Tang Sohwa pressed her face with the white cloth beside her and wiped away the moisture.“Tell Father that I was late and had no time to put on makeup.”Sohwa said this and picked up the ink used for drawing eyebrows. For someone putting on makeup for the first time, drawing the eyebrows was no easy task.Madam Jang had wanted to offer to draw them for her, but Sohwa, as if familiar with it, lifted the brush and shaped her brows herself.She seemed well used to adorning herself «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» alone; her hand was steady and skilled.Madam Jang, without realizing it, parted her lips and could not say a word.“This is supposed to be her first time at such a gathering…”She awkwardly closed her mouth again. She wanted to scold, but if one had eyes, it was clear this appearance was several times more beautiful.The damp whiteness of her face, with a light natural flush, looked even brighter than when covered in powder.Her brows were smooth and natural. Indeed, since they were originally dark and soft-lined, there was little need to alter them.Madam Jang thought so and tried to dismiss the strange feeling that crept up on her.Fortunately, the young lady seemed to know the basics of makeup, for she immediately reached for the lip rouge.Madam Jang let out a small sigh of relief—then another sigh followed.Sohwa had indeed painted her lips, but only dabbed them lightly after blotting the color on a cloth.It was difficult to even call this makeup.She had merely tidied the lines and added a touch of color to her complexion; it was no different from a bare face.Madam Jang felt faint.“…The Clan Head told me to take good care of you.”Even this simple appearance worried her, yet the young lady of the Tang Clan went a step further—she began removing her hair ornaments.“Ah, ah, young lady, please, stop…”Dizzy, Madam Jang clutched the screen to steady herself.But Tang Sohwa shamelessly offered an excuse.“If I go like this, Father will scold me—say I should’ve at least powdered properly instead of wasting time on my hair, won’t he?”With a detached expression, Sohwa removed every ornament Madam Jang had so carefully arranged.It was merciless—without blood or tears.Even under Madam Jang’s glare, Sohwa neatly parted her long hair down the middle and tied it.Simseon, who had been watching quietly, came forward and tied it from behind for her.Madam Jang asked in a trembling voice,“Young lady, do you even know what kind of event this is?”The very culprit of the trouble replied without a hint of concern.“The Five-Family Alliance luncheon. I’m nervous—it’s my first time attending.”“Yes, it is your first time! Haah, young lady, I’ve never seen a direct descendant go to a family gathering dressed like this! There is no province in the Central Plains with such a sense of beauty! Please, at least put the hair ornaments back!”At Madam Jang’s sigh, Sohwa’s lips curved faintly.“It’s fine. I like it.”The so-called common sense of beauty was meaningless.Tang Sohwa gazed at her reflection in the mirror.A natural and pure appearance looked back at her.Of course, her face was different from Yeon-a’s, so she didn’t resemble her—but the air around her felt somewhat similar.Sohwa knew Namgung Hyun’s taste better than anyone.She brushed away her tension and stood up.But suddenly, her view dropped.With a deeply angry face, Madam Jang pressed her shoulders down and seated her again.“Absolutely not! I cannot let you go looking like this!”Tap-tap-tap-tap-tap.Madam Jang quickly chose hair ornaments.“At least your hair! You must wear some ornaments! We must show off the Clan Head’s wealth!”Having lost her composure, Madam Jang worked on Sohwa’s hair with incredible speed.She set a splendid ornament on the crown of Sohwa’s head—mother-of-pearl pieces strung together with silver thread.Still unsatisfied, she added two smaller ones beside it.If possible, she would have used the ones she first selected, but because this strangely tasteful young lady had wiped off all her makeup, overly lavish ornaments no longer suited her.The key to adornment was harmony.Madam Jang took a step back and examined the stubborn young lady.“Well, honestly…”Strangely, her face—so striking on its own—looked even more defined than when covered in heavy powder.But one thing caught Madam Jang’s eye.Her gaze slowly rose.The mole beneath Sohwa’s eye was distracting.It was small, yet it oddly broke the balance.Even without added color, one’s eyes would fall on that point, and the clean face seemed to lose its clarity.“I don’t know anymore…”Not knowing how to fix it, Madam Jang finally lowered her hands.At that moment, a voice called from outside the pavilion.“Young lady, the Clan Head asks when you will be coming.”Unlike Madam Jang, who stiffened with tension, Sohwa answered calmly.“It’ll be finished within one hour.”“If you require more time, he said to come directly to Hongso Hall.”“Understood. I’ll go straight to Hongso Hall.”“Yes, I’ll relay that.”As the presence receded, Madam Jang whispered,“No, why tell him you’re late when you’re already finished?”Her voice was full of grievance.Sohwa smiled faintly, as if soothing her.“There will be nothing that causes you trouble, so don’t worry.”At that, Madam Jang sighed.“Do you think I’m doing this because I’m afraid of the Clan Head?”“Are you not?”“…Well, of course, it’s true I’m afraid of him.”Pouting, Madam Jang picked up a gold hair ornament. Even at a glance, it looked expensive.“I’m doing this because I understand the Clan Head’s heart.”Madam Jang approached and fixed the loose strands at Sohwa’s temple with the ornament.“You know it too, don’t you, young lady?”How could she not.The excessive attire and ornaments—so extravagant it could’ve been mistaken for a wedding preparation.Though there was no need to make such a show just to attend the Five-Family Alliance, Father’s reason for insisting on adornment was her origin.The daughter of a maid.Even if the former Clan Head had recognized Sohwa as a direct descendant, there were still outsiders who belittled her birth.In truth, no letters of betrothal had arrived even after she turned twenty.That had bothered Father, so he’d urged her to attend the Five-Family Alliance.And even then, he had draped her in fine clothes and jewelry before sending her out.It wasn’t that he wanted her to look pretty—he merely wished to show that he cherished this child.A parent’s heart, hoping their child might be loved by others as they loved her.Leaving in place the last ornament Madam Jang had set, Sohwa stepped out of the pavilion.The moment Hanwon, waiting at the front gate, saw her, his brows furrowed.“…Huh? Weren’t you going to get adorned? You look even plainer than usual.”Ignoring his reaction, Sohwa asked,“Did you confirm it?”“Ah, yes. The arrangement’s the same. Between Pang Clan and the Zhuge Family sits the Namgung table—almost touching. Well, it’s been that way every Alliance meeting; why would this year be any different?”“Did you confirm the Namgung side for sure?”“Yes. Ranhee reported that beside a man with a large mole on his face, there’s another who looks as delicate as a woman. But, young lady—how do you even know such things?”She was a young lady who rarely interacted even with people in Sichuan, hardly ever leaving the clan streets.He thought she relied only on the information he brought her—yet she even knew the attendees of the Alliance.At times, it frightened him that such a person was his master.Hanwon swallowed dryly, face stiff.“Could she be watching me too? Ah, that gold coin she gave me last time for errands—I used some for drinks… Should I tell her now?”All the way to Hongso Hall, Hanwon kept glancing nervously, but Sohwa did not notice.Today, for some reason, the noisy birdsong grated on her ears, leaving no room for thought.***The garden of Hongso Hall, embracing the lake, was crowded with guests and attendants.Cheerful conversations continued without end.However, the attendants busily moving through those gatherings looked ready to collapse.Their hand signals and glances were blocked again and again by chatting guests.A servant standing near the Namgung table gave a signal and took out a small colored slip from her belt.But just then, the man with the mole on his face raised his hand high, perfectly blocking the signal.The servant frowned.“Was that for wine, or was it the duck dish?”With the crowd so dense, she couldn’t even see the table clearly.“I think it was red… or maybe purple…”She tried leaning sideways to check again, but this time, her view was blocked by a Pang Clan warrior at the next table.“Oh, heavens…”A sigh escaped her lips.“I’ll just bring wine.”Since the meal had barely begun, wine was bound to run short.Guests would exchange cups as they greeted one another, and before long, every jar would be empty.“I’ll check again while I’m bringing the food.”Thinking so, the servant walked toward the outdoor tent where the cooks worked.She handled the situation well—but not every servant was as quick-witted.The rule of proper service was to replenish the table before guests felt anything lacking.Thus, attendants were divided between those serving directly at the tables and those ferrying dishes from the kitchen tent.It would have been best if the entire team had worked together before, but since they were selected mostly for their pleasant looks, some were less skilled.One servant glanced at the Namgung table.“The braised pork’s nearly gone, and only vegetables are left with the duck? No, most plates are already half empty—why aren’t they bringing more?”Just then, thankfully, she saw a servant emerge from the tent with a signal slip.But the child’s hands held not a dish—but a wine jar.Apparently, the signal had been misread.The servant took out colored slips—green, purple, blue—each indicating missing dishes, then stuffed them back.It would be faster to go refill them herself.They’d divided the work for a reason, but this young servant, attending such a large event for the first time, made a hasty judgment.She glanced around quickly. Fortunately, the Namgung guests were deep in conversation with Pang Clan warriors nearby.While they talked, the food would be eaten more slowly.Checking the nearly empty dishes once more, the servant crossed the bridge over the lake herself.

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