Startled, Gong-hui looked down at the innocent-faced child.
I must have heard wrong.
"Of course. Naturally, our young lady will grow up to be the greatest beauty in Sichuan."
If you're going to flatter me, you might as well aim higher and call me the greatest beauty under heaven.
Regardless of her actual thoughts, Soye beamed innocently.
"Hehe."
Her nanny gently pinched her smiling cheek.
"I will be back in a moment."
"Where are you going?"
Soye asked, her eyes wide with curiosity.
"There's still so much left to do for our young lady."
Indeed, Gong-hui was quite busy.
She had to sweep and scrub this massive pavilion entirely on her own while nursing a young patient.
"You don't have to do dat. Just stay with me."
Soye pouted as she spoke, making her nanny smile warmly.
Gong-hui leaned forward and gave Soye a tight hug.
"My young lady."
It was a warm, affectionate embrace.
Warm enough to make Soye almost want to play along, despite remembering every single detail of last night.
"A maid will bring your medicine soon."
"Okie."
"If you take your medicine well, I'll bring some sweet treats on my way back, so you mustn't leave any behind."
"Yay!"
At the mention of sweets, Soye's voice filled with energy.
Gong-hui smiled, her eyes curving into gentle crescents.
Children are so easy to handle.
Especially for an isolated child like Soye, who had nowhere else to turn.
With just a few compliments, she only had eyes for her nanny—her sole guardian.
Gong-hui, who had never owned a single thing in her life, found Soye's blind devotion adorable.
"I'll be back."
With a gentle farewell, the nanny left the room.
Soye sat up in bed and muttered to herself.
"Adults are so easy to handle."
All it takes is a slight lisp and acting as if I'd do anything for sweets. Is there any better way to lower an adult's guard than playing the part of a well-behaved child?
Soon after, a female voice called out from outside.
"Young lady."
It was likely the maid bringing the medicine the nanny had mentioned.
"I'm coming in."
Without even waiting for permission, the maid swung the door wide open.
Her face was familiar, though her eyes were heavily swollen.
Geum-a?
It was the thief maid—the one who had been put up by the nanny to steal the miniature porcelain gourd.
The corners of Soye's mouth twitched slightly.
I was planning to go look for her right after taking my medicine. Who would have thought she'd be delivered right to my doorstep?
"I brought your medicine. Drink it quickly."
Though blunt, Geum-a didn't have the same hostile attitude as when they first met.
She seemed distracted, staring blankly ahead.
She did receive that threat from the nanny yesterday, after all. It makes sense for her to look completely out of it, since she has no idea where to find the missing item.
Soye drank the bitter herbal medicine and smiled inwardly.
Should I help her out a little? My plans have changed a bit due to her unexpected appearance, but this isn't bad either.
In fact, she had just thought of a much more natural method.
"Are you finished?"
Geum-a picked up the bowl Soye had set down and turned to leave the room, when—
"Um."
Soye seized the moment and yanked on the maid's sleeve.
Riiip.
The fabric tore clean apart.
"What the—!"
Geum-a jumped back in shock.
This is all about technique.
A street pickpocket had to master the art of distraction above all else.
It always started with small tricks like tripping someone, eventually escalating to pretending to help them while picking their pockets.
"Great. Just great."
Geum-a bit her lip anxiously.
"Young lady, what on earth did you do that for?"
"S-sorry. But the nanny said… sweet treats…"
Unlike their first meeting, Soye feigned shyness, keeping her eyes glued to the floor as she mumbled.
"Forget it. Where is the sewing box?"
Geum-a asked with a sigh.
The sleeve was torn too badly for her to walk out looking like that.
"Sewing box?"
"Ah."
At Soye's confused echo, Geum-a squeezed her eyes shut.
Irritation flared within her. But getting angry at a young child who didn't even know what a sewing box was made her feel pathetic.
"The basket where the needles and thread go. Surely you saw the nanny using it, no?"
"Ah, over there."
Soye pointed under the bed.
"Sigh. Seriously, I'm busy enough as it is. What a mess."
Reaching under the bed, Geum-a pulled out the sewing box.
The moment she opened the lid, her eyes widened.
"T-this is…"
Her hands trembled violently as she registered what lay inside.
She had spotted a miniature porcelain gourd sitting innocently among the spools of thread.
I hope you like it.
Soye had prepared a little gift overnight and tucked it inside.
"Why? Is it not the box?"
At Soye's question, Geum-a's lips trembled.
"No… It is. It's just…"
Gritting her teeth, Geum-a asked.
"Did the nanny happen to use this sewing box yesterday?"
"I don't know."
Soye fidgeted with her fingers.
Seeing the child cautiously reading her expression, Geum-a made a conscious effort to soften her tone.
"I only ask because it looks like the nanny left something behind by mistake. I'm sure she'll be looking for it today."
"Ah!"
Soye widened her eyes in feigned surprise.
"Nanny wiped under the bed yesterday."
She didn't say a single word about Gong-hui touching the sewing box.
But Geum-a will definitely assume the nanny secretly hid it there.
"Good, good… I will take this to the nanny myself."
Geum-a stood abruptly, her eyes flashing with determination.
She looked like a woman who had just formed a monumental resolve.
Soye waved her hand back and forth.
"You have to give it to her quickly!"
Geum-a bolted from the room, her torn sleeve fluttering wildly behind her.
Soye would bet her life that this maid would never deliver that porcelain gourd to the nanny.
Of course, Geum-a was bound to have her suspicions too.
After all, there was no way for her to know when the nanny could have stolen it.
It's a bit of a waste to just give it up, but I don't even know how to use it.
Soye only knew it was an object tied to the incident where she almost died.
But the thief will know.
She was certain the one who ordered the theft was the nanny.
What would Geum-a think of Gong-hui's behavior?
The woman had the prize in hand, yet she still went out of her way to intimidate her.
It wouldn't be surprising if she thinks Gong-hui wants to discard her like a sacrificial pawn now that the 'evidence' is secured—or that she did it to keep her on a tighter leash.
At the very least, any trust between them was completely shattered.
Geum-a would harbor a deep grudge.
Furthermore, she wouldn't keep that evidence hidden forever, especially not after being threatened by the nanny.
She'll use it to strike at the nanny when the time is right.
Soye smirked.
Now, the matter was out of her hands.
Whether Geum-a tore into the nanny or the nanny made Geum-a her scapegoat, it was none of her business.
With a little patience, the full picture of this conspiracy would finally come into focus.
It wouldn't be too late for Soye to step in then.
Above all.
"Adults should handle adult business."
After all, a young child is far too busy growing up.
Having solved the problem without lifting a finger, Soye left her room with light steps.
However, her heart wasn't quite as light.
Just as she approached the compound wall, Soye sensed a presence and instinctively looked up.
"Aaaah!"
A little child was falling from a large tree growing along the wall.
Soye lunged on pure reflex.
"Owww…"
Dust scattered in all directions.
Soye rolled across the ground several times.
In the heat of the moment, I forgot I have the body of a child.
The sheer shock left her drenched in a cold sweat.
"A-are you okay?"
The child who fell from the tree stared at Soye with wide, teary eyes.
The little one had thick black hair, dark eyes, and a cute, round face.
Judging by the clothes, it was a boy.
"Who are you?"
Soye coughed a few times and asked.
The boy immediately sprang to his feet.
He was even shorter than Soye.
"I am…"
Just then—
"Young master! Young master Socheong!"
A loud voice echoed from outside, calling out in search of him.
The boy flinched and hunched his shoulders.
"Ah, so your name is Socheong."
Since he was addressed as a young master inside the Tang Clan village, he is probably a blood relative of the Tang family.
"Yes."
The child mumbled in response, unable to meet her gaze.
He kept looking around, clearly anxious about the people searching for him.
Soye pointed toward the door.
"You can head out that way."
Socheong gave a few rapid bows and scurried away.
Soye's eyes sparkled as she watched him run.
"He is just like a little squirrel."
* * *
"What were you doing over there!"
Socheong's older sister scolded him, hands on her hips.
He rolled his eyes around nervously.
"I told you not to go near there because a young lady of direct descent from the main family is staying there!"
"But… I heard she was sick… I was curious."
Tang Soso scoffed at her younger brother's mumbled reply.
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