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EP.24 Demon Sword Queen. (1)

On the morning of the day Gu Yangcheong set off for Sichuan in a horse carriage.

Wi Seol-Ah was doing house chores with the other servants.

Now, somewhat accustomed to her household duties, Wi Seol-Ah was starting to find some enjoyment in them.

She was surprisingly thorough with cleaning compared to her clumsy nature, earning her affectionate praise from the servants…

But it seemed she was quite inept when it came to cooking.

‘…Seol-Ah, you can’t hold the knife like that…!’

– Bang!

‘Hurry up and stop her! She’s going to cut her hand off!!’

‘Oh my god, the cutting board is ruined!!’

‘Fire!! We need to put the fire out first!! Dae Dong, go bring water. Water!!’

‘Noooo, the potatoes are turning black!!!’

The incident where Wi Seol-Ah raised her hand almost to the ceiling while surrounded by the servants spread like wildfire among them.

Thanks to this, a ban was issued among the servants prohibiting Wi Seol-Ah from cooking ever again.

Due to this, Wi Seol-Ah maintained a sullen demeanor for a while, but the promise that she’d be taught properly when she grew older brought her spirits back up.

“Seol-Ah, could you bring over the laundry?”

“Yes!”

Today was just like any other day. The work began with cleaning and laundry.

Carrying a hefty load of clothes, she turned back to find a carriage outside. It was the same carriage she used when going to the Gathering of the Nine Dragons.

‘What’s going on…?’

There was even another carriage behind it that looked like it was going somewhere far.

Wi Seol-Ah hurriedly walked back and asked another servant.

“Hongwa, what’s that carriage for?”

“Hmm? Oh, it seems the Young Master is heading to Sichuan this time.”

“Hmm…? Where is the Young Master going?”

“Yeah, so I heard that Elder Lee prepared the carriage in a hurry?”

“Uh? Seol-Ah, didn’t you hear anything? Why didn’t anyone tell the personal attendants…”

“It’s probably because Seol-Ah is still young and hasn’t been learning for long. It’s been almost a month, so that’s probably why.”

“Ah… that makes sense.”

“H-H-How long…?”

A month…? A whole month?!

Wi Seol-Ah’s eyes shook fiercely.

The Young Master wouldn’t be around for an entire month…?

No, that could happen…?

Wi Seol-Ah couldn’t comprehend why her heart felt so heavy.

“W-When is he leaving?”

“Probably when the Young Master coughs; he said he would depart right away, so it should be soon.”

If the servant’s words were correct, it meant that Gu Yangcheong would rise shortly.

Wi Seol-Ah stood there, frozen as if she had received a massive shock.

In the meantime, the servant patted her head, finding her stunned expression cute.

“Seol-Ah, once you’re done with the laundry, shall we go to the storehouse together and move some ingredients?”

“Y-Yes……”

“Do you want some rice cake?”

“Yes…!”

After finishing the laundry, Wi Seol-Ah began to move the ingredients with the servants to the cart.

“Is this enough? It’s going to be a long trip.”

“Maybe we can stop along the way and buy more?”

“Ugh… I’m not sure if it’s okay to be away from the Young Master for a month.”

“Still, don’t you feel like the Young Master has become a bit gentler since you arrived?”

“…That’s true; last time when I lightly bumped his shoulder while cleaning, he asked, ‘Are you okay?’”

“My goodness, you didn’t even touch him, but he didn’t hit you?”

“Exactly! Lately, doing work feels so easy… Am I really allowed to be this comfortable?”

As they chatted aimlessly, the cart was soon filled with ingredients.

Wi Seol-Ah suddenly asked the servants.

“So, is this cart going with the Young Master?”

“Right? Just gathering the clothes to take…”

“Oh, Hongwa! The Elder has arrived!”

“Ah, right! I’ll be there in a moment! Seol-Ah, let’s hurry!”

“Y-Yes…!”

As the servant dashed off, Wi Seol-Ah was about to follow when—

[Wait.]

Wi Seol-Ah froze at the voice that rang out.

She looked around desperately, trying to find the owner of the voice, but there was no one around her.

“Who, who are you?”

No answer came.

Wi Seol-Ah thought maybe the voice came from inside the cart and wriggled her way in to check.

The interior was packed with various ingredients, but no one was there.

There were spaces where a person could have hidden, but they were all empty as well.

Confirming that no one was there, Wi Seol-Ah was about to exit when someone suddenly nudged her.

“Ugh!”

With that shove, Wi Seol-Ah tumbled into an empty space. ‘Ouch.’ It felt like she had fallen on her knees awkwardly.

She spun around quickly, but all she saw was a carrot. Still no sign of a person.

Wi Seol-Ah wanted to escape the bizarre situation that kept repeating itself, but—

“So when is it leaving?”

Outside, the voices of Gu Yangcheong and Elder Lee could be heard.

Suddenly, Wi Seol-Ah thought that if she just stayed here, she might end up going all the way to Sichuan.

She was confident in hide-and-seek.

Even her grandfather, who could find anything, couldn’t find her when it came to their own little games.

‘Should I… just stay here?’

A naughty thought crossed her mind, but Wi Seol-Ah instantly shook her head, realizing that was probably not the best idea.

Going without telling her grandfather scared her.

A month without her grandfather was terrifying.

If she waited patiently, the Young Master would return. With that determination, Wi Seol-Ah tried to lift herself up.

[Wait.]

“…!”

Wi Seol-Ah was startled at the sudden voice and sat back down.

It was the same voice as before.

‘Who, who are you?’

As expected, no answer came.

The voice sounded familiar, but Wi Seol-Ah couldn’t place it.

“Hey! I took care of everything. Now, let’s go!”

“What kind of leaving is this…!”

Hee-hee!

“Yikes!”

While she hesitated, the sound of a horse’s cry echoed as the cart set off.

Wi Seol-Ah panicked, not knowing what to do, while the cart was steadily moving away from the clan.

‘Oh… what do I do? What should I do!?’

In her fluster, she felt a gentle hand patting her head.

It was a soft touch.

Though she felt she should scream, the hand made her strangely drowsy.

As her eyelids began to droop, a blurred voice echoed around her.

[Sorry, take care of this.]

When Wi Seol-Ah opened her eyes again, it was the middle of the night, with carrots piled in front of her.

“So… what happened.”

After hearing all the excuses, Gu Yangcheong turned to Wi Seol-Ah.

“I was possessed by a ghost and ended up in the carriage. Please don’t blame me!”

“Yes! That’s right!”

“What about the carrots?”

“…I was hungry… and the only thing I saw was carrots.”

Sigh.

With a deep sigh from Gu Yangcheong, Wi Seol-Ah quietly avoided his gaze.

After hearing everything, Gu Yangcheong silently clenched his night fist.

“…So that’s the case.”

“Yup…?”

“Does that even make sense?!”

Gu Yangcheong’s fist landed squarely on Wi Seol-Ah’s head.

“Yikes!!”

What am I supposed to do in this situation?

I gaze at the troublemaker groaning as they hold their head.

What in the world should I do with her?

How did she manage to sneak in like this?

No matter how rushed the departure, is this really possible?

I don’t know how powerful Cheon-Waecheon’s force is, but I know they could easily erase a clan if they set their minds to it.

I have no idea what the Sword Sovereign’s true thoughts are, but if I were to guess her senses, could she already know that the entire clan is already aware?

Then does she also know that Wi Seol-Ah got onto the carriage?

“It hurts…”

“I hit you because it should hurt, you little rascal.”

I didn’t come here without saying anything, but it was a rather urgent situation.

Did you actually think I would just toss you in the carriage and have it take off?

“What were you thinking following me?”

“I wasn’t really trying to follow… It’s just the ghost…”

Upon bringing up the ghost again and preparing to give her another scolding, Wi Seol-Ah hugged her head.

“I’m sorry…!!”

Seeing that made me once again lower my hand. What should I do? Should I send her back?

I can’t turn the cart around. Time is already tight; there’s no way I can afford to return for this.

“Should I send one of the guards to accompany her…?”

Having traveled half a day by cart already, it would take some days to walk back.

However, since I have some days to spare, I couldn’t just send her off carelessly.

Sending Wi Seol-Ah away feels just as unsettling.

Was my expression mysterious? Wi Seol-Ah gripped her clothes tightly.

“C-Can’t we go together? I can work well! I’ll do my best, so please take me with you, Young Master….”

“It’s going to be a long trip; Wi Noya will be worried.”

“My grandfather said if I listen to you and do my best, I can do what I want!”

Actually, the important thing is that you’re not listening to me right now. You’re…

“It’ll be a hassle if the other servants have to look after you too….”

As I began to speak, I noticed the odd glances from the others. It was something like:

‘Hang in there, Seol-Ah! Keep pushing hard!’

‘Thank goodness… With Seol-Ah around, I feel a bit more at ease!’

Was I really the villain here? Is that what’s happening?

In the complicated situation, I rubbed my face.

Why does it always get so tangled up? It’s incredibly complicated.

“Why did you even follow me?”

Wi Seol-Ah hesitated before answering my question.

“I feel uneasy without you, Young Master. My heart feels all tight… can’t you just take me with you?”

Tears shimmered in the corners of Wi Seol-Ah’s eyes.

Her words made my heart tingle.

But aside from that, I was puzzled as to why she was acting like this towards me.

The only connection we had was the rice cake I gave her at the market.

I tried hard not to focus on her more than necessary.

But why? It was unfathomable. It couldn’t possibly be a crush.

If that were so, it would simply be childish affection. I thought it would fade away with time.

No, I had to think that way.

Wi Seol-Ah grabbed me with a pitiful expression, like a lost kitten.

Her eyes were starting to fill with tears.

But this was not right. I had to send her back.

Could I really bring her along knowing what events could unfold in Sichuan? It was unsettling no matter how many times I thought about it.

I needed to find a way to call someone from the clan who could accompany the guard with Wi Seol-Ah.

I can’t let myself be swayed by Wi Seol-Ah. This isn’t why I went back in time.

With a determined heart, I spoke in a firm voice.

“…If you cause a ruckus, know that I’ll send you back immediately.”

…Damn it.

 

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