeared in her mind. The way he had been leaning back in the plush, wide chair, his posture relaxed yet full of leisure. And his eyes, which, contrary to the smile on his lips, had seemed endlessly indifferent.

That was not the look of the Swordless One. It was more like…

A shiver ran down her entire body.

“Is the rice not ready yet?”

“Kyaa!”

At the sound of his voice suddenly behind her, Jeong-ah jumped up in surprise.

“Oh, my apologies. I must have startled you.”

Towards the Grand Young Master, who stood at the doorway with an apologetic, sheepish grin, Jeong-ah could not utter a single word.

It was only then that she realized it.

Her eyes could read nothing from him at all.