Chapter 84
“If you don’t want it, I understand.”
Unlike me, who felt like I was burning into ash with anxiety, Jeok I-geon responded calmly and nonchalantly.
Can I really trust what he just said?
What if he suddenly changes his mind later?
If he actually succeeds in ambushing and killing the Heavenly Demon, not only my life, but Grandma’s remaining years would be ruined.
‘I can’t let that happen!’
This wasn’t just about me anymore—Grandma had just reclaimed her identity.
She spent 17 years raising me through hardship… I had to protect her no matter what.
To do that, the only solution was to keep Jeok I-geon from doing anything reckless.
That meant I couldn’t give him any free time.
I had to stick close and watch him at all times.
It’s not like I could entrust anyone else with this.
I couldn’t believe I had to go back to acting like his personal maid… but this was the path of least destruction.
Wow, I really am getting entangled with him again.
Even I thought this was one ridiculous twist of fate.
“Um… Young Master?”
I tried to hide my inner panic and gently asked Jeok I-geon,
“If you have time… could you come with me to the Tak Family?”
“You haven’t spoken with Tak Joong-hak yet?”
“No…”
When would I have had the time?
He was the one camping out in the shop until late last night!
“I understand. Let’s go together.”
“Thank you! Then I’ll go get ready real quick!”
“Alright.”
“You must wait here, okay? Don’t go anywhere. Got it?”
I turned halfway, then came back to firmly emphasize the point again to Jeok I-geon.
“……”
Why isn’t he answering?
Jeok I-geon just stared at me in silence, and for some reason, I felt chills run down my spine. He wasn’t glaring like before, but… how do I put it?
Was it… intense?
Or tender?
Either way, it wasn’t the kind of gaze I was hoping for.
“Young Master? Aren’t you going to answer?”
I pressed him, afraid he might suddenly rush off to kill the Heavenly Demon.
“…I understand. Don’t worry.”
“Okay! I’ll be right back!”
I hurried upstairs and quickly changed clothes.
Even though he promised with his own mouth, I couldn’t let go of that lingering anxiety.
Back when I had to train twice a day at Majungcheon, I was so resentful.
But now I was so grateful for it.
“That was fast, right?”
When I came back downstairs, Jeok I-geon stood up from the chair.
I could feel his gaze lingering on the Red Jade Bracelet on my wrist.
“Your outfit looks nice.”
“Oh! I’ve been so out of it that I forgot to thank you. Thank you so much for the clothes.”
These were the clothes he’d sent me through Seo Ryeon.
I smiled brightly as I finally got to thank him properly.
Wearing nice clothes really does lift your mood.
I hadn’t realized that even in my past life, but thanks to Jeok I-geon, I understood it now. Funny, isn’t it?
“If you need more, let me know.”
“Oh no, I’m rich now too! I can buy my own, so it’s okay.”
I meant it as a polite refusal to show appreciation without being greedy.
You know, just being courteous?
But—
“…Are you rejecting me?”
“Sorry—what?”
I paused, halfway through opening the shop door, and looked up at him.
What the heck!
His eyes again… Why are they like that again?!
Don’t tell me he’s upset because I turned down more gifts?
Haaah… Why is managing a psycho’s emotions so freaking hard?
“I-I didn’t mean to offend you! If you send me more, I’ll gladly wear them!”
“Good.”
Only then did a satisfied smile bloom on Jeok I-geon’s face.
‘Agh, it’s way too much to handle this early in the morning…’
I smiled on the outside, but inside I was grumbling hard as I headed to the Tak Family with him.
…Wait? Did they know I was coming?
Even from a distance, the Tak Family’s main gate was wide open.
I hadn’t told anyone I was coming, so maybe someone else was visiting?
Should I come back tomorrow instead?
As I stood there debating, a crowd suddenly poured out from within.
“We greet the First Young Lady!”
“We greet the First Young Lady!”
All of them bowed deeply toward me with respect.
“Um, but… the Young Master is also here… Why…”
Flustered, I was frozen in place when—
Tak Joong-hak, Tak Mu-seong, Tak Seung-myeong, and even the retainers of the Tak Family came out themselves to greet me.
“It seems this is their way of welcoming the only legitimate heir of the Hyunma Tak Family.”
‘The only legitimate heir…?’
That was something I hadn’t even considered.
Since I’m not the real Shin Seol-ha, I had completely missed the emotional weight of it all.
“You’ve finally come.”
Before I knew it, Tak Joong-hak was standing right in front of me.
He no longer treated me as the disciple of the Heavenly Demon.
He greeted me warmly and comfortably, like a granddaughter returning home after years of studying abroad.
So I found myself blurting out the question before I could stop it.
“…Was I very late?”
“No.”
Tak Joong-hak paused briefly, as if something was caught in his throat, and then continued.
“Thank you… for coming, even now.”
“Let’s go inside.”
Just like Tak Joong-hak, Tak Mu-seong now looked at me with the eyes of an uncle.
He was my mother’s cousin, so that made him my first uncle once removed.
And his son, Tak Seung-myeong, would be my cousin.
To think that a girl like me—who was once a complete orphan—now had all these relatives…
Even as someone who had possessed this body, I couldn’t tell whether this strange feeling was good or bad.
“Young Master, please come inside as well.”
Jeok I-geon nodded and entered the Tak Family residence with me.
Flap!
Whoosh—
It happened shortly after we passed the main gate.
“She’s here! She’s here! She came again!”
The yellow parrot, Geum-aeng, whom I’d seen once before, flew past me at lightning speed.
“A talking bird?”
Jeok I-geon was curious upon seeing Geum-aeng for the first time, and Tak Seung-myeong explained,
“She’s a parrot named Geum-aeng. It looks like she recognized the First Young Lady.”
“Recognized me?”
“After the First Young Lady last visited, Geum-aeng cried a lot. I heard she was especially close to my aunt.”
If he said ‘aunt,’ then he must be referring to my mother.
Now that I think of it, Geum-aeng did say something like ‘Why did you only come now?’ last time too… Is she mistaking me for my mom?
Come to think of it, it was Geum-aeng who led me to the portrait last time.
‘Geum-aeng… Were you going to that place every time you missed Mom?’
To think I’d feel this sentimental over a parrot I’d only met twice. What a complicated day.
“I’ll wait outside.”
Just before we entered the main hall, Jeok I-geon suddenly stopped walking and distanced himself from us.
“I don’t think this is a place I belong in.”
Whoa, since when did the psycho know how to be considerate?
I was honestly shocked to find out Jeok I-geon was capable of something like courtesy.
Although I brought him along, I hadn’t expected him to participate in the conversation. I was truly thankful for his graceful retreat.
“We will attend to him.”
“This way, Young Master.”
Still, we couldn’t leave the Heavenly Demon’s son alone.
As if it were rehearsed, Tak Mu-seong and Tak Seung-myeong naturally led Jeok I-geon elsewhere.
Just like that, I was left alone with Tak Joong-hak.
Tea was soon placed before us, and a moment of silence settled in.
Tak Joong-hak looked deep in thought, so I didn’t want to interrupt. I decided to wait patiently.
Honestly, I was also curious to see what he would say first.
“Thank you.”
“…?”
“For growing up so well.”
Tak Joong-hak’s voice trembled slightly.
Now that I looked closer, he’d choked up earlier too… He must be surprisingly soft-hearted.
“I’m sorry. I should’ve taken more action back then…
If I had, maybe neither you nor your mother would have had to suffer like that…”
“I’m okay. I grew up with lots of love from my grandma.”
I deliberately said it brightly, to shift the mood.
And honestly, I didn’t think it was his fault. That’s just how things turned out.
“Your grandmother… The Tak Family owes her a great debt. A debt we could never repay even in a lifetime.”
“Grandma wouldn’t want anything in return. She truly loves me.”
“That’s why I’m even more grateful. From now on, the Tak Family will treat your grandmother as a distinguished guest.”
“Sure. As long as you treat her well, I’ll be grateful too.”
If it helps Grandma live peacefully in the Demonic Cult, I’d welcome it.
“And… there’s something I’d like your permission for.”
“Permission?”
“I’m thinking of officially announcing you as a direct descendant of the Tak Family. Would that be alright?”
“Hasn’t that already been made obvious enough?”
It hadn’t reached the ears of the Demonic Cult’s members yet, but the chaos from yesterday had already spread far and wide.
There were plenty of people who saw the main gate of the Cheonhyeol Yeo Family get smashed in.
“That may be, but we still need to make it official. I want people to know that the Hyunma Tak Family is standing behind you.”
So, in short, he wanted to proudly announce to the Demonic Cult that I was his granddaughter.
Judging by the way his eyes were practically dripping with affection, I could tell this was about the love he felt for a granddaughter he gained late in life.
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