chapter 56
When I said I was going to the capital to attend the Crown Prince’s birthday celebration, my family finally wore the expression of “what’s done is done.”
“Going around in circles, only to end up back where we started.”
Grandmother’s words were spot on.
I had gotten engaged to Huireok to avoid becoming the Crown Princess who would spend her whole life in the palace, but now, it seemed I would have to go at least once.
“Are you sure you can handle the stench?”
“You know me. I come and go from the Security Bureau all the time.”
My uncle’s second son, Seon-oppa, had become an officer in the Security Bureau. The Bureau, which specializes in tracking down criminals, suited him perfectly because of his keen intuition.
I would “visit” the Bureau under the pretext of delivering his lunch. Then, whenever I noticed people whose crimes didn’t match the particularly foul smells they carried, I’d let Seon-oppa know something was off.
He would then interrogate the criminals, finding the hidden sins they had tried to cover up.
Thanks to that, I grew a little and my nose became accustomed to all sorts of foul odors.
As my body grew, my patience for enduring stench increased, so I felt confident I wouldn’t faint even in the capital.
“I’m glad Seon helped you.”
Aunt Baek smiled warmly.
“Even though our second son is so obsessed with work that he hasn’t considered marriage at all, it’s nice that he’s still helpful in some way.”
“Humhum.”
Uncle Baek coughed to cut off Aunt Baek’s worry-laden complaint.
Seon-oppa was twenty-one this year and still unmarried.
Even though he had a good family, handsome looks, and a stable job, it was useless because he rejected every marriage proposal. Aunt Baek had vented briefly about their second son’s stubbornness.
“There’s no point in rushing him.”
Grandmother, who had already endured her siblings’ weddings, offered advice to Aunt Baek.
“Let him be. If he meets the right person, he’ll go even if you tell him not to.”
“Do you think so?”
“Yes. And the eldest, Shion, is managing his household well, isn’t he?”
“Shion-oppa is responsible for the family, so Seon doesn’t actively seek a match.”
The eldest son, Shion, got engaged at seventeen and married as soon as he became an adult.
I still remember his beaming face at the wedding, so strikingly resembling Uncle Baek, smiling so brightly that the guests were astonished there could be such a person in the Hyun family.
By the way, my new sister-in-law is also a dog-beast like us.
Like Uncle and Aunt Baek, Shion met his wife at the academy. I welcomed my new sister-in-law, who had soft brown hair and a gentle impression.
As a beast, she resembled a large brown retriever with long fur and droopy ears.
Her personality was gentle, and she was said to be the top of the academy in martial arts. Shion even remarked that it was hard to predict the outcome if they fought, and I remember being very impressed.
Shion and his wife set up their newlywed home near the Hyun residence because, as the family heir, he had to return to the Hyun estate, and it was convenient to stay nearby.
The people going to the capital had been decided.
From our family, Shion-oppa and I would attend, and from the Baek family, Huireok would participate.
Shion’s wife was absent because she had recently given birth to a beautiful baby. The newborn, a shiny black “puppy,” required postpartum care.
“I wish I could stay with Anshi and the baby too…”
Anshi is my sister-in-law’s name, surname Dam.
Shion seemed troubled by leaving his wife and young son behind.
“Is Seon-oppa really not going?”
“He’s busy. I suggested it a few times, but he refused. Or maybe he realized mother wants him to find a match while in the capital.”
“Aunt Baek must have been anxious.”
“Haha.”
The palace announced that officials didn’t have to attend the birthday celebration. On the surface, it seemed considerate, but in truth, it meant officials already on the state payroll didn’t need to bother attending.
“How’s the baby?”
Shion’s face brightened when I changed the topic to his child.
“Droopy ears. Looks like his mother.”
“Wow. That’s adorable.”
“He has a good appetite too. After meals, his belly is so full, and he’s incredibly cute if you gently pat him.”
“Are his front paws thick too?”
“Of course.”
It felt strange. The cousin who had thrown basins during the Seshi festival was now a baby’s father.
Shion must have felt the same way.
“Hyewon, I never felt like an adult even when I came of age.”
“Mm.”
“I felt like only my body grew. So I was worried. But when my child was born, I realized… being an adult isn’t what makes you a parent.”
“Then what does?”
I saw both Uncle Baek and my father in Shion’s face.
“Having a child makes you an adult.”
Yes. That was unmistakably a “father” expression.
After talking with Shion-oppa, I was lying in the pavilion when I heard steady footsteps.
I have keen ears—just by hearing the steps, I could tell who it was.
“You’re going to the palace?”
“Aunt.”
I waved to my aunt, who had cut her hair short like Grandmother.
“Oh, and hello to Uncle too!”
“Hyewon, hello.”
One year after my youngest uncle married, my aunt finally found a husband and brought him from Achangdo.
The family had been shocked at the news because they never thought my aunt would find a match.
Born the daughter of one of the Three Handsome Men of the Hluk Kingdom and having grown up seeing a second brother just like our father, my aunt seemed nearly impossible to please.
“Did you sleep well last night?”
There he was. I was always impressed by my uncle’s radiant face.
Wow. How can someone be so gracefully handsome?
His light brown hair with a reddish tint flowed near his white cheeks. His eyes were gentle, and his long eyelashes seemed to cast shadows. Even standing still, he looked like he belonged in a painting with flowers in the background.
It was truly my aunt’s victory for waiting until she found a man to her liking.
When the family first saw him, they wondered why he wasn’t listed among the Three Handsome Men of Hluk Kingdom. Hearing me mention it, my aunt burst into laughter.
“I agree. Maybe it’s time to revise the genealogy of the Three Handsome Men—two have already passed away.”
“Cough, cough!”
I choked for a moment.
Originally, the Three Handsome Men were Baeksan, my late grandfather, and a branch of the previous royal family. They belonged to Ho, Gyeon, and Jujak clans, but only Baeksan remained alive.
I was shocked that my aunt casually spoke of such grim matters, but she, like Grandmother, was unbothered.
“People are more excited about the child between you and Sobaksan, aren’t they? After all, you inherit the beauty of our father, one of the Three Handsome Men, and Baeksan.”
“I’m confident we’d have an incredibly beautiful child too.”
The problem was, I wasn’t yet an adult dog.
My aunt nodded knowingly at my reluctant response.
“Adults are too foolish. You’re still so young.”
“Really.”
I never imagined the elders of the family would act as if the baby were already certain. My aunt laughed again at my dismay.
“What about Chichan?”
After a brief chat, I asked about my cousin, who resembled my uncle.
Hyeon Chichan.
As the surname suggests, the five-year-old cousin was a dog-beast. So my aunt enjoyed newlywed life in Achangdo before returning to the Hyun residence.
“We sent him to start martial arts training.”
“Already?”
“Maybe he inherited it from someone. He’s so strong, I need to tire him out by letting him play with other pups.”
My aunt rubbed her forehead tiredly, and my uncle gently massaged her shoulder.
Being from the Cho family, my uncle was knowledgeable about herbs and medicine.
“I’ll take care of the child, so you can rest.”
“Thanks, but I’m fine for now.”
“For the second child too, you should rest.”
“Ugh. This time, I hope we get a deer-like child like you. I respect my sister-in-law for raising two sons recently.”
I took out a basket of snacks I always carried for my pregnant aunt and offered it. My uncle nodded and fed them to her. Meanwhile, tea was poured.
After finishing the refreshments, my aunt explained why she had come.
“I’ll tell you what to watch out for at the palace.”
Having risen from lowly ranks through repeated promotions, my aunt understood palace life well.
“Ask your mother too. But my way is for high-ranking people, so you should also pay attention to the low-level way I’ll tell you and get a feel for it.”
“Thank you, Aunt.”
“It’s nothing. My little niece is still small enough to fit in my hand, and I worry sending you to that den.”
I might not fit in her hand, but I’m confident I could hold her five-year-old cousin, Chichan. I was so small that even though he was stronger and bounced off me, I could still manage.
“If you really don’t want to go, just refuse.”
“I’m fine. It’s something I had to do eventually, and I also want to see the capital.”
“Really?”
Actually, there’s another reason I want to go to the capital. Last year, I finally gathered all the Haetae books.
Was it beginner’s luck or a mishap midway?
After finding five books early on, it took forever to find the remaining five.
I managed to find up to seven through effort, but the rest seemed impossible, and I was half giving up.
Then, suddenly at the end of last year, three more books appeared all at once. I was surprised.
Anyway, after confirming the Haetae gathering place, I realized it was right in the heart of the capital.
As they say, “the darkest place is under the lamp.”
I had assumed the Haetae would avoid the palace, but their gathering spot was set nearby.
And I couldn’t go immediately.
Family events had been scheduled from the end of the year. So I postponed and decided to check out the Haetae gathering place when I finally went to the capital.
In early March, having packed diligently, I headed to the central courtyard with Shion-oppa.
In the courtyard, a slightly smaller-than-usual carriage stood alone—it was also moved by magic.
For this trip to the capital, only one sorcerer would operate the carriage, taking on the role of several.
And that powerful sorcerer was none other than…
“Huireok!”
There stood my fiancé, smiling brightly at me.
