Following Pa Woo-cheol’s guidance, I reached the destination to find a new carriage parked at the campsite. It was in rough shape, and the horse pulling it was panting heavily, clearly exhausted from what must have been a harsh journey.

‘…Is it about to drop dead?’

The horse looked on the verge of collapse. Judging by its muscular build and posture, it was a high-quality horse. I couldn’t help but wonder how one could drive a carriage so recklessly that it ended up in such a state. I gave the poor animal a sympathetic glance before moving closer.

After a few more steps, I spotted a familiar face. Moyong Hee-ah was there, looking utterly drained and clutching the side of the carriage for support.

Why is she sprawled out like that?

Curious, I approached her cautiously and asked, “What’s going on with you?”

“Oh, Young Master... ugh…”

She was in rough shape. Her usually flawless appearance was disheveled, and her hair was a mess. She looked unusually worn out.

Did she get motion sickness or something?

‘No, that’s impossible.’

Moyong Hee-ah was a first-rate martial artist. She wouldn’t be so shaken by something as trivial as motion sickness.

“You alright?”

“No…”

“Yeah, you don’t look alright.”

What could have happened to her?

After a moment of hesitation, I knelt down beside her. Moyong Hee-ah looked at me, puzzled, as if wondering what I was doing. I reached out and brushed aside her hair, which was clinging to her cheek, likely due to cold sweat.

“…!”

Her eyes widened, and a blush crept onto her cheeks as she quickly grabbed my hand.

“What are you doing?”

“Huh?”

Caught off guard, I looked at her, confused.

“This… What’s this about?”

“What do you mean, ‘what’s this’?”

I didn’t understand her sudden reaction, and it seemed she didn’t plan on letting go anytime soon.

“Why are you flirting all of a sudden?”

“What?”

What on earth was she talking about? Flirting?

“Seriously, what’s going on? Did you eat something strange?”

“If anyone ate something weird, it’s probably you. Do you have a fever?”

I reached out to check her forehead, but she recoiled, her eyes wide with alarm.

“W-What are you doing?”

“…Just checking.”

“Did something happen to you? Are you sick?”

Her panicked reaction was puzzling. Why was she acting so skittish?

‘Hmm.’

I began to suspect something and took a step back, realizing I might have closed the distance between us too much.

‘Could it be…?’

Ever since that conversation with the Poison King, I’ve become more aware of the attachments these people have to me. Perhaps my actions were affected by that realization.

I needed to be more careful.

Thinking about it made my chest feel heavy, a wave of guilt washing over me.

Not yet.

‘Not yet.’

I reminded myself of that. Whatever it was, it wasn’t time to take hold of it yet.

I stood up, leaving the weary Moyong Hee-ah behind.

‘The White Lotus Sword is here too.’

Since Moyong Hee-ah had arrived safely, I could set my worries aside. Now that a senior was here, I should greet her. I’d ask a servant to help Moyong Hee-ah get some rest and then head off to find the White Lotus Sword.

I was about to walk away when I turned back to Moyong Hee-ah and left her with a parting remark.

“Come see me tonight.”

“…!”

With that, I left to find the White Lotus Sword, leaving Moyong Hee-ah standing there with a somewhat dazed expression, staring after me.

The young man she’d met after such a long time felt somehow different—warmer than she had expected, in a way that took her off guard.

And yet…

‘What is he… really?’

Moyong Hee-ah knew my words had no hidden meaning. It was simply time for her to receive my teachings, which was likely why I’d asked her to meet at night.

But still—

“Come see me tonight.”

There was an unmistakable undertone to my words, one that she couldn’t ignore.

If I’d intended to leave such an impression, she might have found it infuriating. But Moyong Hee-ah knew I wasn’t that type of person.

All the more reason why—

“…You really are infuriating,” she muttered.

In more ways than one, he really knew how to get under her skin.

   
   ******************
   

Finding the White Lotus Sword wasn't particularly difficult. After all, the fact that Pa Woo-cheol had come to inform me of her arrival meant she had already made a move as soon as she arrived. And with the new carriage pulling up, there was only one place she was likely to head next.

It made sense for her to head to the leader of the group first, so naturally, she’d have gone to see the Poison King. With that in mind, I made my way to where the Tang Clan members were gathered. And there she was, as expected—an unfamiliar figure standing among them.

Moreover—

“It’s been a while!”

The voice that came over was loud enough to catch anyone’s attention. I turned to see the woman speaking with the Poison King, laughing as if she didn’t have a care in the world. She hadn’t changed a bit since I last saw her.

“Should I start calling you Clan Leader now?”

She was the White Lotus Sword. The Poison King responded with a smile, looking a bit taken aback.

“It’s been a long time, White Lotus Sword.”

“I heard you became the Clan Leader.”

“It’s been over ten years already…”

The Poison King muttered, a bit at a loss for words, while the White Lotus Sword laughed sheepishly.

“I’ve never really paid much attention to the affairs of the world.”

“That aside, might I ask what brings you here, White Lotus Sword?”

It was a polite way of asking what had brought her to this place. The White Lotus Sword tilted her head as if the question itself was strange to her.

“Oh, it’s nothing special. My daughter was uneasy about the journey, so she asked me to come as her escort.”

“Are you saying you’re here as an escort?”

“Yes.”

The Poison King seemed dubious, and I couldn’t blame him. The idea of someone of her caliber coming along as an escort did seem a bit odd.

‘So she’s here to escort Moyong Hee-ah?’

Of course, there was no reason for the Poison King to object. It wasn’t his place to interfere with this, and having someone of the White Lotus Sword’s level as an escort could only help.

But still, he looked uncomfortable.

She must be a peculiar person if the Poison King, someone skilled in diplomacy, seemed so put off. What kind of antics had she been involved in to provoke such a reaction?

“Well, that’s how it is, so please take care of me.”

“….”

What does she mean, “that’s how it is”?

I approached slowly, listening to their conversation. The whole exchange seemed absurd.

‘Is she really from the Moyong family?’

The Moyong family was known for its calculative and strategic nature, but this woman seemed completely unpredictable. She had the right looks for it, but her personality was entirely at odds with her appearance. I just couldn’t wrap my head around it.

“Oh, by the way… Oh!”

Right in the middle of her conversation with the Poison King, she seemed to sense my presence and immediately turned to face me. In a flash, she was right in front of me.

“Hello!”

She greeted me with such enthusiasm that my ears were left ringing.

“We’ve met before, right?”

Her bright smile left me momentarily speechless.

“Hello, Senior.”

The White Lotus Sword frowned slightly, as if displeased.

“Why so formal? I told you to call me Nuna!”

“That’s… a bit much.”

Calling a woman who was old enough to be my father’s peer “Nuna” was a bit out of the question, regardless of her wishes.

‘Besides…’

Was she really here at the behest of the White Lotus Sword Clan’s leader? I doubted it was that simple. There was probably more to it than that.

‘Not that it’s any of my business.’

I decided not to dwell on it. Even though her presence reminded me of Gu Hui-bi, she didn’t seem like a bad person.

Keeping a reasonable distance should suffice. Just as I was about to nod and make my exit—

“Well, I look forward to working with you from now on.”

“Uh… Sure, you too… Wait, what?”

Her words stopped me in my tracks. What did she mean by that?

“What do you mean?”

“Oh, didn’t I mention? I’m here as your escort.”

“Yes, I heard that, but—”

What did that have to do with me?

She laughed, looking delighted at my confusion.

“I’m here to be your escort. Who else would I be talking to?”

“What?”

I felt the shock hit me like a punch to the gut.

The person she was escorting wasn’t Moyong Hee-ah?

And then, as if to hammer home her point—

“…Me?”

She was here to escort me? What on earth was going on? I stood there, dumbfounded, staring at the White Lotus Sword as she smiled at me.

“Let’s take care of each other, son-in-law.”

The impact of her first revelation was so overwhelming that I barely registered the latter part of her statement.