The Third Son of the Zhuge Clan is a Returned Martial God - Chapter 07

========== CHAPTER 7 ==========

========== CHAPTER 7 RUMORS ==========

“Hyun-ah?”

It was the voice of the maid, Hyun-ah.

I wondered what could be happening within the clan estate, but…

I stepped out of the door immediately.

The source of the sound was behind the [Academy], a little ways from the annex.

“Say that again! What did you say!?”

Hyun-ah’s voice was agitated.

A few maids were gathered in front of her.

“The rumor has already spread. They say that adopted Yang-gyeon is the child Madam Jin had outside.”

“The Jegal Clan has really hit rock bottom.”

“The Clan Head is something else, too. Taking in a mongrel of unknown origin as direct bloodline.”

“What did you say!? Take that back right now!”

One maid twisted her lips and clicked her tongue.

“Did you become Yang-gyeon’s ally already?”

“Are you hoping to get some scraps if the Third Young Master is confirmed as direct bloodline?”

“Why you little…!”

Hyun-ah couldn’t hold back and lunged. In an instant, hair was pulled, and a brawl ensued.

“Let go of this!?”

“You crazy b*tch!”

Perhaps due to being outnumbered, the fight quickly tilted, and Hyun-ah was thrown to the ground.

“The Young Master is such a pitiful person, how can you say things like that!”

“You still haven’t come to your senses.”

“You went under him and forgot your place.”

“Still!”

Just as Hyun-ah tried to get up.

“What is this commotion?”

“…….”

Silence descended on the scene at my sudden appearance.

I slowly approached and scanned the maids.

They were all around Hyun-ah’s age, maids working at the [Academy].

‘They say kids grow up fighting, but…’

The content of the conversation was hard to just brush off.

I slowly turned my gaze to check on Hyun-ah.

Her hair was disheveled, and her clothes were a mess.

“Are you okay?”

“Young Master, how are you here…”

“Yeah. So, I asked what’s going on.”

“That is…”

Hyun-ah hesitated for a moment and lowered her head.

“I apologize for causing a scene. We were just having a little argument among ourselves.”

Hearing that, the other maids covered their mouths and giggled. They looked convinced that this would end up being nothing.

After yesterday’s commotion, they must be calculating that no more trouble should happen around me.

Then, one maid stepped forward.

“It was just a small misunderstanding, so please don’t take it to heart and go back inside.”

Her words were polite, but her attitude was not.

It wasn’t the posture one should show to a member of the family.

‘Interesting.’

I thought only the Second Young Master was an interesting subject, but aren’t they scattered everywhere?

I turned my head and wore a faint smile on my lips.

“There was a misunderstanding?”

“Yes.”

“What was that misunderstanding?”

The maid rolled her brain for a moment and answered.

“It’s because of the rumors.”

“Rumors?”

Hyun-ah hurriedly grabbed my sleeve.

“Young Master, you don’t need to hear any more.”

“I’m just about to hear an interesting story, so wait a moment.”

“Yes…”

Hyun-ah flinched slightly at my tone, which carried an adult-like dignity.

Taking advantage of that, the maid continued.

“The rumor is that you, Young Master, were actually born outside.”

“Born outside… hmm.”

The identity of being the lost young master of the Jin Clan.

It was clearly a statement meant to deny that.

When I didn’t show a reaction, the maids became bolder.

“Otherwise, would Madam Jin protect you like that?”

“And isn’t the Clan Head remaining silent as well?”

Only then did I know for sure.

They saw me as just a ‘stray dog that rolled in.’

They were treating me like a kid who doesn’t know the ways of the world, being only four or five years younger.

“Right. That could be possible.”

“Young Master! You don’t need to hear such words anymore. If you guys don’t stop, I’m going to go tell the Vice Chief Steward!”

However, the maids’ faces were full of mockery.

“We only answered because the Young Master asked, what’s wrong with that?”

“If the Clan Head changes his mind, you might be kicked out soon.”

Now they were saying it to my face.

Hyun-ah was speechless and dropped her head.

It wasn’t easy to just let it slide at this point.

‘Prestigious families have rules even for how to breathe.’

Moreover, they had forgotten even that discipline.

I took a step forward.

“Then let me ask one thing. Is that rumor fun?”

I stared at them with eyes devoid of any emotion.

Wince.

As our gazes met, the talking stopped for a moment.

Their pupils couldn’t leave me.

‘What kind of look is that for a little kid…’

A young boy who had just entered the family.

Even though he was just a small child who hadn’t grown up yet.

My mouth opened again.

“I’m asking. Is it fun?”

“Y-Young Master, that is…”

“It’s true that I came from outside, so I’ll pass on that part. But, you know.”

I continued with a faint smile on my lips.

The expression was somewhat bizarre.

“But if I was born outside… doesn’t that mean Mother committed an impure act?”

“…….”

“That seems to be insulting Mother, not me. Isn’t it?”

Perhaps they hadn’t thought that far, the maids’ pupils trembled uncontrollably.

They realized the situation had gone wrong.

“We didn’t mean it like that…”

“We were just surprised by the rumors.”

“No. You said it with too much conviction to call it a rumor. Tell me again.”

“…….”

The tightly shut lips didn’t open.

I raised my eyes slightly and answered instead.

“To this Yang-gyeon.”

Transparent eyes that couldn’t be read.

‘Sc-scary…’

The maids, facing the darkness within, lost strength in their legs and trembled.

Thud.

The three of them hit the ground with their knees at the same time.

“We are sorry, Young Master…”

“Please forgive our ignorance.”

“We were just swayed by rumors floating around.”

The maids bowed their heads repeatedly.

I thought about taking them away and giving them a good scolding, but as I looked down at them, a different thought suddenly occurred to me.

“Hmm, even so, it’s hard to just let it slide that you insulted the person who took me in. It’s not that there’s no way.”

“Please tell us the way.”

“Just say anything. We will do our best…”

“Right. That way you’ll feel at ease too. Then I had a good idea, will you listen?”

Puzzled faces looked up.

And not long after, a new rumor began to circulate within the Jegal Clan.

It was that the Third Young Master was not Madam Jin’s, but

‘the Clan Head’s illegitimate child.’

Rumors are bound to be exaggerated.

If a few pieces of evidence are added to that, it’s like fanning a burning bundle of straw.

The Third Young Master is an illegitimate child with the Clan Head’s blood.

This meant that I was the ‘direct bloodline’ of the Jegal Clan.

The rumor spread in an instant, and all eyes within the clan naturally turned to the Clan Head.

It was as if the landscape had been turned around with one very simple line.

“Hyang-ah, did you hear that? The Third Young Master is actually the Clan Head’s illegitimate child.”

“Of course! No wonder he was too perfect.”

“That’s right. There was a reason he left the house for ten months every year.”

“Exactly! I guess having two wives wasn’t enough.”

“Shh, someone is coming.”

Upon discovering me walking through the [Inner Hall] for a stroll, the maids’ mouths closed in unison.

The whispering that had been flowing until just a moment ago stopped as if it were a lie.

However, it was difficult to deceive my hearing, which had lived in a cave with nothing for a long time.

I had clearly heard even the low-lying breathing and the words they hadn’t managed to swallow.

‘Those guys spread the rumor properly.’

The Clan Head’s affair.

The subject was so unconventional that it was understandable.

Who could the other party be?

Was it also a lie that I was from the Jin Clan?

All sorts of speculations began to run wild.

“Hello, Young Master.”

“Yes.”

I gave a light bow to the maids passing by while bowing their heads.

It wasn’t the same gaze as just a few days ago, calling me an adopted child or a kid they brought in.

The attitude was cautious, and there was a strange mix of wariness and expectation at the end of their words.

What was important in this family wasn’t origin, but whether blood was connected.

Just the possibility that I could become the successor of the clan had changed people’s eyes.

Hyun-ah, who was walking a little behind, opened her mouth cautiously.

“Um, Young Master.”

“Yes?”

“Is it okay to do this?”

Hyun-ah lowered her voice as much as possible.

“The rumor, I mean. You’ve deliberately turned the eyes that were focused on Madam Jin and you toward the Clan Head.”

“Hmm. That’s right.”

When I answered calmly, Hyun-ah’s face stiffened further.

“If the Clan Head finds out that this rumor came from your mouth…”

She trailed off and looked like she was about to cry.

She really looked worried.

“What, are you afraid I’ll get kicked out?”

“It’s not that. But you will definitely get scolded.”

I slightly shook my head.

“That won’t happen.”

“Yes? But it’s a rumor that damages the Clan Head’s dignity.”

“That’s why.”

I slowed my pace for a moment and looked back at Hyun-ah.

“This rumor won’t last long. It will go out soon like a burnt-out straw.”

Hyun-ah tilted her head as if she didn’t understand.

Everything up to this point was within the expected range.

‘Because it’s a fire that must be extinguished quickly.’

In the first place, this rumor was thrown by someone to shake me and Madam Jin.

They must have wanted to gain something as a result.

But the calculation was off.

The awl lost its way and became a dagger, pointing toward Jegal Sang.

If left alone like this, the clan would start looking for the source themselves, and in the process, the person who really plotted the scheme would be revealed.

It’s like a backdraft.

I said as I walked forward again.

“Don’t worry. The fire is meant to be extinguished by the one who started it.”

I walked quietly with my hands behind my back.

That small back somehow felt as big as an adult’s back.

A few days later.

Just when the inside of the clan was still buzzing with rumors.

A week after entering the clan, a new guest visited the annex.

“Thank you.”

“Yes. Please call me again if you need anything.”

Hyun-ah carefully put down the tea table and went out, and I felt the soft gaze of the woman sitting in front of me.

“Have you tried the tea?”

Madam Jin’s gentle voice lingered in my ears.

“Yes. Sometimes the elders of the sect would serve it.”

“I see. Please make yourself comfortable.”

“Yes.”

I slowly picked up the teacup and savored the scent of the tea. After taking a sip slowly without being impatient, I put the cup down. Madam Jin’s eyes watching that were faint.

“You know the etiquette well. Did you learn that at ‘that place’ too?”

She must mean the Sajeokmun I belonged to before.

The reason she didn’t bother to mention the name was probably not because it was a dark sect, but because she didn’t want to mention a sect that was now just ashes.

Perhaps that is her consideration for me.

‘I’ve been receiving consideration several times since I came here.’

“Have some fruit slices too.”

“Yes.”

Following her words, I picked up one of the thinly sliced and dried fruits on the tray. As I brought it to my mouth and took a bite, the sweet honey taste wrapped around my tongue.

Startled, I opened my eyes wide, and Madam Jin smiled as if it were an expected reaction.

“It seems to suit your taste.”

“It’s very delicious. The sweetness is full inside the properly dried fruit slices.”

“Ho ho ho. Is that so? I made it myself to give to you.”

“Your skills are excellent.”

Madam Jin, who was laughing while covering her mouth, wiped her mouth.

“Unlike children of that age, your expression is mature.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“Yes. It is a compliment.”

However, the look in her eyes as she said that was overly faint. There were traces of having experienced many things not like a child, and she seemed to feel sorry for that.

‘He’s only ten years old now, can it really be that this child is only two years apart from Seol-ah?’

It was too different.

Even though Seol-ah grew up receiving the affection of the people in the family, could they be this different?

Madam Jin’s mouth, who was watching me enjoy the tea table, opened.

“I heard there was an incident with the second son a few days ago.”

Thinking that what was to come had come, I nodded.