Chapter 7
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Part 7: Face to Face
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Yeon So-hyeon looked down at Jeong-ah, who was lying on the bedding in his sleeping quarters.
She was a woman who, despite not possessing a single shred of internal energy, had managed to discern a barrier-level formation and even caught a glimpse of his "dark realm."
"Those eyes that shone with a golden light... I have certainly seen them somewhere before."
Closing his eyes for a moment to reflect on his previous life, an exclamation escaped his lips before he could stop it.
"…I see. So you were 'that woman' all along."
He and she had never actually met face to face.
Moreover, she looked so different from the appearance he remembered that he hadn't been able to recall her immediately.
"How is it that you came to be a person of this clan…?"
In his hand, he held the directive from the Head Steward that Jeong-ah had brought.
"…Truly, a fate beyond tragic."
With a cautious touch, he brushed the hair that had fallen over Jeong-ah’s face.
"Fate is truly a bizarre thing."
All he had done was chase away the servants that morning.
And as a result, in just half a day, a person he had never encountered in his previous life had suddenly appeared as his maid.
He smiled and shook his head.
The occurrence of the unexpected.
Was that not why the affairs of the world remained interesting to him?
He rose from his seat and stepped out of the sleeping quarters.
If only to prepare for her eyes, he first needed to find a way to perfectly conceal his Demonic Qi.
If he could not only hide it but also control it, that would be the icing on the cake.
Perhaps half a day.
At most, a full day would be enough.
He was only modifying and creating a mental technique to perfectly conceal his Demonic Qi; did it really need to take any longer than that?
Yeon So-hyeon entered his study, nonchalantly harboring a thought that no master of martial arts would ever agree with.
"…Sleep well, and I’ll see you later, Golden-Eyed Demon Witch."
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The situation before she fainted felt as if it had been nothing more than a nightmare.
Jeong-ah woke up feeling incredibly refreshed.
It had been so long since she had slept this soundly.
Forgetting the Luoyang Sword Clan, forgetting about the Second Young Master and the Third Young Master, it felt as if she had returned to the days of her childhood, living with her family.
It had been ages since she had woken up without any worry, fear, or anxiety.
As she pushed aside the quilt that had been wrapping her warmly and sat up, she noticed a teapot and a cup placed right by her bedside.
As she sipped the tea, brewed with cold water but still fragrant, she felt as if she had nothing left to envy in the world.
Working as a receptionist for the Sword Clan, she had tasted countless high-quality teas, but this was the first time she had ever had a tea that made her feel so at ease.
Furthermore, the bedding she had been lying on, though old and worn, was of the highest quality—the kind she had never once had the luxury of sleeping under.
And the teacup she held, though slightly chipped, was a priceless celadon piece.
'Where am I…?'
The room she was in was antique and cozy, yet possessed an air of high nobility that felt entirely natural.
Distracted by the terrifyingly elegant calligraphy on the wall scroll, the sandalwood carvings of mountains and fields, and the pottery filled with dried flower petals that exuded a soothing scent, she carefully rose and tidied the bedding.
She then rolled up the ebony wood blinds that had been blocking the intense sunset light from streaming through the paper windows and opened them.
"Ah…"
The scenery that unfolded before her naturally drew an exclamation from her lips.
The vast territory, surrounded by forest, was so wide she couldn't take it all in at a single glance.
Won-gak Pavilion, situated at the very edge of the Luoyang Sword Clan, was in contact with the nature that stretched outward.
And that nature had been drawn into the fold to create the garden.
A wide meadow, low hills, streams, and wetlands. Even a pond and a lake.
It was a breathtaking sight, harmonizing with the setting sun.
And above all else.
It was currently February.
Luoyang was in the dead of winter, yet here at Won-gak Pavilion, it was spring.
As she stood there, lost in the astonishing scenery, a strangely playful voice reached her ears.
"How is it? Beautiful, isn't it?"
That voice brought her back to reality.
"Ah…!"
The person speaking to her from the courtyard was dressed in old, plain white martial attire.
"Well. Did you sleep well?"
He waved his hand slightly toward her.
"Ah, yes. Thanks to you…"
He had the slender build of a young man and the soft face of a boy.
Because his pale skin and soft features were so striking, she thought "beautiful boy" was a more fitting description than "handsome young man."
"Good. I'm glad."
He then smiled mischievously.
"My neck hurts from looking up to talk to you, so get yourself ready and come down to the first floor."
With that, he turned and walked away around the corner without waiting for an answer.
"Ah…!"
Only then did Jeong-ah realize.
That beautiful boy was none other than Yeon So-hyeon, the Young Master of the Luoyang Sword Clan, known by the derogatory title of "The Swordless One."
She also realized that she was currently standing in his sleeping quarters, and that in their first meeting, she had dared to look down upon her master while speaking to him.
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"…So. You said your name was Jeong-ah?"
To the question from Yeon So-hyeon, who was sitting back in a relaxed posture, Jeong-ah, having regained her composure, answered calmly.
"That is correct."
At her demeanor, Yeon So-hyeon gave a mischievous smile.
"You were quite heavy earlier."
Of course, he was joking.
Having gained the power of the *Darkness-Suppressing Heaven-Shaking Classic*, there was no way the weight of a single woman would have been heavy for him.
"Ah, ah. I, I am terribly sorry."
She realized something.
There wasn't a single servant in Won-gak Pavilion right now.
The one who had carried her after she fainted was none other than the Young Master of the Luoyang Sword Clan.
Jeong-ah’s head began to spin.
'Come to think of it, I fainted in that forest. First, I met the masters dressed as guards, then that terrible formation, and then…'
It was as if she had had a terrible nightmare, but like a dream that fades upon waking, she couldn't remember it.
'I definitely saw something, but was it just a dream…?'
The shock that had exceeded her capacity had scrambled her memories and erased the parts she couldn't handle.
Yeon So-hyeon, watching Jeong-ah’s confused expression, spoke again.
"Fortunately, I was able to find you collapsed while I was out for a walk. Even in the warm Won-gak Pavilion, if you had been found any later, it could have been a serious matter."
At those words, Jeong-ah got off the chair, knelt on the floor, and bowed her head.
"I will never forget the grace you showed in saving the life of a lowly servant."
Yeon So-hyeon waved his hand.
"I know, so get up."
He then unfolded the directive on the table.
But Jeong-ah didn't seem to have any intention of getting up.
"While serving you in the future, I will spare no effort, and with my very life…"
"Hey, didn't I tell you that's enough?"
Interrupting her, Yeon So-hyeon looked at her over the directive.
There was no emotion to be felt in his gaze.
"And in the first place, I never said I would accept you. Did you decide to serve me on your own accord?"
He then shook the directive.
"Or is this directive from the Head Steward giving orders to me, the Young Master?"
His words felt like a lightning strike to Jeong-ah’s brain.
Come to think of it, she had just assumed she would be serving the Young Master.
"…Please, kill this lowly one!"
No. She had definitely intended to have an interview with the Young Master.
But because she had fainted in the forest, everything had gone awry.
"My, my. I save your life, and you say you'll serve me as you please, and now you're asking me to kill you."
Jeong-ah bowed her head even lower.
"…I am terribly sorry."
Yeon So-hyeon clicked his tongue, took a sip of tea, and spoke again.
"I never asked for a maid in the first place. I only need a servant or a maid who is good at menial tasks…"
At his words, Jeong-ah quickly replied.
"I also started my work at the Great Luoyang Sword Clan with all sorts of menial tasks. I don't know if I will be up to your standards, but I will do my best…"
"Is that so?"
"Hmm," Yeon So-hyeon nodded slightly and said in a serious tone.
"Then the most important question remains."
Jeong-ah swallowed hard.
Though hidden by the derogatory title of "The Swordless One," the Young Master was said to be someone who had no equal in poetry, calligraphy, painting, or even miscellaneous skills.
What kind of condition would he set?
"Do you know how to cook?"
"Yes…?"
Jeong-ah looked up at Yeon So-hyeon’s face before she could stop herself, then quickly lowered her head again.
"I mean rice. Cooking. Do you know how to cook?"
His voice was deadly serious.
"I certainly know how, but if I dare compare myself to a professional chef…"
As Jeong-ah stammered in response to the bewildering question, Yeon So-hyeon slapped his knee.
"So, are you confident?! Or are you not?!"
Jeong-ah answered reflexively.
"I am confident!"
"Good! You're hired!"
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Jeong-ah was staring blankly at the flames in the small hearth.
In shabby work clothes found in the maid’s quarters, with a face smudged with soot and an apron stained with broth, she was a far cry from the high-born lady she had once seemed to be.
How chaotic the kitchen work had been after so long.
But her excellent memory, her work ethic that was recognized everywhere, and her "eyes" combined, and now she was just waiting for the rice on the hearth to finish cooking.
'It was so chaotic…'
She warmed her hands by the hearth and let out a small sigh.
It all started when she fainted in the forest because of the formation.
She had been carried by the Young Master himself and woken up in his sleeping quarters.
And the series of embarrassing things that had happened in the conversation that followed.
Just thinking about it made her face burn.
She, who had been called the Ice Flower by the eccentric masters and high-ranking officials who visited the Luoyang Sword Clan, had lost her composure so easily.
'Even if a blade were suddenly held to my throat, I was confident I could maintain my composure on the outside…'
Even masters who could use their sense of Qi never knew that Jeong-ah had noticed their Qi.
To think that she, of all people, would be swayed so absurdly.
'This is all because I fainted in the forest out of nowhere…'
Her hands, which had been rubbing together in front of the fire, stopped.
"…No."
When she had woken up in the Young Master’s bedchamber, she had felt an incomparable sense of refreshment, and her mind had been clearer than ever.
Although she hadn't grasped the full context of the situation, it certainly hadn't been enough to make her lose her composure in the events that followed.
Even the fact that she had looked up at the Young Master and spoken to him—while that was an improper action—it certainly shouldn't have been enough to fluster her.
She had enough experience and know-how from her many years working in the Reception Hall to handle such minor mistakes with ease.
What about the conversation that followed?
Had she not acted like a green maid undergoing her initiation, simply because the Young Master had tossed a few words her way?
The things she had been flustered by, the mistakes she had made, and the fact that she was only now looking back on the situation and sensing something strange.
All of it was precisely...
‘...Originating from the Young Master.’
From the first meeting to the very end.
He had never once let go of the initiative, had steered the flow of the conversation exactly as he pleased, and had shaken her—someone whose composure was so steady she was called an Ice Flower.
‘That person is The Swordless One...?’
The same person who, just this morning, had been forced to dismiss the servants because they were behaving so laxly?
The image of Yeon So-hyeon, who had been conversing with her, surfaced in Jeong-ah’s mind.
The way he had been leaning back in that plush, wide chair with such a relaxed and leisurely posture.
And, unlike the smile on his lips, the way his eyes had looked so endlessly indifferent.
That appearance was not that of some Swordless One, but rather...
Goosebumps raced across her entire body.
"Is the meal still a long way off?"
"Eek!"
Startled by his voice suddenly coming from behind her, Jeong-ah jumped to her feet as if she had been launched.
"Oh, sorry. I suppose I startled you."
Facing the Young Master, who stood by the doorway with an awkward, apologetic smile, Jeong-ah could not utter a single word.
It was then that she realized.
Her ‘eyes’ were unable to read a single thing from him.
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