“I don’t know who my parents are.”

When I shook my head, a veil of sadness slid over Madam Jin’s face.

“Blood doesn’t lie. You’re the spitting image of Ryeon. Those eyes—exactly hers. Your mother was the greatest beauty in all of Chengdu.”

So this face was my mom’s doing. Guess I won the genetic lottery.

“I didn’t even know you were alive.... If I’d known you were this close, I would’ve taken you in long ago. I would’ve looked after you myself....”

She sighed and then started fussing over me, patting and checking my arms and shoulders like she was searching for bruises or poison burns.

“Your hands are all cracked up. You shouldn’t be living like this. The Clan Head is far too cold-hearted.”

She stroked the pale, rough skin on the back of my hands, clicking her tongue in genuine pity. I just stood there, awkwardly swallowing all these words I didn’t know how to answer.

The way her attitude flipped the instant she realized she’d known my mother... yeah, the whole “connections by hometown, blood, and school” thing definitely worked in the martial world too.

And honestly, ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ that was good for me. Madam Jin ran the maids. The more she liked me, the smoother my life here would get. That was just reality.

Mom I’ve never met, thank you. Seriously.

I lowered my gaze and gave my gratitude in my head.

“Have you been eating properly? You’ve lost weight.”

“Yes.”

“Is your bedding uncomfortable? No—come on. Let’s go to your quarters. I need to see where you’re living.”

After grilling me about this and that, Madam Jin finally grabbed me and made me lead.

Problem: I didn’t know the way.

I got lost twice before I finally found the room Songji and I shared.

“...How could they put my own blood in a place like this....”

Madam Jin stared at the room like she’d been slapped. She looked shocked first, then angry. The drama was so intense I felt weirdly embarrassed.

Because the room was bigger than my old studio apartment back in Korea.

It wasn’t some palace suite, sure, but two people could live here without suffering. Still, to Madam Jin it looked like a closet.

“Moving you right away will be difficult. But wait a little. I’ll have you relocated within ten days.”

She said it like a promise carved in stone, hugged me once, and swept out.

I watched her go, chewing on what she’d said.

Who was “Choryeon,” anyway? If she’d been Chengdu’s top beauty, then my mother might’ve been someone with real standing.

The moment Madam Jin disappeared completely, Songji came creeping over from where she’d been hiding.

“Hey. What did you do to make Madam Jin come all the way here?”

“Who knows.”

I answered flatly. And honestly, I was still irritated. Songji had known about the poison laundry and acted like it was no big deal. I shot back before I could stop myself.

“Songji. Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Tell you what?”

“The poison.”

“Poison? What are you—oh, the washing? You said you were fine with it. You said poison doesn’t affect you anyway.”

“Me? I said that?”

Songji stared at me like I’d lost my mind.

“Yeah, you did. You told me no poison has ever worked on you since you were little. So washing a bit of poison off robes wasn’t a problem. I even told you those Simyang girls were harassing you and that you should report it to Madam Lee, remember? And now you’re coming out with this random nonsense. Are you seriously blaming me?”

She unloaded her annoyance in one breath and thunked me on the head. My scalp stung.

Why does this girl keep hitting people?

I looked up at her, sulking.

If Songji was right, then the original Sohae knew she had poison resistance. Maybe she really thought this level of poison was harmless.

But what if they’d thrown something like Seven-Step Soul-Breaking Powder at her—dead before seven steps? Or Bone-Melting Powder that dissolves bones on contact?

...Okay, if it was that bad, the cloth would’ve melted too, but still.

Most people with resistance would still hate touching poison. Meanwhile the original Sohae apparently preferred dunking her hands in poison to dealing with people. That was... a choice.

Watching my face twist through realization, irritation, and dread, Songji finally softened.

“So that’s why you ran to Madam Jin? Good call. It was about time those girls got it back. Come on. Let’s eat.”

She laughed and hooked her arm through mine like nothing had happened.

No poison has worked on her since childhood. That’s not a small detail.

I brushed my fingers over the wooden box tucked to my chest.

Still... better keep that antidote close. Just in case.

Hopefully I never, ever need to use it.

*****

After Madam Jin’s visit, the poison laundry stopped.

So the maids moved on to the next method.

Since you’re doing less laundry now, you’ve got free time — so you’ll be cleaning the training grounds from today.

They were literally trying to shove me into the training grounds right after practice.

I snorted.

“Nope. You do it.”

“What?”

Their faces twisted in shock — they clearly hadn’t expected me to refuse.

I didn’t blink. I just glared right back.

What. Why. What.

If you don’t like it, you go.

If those training grounds were normal, I’d have cleaned without complaint. A quick sweep over blue-green stone and done.

But shoving me into a place where yellow and blue poison dust floated in the air wasn’t “clean this,” it was “go die doing it.” I wasn’t playing along.

“Hah? Have you lost your mind? What are you relying on—”

“Enough. I’ll talk to her.”

A weasel-faced maid started screeching, but Simyang stepped in.

Simyang was basically the leader of this obnoxious pack. She had a sweet, delicate face and a talent for ruining people’s days with a smile.

And nobody dared talk back to her. Her mother was a distant Tang branch that used the Tang surname, so apparently that made Simyang untouchable.

Personally, I didn’t get it. She wasn’t even a Tang herself. But to servants who lived off Tang favor, it was like a holy badge.

Simyang patted me like I was a stubborn toddler.

“I get it. You don’t want to clean the training grounds. But Sohae, your poison resistance is stronger than ours. We can’t go in there. It’s too dangerous.”

Sweet voice. Rotten content.

She didn’t want to risk her own neck, so she wanted me to go die instead.

“What difference is there between me and you if we’ve all had the same training? And if it’s dangerous, you shouldn’t be forcing anyone to clean it.”

We all drank the same medicinal decoction and suffered through it. What was she trying to separate out now?

I don’t remember suffering, but the logic stands.

When I shot her down clearly, Simyang put on a troubled little frown.

“Then I guess there’s no choice. We’ll have to send Songji. Her poison resistance is weak, but what can we do? If it isn’t you, the only one who can go is Songji.”

That shamelessness made my blood boil.

The moment she dragged Songji into it, everything clicked.

So this was how she’d been controlling the original Sohae.

Threaten her with Songji. Every time.

Because Songji was the only person the original Sohae had.

I took a hard breath, glaring straight at Simyang.

“...Where are the training grounds?”

Fine. I’ll eat this one.

But next time you get nothing. Not even soup.

Simyang’s face lit with satisfaction.

I wanted to kick that smile right off.

*****

Half an hour later I was holding an entry pass and a broom, staring up at the gate into the inner estate and sighing like my lungs were going to fall out.

Can’t wait to see what poison is waiting for me today.

Send me home already. Please.

“Are you going in or not?”

The guard at the gate snapped, annoyance dripping from every syllable. His vibe was: stop wasting my time.

I held out the entry pass.

“Through.”

He barely looked and waved me in. I wanted to ask where the training grounds were, but his face said he’d bite me if I tried.

So I hugged the broom tighter and stepped through.

The inner estate was way bigger than it looked from outside. Wide roads, tall halls, and multiple landscaped gardens spread out like a city.

Songji had told me: direct line Tang and high-status people live in the inner estate; distant branches and lowly workers like me live in the outer estate.

Meaning everyone here was Tang blood.

I’d heard of clan settlements before. But seeing one? Different story. This enormous manor being a space exclusively for one surname... the wealth behind that was terrifying.

Everything was elegant without being flashy. Like the Tang Clan’s whole aesthetic was quiet confidence.

It takes money to make “simple” look this expensive.

I was standing there gawking like a tourist when reality punched me.

How the hell am I supposed to find the training grounds in here?

I should’ve asked the guard even if he yelled.

I turned back, but the gate was already far away. Going back now would be a full expedition.

Honestly, I’d love if someone just popped out and guided me.

Or if the training grounds themselves popped out.

Either works.

Sighing, I started wandering.

About thirty minutes later—

After weaving through corridors and paths, I stumbled into a huge pond.

Bare willow branches ringed the water. Red plum blossoms were blooming along the shore.

It was the first flower I’d seen in ages. The scent drifted through the cold air and tickled my nose. Without thinking, I walked closer.

I reached for a branch—

“Who’s there!”

“Ah!”

I jumped, scrambled back, hit loose gravel, and slipped. My body tilted... sliding closer to the pond.

Oh no. I’m falling. I’m falling!

There was no avoiding it. I squeezed my eyes shut, bracing for freezing water—

And someone grabbed me around the waist.

“So it’s you. You still haven’t memorized the paths?”