Chapter 59
Part 9: Ugly People
On the streets of Luoyang, as the sun was slowly sinking toward the horizon.
A girl riding on her reliable father's back was chattering without end.
"…And so the First Young Master looked into my eyes and said, 'Law-Enforcement Lion, I regret that I interfered as I pleased and stopped your judgment. I ask your forgiveness'. So I answered gracefully, 'It is all right, First Young Master. I believe it was an excellent decision for the sake of the main family as well'."
Yeom Baek-ha squealed and covered her face.
"Did you hear that? Did you hear that?"
White Tiger, who had been dozing in her arms, was startled and clung to her sleeve, dangling from it.
"Isn't he too wonderful? Wasn't it too romantic? I felt like I had stepped into a famous romance tale."
Elder Yeom truly wondered what part of that was romantic, but he did not bother asking.
After all, he was not the sort of fool who would poke a beehive just to check whether there were bees inside.
"What makes it romantic, you ask? Contrary to that beautiful yet cold exterior, he carries a burning heart for the poor inside his chest. Isn't the very fact that such a person truly exists already romantic? Right? Isn't it?"
Of course, among bees, there were some that would fly out and attack even if one had not gone near the hive.
"…And so, that person looked at me like this and…"
But on the other hand, he felt his heart ease a little.
How long had it been since he had walked through the streets of Luoyang at sunset with his daughter like this?
With a somewhat calmer heart, he was able to bring up the unavoidable matter.
"…What do you think?"
She did not ask, About what?
She was a bright child, bright enough to have passed the difficult examination for Law-Enforcement Lion at such a young age.
Though she had not been able to carry out that duty outside, not a single judgment she had delivered inside had been wrong in the slightest.
She knew all too well that everything her father had built up over his entire life could be shaken because of her alone.
Her voice sank.
"Father, there is only one thing I ask of you."
His daughter's voice came through his ears with startling clarity.
"Please do not use me as an excuse."
Her voice was utterly firm.
As if she were delivering a judgment as the Law-Enforcement Girl.
"…Use you as an excuse?"
At his question, Yeom Baek-ha gently placed her hand on his shoulder.
"I was born as the only daughter under an Elder of the main family. And, shamefully, I am also a Law-Enforcement Lion. I have lived while enjoying everything my position allowed me to enjoy."
Her voice held gratitude for everything she herself had enjoyed.
"I am not an ugly daughter who enjoys only those rights while neglecting her duties."
She spoke in a firm tone.
"Father, as an Elder of the main family, and as the head of a household, please make your judgment wholly on your own. Even if it is lonely, it cannot be helped. Even if it is painful, that cannot be helped either. But the words, 'I had no choice because of my daughter'—only those words are unnecessary."
"You…"
His voice cracked.
"As the young lady of an Elder, and as Father's daughter, I will simply follow your will, whatever it may be."
"…Is that so."
She felt her father's shoulders, those broad shoulders of his, begin to tremble little by little.
But she showed no sign of noticing.
The two of them simply walked on, like any ordinary daughter and father one might see on the street.
After a short while, a calmer voice flowed from his mouth.
"I understand. I shall do so."
She smiled and wrapped her arms around her father's neck.
"I just had a good idea!"
And then she started chattering again.
"Father should officially declare that you are severing ties with me! And then I, left with nowhere to rely on, will enter Wongakjeong as a maid! And because I, being ugly and useless, cannot do a single maid duty properly, the senior maids will bully me! I will hide in the storage room and shed tears while looking at the moon. And then! The First Young Master will enter the storage room and discover me! Ahh. It is perfect! Completely romantic! Another perfect romance tale!"
"..."
He focused only on his footsteps.
For the time being, he would have to keep walking even if it meant being stung by a million bees.
What choice did he have?
His daughter had no friend with whom she could chatter about such things.
She was a child who knew her own position, and who knew better than anyone how to conduct herself.
So what choice did he have?
For an ugly father with a daughter far more than he deserved, this was one of the few, trivial roles he could play.
***
The moon rose bright and full over Wongakjeong.
In the wide courtyard covered with gravel, bonfires burned here and there, brightly illuminating the surroundings.
Beneath that light, the agile shadow of a woman and the sturdy shadow of a man clashed.
Swordlight reflected by the bonfires flashed in every direction.
Before long, cheers rang out.
"Oh dear, my…"
The Fourth Young Master's warrior was sitting on the ground after landing on his backside, unable to rise from the shock.
"I received good instruction."
The one who held out her hand, breathing slightly roughly, was none other than the Head Maid of Wongakjeong, Jeong-a.
"No. Rather, I… no."
The warrior acknowledged his opponent as a warrior.
He readily took her hand and raised himself up.
Then he gave her a respectful fist salute.
"Rather, I was the one who learned a move from you."
The Fourth Young Master's warriors, who had been standing in a circle at some distance, clapped as they approached.
"Wow! It's been a long time since I saw such a truly impressive spar. I feel like my eyes have been opened!"
"Was the martial art the Head Maid used that famous Seonyeong Chalna? To have achieved such mastery in that difficult higher martial art—truly remarkable."
Their comrade had been defeated by a mere maid, yet not the slightest ill feeling could be sensed from them.
As she had felt throughout the entire day, the Fourth Young Master's subordinates were fundamentally very cheerful and straightforward people.
Jeong-a bowed her head in response to their praise.
"It is nothing more than an insignificant skill."
The warrior who had sparred with her jumped at her modesty.
"No, if the Head Maid says that, then what does that make me?"
"What else? It is only natural for the one with inferior skill to lose. Loser, stop loitering around and move aside."
"Yes, yes. We need to discuss higher martial arts with this Head Maid."
"More like receive instruction from her rather than discuss it."
The warrior, pushed aside by his comrades who had swarmed in, gave a hollow smile.
"…No, I have not even reviewed the bout yet."
None of his comrades were listening to him anymore.
The beautiful Head Maid who had learned one of the Sword Clan's most difficult higher martial arts was enjoying immense popularity among them.
"Well, now."
Shaking his head, he picked up his sword and small sword from the ground.
And that was not all.
The iron caltrops, needles, and throwing knives he had scattered were lying all over the ground in disorder.
Except for poison, which could not be used in a spar, he had used every ultimate technique he knew.
"…Not a single one of them worked?"
He crouched down on the spot.
Looking at the courtyard that had become a mess, all he could do was shake his head.
***
From outside came loud cheers and noisy voices.
The Fourth Young Master smiled.
"Younger brother enjoyed a truly excellent meal. As expected, Wongakjeong's ingredients are certainly the best in Luoyang."
"I am glad."
The table was cleared, and a plump maid appeared.
She was the one who had been attending the Fourth Young Master all day.
After offering a respectful greeting, she placed the after-meal tea meant to cleanse the palate on the table.
"Thank you."
At the Fourth Young Master's thanks, she showed him a charming smile and left the room.
"There are still not enough people in Wongakjeong, so I am sorry."
"Not at all, Eldest Brother. At times like this, we should help each other. What else are brothers good for?"
The door closed, and the signs of people moved away.
Now it was time for the brothers to have a proper conversation.
"This business was much more important to younger brother than it appeared."
The Fourth Young Master bowed his head with a dignified air.
His manner of speaking had also changed.
"Younger brother will never forget the teachings Eldest Brother bestowed upon me today, nor the things you did for my sake."
Yeon Sang-hyeon waved his hand.
"…It seems the way the other two are pushing ahead is shaking your position."
The Fourth Young Master let out a small sigh.
"That is correct. This business is large in scale, yes, but in truth, its most important purpose is also a struggle to avoid falling out of the fight for the position of successor."
"Do you have a desire to become the Young Clan Lord?"
"..."
Yeon Sang-hyeon lightly savored the fragrance and set his teacup down again.
But the question he had thrown out was by no means light.
The Fourth Young Master opened his mouth with more caution than ever before.
"…We cannot hand the Sword Clan over to the Second Young Master or the Third Young Master, can we?"
"No, we cannot."
Yeon Sang-hyeon lightly nodded in affirmation.
"Eldest Brother."
The Fourth Young Master looked up at him.
"Perhaps, even now…?"
Yeon Sang-hyeon cut him off.
"Those investors said to be coming from Sichuan."
The Fourth Young Master immediately lowered his head.
"Yes, Eldest Brother."
"I heard there are some among them who are making things difficult for you. Is that true?"
The Fourth Young Master shook his head.
"You have no idea. No matter how much I try to persuade them, they insist on touring Luoyang separately, apart from the movements of the entire business group…"
He rested his elbow on the table and propped up his chin.
"Well, what can I do? I am the one in need, so I will have to find some way."
Moreover, regardless of the immediate amount of investment, they were important figures who would greatly influence whether this business succeeded in the medium to long term.
After listening to the Fourth Young Master's explanation of them, Yeon Sang-hyeon nodded.
"Then I shall take charge of them."
At his words, the Fourth Young Master froze.
"…Eldest Brother."
"What is it?"
The Fourth Young Master's eyes wavered.
"If you go 'that far', it will become an entirely different matter."
The boy licked his drying lips.
"The relocation of the poor is nothing more than Eldest Brother briefly helping your youngest brother. The share I intend to give Eldest Brother is, in a way, something like an adviser's fee."
"That is true."
The Fourth Young Master drank the cooling tea.
"But doing more than that means you intend to join this business together with me."
"It will become a business jointly carried out by the First Young Master and the Fourth Young Master of the Sword Clan."
Yeon Sang-hyeon smiled a smile whose meaning could not be read.
"That is also why I intend to present new conditions."
The Fourth Young Master felt his head grow dizzy.
"…Eldest Brother."
The boy looked at the person he loved and respected most.
"Are you planning to end your seclusion now? The Second Young Master, the Third Young Master, and all those who dislike Eldest Brother will rise like a swarm of bees to block you."
Yeon Sang-hyeon asked in return.
"Do you have a desire to become the Young Clan Lord?"
The Fourth Young Master sprang to his feet.
His chair was flung backward.
"No!"
The boy slammed the dining table.
"Absolutely not!"
He shouted.
"The position of Young Clan Lord of the main family is a position that only Eldest Brother has the right to ascend to!"
Yeon Sang-hyeon smiled broadly.
He could no longer afford to lose the few remaining members of the family he loved.
That was why he had to make this "business that was clearly doomed to fail" succeed no matter what.
He knew the "future" in which this adorable younger brother had suffered so much for the sake of his ugly Eldest Brother.
"I now intend to end this seclusion 'officially'."
That was why this ugly Eldest Brother, who had been this way until now, intended to become the proudest Eldest Brother in anyone's eyes from now on.
"Will you stand with me?"
It was a question that hardly needed to be asked.