The Ruler of Darkness

The young female court lady entered the waiting room with utmost caution.

“…I pay my respects to the Grand Young Master of the main family.”

She feigned an inability to raise her head, bowing to the Grand Young Master.

“Who are you?”

One of the maids, who had been bustling about, asked her.

As the steward kept her head down and sneakily glanced over, she saw the maid uniform of Wongak Pavilion.

There was no need to pay attention to mere maids.

Instead, she introduced herself to the Grand Young Master.

“I heard you were looking for me. Please feel free to call me ‘Court Lady Bang.'”

“Did you say you are ‘Court Lady Bang’?”

There was a chill in the woman’s voice.

“Yes, please call me that.”

The court lady swallowed her curse inwardly.

‘Merely a maid of the Swordless heir…’

Court Lady Bang was well aware of Jung-ah, having learned about her through the internal information of the inner court.

A seductress who had been weighing between the second and third sons, only to flee to the Grand Young Master’s side when things turned serious.

‘Probably this visit is also a scheme by that Jung-ah to provoke the Swordless heir.’

This only added inconvenience to herself.

“Did you refuse to pay the large sum to Wongak Pavilion?” The voice of Jung-ah was soft yet heavy.

“Um… if you’re referring to the request payment of a large sum, are you talking about the cost of the books?”

‘All this fuss over a trivial book cost.’

She herself was merely a second-level court lady in the inner court.

The problem started with her thinking of the price of the rare books collected by Yeon So-Hyeon as mere pennies, an issue she herself was unaware of.

Moreover, referring to it as a ‘request’ for payment.

Her own attitude indicated that the inner court was becoming privatized by its members.

“A request? Since when did handling the expenses of the main family’s direct descendants become a ‘matter of request’ in the inner court?”

Court Lady Bang hurriedly bowed even more. “Ah, my apologies, Chief Maid Jung-ah. I misspoke for a moment…”

Jung-ah coldly snorted without replying.

‘A low-born woman, acting so haughty just because she has the support of the Swordless heir…’

Court Lady Bang suppressed her anger internally at her attitude.

“That will be enough, now explain yourself.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

With Yeon So-Hyeon’s intervention, the troublesome chief maid stepped back.

Court Lady Bang inwardly smiled.

Unable to press herself further but asking for an explanation instead.

‘Who would say he’s not a Swordless heir, retreating in his speech like that.’

She appealed to Yeon So-Hyeon in a tone of uncertainty.

“…There was an issue with the paperwork, and I failed to understand it properly.”

“Is that so?”

As Yeon So-Hyeon inquired, she nodded vigorously.

“Yes! Indeed! I deeply regret having to report such an unfortunate matter!”

She thought this would be enough to persuade the Grand Young Master with his temperament.

She decided this was the right moment to conclude.

“I will summon the book broker again and handle it properly, so please forgive me this once…”

She fell to her knees.

It was the time to shed a few tears.

“Please take pity on my humble circumstances…”

Already frustrated at being disregarded by a mere reception hall maid, her tears came naturally.

“Why are you making such a fuss?!”

“Can’t you stop right now?!”

While the maids nearby scoffed, she ignored them.

After all, it was all about winning over the Grand Young Master, and she was confident in her beauty.

The Grand Young Master, known for only hiring beautiful maids recently, wouldn’t just overlook her tears.

“…Oh dear. Crying over such a trivial matter?”

As expected, the Grand Young Master clicked his tongue.

“So, sorry, Your Highness.”

She cried even more earnestly.

“…Chief Maid Jung-ah. Hearing what this girl says, it seems it was indeed a mistake. How about we let this go?”

Though it sounded like a request, it was essentially a gentle command.

‘That’s the end of it.’

It was disappointingly easy.

Court Lady Bang sighed silently to herself.

“…Since the master has spoken, I have no choice but to comply.”

Things seemed to be going as she had anticipated.

“Then, as a final matter, we will verify the documents you mentioned earlier.”

“!”

Court Lady Bang’s body stiffened.

“That, that is…”

“What now?”

All her claims were fabrications; such documents didn’t exist.

She quickly thought on her feet.

“Those documents were problematic, so they have been completely incinerated and are difficult to locate now.”

It was a bit of a stretch, but she believed the Swordless heir and mere maids wouldn’t be able to find them.

“Is that so? Then, it can’t be helped.”

True to his nature, the Swordless heir easily accepted her explanation.

However, unexpectedly, one of the maids, whom she had assumed to be just ordinary, spoke up.

“Really? Then there should be documents proving the incineration of the papers. We can just check those.”

“Chief Maid Jung-ah, she is correct. As the master is a direct descendant, even for minor matters, any document destruction requires authorization from a responsible person.”

How could these mere maids know about specialized document procedures related to their work?

“Then bring those documents immediately.”

She hurriedly bowed her head. “Just, please wait a moment!”

Further lies could be dangerous.

These maids were not ordinary at all.

Without knowing their knowledge and background, she couldn’t fabricate more stories.

“I will bring someone who can explain it right away!”

She hastily retreated.

Though the startled Grand Young Master called after her, she didn’t look back.

* * *

“What did you say…?”

The court lady of the West Quarter asked, but Court Lady Bang said nothing and just bowed her head, knowing she wasn’t asking due to misunderstanding.

“It seems that Jung-ah, that woman, has been fanning the flames behind the scenes.”

Other court ladies who heard her report clicked their tongues.

“And those new maids in Wongak Pavilion seem to be more than they appear.”

“This could get messy…”

The court lady of the West Quarter rubbed her temples, foreseeing complications.

“But are you certain there was no deceit in how you described the Grand Young Master’s reaction?”

Court Lady Bang quickly lowered her head even more.

“Of course! How could I dare to speak falsehoods in front of Court Lady Seomun?”

Court Lady Seomun nodded. 

Court Lady Bang was one of her protégés, trained by her from the start.

And she was still favored because she didn’t resort to lies to cover her mistakes when things went wrong.

“Did you find anything unusual about the Grand Young Master’s reaction?”

“I thought it was consistent with his usual demeanor.”

Their assessment was correct.

The reaction she reported was in line with the Grand Young Master’s known behavior.

The Grand Young Master always sought reasons first, even for mistakes.

Even if a mistake seemed deliberate, he didn’t react emotionally or escalate the situation.

Even when they crossed lines, he typically responded in a measured way.

However,

When she visited Wongak Pavilion due to that maid Jung-ah, the Grand Young Master seemed slightly different…

“…No. It’s nothing.”

Perhaps she was being overly sensitive lately, caught up in factions and politics.

His reaction then didn’t seem to indicate a change in his usual approach.

She stood up.

“It seems I must intervene personally.”

The issue, which started merely over the payment for books, was clearly being escalated by the Grand Young Master’s side.

It seemed that the maid Jung-ah, having gained considerable power all at once, was now running rampant.

If so, she needed to show this young lord that power was indeed a double-edged sword.

* * *

Court Lady Seomun, leading her subordinates, entered the waiting room with a bold presence.

Though her position was technically that of a court lady, this was only due to the unique nature of the inner court.

In reality, her status was akin to the leader of a small faction within the Luoyang Sword House.

“I am here to see the Grand Young Master. I presume an introduction is unnecessary?”

The bored-looking Grand Young Master spoke up.

“Hm. I recognize your face. Don’t know your name, though.”

Her subordinates, sensing her displeasure, started coughing discreetly.

The coughing was met with sneers from Yeon So-Hyeon’s maids.

Chief Maid Jung-ah merely stood quietly behind the Grand Young Master.

Court Lady Seomun’s grip tightened.

“My name is…”

Yeon So-Hyeon waved dismissively.

“That’s enough. I have no interest in your name.”

Court Lady Seomun was momentarily at a loss for words.

‘This isn’t the Grand Young Master I know!’

Did this mean Court Lady Bang had lied about something bound to be exposed?

Her gaze shifted to those behind her.

Seeing the confusion in Court Lady Bang’s eyes, Court Lady Seomun felt her own uncertainty grow.

“So… you came here personally to explain why my bill hasn’t been settled?”

Court Lady Seomun was certain something was amiss.

It was time to retreat.

“No, Grand Young Master. It seems I was mistaken.”

She looked straight at Court Lady Bang.

“I’m not quite sure what this child has done.”

She was trying to cut her losses.

Court Lady Bang bit her lip.

“I came here to leave her fate in the hands of the Grand Young Master.”

Sensing Court Lady Seomun’s intent to withdraw, the other court ladies acted quickly.

They had already left the room, leaving only Court Lady Bang, trembling with her head bowed.

Yeon So-Hyeon approached her.

“…Oh dear. Crying over such a minor issue?”

It was a line she had heard before.

He smiled, wiping the tears from her tear-streaked cheeks.

Court Lady Bang was startled by his touch, cold as ice.

Seeing this, Court Lady Seomun turned to leave. “Well, I have urgent matters to attend to…” Then she heard Yeon So-Hyeon’s voice from behind.

“Hm. I wanted to hear an explanation from someone responsible for this issue, but it seems I have no choice.”

She ignored him and started to walk away.

“Then I’ll have to ask the Inner Court Chief directly.”

His words struck at her greatest vulnerability.

If the Inner Court Chief heard of this, her fate would be sealed, much like she had intended for Court Lady Bang.

Without giving her a chance to argue.

She turned back.

“…It seems I am qualified enough to give you an explanation after all.”

“Good, that works for me.”

Yeon So-Hyeon, as if anticipating her return, had already seated himself in the main seat.

He took Court Lady Bang by the hand and seated her next to him.

“Before that though…”

As he smiled, his chief maid spoke up.

“Since the Grand Young Master of the main house has graced you with his visit, perhaps it would be appropriate to offer some tea?”

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