Last night, Gong-hui seemed lost in deep thought.
Tracing the wooden frame, she was clearly torn between two choices: throwing the window open to leave Soye bedridden from the cold, or giving in and following her back to the main estate.
Not on my watch.
Soye begged her nanny to sleep with her.
Predictably, Gong-hui didn't refuse. After all, she needed to leverage the child's affection to her advantage.
Staying behind in the village would only make her a target of investigation.
Soye had simply made it easier for Gong-hui to return to the main estate.
Thanks to that, Soye was able to return to the Sichuan Tang Clan safely without catching a cold or a fever.
"I want to ride a horse."
Gong-hui froze mid-step into the carriage, clearly troubled by Soye's sudden request.
"My lady, you are too small to ride a horse."
"I want to ride a horse."
She demanded again.
"Oh dear, if you ride a horse, dust will get into your eyes and mouth and hurt you. Besides, it is very scary up there."
Gong-hui tried to coax Soye with a sweet, gentle tone.
"Horsie!"
The nanny reached for her, her eyes narrowing with practiced warmth.
Realizing she couldn't convince the child, the nanny prepared to force her into the carriage.
But Soye possessed an invincible secret weapon.
"What is all this commotion?"
Yiseo, who had been quietly watching them, stepped in.
"It is nothing, ma'am. The young lady is just being stubborn."
A normal child might have shut their mouth at the accusation of being stubborn.
However, the person inside Soye's body was a veteran rookie.
"I-I… want to ride horsie…."
Soye stammered, feigning reluctance while carefully watching their faces.
"Oh?"
"Let us get into the carriage first, and I will do my best to persuade the young lady."
Gong-hui spoke politely.
Her expression showed she assumed Yiseo would also object to a young child riding a horse.
"The little one has quite a bit of spirit."
The Poison King held out her hand to her aide.
At once, the aide removed the metal rings and bracelets Yiseo was wearing.
Once the flashy jewelry was gone, her hands revealed skin far firmer than expected for an old woman—yet marred by countless scars.
She leaned down from atop her horse.
"Come here."
Gong-hui pursed her lips in disapproval.
"The young lady is frail…"
"Let her try once. She'll give up on her own once she realizes it's too much for her. Denying her outright helps no one."
Yiseo spoke curtly before snatching Soye away from the nanny's arms.
The Poison King only ever did things her way—a clear glimpse of the headstrong autocrat who ruled the Tang Clan.
Yiseo placed her granddaughter in front of her.
"Yay!"
Soye spread her arms wide and cheered.
In truth, she found it incredibly suffocating to be trapped in the carriage with only her nanny.
On top of that, Yiseo's horse was exceptionally large. From up here, she had an unobstructed view of her surroundings—like Gong-hui bowing her head to swallow her anger, or Soso and Socheong climbing into the carriage further back.
I think I just made eye contact with Soso.
Soye gave a little wave.
Soso's eyes widened for a second, but she sharply turned away and disappeared completely into the carriage.
Though Yiseo seemed like the type to snap about a child sitting in front of her being a nuisance, she didn't say a word as Soye looked around.
After all, the Poison King had personally extended the invitation to ride with her.
Soye quietly placed her hand over Yiseo's, which was holding the reins.
The small hand resting on the large one felt unfamiliar.
I used to handle horses this size with ease, too.
Horsemanship was essential for making quick escapes.
"Why did you take off all your rings and bracelets?"
Even Soye was caught off guard when the question slipped past her lips.
"Hmm."
Yiseo furrowed her brow as if she hadn't heard.
But Soye realized she was just pondering how to answer.
"I tend not to wear them when handling a baby. Hair could get caught. Skin could get scratched."
Yiseo squished Soye's cheek under the guise of explaining.
There wasn't much fat elsewhere, but this part was quite chubby and soft, making it fun to squeeze.
"Ooooh."
At the whimpering sound, the Poison King loosened her grip, even though she hadn't applied much pressure.
Sure enough, Soye was just faking it—the faint red mark on her cheek faded back to fair almost instantly.
This part resembles Woohyun.
Yiseo suddenly thought of her son.
When he was young, he was such a troublemaker that she could pinch his cheeks to her heart's content.
But once he grew up, that became a distant memory.
I gave birth to him, but I really can't tell what he's thinking.
Shaking off her bitter thoughts, she asked her granddaughter,
"Did you like what I was wearing?"
"I LIKE… them."
Soye barely managed to catch the slip of honest truth that had escaped her, instantly playing it off with pure, starry-eyed innocence.
"So sparkly."
Because she was a thief at heart, she couldn't help but be a bit materialistic.
Yiseo let out a short chuckle, finding nothing unusual.
"What a peculiar child."
Soye's eyes widened.
Wasn't the Poison King herself the one who wore them all draped over her?
"They might look pretty, but they're nothing but a nuisance."
"Then why do you wear them?"
When Soye asked in an intentionally clear, bright voice, Yiseo pondered for a moment before answering.
"There's no better prop than shiny trinkets when you need to act like a toothless old tiger."
It was more of a monologue than a statement directed at Soye; Yiseo hardly expected a child to understand.
"They think heavy bracelets will jingle loudly when I hurl a dagger, or that rings will get in my way when I deploy hidden weapons. And they assume if I'm wearing silver, I can't use poison."
A subtle, mocking smirk played across the Poison King's face as she spoke.
If any of those things were actually limitations, who in the martial world would look up to Tang Yiseo and call her the Poison King?
"Fooled by appearances, whoever sits across from me drops their guard. Makes it far easier for this old granny to cause a little mischief, wouldn't you say?"
Oh.
Soye was slightly impressed by those words.
So, the flashy trinkets were actually meant to lower the enemy's guard.
"If you are a child of the Tang Clan, remember this."
Yiseo whispered, flicking the tip of Soye's nose with her free hand.
"Our Sichuan Tang Clan exerts its greatest power when the opponent lets down their guard."
"The Tang Clan isn't cowardly. We just know exactly when we are at our strongest."
Soye heard someone else's voice overlapping with Yiseo's words.
For siblings who are supposedly on bad terms, they're cut from the exact same cloth.
She scratched her chin.
As a thief by nature, Soye also agreed with that statement.
The moment a target lowered their guard was indeed the best time to steal.
It seemed her disposition aligned with this family better than she had thought.
...Hm. To think I'd actually find myself warming up to them.
The sting of betrayal from Gong-hui was still fresh.
But knowing Yiseo was Tang Yirak's sister, it was hard to stay entirely on guard against the Poison King.
The Poison Demon had been one of the rare, precious connections Soye had as the Divine Moonshadow Thief.
Her small hand gently traced the scars on the old woman's wrist that had been hidden beneath her bracelets.
If the Poison Demon saw this, he would have been heartbroken.
"Why? Is it hideous?"
Some looked like slithering snakes, while others were the jagged remnants of mangled, stitched-up flesh.
"It looks like it hurts."
Soye answered honestly.
"This granny has even bigger ones on her back and neck."
If scars of that size were left in places like that, they must have been from life-threatening attacks.
She didn't know whether to call her hardened or detached.
"Doesn't it hurt?"
"If I had died on the spot, I wouldn't be feeling any pain, wouldn't I?"
It felt a bit odd for a conversation between a granddaughter and grandmother.
Hmm. Is it my fault after all?
Soye worried she might blow her cover at this rate.
The Poison Demon said his sister is terrifying when she gets mad.
The child shuddered at the thought.
"Why? Are you startled?"
Yiseo stopped her horse instantly.
As the Poison King brought her mount to a halt, the entire convoy behind them immediately stopped.
Witnessing all of this, Soye had…
…a very strange feeling.
"No. No, ma'am…"
Soye shook her head.
"Look at this little pipsqueak, teasing an old woman."
Clicking her tongue, Yiseo raised her hand.
The group began moving again.
"So small, yet wrapping me around her finger… Just like her father."
At the murmur, Soye looked up at Yiseo.
Her gaze was fixed straight ahead once more.
Just like her father—it was an unfamiliar phrase.
"Halt."
At that single word, the group froze.
The clatter of horse hooves and rolling wheels ceased all at once.
Though forced to bring their mounts to a jarring stop again, no one uttered a single word of complaint.
Every eye was fixed squarely on their matriarch.
Total silence settled over the road, leaving only the wind blowing in from the distance.
Soye quietly peered through the trees over her grandmother's shoulder.
Something flashed, reflecting the sunlight.
Weapons.
In a split second, Soye figured out what was happening.
The old veteran grandmaster's eyes flashed with a razor-sharp glint.
"Enemies."
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