Chapter 42
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Chapter 42
In the dream, Jeok Soya turned six years old.
Today was the day Jeok Soya would undergo her first transformation.
My heart raced with unbridled excitement.
I would become a magnificent phoenix, just like Father and my older brothers!
Surely they would praise me for how splendid I looked?
The thought made me giggle uncontrollably.
Following the instructions Father and my older brothers had taught me, I pressed my hands together gracefully....
Burst!
Success at last!
Huh? Why is everyone so quiet?
Were they all so astonished by how magnificent my baby phoenix form was?
Father! I succeeded in my transformation!
Please congratulate me!
Father! ...Father?
Father, why....
Older brother....
....
....
This place is so cold.
Cold and lonely and terrifying.
But the coldest and most frightening thing in this desolate place was....
Father's gaze—so piercing it felt like it would freeze my very heart solid.
My older brother's voice—as though it belonged to a complete stranger.
And yet....
And yet....
Still, I longed to see Father. And my older brothers too.
Father, please don't abandon me.
Older brother, please come back for me.
Next time, I will succeed in my transformation.
I will become a magnificent baby phoenix.
So please....
Please....
.
.
"Yelp! Yelp!"
Snap!
At the whimpering sound near my pillow, I jolted awake.
"Gasp, gasp...."
Cold sweat drenched my forehead as I struggled to catch my breath.
"Whine...?"
Seol Yo, in the form of a black wolf, looked up at me with worried eyes.
"Seol Yo...? Oh..."
I realized then that this wasn't the Joojak Residence but the Western End Room of Baek Ho Palace, and that I had merely been having a nightmare.
"It was just a dream."
A sigh escaped between my small lips.
"Whine, whine..."
"Thank you, Seol Yo. I'm glad you woke me up."
I wiped away the cold sweat and smiled gently at Seol Yo.
Then Seol Yo nuzzled his head against the side of my bed.
Seol Yo had been living here at Baek Ho Palace for the past several days.
Only Sayeon, the head of the Baekho Family, the two young masters, and San Ho, who had accompanied the family head during the war with the Northern Lands, knew that Seol Yo was a demonic beast.
To everyone else, San Ho—the leader of all wolves in the Western Lands and the head of the Indigo Wolf Clan—had falsely vouched for Seol Yo's identity.
Thanks to that, Seol Yo could roam Baek Ho Palace in wolf form, and people adored him as "the kind wolf who helped the young lady."
Of course, the shy Seol Yo stayed glued to my side and hid whenever others called for him.
"My, you're up early this morning, Miss."
Just then, the door opened and Yeon Jeong entered.
"Yeon Jeong!"
"Without anyone waking you, and you're up so early. Our precious young lady must be very excited—today is the Mountain Lord Festival, after all."
"Yes, that's right."
In truth, I had woken early because of the nightmare, but I simply nodded without correcting her.
Today was the day the Mountain Lord Festival—which had been stirring excitement throughout Baek Ho Palace for some time—would be held, and it was also the day I would be officially recognized as Sayeon's adopted daughter before the Baekho Family's retainers.
"Then shall we prepare?"
With Yeon Jeong's help, I washed thoroughly and changed into clothes suited for movement.
As I dressed modestly, I noticed a white tiger emblem embroidered on the garment and paused.
"What is this...?"
It was the same pattern I had seen on Sayeon's clothes not long ago.
Yeon Jeong placed her palm near my ear and whispered as if sharing an enormous secret.
"Hehe. For this Mountain Lord Festival, they've invited not just the tigers but all the major families of the Western Lands. The family head has been preparing for this—to introduce our young lady to everyone."
"..."
My face flushed crimson all over again.
Watching the corners of my mouth twitch with barely contained emotion, Yeon Jeong giggled.
"But do you know why they hold the Mountain Lord Festival on Horim Mountain, Miss? The truth is, all of Horim Mountain is the spiritual body of the ancient divine beast, the White Tiger."
"Really? That mountain?"
I asked in disbelief.
"Then I've been walking all over the White Tiger's body? How dreadful—what should I do?"
"Don't worry yourself, Miss. The White Tiger is so vast and sturdy that even a hundred of our delicate young ladies—no, a thousand, or ten thousand—could come and play without causing any harm."
Yeon Jeong brushed my hair while telling me about the divine beasts.
"You've heard of the ancient Four Divine Beasts, haven't you, Miss?"
Long, long ago—before the nation of Taehwa Kingdom even came into existence.
There were four mystical ancient divine beasts that protected the beast-kin living in these lands.
The Azure Dragon of the East, the White Tiger of the West, the Vermillion Bird of the South, and the Black Tortoise of the North.
Four divine beasts that once ruled the world alongside the Yellow Dragon, the guardian of the center—people called them the Four Sacred Beasts.
Though they had become legend, there were still those who believed they would one day awaken again.
And eight years ago, after the Hyunmu Clan defected and conspired with the demon race to plunge the continent into chaos, people's belief transformed into spreading hope.
"That's why people await the Yellow Dragon's Bride. There is an ancient prophecy that the Yellow Dragon's Bride will awaken the primordial Four Sacred Beasts."
"Isn't the Yellow Dragon's Bride a title for the wife of His Imperial Majesty?"
Jeok Soya, who had been listening silently to Yeon Jeong's tale, tilted her head and asked.
In the Taehwa Kingdom, the "Yellow Dragon" was a title for the Son of Heaven.
If the Four Great Families inherited the blood of the four divine beasts, then the Imperial Family that ruled the Taehwa Kingdom was said to inherit the blood of the ancient Yellow Dragon that commanded the Four Sacred Beasts.
"Though it has become a title referring to the emperor's consort in modern times, the true Yellow Dragon's Bride was originally an existence that encompassed all four divine beasts and pursued harmony to prevent the Yellow Dragon's immense power from being misused."
This was why the Four Great Families presented candidates for the Yellow Dragon's Bride—because they possessed the bloodline closest to the divine beasts.
"In any case, what matters is that the other divine beasts left behind divine artifacts by using portions of their spiritual essence, but the White Tiger alone left no divine artifact."
Jeok Soya was familiar with divine artifacts. She had seen one from the Jujak Family when she was very young.
'The Vermillion Bird's divine artifact was a great bow adorned with crimson feathers...'
She remembered the curiosity of her childhood, when she had secretly touched it.
"So the beast-kin of the Western Lands believed that somewhere on Horim Mountain, known as the White Tiger's spiritual essence, there must be a divine artifact. The Mountain Lord Festival began as a search for that artifact. Though now it has devolved into a hunting event for young beast-kin."
As Jeok Soya became absorbed in Yeon Jeong's tale, Baek Gahyun and Baek Gayul, who had finished their preparations earlier, suddenly came looking for her.
"Soya, are you ready?"
"Cotton puff, what are you doing! Let's go!"
"Yes! I'm all prepared now!"
Jeok Soya, who had just finished her own preparations, sprang up and grasped her older brothers' hands as they headed toward the North Gate.
Before the North Gate that connected Baek Ho Palace and Horim Mountain.
Dozens of mountain beasts bore open palanquins on their backs.
The Mountain Lord Festival began at the peak of Horim Mountain, and children who had not yet undergone their first transformation had to ride palanquins to reach the summit.
The moment Baek Gayul spotted the palanquins, he began sneaking toward the mountain entrance, only to have his chin caught by Sayeon.
"Where do you think you're going, little tiger?"
"Ugh! I can climb to the mountain peak all by myself without needing a palanquin!"
"Little tiger, you're saying something ridiculous."
Sayeon pouted and grumbled as he seated the complaining Baek Gayul on a palanquin, then extended his hand toward Jeok Soya.
"Little cotton puff, ride this palanquin here."
"Yes, Sayeon!"
Just as Jeok Soya grasped Sayeon's hand and was about to board the white palanquin bearing the Baekho Family's emblem.
"Grrrowl!"
Seol Yo, who had followed Jeok Soya, snarled and chased away the mountain beast carrying her palanquin.
"Seol Yo, you shouldn't do that."
Jeok Soya was at a loss at Seol Yo's violent behavior.
"This fellow. Does he like cotton puff that much?"
Sayeon asked while stroking Seol Yo's head.
At that, Seol Yo turned his head away with a huff and snorted.
"Growl!"
"Can't be helped. You're in charge of carrying the cotton ball today."
As Sayeon spoke with a chuckle, Seol Yo eagerly lay down flat on the ground.
"Whimper, whimper...!"
Seol Yo, who had been growling fiercely just moments before, now gazed up at Jeok Soya with large eyes and let out adorable whining sounds.
"Huh?"
At this sight, Sayeon let out a hollow laugh as if flabbergasted.
"That beast, surely not."
Sayeon narrowed his eyes and stared at Seol Yo with an exaggerated serious expression, muttering to himself.
"Is it male?"
It looked exactly like a young male putting on airs to impress a girl he liked.
Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org