Chapter 61. The First Alliance of Noble Clans

So-hwa pressed her face with a white cloth beside her to wipe off the moisture.

“Tell Father I didn’t have time to put on makeup because I was late.”

So-hwa said this as she picked up the midae (ink used for drawing eyebrows). Drawing eyebrows was not an easy task for someone putting on makeup for the first time. Lady Jang was about to say she would do it herself, but So-hwa, as if accustomed, held up the midae and shaped her eyebrows.

She seemed completely used to dressing herself—her hands moved with great skill.

Lady Jang unconsciously opened her mouth but couldn’t say a word.

‘I heard this is her first time at such an event…’

Lady Jang awkwardly closed her gaping mouth. She wanted to be angry, but anyone with eyes could see that this side was many times more beautiful.

Her snow-white face, still damp, and the appropriately flushed cheeks felt even more radiant than when she had worn makeup.

Her eyebrows were also natural and elegant. Well, they were already dark and softly lined, so there was little need to touch them.

Thinking so, Lady Jang pushed away the strange feeling.

Thankfully, the young lady seemed to know the basics of makeup and picked up a lip rouge right away. Lady Jang felt slightly relieved, then sighed again. She applied it to her lips but only dabbed it lightly with a cloth.

It was hard to say she had actually put on makeup.

She had merely outlined her features and added a touch of color—no different from a bare face.

Lady Jang felt like fainting.

‘… The Clan Head said to take good care of her…’

Her current appearance was already concerning enough, but the young lady of the Tang Clan went further and began removing her hair ornaments.

“A-ah, young lady, please, stop…”

Feeling dizzy, Lady Jang swayed as she held onto the screen.

Yet Tang So-hwa shamelessly made excuses.

“If I go like this, they’ll probably scold me for not at least doing my makeup properly when I had time to do my hair.”

With an indifferent expression, So-hwa removed all the hair ornaments Lady Jang had carefully arranged.

It was a heartless and tearless act.

Even as Lady Jang glared at her, So-hwa neatly parted her long hair and tied it back. Shimseon, who had been watching quietly, stepped forward and helped tie her hair from behind.

Lady Jang asked in a trembling voice,

“Young lady, do you even know what kind of occasion this is?”

The one who caused the commotion replied calmly.

“The Alliance of Noble Clans gathering. It’s my first time attending, so I’m a bit nervous.”

“Yes, it is your first time! Haah, young lady, I have never seen a direct descendant attend a family event in such an appearance. There’s no region in the Central Plains with this kind of aesthetic! Please, at least put your hair ornaments back on!”

At Lady Jang’s sigh, So-hwa’s lips curved slightly.

“It’s fine. I like it this way.”

Common standards of beauty didn’t matter.

Tang So-hwa looked at her reflection in the bronze mirror.

A natural, graceful appearance filled her gaze.

Her face was different from Yeon-ah’s to begin with, so she didn’t look like her, but the mood was quite similar.

So-hwa knew Namgung Hyun’s taste better than anyone.

She brushed off her nerves and stood up. But suddenly, her field of vision dropped.

Lady Jang, with a furious face, had pushed her back into the seat by the shoulders.

“Absolutely not! I’m not letting you go out like this!”

Tatadadadak.

Lady Jang swiftly picked out hair ornaments.

“At the very least—your hair! You must wear something in your hair! You need to show off the Clan Head’s wealth!”

Losing all composure, Lady Jang touched So-hwa’s hair at lightning speed. She attached a lavish ornament of mother-of-pearl inlaid with silver thread to the top of her head. Still unsatisfied, she added two more small ornaments.

Truthfully, she wanted to go back to the original set she had picked, but because of this young lady with her peculiar taste who had wiped off all her makeup, she couldn’t use anything too extravagant.

The most important thing in dressing up was harmony.

Lady Jang stepped back slightly and took in the sight of the stubborn young lady at a glance.

‘I really…’

Strangely, because her face was already striking, her features seemed even clearer than when she wore heavy makeup.

However, there was one thing that bothered Lady Jang.

Her gaze slowly lifted.

A small mole beneath the eye irritated her. It was a tiny spot, but somehow it disrupted the balance.

Even without any added color there, as soon as one’s eyes landed on that spot, the clear face seemed to lose some of its purity.

‘I don’t know what to do…’

Lady Jang didn’t know how to fix it, so she finally lowered her hands.

At that moment, someone spoke at the entrance.

“Young lady, the Clan Head asked when you will arrive.”

Unlike the stiff and tense Lady Jang, So-hwa answered calmly.

“It will be finished within half an hour.”

“If you need more time, he said to come directly to Red Radiance Hall.”

“Alright. I’ll go directly to the Red Radiance Hall.”

“Yes, I will convey that.”

After the footsteps faded, Lady Jang whispered.

“But if everything is ready, why say you’ll be late?”

Her voice was filled with frustration. So-hwa smiled gently, as if to soothe her.

“There will be no trouble for you, so don’t worry.”

At those words, Lady Jang sighed.

“Do you think I’m doing this because I’m afraid of the Clan Head?”

“Isn’t that so?”

“… Of course, it’s true I’m afraid of him.”

Lady Jang pouted and held up a gold hair ornament. Even at a glance, it looked expensive.

“I do this because I understand the Clan Head’s feelings.”

Lady Jang approached So-hwa and fixed the loose side hair with the ornament.

“You know as well, don’t you, young lady?”

How could she not know?

Her extravagant clothes and ornaments looked as if they were for a wedding ceremony.

There was no need to make such a fuss for attending the Alliance of Noble Clans, but her father paid attention to her dressing because of her origins.

The child of a controversial union.

Although the previous Clan Head had officially recognized So-hwa as a direct descendant, some outsiders dismissed her background. In fact, no marriage proposals came before she turned twenty.

That bothered her father, who encouraged her to attend the Alliance of Noble Clans. At that time, he also dressed So-hwa in expensive clothes and accessories for the event.

He didn’t want her to simply look beautiful. He just wanted to show that he cherished her deeply.

Just as he was, it was the heart of a parent who wished for their child to be loved by others as well.

So-hwa left the pavilion with the hair ornament Lady Jang had finally placed still in her hair.

At the main gate, Han-won, who was waiting, frowned the moment he saw her.

“… Huh? Weren’t you going to get dressed up? You look even simpler than usual.”

Ignoring Han-won’s reaction, So-hwa asked,

“Did you confirm it?”

“Ah, yes. It’s the same. There is a seat for Namgung between the Peng and Zhuge clans, and their tables were almost touching. Well, the seating has been like this throughout the Alliance of Noble Clans. Why would it be different this year?”

“Did you also thoroughly check Namgung’s side of the seating?”

“Yes, Ranhee went to see, and she said there is a man with a mole on his face sitting next to a man who looks as pretty as a woman. But, how do you even know about this?”

The young lady hardly mingled with other clans or even went out to Sichuan Street. Han-won thought she only relied on the information he brought her, but she even knew about the attendees of the Alliance of Noble Clans.

Sometimes, it was scary that such a person was his master.

Han-won swallowed dryly with a serious face.

‘Could it be that she’s watching me too? Ah, I spent some of the gold coin she gave me last time on errands on drinks… Should I tell her now?’

While moving to Red Radiance Hall, Han-won kept being cautious, but So-hwa did not notice.

The unusually loud bird songs today annoyed her so much that she couldn’t think about anything else.

***

The garden of Red Radiance Hall, embracing a lake, was filled with guests and retainers.

Pleasant conversations never ceased. However, the retainers bustling between the groups were having a hard time. They were blocked by guests exchanging glances and hand signals.

One retainer standing by Namgung’s table squinted and pulled a small colored slip from their waist. But just as they did, a guest with a mole on his face suddenly raised his hand, perfectly blocking the signal.

The retainer frowned.

‘Was it the wine or the duck that ran out?’

The crowded people completely obscured the view of the table.

‘I think it was red, but maybe it was purple…’

They tried to lean sideways to check again, but were completely blocked by a Peng Clan martial artist seated nearby.

‘Ugh, this is driving me crazy…’

A sigh escaped naturally.

‘Let’s just bring the wine first.’

Since the event had only just started, it was certain that the wine would run out quickly. If guests exchanged cups and talked, the wine would be gone in no time.

‘I’ll sneak a look and bring some food too.’

Thinking this, the retainer headed to the outdoor tent where the cooks were.

While the capable retainers handled the situation well, not all were so adept.

The basics of hospitality were to keep the tables stocked before guests noticed anything was missing. So, retainers were divided into those who stayed by the guests’ tables and those who quickly delivered food from the kitchen.

It would be best if the retainers had long experience working together, but since the group was mostly made up of good-looking youngsters, some less skilled retainers were mixed in.

One retainer glanced at Namgung’s table.

‘The braised pork belly is about to run out, and only vegetables remain on the duck dish? No, more than half of the other dishes are already empty. Why isn’t the food coming?’

Just then, a retainer who had received the signal came out of the tent.

But the retainer’s hands held a wine jar instead of food.

It seemed the signal had been misunderstood.

The retainer pulled out slips of paper indicating the missing dishes—green, purple, blue—but put them back again.

It seemed more efficient to go directly and restock for sure.

Although areas had been divided for a reason, this young retainer was on their first big event and made an independent decision.

The retainer glanced around. Fortunately, the Namgung’s table was engaged in a long conversation because of the Peng Clan martial artists from the neighboring table. The food consumption would slow down while they talked.

After checking all the empty and nearly empty dishes, the retainer crossed the lake bridge to bring more.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep