Episode 34
* * *
That evening.
The banquet, which also included an auction, began.
The inside of the luxuriously decorated banquet hall was brightly lit as if it were midday.
Delicious food was spread out on the long table, and old-fashioned music caressed my ears.
“I am very honored to meet these distinguished guests today.”
Doyul, who was sitting at the head of the table, opened his mouth in a calm voice.
Each of the invited VIPs burst into laughter.
“No, how many chances will I have to come into the North Sea Ice Palace?”
“That is correct. I should be grateful to the palace lord for giving me this great opportunity.”
To those words, Doyul answered with a straight face.
“That’s not true.”
“yes?”
“It wasn’t me who gave you the opportunity, it was the matriarch who gave it to you.”
There was a cold silence.
“…….”
“…….”
However, Doyul continued speaking with a bright smile on his face.
“Well, isn’t it enough that my wife discovered Seolucho and created this situation?”
“Well, that’s right.”
“Your matriarch is really great!”
The VIPs responded in cold sweat.
“Well, our matriarch really did a great job.”
Doyul, who was forced to praise Yerin, nodded proudly.
‘Hey, husband…’ … ‘Why are you suddenly acting like me?’
Yerin felt a throbbing pain in her bone.
Even the most ridiculous part.
“What the palace lord said is correct.”
“There is no one like our matriarch in the world.”
The point was that even Mukong-ju and Gyul-won-ju were nodding their heads seriously.
‘No, why is everyone like that?’
Yerin got goosebumps all over her body.
Fortunately, Doyul stopped attending at that point and returned with a solemn expression.
“I hope you have a great time, and I hope everyone gets what they want from this auction.”
Each of the VIPs’ eyes lit up at those words.
‘The right to receive a steady, exclusive supply of Seolucho… … .’
‘If he can get this, he will definitely have a huge influence in the midfield.’
‘Yes, Sullucho is worth it.’
Meanwhile, after finishing speaking, Doyul glanced back at Yerin.
‘How do you feel, ma’am? Aren’t I a bit special?’
… … The look in his eyes seemed to be asking.
Oh my, husband!
I can’t survive, really!
Yerin barely suppressed the sigh that burst out.
* * *
The atmosphere of the banquet gradually began to ripen.
The VIPs had great conversations and enjoyed drinks and food.
“Hehe, is that so?”
“Yes, from what I heard… … .”
Everyone has smiles on their faces.
But among them, there was one person who was not in a very good mood.
It was Ji Ga-eun.
“…….”
Ga-eun glanced at Yerin from the corner of her eye.
Yerin, who was sitting next to Doyul, looked like a fairy who had come down from the sky.
She wore a dark blue silk top and an ivory skirt, and only peony decorations made of mother-of-pearl and pearls were attached to her long black hair.
She had the elegant and elegant appearance of a matriarch of a family.
‘… … Upset.’
Ga-eun clenched her fists.
That’s because Yerin stood out the most here, even in that simple outfit.
It was a contrast to Ga-eun, who was decorated extravagantly with all kinds of jewels and precious fabrics.
furthermore.
‘From just now, the palace lord’s gaze has been fixed on that girl!’
Ga-eun gritted her teeth.
Doyul had been unable to take his eyes off Yerin for a while.
Will it fly away if the wind blows, or will it go out if I hold it?
It was truly a look full of concern.
After a while.
Doyul carefully called Yerin.
“Ma’am, are you okay?”
At that call, Yerin blinked and looked up at Doyul.
Doyul lowered his voice and whispered to her.
“Aren’t you uncomfortable because of the Tang family’s Soju?” … .”
Yerin smiled briefly at those words.
“are you okay. Thank you for your consideration.”
Meanwhile, the moment I looked at Yerin, who was shaking her head, and Doyul, who looked a little relieved.
Ga-eun felt her stomach twist.
‘What on earth are you two talking about now?’
I want to somehow separate the two.
With that in mind, Ga-eun pretended to be relaxed and joined the conversation between the two.
“Oh my, matriarch!”
Yerin glanced back.
Ga-eun felt a little dispirited by that cold gaze.
but.
‘What do you think?’
Ga-eun gave her neck a firm squeeze as if showing off.
‘No matter how much she calls herself the matriarch, she’s a lazy woman who didn’t even help prepare for the banquet!’
So, in this situation, I have the upper hand!
With that in mind, Ga-eun continued.
“I’m so happy to be able to meet the matriarch at the banquet like this.”
… … It’s not enough to suddenly barge into a conversation out of the blue. What on earth are you talking about?
A faint look of displeasure appeared on Doyul’s face.
Ga-eun continued, pretending to be worried about Yerin.
“Well, I thought the matriarch was very unwell.”
“is it so? “Why did you think that?”
Yerin tilted her head with a blank expression.
And Ga-eun couldn’t stand Yerin’s dull eyes because she was so annoyed.
“That’s right, I was busy helping my aunt this time instead of my matriarch.”
Although she tried to suppress her emotions as best as she could, Ga-eun’s voice was filled with thorns.
‘aha.’
Meanwhile, Yerin was holding back the laughter that was about to burst out.
‘Are you going to come out like this?’
I felt like I knew Ga-eun’s intentions.
He probably wants to highlight the fact that he worked hard to help his aunt prepare for the banquet in front of Doyul.
As evidence, Ga-eun’s earnest gaze was directed not at Ye-rin but at Do-yul.
‘Palace lord, are you watching? I am such a down-to-earth person!’
However, Ga-eun’s misfortune was that she never imagined that her aunt would lie to her.
And the unfortunate thing about fate is that I didn’t even expect my nephew to talk as he pleases.
Ga-eun continued speaking venomously.
“I heard that the matriarch coldly rejected your aunt’s earnest request?”
“It’s a request from the head of the Ministry of Finance… … .”
“I heard you kept asking me to help you prepare for the banquet because there was so much work to do.”
Ga-eun fired back at Yerin without even giving her a chance to refute.
“If you were so helpless, would you have asked for help from me, your nephew?”
“Hey, Ga-eun Sojeo… … .”
“This is really too much, matriarch.”
Ga-eun shook her head as if she was confronting the ruin of the world.
“This time, it’s not like I took over the work on behalf of the matriarch, right?”
“Ga-eun Sojeo, wait a minute… … .”
“Honestly, there is no reason for me to help prepare for the banquet at the North Sea Ice Palace, but I went out of my way to do so.”
Ga-eun had a triumphant look on her face, as if she had already won.
“The matriarch didn’t even say thank you to me. “I’m really sad.”
Yerin’s eyes lit up at those words.
I was worried about how to get the word out, but isn’t this a situation where a fish is caught in a net on its own?
‘Okay, then.’
Yerin pretended to be surprised and opened her eyes wide.
“… … So, Sojeo helped prepare the banquet at the North Sea Ice Palace instead of me?”
“I told you so! She suffered so much that I thought her whole body was broken… … .”
Ga-eun, who was speaking in a sad voice, suddenly froze in place.
This was because Sookmyung, who was sitting across from me, was looking at me with her eyes wide open.
‘W-what?!’
Ga-eun’s eyes were filled with confusion at the unexpected reaction.
As soon as our eyes met, Sookmyung shook his head as if to tell him not to say more.
At the same time, Yerin looked back at Sookmyung with a face of great shock.
“Is what Ga-eun Sojeo said true, Lord Financial Won?”
“No, that’s… … .”
“You mean I refused your request? This is really my first time… … “No way.”
Yerin stiffened her shoulders and covered her mouth with both delicate hands.
“You didn’t even ask me to help you with the work, so you called Ga-eun Sojeo first?”
“Madam, I am… … !”
Sookmyung hurriedly tried to come up with an excuse, but Yerin was a little faster.
Yerin slumped her shoulders as if she was dispirited.
“… … no. “I also understand the feelings of the head of financial affairs.”
Yerin’s voice saying that was so pitiful that it seemed like it could melt the heartache of a rock.
Everyone in the banquet hall unconsciously fixed their eyes on Yerin.
‘No, that…’ … !’
Sookmyung chewed her lips until they bled.
Yerin, who glanced at Fate’s expression, lowered her gaze sullenly.
“If I am so untrustworthy, I will even call my nephew and give him the job…” … ?”
“What on earth does this mean?”
Doyul, who was examining the situation, asked a question in a sharp voice.
