Oh, no. This is unexpected. Faced with Ryeo’s sharp question, I stiffened.

In that moment, a certain question lingered in my mind.

‘Didn’t Namgung Ryeo tell me about the past? Am I just blabbering information I obtained from the original work?’

I couldn’t clearly distinguish between the information I got from the original work and the information I acquired by interacting with them in this world.

But the dice had already been cast. Since I couldn’t reveal that I’m the author, I broke out in a cold sweat and blurted out everything while nervously extending my hands.

“W-well, we talked about it back then. That I took poison and ended up in a recuperation facility in Sinsan…”

“Did I say that?”

“Of course! If I didn’t hear it from you, how would I know that information?”

“That’s true. Namgung Se-ga doesn’t really care much about me.”

Fortunately, Namgung Ryeo nodded in agreement with my words.

‘That’s a relief.’

In reality, who would imagine that someone in this world is a novel, and someone else is reading and writing the story, knowing the details? Even if I weren’t so flustered, Namgung Ryeo would probably think that she had mentioned it at some point.

As I was wiping away my worries, Namgung Ryeo added with a shrug.

“But that guy from earlier isn’t the son of the stepmother who poisoned me. He’s the son of the head wife before my mother.”

“…What?”

The son of the head wife before her mother? Not the son of the woman who poisoned her mother and became the new head wife? Confused and unable to comprehend, I stared at Namgung Ryeo, who playfully pressed her pretty lips with her finger.

“He got married four times. No, was it six times? I’m sure it’s an even number, but I don’t know exactly how many times. I haven’t attended every wedding, you know.”

“Wow, a real playboy.”

“That’s right. It’s common for someone to bring in a concubine, but it’s rare for them to replace the main wife.”

Namgung Se-ga seemed excessively vigorous in family affairs. Of course, in a negative sense.

‘So, the son from earlier must be like that too.’

Trash begets trash, after all.

Anyway, Namgung Se-ga’s family tree was too complicated, and delving further would only confuse me. I sighed while looking at Namgung Ryeo’s black hair, walking a step ahead of me.

‘Ugh, I need to be careful with my words.’

Not revealing too much information that I know. This applied not only to Namgung Ryeo but also to Danmokbi, Danmokchang, and Hyeoljoonghyeok.

‘No, Hyeoljoonghyeok is an exception. In many ways.’

That man was different, for various reasons.

‘Is he doing well? Is he still living by drinking water used to wash rice?’

He might be a villain, and he might be aggressive and authoritarian, but for some reason, I occasionally thought of him fondly. Perhaps because he was one of the characters I created.

‘Come to think of it, that strange black paper doll back then.’

The eerie black paper doll was also the work of Hyeoljoonghyeok.
‘I wonder if Namgung Se-ga knows I’m here? They won’t send me away from here, right?’

If I happen to encounter another paper doll here, what should I do?

‘I need to find out where Baek-ho is, whether to call him or not. Or does he come flying from anywhere if I call him?’

Ever since Danmokbi appeared, I sighed involuntarily due to Baek-ho, who always seemed to be chuckling. Touching my throbbing forehead with my palm, Namgung Ryeo glanced back and asked.

“Why are you like this, Yeon-ah?”

“No, I couldn’t bring the cat I raised because I haven’t seen it lately. I thought it might have left home.”

“Maybe it went for mating. Male cats often do that, you know?”

“Mating…”

It was fortunate that Baek-ho wasn’t here. If he were, there would have been chaos.

It was when we followed Namgung Ryeo closely as we approached Namgung Se-ga’s main house. Only then did the smart-looking chief, who had been waiting, lower his head and speak.

“Thank you for coming to pay your respects. Please come this way.”

I thought we were going to the funeral hall, but unexpectedly, the guide led us to the guesthouse.

“You can stay here. It might be a few days, so we’ll prepare accommodations for you.”

According to the chief’s explanation, the influential guests invited by Namgung Se-ga’s three families hadn’t all arrived yet. Therefore, we had to wait a bit in the guest room.

Perhaps because she found my behavior annoying when we entered earlier, I didn’t feel like staying quiet as the chief suggested. I raised my hand and said.

“I’ll stay in Ryeo’s room. I didn’t come as the representative of Jegal Se-ga, but as Ryeo’s friend.”

“W-would you prefer that? Then I’ll prepare accommodations for you to stay together.”

The chief seemed very flustered by my words, and after asking us to wait for a moment, he left somewhere again.

I whispered to Namgung Ryeo beside me.

“Why are we waiting for guests as if this isn’t a funeral? Judging by the looks of it, it seems like the corpse is still placed in the main house.”

My question was answered by Namgung Ryeo’s soft whisper in my ear.