Childhood Friend of the Zenith
chapter-251

How did it come to this? Why?

What was even going on right now?

I stopped rubbing my eyes and slowly lifted my head while kneeling on the floor.

Sip.

Before my eyes, was a woman, calmly sipping her tea.

It felt incredibly strange to see her firm posture and composed demeanor.

Was it because she was someone utterly out of place in my room?

Yeah, that must be it.

The person before me was none other than the Lady of White Flowers, Mi Hyoran—the head of the relatively famous White Flowers merchant association, mother to Gu Huibi and Gu Yeonseo, and the current Lady of Gu Clan.

Yet here she was, sipping tea in my room.

She looked youthful despite her age, her beauty really showed where Gu Huibi and Gu Yeonseo inherited their looks from.

Yet, there was a fierceness in her eyes that matched the bloodline of the Gu Clan.

Tap.

The sound of her teacup being placed on the table broke the silence, echoing louder than it should have due to the stillness of the room.

Lady Mi’s piercing gaze landed on me, causing me to flinch involuntarily.

“It has been a while.”

Her voice sounded stiff.

Unlike my fiery sisters, Lady Mi maintained a cold and distant demeanor.

Father is the same, so I wonder where Gu Huibi got her personality from.

Not that I was one to talk.

If we were to compare our nasty personalities, mine and Gu Huibi’s would quite be similar.

After much hesitation, I finally managed to speak.

“…It has been a while…”

Pause.

Lady Mi abruptly stopped all of her movements upon hearing my greeting, her gaze intensifying as she looked at me.

It was a strange reaction. Why was she reacting like this?

“…Interesting.”

“Huh?”

“…”

…Shit, really?

Well, to be fair, back when Lady Mi was still part of the clan, I would greet her whenever our paths crossed, despite feeling uncomfortable. However, I stopped even that minimal action when my mother disappeared.

I was too consumed by my own shattered existence to care about someone else. Moreover, Lady Mi left the clan during that time.

But now was not the time to dwell on these thoughts. I pushed them aside and mustered the courage to ask Lady Mi, “...May I ask why you have come to visit me?”

For what reason did she come here all of a sudden? I was curious.

…Huh? Was my question weird?

Lady Mi’s gaze shifted ever so slightly, her eyes betraying a hint of change.

“I heard that you had changed a lot, and it seems the rumors were not unfounded.”

“Well, it’s only natural to change, considering how long it has been.”

“I see. It must have been quite a while for you…” Lady Mi took the last sip of her tea and gracefully rose from her seat.

“I merely came to see your face since I heard of your return. There is no need to dwell on it too much.”

“…Pardon?”

“We shall have a proper reunion in the future. Your father must be looking for you by now.”

With those parting words, Lady Mi turned around and went towards the door leaving me perplexed and bewildered.

Did she really come here just to see me?

I was utterly confused by the situation, unsure of how to even react.

What even was that?

I pondered, considering the possibility that Lady Mi had a different motive for her visit. But it was difficult to gauge her intentions just by looking at her.

She wasn’t someone I disliked or found frightening, but rather someone who made me uneasy in her presence.

But, just as Lady Mi was about to leave through the door…

Slide!

The door slid open abruptly and someone entered my room.

“Little Brother! You are skipping your… “

It was none other than Gu Huibi.

Seeing Gu Huibi’s expression instantly change as soon as her eyes met with Lady Mi’s was quite the amusing sight.

It went from confusion to sheer terror in an instant.

“Mo…ther?”

“…Interesting.”

Lady Mi’s response to Gu Huibi’s shaky words remained as calm as before, but beads of cold sweat flowed down Gu Huibi’s cheek.

“…I could have sworn your mother told you to conduct yourself properly…”

“It’s not like that… I-I just wanted to take care of my little brother…”

“Are you trying to justify your wrongdoing?”

“…”

Gu Huibi’s mouth instantly clamped shut upon hearing those few icy words.

This had always been the case—Gu Huibi was powerless against Lady Mi.

I guess, it’d be more accurate to say that she’d become submissive rather than powerless.

In Lady Mi’s presence, she went from a fearless tiger with an unquenchable fire burning within to a docile sheep.

“…I had already planned to visit you and Yeonseo later, but it seems like I have much to discuss with you right now.”

“M-Mother… about that…”

“Follow me.”

Gu Huibi glanced in my direction, as if silently pleading for help.

But how sad. What can I possibly even do?

I was utterly powerless to help her.

In the end, Lady Mi firmly grasped Gu Huibi’s arm and dragged her away without any resistance. I could only stand there, dumbfounded, watching as the two women departed, leaving behind a sense of calm after the storm.

******************

In my past life, my relationship with Lady Mi was far from ideal, but it wasn’t entirely terrible either.

To put it bluntly, I did my best to avoid her because I found her scary and uncomfortable.

It just so happened that one day, while walking through the garden with my mother, I coincidentally ran into Lady Mi. Well, it would be more accurate to say that Lady Mi came there on purpose.

That garden belonged to the residence where my mother, Gu Ryunghwa, and I lived in.

I believe it was around that time when I became petrified at the sight of Lady Mi’s gaze fixed upon me.

As the child of a concubine, facing the legal wife of the Lord was an incredibly difficult task.

Not only did I not know how to behave, but even if I treated her with the utmost respect, she would never see me in a good light.

How could she possibly have a positive opinion of me, the child of a concubine who was destined to become the Lord in the future? I highly doubted it.

After my mother disappeared, and I started to harbor resentment towards everyone in the clan, Lady Mi became one of my targets for that resentment as well.

Some might ask why I held so much animosity towards so many people, but even I couldn’t give a clear answer. Perhaps, it was because I was still immature back then.

I despised the world, so even if Lady Mi wasn’t at fault, I simply wanted to resent anything and everything.

Lady Mi didn’t often show herself in the clan, as she was occupied with her own affairs. Consequently, Gu Huibi and Gu Yeonseo would frequently come to my place and spend time with me.

Did she perhaps not like that?

It was entirely possible.

It was completely understandable for her to dislike her own daughters spending time with me and my mother.

No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t find a single reason for her to see me in a positive light.

That was why it was harder for me to understand.

During the tumultuous period when I had recently transformed into a Demonic Human and the world was crumbling under the emergence of the Demonic Cult, there was a merchant association that selflessly sacrificed themselves and generously supported others.

That association was none other than the White Flowers Merchant Association.

While other merchant associations were preoccupied with their own well-being, the White Flowers Merchant Association stood out, devoted to aiding others.

Everyone was curious as to why she had made such a decision, and the head of the merchant association, Mi Hyoran answered with a calm expression.

-My son has caused trouble, and as his mother, it’s only right for me to seek a solution.

Mother and son, huh?

It was strange hearing such words from her.

…Why?

I considered the possibility that Lady Mi might be saying these words as a form of reputation management, given the attention the merchant association was receiving.

However, knowing Lady Mi, I couldn’t imagine her doing something like that ‘solely’ for her merchant association.

Although I said that I didn’t know her enough, at the very least I knew that she wasn’t the type of person to do such a thing.

She kept her word and continued to help others, even at great personal cost.

Despite losing her own children and facing risks to her merchant association, she maintained an iron will.

Did she really not resent me at all?

Was such a thing even possible?

How could she not resent me, the one who had led her children and husband to their deaths?

I’m merely the child of a concubine, sharing not even a single drop of blood with her.

Even though my regression had undone those events, my difficulty in facing Lady Mi.

Was it a sense of guilt that weighed upon me?

It was hard to say that it was, but it was also hard to say it wasn’t.

At least, that was what I felt.

“…I see.”

“…Yeah.”

As I was pondering these thoughts, a voice suddenly broke the silence.

I raised my head to see the familiar faces gathered in this decently sized meeting hall.

Everyone in this room was a blood relative of the Gu Clan.

Father sat in the center, and even Gu Yeonseo, whom I hadn’t seen in a while, was present.

Although this meeting was meant to celebrate my return and that of Gu Huibi, the atmosphere was far from cheerful.

Well, we weren’t the type to revel in such festivities to begin with.

I heard that Gu Ryunghwa and the Sword Queen had returned to Mount Hua, and I also saw a familiar face that wasn’t Gu Ryunghwa’s.

It has been a while.

I thought as I saw the girl seated in front of me.

I was of course referring to my second sister, Gu Yeonseo.

She seemed to be avoiding eye contact with me, as if she didn’t want to be there. But it appeared that she had no choice but to attend, given her mother’s presence.

I wonder what she had been doing all this time.

Observing her, I noticed that she had made some progress in both physical strength and Qi since our last encounter.

She seems to be around the third or fourth rank.

At least it seemed that way from my brief overview.

She must have worked incredibly hard, she seemed to be quite close to her wall.

Although Gu Yeonseo and I made occasional eye contact, she still seemed uncomfortable around me and turned away each time.

“I heard that you got engaged to the Namgung Clan,” Lady Mi’s thoughts interrupted my thoughts.

Bump.

I felt Gu Huibi beside me flinch upon hearing this.

I should be the one who’s surprised, so what’s up with her?

Did she get punished?

Judging by the way Lady Mi dragged her away, she must have been scolded heavily.

I wondered if she heard something then.

“Not yet, but the engagement is in the works.”

If everything went as planned, I would soon travel to Anhui to proceed with the engagement.

“Namgung, huh…? Not a bad clan.”

Lady Mi fell silent, a look of concern crossing her face.

I was also taken aback by her comment about the Namgung Clan being just “not bad”.

After all, they were one of the Four Noble Clans.

“Do you think the girl is suitable?”

“…Huh? Ah, yes… she’s… suitable.”

I stammered, surprised by her question.

I hadn’t expected her to ask for my opinion. Was she satisfied with my response?

Lady Mi nodded in response.

“…You said that she is currently in the clan, correct?”

“Yes.”

She’s probably asleep right now.

This meeting was only for the blood relatives, so Namgung Bi-ah didn’t attend.

Not only was it a potentially uncomfortable situation, but I couldn’t even afford to bring her with me even though she looked like she wanted to come.

It wasn’t that she felt uncomfortable, it was me.

The atmosphere was far too quiet for a meeting.

Father was naturally quiet, but Gu Huibi, who should have been a boisterous noisemaker, remained silent, making the atmosphere incredibly awkward.

Sip.

As the silence dragged on, Lady Mi took another sip of her tea and spoke up.

“I also heard about the Moyong Clan’s girl.”

I looked around, trying to figure out who she was addressing.

Hm?

But no one responded, and from the way Lady Mi was looking at me, it was clear.

So she’s asking me, huh?

I felt a wave of nausea wash over me. It was the first time I had felt this way since my regression.

“That’s correct.”

She must have heard about it already, so I wondered what more she wanted to know.

“…My side’s offers were all rejected, yet the Tang Clan and the Moyong Clan are setting up a business in Shanxi, huh…?”

Oh.

Was she trying to blame me?

With the Moyong Clan’s business acumen, any merchant association would thrive when working with them.

But even the White Flowers Merchant Association was turned down by them, while the Gu Clan suddenly found success partnering with them.

It was understandable that she wouldn’t be pleased, considering the White Flowers Merchant Association was separate from the Gu Clan.

Although I shouldn’t be the one apologizing…

Even so, I continued to gaze uncomfortably at Lady Mi, who nodded her head in response.

“I heard that you played a significant role in it. Good work.”

“…Pardon?”

Her sudden compliment caught me off guard, leaving me at a loss for words.

I hadn’t expected her to say such a thing.

“Hmm…”

Lady Mi seemed preoccupied with something else since earlier.

It appeared that things weren’t going as she had expected, or perhaps she was thinking about something entirely different.

…But I hope that she doesn’t pay too much attention to me.

Unfortunately, my discomfort persisted.

Why did she return?

Lady Mi had left the clan around the time my mother disappeared, and in my past life, she didn’t come back until I was in my twenties.

To be exact, it was around…

The time I became Young Lord.

Yes, it was around then.

Then why was she here now? Did something happen?

If she had encountered some kind of a problem with her merchant association, she might have come to the Gu Clan.

However, Lady Mi didn’t seem desperate for me to believe that she was facing some trouble.

Of course, considering her experience as the head for such a long time, she was likely skilled in hiding her true intentions.

I also never heard anything about the White Flowers Merchant Association facing any issues.

…Even if I considered my past life, with so many changes happening thanks to my interference, it was futile.

After enduring even more of this uncomfortable silence, the meeting finally came to an end and everyone began to rise from their seats.

Father, who had remained silent throughout, stood up first, followed by Lady Mi and the Gu sisters.

By the way, Gu Huibi was practically dragged away.

As she left, Lady Mi glanced in my direction, and when our eyes met, I nearly choked on the dumpling I was eating.

I managed to gulp it down with a swig of water, wearing a dumbfounded expression.

“What the hell…?”

I still had no clue about her purpose for being here.

It seemed like she wanted something from me, but since she hadn’t said a word, I had no way of knowing.

********************

Shortly after…

Swish-!

Namgung Bi-ah swung her sword gracefully under the moonlit sky. The sound of the blade echoed in the stillness of the night. Lost in her training, she was startled by the unexpected arrival of a visitor.

Namgung Bi-ah turned her gaze towards the guest. It was someone she had never met before.

“Nice to meet you.”

The moment she recognized the guest, her eyes widened in disbelief.

After a moment of silence, the guest calmly spoke, causing Namgung Bi-ah to tense up.

“May we have a brief conversation?”

Namgung Bi-ah pondered, wondering if she had any snacks or tea to offer.

Alas, she realized that there was no way she would have such things in her place, filling her with despair.