SYM 33

33.

Opening his eyes, Eun-hyeon stretched out his arm to feel across the bed. A faint warmth still lingered at the edge of the bed.

If he had woken up just a little earlier, he could have seen Un.

A bitter taste filled his mouth with regret.

“What kind of medicine did Un bring and make me take…”

His entire body felt light. His once-heavy limbs were nimble, and the muscle aches that had throbbed here and there were gone.

Eun-hyeon examined his body with amazement. Though he knew something about herbs himself, he had never seen medicine with such remarkable effects.

In truth, this was because Ha Yeo-un had prepared medicine specifically suited for Eun-hyeon and helped guide his qi circulation to maximize its effectiveness, but Eun-hyeon didn’t know this.

Even the traces of poison that had remained in his body were all gone. His body condition had improved so much that it felt unfamiliar to him.

Just as Eun-hyeon finished washing up and grooming himself, Soseo came running in, out of breath.

“Soseo, are you alright? Are you sick?”

Eun-hyeon frowned as he looked at Soseo, whose complexion was growing worse by the day. He had thought she looked unwell when he saw her last time, but today she looked even worse.

“Young Master, that’s not important. The clan head is coming soon.”

“Ah… I see.”

It had been quite a while since he had asked to meet Namgung Juwon, and it seemed he was finally coming.

Eun-hyeon carefully observed Soseo, who couldn’t stay still.

“Soseo, did something happen? Why are you so…”

“That… um, Young Master… to, to the clan head… perhaps…”

As Soseo hesitated, trying to say something, Eun-hyeon’s door suddenly burst open.

It was Namgung Juwon.

“Are you feeling better?”

“Yes. Thanks to the physician’s good care, my condition is fine.”

“I see… That’s a relief. I should thank the physician.”

Because Namgung Juwon had entered, Soseo ultimately couldn’t say anything and backed out of the room.

An awkward silence filled the room where only Eun-hyeon and Namgung Juwon remained.

Namgung Juwon’s face showed clear fatigue, as if he hadn’t been sleeping properly. Though Eun-hyeon was the one who had been kidnapped and injured, somehow everyone in the clan except himself looked more exhausted.

Eun-hyeon clicked his tongue internally as he looked at Namgung Juwon.

Had he been struggling with the incident at Chuihwa Pavilion?

Though it hadn’t happened within the Namgung clan, since the Danmok clan’s heir had died while visiting as a guest of the Namgung clan, Namgung Juwon must have had many matters to attend to.

“…I’m sorry for causing you concern.”

“No. How could that be your fault? It’s the White-Robed Divine Dragon’s fault for failing to protect you properly. I was wrong about him.”

“Ah… I have something to say about that. I heard you expelled the White-Robed Divine Dragon from the clan. My kidnapping wasn’t his fault.”

Eun-hyeon paused briefly to organize his thoughts.

“How could the White-Robed Divine Dragon have known that villains would strike during his brief absence? Rather… I’m more curious about how they knew I had gone to Chuihwa Pavilion.”

“We’re already reorganizing the clan because of that. We will root out all the spies who have infiltrated from elsewhere and behead them. It seems we haven’t wielded our blade enough lately. To dare to do this to the Namgung clan’s young master… We will search all of Hefei if we must to find everyone involved in your kidnapping. So that no one will dare to covet the Namgung young master again. Everyone will know that harming even a single hair on your head means risking their life.”

Did Namgung Juwon truly value Namgung Eun-hyeon? Or did he still consider him useful?

Eun-hyeon hesitated briefly before rising from his seat.

“Father, let me serve you some tea.”

“Oh, Eun-hyeon, you will? Yes, let me taste the tea served by the young master.”

Namgung Juwon brightened at Eun-hyeon’s words.

Eun-hyeon placed the water kettle on the brazier and took out the tea.

I’ll translate while preserving the structure and carefully conveying the nuances:

“It’s oolong tea that Soseo brought after moving to the inner court, and it has a nice fragrance.”

“Oh, is that so?”

As the water began to boil, a warm atmosphere rose in the room.

Namgung Juwon watched contentedly as Eun-hyeon poured water into the teapot and steeped the tea.

When Eun-hyeon’s mother, Jegal Hwa-yeon, was alive, she always brewed tea personally. The sight of Jegal Hwa-yeon brewing tea was indescribably beautiful and lovely.

After Jegal Hwa-yeon passed away, he thought he would never see such a sight again.

Namgung Juwon silently watched Eun-hyeon brewing tea and muttered internally.

Eun-hyeon discarded the first steeping and poured water again to brew a second time.

“Even your tea-making technique resembles your mother’s.”

“Is that so?”

Eun-hyeon smiled softly and pushed the freshly brewed tea toward Namgung Juwon.

Just as Namgung Juwon smiled and took a sip of tea, he suddenly stood up and snatched away the cup Eun-hyeon was about to drink from.

“Ah…? F-father…?”

Namgung Juwon, his face terrifyingly rigid, threw the tea out the window.

“Did the tea not suit your taste?”

“Who brought this tea? You said your attendant brought it?”

“Yes. Soseo brought it. Is something wrong?”

“…No. The tea seems old, giving it a strange taste. This tea? I’ll take this and bring you new tea.”

“…Father.”

When Eun-hyeon called him, Namgung Juwon bit his lip hard.

“…I’m sorry.”

“What do you mean?”

Looking at Eun-hyeon’s innocent face, Namgung Juwon’s expression twisted in pain.

“Your father’s incompetence has caused you to suffer…”

Eun-hyeon observed Namgung Juwon for a moment. His tired face, as he looked at Eun-hyeon, seemed full of apology and concern.

Though Eun-hyeon had intentionally served the poisoned tea to Namgung Juwon, seeing his apology made his feelings complicated.

Eun-hyeon rose and went to the window. Opening it wide, a cool breeze rushed in.

He took a deep breath. His troubled mind seemed to calm a little.

Bird tracks in the accumulated snow outside caught his eye.

With brief chirping, several birds suddenly took flight.

Eun-hyeon watched the birds soar into the blue sky before turning around.

Namgung Juwon was quietly watching him.

“…Father. Please don’t worry too much.”

Eun-hyeon still hadn’t decided how to treat Namgung Juwon.

Though inhabiting Namgung Eun-hyeon’s body, he was Ha Eun-hyeon. He didn’t particularly feel affection for Namgung Juwon.

But if perhaps Namgung Juwon didn’t regard Namgung Eun-hyeon as lightly as he had first thought…

“I believe everyone has a place where they belong. Perhaps it’s not that the Namgung clan is wrong, but that I am in the wrong place?”

“…Eun-hyeon. What are you saying? You are the Namgung young master. Namgung is where you belong. If anything opposes that, then that is the impurity that must be filtered from Namgung!”

Namgung Juwon shouted as he approached Eun-hyeon.

Eun-hyeon smiled gently at such a Namgung Juwon. The current Namgung Juwon was like a child throwing a tantrum.

Though Namgung Juwon would surely jump in protest if he knew Eun-hyeon thought this,

“Father. Then could I become the next clan head of Namgung?”

At Eun-hyeon’s words, Namgung Juwon’s face froze.

“Isn’t the Namgung clan head a title referring to the strongest in Namgung? I learned that the Namgung clan head is one who wields the sword at the forefront and never retreats. Could I become such a clan head? Father, look at my arms. Aren’t they even thinner than most ladies’, let alone capable of wielding a sword?”

Eun-hyeon smiled gently at the stone-faced Namgung Juwon. Setting aside his prejudices and looking anew, he pitied Namgung Juwon.

“Even if you were to place me in the clan head’s position, would the clan elders stay quiet? My stepping down from the young master’s position is already decided. You know this too, don’t you?”

“…Eun-hyeon. A clan needs many people. Just because you won’t become clan head doesn’t mean you can’t stay in the clan. No, shouldn’t you stay all the more to support your brother Eungwang?”

The strength gradually left Namgung Juwon’s voice.

Perhaps he had subconsciously noticed.

The fact that Eun-hyeon was only watching for an opportunity to leave.