My Younger Brother Is Salivating After Me - Chapter 1

When news of victory against the Kingdom of Joyeo spread, the capital city was buzzing with excitement, as if a festival had begun. Men drinking in front of taverns boasted loudly, retelling things they had merely heard as if they had witnessed them firsthand, while a storyteller, seated under the shade of a tree, embellished rumors into grand tales of heroism.

Aside from a few exaggerations, there was a single main thread to all the stories—how a general from Joyeo underestimated the young head of the Jang family, only to lose his head for it.

Letting the gossip pass through one ear and out the other, Yeohee quickened her steps. Today was the day Lord Jaeyeon was to return from his campaign. She had heard he would arrive at the mansion around mid-afternoon, but after stopping by Cheongnim Temple and an herbalist’s shop, she had lost quite a bit of time.

Worried she might miss the chance to greet him, Yeohee hastened her pace even more. The quickened steps made her calves throb painfully.

After walking for about a quarter of an hour, the massive front gate of the estate came into view.

It was the largest residence in the capital after the Imperial Palace itself. The Jang family, with their vast wealth and influence, owned so much land that people said it was almost impossible to walk through the city without stepping on their property. They were a noble family that had produced exceptional civil and military officials ever since the founding of the Hyeonho Kingdom.

There had been rumors at one point that the Jang family’s influence was declining due to a weak and incompetent former lord. However, four years ago, when the rightful heir, Jaeyeon, became head of the family, such talk disappeared completely. At the young age of seventeen, Jaeyeon had led the family’s private army into battle and secured a decisive victory. Since then, he had accumulated many military achievements and was even granted the title of Marquis Seonyang and land by the Emperor himself.

Although he did not hold an official government position, Jaeyeon had the Emperor’s utmost trust and was frequently summoned to the front lines. Yeohee had begun visiting Cheongnim Temple to pray for his safety and fortune since the very first time he went off to war.

“It seems he hasn’t arrived yet,” Yeohee muttered, seeing two servants sweeping the front of the gate. Despite sweeping, they kept craning their necks to look down the road she had just come from. If Jaeyeon had arrived, they would have rushed inside to announce his return. Their lingering presence outside meant that the lord of the house had not yet come back.

Yeohee tapped her aching legs lightly with her fists and resumed walking. Just then, rough hoofbeats sounded behind her. Startled, she turned to look.

A black horse was charging toward her, kicking up clouds of dust. In an instant, a hand shot out like a hawk snatching a chick and grabbed her waist firmly.

“Ah, Lady—!”

She was so shocked that no proper scream even came out—only a sharp gasp from the servants sweeping nearby. Lifted into the air, Yeohee found herself plopped onto the horse’s back. The sudden elevation and jostling made her dizzy.

Desperate not to fall, she clutched at whatever she could grab.

Her fingers crushed cool silk fabric. As the rider pulled the reins and turned the horse, her unbalanced body wobbled precariously. A strong arm wrapped securely around her slender waist.

The scent of sweat, grass, and dry earth wafted from the body pressed against hers.

When the horse finally slowed, Yeohee raised her head. The first thing she saw was the sharp line of a man’s jaw. As she squinted against the blinding sunlight, a large hand shaded her face.

“Were you frightened, sister?”

The mischievousness of the prank was in stark contrast to the gentle tone of his voice. Recognizing him, Yeohee’s tensed body relaxed.

It was Jang Mun Jaeyeon, the current head of the Jang family and Marquis Seonyang.

“Just a little,” she answered with a faint smile.

“I told you, you should always take attendants with you when you go out. Where have you been, wandering around alone?”

“I went to Cheongnim Temple, then stopped by the herbalist’s shop on the way back.”

He glanced back toward the road she’d come from, looking puzzled.

“You went without a carriage?”

“It’s not that far, so I walked.”

“Cheongnim Temple is quite a distance to walk. Judging by the time, you must have left at dawn. So diligent, my sister.”

Although his tone was polite, there was an underlying sharpness to his words. Yeohee, puzzled, tilted her head and turned to look at him. The intelligent black horse stomped its hooves impatiently at the mansion’s gate.

“But more importantly, are you hurt anywhere?”

No matter how decisive the victory, Jaeyeon had spent half a year in a war zone. Yeohee cautiously reached out and touched his cheek. As if inviting her inspection, Jaeyeon turned his head side to side according to her touch.

“How could I be hurt, when you’ve been praying for my safety at the temple every day?”

Jaeyeon smiled warmly and wrapped his hand around hers. Her hand, now at the corner of his mouth, looked small and delicate compared to his large hand—hardly any of it was visible.

Maybe it was the rumors she’d heard about him, or perhaps it was the fresh memory that he had only just returned from battle.

As he toyed with her hand and brushed her fingers against his lips, his face seemed oddly unfamiliar. His dark eyes still carried a wild, feral gleam, as if the bloodlust of the battlefield had not entirely faded.

Sensing something different, Yeohee stared at him intently. Jaeyeon mischievously opened his mouth and bit her fingertip, making her gasp in pain. His lips curved into a soft smile at her wide-eyed surprise.

“What are you doing there?”

A sharp voice snapped her out of it. Yeohee quickly pulled her hand back and turned toward the voice.

Standing at the top of the mansion steps was the Lady Dowager, her eyes glinting coldly.

Her silver hair was piled high and adorned with elaborate gold hairpins and combs. Beside her stood a young woman elegantly dressed in crimson silk.

As the Lady Dowager and the young woman descended the steps, Jaeyeon dismounted. Left alone on the horse, Yeohee hastily prepared to jump down, but Jaeyeon reached out and held her back.

“You’ll hurt yourself, sister.”

He caught her wobbling waist and lowered her gently, as if handling a fragile glass vase. Still in his arms, Yeohee peeked at the Lady Dowager’s expression.

As expected, she looked deeply displeased.

“To call a lowborn girl ‘sister,’” the Lady Dowager spat, clicking her tongue.

“She’s two years older than me. If not ‘sister,’ then what should I call her?” Jaeyeon replied coolly.

“Calling her by her name is quite sufficient for a servant girl.”

“Yeohee is not a servant. If you must categorize her…” Jaeyeon turned his eyes toward the young woman beside the Lady Dowager. “Then she is a guest of this house, just like the one at your side.”

The young woman’s face contorted at the insult, and the Lady Dowager’s expression darkened.

“A guest? Yeohee serves you personally, does she not?”

“You must have forgotten, Grandmother. Yeohee was not brought here as a slave. She stays with us as the granddaughter of Scholar Yeo, a longtime friend of my grandfather. There’s no difference between her and the lady at your side. Moreover, Yeohee’s attending me is merely a habit from raising me since I was young. She does not serve everyone in this house—only me.”

“…”

“In other words, as you said, only I have the right to receive her service,” Jaeyeon finished firmly.

The Lady Dowager’s lips twisted unpleasantly at his unwavering stance. His meaning was clear: no one in the Jang family was to treat Yeohee disrespectfully.

Unable to rebuke the family head publicly, the Lady Dowager’s scornful gaze shifted to Yeohee.

“Well, fine. Enjoy her service while you can. Soon you won’t be able to keep her by your side anyway. Meanwhile, a seat has been prepared in the central courtyard. Join me. I have important matters to discuss with you.”

Supported by the young woman, the Lady Dowager walked back into the mansion. Jaeyeon watched her retreating figure with a faint, sardonic smile.

“Let’s go, sister.”

Handing the reins to a servant, Jaeyeon grabbed Yeohee’s hand and led her up the steps. As he headed straight toward the central courtyard, Yeohee tugged on his arm.

“You should go alone.”

“Why?”

His eyes asked the question as well, and Yeohee smiled gently.

“There are many things I must prepare after being out all morning. I need to check if your bathwater has been heated and whether your meal is ready.”

“I’d prefer to bathe right away.”

“Then I’ll send word the moment preparations are complete.”

At her words, Jaeyeon nodded, and Yeohee stepped back with a bow.

Once she was out of sight, the softness in Jaeyeon’s expression disappeared, replaced by a sharp edge. He opened and closed the hand that had held hers, then scanned the hallway, scrutinizing each of the servants.

He called to his guard, who was standing a few steps away.

“Where is Steward Go? I see many unfamiliar faces around the house.”

Steward Go, who had served the Jang family for over twenty years, had always personally greeted Jaeyeon at the gates upon his return. Before leaving for the front lines half a year ago, Jaeyeon had entrusted the management of the household to Steward Go and Yeohee together. Yet now, it seemed that while the tiger was away, the foxes had moved in to act as masters—perhaps even maliciously so.

“Find Steward Go. And also, investigate what Grandmother has been doing in this house.”

“Yes, my lord,” the guard responded with a bow.

Jaeyeon lingered for a long moment, staring in the direction Yeohee had disappeared, before finally turning away. The house that should have welcomed him felt tainted by strangers.

* * *

It was the season when fresh sprouts should be breaking through and flower buds forming, yet the central courtyard of the Jang family estate seemed to be rushing ahead by a whole season.

It looked as if they had uprooted flowers from the warmer southern regions and replanted them here; blooms were in full blossom all around. But since the climate didn’t suit them, the flowers would surely wither soon. If they had bloomed naturally in season, it would have been beautiful. But because they were forced to grow, it was hard to find them truly lovely.

Drip, drip.
The sound of tea being poured pulled Jaeyeon’s gaze back from the distance. Sitting at Bonghwang Pavilion, where the corridors connected, he looked across at his grandmother.

The blooms were not limited to the courtyard—the elderly woman seated across from him was adorned with extravagant golden hair ornaments worth many times more than the flowers outside.

“Isn’t the courtyard splendid?” the Lady Dowager said. “With no mistress to tend the gardens, the grounds had become so bleak. So I brought early-blooming peonies and azaleas from Sanhyang to liven the place up.”

“You’ve done a useless thing,” Jaeyeon replied. “Flowers are meant to bloom in their own time. A flower ripped from its roots is more pitiful than beautiful.”

At her grandson’s cold rebuke, the Lady Dowager’s face stiffened. Jaeyeon lifted his tea cup and turned it in his hand absentmindedly. Though the warmth spread to his fingertips, it didn’t reach his frozen heart.

“When did you arrive here?” he asked.

“I came up as soon as I heard you were marching to the western front. Without a mistress and with the master of the house away for so long, who else would manage the affairs of such a grand estate? I thought I might be of some help,” she said, her voice trailing off as she glanced at the young woman beside her.

“And besides… since heirs are so precious to our family, we must hurry to arrange your marriage. Securing a successor is something we can no longer delay. I intend to arrange your marriage with Miss Juhwa, the eldest daughter of the Hong family.”

The young woman seated beside the Lady Dowager met Jaeyeon’s gaze and smiled coyly, her half-moon eyes brimming with uncontained flirtation.

“So it’s my marriage, yet Grandmother decides everything,” Jaeyeon said with a smirk.

“As the elder of the house, it’s only proper that I take charge,” the Lady Dowager retorted.

“An heir… Sure,” Jaeyeon said. “But Grandmother, as always, you know nothing about me.”

“What do you mean by that?” she asked, a flash of confusion in her eyes.

Jaeyeon turned the teacup again, the tea swirling lazily along its rim. Then he glanced toward Yang, his bodyguard, who had appeared at the right corridor. Seeing Yang nodding slightly, indicating he had found Steward Go, Jaeyeon’s lips twisted faintly.

“I don’t drink tea unless it’s served by Yeohee.”

He tilted his arm, and the tea spilled from the cup, darkening the dry floor beneath him.

“And I have no intention of marrying anyone but one person.”

After draining the last drop from the cup, he placed the empty cup down on the table with a soft thud.