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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: cyno
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This robe… is one I often wore in the early stages of this life.
When I protected hundreds of children from the Blood Cult’s Twelve Bishops, I draped it over one child.
There were so many such incidents that I don’t remember them all, but I vaguely remember that child.
A child with black hair and golden eyes.
But who would have thought that child was Jin Gayeong.
“Uncle, what are you thinking about?”
“I was just a little surprised.”
“About what?”
“That there’s still someone who likes Namgung Cheolbin, the Sword Saint.”
“Heh, so I’m your only follower?”
“How can a master be a follower of their subordinate?”
“Why not? There are plenty of cases like that.”
From the moment she first saw me, Jin Gayeong must have realized I was the Sword Saint.
That’s why she was so kind to me.
Looking back now, Jin Gayeong’s kindness makes sense.
All those ‘…success!’ moments.
“Uncle.”
“Yes.”
“You don’t like being treated as the Sword Saint, do you?”
“…To be honest, it’s a name I’ve discarded.”
“I thought so. That’s why I pretended not to know.”
Was that consideration hidden there?
If my robe hadn’t appeared in her room, I might have never known.
Though that wouldn’t have been so bad.
“But it still feels good.”
“Huh?”
“I thought no one in the world would recognize me… but to have someone like you supporting me.”
In truth, there’s no reason I absolutely need to hide my identity.
I just didn’t want to be tied down by the remnants of the past.
But if those remnants are favorable to me, the story changes.
“Hehe, there must be more, right? Even if they don’t come forward, there must be many people who still like you. The world is vast.”
“I don’t know. In the past three years, I haven’t met anyone like that.”
“You never know. There might be someone like me right in front of you.”
Jin Gayeong confidently puffed out her chest as she spoke.
Yes, as she said, you never know.
Yes, as she said, you never know.
The world is vast, and as I live on, I might meet someone who still supports me.
Though I have no lingering attachment to the name I’ve discarded, a faint hope arises.
“By the way, uncle.”
“Yes.”
“Can you look this way for a moment?”
“Huh?”
Turning my head at the unexpected request, I was met with an unexpected sight.
“Thank you for saving my life.”
Jin Gayeong was kneeling and bowing to me.
“The kindness you showed me that day might have been nothing to you, but to me, it was something I thought about every day… I really wanted to tell you this.”
With utmost respect and reverence, clearly visible in her eyes.
“……Succeeding in thanking you, uncle.”
Her characteristic phrase at the end made me chuckle.
Now, it seems I’ve become so accustomed to her ‘…success’ that I feel uneasy if I don’t hear it.
“By the way, does that mean I’m the only one in the world who knows your true identity?”
Standing up, Jin Gayeong asked with an expectant look.
“I guess so. Congratulations, young lady.”
I lied, not wanting to disappoint her.
“Heehee, so I’m someone special to you now.”
“You’ve always been special to me.”
“…Really?”
“Of course.”
Even with the age difference, I’m not sure if it’s appropriate to say such things to a girl who has a crush on someone.
But why are Jin Gayeong’s cheeks turning red?
I can’t help but have some shameless fantasies.
“Young lady, it’s time to enter the Jin Family Council.”
“Yes~ I’m coming!”
At Byeok’s call, Jin Gayeong hurriedly finished her makeup and stood up.
Today, she looked particularly mature.
“Are you fully prepared?”
“Prepared to cook my uncle?”
“Cough, cough! Hmm…… Even if you have no sense of decorum, isn’t that a bit too direct?”
“You’re the only one I can be honest with. Please understand.”
Since Jin Gayeong had discovered Byeok’s true identity, the two had grown closer.
To Byeok, she was the only person who still liked him, and to Jin Gayeong, he was someone she had longed for, so the change was natural.
“What do you plan to do at the Jin Family Council?”
“You’ll see with your own eyes. I’ve prepared a lot, so if I tell you in advance, it’ll spoil the fun, right?”
“Jin Gwang-woo isn’t an easy opponent.”
Byeok had deliberately not shared information about Jin Gwang-woo and Jin Ye-ryeong.
So, he was a little worried about Jin Gayeong.
Of course, since he held the key to the crucial testimony, it was only a ‘little’ worry.
“I’m not the only one with information.”
“…Do you have a spy?”
“If you had given me my uncle’s information, I wouldn’t have needed to use a spy.”
“That’s… I thought it would be better not to interfere too much in your revenge.”
“I know, so I don’t resent you. If you had helped, it would have felt hollow.”
“Thank you for understanding.”
“Hey, I told you not to say that. I’ve said I’ll repay your kindness for the rest of my life, so why do you keep thanking me?”
“Yes, I’ll be careful.”
As they chatted, they arrived at the meeting room.
Byeok stepped forward, opened the door, and stepped aside to let Jin Gayeong enter.
He had become more like an aide.
Thud-.
The sound of Jin Gayeong’s footsteps echoed through the heavy atmosphere of the meeting hall.
Byeok’s footsteps quietly followed behind.
“The Grand Princess has arrived. Let’s begin.”
“Before that, wait a moment.”
When Jin Gayeong stopped the elder who was trying to start the meeting, he showed a slightly displeased expression.
“Why is my uncle sitting in the family head’s seat, which hasn’t even been decided yet?”
“The seat? Well, as you can see, there’s no space, so I had no choice.”
Jin Gayeong’s gaze swept across the meeting hall.
The attendees were spreading their legs or sitting cross-legged, each taking up two seats.
A blatant attitude.
“Hmm? So where is this ‘Grand Princess’ supposed to sit?”
“Oh, I didn’t think of that. Don’t worry. Wait a moment, and I’ll have a seat prepared for you.”
Clap, clap-.
When Jin Gwang-woo clapped, two servants brought in a wooden chair.
They placed the chair in a spot that was neither a corner nor a prominent position—a place easily ignored.
It was a prepared action.
“Hmm?”
As Jin Gayeong smiled faintly and looked at Jin Gwang-woo, he pointed at the chair with his chin, as if telling her to sit.
He didn’t directly tell her to sit.
Seeing this, Jin Gayeong smiled even more, her brows furrowing.
‘In my absence, the Taiyuan Jin Family has fallen into the hands of that old fox.’
Of course, she had expected this much.
‘I’ll have to break that neck first.’
“Oh my, I didn’t expect my uncle to prepare something like this for me.”
“Prepare? I’d appreciate it if you called it thorough preparation.”
“Is that so? My uncle, who preemptively took the seat for me and even prepared a wooden chair to sit on himself, I was almost moved.”
“……What?”
“You’re pretending not to know? Should I remind you? That my uncle preemptively took the seat for me and even prepared a wooden chair to sit on himself, I was almost moved…”
“Grand Princess! Your words have been too harsh from the start!”
One of the attendees stood up and shouted at her.
Jin Gayeong responded with an innocent expression.
“What do you mean?”
“How can you try to seat an elder of our family in such a disgraceful spot! Do you have no sense of propriety?”
“Hmm, is that so?”
“Don’t play dumb! Do you think such shallow tricks will work?”
“I see, but…”
Jin Gayeong’s smile vanished.
The innocent girl from moments ago was nowhere to be seen.
“As the family head just said, is it proper for the ‘Grand Princess’ to sit in such a disgraceful spot?”
‘Oops…!’
“Answer me. Between the Grand Princess and an elder, who holds a higher position in the family?”
In terms of seniority and honor, the elder would naturally be higher.
But in an ‘official setting,’ nothing is more important than rank.
Knowing this, the man couldn’t answer and hesitated.
“Aren’t you going to answer?”
“Th-that is…”
The man, unsure what to do, glanced at Jin Gwang-woo.
Jin Gwang-woo, as Jin Gayeong had done earlier, pointed at the chair with his chin.
Understanding the gesture, the man bowed his head and reluctantly spoke.
“I… will sit there…”
“Huh? What did you say? It was too soft, I couldn’t hear.”
“I will sit there……! Please, Grand Princess, take my seat……!”
“…Now we’re ready for the meeting.”
As the man trudged over to the rickety chair and sat down, Jin Gayeong crossed her legs and sat in the seat he had vacated.
Having just seen the family head humiliated after reacting to her impudence, none of the attendees dared to intervene.
“Now, shall we begin the first Jin Family Council since the family head’s passing?”
And so, in a tense atmosphere.
The Jin Family Council, which would become a three-way battle between Jin Gayeong, Jin Gwang-woo, and Jin Ye-ryeong, began.
“……Alright, it’s all settled then.”
“Yes, ‘provisional’ family head.”
“I’ll be counting on you, Uncle.”
The Jin Family Council proceeded as Jin Gwang-woo had told Byeok.
Jin Gayeong became the provisional family head, and Jin Gwang-woo was decided to act as the family head until she came of age.
Jin Ye-ryeong wasn’t involved, but she remained silent.
“…Or so you thought, right?”
Until Jin Gayeong stood up, placing her hands on the round table.
“Family head this, acting family head that, we still have to do what we need to do.”
“Huh? Provisional family head, what are you…”
Jin Gayeong, who had been smiling faintly, took out a piece of paper from her pocket.
“I did a little financial audit.”
It was from that moment that the expressions of Jin Gwang-woo and Jin Ye-ryeong, who had been smiling faintly, began to harden.
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