Chapter 119
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Chapter 119
When Mother passed away, Jeok Hwayou was still very young.
So his memories of her were not vivid.
However, he retained a faint recollection of the day he witnessed Mother's flight in her beast form.
Waking early in the dawn, he rubbed his eyes drowsily and rose to search for Mother, following the chirping of a bird toward Hayeonji Pond.
There, he discovered Mother—a small red-headed tit in beast form—soaring gracefully above the lotus flowers.
[Mom....]
[Shh.]
As he moved toward Mother, Father—who had been there all along without his notice—brought a finger to his lips and whispered.
[Hwayou, don't disturb Mother's flight. Let's simply watch.]
Jeok Hwayou nodded obediently.
Then Jeok Ahyun smiled warmly and lifted him into his arms.
It had been so beautiful—that memory of watching Mother's flight cradled in Father's embrace beneath the crystalline dawn air.
Yet why did that distant memory resurface at the sight of this small bird, whose form he could barely discern....
"Older Brother. What are you staring at so intently?"
Jeok Hwayou, who had been gazing blankly into the distance, suddenly snapped back to awareness at the sound of Riri's voice calling to him.
"Ah, Riri."
"Here I am so upset, and Older Brother is lost in thought!"
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Riri. I thought I saw something strange for a moment."
Mother, who had passed away so long ago, could not possibly be here. What was I thinking?
Jeok Hwayou quickly dismissed that peculiar reverie and set about comforting the sulking Riri.
Meanwhile, the small bird had flown far away and vanished from sight.
* * *
Meanwhile, in a corner of the Imperial Palace Garden.
Jeok Soya, transformed into the shape of a small bird, perched atop a tree, searching for something.
[Soya, you know, if you go to the Imperial Palace Garden, there's this one enormous zelkova tree that's three hundred years old.]
This was information she had learned from Chung Ha during her recent visit to the Eastern Lands.
[Be sure to check the very top of that tree. Your mother hid something there.]
[At the top of the tree?]
[That tree was the meeting place your father and I promised each other.]
When Chung Ha was fourteen—exactly Jeok Soya's age.
She had been summoned to the Imperial Palace as the heir of the Cheongryong Family, just as Gaya is now.
And naturally, Sayeon, who was already establishing himself as the firm heir of the Baekho Family, had also been summoned to the Imperial Palace.
[I was sitting on a branch as usual, waiting for your father, when I heard his footsteps approaching. So I thought I'd surprise him with a "ta-da!" but then I heard the voice of a Palace Maid who works in the Imperial Palace too?]
[Really?]
[When I listened more carefully, that Palace Maid was confessing her feelings to your father.]
[My goodness, how could he! How could Father receive a confession from another woman when Mother was right there above him!]
Jeok Soya, who had been listening to her parents' old story with an intrigued expression, cried out indignantly.
Of course, it wasn't Sayeon's fault for receiving the confession, but still, she felt an inexplicable sense of betrayal.
Of course, it wasn't Sayeon's fault for receiving the confession, but still, he felt an inexplicable sense of betrayal.
"That's why I was so angry that I hid the gift I had prepared for him on impulse."
"You did the right thing, Mother!"
Jeok Soya clenched her fist as if it were her own matter and chirped in agreement enthusiastically.
"That's right—only our Soya takes my side like this."
At that, Chung Ha giggled and spoke to Jeok Soya.
"If you happen to visit the Imperial Palace again, could our Soya find that item for Mother?"
And so Jeok Soya was rummaging through the top of the tree that Chung Ha had described, keeping her promise.
'Mother wanted to give this to Father when she was my age—I'm so curious what it is.'
Chung Ha hadn't told her what the item was.
That only made Jeok Soya more curious.
As Jeok Soya rummaged through the branches, she discovered a small hole in the pillar.
Inside, she found a small, elongated object wrapped carefully in a blue handkerchief.
"I found it...!"
Delighted, Jeok Soya let out a bright, tinkling laugh.
"Be careful, Soya. There are wood splinters over there."
At the gentle voice calling to her, Jeok Soya turned around without thinking and was startled. Because there...
"Your Majesty?"
Platinum-colored hair that gleamed as if melting sunlight itself. Eyes of an alluring green hue that held the freshness of spring foliage.
A boy of beautiful countenance, crafted with the utmost care by the heavens, sat comfortably upon a branch in relaxed attire.
Now sixteen years old and the same age as her second Older Brother, Tae Irim stood gracefully at the boundary between boyhood and youth, his gaze elegant and refined.
'How... how long has he been here?'
Jeok Soya, flustered, stared at him blankly for a moment.
She had heard this was a garden reserved for outsiders, so she couldn't fathom why the Emperor himself would be here.
"Come here, Soya. I'll take it out for you."
Tae Irim smiled gently and extended the back of his hand toward Jeok Soya.
Jeok Soya alighted upon his fingers without thinking, then immediately realized how natural her action had been.
Tae Irim seemed experienced in handling beast-form individuals, for the way he held his hand steady with one finger raised to support Jeok Soya was quite skillful.
Even her Older Brothers had fumbled awkwardly when Jeok Soya first transformed, unsure how to support the small bird's body, spreading their palms stiffly in confusion.
Tae Irim settled Jeok Soya on one hand and extended his other arm to retrieve the item from the tree hollow in her stead.
Just as he had said, the peeled bark protruded like splinters—it would have hurt terribly if she'd been pricked.
"Here it is."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Jeok Soya, feeling oddly embarrassed, answered while wagging her tail from side to side.
Tae Irim smiled softly, his eyes crinkling with warmth.
"There is a custom passed down among the lovers of the Central Region."
He unwrapped the tightly wound handkerchief.
Then a silver hairpin, intricately crafted with a valiant tiger, came into view.
Judging by its size and shape, it was meant for men.
"A woman gives a man a silver hairpin, and the man gives a woman a golden one in return, thus sealing a covenant."
"A covenant...?"
As Tae Irim explained, Jeok Soya's mind began to whirl rapidly.
Then Mother had intended to give this to Father as a gift....
'Of course! Mother must have liked Father since he was very young!'
Soya, feeling as though she'd made a new discovery, laughed without thinking, emitting a cheerful chirping sound.
Then, between Soya's trilling bird-like laughter, Tae Irim's laughter intermingled.
'Oh my.'
Soya was startled and stopped laughing abruptly.
The habit she'd formed at Baek Ho Palace of laughing this way had caused her to emit bird calls without realizing it.
She felt somewhat embarrassed at having shown him her laughter, which resembled that of a baby bird.
"My, I didn't mean to startle you, Soya."
At the sight of Soya frozen in surprise, he spoke in an apologetic tone.
"I simply found your laughter so delightful―"
His eyes, which held her small form within them, widened in circles.
"And moreover, adorable."
"...?"
Soya's two eyes, like black beans embedded in pure white down, blinked at those words.
"Then let us meet again at the banquet tomorrow."
Tae Irim smiled gently at the sight of Soya, then vanished in an instant, leaving only those words behind.
"Ah...? Your Majesty?"
Soya glanced around in confusion, but Tae Irim had already disappeared without a trace.
Only the spot where he had sat, with its blue fabric and rustling leaves, testified to his presence.
"Truly, he is like the wind."
Soya stared blankly at the place where he had departed, then tilted her head at a sudden question.
'But how did His Majesty recognize me at once?'
Though she had shown him her beast form for the first time, he had recognized her immediately.
'Perhaps, being the Yellow Dragon, there is nothing he does not know.'
Soya found a reasonable explanation and accepted it, then descended with the silver hairpin held in her beak.
"Soya!"
The black-haired boy waiting below rushed toward Soya.
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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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