‘I-I only heard it from someone else. That Young Lady Seolhwa was in a courtesan's house before she returned, and that she received training to become a courtesan…. I-It wasn't me who spread the rumor! Please, spare me!’
The three returned to the pavilion. Seolhwa entered her room without a word, and in the end, Yeoyul and Ryeong couldn't bring themselves to ask her anything more.
“What do I do, Master warrior? It was my mistake, wasn't it? It was, wasn't it? If I had known the Young Lady was there, I wouldn't have said anything.”
Ryeong let out a long sigh beside Yeoyul, who was sobbing and blaming herself. He felt an overwhelming urge to immediately capture the maids who spread such nonsense and give them a good flogging. However, it was Seolhwa who had let them go.
He couldn't just punish those whom the Young Lady had forgiven.
“Hic… It’s my mouth’s fault, mine… Sob….”
On top of that.
‘We must tell the Family Head at once and have the ones who started the rumors captured! There must be a malicious purpose behind this!’
‘No. Wait and don't report it until I say so.’
‘But, Young Lady. This is a serious matter. We cannot stand by while the family’s servants insult you!’
‘Who is your master, Ryeong?’
‘…You are, Young Lady.’
‘Then wait. I will tell Grandfather myself when the time is right.’
Because she had said that, he couldn't even report it. As the Young Lady said, the Family Head would eventually hear the rumor as time passed, but by then, it would have already spread far and wide within the family.
“Hah…”
“Sob… It really was my fault. This stupid mouth… Sob….”
It was then. The door to the room opened, and Seolhwa came out. Yeoyul and Ryeong looked at her in surprise.
Seolhwa had changed into her training clothes.
“Y-Young Lady…”
“Young Lady, surely… you’re not planning to go today as well?”
With a rumor like this going around? She was going to that training ground, teeming with a pack of dogs just waiting for something to bite into?
“Young Lady, today you should rest…”
Seolhwa casually descended the stairs as if it were nothing and stood before the two.
“It’s not a rumor that will disappear overnight anyway. If I lock myself in my room because I'm scared of a rumor, it's just a waste of time. Then I'm the only one who loses.”
“But…”
“Besides, it’s somewhat true.”
Seolhwa shrugged.
Ryeong and Yeoyul’s eyes widened.
“…Pardon?”
“Hiccup.”
“It’s true I was in a courtesan's house before coming back to Namgung. Though I didn't serve any drinks.”
To be precise, it was a Blood Sect force disguised as a courtesan's house, and her job was mostly killing people.
‘Compared to the truth, the rumor is much better.’
Since this was an orthodox sect of the white path, neither would be looked upon favorably, but it was better than the truth of her being an assassin getting out.
“Let’s go. We’ll be late.”
Seolhwa walked between the two, who were too stunned to speak. After exchanging a brief glance with Yeoyul, Ryeong hurriedly followed after her.
Centered around the maidservants, the rumor spread quickly.
“That First Young Master’s daughter, the young lady who just came back. They say she was in a courtesan's house all this time.”
“Gasp. Then is that rumor actually true?”
“Seems like it. You know how it is, they take young girls to courtesan's houses, teach them, and then make them courtesans when they grow up.”
“No way… At worst, wasn't she just an entertainer?”
“An entertainer is still a courtesan. For a Namgung young lady to learn such things… isn’t that a bit…?”
“If people outside the family find out, it's a disgrace… isn't it….”
Even as the rumors spread, Seolhwa lived no differently than any other day. She didn't neglect her training with the Red Dragon Squad, nor the family's training. She paid no mind even when the maidservants and warriors whispered as they watched her.
Anyone else, especially any other thirteen-year-old child, would have locked themselves in their room, wailing and making a fuss. They would have already run to their parents to tell on them and be comforted in their arms.
‘The Young Lady is…’
Was it said that the center of a storm is calm? Ryeong thought Seolhwa was just like the eye of a storm. The world churned around her, but she alone was calm.
So calm it was frightening. The problem arose at dawn, two days after the rumor spread.
“We are sorry, Young Lady. It is our fault.”
“…We have no excuse.”
“We are sorry…”
With the first selection four days away, the Red Dragon Squad members who came for dawn training were sullen.
“What’s wrong?”
“We have all… been stripped of our eligibility for the upcoming promotion test…. It is our fault. We are sorry, Young Lady.”
“Explain in detail.”
This is what had happened. Last night, after dinner. While they were doing free training at the training ground, members of the 14th squad, who were on bad terms with the 11th squad, came over and started to taunt them.
“They said it was useless to train so hard since we’d never become Inner Hall warriors in our lifetime.”
“They called us chicken heads! They said since our birth is lowly, we’d never be able to fly no matter how hard we tried!”
The Red Dragon 11th Squad was a group of individuals with outstanding skills but no backing. It was the highest position one could reach in the Outer Hall, a place where those who could climb no higher stagnated. That was what they were mocking.
“It was fine up to that point. We hear things like that all the time. But…”
Namgung Jipyeong clenched his fists. His arm trembled.
“Those bastards dared… to say things that dishonored… the Young Lady…”
‘Oh, by the way, I hear the one teaching you martial arts is from a courtesan’s house, right?’
‘Someone raised in a place that just sells drinks is a Namgung young lady? How ridiculous. Hehe. The smell of powder can't be hidden by clothes.’
‘What can you learn from someone from a courtesan’s house? How to apply face powder?’
At the words that openly disparaged Seolhwa, Namgung Jipyeong finally couldn't hold back. When Namgung Jipyeong charged, the squad members jumped into the fray like unbridled colts. A brawl ensued, and— “We were summoned before the Red Dragon Unit Leader.
He said he would revoke the eligibility for the promotion test for all of us and the 14th squad.” Namgung Jipyeong hung his head low. The other members did the same.
“We are truly sorry, Young Lady. The things you did for us… we have thrown them all away.”
“We are sorry…”
The Red Dragon Squad members couldn't lift their heads. No, they were unable to. This time, hope had bloomed that they could finally rise to become Inner Hall warriors.
Behind them, who had no backing, the Namgung young lady stood firm. They had witnessed the sparring matches of masters of the Supreme Realm, and now they could look towards even greater heights.
But.
In a single moment of folly, they had thrown it all away. How could they lift their heads?
“So…”
“…”
“Did you win?”
Namgung Jipyeong blankly raised his head and looked at Seolhwa. The Young Lady, whom he expected to be angry, had the same calm face as ever.
“…Pardon?”
“The fight. Did you win?”
The Red Dragon Squad members exchanged blank stares. Then, with slightly agitated voices, words poured out of them like a flood.
“Of course! The 14th squad was never a match for us to begin with!”
“Thanks to the training you gave us, Young Lady, it was honestly too easy.”
“We’re perfectly fine, but each of those guys has a broken bone or two.”
Seolhwa nodded.
“Then that’s fine. It's a shame I couldn't see it.”
It was so peaceful it was almost dumbfounding. As if she had just finished talking about what she had for dinner last night, Seolhwa calmly picked up a wooden sword. The Red Dragon Squad members stared blankly at her.
“What are you doing? Are you not going to train?”
“…Um… Young Lady. The training is meaningless now…”
In the blink of an eye, a wooden sword was before his eyes. Namgung Jipyeong held his breath without realizing it.
“The reason you train is to become stronger, not just to become an Inner Hall warrior. Are you saying you'll stop training once you become an Inner Hall warrior?”
“N-No, that’s not it, but…”
“I told you, didn’t I? That I just need you all not to give up until the end.”
“…!”
Namgung Jipyeong’s eyes wavered. The eyes of the Red Dragon Squad members also blurred as if they were about to cry.
“Young… Lady…”
They were the ones who had given up, thinking it was all over. They were disheartened, thinking they would have to wait a long time again. But as if saying this was just the beginning, Seolhwa spoke with an unwavering voice.
“Just as we promised, all of you just focus on your training. With the promotion test not far off, just worry about becoming stronger than you are now.”
Her gaze sank coldly.
“I will take care of the rest.”
After returning to the pavilion, instead of heading to the family training ground, Seolhwa told Ryeong and Yeoyul not to let anyone in and headed to the private training ground behind the pavilion. The best way to sort out a cluttered mind was to swing a sword without a thought.
As she swung her sword, a path that was once unseen would at some point become visible, and everything would become clear. It was one of Seolhwa’s habits from her past life. Swish— Shwiik— The sharp edge of the real sword cut through the air, cutting through energy.
‘Not many people know that I am overseeing the Red Dragon Squad’s training.’
If there were people who secretly visited during training, it would be the ‘eyes’ of the family's high-ranking officials. Therefore, it was highly likely that the person who provoked the Red Dragon Squad and had them barred from the promotion test was at least a high-ranking official or higher.
On top of that, the rumor that spread at such a good time, right before the Heavenly Martial Tournament.
‘This Heavenly Martial Tournament is a test to gauge one's qualifications as the Young Family Head.’
So, all of this was ultimately part of the conflict over the position of Young Family Head.
‘Is this a scheme to shake me and tarnish my father’s prestige?’
Was it that woman again? There were many who obsessed over power in the family, but there was only one person in this Namgung who would resort to such dirty tricks. A member of Namgung, but a woman not raised in Namgung.
Namgung Cheonghae’s wife.
Yeon Soran.
‘If that woman is coming at me with such dirty tricks…’
Swish— Shwiik— ‘Shall I play a little dirty as well.’ The red sword path left ripples in the air as it continued endlessly. The energy was much faster and clearer than during her sparring match with Ryeong.
One would think she would be out of breath from moving without rest, but at some point, her rising breath was no longer overwhelming. A void where not even wind, sound, or the slightest breath existed enveloped her. When she reached a point where she couldn't tell if she was wielding the sword or if the sword was wielding her.
“You'll die if you keep that up.”
Clang— Someone's sword blocked hers.