“Namgung is said to be leaving today as well.”Keeping her eyes on the book, Sohwa asked Hanwon,“He didn’t ask you to pass along any message?”“No, Young Lady.”Since she hadn’t expected much to begin with, Sohwa accepted Hanwon’s dispirited answer without reaction. Hanwon, after gauging her expression, added carefully,“It’s just that… the atmosphere over there was downright grim. It’s not as if they sealed their gates, but not even an ant came out of Namgung’s quarters. Even if he wanted to send a message, I doubt he could have dared.”Sohwa quietly nodded.It wasn’t the first time Namgung Hyun had been mistreated, but this time the Clan Head had reacted sensitively.Whether he feared rumors spreading or intended to discipline his foolish clansmen, the Namgung household had shut themselves in for three full days.Well, they had gone too far.Even rummaging through every memory of her past life, Sohwa couldn’t recall a single instance during the Five Clan Conference where anyone had been bold enough to violate a restricted zone.She didn’t know what had provoked the Namgung warriors, but she doubted she was entirely blameless. Sohwa regarded it as self-inflicted retribution and waited three days for Namgung Hyun.She wanted to leave a good impression, yet even on the day of departure, Namgung Hyun never came to see her.Though disappointed, Sohwa decided to let him go for now. There would still be opportunities to meet him again; she would win his favor next time.She placed the book into a box and left the study.“I’ll carry that, Young Lady.”“That won’t be necessary.”Refusing Hanwon’s help, Sohwa headed toward Gujeongak.Now that the long Five Clan Conference had ended, guest halls were being vacated one after another. Gujeongak, which had remained closed for more than ten days, had finally reopened.Sohwa made her way there the moment the doors were unsealed.Now that she had obtained a host, she could begin her experiments. Starting today, she intended to create the antidote she had envisioned for the dokgo.Step.Walking along the courtyard wall, Sohwa suddenly stopped. A familiar scent drifted from beyond the gate.“What’s wrong, Young Lady?”Sohwa handed the wooden box she was holding to Hanwon.“Hold this for a moment.”“Ah—yes.”Tang Sohwa turned, opened the inner courtyard gate, and stepped outside.As she expected, a familiar figure stood at the entrance.Before Namgung Hyun could notice her, Sohwa adjusted her expression, softening it with a faint smile.“Young Hero.”Namgung Hyun, who had been staring at the wall, turned his head.“I thought you had already departed. What brings you here?”Sohwa stopped several steps away, keeping a measured distance.Something in the atmosphere felt different.But perhaps she was imagining things—Namgung Hyun slowly smiled.“It’s been a while.”His voice was calm and gentle.“I was supposed to leave right away, but I insisted on meeting you. I don’t have much time.”“Ah, if I’d known you were waiting, I would have come sooner… You should have sent word.”When she spoke as though regretting it, Namgung Hyun’s lips curved faintly. He handed her a silk envelope.“What is this?”Instead of answering, Namgung Hyun spoke something enigmatic.“You once said this: when the heart moves for a reason, it’s courtship; when it moves without reason, it’s fate.”Since it wasn’t a question, Sohwa stayed silent.Namgung Hyun looked straight at her. Something flickered in his pale brown eyes, but it soon hid beneath his lowered lashes.“I don’t believe in fate—those bonds supposedly granted by heaven. If life were predetermined by someone’s whim, what could be sadder than that?”His faint voice reached her more deeply than the sorrow on his face.“But if you believe in such a thing, I’ll try to create that destiny myself.”The words were arrogant, yet because of his subdued tone, they didn’t sound that way. It felt more like a quiet vow spoken to himself.Namgung Hyun placed the silk envelope into Sohwa’s hand. Then, with a serene smile, he stepped back.“I’ll make that destiny so that you may live the best day, the best life. Please wait for me. You won’t regret it.”Sohwa couldn’t say anything.Even though she knew she should leave him with a good impression, she simply watched as Namgung Hyun clasped his hands in salute and turned away.Because his farewell words were entirely different from those he had spoken in her past life.[They say coincidences pile up to form destiny.]Back then, Namgung Hyun had spoken of fate while talking about coincidence.[I like these coincidences that build between us. Next time, I’ll bring an even better one.]It had been such empty talk that she still remembered it vividly even after all this time.Recalling the past, Sohwa let out a dry laugh.'…You don’t believe in fate?'Even knowing he was lying, she didn’t feel deceived.As soon as she returned to the inner courtyard, Sohwa opened the envelope Namgung Hyun had given her. Inside was a sheet of paper.The fine paper she had once given to him had returned to her—now heavy with ink.Sohwa read the characters drawn in graceful calligraphy.The year and month of her birth, followed by an imprecise day and an uncertain hour, all connected in a formula.A date calculated through complex astrology.Namgung Hyun had once said he would find the most auspicious hour of her life. She had taken it as a joke—but he had truly calculated it.“……”She couldn’t understand it.She had sought that paper because Namgung Hyun had cherished it up until the moment of his death.He had kept it blank, too precious to use—until the year Yeon-a died, when he finally wrote a date upon it.She had thought that grief had driven him mad, ruining such a treasured paper out of heartbreak.Now, looking at the letter he had given her, Sohwa’s thoughts tangled.To win her favor, he had painstakingly obtained the paper, practiced a calligraphy style unfitting his hand, and studied astronomy and calendrical theory he’d never cared about.Admirable effort—but she couldn’t comprehend it. That he had already given her such depth of feeling.'…Is it because he’s young and opens his heart easily?'Sohwa’s gaze darkened.'No. He’s not someone ruled by emotion.'Perhaps he didn’t love that paper ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ or that calligraphy as much as she had imagined.Thinking so made her heart feel lighter.Turning over Namgung Hyun’s inexplicable behavior in her mind, Sohwa walked toward Gujeongak, repeating his words silently.'To create destiny…'Namgung Hyun had never been one to speak emptily—he was always humble, always lowering himself.'Time. Fate.'The grand words he had left behind began to stir questions in her mind.'Could the reason I returned to the past be connected to him?'An unanswerable question, with no way to confirm it.Just then, Hanwon noticed her and approached.“You’re finished talking already, Young Lady?”Sohwa swallowed a slow breath and slipped the paper back into its envelope.“Yes.”When she reached out to take the box he was holding, Hanwon turned aside.“No, I’ll carry it.”“You can’t enter Gujeongak anyway, so there’s no need to follow me.”“Since I’m escorting you there, I’ll carry it at least to the front.”Stubborn as ever, Hanwon followed her to Gujeongak. Thanks to him, Sohwa managed to collect her thoughts a little.Soon, someone came to mind—someone who might answer her doubts.She would have to meet that Blood Cult man eventually to make him take the pill; perhaps she could ask him then.Just what exactly was Namgung Hyun?Having found a lead, Sohwa entered Gujeongak with the formula she had designed for him.***After selecting the medicinal herbs, Sohwa placed some into a steaming pot while washing and setting aside those that needed to be ground raw. While the ingredients prepared, she drew a small bowl and filled it with her own blood.She planned to make two kinds of pills first and then adjust them depending on the host’s reaction: one to purge all impurities from the body, and another to lure the dokgo using her blood.Sohwa mixed the prepared ingredients together. After about one shichen (two hours), she had a dough roughly the size of a fist. She shaped it into suitable portions and placed them into a wooden box.“What are you making?”Startled by the sudden voice, Sohwa flinched—Tang Hae-han had stuck his head inside.“Why so jumpy? What are you making there?”“You don’t need to know.”“Is that the thing Elder Tang Min asked you to prepare?”“No.”Sohwa shut the box firmly.Tang Hae-han stared at her silently.“What?”“There was a time you used to ask me about everything, but now you can make things perfectly on your own.”“…It’s been years since I’ve worked alone like this.”Sohwa realized he was stalling for conversation. His eyes darted toward the discarded herbs on her table, observing them closely.“Stop peeking at other people’s scraps and go do your work, Elder Brother.”Blocking his view, Sohwa sighed as Hae-han exhaled too.“Unfortunately, my work is to fetch you. The Head of the Medical Division is calling.”“Now?”“Yeah. He said it’s urgent.”Sohwa quickly tidied her workspace and followed Hae-han to the Medical Division.Inside the Division Head’s chamber sat not only the Head himself but also the Divine Physician.At once, Sohwa understood the reason for the summons—it had to be about Oseoksan.Perceptive as ever, Hae-han seemed to realize he wasn’t meant to stay.“I’ll take my leave, then.”“Very well. Good work.”With the Division Head’s permission, Hae-han left the room. Sohwa asked,“What did you call me for?”The answer came from the Divine Physician.“We gathered to discuss Oseoksan. I mentioned before that the Namgung Clan Head’s symptoms resembled Oseoksan’s effects, didn’t I?”Indeed, during Namgung Hyun’s treatment, the Divine Physician had noted that the Clan Head’s condition seemed similar to Oseoksan poisoning.When Sohwa remained silent, he continued in a worried tone,“According to the Clan Head, his senses grow hazy as if trapped in clouds, and at times he even loses his memory.”At that, the Division Head’s face hardened.“He loses his memory?”“Yes. He said the memories vanish entirely. At first, it was so brief he could barely notice it, but the duration kept lengthening until once he lost his memory for about thirty minutes. He said he went to bathe and then opened his eyes to find himself lying in bed.”“The symptoms don’t seem consistent. Did they worsen over time, or did the length of memory loss vary depending on his condition?”“It’s a bit unclear. He said it did grow steadily worse. On the day he left Anhui, he lost his memory for about thirty minutes, but while staying at the Tang estate, his body improved and he never showed those symptoms again. His pulse returned to normal, and he grew healthy.”The Division Head stroked his beard and tilted his head.“If it were merely the side effects of ingestion, the body should develop tolerance and lessen the reaction over time. But since it worsened, that suggests actual poisoning.”The Divine Physician nodded in agreement.“Yes, considering his recovery after arriving here, it seems the symptoms disappeared once he stopped taking Oseoksan.”A brief silence fell.It appeared that someone within the Namgung household had been deliberately feeding the Clan Head Oseoksan.Yet it was not something one could easily tell him.Tap, tap.Only the sound of the Division Head’s fingers drumming on the table filled the room.After a moment of contemplation, he spoke in a resolute tone.“There’s only one way to find out.”Straightening his posture, he looked between the Divine Physician and Tang Sohwa.“For the time being, I’ll take Oseoksan myself.”

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