CH 7

Sohyeon Yeon gazed down at Jeong Ah, who was lying on his bed.

She was a woman who, even without a smidgeon of inner force, had grasped the barrier formation, and even glimpsed his own ‘dark realm’.

‘Those golden eyes—they looked familiar somehow…’

He closed his eyes for a second, looking back on his previous life, and before he knew it, a sigh escaped his mouth. “You are! You were that woman.”

He and she had never met face-to-face. Besides, her look was so different from what he’d recalled that he hadn’t been able to remember her right away.

“How could you belong to this clan…?” He muttered. In his hand was the head butler’s written order that Jeong Ah had brought.

“What a strange fate.” With a gentle hand, he brushed Jeong Ah’s hair that had fallen across Jeong Ah’s face. “Fate is a very strange thing.”

All he’d done was toss out the lower people in the morning. And because of that, in less than a day, someone he’d never met in the flesh in his past life had appeared out of nowhere as his maid.

He cracked a smile and shook his head.

The occurrence of unexpected things. That, in his opinion, was the main reason why world affairs were still interesting.

He got up from his spot and left the bed. In order to prepare for her eyes, he first had to find a way to completely hide the demonic energy.

It would be great if he could not only conceal it but also keep it under tight control.

Perhaps half a day.

Half a day, at the most, ought to do the trick.

A Heart Secret Technique needed to be created and perfected to the point that all demonic energy could be concealed, but that wouldn’t take too much longer, right?

Sohyeon Yeon entered his study, calmly thinking that no martial arts expert would agree.

“Sleep well and see you later, Golden Eye Witch.”

It was as though the situation before she fainted had been nothing more than a nightmare.

Jeong Ah woke up from her slumber feeling really good. It had been a long time since she had slept this well.

The concerns of the Luoyang Sword Clan faded from her mind; she had forgotten the second and third young masters, as if she had returned to his childhood, when she lived with her family.

She couldn’t remember the last time she’d opened her eyes without any anxieties, fears, or nervousness.

When he sat up, pushed away the blanket that had been wrapped around her body warmly, there was a teapot and a cup by her bedside.

As she drank the tea steeped in cold water along with the incense, she felt like she had nothing to envy in the world.

Working as a maid in the Greet Guests Hall, she’d tasted innumerable high-quality teas, but none of them had the ability to put people at ease quite like this one.

In addition, the bed she was lying on was old-fashioned and stained with her hands, yet it was the most luxurious mattress she had ever slept on.

The teacup she was holding was likewise a rare, venerable celadon, although with chips.

Where am I…?

The room she lay in was archaic and cozy, and its high gracefulness felt so natural.

Jeong Ah got up slowly and carefully arranged the bedding, fascinated by the very elegant letters on the scrolls hanging on the walls. The juniper carvings of mountains and fruits. And the pottery with dried blossoms that exuded a pleasant aroma.

Then she lifted the ebony awning, which kept the bright sunset rays from leaking through the paper weather strips, and opened the window.

“Ah….”

Unable to contain her surprise, she let out an exclamation as an unreal but completely natural scene unfolded before her eyes.

The vast area surrounded by immense forest was so wide that it was impossible to take in the entire landscape at a glance.

The Pure Silver Garden Pavillion, located at the very end of the Luoyang Sword Clan, was in contact with nature itself, which stretched outward.

Bringing nature into his bosom and decorating it as a garden: wide meadows, low slopes, streams, and wetlands abound. Ponds and lakes, too.

It was a breathtaking sight, especially when coupled with the lowering sun.

Above anything else. The second month of the year had arrived. It was winter in Luoyang, but it was spring in the Pure Silver Garden Pavillion.

While she was lost in the magnificent scenery, a strangely waggish voice resonated in her ears. “What do you think? Isn’t it beautiful?”

“Oh…!” The voice brought her back to reality.

The person who spoke to her was in the garden, wearing an old cotton white coat.

“So. Did you sleep well?” He waved his small hand at her.

“Oh, yes, thanks to…”

Because his body seemed to be that of a slender young man and his face to be that of a gentle boy, with his white skin and soft features, she thought “a handsome boy” would be a more fitting term than “a handsome young man.”

“Eh. Well done.” He said so, smiling slyly. “My neck aches from looking up and talking, so get ready and come down to the first floor.” Then, without waiting for a response, he went off, swingingly.

“Ah……!”

Only then did Jeong Ah realize. The handsome boy, just now, was Sohyeon Yeon, Archduke of the Luoyang Sword Clan, and the swordless.

And she also realized that the place where she stood now was his sleeping place. And that at their first meeting, she had dared to glance down at her master while speaking.

* * *

“Eh—did you say your name is Jeong Ah?”

Jeong Ah, who had regained her natural composure, calmly responded to Sohyeon Yeon’s question, sitting comfortably, reclining back. “That’s right.”

At the sight, Sohyeon Yeon smirked mischievously. “You were quite heavy earlier.” He was, of course, kidding.

It was impossible for him, who had gained the power of the ruler of darkness, to be burdened by a single woman.

“Oh, that’s…oh, I’m sorry.” Then she realized.

The Pure Silver Garden Pavilion was currently unstaffed. Her fainting body had been moved by none other than the Archduke of the Luoyang Sword Clan.

Jeong Ah became dizzy. ‘Now that I think about it, before I passed out in the woodland. At first, I encountered the masters disguised as guards, as well as the terrible formation, and…’

It was as though she’d experienced a horrific nightmare, only to wake up with no memory of it.

‘I must have seen something—maybe it was a dream…? ‘

The shock, which was beyond her capabilities, jumbled her memories and eliminated the pieces she couldn’t handle.

Sohyeon Yeon, who was staring at Jeong Ah’s befuddled face, opened his mouth again.

“Fortunately, I came upon you while walking. If you were discovered late, no matter how warm the Pure Silver Garden Pavillion was, you would have been in great trouble.”

At those words, Jeong Ah rose from her chair and knelt on the floor, deeply bowing. “Your kindness spared this lowlife’s life, and I’ll be eternally grateful.”

Sohyeon Yeon stirred his hand. “All right, get up.” Then he flipped open the written order that had been on the table.

However, Jeong Ah seemed to have no intention of getting up. “As I serve you in the future, I will not spare my body; I’ll give my life….”

“Uh huh, aren’t you funny?” Sohyeon Yeon, who interrupted Jeong Ah, looked at her through the written order.

There was no emotion in his gaze.

“I never said I would accept you in the first place—did you decide to accept yourself on your own?” He then gestured to the written order. “Or is the head butler giving me, the Archduke, an order?”

His words seemed to be lightning striking in her head.

Come to think of it, she’d taken it for granted that she would serve the Archduke.

“Please kill this low person..!”

No—she had originally planned to go to the Archduke to meet him. But she’d fainted in the woods, and everything had gone wrong.

“Ha, I saved her from certain death, then she put herself as my maid, and now she orders me to kill her.”

Jeong Ah bowed even more deeply. “I am sorry…”

Sohyeon Yeon clicked his tongue, sipped his tea, and then opened his mouth again.

“I never asked for something so big to begin with. I merely need a maid or a servant who is competent at doing chores.”

Jeong Ah responded hastily to his words. “I’ve been doing all sorts of chores at the Great Luoyang Sword Clan. I’m not sure whether it will catch your attention, but I’ll do my hardest…”

“Hmm” Sohyeon Yeon nodded slightly and then continued in a solemn tone. “Then comes the most important question.”

Jeong Ah gulped out loud.

Even though he was known by the derogatory moniker “Swordless,” the Archduke was a man who had no one to follow him in poetry, art, or hunting.

What were his requirements?

“Do you know how to cook?”

“What…?” Jeong Ah lifted her head involuntarily to glance at Sohyeon Yeon’s face, then dropped it swiftly again.

“I mean rice—cooking. Do you know how to cook?”

It was a very serious voice.

“I know how to do it, but if I dare to compare myself to a professional fancy cook….”

When Jeong Ah stuttered her response to an embarrassing question, Sohyeon Yeon stroked his knee. “Aren’t you confident?!”

Jeong Ah reflexively responded, “I’m confident!”

“Good! Pass!”

* * *

Jeong Ah stared blankly at the small fireplace’s flame.

The shabby work clothes she’d found in the maid’s quarters, her soot-stained face, and the apron dripping with soup made it difficult to believe she was a woman of high standing.

She couldn’t even remember the last time she had been so hectic in the kitchen as she was right now.

She was now, however, patiently waiting for the rice she had left on the hearth to cook, thanks to her exceptional memory, her well acknowledged work skills, and her eyes

I was chaotic… She sighed softly as she warmed her hands in the blaze of the fireplace.

She had fainted in the woodland after seeing the battle formation, and that had set off the whole thing. She’d dared to let the Archduke carry her and later found herself in his bed.

Since then, a chain of heinous events had begun to follow. Every time she looked back on what had happened, her face would redden.

She was known as the Ice Flower by the notable family members and high officials that visited the Luoyang Sword Clan because of her calm demeanor, yet, before him, she’d lost her composure so fast.

Even if a knife was thrust into my neck, I was confident that from the outside, I would stay calm…

No one knew, not even the masters who had used it, that Jeong Ah had seen the qi sense.

She’d never expected she would be swung around by someone in such a ridiculous manner.

It’s all because I passed out on the wooded path… She stopped, rubbing her hands in front of the fire. “No—that’s not the case.”

Upon waking up in the Archduke’s bed, she had definitely felt totally refreshed and had a crystal-clear state of mind.

Although she hadn’t been aware of what was going on at the time, it wasn’t to the extent where she would lose her composure in the situation that followed.

Making the Archduke look up and speak was a problematic act, but it wasn’t enough to make her frightened.

Her years of working as a maid at the Greet Guests Hall had given her the knowledge and skills she needed to handle these kinds of situations well.

And how had things gone from there?

Hadn’t the Archduke merely spoken a few words, and she’d behaved like a freshly appointed maid talking for the first time.

Thinking back at the previous awkward situation, the things she was embarrassed about, the blunders she had done, she couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable.

The whole thing was.….

… Caused by the Archduke.

From the first word to the last. He’d never lost the initiative the whole time, controlling the flow of the conversation as he wished, and had given the Ice Flower—a woman so exceptional that she earned the nickname—a hard shake.

Is he really the swordless…?

Was this the same person who, just this morning, had to kick out all the servants because they behaved so carelessly?

The image of Sohyeon Yeon, who had been talking to her, came to Jeong Ah’s head.

He was reclining on a soft and wide chair in a comfortable and tranquil posture. And unlike the smile on his face, his eyes seemed endlessly indifferent.

That figure wasn’t the swordless person she’d heard about; he was more like…

Goosebumps ran all over her body.

“Is rice still far away?”

“Kyaaak!” Hearing his voice behind her, Jeong Ah jumped up from her seat in shock, screaming.

“Oh, sorry. I must have surprised you.”

Standing at the doorway, she looked at the Archduke with an apologetic smile on her face. Jeong Ah didn’t respond at that point because she finally realized.

She realized that her eyes were completely blind to him, unable to read anything from him.