It was when she was a child.

To be honest, it was a time she didn’t want to remember.

Her older brother collapsed before her.

A face wrecked to misery, crying as he looked at her.

The gazes she felt from all sides.

Even the blood on her hands.

The day she ran from the feelings she’d had then.

That day she slipped into the forest through the rain.

Fortunately, a downpour from the sky hid her tears.

Shivering in her soaked clothes, too fevered by her emotions to even feel the cold—

All at once there was a shadow that sheltered her.

‘There you are.’

‘...!’

Tang Yeran started to move at the voice, but at the face she saw, she had to stop.

The old man who’d found her was smiling.

‘Yeran.’

‘Grandfather...’

‘You’re very cold, aren’t you? Come with your grandpa.’

‘But...’

‘Don’t worry. We won’t go where those bastards are.’

Then where would they go? As the young Tang Yeran stared at him, puzzled, the old man reached out his hand and spoke.

‘It’s a secret place only your grandpa knows. I’ll tell only you, Yeran—so you must keep it a secret, all right?’

A secret place. At those words, Tang Yeran carefully took the old man’s hand.

Creak—!

A door opened.

Through the opening, Tang Yeran walked in.

“...Ugh, the dust.”

How could it be this dusty.

Maybe because it hadn’t been visited for a while; she thought she should tidy it later.

“Hm.”

Tang Yeran walked slowly along the corridor.

A space she was now used to.

She hadn’t come recently. But over the past years she’d come here so very often.

‘Come here whenever you’re sad.’

As if following the words he’d left behind,

Tang Yeran came to this place whenever she was upset.

This time was the same.

A place no one—no one at all—could find.

So she had come here very, very often.

Creak.

Down the stairs for quite a while.

After a bit, she reached her destination.

A small door appeared before her.

Tang Yeran naturally took the door and opened it.

She went in through the fully opened door, and soon the space revealed itself.

A place with little light.

Being underground, there was nothing like a window to be seen.

It was simply dark, but Tang Yeran didn’t mind.

She had come here countless times already. Whether there was light or not was meaningless.

She naturally walked through the dark and sat somewhere.

She couldn’t see an inch ahead, but to Tang Yeran it was only familiar.

So, naturally, she sat somewhere and gently swung her legs, floating in the air.

And then—

“You know, Grandfather.”

She spoke as if someone might be listening.

It was Tang Yeran’s long habit.

“I failed again today.”

A monologue toward someone who might perhaps be listening.

“What was the problem? I don’t really know.”

Tang Yeran calmly kept spilling into the air what she had gone through.

“This and that... I try it all. But it’s not easy at all. I want to give up, but then you’d be disappointed, right?”

Tang Yeran smiled awkwardly. Her laughing voice lightly echoed in the space.

“Then I should work harder... but I’m not sure I can do well... To be honest, I even think maybe I should just marry like the family says.”

She knew that would rather help her clan.

Long ago, that day—

From then on, Tang Yeran’s role in the household had been set.

“...Ah.”

Thinking of that, something came to Tang Yeran’s mind and she spoke.

“Speaking of marriage—this time I confessed.”

She remembered that she had even proposed to someone her own age, a young man who seemed perhaps younger than her.

“He’s really handsome. Honestly, I was shocked.”

She had never seen someone that handsome.

His eyes looked a bit sleepy, with an expression that said he didn’t want to get involved—

Even accounting for all that, his looks were outstanding.

Half the reason she’d proposed was because she’d been tempted by his face.

Besides—

“I was thinking of startling Father a little.”

He had turned his gaze from her.

And he didn’t much like the things she wanted to do.

What reaction would he show if that young man and she were connected?

She was curious about that.

Not to mention, he was said to be the child of her mother’s first love.

If it had worked, it would have been fun.

Yes—just fun.

That was all Tang Yeran had expected from the young man.

At least, that’s how it certainly had been then.

“...I think it got a little tangled.”

Tang Yeran scratched her cheek with a troubled smile.

“It’s really become troublesome.”

It shouldn’t be like this.

It was starting to gnaw at her.

“...It’s really ridiculous, isn’t it?”

Even to her, it was absurd.

Had it been days?

Even if his face was her type, this wasn’t it.

They hadn’t exchanged many words, and there was no communion of feeling.

Yet it was on her mind.

“This will be a problem. Why, really?”

Because it felt like he recognized her value?

Or because, contrary to his looks, he seemed a straighter person than expected?

If not that—

‘There’s something that keeps making me curious... ah, heavens.’

Breaking off mid-thought, Tang Yeran ran a hand over her face.

What was this. Whatever she thought of turned into a reason.

She shook her head hard, feeling like it had really become troublesome.

“No... No.”

If she tried to tack on reasons, it seemed sufficient, but in the end none of that was it.

The thing that truly mattered—

“He resembles Grandfather.”

That she was seeing someone else in that person.

Someone Tang Yeran herself longed for so much.

He reminded her of him.

It was ridiculous.

‘He doesn’t resemble him at all.’

His looks were the opposite.

It would be right to say he was shaped the exact reverse.

But something resembled him.

Perhaps what she called resemblance wasn’t looks, but—

‘A feeling.’

The feeling he carried.

The sense that he saw only her.

And—

‘...That he appears when I need him.’

When she was really exhausted and worn down.

That he appeared when she felt like stopping now.

They’d only seen each other a handful of times at best, and yet it felt that way.

Only—

“I’ll just think it’s all due to coincidence.”

Everything was coincidence.

It was only that she had been tired lately and was seeing more deeply.

She decided to think that way.

“Hoo.”

After she’d said all she had to say, Tang Yeran rose from where she sat.

That was enough lament. She had poured out the words she’d been holding back; now it was enough.

Maybe because she’d vented her feelings?

She felt refreshed—and it made her laugh.

Because the stray monologues she’d spoken kept coming to mind.

‘Resemble, my foot.’

Even though she’d said it herself, it was absurd.

That the young man of the Bang Family resembled her grandfather.

“I must have been awfully strange.”

What had she said—

That the problem was he showed up whenever she needed him?

‘That’s just coincidence in the end.’

Truly coincidence.

“Even so, I can’t keep my focus here.”

Knowing that digging into such feelings would bring a bad situation, Tang Yeran immediately shook her head.

Right—coincidence.

But—

‘If it’s not coincidence.’

If that person really was someone who appeared in hard moments, like her grandfather.

‘Would he show up now, too?’

Would he appear even now, when she felt utterly worn out?

Thinking of that, Tang Yeran quietly stood and looked around.

Then she let out a brief laugh.

“No way.”

In this completely sealed space—how could anyone appear—

Clink.

Thud—!

“...Hm?”

At the sudden sounds, Tang Yeran snapped taut with tension.

Clack. Rrrrrumble.

The wall in front of her opened, and—

“...Huh?”

“...Ah?”

Bang Sungyeon appeared.

At that, another sound reached Tang Yeran.

Clunk.

The sound of something large falling.

That was probably—

The sound of Tang Yeran’s heart pounding madly.

****

Eyes met out of nowhere. I was still wearing a blank, dumb look at the unexpected person’s sudden appearance when—

“Young Master Bang...?”

At the sweet voice in my ear, I barely came back to myself.

“...Lady... Tang?”

The young woman was definitely Tang Yeran.

Unless I was seeing a hallucination, it had to be her.

‘This is reality, not a hallucination?’

If it wasn’t reality, that was an even bigger problem.

What the hell was she doing here?

This was a space where we should never be able to run into anyone...?

I stared at Tang Yeran, unable to grasp it.

“...How are you here, Young Master Bang...?”

It looked like she was no less flustered—she stared at me with wide eyes.

I forced myself together and spoke to her.

“...That’s what I want to ask—how are you here, Lady Tang?”

“Pardon...? What do you mean, how am I here. That’s... ”

Tang Yeran stopped mid-sentence.

From that look, it seemed she knew a certain amount about this space.

Let alone—

‘...Why is that old man here too?’

I could see the Poison Sovereign behind Tang Yeran. I’d wondered where he’d gone—so he was here.

But—

‘...Why is he glaring at me like that?’

The Poison Sovereign’s eyes were no joke.

They were always scary eyes, but now I could see he was glaring like he meant to kill me.

‘What the...?’

Why was he like that?

I wondered if he was just looking and I was mistaken, but—

‘...No. It’s real.’

No matter how I saw it, it was a glare.

Had I done something wrong? I didn’t think so.

I racked my brain and still couldn’t tell.

Ignoring that gaze for the moment, I looked at Tang Yeran—

“Lady.”

“...Oh my—!”

A voice right beside me made me yelp before I knew it.

It was the Poison King.

Before I knew it, he had appeared at my side and spoke to Tang Yeran.

“What is the meaning of this?”

“...Clan Head...? How are you here...!”

Facing the Poison King, Tang Yeran started to speak and then hurriedly offered courtesy.

“I greet the Clan Head...”

“Answer what I asked. How is it that you are here.”

“...”

“Lady.”

When Tang Yeran couldn’t answer, the Poison King asked again.

In the second question I could feel thick inner energy.

Inner energy so dense and dark that my knees prickled on their own.

At the Poison King’s words, Tang Yeran worked her mouth and, as if confessing, spoke to him.

“This place... is somewhere my grandfather told me about.”

“What?”

At Tang Yeran’s words, the Poison King’s eyes narrowed.

“...He told you of this place?”

“...Yes.”

“Then why have you not reported it until now.”

[You little—!]

At the Poison King’s words, the Poison Sovereign, who had been glaring at me, turned his gaze on him.

[Why would you tell that brat about my room! You ill-bred lout...]

“...”

Unhappy with the Poison King’s attitude, the Poison Sovereign spoke savagely, but—

“...I’m sorry. When I was worn down, I wanted to use it as a place of rest, so I kept my lips shut...”

Tang Yeran, without the least excuse, explained her reason to the Poison King.

‘...A place of rest?’

What had been the Poison Sovereign’s time of death again—

It had been at least five years. Then she’d been coming here even before that?

How had that been possible.

‘...Well. I don’t even need to think about it.’

I knew there wasn’t only one secret passage.

There was a way in even to the guest quarters.

It wouldn’t be strange if there were another way.

“That...”

The Poison King listened to Tang Yeran and started to say something—

But he didn’t finish.

“...We will speak of this matter later, in full. For now, stand aside—we have work to ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) do.”

“Clan Head...!”

Tang Yeran tried to say something, but the Poison King passed her and went into the room.

With trembling eyes, Tang Yeran watched him.

“Mm.”

At the sudden situation, I worked my throat.

Who could have known Tang Yeran would appear here.

At least in the archive, I hadn’t expected to meet her.

‘...Who would have thought the Poison Sovereign had told Tang Yeran about the archive.’

Even so, for us to meet like this?

It all felt bizarre.

With that feeling, I glanced at Tang Yeran.

“...!”

At my gaze, Tang Yeran flinched.

What was with her now?

She was hanging her head low and avoiding my eyes.

What was this?

“Lady Tang.”

“Y-yes?”

When I called to her, her reaction got even stranger.

“...What are you looking at?”

Even when I called her, Tang Yeran was looking at the floor.

And I could see her ears had gone a bit red.

“Why...? Did I do something wrong?”

“...No...? I mean... you didn’t do anything.”

“Then why...?”

“I’m just a little startled. I didn’t expect to... to see you here.”

“Ah, well, that’s true...”

But was there any need to react like that?

Ah—maybe—

‘Is it because she just got scolded?’

If the talk from the Poison King was what stuck, that could be it.

Then would it be right to look away for a moment?

Accepting that, I turned my head. I was about to ask Yoo Cheongil with my eyes what to do next—

‘Hm?’

Something entered my eyes as I looked back.

Over there, in the distance—

The people the Poison King had brought.

The ones called the mechanism engineer and the formation master were meeting each other’s eyes and doing something.

Their eyes, and their hand signs. Even the occasional shape of their lips.

“...”

I couldn’t make it all out, but I was sure.

‘What’s that stink?’

It stank.

There was a fishy stink wafting off them.

Sensing something off and trying to focus more closely—

[Turn your head. You’re made.]

“...”

At Yoo Cheongil’s voice, I immediately looked elsewhere.

The moment I turned my head, I could feel them looking ghostlike straight at me.

[Don’t look anymore. You might draw suspicion.]

“...”

I didn’t answer; I just swallowed a bit of dry spit.

Hearing the old man, I was certain.

‘This is probably...’

Something was up.