Chapter 5

Fragments of the Past

After the Eldest Young Master, Yeon Sohyeon, drove all the servants away...

The Steward Department, which bore full responsibility for all those who could be called "the lower servants," was thrown into complete chaos.

Arguments erupted over who was responsible, who should be assigned to replace them, and what punishment should be handed down to the servants who had been expelled by the Eldest Young Master.

The debate grew increasingly heated.

In the end, the Head Steward—the very man whom the Eldest Young Master had personally named—stepped forward.

Once he dismissed the meeting that had dragged on without reaching any conclusion, silence finally returned to the conference room.

"...Haa."

A long conference table stretched across the room.

Everyone else had already left, leaving only the middle-aged Head Steward seated at the head of the table, clutching his graying hair.

"I knew something like this would happen eventually..."

The Eldest Young Master's residence, Wongak Pavilion, had no one properly overseeing its servants.

Moreover, the Eldest Young Master himself was far too gentle by nature.

As the Head Steward of the Luoyang Sword Clan, how could he not have known that the servants would one day overstep their bounds?

"At least... it's fortunate that the Eldest Young Master didn't accuse them of insubordination or report them for their misconduct..."

Had he done so, it would not have remained merely a problem for the Steward Department.

The entire Luoyang Sword Clan would have been thrown into turmoil.

As was his habit, he opened a drawer and took out dried medicinal herbs said to soothe an aching stomach, chewing them slowly.

The Luoyang Sword Clan's main estate welcomed dozens of influential figures from across the Central Plains every single day.

Managing all the servants in such a place was always enough to give anyone stomach ulcers.

But lately, things had gone far beyond that.

The root of it all lay in the Luoyang Sword Clan's succession struggle.

Even after chewing far more medicinal herbs than the recommended amount, the pain refused to subside.

"...The time when I could simply stand by and watch has passed."

The Head Steward's expression grew calm, while his eyes gleamed with determination.

After steadying himself, he summoned a maid and whispered instructions into her ear.

Watching her bow deeply before leaving, he sank into thought once more.

***

A short while later...

Inside his office, the Head Steward welcomed a young maid with a warm smile.

"Head Steward, your servant Jeong-ah  greets you."

"So you've come."

The woman called Jeong-ah  was merely a maid.

Yet her beauty was extraordinary.

The moment she stepped into the room, it almost seemed as though her beauty alone brightened the surroundings.

Her long ebony-black hair was neatly tied behind her.

Her flawless white skin possessed a healthy, radiant glow.

Her thick eyelashes accentuated her large, crystal-clear eyes.

Her nose was elegant and well-defined.

Her softly tinted lips were full without being excessive.

Yet instead of appearing seductive, those lips naturally formed a composed and graceful smile.

"I hope you have been keeping well."

More than anything else, however, it was her eyes that captivated people.

Her irises shimmered with a color that seemed to transcend ordinary brown, almost resembling gold.

Combined with her exceptional beauty, they gave her an exotic and mysterious charm.

Yet her gaze carried such depth that no one would dare mistake her for a frivolous woman.

"Can someone in my position truly hope for peaceful days? Still, I've managed to stay healthy enough."

"Health is the greatest blessing, no matter whom you ask. Seeing that you remain in good health eases this servant's heart."

Jeong-ah  bowed respectfully before the Head Steward.

She looked every bit the proper servant.

Yet even such perfect etiquette could not conceal the noble elegance she naturally possessed.

Her beauty did not diminish simply because she wore a maid's uniform.

The Head Steward smiled proudly at her.

Years ago, he had personally taken her in from the streets.

Having no children of his own, she had become as precious to him as family.

"...Jeong-ah ."

"Yes, Elder."

Jeong-ah  found it strange that the Head Steward had summoned her yet struggled to begin speaking.

For someone of his position within the Luoyang Sword Clan, if a matter was difficult even for him to broach, it could not possibly be trivial.

She quietly took her seat, lowered her eyes, and patiently waited for him to speak first.

The Head Steward let out another deep sigh.

Would the decision he was about to make truly be the right one?

No matter how much he thought it over, he could not foresee the outcome.

"...How old are you this year?"

"I turned twenty-one this year."

She was truly at the prime of her youth.

"Do you know why, despite cherishing you, I've only kept you in the Reception Hall instead of assigning you to a master?"

"This servant is slow-witted and cannot fully understand your intentions."

In truth, she understood his reasoning perfectly well.

But she had been trained to see, hear, and say nothing regarding the clan's internal affairs.

So she deliberately avoided answering.

The Head Steward saw through her thoughts and felt pleased.

"I regarded you as my own daughter. That is why I wanted to be extremely careful—more careful than anyone else—when choosing the master you would serve."

"I have always been grateful for your kindness and consideration."

Jeong-ah  bowed deeply in sincere gratitude.

Instead of accepting her thanks, however, the Head Steward beckoned her closer.

Rather than speaking aloud, he picked up a brush and began writing.

Although he had already ordered that no one be allowed near his office, decades of experience had made him cautious.

Within the Luoyang Sword Clan, where experts were everywhere, speaking in hushed voices could never truly be considered a secret conversation.

He wrote:

"The Second Young Master possesses the qualities of a sect leader. However, he is overly rational, calculating, and cold by nature."

The Head Steward paused briefly to glance around before continuing.

"The Third Young Master is exceptionally talented in martial arts and commands the loyalty of many warriors. However, he is reckless and driven by excessive ambition, making him dangerous.

The Fourth Young Master is the most decent of them all, but he is still far too young. Few people follow him, and he remains far from being a suitable candidate for the position of Young Patriarch."

Jeong-ah  was startled by what he was writing.

The Head Steward had devoted his entire life to serving the Luoyang Sword Clan with unwavering loyalty.

If words evaluating the Young Masters like these were ever leaked during such a sensitive period, it would inevitably cause a catastrophe.

Even noticing her shock, the Head Steward never stopped writing.

"The young ladies of the main family are all kind-hearted. However, the selection of their maids falls under the jurisdiction of the Inner Court's Chief Administrator. She personally raises and carefully selects them herself. Even if I wished to recommend someone, there is nothing I could do."

The women of a prestigious clan had to be protected with absolute care, as though every trace of impurity were washed away.

The Head Steward moistened his dry lips with a cup of now-cold tea.

Finally, he wrote:

"Naturally, I never even considered the Eldest Young Master. He has remained secluded all this time."

The brush, which had been moving without hesitation until then, suddenly came to a stop.

After a long silence, the Head Steward bit his lip, and his brush began moving once more.

"Do you know why the Eldest Young Master is called the Swordless One?"

Jeong-ah  carefully picked up another brush.

"First, because the Eldest Young Master does not wield a sword and is said to possess no talent for martial arts..."

The second reason was that he had never shown the qualities expected of the clan's future patriarch.

On top of that, he had remained in seclusion for nearly ten years.

There were many other rumors, but none that she considered trustworthy.

After she set down her brush, the Head Steward picked up his own.

"To answer that question... I will tell you a story that has been hidden until now."

His fingertips trembled, and his brush moved even faster.

"It happened more than a decade ago."

Jeong-ah  immediately realized that what he was about to reveal was a secret that absolutely could not be allowed to leak.

She focused even more intently on the tip of his brush.

"Most members of the main family believe that the Eldest Young Master has no talent for martial arts and has never once held a sword. But that is not the truth."

Jeong-ah 's lips parted in surprise.

"I was there on the day the Eldest Young Master held a sword for the very first time."

He began recounting the hidden events of that day.

"Even now, I cannot forget it... the sight of him taking up the sword for the first time and assuming his opening stance."

He wet his dry lips with the now-cold tea.

Jeong-ah  anxiously waited for his brush to move again.

"That stance... it was already the stance of a Swordmaster. The aura he radiated was so overwhelming that I could scarcely breathe."

"...!"

A Swordmaster.

A true master of the sword.

It was a title given to someone who had founded an entire school of swordsmanship through their own mastery.

It had nothing to do with the amount of internal energy they possessed or the number of decades of cultivation people liked to boast about.

It referred to someone who had transcended both form and intent with the sword and established a world entirely their own.

And yet...

He was calling a child holding a sword for the very first time a Swordmaster.

"The Clan Head at the time—our current Supreme Patriarch—ordered me to keep that day a secret. And for reasons I still do not know, from that day onward, the Eldest Young Master himself never touched a sword again."

"...?!"

The revelation far exceeded anything Jeong-ah  could have imagined.

"And secondly..."

He addressed the common belief that the Eldest Young Master had never displayed the qualities befitting the clan's future leader.

"Before the Eldest Young Master entered seclusion, the people closest to the Clan Head feared no one more than him."

It felt as though thunder had exploded inside Jeong-ah 's mind.

"The Eldest Young Master personally handled only a handful of matters under his own name. Almost no one remembers them anymore."

The brush continued moving without pause.

"Even today, there are still people within the Imperial Palace who remember his name."

What on earth had the Eldest Young Master accomplished while still a mere child for his name to have reached even the Imperial Palace?

Suppressing her turbulent emotions, Jeong-ah  wrote,

"Why are you telling me all of this?"

Given the clan's current circumstances, these were secrets that absolutely could not be allowed to spread.

The Head Steward let out a heavy sigh.

"The Second Young Master and the Third Young Master have both officially requested that you be assigned to them. It seems the two have begun competing over you."

"..."

From the very beginning, Jeong-ah  had been regarded as the flower among the Reception Hall's maids, attracting the attention of every distinguished guest who visited.

There had even been an unforgettable incident where the direct heir of a prestigious clan had fallen in love with her and proposed marriage.

Even that had caused a tremendous stir.

But for the two strongest contenders for the position of Young Patriarch to begin competing over her...

That was on an entirely different level.

After remaining speechless for a moment, Jeong-ah  bit her lip and wrote,

"Do you wish for me to serve the Eldest Young Master?"

Regardless of what the Eldest Young Master had once been...

Could the man he was now truly protect someone who entered his household?

Especially against two younger brothers consumed by ambition?

Instead of answering directly, the Head Steward carefully wrote down everything that had happened earlier that day at the Eldest Young Master's residence, Wongak Pavilion.

After reading it, Jeong-ah  wrote,

"Has the Eldest Young Master's personality changed?"

The Head Steward started to nod...

Then slowly shook his head instead.

"I'm not certain that 'changed' is the right word. Rather... I would say what happened today is more in line with who he originally was."

"Then...?"

"Perhaps... just perhaps... he has finally made up his mind."

It was the judgment worthy of the Head Steward of the Luoyang Sword Clan, the foremost sword clan in the Central Plains.

"And if he is truly the Eldest Young Master I remember..."

His eyes flashed sharply.

"...then the struggle over the clan's succession is destined to change dramatically."

The Head Steward looked quietly at Jeong-ah 's face before biting his lip once more.

Her features had blossomed into those of a mature beauty.

Yet to him, she was still only the little girl he had raised.

"The decision is yours. However..."

Setting down his brush, the Head Steward looked directly at Jeong-ah .

She likewise raised her head to meet his gaze.

Her beautiful eyes were the kind that could effortlessly capture anyone's heart.

Hidden deep within those golden irises—resembling pure gold—lay a secret known only to herself and the Head Steward.

"With those eyes of yours... you will be able to tell before anyone else whether the Eldest Young Master has truly changed his heart."

The brush was laid beside the inkstone.

Silence filled the office.

The Head Steward gathered every sheet of paper they had used to communicate.

One by one, with painstaking care, he fed them into the brazier until every last page had turned to ash.

A short while later...

A maid stepped out of the Head Steward's office and hurried toward her destination.

Toward the place that would become her new residence.