Chapter 19
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Chapter 19
It was time for So Ya's meal.
The table overflowed with food.
When Sa Eon first brought So Ya to Baek Ho Palace cradled in her arms, the child had been skeletal and gaunt, but with proper nourishment and rest, she had gradually filled out.
After finishing her meal until she could eat no more, So Ya drank every last drop of the medicinal broth that Yeon Jeong had brought her.
'Most children would have whined or grimaced at the bitter taste of such a remedy.'
'Our young lady is truly obedient and well-behaved.'
Yeon Jeong and San Ho watched So Ya drink the broth without so much as a flinch, their hearts swelling with admiration.
"Wonderful! Our young lady, you're absolutely amazing!"
Yeon Jeong clapped her hands as she gazed at the empty medicinal bowl.
"Now it's time to cleanse your palate. Say 'ah' for me."
"Ah..."
So Ya opened her tiny mouth like a baby bird.
San Ho chuckled softly and popped a sweet confection into So Ya's mouth.
So Ya chewed the candy contentedly with her small mouth.
The lingering bitter notes of the medicinal broth mingled beautifully with the sweet taste of the confection flooding her palate.
'Why does everyone treat me so kindly?'
So Ya's cheeks flushed as she pondered this.
The delicious food and clean clothes were wonderful, but what I treasured most was the sight of people smiling at me.
The people of the Jujak Family would frown and avoid me whenever they saw me, but everyone here at Baek Ho Palace beamed at me with genuine warmth.
They praised me and smiled for the smallest accomplishments—finishing my meals without waste, drinking my medicine—as if I had done something extraordinary.
'So this is what warmth feels like. This is what a smile can do. I should smile more often too.'
With that thought, So Ya broke into a bright smile.
Just as their smiles had warmed my heart, I wanted to return that same warmth and joy to everyone at Baek Ho Palace.
Sa Eon had told me to stay here 'for now.'
I didn't know when this 'for now' would end, but I believed that this moment—living in the western chamber of Baek Ho Palace—was the happiest 'for now' of my entire life.
'I hope this 'for now' lasts a very long time. Long enough that I'll remember this sweetness forever.'
To ensure I would remember this bittersweet 'for now' for as long as possible, I chewed the remaining candy in my mouth slowly and deliberately.
At that moment, Ho Jeok Young arrived carrying a gift from Sa Eon.
"The Family Head gave this to me?"
So Ya's eyes sparkled as she gazed at the wooden box in Jeok Young's hands.
"Yes. He said it was a token of gratitude for the talisman."
The talisman had been his way of thanking me for saving him, and now he was giving me another gift as a reward.
So Ya's heart swelled with emotion.
When she opened the wooden box, a tiger-shaped cloth doll tumbled out.
"A tiger!"
So Ya exclaimed with delight.
Everyone burst into laughter at the sight of the young lady with flushed cheeks and sparkling eyes gazing at the tiger doll.
"Thanks to your talisman chasing away the spirits, this tiger doll slept soundly all last night."
"Wow...!"
"Stop staring like that and try holding it."
"Am I allowed to do that?"
"Of course. This is a gift from the Family Head to you, Miss."
At the urging voice, I swallowed hard and gazed at the tiger doll.
Then, very carefully, I cradled the fabric doll in my arms.
It was just as soft and plush as the cloth doll I used to sleep with in Father's embrace when I was very young.
I too had cloth dolls from my childhood, but when I was cast into the Cold Palace, they were all taken from me and burned.
Among them was a magnificent phoenix doll that my late mother had sewn with her own hands while waiting for my birth.
The scrap of cloth I barely managed to find in the ashes was blackened with soot, its original form unrecognizable.
At the memory, tears threatened to spill over.
"Oh, what should I do? I'm so grateful...."
I mumbled anxiously, unsure how to express this overwhelming emotion.
Then I asked carefully.
"Could I possibly have some paper and ink?"
"Pardon? Paper and... ink?"
"Are you thinking of drawing a picture, Miss?"
"No. I want to write a letter to Jeok Young."
I shook my head as I answered.
At this, everyone exchanged surprised glances with one another.
Could it be that this small young lady could actually write?
But reading and writing were privileges granted only to the children of noble families.
Yeon Jeong brought out the ink, inkstone, paper, and brush with a mixture of doubt and curiosity.
I sat down immediately and ground the ink, then picked up the brush and wrote the letter.
Though my hand lacked strength and the strokes were slightly uneven at the ends, the overall calligraphy was neat and refined.
In fact, it was far superior to the youngest young master's writing, and comparable to the second young master's.
Everyone was taken aback.
Unaware of what those around me were truly thinking, I was quite disheartened that my writing, which I hadn't done in so long, seemed crooked and clumsy.
"It's been so long since I've held a brush... Is it really that poor?"
"No, Miss! It's absolutely perfect!"
"The Family Head will surely be delighted when he receives this letter!"
San Ho and Yeon Jeong quickly waved their hands at my downturned eyes.
At this, my face brightened.
"Then please deliver my letter to the Family Head! Please, Jeok Young!"
"Don't worry, Miss."
Jeok Young smiled softly and accepted my letter.
I hugged the tiger doll tightly and grinned widely.
* * *
Meanwhile, the night before when I came looking for him with a stone.
Ga Hyeon had not been asleep but pretending to sleep as she observed me.
The little bundle of fluff that had crept into my room placed something by my pillow and hurried out.
"What is it?"
The moment So Ya left, I checked and found it was nothing but an ordinary stone.
"What kind of prank is this."
Ga Hyeon dismissed it as a strange joke and, irritated, simply discarded it.
But the next morning.
Ga Yul arrived at my chamber carrying a stone, eager to show it off.
"Look at this, Brother! It's a talisman I got from Cotton Puff!"
"A talisman?"
"Yes, a talisman! When I mentioned that ghosts live in Baek Ho Palace, Cotton Puff gave me this ghost-repelling talisman!"
Ga Hyeon regarded my younger sibling with a look of pity.
Ghosts, talismans—I couldn't fathom such nonsense.
"You didn't see Cotton Puff transform into a human, did you? But I did! It was so tiny and adorable."
"...."
"But why is Cotton Puff so afraid of transforming? It was incredibly cute...."
Ga Yul wasn't particularly perceptive, but possessed keen animal instincts.
The emotion So Ya had shown when asked to display that transformed state was unmistakably fear.
"Maybe it's so cute that... Cotton Puff is afraid of being kidnapped! What should I do, Brother? If Cotton Puff actually gets kidnapped...!"
Ga Hyeon's head began to throb at my younger sibling's nonsense.
"Be quiet and leave."
"This is a serious matter! Cotton Puff is so incredibly small! If bad thieves hide it in a pocket or somewhere and run away, it'll be hard to catch them!"
Yet Ga Yul didn't leave and continued chattering on.
Ga Hyeon ignored Ga Yul, rose from my seat, and walked outside.
Unaware of where Ga Hyeon was heading, Ga Yul followed along, still prattling.
"So that's why Father must have stolen Cotton Puff too! This won't do, Brother. I...."
Then Ga Hyeon suddenly stopped.
Thud!
"Ow, ow, ow. If you stop so suddenly like that...."
It was then that Ga Yul, who had rammed his nose into Ga Hyeon's back without warning, was rubbing the tip of his nose.
"Oh, Young Master Yul!"
"U-uh?"
Ga Yul poked his head out cautiously at the booming voice, only then realizing this was the Training Ground.
Ga Yul's Martial Arts Master, having discovered a disciple who had neglected training these past few days, approached with an ominous tone.
"Hehehehe, I see you fled again yesterday while I was away for a moment."
"M-Master...! Wait, that, that is...."
Ga Hyeon caught Ga Yul by the scruff of the neck as he tried to back away and escape, then handed him over to the Master.
"Here, take him."
"H-How could you do this to me, Brother! You're not my brother anymore!"
Ga Hyeon let out a scoff as I watched Ga Yul being dragged away by the Master, protesting loudly.
"Finally, it's quiet."
It was then that I, feeling considerably lighter, was about to head back.
Across the way, I spotted So Ya crouched in the garden, rustling about among the plants.
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