Chapter 24: Demon Sword Empress (1)

The morning of the day Gu Yangcheon departed for Sichuan by carriage.

Wi Seol-ah was doing household chores with the other servants.

Now somewhat accustomed to the household chores, Wi Seol-ah was gradually starting to find enjoyment in them.

She enjoyed laundry and cleaning, and despite her clumsy personality, the servants favored her, saying she cleaned much more meticulously than expected….

However, she seemed quite bad at cooking.

‘…Seol, Seol-ah, you shouldn’t hold the knife like that…!’

-KWAANG!

‘Dry it quickly! Seol-ah’s hand will get cut off like that!’

‘Oh my god, the cutting board got cut!’

‘Fire! Put out the fire first! Gae-dong oppa, bring water. Water!’

‘Noooooo, the potatoes are turning black!’

The incident where Wi Seol-ah, who was favored among the servants, held her hand up near the wall for quite some time became famously known among the servants.

Thanks to that, a ban was even issued among the servants: Wi Seol-ah must never be made to cook.

Wi Seol-ah remained sullen for a while because of that, but she regained her spirits upon hearing the promise that they would teach her properly once she got a bit older.

“Seol-ah, could you bring the laundry?”

“Yes!”

Today was the same as usual. The start of the day’s work was cleaning and laundry.

Carrying the gathered laundry with all her might, she returned to find a carriage visible outside her quarters. It was the same carriage she had ridden when she went to Gu Ryong Hoi.

‘What is it…?’

What’s more, with another carriage behind it, it looked like they were going somewhere far away.

Wi Seol-ah hurried back and asked another servant.

“Hong-hwa unni, what is that carriage?”

“Hm? Ah, it seems the young master is going to Sichuan this time.”

“Huh…? Where is the young master going?”

“Yeah, so Elder Yi hastily prepared the carriage, or so I heard?”

“Huh? Seol-ah, didn’t you hear anything? Why didn’t anyone tell the personal attendant….”

“Seol-ah is still young and hasn’t been learning the ropes for long, and it’s a trip lasting nearly a month, so maybe that’s why?”

“Ah… that could be it.”

“A, a, a month…?”

A month…? For a whole month?

Wi Seol-ah’s eyes trembled greatly.

The young master will be gone for a whole month…?

No, isn’t that possible…?

Wi Seol-ah couldn’t understand why her chest felt so tight.

“Wh, when are they leaving?”

“Probably, they said they’d leave right after the young master coughs, so maybe they’ll depart soon?”

If the servant was right, it was almost time for Gu Yangcheon to wake up.

Wi Seol-ah froze with a dazed expression, as if she had received a massive shock.

Meanwhile, the servant patted her head, finding her appearance cute.

“Seol-ah, after you finish the laundry, want to come to the storage room with me later to move some ingredients?”

“Yes……”

“Want some yakgwa?”

“Yes…!”

After washing and hanging all the laundry, Wi Seol-ah began moving ingredients to the cargo carriage with the servants.

“Will this be enough? It’s a long trip.”

“Won’t they stop and buy more along the way?”

“Ugh…. A month with the young master, I don’t know if that’ll be okay.”

“Still, don’t you feel like the young master has become a bit gentler since Seol-ah arrived?”

“…That’s true. The other day, while cleaning, I accidentally bumped the young master’s shoulder, and he asked, ‘Are you okay?'”

“Good heavens, you didn’t just brush past him, you hit him, and you didn’t get slapped?”

“Exactly! My work has been so easy lately…. Is it okay for me to be this comfortable?”

While working amidst idle chatter, the carriage was soon filled with ingredients.

Wi Seol-ah suddenly asked the servants.

“Unni, so this carriage is going with the young master too?”

“Right? Now, if we pack the clothes to wear….”

“Hong-hwa! Elder Yi has arrived!”

“Oh, okay! I’ll be right there! Seol-ah, let’s hurry.”

“Yes…!”

As the servant dashed off, Wi Seol-ah was about to follow immediately.

[Wait.]

Wi Seol-ah froze at the voice she heard.

She looked around diligently to find the owner of the voice, but there was no one around Wi Seol-ah.

“Wh, who are you?”

No answer was heard.

Wi Seol-ah wondered if the voice came from inside the cargo carriage and struggled to get inside to check the interior.

Inside, which was packed with various ingredients, there was no one.

There were spaces where a person could hide, but even those were empty.

After confirming no one was there, as Wi Seol-ah tried to exit the carriage again, someone bumped her.

“Eek!”

Pushed, Wi Seol-ah slipped neatly into an empty space. ‘Ouch.’ She groaned, as if she had fallen on her knees first.

She quickly looked back, but only carrots were visible. There was still no one.

Wi Seol-ah, frightened by the repeated strange situation, wanted to get out of the carriage quickly, but.

“Then, when should we depart?”

Gu Yangcheon and Elder Yi’s voices were heard from outside.

Suddenly, Wi Seol-ah thought that if she just stayed put here, she might be able to go all the way to Sichuan.

She was confident in hide-and-seek.

Even her grandfather, who was good at finding anything, would get lost trying to find her whenever they played hide-and-seek.

‘Shou… should I just stay?’

A mischievous thought crossed her mind, but Wi Seol-ah quickly shook her head, thinking that wasn’t quite right.

She was scared to leave without telling her grandfather.

She was also scared of a month without her grandfather.

If she waited patiently, the young master would return. Wi Seol-ah made up her mind and tried to get up.

[Wait.]

“…!”

Wi Seol-ah was startled by the voice and sat back down.

It was the same voice from earlier.

‘Wh, who are you.’

As expected, there was no answer.

The voice sounded familiar, but Wi Seol-ah couldn’t recall where she had heard it.

“Hmph! This old man has taken care of everything. Now, depart!”

“What the heck kind of departure is this…!”

Hiiiiiing!

“Hk!”

While she hesitated, the sound of horses whinnying was heard, and the carriage departed.

Wi Seol-ah was flustered, unsure of what to do, but the carriage was already moving further away from the estate.

‘Oh…. What do I do? What should I do!?’

As Wi Seol-ah fidgeted nervously, she felt someone stroking her head.

It was a gentle touch.

Instead of screaming, which would have been appropriate, Wi Seol-ah strangely felt drowsy from the touch.

As her eyelids grew heavier, a faint voice was heard.

[I’m sorry, please take care of her.]

When Wi Seol-ah opened her eyes again, it was nighttime, with carrots filling her vision.

“So, that’s why.”

Gu Yangcheon, having heard all her excuses, asked Wi Seol-ah.

“I was possessed by a ghost and got on the carriage. It’s not my fault, so please forgive me?”

“Yes! That’s right!”

“What about the carrots?”

“…I was hungry… and the only thing I could see was carrots.”

Haaah.

Hearing Gu Yangcheon’s deep sigh, Wi Seol-ah quietly averted her gaze.

Having heard everything, Gu Yangcheon quietly clenched his fist.

“…Well, you see.”

“Yes…?”

“Does that even make sense?!”

Gu Yangcheon’s fist came down squarely on Wi Seol-ah’s crown.

“Yakk!”

******************

What should I do about this situation?

The troublemaker, clutching her head and groaning as she sat down, caught my eye.

What am I going to do with this kid?

How on earth did she manage to sneak in?

Even if the departure was rushed, is this even possible?

I don’t fully know the extent of Cheonoecheon’s power, but

I know that if they set their minds to it, erasing a single estate is nothing.

I don’t know what the Sword Master is thinking, but anticipating the Sword Master’s senses, wouldn’t they be able to see the entire estate already?

Then, is it also a fact that they know Wi Seol-ah got on the carriage?

“It huuuurts….”

“I hit you so you’d hurt, you brat.”

It wasn’t just that she came without saying anything, but the situation was extremely urgent.

Did you think I would just shove you into the carriage and leave without a word?

“Why did you follow me, anyway?”

“I wasn’t trying to follow… it was really a ghost…”

As she brought up the ghost story again, I was about to give her another earful, but Wi Seol-ah covered her head.

“I’m sorry…!”

Seeing that, I lowered my hand again. What should I do? Should I send her back?

I can’t turn the carriage back. Time is already tight, and I can’t afford to go back for this.

“Should I assign a guard to her…?”

It’s a distance that takes half a day by carriage, so if I walked, I’d arrive in a few days, even if it was late.

However, since there are a few days, I can’t just send her off recklessly.

Sending Wi Seol-ah off like that would still make me uneasy.

Perhaps sensing my conflicted expression, Wi Seol-ah urgently grabbed my clothes.

“C, can’t I go with you…? I can work well! I’ll work hard, please take me with you, Young Master…”

“It’s a long trip, and Old Man Wi will worry.”

“My grandfather said if I listen well to you and work hard, I can do whatever I want!”

No, the important thing is you’re not listening to me right now. You…

“The other servants would also be bothered if they had to look after you too…”

As I said that, I looked at the others, and their eyes seemed strange. How should I put it?

‘Go Seol-ah, beg a little more!’

‘That’s a relief… at least Seol-ah is here, it’s somewhat reassuring!’

That was the general sentiment. Am I the villain here? Is that it?

I ran a hand over my face in the complicated situation.

Why does everything always get so tangled? It was incredibly complicated.

“Why did you follow me, anyway?”

Wi Seol-ah hesitated at my question before answering.

“I feel uneasy without the Young Master. My chest feels so tight… Can’t you please take me with you?”

Tears welled up in Wi Seol-ah’s eyes.

Wi Seol-ah’s words made my chest tingle.

But separately from that, I wondered why Wi Seol-ah was acting like this towards me.

In this life, the only connection I can find is giving her yakgwa in the marketplace.

I even tried not to pay more attention to Wi Seol-ah than necessary.

But why? It was completely incomprehensible. It certainly wouldn’t be romantic affection.

Even if it were, it would just be childish infatuation. I thought it would disappear with a little time.

No, I had to think that.

Wi Seol-ah clung to me with a pitiful look, like a lost kitten.

Her increasingly tearful eyes were visible.

Still, this wasn’t right. I had to send her back.

Who knows what might happen in Sichuan, and taking this kid along? It was unsettling no matter how many times I thought about it.

I need to find a way, whether it’s assigning two guards or calling someone from the estate.

I can’t always be swayed by Wi Seol-ah. This isn’t why I regressed. Absolutely not.

I said with a firm resolve in a resolute voice.

“…If you cause any trouble, I’ll send you back immediately, understand.”

….Idiot.