Book V: The Tiger Grandmother
"How on earth have you been managing those around you?"
Soye almost jumped out of her skin at the thundering roar.
Whoops… careful, careful.
She tightened her grip on the candied fruit Yiseo had just given her.
"Child, step outside."
Child?
Soye froze, her eyes wide at an address she had never heard in her entire life.
"So you won't leave empty-handed, will you…? You are just like your father."
Clicking her tongue, the Poison King muttered something to the attendant beside her. Then, she slipped sweet treats into Soye's hand.
"Go play far away until you've eaten it all."
She is scolding me, right? Right?
Dazed, Soye walked outside.
Her tiny legs could only take short steps, while back at the pavilion, Yiseo's patience was rapidly running out.
Before she could even get far, a booming shout echoed over the wall.
"If you weren't the nanny my granddaughter barely managed to open up to—"
Heh, love to see it.
The rest of the conversation was obvious without even listening further, so Soye scurried away.
She hadn't even eaten the treats yet, but her mouth already tasted sweet.
But even the Poison King won't get rid of the nanny.
It was admittedly hard to casually replace a young child's primary caregiver.
Still, she hadn't expected them to overlook the fact that poison leaked from the Tang Clan had been used in an assassination.
Soye scratched her chin.
Am I… more important than I thought?
She organized the newly acquired information in her head.
When she first opened her eyes in the Tang Clan village, she thought she was just an abandoned poison spoon, but…
Am I actually a precious poison spoon?
That didn't mean Yiseo instantly felt like her real grandmother.
Even so, her hands—sticky with sugar from the treats—didn't feel nearly as bad as she expected.
Wandering around the village while timing her return, Soye spotted a boy riding a swing.
"Oh, it's Socheong."
"So—Lady Soye!"
Socheong brightened up.
Soon, the young boy's gaze shifted to Soye's hand.
"Sweets…"
He couldn't take his eyes off them, as if completely spellbound by the glossy treat.
Soye intentionally moved her hand to the left, then to the right.
His innocent face, following whichever way she waved, was too cute.
"Where is your sister?"
The mention of their resident prickly hedgehog instantly cast a shadow over Socheong's face.
"Sister… is busy."
Soye had a good idea of what was occupying the girl's time, so she didn't press further.
The village had been turned upside down by this recent incident.
The Poison King had declared that she would take Socheong and Soso back to the main family as well.
Her reasoning was that she couldn't leave the children in the chaotic village while the investigation was underway.
Or maybe she bundled us up to guarantee that no suspicion falls on her granddaughter.
She still wasn't sure if the Poison King was a sweet grandmother or closer to a matriarch leading a clan.
The Poison Demon, Tang Yirak, had rattled on non-stop about how kind his older sister was.
But naturally, one had to take those kinds of words with a grain of salt.
Soye stared intently at Socheong.
"Want me to push the swing?"
It wasn't because she particularly pitied the boy.
She was simply trying to blend in with the other children and look entirely harmless.
The Poison King herself just showed up, after all. It's better to play innocent.
How furiously would Yiseo rage if she found out a thief was sitting inside her granddaughter's body?
Socheong nodded readily.
Soye realized a moment too late that kids had infinite energy.
Do I… have zero learning capacity? I could've sworn I was gasping for air just like this the last time I played ball with Socheong.
"More, more!"
While his bursting giggles were pleasant and rewarding, her arms were practically begging for mercy.
"Aigo. This won't do."
In the end, Soye took drastic measures.
She split the candied fruit in half and stuffed it into the boy's mouth.
Sitting side by side in the shade beneath the swing, she saw Socheong's flushed cheeks.
It was blindingly obvious how incredibly excited he was.
The 'fake child' Soye carefully observed Socheong.
How should I act to look that innocent? Do I also ask someone to push the swing without even caring if they're exhausted?
Right when she let out a small groan, Soye noticed someone was watching them from a short distance away.
It's the Poison King.
Yiseo watched Socheong eating with sweets smeared all over his face, while Soye sat right beside him, slowly munching her candied fruit.
The moment their eyes met, she took long strides, closing the distance.
Hiiik.
Was it because of her overwhelming presence? Even though she wasn't being hunted, Soye instinctively grew tense.
It was also because, unlike the nanny, this was a person she hadn't properly figured out yet.
Besides, I might not even be the Poison King's real granddaughter.
"To think you are sharing that tiny thing."
She clicked her tongue, her voice thick with disapproval.
"No wonder the child looks like a twig that would snap with a light tap."
"Well… if she eats snacks too often, she won't eat her meals."
Unexpectedly, the nanny made a valid point.
"When I raised my children, they ate three full meals and had snacks three times a day without leaving a single crumb."
"Well… that's because they were growing into such strong, healthy children."
The nanny bit her tongue before she could dig herself into a deeper hole.
An attendant standing beside the Poison King stepped forward.
"Shall I order them to bring more sweets?"
"Yes. And while you're at it, find out exactly what and how much that child has been eating."
"Understood."
A crisp response came back.
The Poison King, Tang Yiseo, narrowed her brow slightly.
She seemed unsatisfied with something.
"Tsk."
With a click of her tongue, she spun around and commanded another attendant.
"Go and check the carriage."
"Didn't you say you would have her ride a horse?" an attendant asked hesitantly.
"Just look at her!" came the reply, bordering on a shout. "She's all skin and bones. If she rides a horse, she'll choke on dust and fall sick."
She is… worrying about me… right?
"Hic."
Soye covered her mouth without realizing it.
"Oh dear. My lady."
The nanny rushed over.
Although the Poison King frowned, she did not stop Gong-hui.
Gong-hui scooped Soye up and patted her back.
Her touch was surprisingly gentle.
"Were you startled? It's alright, it's alright. Your nanny is here."
"Na—"
"You don't have to speak. It's alright, it's alright."
Soye marveled at the nanny, who was eerily sharp at seizing any opening to save her own skin.
Perhaps it was because her survival instincts were cranked to the absolute maximum.
"You're coddling the child like she's a fragile egg."
The Poison King's brow furrowed.
Gong-hui pulled Soye close, gesturing wildly with her free hand as she scrambled to explain.
"W-well, the young lady might have a fit if left like this…"
Soye grumbled inwardly, wishing she could call her out on the lie.
"No matter how young a child is, they shouldn't be that weak."
Yiseo's voice was cold.
She had raised two children with her own hands.
Gong-hui silently mouthed the words.
[But my lady's situation… is special, is it not?]
The nanny wasn't a martial artist, so she couldn't send a soundless transmission. However, Yiseo understood the meaning just by reading her lips.
The Poison King clicked her tongue.
This was a child whose family of three had lived happily together, only for her father to suddenly push her away overnight, refusing to see her.
On top of that, her mother had gone missing shortly after.
To make matters worse, hadn't she been virtually banished from the main estate to live isolated in the Tang Clan village?
She had heard that, because of all this, the child grew obsessively attached to the nanny, her only source of affection.
The branch head had even mentioned that without the nanny, the child refused to eat or sleep.
Yiseo bit her lip firmly.
Because the Poison King had naively believed she could persuade her son, she was now paying the price for having neglected her granddaughter for so long.
No matter how complicated the adults' circumstances were, the way a child perceived it was an entirely different story.
Perhaps taking poison and losing her memory was also due to that.
With her body weakened, her mind had simply carved out the most painful part.
"Feed her dinner, give her medicine, and make sure she sleeps well. We will be returning to the main estate soon, so she needs to save her energy."
"Yes."
A brief flash of relief brightened Gong-hui's face.
Soye silently watched the Poison King and her subordinates withdraw.
The oppressive atmosphere lifted the second the 'villains' made their exit.
The second they were alone, Gong-hui pulled Soye close and began venting her frustrations.
It was a warm embrace.
Warm enough to almost make her want to be fooled again.
"My lady… you cannot abandon me. This nanny only has Lady Soye."
The nanny sniffled.
"You wouldn't believe how badly the matriarch scolded me for being uneducated—no, no. I'm sorry, my lady. I shouldn't be saying things like this."
Soye watched in wonder as the nanny pretended to wipe away nonexistent tears.
Gong-hui was subtly poisoning a child's heart against Yiseo, all to protect her own standing.
If the person you depend on most comes back weeping after getting scolded by a terrifying authority figure… naturally, you'd grow to hate that figure.
If Soye had been an ordinary child, she would have fallen for it completely.
Come to think of it… even though the Poison King raised her voice, didn't she specifically send me away before scolding Gong-hui?
Her grandmother had simply been saving the nanny's dignity in front of her charge.
Soye's mind worked quickly, quietly running the numbers.
Interesting. I have a lot more leverage than I thought.
* * *
A few days later, the morning to finally return to the main family dawned.
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