Cheonghae greeted the morning as dawn broke, still in the same spot he had sat down. Cheonghae, who disliked alcohol and noisy gatherings, had quietly slipped away from the banquet after the Heavenly Martial Tournament when it was in full swing.
Normally, he would have stayed until the end since it was a major family event, but he was not the star of yesterday's banquet. The star of yesterday's banquet was his elder brother, Cheong-un. No, it was his brother's daughter, Seolhwa.
Cheonghae had prepared for this Heavenly Martial Tournament with all his might. With talks of the Young Family Head position beginning to surface, it was a chance to gain recognition in front of all the family elders. That was why he did his best, but he had lost.
He had shown the family ‘peace’, but his brother had shown them ‘glory’. Even if they had retired from the front lines, the family elders were all warriors. It was only natural for warriors to be more drawn to glory than to peace.
Cheonghae accepted the result. As a younger brother, he was happy that his elder brother, Cheong-un, had reached the level of a supreme master. However, he was not so magnanimous as to sit in the banquet hall laughing heartily.
His disappointment was as great as the effort he had put in.
Tap. Tap.
Cheonghae gazed at the small, palm-sized box on his desk. He recalled the words of the child who had visited him last night.
“Seolhwa, what brings you here?”
Cheonghae, who had returned to his office and was pacing by his desk, looked at the child with surprised eyes.
“Hello, Uncle. I stopped by on my way back to the pavilion.”
“Where is my brother, your father?”
“Father is still at the banquet.”
“So, you came alone?”
“Yes. I have something to tell you, Uncle.”
What could his young niece possibly have to say, visiting him alone at this time of night? Though curious, Cheonghae let Seolhwa inside.
“Come in first. I'll get you some tea.”
“Then I'll come in. The tea is fine. I'll be leaving soon.”
“…Alright. Sit down.”
Cheonghae poured a glass of water instead of tea and placed it before the child. The two sat facing each other across the table.
“What is it you have to say? It must be urgent, for you to come at this hour.”
Seolhwa smiled and placed a small box in front of Cheonghae.
“What is this?”
“It's a pill.”
“A pill?”
When Cheonghae took the box and opened the lid, the strong scent of medicinal herbs wafted out. Inside the box were, just as Seolhwa had said, small pills the size of a pinky fingernail.
“So they're pills. What kind of medicine is this?”
“Take them when your chest feels tight and your mind is foggy. These pills will cure your symptoms, Uncle.”
“It's a medicine to relieve fatigue. Thank you.”
“Uncle, who do you think is behind this incident?”
“?”
Cheonghae's hand, which was about to close the box and put it away, paused. Cheonghae placed the box back on the table and asked.
“What do you mean?”
“About the matter with the martial division. You don't actually believe the Red Dragon Unit Leader planned all of it, do you?”
“Hmm…. Are you trying to say that I ordered the Red Dragon Unit Leader to do those things?”
“No.” Seolhwa looked straight at Cheonghae.
“Not you, Uncle, but Aunt.”
“!”
Cheonghae's face hardened. Seolhwa, who had been watching his stiff expression for a moment, pointed at the box Cheonghae had put back down.
“Those pills are an antidote.”
“!”
“The symptoms I mentioned earlier are signs of poisoning.”
“…What?”
“It might not be happening right now, but someday, if those symptoms appear, take the pills. You're likely being poisoned slowly, so by the time the symptoms show, you will have already ingested a considerable amount. But those antidote pills will be enough….”
“Wait….”
“I haven't mixed anything strange in them. You can have a trustworthy physician check the antidote pills if you wish.”
“Wait, just a moment…. Give me some time to think….”
Cheonghae pressed his throbbing forehead and let out a long sigh. His expression was complicated as he stared at the box. After catching his breath and organizing his thoughts for a long while, he asked with a confused face.
“So, you're saying… your aunt is trying to… poison me to death?”
“Yes.”
Because that's how you died in my past life. Cheong-un, who gave up the position of Family Head to find his daughter, and Cheonghae, who died young, poisoned by his wife. That was the reason the third son, Cheongsan, became the Namgung Family Head in the previous life.
“That's absurd. Why would my wife do that to me?”
“That shouldn't be your first question.”
“What…?”
“Why didn't you ask for a reason when I said Aunt was behind this incident?”
“!”
“You already knew, didn't you, Uncle? That the person who ordered the Red Dragon Unit Leader to command the sword units was your wife.”
Namgung Cheonghae did not answer. But his silence was an affirmation.
“Aunt wants to hold the Namgung family in her hands. Just as she tried to command the sword units, she wants to command the Namgung. That's probably why she chose to marry you, Uncle.”
Yeon Soran is the daughter of a large merchant caravan. Namgung Cheonghae and Yeon Soran chose to marry not because they loved each other, but for the benefits they could gain from one another. It was, in a sense, a marriage of convenience that both of them wanted.
“But what if it looks like you won't become the Family Head, Uncle?”
“…She would indebt the family to her, even if it means killing me. That way, she'd have an advantage when it comes to placing Soryong in the Family Head's seat.”
He's right.
I only gave him a few circumstantial details, yet Namgung Cheonghae understood his situation perfectly. It's a good thing I investigated Namgung Cheonghae's death in my past life. Originally, I planned to attack Namgung Cheonghae when he went on a long journey, but absurdly, he died during his travels.
As I investigated the reason, I discovered some very interesting facts about Yeon Soran.
“How… how in the world do you know all this?”
“The place I used to be associated with was skilled at gathering information.”
“…I see.”
Since she said she was at a tavern, he probably thinks it was something like the Underworld Sect. There was no need to correct him.
“I don't plan on revealing that Aunt is behind this incident.”
“…Why is that?”
“Because that's what you would want, Uncle.”
Namgung Cheonghae was turning a blind eye to Yeon Soran's actions, even though he knew. It was not because he loved Yeon Soran. If it were revealed that she was behind this, Cheonghae's reputation would suffer, and he would be one step further from the position of Young Family Head.
“I hope that you will compete fairly with my father, Uncle.”
Namgung Cheonghae is smart.
And capable.
His martial arts may fall short compared to Cheong-un's, but he is strong in formations and skilled in family affairs. If he lives and supports Cheong-un, the Namgung family will become unshakably strong, both inside and out. To achieve that, Namgung Cheonghae must lose with dignity.
He must fight with all his might, lose, accept it, and thus submit. If he were to suffer a defeat he could not accept, he is the type of person who would surely withdraw from the front lines to quietly read books. In that sense, shall I tell him one more thing?
I'm also curious to see how Namgung Cheonghae will react when he finds out about ‘that’.
“And… there is something else Aunt is hiding.”
“…What is it?”
Namgung Cheonghae's expression showed he had no idea. But I had no intention of telling him this part right away.
“That's for you to find out, Uncle. It's not a matter for me to interfere in.”
“…?”
“It's getting late. I should be going now.”
Seolhwa stood up and made a fist-and-palm salute to Cheonghae. After bowing, the child scurried out of the room. Even after the child left, Cheonghae remained rooted to the spot, staring blankly at the door.
'Thirteen… was it?' The same age as my son, Soryong. She was born a few months before Soryong, but it's only a few months.
How can they be so different? Could a different upbringing create such a vast difference? 'No. That child must be exceptionally clever.'
Seolhwa was only thirteen in age, but she was not like a thirteen-year-old. Throughout their conversation, he tried to read the child's thoughts, but each time, she would say something shocking and throw him off. It was as if she was telling him not to try to know her.
Her schemes were so deep they were impossible to fathom. To the point where it was impossible to believe she was only thirteen.
Knock. Knock.
The sound of a careful knock on the door pulled Namgung Cheonghae from his blank thoughts, and he lifted his gaze.
“Who is it.”
“Father, it's Ung.”
The voice of his second son came from beyond the door. Only then did Cheonghae realize that dawn had broken and it was morning. Rubbing his tired eyes, Cheonghae straightened his disheveled appearance from the long night before answering.
“Come in.”
Srrk, the door opened, and Namgung Ung entered.
“!”
Seeing him enter the room, Namgung Cheonghae's face filled with astonishment. His clothes were torn, his hair was a mess, and he was covered in sweat. Namgung Ung's appearance was unusual.
Namgung Cheonghae rushed over to Namgung Ung in a single stride.
“What on earth is this? What happened to you?”
As he turned the boy's body this way and that to check him, Namgung Ung spoke in a calm voice.
“I'm not hurt, so please don't worry. I just got this way from training hard.”
“Is that really true?”
“Yes.”
Namgung Cheonghae finally let out a sigh of relief. Seeing him appear in such a state so early in the morning, he had thought he'd been beaten up somewhere, but thankfully, that didn't seem to be the case.
“What kind of training makes you look like this? You weren't doing some dangerous training, were you?”
“No. More importantly, Father, I have a favor to ask.”