‘My lady, it’s as if you’re asleep inside a solid egg right now. The dulling of your pain and emotions might even be something you chose yourself.’

Because the pain was so immense, because life was so relentless that she couldn’t survive without erasing her feelings.

‘To break the shell that imprisons you, it will take effort. Show her beautiful things, speak kind words often.’

It was about knocking on the child’s heart.

To ensure that the child, hiding deeply within herself, could hear the sound and break free from her shell.

‘Love her. Love her a lot.’

No one present who heard the words of the head of the medical hall could say a thing.

Eight years.

After eight years, the child returned on her own.

The child who had been so bright and cheerful, who was so sensitive that she would cry and laugh at the smallest things, returned as a different person.

Yet, Seol-Hwa was still Seol-Hwa, no matter what form or personality she had.

No matter her appearance, no matter her character, Seol-Hwa was still their daughter.

The daughter they loved so dearly and had longed to see again.

“Seol-Hwa.”

Seol-Hwa stared blankly at the man kneeling in front of her, smiling.

‘Was Namgung Cheong-Un always such a crybaby?’

Crying at the drop of a hat, laughing just as easily.

Seol-Hwa felt slightly confused, unable to understand the sudden shifts between his laughter and tears.

He was the father she had killed with her own hands.

In this life, she intended to accept everything he wanted.

But it was so difficult right from the start.

‘What should I do to match his tune?’

Namgung Cheong-Un gently stroked the back of Seol-Hwa’s hand.

His lips smiled, but his eyes looked sorrowful.

“Seol-Hwa, do you know why your name is Seol-Hwa?”

Seol-Hwa shook her head.

“Snow is the most beautiful flower that falls from the sky. You came to us on a day when the world was blanketed with pure white flowers.”

He raised his hand and patted Seol-Hwa’s head.

Unlike Namgung Mu-Cheon, his touch was soft.

Seeing the child blink silently at him without pulling her hand away, Cheong-Un let out a small laugh.

“Your mother gave you that name. She was a woman who loved you so, so much.”

“What happened to Mother?”

Cheong-Un’s hand stopped abruptly.

His smile dimmed slightly.

“She went to the heavens that sent us you. They said you were too precious a gift, so they took your mother back.”

‘So Mother has passed away.’

It was something she learned for the first time.

She had guessed it when Namgung Cheong-Un’s wife hadn’t been present in her previous life, but learning that the deceased woman was her mother was a strange feeling.

‘…?’

Her heart ached sharply again.

It seemed she needed to learn the Namgung clan’s internal techniques as soon as possible.

Cheong-Un continued speaking.

“You won’t remember your mother….”

He paused briefly as if suppressing something, then looked at Seol-Hwa with a clear smile.

“Your mother and I both love you very much. Eight years ago, and even now, we always have. Don’t ever forget that.”

Facing him, as if he might break at the slightest touch, Seol-Hwa nodded.

“I’m glad I came back too.”

“…I see.”

His hand moved again, carefully and slowly.

After gazing at her with a sorrowful expression for a moment, he shook his head briefly, as if to shake off his emotions, and gave a bright smile.

He clasped Seol-Hwa’s hands in his.

“How about we go sightseeing in town tomorrow, just you and me?”

“Tomorrow?”

“It’ll take a day to officially announce that we’ve found you. In the meantime, I’d like to show you the streets of Hefei, where you used to run around as if it were your own backyard.”

Seol-Hwa hesitated to answer.

‘I wanted to start learning the Namgung clan’s techniques tomorrow.’

Now that she had been acknowledged as a child of the Namgung family, she thought she could finally begin learning their martial arts.

Would the delay in the announcement also delay her training?

“There used to be a tanghulu* shop you loved when you were little. I was thinking of taking you there.”

(TL/N : Kinda late but Tanghulu is a traditional Chinese candied fruit snack.)

One day wouldn’t hurt.

Thanks to Namgung Cheong-Un’s early arrival, she was recognized as a child of the Namgung clan sooner than expected. One day wouldn’t make a difference.

‘I am Namgung Cheong-Un’s daughter.’

In this life, she had decided to fulfill the role of his daughter.

---

In the dark of the night, someone moved hurriedly beneath the shadow of the Namgung clan’s manor.

Entering the inner quarters, the figure stopped at a fork where three paths diverged.

Directly ahead, the grand Cheonho Hall loomed in the distance.

After staring at it briefly, the figure turned left and quickened their pace.

A knock echoed through the night.

Namgung Cheong-Hae, who had been working on clan affairs late into the night, raised his gaze.

“Come in.”

The identity of the visitor remained unspoken, but the aura beyond the door made it clear who it was.

“Greetings, my lord.”

“Ah, Huangryong Division Leader. What brings you here at this late hour?”

The visitor was Namgung Ho-Rak, leader of the Huanglong Division, one of the five martial divisions of the Namgung clan.

“I’ve come to report new information regarding the guest staying at Cheongak Pavilion.”

Namgung Cheong-Hae’s face lit with interest at the words of the Huanglong Division leader.

Namgung Cheong-Hae carefully placed the brush he had been holding onto the desk and leaned back in his chair.

“Go ahead.”

“The honored guest at Cheongak Pavilion is said to be a young girl.”

“A young girl…? Are you saying she’s the child of a prestigious family or the heir to a major sect?”

Even if that were the case, it wouldn’t warrant opening Cheongak Pavilion.

“Or perhaps someone as skilled as Father?”

“That doesn’t seem to be the case. According to the servants, the guest shows no signs of belonging to a family or sect, and even her internal energy doesn’t reach the first-class level.”

“That’s not something we can be certain about.”

“Indeed.”

After all, she could be someone so skilled that even the servants couldn’t detect her abilities.

“However….”

The corners of the Huangryong Division Leader’s mouth lifted slightly.

“I’ve heard some rather amusing news today.”

“Amusing news?”

“I heard that the First Young Master is staying at Cheongak Pavilion with the child.”

“Are you saying my elder brother has returned?”

Namgung Cheong-Un was supposed to have left for an escort mission a few days ago, requiring at least three days to return from such a distant location.

But now he’s here? And with the honored guest of Cheongak Pavilion?

‘This isn’t good.’

An honored guest of Cheongak Pavilion is likely someone with considerable influence in the Central Plains.

If such a person is close to Namgung Cheong-Un, it will inevitably increase his influence as well.

Although the family elders currently support Cheong-Hae due to Cheong-Un’s apparent neglect of family matters, that could change if Cheong-Un decides to gather power.

‘Father wants to establish him as the Young Lord, so it’s impossible to predict when the elders might shift their allegiance.’

“Is this information reliable?”

Namgung Cheong-Hae, who usually remained indifferent to difficult-to-obtain information, displayed an unusual sense of unease.

Huangryong Division Leader Namgung Ho-Rak didn’t miss this small shift.

“Don’t worry too much. It doesn’t seem to be the kind of relationship you might be imagining.”

Cheong-Hae’s face hardened.

“What do you mean by that?”

“According to the servants, the First Young Master is extremely protective of the guest. They even mentioned that he was seen carrying her while strolling through the garden of Cheonghaekwon.”

Carrying… the guest?

“Do you still not understand?”

Cheong-Hae suddenly stood up from his seat.

The Huangryong Division Leader smirked at his reaction.

“Are you saying… he’s found Seol-Hwa?”

“We’ll find out soon enough.”

Cheong-Hae’s gaze lowered in confusion.

The child they couldn’t even find a trace of for eight years—the one most of the family had given up on—has really been found?

Seol-Hwa has returned?

And that would mean…

‘Elder Brother is coming back to the family.’

“Young Master.”

Namgung Cheong-Hae raised his head and looked at the Huangryong Division Leader.

“We can’t afford to sit idly and wait forever, can we?”

Even if he silently carried the burden of family matters and strengthened his position, Namgung Mu-Cheon had never allowed him the title of Young Lord.

“It’s time to act.”

Whether willingly or unwillingly, every moment has its own time.

A cart is only useful when it’s in motion—whether someone pulls it from the front or pushes it from the back.

And those aboard this cart had long desired for it to move forward.

Now, the time had come.

“Act quickly before the First Young Master secures his position. The three military divisions will support you.”

---

Thud―!

A sudden loud noise echoed across the training grounds of Cheongak Pavilion.

It sounded like a boulder had fallen, but in reality, it was Namgung Ji-Pyung, the captain of the Eleventh Red Dragon Squad, collapsing onto the ground.

“I… I can’t do this anymore…!”

Lying spread out in the shape of a 大, Namgung Ji-Pyung’s face was cast in shadow.

He opened his eyes and looked up at the child standing over him.

The child tilted her head and spoke.

“Are you saying you’re struggling with just fifty geun (五十斤, approximately 30kg)?”

Namgung Ji-Pyung, unable to contain his irritation, retorted sharply at her innocent comment.

“Just fifty geun?! It’s a combined total of two hundred geun when you add the weight on all four limbs! Two hundred geun! And to make matters worse, we’re not even allowed to use internal energy while practicing swordsmanship! How is this training fair?!”

“Does the Namgung Clan not do things like this?”

“We have external training, but not like… this…!”

Seol-Hwa, with a serious expression, stroked her chin and looked Namgung Ji-Pyung up and down.

‘So that’s why his lower body….’

“Wh-where are you looking…?”

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