Chapter 11

Chapter 11. The Most Lowly and Noble One

Buwan Port was a trading harbor located thirty ri away from the capital, Hongyang.

Even in broad daylight, the place was crowded with countless people.

More than anything else, what drew the attention of everyone at the harbor was the enormous merchant ship docked at the pier. It was so huge that people couldn't help but stare wide-eyed.

Amid the porters and mercenaries, someone walked forward while playing a flute made of pure white coral.

It was a woman named Bam, who had led a massive merchant caravan all the way from the distant Gyao Kingdom.

At her command, the caravan's porters began unloading goods onto the stalls lining the street.

They had brought expensive medicinal herbs, silk, porcelain, spices, ivory, peacock feathers, gold, silver, jewels, and other luxuries that only the wealthy upper class could afford.

"I hope we find another generous customer today."

Gyao Kingdom was located at the center of a major trade route used by merchants from countless nations.

Eastern and Western cultures mingled there, and people from all sorts of backgrounds lived together while wearing their own traditional clothing.

Even so, their written language was the same as the one used in Hui Kingdom, so exchanges between the two countries were fairly frequent.

With so many foreigners living there, people's races and appearances were also highly diverse.

Bam had long, flowing platinum-blond hair, sharp and elegant features, and blue eyes that seemed to have jewels embedded within them.

Even her loose trousers couldn't hide her firm, shapely figure, while her slightly narrowed eyes gave her a seductive beauty.

As befitting the owner of a merchant caravan, she wore extravagant silk clothes and adorned herself with jewelry set with large gemstones.

"This time, I'm definitely going to show Father and my older brothers what I'm capable of. Right, Hoyeon?"

"..."

The man standing beside Bam was Hoyeon, a mercenary she had hired to protect her from danger whenever she conducted business.

He was the type of man who never obediently followed his employer's words.

No matter the situation, he trusted his own instincts and acted according to them.

His refusal to answer was incredibly rude, but Bam didn't seem particularly bothered by it.

Hoyeon had always been a boring man, after all.

His appearance was reminiscent of a black beast.

He stood a full head taller than most men, with pitch-black hair hanging down his back and black clothes covering his body.

With his high nose, sharp jawline, and long monolid eyes, he was a handsome man with striking, strongly defined features.

His empty, gloomy expression gave him the air of an outlaw or a gangster.

But strangely enough, ever since they arrived in Hui Kingdom, he had spent the entire day lost in thought, his eyes filled with melancholy.

It wasn't like him at all.

Bam had been carefully observing that subtle change in his behavior.

"Young Lady, I don't understand why you're so desperate to earn Master's recognition. You're his precious youngest daughter. He treasures you more than anything."

The servants beside her desperately tried to improve Bam's mood.

But she wasn't someone who could be comforted by such trivial words.

It was true that Bam's father, the great merchant Lang, had dearly loved and spoiled Bam, the youngest daughter among his three sons and one daughter.

However, when it came to her abilities as a merchant, he still seemed doubtful.

The fact that he had publicly announced that the enormous trade network he had spent his entire life building would be divided among Bam's three older brothers was proof enough.

"I'm just as good at business as my brothers. I simply haven't had the chance to take part in anything that brings in truly serious money yet."

Bam fiddled with her coral flute as countless schemes ran through her mind.

She had once heard that several decades ago, the great merchant Lang had come to Hui Kingdom and been cheated out of an enormous amount of money.

Back then, his caravan had been small and powerless, so he had no choice but to retreat.

But things were completely different now.

Bam's decision to come to Hui Kingdom this time had been entirely her own.

She hadn't received permission from anyone in her family.

She intended to threaten the Hui royal family and recover the payment they had failed to give her family all those years ago—with an enormous amount of interest added on top.

On top of that, she planned to make a fortune by taking advantage of the special trading opportunities created by the Fifteenth Festival.

That was also why she had arrived at Buwan Port so early.

She wanted to secure a position before merchants from other countries arrived, study the local situation, and gain the upper hand in trade.

"Out of the way! Move aside at once!"

Just then, servants could be seen leading horses along the road across from them while shouting at the crowd.

Judging from the emblems hanging from the carriages, members of the In and Hae families—two great noble houses of Hui Kingdom—had clearly come out to visit the harbor.

"It would be useful to find out how interested the nobles of Hui Kingdom are in luxury goods. Should I create an opportunity to meet them?"

Bam smiled as though a good idea had just occurred to her.

"Find the most luxurious inn in Buwan Port and reserve a room on the highest floor. It's been a while, so I think I'll play the noble lady again."

At Bam's order, the servants began moving.

But Hoyeon stepped forward and stopped them.

"Young Lady, from now on, I'll handle all preparations while we're in Hui Kingdom."

Bam wondered why Hoyeon, who had remained silent until now, was suddenly volunteering.

She narrowed her eyes as she looked at him.

"Before I was dragged away by slave traders, I once lived in Hui Kingdom. I know the temperament of the people here very well, so please trust me with this."

"Really? You're sure?"

Bam had an instinctive talent for quickly understanding the true intentions behind what other people said.

To her eyes, Hoyeon seemed to be hiding something.

"Of course."

However, she couldn't read anything else from Hoyeon's dark expression.

There was something strangely frustrating about the way he refused to bend completely to her will.

Before long, an elaborate tea table had been prepared on the highest floor of the inn.

It was decorated with porcelain, traditional sweets, and tablecloths embroidered with exotic patterns.

As the invited nobles took their seats one by one, Bam finally appeared with Hoyeon escorting her.

She had ordered her servants to obtain clothes currently fashionable in Hui Kingdom and had dressed herself accordingly.

A wide silk sash was wrapped snugly around her waist, while the ends of her sleeves and skirt flowed elegantly.

Hoyeon had also abandoned his usual wandering-swordsman attire.

Instead, he had tied his hair neatly and dressed in ordinary formal clothing like the attendants of noble families.

Both of them possessed such striking appearances that their faces drew more attention than their clothing.

On the opposite side of the round table sat women of the In family dressed in purple and women of the Hae family dressed in scarlet.

The members of the In family had a strong interest in overseas trade, while the Hae family had recently grown rapidly in influence and accumulated considerable wealth.

The two groups tended to move together.

"My name is Bam, daughter of the Lang family of Gyao Kingdom. I came to the distant land of Hui Kingdom hoping to broaden my horizons."

Pretending to be a noblewoman in foreign lands while gathering information was one of Bam's usual methods.

From time to time, some people became suspicious of Bam's background.

But in the end, everyone in the world was vulnerable to what they could see with their own eyes.

It was difficult not to be tempted by Bam's beautiful appearance and the rare gifts she offered to her guests.

"What I'm showing you today is merely a small token of my sincerity. I hope you'll often keep me company in the future."

At Bam's gesture, Hoyeon opened the box he had brought with him.

The women immediately began making excited noises when they saw the beautiful objects inside.

There were golden dangling ornaments, hair combs set with blue jade, and various other goods Hoyeon had prepared.

They seemed to have worked perfectly.

As the women loudly discussed who would take what, Bam quickly observed their expressions and movements, figuring out their individual tastes and personalities.

The In family women in particular seemed greatly pleased by the exceptional quality of the products brought by the Lang Merchant Caravan.

"Lady Lang, I'll speak to the head of the In family so that we may continue this pleasant relationship."

Afterward, the women of the In family stood up first, saying they had to return home early because of their family's strict rules.

Bam saw them off and was just beginning to relax, satisfied that she had won a fair amount of their favor.

That was when she heard some unpleasant whispering.

The daughters of the Hae family who remained behind were sitting in a circle around the table, scribbling something while laughing among themselves.

"Lady Lang, I heard that Gyao Kingdom uses the same written language as Hui Kingdom. Would you accept a letter we wrote for you?"

Bam took the paper from them, her hand trembling.

They must have discovered that despite being the daughter of a merchant family, she couldn't read.

Even though the message was short, she had no idea what it said.

She didn't even know what kind of expression she was supposed to make.

The Hae family women burst into laughter together when they saw Bam's pale face.

Thanks to their reaction, Bam now understood that Hui Kingdom was a conservative society where bloodlines and social legitimacy were highly valued.

But...

The humiliation had already happened.

With her usual violent temperament, she would have happily flipped the entire table over right then and there.

However, considering that she might need to continue doing business with these people for years to come, perhaps swallowing her anger would be the wiser choice.

Bam bit her lower lip as she struggled with the decision.

That was when Hoyeon, who had been quietly watching everything, stepped forward.

"'A vulgar merchant wench'... is what it says."

When he read the words aloud without the slightest hesitation, the Hae family women became visibly startled.

He was supposedly nothing more than a servant, yet his confident and fearless demeanor gave him a strange presence.

"Someone of such low status learned how to read? Who taught you?"

Another woman looked Hoyeon over greedily.

"Merchant girl, how much did you pay for that servant of yours? Forget the treasures. I want him instead."

The noblewomen had been paying close attention to Hoyeon for quite some time, fascinated by his tall build and handsome appearance.

Bam walked toward them, deliberately making every footstep audible.

Then—

She planted one foot directly on top of the table.

The women nearly recoiled in horror when they saw the dirt-covered shoe.

"Sorry. I forgot to change them. I thought nobody would notice as long as I kept them hidden under my skirt."

"..."

Bam smiled.

"They're a little different from those spotless shoes of yours after you've spent the whole day sitting inside a carriage, aren't they? I actually walk everywhere on my own two feet."

Her last thread of restraint had already snapped.

If she was going to lose her temper anyway, she decided she might as well say everything she had wanted to say.

"With the money I have, I could buy several tiled mansions or even a noble family name whenever I pleased. No—I'd probably be able to buy a small kingdom."

Bam approached one of the Hae family women.

Then she grabbed the black pearl necklace around the woman's neck and violently tore it apart.

Black pearls scattered across the floor of the inn, rolling in every direction.

"That's why I have no interest in becoming some noble lady. You can't even do what you want with your own lives. All you can do is come down to the harbor and buy a few little ornaments like these, isn't that right?"

"H-How dare you?!"

The women of the Hae family had never once experienced the natural order of social status being overturned in their entire lives.

Their emotions went beyond simple anger.

They even felt threatened.

They called for their guards outside.

As the two sides entered a tense standoff, Hoyeon drew his sword and stepped in front of Bam.

Bam didn't even blink.

Things like this happened all the time while traveling around for trade.

Then Bam suddenly jumped against Hoyeon's sword-bearing body and wrapped her arms around his neck.

Her blue eyes gleamed as a cold smile appeared on her lips.

"And just so you know, the two of us are in that kind of relationship. So don't even think about laying your hands on him..."

Her smile sharpened.

"...unless you want me to tear apart those precious faces of yours, noble ladies."