Chapter 10
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On her soft palm rested a round object, wrapped in mulberry paper and tied with a string.
It was an incense ball, made by crushing Sun-greeting Herb with a stone, rolling it into a sphere, and drying it in the sun for three full days.
‘The reason she was picking herbs that night was…’
As if mesmerized, Namgung Ho extended his own hand.
Plink.
Hong-seol gently dropped the incense ball she had made onto his palm.
The sharp fragrance that instantly enveloped his nose made Namgung Ho instinctively frown. Seeing this, Hong-seol quickly spoke.
“I heard that you dislike the smell of Sun-greeting Herb, Benefactor.”
“That’s not true.”
Namgung Ho lied without thinking.
“But your…”
Hong-seol pointed to Namgung Ho’s forehead. Deep wrinkles had long since set in there.
Caught, Namgung Ho let out a small sigh.
“Yes, it’s true I don’t care for the smell of this herb. But since it’s a gift for me, I’m truly grateful.”
He quickly added his thanks, as if to prevent Hong-seol from asking for the gift back.
“Th-this isn’t just a gift.”
“What was that?”
Namgung Ho asked again, his face a picture of confusion.
“This is something to ease your worries.”
Though she was trembling, Hong-seol put strength into her large eyes and spoke clearly.
“If you place this by your bedside and burn it, you should be able to sleep soundly tonight.”
“Ah…”
Namgung Ho finally understood what was happening. Someone must have told her that he hadn’t been sleeping well lately.
‘To think this little child would make an incense ball herself.’
And she’d done it while tumbling and scraping her knees.
It was a luxury he had never once enjoyed while raising his three grandsons.
Namgung Ho stared, dazed, at the incense ball resting on his palm.
Perhaps his expression looked unconvinced, because Hong-seol hurriedly added.
“This might be an unfamiliar item here in the Namgung Clan, but at my home, that’s how we use Sun-greeting Herb.”
Though… it’s not my home anymore.
Having accidentally summoned a memory she desperately wanted to forget, Hong-seol’s face clouded over.
“Well…”
Just as a flustered Namgung Ho was wondering what to say to comfort her.
Hong-seol shook her head maturely, shaking off the bad memory herself.
Then, she spoke to him with adult-like conviction.
“You may not like the smell of Sun-greeting Herb, Benefactor, but you must burn it.”
‘My, the child has grown in an instant.’
Namgung Ho was so surprised he was at a loss for words. Seizing the opportunity, Hong-seol pressed her point once more.
“The sharp smell will go away if you just bear it for a moment.”
Her expression was so serious that he suddenly felt the urge to tease her.
Uncharacteristically, Namgung Ho put on a playful pout.
“But what am I to do if I truly despise the smell?”
At that, Hong-seol, after a moment of panic, seemed to make a decision and planted her hands on her hips. Her face was set in a serious frown.
The sight somehow reminded him of the adults who used to scold him in his childhood.
“Y-You have to endure it, even if you don’t like it! I had to chew and eat the stir-fried fleeceflower root even though it was really bitter.”
Her words left Namgung Ho speechless. Then, a weary laugh escaped his lips.
‘Heh heh, whose child is this, so sharp and determined?’
“I’m only saying this for your own good, Benefactor.”
Hong-seol added cautiously, watching his reaction.
“I understand. I’ll do as you say.”
As Namgung Ho readily agreed, the worry lines on Hong-seol’s face smoothed away.
“But there is one thing I want to tell you.”
The serious atmosphere seemed to frighten her, and Hong-seol shrank back again, her eyes darting nervously.
“Wh-what is it?”
The assertive air she’d had when insisting he burn the incense ball was completely gone.
“It’s about what you call me. ‘Benefactor’ is a bit stiff.”
“Then, Grand Patriarch…?”
“No, that sounds too distant as well, don’t you think?”
Then what on earth should I call him?
Namgung Ho watched Hong-seol, who kept tilting her head in confusion.
The corners of the ever-stern Namgung Ho’s mouth slowly relaxed.
“Yes. It would be best if you called me Grandfather.”
---
Early the next morning, a mountain of Sun-greeting Herb was piled in front of Hong-seol’s quarters.
Standing before it with a bewildered expression was the Namgung Clan’s steward, Namgung Su-oh.
As the man in charge of the Namgung Clan’s household affairs, he had just come from receiving an order from Namgung Ho.
“Last night, I slept soundly without waking even once. It’s all thanks to the incense ball our Seol-ah made for me.”
“Pardon?”
“So, go to Seol-ah and tell her to continue making Sun-greeting Herb incense balls for this old grandfather from now on.”
“Yes, I understand.”
The loyal steward had bowed and withdrawn for the time being.
But in truth, he didn’t understand the situation at all. Two things bothered him.
The first mystery was the identity of the child called Seol-ah.
‘I heard the Grand Patriarch recently took in a girl of unknown origin. Was her name Hong-seol?’
He had thought that much was plausible. Looking after the weak—was that not the very definition of righteousness and chivalry a martial artist should uphold?
But since when had they become close enough for him to call her Seol-ah?
This was the same rigid Grand Patriarch who unfailingly called his own grandsons Baek, Heuk, and Jeok.
‘How on earth did she capture the Grand Patriarch’s heart?’
The second thing that bothered him was the dubious efficacy of that incense ball.
‘The Hall of Medicine definitely presented an incense ball made from Sun-greeting Herb to the Grand Patriarch last month.’
Back then, he had tossed it aside, saying it had no effect, but now he was claiming it was incredibly effective.
The only difference was who had made it.
Suspicious, he had the Hall of Medicine check the incense ball’s ingredients, but the result was as expected.
“The ingredients are identical to the ones we made.”
In that case, Namgung Su-oh could only think of one reason.
‘It’s purely a matter of mindset.’
He must have been charmed by the antics of a girl he’d never seen before. That’s why he felt that an incense ball made by her hands had a special effect.
‘If he dotes on a child of unknown birth, the elders’ opposition will be considerable…’
Then again, he was never one to care about such things.
Namgung Su-oh tried to calm his troubled mind.
‘What does it matter? As long as the Grand Patriarch can sleep well, that’s all that counts.’
To him, the Grand Patriarch’s peace of mind was more important than anything. Only then could he himself be at peace.
With the Patriarch away, the foremost elder of the Namgung Clan was the Grand Patriarch, Namgung Ho.
In other words, the more displeased Namgung Ho was, the harder things became for Namgung Su-oh.
For that reason, Namgung Su-oh was nothing but grateful to the mysterious child before him.
“Did you have a peaceful night, Young Miss?”
He bowed to Hong-seol with clasped hands and spoke.
“I am the steward of the Namgung Clan, Namgung Su-oh. I have come on the orders of the Grand Patriarch.”
The maid Maeran’s troubled voice came from beside her.
“The Young Miss is very shy.”
Hong-seol was hiding behind Maeran as if frightened, only peeking her head out.
“Young Miss, you must greet the Steward.”
Only after Maeran’s gentle urging did Hong-seol mumble in a tiny voice.
“Hello.”
She was quite adorable, her clear cheeks blushing as she pursed her lips.
‘Is this why everyone makes such a fuss about wanting a daughter?’
Even Namgung Su-oh, who was rarely fazed by anything, felt his heart momentarily stolen.
Namgung Su-oh cleared his throat, ahem, and said.
“I have come at the Grand Patriarch’s order. Thanks to the incense ball you gave him, the Grand Patriarch was able to sleep very soundly last night.”
At his words, Hong-seol’s face lit up as if the sun had suddenly appeared.
‘I cured Grandfather’s insomnia. I’ve become a useful child!’
“And so, he would like you to continue making the incense balls for him.”
With those words, Namgung Su-oh discreetly presented a charming little stone mortar and pestle.
He had brought it thinking it would be much easier than crushing the herbs with a stone.
It was originally used for grinding sesame seeds for cooking…
But it had to be smaller than her fist for Hong-seol to handle it easily. The mortars used for grinding real medicinal herbs were much larger and heavier.
“The Grand Patriarch said that only the ones you make yourself are effective.”
At that, the child, who had been hiding in the maid’s skirts, replied with sparkling eyes.
“R-really? I’ll make as many as you need!”
The maid, Maeran, was startled to hear such an energetic voice from Hong-seol for the first time.
A broad smile on his face, Namgung Su-oh held out an exquisitely crafted box.
“In addition, he sent this as payment for the medicine.”
Hong-seol’s eyes widened.
“Th-this is…”
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