Chapter 22
“Please take a look at this child. She may have suffered internal injuries.”
“Internal injuries?”
Pyo Jin-yang’s eyebrows twitched noticeably as he stared at me with an odd expression since we entered.
He said nothing, but I could feel it.
Yes, I understand you find this absurd.
I’m sorry. Please allow me to apologize on his behalf.
I gave an awkward smile and silently offered my apologies to the senior physician for troubling him.
Honestly, I was so embarrassed I wanted to crawl into a hole, but since I was still in Jeok I-geon’s arms, that wasn’t an option.
Why on earth won’t this guy put me down?
“There’s no need to check her pulse. She’s perfectly fine, with no internal injuries whatsoever.”
“Her face looks like this, and you’re saying she’s fine? If she ends up scarred, will you take responsibility, Uncle?”
“…!”
At Jeok I-geon’s sharp remark, I finally understood why he had been glaring at me with such a grim expression earlier.
I must have looked absolutely terrible.
Though I hadn’t suffered any internal injuries, falling and scraping against trees had left my body covered in scratches.
Ouch, it stings!
Now that the tension was gone, the pain I had forgotten about hit me all at once.
As I grimaced and tried to endure it, Jeok I-geon shouted again.
“Uncle! Are you just going to stand there and watch? Shin Seol-ha says she’s in pain!”
“…Shin Seol-ha?”
Pyo Jin-yang tilted his head to one side as he looked at me.
Then he locked eyes with me and asked,
“Are you the Shin Seol-ha who recently became this rascal’s exclusive maid?”
“Yes, sir. But… do you know me?”
“Of course I do! I was just curious about my granddaughter, and here she is!”
Huh? Granddaughter?
“Lay her down here for now. I’ll take a closer look.”
Before I could make sense of his words, I was laid down on a bed by Jeok I-geon.
“Now, let’s see. Where did I put that ointment? Ah, here it is!”
It was an ointment with a rather unpleasant smell.
Pyo Jin-yang carefully applied it to the scratches on my face.
“I-I can do this myself…”
A maid receiving direct treatment from the senior physician—it didn’t make any sense, even to me.
Especially since it was just applying some ointment, not tending to a broken bone.
Feeling uncomfortable, I tried to sit up, but Pyo Jin-yang shook his head.
“This ointment can heal any wound completely within a day. It’s a very precious medicine.”
“How could I possibly…”
“I’d feel terrible if such a pretty face ended up scarred.”
“Pardon? Why would you care about…”
“Men are all like that. I can’t let him feel sad over something like this.”
I had no idea what he meant.
I was the one who got hurt—who was supposed to feel sad?
“So, how did you get injured? Did you fall off a cliff?”
“Not a cliff, just a tree. I got distracted and…”
“You’re lucky it wasn’t worse. I take it that rascal saved you.”
“Yes, I survived thanks to the Second Young Master. I didn’t even get to thank him earlier in the chaos. Thank you for saving me.”
Since I couldn’t sit up, I awkwardly nodded my head in gratitude while lying down.
Jeok I-geon leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, looking down at me. His gaze was just as intimidating, if not more, than before.
Was he worried I wouldn’t prepare his meal?
Hah, what does he take me for?
“I’ll make sure this doesn’t interfere with my duties. I’m sorry for causing you concern.”
Would it kill him to acknowledge my effort and say “Alright”?
Seriously, he’s so full of himself.
I’m not even scared of that glare anymore, you know.
Though my nerves were frayed, I forced myself to put on a bold face.
“It’s done. I’ve applied ointment to all the visible wounds. Take the rest with you and apply it yourself later. It’s unlikely, but if you notice anything unusual with your body, come back to the Demonic Cult’s Medical Wing and find me.”
“Thank you, sir.”
To think I’d get such special treatment just for being Jeok I-geon’s maid.
Maybe being an exclusive maid isn’t so bad after all.
Scoring such a precious ointment made this quite a lucky day.
Unlike when I entered the medical wing, I proudly walked out on my own two feet.
Though my body felt a little stiff from bumping into trees during the fall, I could fix that with a quick round of Qi Circulation.
“I’ll go prepare dinner now.”
The sun was already setting.
I planned to cook something delicious for Jeok I-geon to improve his mood.
But as I headed toward the Jamigwan, Jeok I-geon blocked my way.
“That’s enough.”
“…Pardon?”
“Just return to the quarters and rest for today.”
“But I need to prepare your meal, Second Young Master…”
“With your body in this condition, what do you think you can accomplish? Have you already forgotten how close you were to dying?”
“Of course, I haven’t forgotten! I can’t thank you enough, even if I said it a hundred or a thousand times.”
“If I had been even a little late, you would have been seriously injured. What were you thinking about that made you make such a mistake? Don’t tell me you were thinking about Yang So-baek.”
“Pardon? No! Absolutely not!”
Why is Yang So-baek suddenly being mentioned here?
“I was just thinking about how I managed to gain internal energy equivalent to a master’s level, and I made a mistake. It was my arrogance and lack of focus. At a time when I should have been concentrating, I let myself get distracted. I promise it won’t happen again!”
Fearing that Jeok I-geon might forbid me from learning the Demonic Phoenix Sky Art any further, I hastily pleaded.
Of course, I could study it on my own in secret.
I had already memorized the incantations and techniques.
But martial arts are meant to be honed through proper training.
And having a skilled teacher’s guidance would only enhance my progress.
This opportunity, where Jeok I-geon himself had taken the role of my teacher, was something I couldn’t let slip by.
“I’ll keep an eye on you.”
This was his way of saying he’d let it slide for now.
Overjoyed, I quickly bowed deeply to express my gratitude.
“Then go and rest. And don’t forget to apply the ointment.”
Rest? For real?
I stood there blankly, watching Jeok I-geon’s retreating back as he walked away without hesitation.
What’s going on today?
He made a fuss about internal injuries earlier, worried about scars on my face, and now he’s telling me to rest.
Is this really the Jeok I-geon I know?
To be honest, someone like Jeok I-geon could easily tell whether I had internal injuries just by looking at me.
That’s why even Pyo Jin-yang found his behavior odd.
A man who insists on eating four full meals a day, including late-night snacks, was skipping dinner and telling me to rest.
Wow, in just a few days, I’ve become someone really important, haven’t I?
Taming a psychopath isn’t as hard as I thought.
Haha!
Feeling inexplicably happy, I grinned as I headed back to my quarters.
I couldn’t even remember the last time I’d come back so early.
“So-ok!”
Contrary to my expectation of an empty room, So-ok was packing her belongings.
“You’re not at the Jamigwan? Isn’t this the busiest time for you?”
“What about you, Seol-ha? Lately, it’s been so hard to even see you.”
“Let’s just call it a short break. I decided to take some time off.”
“Really? That’s great. You’ve been looking so tired these days.”
“But where are you going? You’re dressed for going out.”
Only then did I notice So-ok’s outfit.
Her face was unusually cheerful, and she was bustling around without even glancing at me.
I had been worrying about how to explain my injuries if she asked, but luckily, she didn’t seem to notice.
“My parents came to visit! Can you believe it? It’s their first visit in five years!”
“Wow, really?”
I’d heard that So-ok’s parents were busy with farming and taking care of her younger siblings.
So she always had to visit them instead. It seemed they had finally found the time to come here.
“That’s wonderful. This would be the perfect chance to show them around the Inner City.”
“What are you talking about? Show them around the Inner City? How would my parents even get in here?”
“Huh? Can’t you invite them? Or maybe get a permit?”
“Seol-ha, are you new here? Did you forget everything they taught us during training? Ordinary people can’t come in here. Only high-ranking individuals might get an exception. People like us don’t qualify at all.”
But that’s not true.
My grandmother was allowed in.
And not just once—twice.
“Well, anyway, I’m off. I’ve got two days off, so Seol-ha, make sure you relax and take it easy!”
So-ok cheerfully waved and dashed out, practically skipping with excitement.
Meanwhile, I stood frozen, unable to even lie down on the bed as questions began swirling in my mind.
How did my grandmother manage to visit me here?
And what about the elixir she gave me?
There were too many suspicious things.
What on earth is the truth about Shin Geum?
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