Chapter 779
Bang!
The jarring sound made me turn around. Broken debris lay scattered on the floor.
Beyond that, a pair of elegant shoes caught my eye.
I slowly glanced up at the leg’s owner.
Before long, our eyes met.
“…Lady Mi.”
The owner was indeed Lady Mi.
Why was Lady Mi here? Of all times, now?
Did she hear what I just said? Damn, she must have heard. That reaction confirms it.
Which means… in simple terms…
“I’m screwed.”
That implies I’ve really messed up.
“What do I do?”
Cold sweat trickled down my body in various places.
Well, I had considered throwing my father under the bus, but if Lady Mi heard that, it made things a lot more complicated.
How complicated, you ask?
“I’d rather not imagine that.”
Whatever it is, I definitely don’t want to think about it.
Tolly appeared barely ten years old.
If I counted simply and considered him my father’s child…
“No, even before I could calculate that, the fact that Lady Mi wouldn’t know of a child already ruins everything.”
No matter what calculations or excuses I conjured, it was certainly hopeless.
“Um… Lady Mi. It’s not what you think…?”
A storm of familial disaster was looming.
I felt like I was standing on the edge of a cliff.
What should I do? How do I fix this mess?
Swallowing hard, I slowly sank deeper into the swamp of despair.
“Damn it.”
No matter how hard I thought, there seemed to be no way out.
It felt too late to confess now. If things continued this way, I’d have to pull my father down with me.
Do I survive?
Or do I turn my father into a shameless piece of trash?
It was an incredibly difficult dilemma.
Sure, regardless of everything, a child should know their duty, but this…
“Lady Mi… It’s just that, I wasn’t trying to keep it a secret… Given my father’s circumstances, this really is…”
Selling out my father. It was a conclusion I reached without too much deliberation.
He’s still in good health; she should be able to handle this much.
I might end up getting a beating if it’s discovered later, but I’d handle that then. Living is the priority now.
“Could you please just hear me out…?”
As I frantically scrambled to think up an excuse.
Pat.
Lady Mi started to approach me with wide eyes.
Instinctively, I flinched and hunched my shoulders.
But.
Whoosh—!
Lady Mi didn’t come to me, but instead breezed past and continued forward.
She was headed towards Nangong Bi-ah, who was cradling Tolly.
“…”
As she walked, Lady Mi finally reached Nangong Bi-ah.
“…Ah.”
She said a brief word and reached out her hand. Seeing that, my body stiffened.
…Huh, is she going to slap him?
She might just do that.
Out of the blue, she faced the fact that there was a child who wasn’t her own husband’s.
From the perspective of a legitimate wife, it couldn’t be anything but infuriating.
Especially since that was one nasty piece of work; there was a good chance she’d lash out…
“…Wait a second.”
When you think about it, I’m not in a much different situation than him, am I…?
“Child of a concubine. A nasty-looking little brat.”
Right now, the two of us don’t seem all that different.
A slight feeling of discomfort came over me; it felt like I was spitting on my own face.
Fortunately, I had never been hit by Lady Mi…
“Regardless.”
I must prevent her from hitting him.
Or should I just let it go since the situation is what it is? Just as I was having such thoughts.
Swish.
Finally, Lady Mi’s fingertip brushed against Tolly.
But it was not on his cheek.
“…Hmm?”
Tolly lifted his head at the gentle touch.
Lady Mi hesitated for a moment, running her fingers through the child’s hair.
“…”
All I could see was her back, so I couldn’t tell what her expression was.
Lady Mi was busy petting the child’s head, and meanwhile…
“Hey…?”
“Whoa! You scared me—!”
Suddenly, a voice came from right next to me.
I had reduced the tuning of my qi perception for comfort, so I didn’t pick up on Lady Mi’s approach nor anyone else’s.
Startled, I cupped my ears and turned to face the newcomer, who turned out to be Baek Ryeon-gyeom.
“…W-What is it?”
“Uh, that’s….”
Baek Ryeon-gyeom approached with a rather hesitant expression and tone.
“…Is that child the clan leader’s?”
“…Huh?”
What…?
“That child doesn’t look like Lady Mi’s, and judging by appearance, I wondered if they were your mother’s, but that can’t be the case, right?”
“…”
I realized then that she was referring to that topic.
“…That’s… well.”
“Could it be a sword demoness?”
“…Huh?”
Hearing Baek Ryeon-gyeom’s words made me frown. Was she referring to the Plum Blossom Sword Queen I knew?
“Senior, why are we suddenly talking about a sword demoness…?”
“Hmm? Ah, you don’t know about my nephew?”
“What does that even mean…? No, what were you even trying to say?”
“Leave it. In any case, so she isn’t the sword demoness? Then… Is she the daughter of a great house? If it’s that girl, she’d surely sneak into the kitchen… No, if she planned to, Lady Mi would have already dealt with it… then who could she possibly be? Could she be from the You Family? Strange. I heard she was already betrothed…”
“…”
A slew of names kept popping up. Powerful names that felt familiar. The problem was why those names were surfacing in this situation.
Wait a minute.
‘…Is she figuring out who my mother is?’
If that’s the case, does that mean those names are all women connected to my father?
If so, that’s absurd.
‘Father, you were more lecherous than I expected…?’
It was more than one woman; it was a few.
Men should uphold integrity. I felt a tad disappointed.
In the meantime, Baek Ryeon-gyeom wore an unwaveringly serious expression while mentioning that.
Seeing such a face, I sighed in resignation.
“I don’t know what you’re thinking, but I’m not that well-acquainted with matters like this.”
“If that’s the case, it means there’s opportunity, right? If those scoundrels are traversing the rooftops, it only means I can too, doesn’t it?”
“Senior? What do you mean by that…?”
“Oh, our boy. Got something to say? Speak freely.”
“…Why am I suddenly your son all of a sudden?”
“Life has its surprises, what can you do? Don’t take it too seriously; you could go bald from worrying!”
“What kind of life leads to that?”
It was always like this; talking to Baek Ryeon-gyeom felt like losing my mind.
Everything was already too complicated, and I didn’t have time to play around with an elder lady.
Rustle.
In the middle of it all, Lady Mi continued to absentmindedly comb Tolly’s hair.
Everyone around held their breath, unable to make a sound.
A child who was not my child, but rather my father’s hidden offspring.
The moment I thought of that, Lady Mi, my father’s wife, showed up.
In a situation that would make anyone’s knees weak, who would dare to breathe?
Tang Soyeol and Wi Seol-Ah were no exception…
‘Where did Gwaeseon go?’
Now that I thought about it, Gwaeseon was already gone. The man had made a hasty exit.
Even the usually composed Moyong Hi-ah had turned pale, covering her mouth.
What kind of hellscape would unfold in this room filled with tension?
“…Do you want to hold him…?”
“…!”
“…Oh.”
“…!!”
It was Nangong Bi-ah who was holding Tolly who said that.
At her words, everyone around inhaled sharply.
What the hell kind of mad statement was that?
The problem was.
“…”
Upon hearing those words, Lady Mi stopped her hand, which was absentmindedly stroking Tolly.
Was she angry at such nonsense?
This was indeed a situation that would warrant rage.
“…”
To prove that point, Lady Mi offered no response.
She simply stood still, staring at Nangong Bi-ah and Tolly.
‘Hmm?’
For some reason, I felt like Lady Mi was hesitating.
…No way.
‘Is she really thinking of holding him?’
It appeared that Nangong Bi-ah’s inquiry had caused some internal deliberation.
‘No way. That can’t be.’
It must be a misunderstanding. Lady Mi wouldn’t do that.
To prove me right, after a long silence, Lady Mi delivered the expected response.
“No. That’s okay.”
As expected, a rejection. There was no way she would accept that. What woman would want to hold her husband’s hidden child?
The only relief was that Lady Mi didn’t explode in anger.
‘Can a person be so rational?’
It was surprisingly impressive.
If it were me, I would have turned the surroundings upside down.
She may have looked surprised, but her calm demeanor was unmistakable.
As I marveled at Lady Mi’s composure.
“Lord Prince.”
“…!”
I flinched at her voice.
“Y-Yes…?”
Barely managing to answer, Lady Mi turned her gaze toward me.
Her expression was as impenetrable as ever.
I had no idea what she was thinking.
My back was already drenched in cold sweat.
I was doing my utmost to conceal it.
Just as I managed to dampen my breath.
Lady Mi spoke to me.
“I feel like we need to have a conversation.”
“…”
“Please follow me for a moment.”
“…Yes, yes.”
With that, Lady Mi took a step forward, and seeing her, I followed suit.
This was the most nerve-wracking feeling I’d had all year.
It took a bit of time to reach Lady Mi’s residence.
Especially since she wasn’t someone who walked fast, being an ordinary person.
I had to match her pace, and what would have been a quick dash turned into a walk that felt endlessly slow.
But do you know what was truly tough?
‘We didn’t exchange a single word during that entire walk.’
Lady Mi walked silently ahead, and I was unable to swallow even my saliva in that uncomfortable silence.
Thus, we arrived at none other than Lady Mi’s quarters.
This was the first time I had ever been here.
Usually, if I wanted to see Lady Mi, I would have either sought the upper house’s clan leader’s room, or she would have come to find me.
I had no memory of ever visiting where Lady Mi resided.
‘It’s this big?’
Upon seeing it, I was instantly amazed.
The size of the place was seriously impressive.
I had thought where I stayed was quite large, but this was even more so.
It might not have been twice the size, but there was undoubtedly a massive difference in scale.
The well-kept garden and the walkway that accompanied it were beautifully adorned.
As I stepped into the spacious quarters, it was impeccably neat.
“Please sit.”
“…Yes.”
I complied and took a seat immediately.
A tea cup was already placed on the table.
It didn’t seem as though Lady Mi had prepared it herself; it looked like one of the servants had set it up for her.
Feeling a parched throat, I aimed to sip the tea first, but…
“Did you say that child is the clan leader’s?”
“…Gah.”
At her words, the cup nearly slipped from my grasp.
I paused, lowered the tea, and glanced at Lady Mi.
She was looking at me with her hands clasped, her clear eyes fixed on me.
Was she expecting an explanation?
What am I supposed to say here?
‘What should I do? I need to get my excuses in order first.’
It was already too late for a retracement.
I had to say anything and everything right away.
“Well… you see, it’s….”
It hadn’t been that long since I arrived, so I had planned the words I wanted to say.
As I prepared to explain to Lady Mi, she interrupted.
“I know it’s not true.”
“…!”
The abrupt announcement sealed my lips once more.
She knows it isn’t true?
Does that mean she’s aware that my words would be a lie?
Her stunningly unexpected statement left me in shock.
With that expression of disbelief in my silence, Lady Mi added her words.
“Is it true, then?”
“…”
Her eyes were resolute.
Should I just admit it and offer the excuses I had thought of?
I wondered if that might be better but…
“…No, it’s not.”
Ultimately, I found myself confessing.
Lady Mi’s tone had been so certain, and bizarrely, as I looked into her eyes, I couldn’t bring myself to lie.
“I’m sorry.”
“…”
When I apologized, Lady Mi swallowed a sip of tea before responding.
I couldn’t hear the sound of it.
Plop.
The only noise that emerged was the sound of the cup meeting the table.
“…Lady Mi.”
“Speak.”
“Right now, it’s a bit awkward to ask, but… how did you know?”
How on earth did she find out? I couldn’t hold back the curiosity.
Is it even appropriate to ask something like this now? Instantly, Lady Mi wore a look that said it was absurd.
Because of that, I thought I wouldn’t get an answer, but…
“Initially, I thought it might not be true.”
Lady Mi began explaining to me despite her expression.
“Because it resembles you too much.”
“…”
“More accurately, you look more like your father, but since it can’t be yours, I briefly entertained the idea that it could very well be your father’s child.”
“…Then why did you decide it wasn’t?”
“Easy question to answer.”
Was it just me, or did Lady Mi seem to slightly smile?
Her answer followed.
“Your father wouldn’t do that.”
“…!”
It was an unexpected response.
I was left utterly flabbergasted.
“Your father is a man of many secrets. He doesn’t share anything and prefers to keep things to himself as much as possible.”
“…”
It was obviously true.
It made me wonder if he might utter even a hundred words in a year.
“Nevertheless. Even if he hides everything else, he wouldn’t hide something like this.”
“…In that case.”
“And even if he did hide it, I would have known. Because I am the clan leader of the Baekhwa Sect.”
“…”
Gulp.
To be truthful, I didn’t resonate with her earlier points much. But, her last statement was the one I could grasp best.
I am the leader of the Baekhwa Sect.
The pride and confidence emanating from that title was palpable.
“Therefore, I wanted to ask. Just who is that child?”
“…If I say it’s my child, would you believe me?”
“I would.”
“Pardon?”
You’d believe me that easily? That was the perplexing response I received.
“Believing is rather easy. And if you can bear that responsibility, you can go ahead.”
“…”
Lady Mi implies that she doesn’t trust me.
She knows full well that I’m not my father’s child, yet she’s suggesting I claim the child as mine.
And asking whether I can bear that belief was a far more daunting and heavy statement than just disbelieving it.
So, what should I do here?
At that moment, a multitude of thoughts raced through my mind.
“Or perhaps, I could simply choose not to ask.”
As a follow-up to what Lady Mi said, my eyes widened slightly.
“What do you mean by that…?”
You wouldn’t ask?
“Just what it says. I won’t inquire into who that child is. I might also refrain from scolding you for falsely claiming to be your father.”
“Why would you do that?”
“Hm, if I were to give it meaning…”
Clink. Clink. The cup Lady Mi was fiddling with made a curious sound.
“If you need that, that’s reason enough.”
“…”
“Then do as you please. If you need a pretext, I can provide one for you.”
“…Why are you going to such lengths?”
“However.”
Just when I thought I couldn’t understand what she was saying, Lady Mi raised her finger with a firm voice.
“One condition.”
“Condition?”
“Indeed, just one condition.”
Without asking for reasoning, she’d rather pretend not to know.
She’d overlook that I sold out my father for practicality, but clearly, the caveat was unavoidable.
I bit my lip quietly.
‘Just as I thought.’
Of course, there was no such thing as a free ride.
There’s no such thing as free lunch in matters like this.
Stifling my curiosity about what she might ask for, I knew I had to listen first.
I waited apprehensively for Lady Mi’s words, the tension thick in the air.
After a few seconds passed.
“That child will be in my custody.”
“…Huh?”
“That’s my condition.”
“…?”
I seemed to have heard correctly, but…
My brain simply couldn’t catch up.
