The return of the granddaughter of the Namgoong family

***

“Right now, it’s as if Miss is sleeping inside a hard shell. The pain and emotions have dulled, perhaps because Miss chose it herself.”

The pain was so great that to survive, she had to numb her emotions. Life was so harsh.

“To break the shell that is trapping Miss, effort is required. Show her beautiful things, and speak kind words.”

It was about touching the heart of the child.

To let the child hidden deep inside her hear her voice, and break out of the shell.

“Please love her. A lot.”

Everyone who heard the words of the medical officer at that moment was silent.

Eight years.

After eight years, the child had returned on her own.

The child, who had once been so bright and cheerful, the one who was so sensitive that she would cry and laugh at the slightest provocation, had returned as someone else.

Yet, even though she had changed, Seolhwa was still Seolhwa.

No matter her appearance, no matter her personality, Seolhwa was still his daughter.

His daughter, whom he had loved so much and missed dearly.

“Seolhwa.”

Seolhwa knelt in front of him and stared at the smiling man.

“Has Namgung Cheongun always been this much of a crybaby?”

She cried and laughed so easily.

Unable to understand the gap between his laughter and tears, Seolhwa felt a bit confused.

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

In this life, she was determined to accept everything he wanted.

But it was so difficult from the very beginning.

“What rhythm should I follow?”

Namgung Cheongun gently stroked the back of Seolhwa’s hand.

His lips were smiling, but his eyes looked sad.

“Seolhwa, do you know why your name is Seolhwa?”

Seolhwa shook her head.

“Eyes are the most beautiful flower given by the sky. You were born on the day when the pure white flowers covered the entire world.”

He raised his hand and gently patted Seolhwa’s head.

Unlike Namgung Mucheon, his touch was very soft.

Seeing the child who just blinked and didn’t pull her hand away from his gaze, Cheongun chuckled.

“Seolhwa was the name your mother gave you. She was a woman who loved you very, very much.”

“What happened to my mother?”

Cheongun’s hand froze abruptly.

His smile faded slightly.

“Seolhwa was sent to the heavens. You were such a great gift to us that the heavens took your mother away.”

‘My mother passed away.’

This was the first time she learned that.

In her previous life, Namgung Cheongun didn’t have a wife, so she had guessed, but realizing that the woman who died was her mother felt strangely unfamiliar.

‘…?’

Once again, a sharp pain stabbed at her heart.

It seemed like it would be good to learn the Namgung family’s martial arts as soon as possible.

Namgung Cheongun continued speaking.

“You probably don’t remember your mother…”

He paused for a moment as if to suppress something, then he looked at Seolhwa with a bright smile.

“Both your mother and I loved you very much. Eight years ago, and still, we love you. Don’t ever forget that.”

Looking at him, who seemed on the verge of breaking down, Seolhwa nodded.

“I’m happy I came back too.”

“Yeah.”

His hand moved again, slowly and carefully.

He stared at Seolhwa with a sad expression for a moment, then shook his head as if to shake off the feeling, and smiled brightly.

He took both of Seolhwa’s hands in his.

“Shall we go sightseeing in the city tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow?”

“It will take about a day to announce that I’ve found you. Since it’s like this now, I want to show you the streets of Habhi, where you used to run around when you were a child.”

Seolhwa hesitated to answer.

‘I want to learn Namgung’s martial arts tomorrow.’

Since she was now recognized as a Namgung child, she thought she could finally begin learning their martial arts.

If the announcement is delayed, wouldn’t learning martial arts also be delayed?

“There was a Tanghuru shop you liked when you were a child. Would you like to visit it?”

A day might be fine.

Thanks to arriving early, Seolhwa had been recognized as a Namgung child sooner than expected, so one day would be okay.

‘I am Namgung Cheongun’s daughter.’

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

***

On night, someone was walking hurriedly under the shadow of the Namgung household.

The man who entered the inner courtyard stopped in front of a three-way split in the path.

Straight ahead, the towering Cheonhojeon could be seen.

After briefly staring at Cheonhojeon, he quickly turned left and hastened his steps.

A knocking sound was heard.

Namgung Cheongha, who had been dealing with family matters late into the night, raised his head.

“Come in.”

Although the person did not reveal their identity, just the aura from beyond the door made it clear who had come.

“I’m here to see the young master.”

“Hwangryong Daezhu. What brings you here at this late hour?”

The visitor was Namgung Ho-rak, the head of the Hwangryong Unit, one of the five powerful military units of the Namgung family.

“I’ve found out the information about the guest of Cheongeokwon, and came to report it.”

Namgung Cheongha’s face lit up with interest upon hearing Hwangryong Daezhu’s words.

Namgung Cheongha carefully placed his brush down and leaned back in his chair.

“Please, go ahead.”

“The guest at Cheongeokwon is a young girl.”

“A girl…? Does she belong to a prominent family or perhaps the heir of a major sect?”

Even if that was the case, Cheongeokwon wouldn’t open its doors.

“Is she perhaps a master of the same level as your father?”

“That doesn’t seem to be the case. According to the rumors, the guest doesn’t show any signs of being from a prominent family or a sect, and her background doesn’t even reach the level of the top tier.”

“That can’t be certain.”

“Indeed.”

She may be a master whose skills are undetectable by the ordinary person.

“But…”

Hwangryong Daezhu’s lips curled slightly in amusement.

“I’ve heard a very interesting piece of news today.”

“Interesting news?”

“I’ve heard that the young master is at Cheongeokwon with the child.”

“Has my brother returned?”

Namgung Cheongun had recently left on a long journey, and it was said that it would take him three days to return. But now, to hear that he was here, and with the guest of Cheongeokwon?

‘This isn’t good.’

The guest of Cheongeokwon was likely someone with great influence in the Central Plains.

If such a person was close to his brother, his brother’s influence would surely grow as well.

For now, the elders supported him because he had almost abandoned the family and gone outside, but if his brother decided to gather more power, who knows what might happen?

‘Father wants to make my brother the deputy’s head, so the elders might change their minds at any time.’

“Is the news reliable?”

Namgung Cheongha, who usually remained unfazed even when hearing difficult-to-obtain news, now showed signs of anxiety.

Hwangryong Daezhu, Namgung Ho-rak, didn’t miss the slight change in his demeanor.

“Don’t worry too much. It doesn’t seem to be the kind of meeting you’re thinking of.”

Namgung Cheongha’s face hardened.

“What do you mean by that?”

“According to the rumors, the Young Master is being very protective of the guest. They say he even walked around the garden of Cheongeokwon while holding the guest in his arms.”

Holding the guest… in his arms?

“Do you still not understand?”

Namgung Cheongha suddenly stood up from his seat in shock.

Hwangryong Daezhu grinned and laughed at his reaction.

“Could it be… that you’ve found Seolhwa?”

“You’ll find out soon enough.”

Namgung Cheongha lowered his confused gaze.

The child they hadn’t been able to find for eight years, the one whom most of the family had given up on—did they find her?

Seolhwa had returned?

That meant…

‘My brother is returning to the family.’

“Young Master.”

Namgung Cheongha lifted his gaze to look at Hwangryong Daezhu.

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

Even though he had quietly taken care of the family matters and quietly built up his strength, Namgung Mucheon had never allowed him to take the position of deputy head.

“It’s time to move.”

Whether by his own will or someone else’s. There is a time for everything.

A carriage must roll—whether it’s pulled from the front or pushed from the back, a rolling carriage has its use.

Those who have already boarded the carriage have been wanting it to move for a long time.

Now, that time has come.

“Hurry before the Young Master establishes his position. Our three military units will support you from behind.”

***

Boom—!

The sudden sound reverberated through the training grounds of Cheongeokwon.

It sounded like a boulder falling, but in reality, it was the sound of Namgung Jiping, the captain of the 11th rank of the Red Dragon, falling.

“I… I can’t do it… anymore…!”

Namgung Jiping lay flat on his back, his face covered by a shadow.

He opened his eyes and looked up at the child who was looking down at him.

The child tilted her head and said,

“Is fifty jin (about 30kg) too much for you?”

At the innocent words, Namgung Jiping flared up.

“Too much? My arms and legs combined weigh two hundred jin! Two hundred jin! How can you make me practice swordplay with two hundred jin tied to my body, and not allow me to use internal energy? Huh?”

“Does Namgung not do this kind of training?”

“We do external training, but nothing like this…”

Seolhwa examined Namgung Jiping’s body with a serious expression, resting her chin on her hand.

‘So, his lower body…’

“W-What are you looking at…?”