Chapter 07
At that moment, Hwa-yu unconsciously paused and looked at Soya.
Oppa…
He had thought it was an unworthy title for a child who had deceived the family.
And yet—
He felt something strange.
“I have somewhere to go for a moment. Wait here.”
Hwa-yu hid his thoughts behind an awkward smile.
And then—
—
“What happened to that child?”
“She’s dead.”
—
Suddenly, a scene flashed before Soya’s eyes—
Hwa-yu is talking to a man in a black mask.
She flinched.
What was that …?
The vision disappeared instantly, like a dream.
A cold sweat ran down her forehead.
It must have been her imagination.
“Soya?”
Hwa-yu called her.
She snapped back to her senses.
“I’ll be back soon, so wait here—”
He seemed strangely anxious.
As if he were afraid she might refuse.
It’s a lie.
Soya knew instinctively.
That his words were a lie.
That he wouldn’t come back.
That this—
was the moment she was being abandoned.
And yet—
“Yes, Young Master.”
She smiled and nodded.
holding the beaded bracelet he had given her tightly.
Only then did Hwa-yu turn away in relief.
Soya stood there, watching his back as he walked away.
The fresh smile on her face slowly faded.
The sun set.
Night fell.
The festival ended, and the streets emptied.
Soya was left alone.
He didn’t come.
And he wouldn’t come.
Still—
she remained there.
touching the bracelet,
waiting.
Even though she knew he wouldn’t return.
Because she wanted to hold onto the feeling of waiting for him.
Still… It was nice.
She truly thought so.
She was a bad little bird who had deceived her family and hurt them.
And yet—
They had taken her in and raised her until she was nine.
Today’s short outing felt like an incredible luxury—
like receiving the most precious gift in the world.
So she shouldn’t resent them.
Even if—
They had abandoned her.
* * *
Her body began to heat up.
Her throat stung.
Her movements became sluggish.
Soya knew why.
She had eaten peaches.
When she was younger, she had suffered like this before.
And after her situation changed,
The maids would sometimes force her to eat peaches just to torment her.
Still—
It would pass after a few hours.
Like always.
What worried her more was—
what she would do now.
She had nowhere to go.
Nothing to her name—
“Run!”
A sudden voice rang in her head.
What was that?
At that exact moment—
Swoosh—!
A dagger sliced past her hair.
Strands of her white hair fell to the ground.
“……!”
Her eyes widened.
If she hadn’t turned her head—
It wouldn’t have been her hair that was cut.
It would have been her throat.
A chilling sensation crawled over her skin.
She sensed killing intent—
and saw him.
A man in a black mask, standing in the bushes.
Their eyes met.
—
The earlier vision came back to her.
—
“What happened to that child?”
“She’s dead.”
—
Her heart dropped.
It wasn’t a hallucination.
It was the future.
And now—
She understood.
That “child”… was me.
She had thought “removing her” meant being sent away.
Far away from Lili.
But—
It didn’t.
Oppa… is trying to kill me.
Her eyes shook violently.
She didn’t want to believe it—
But she couldn’t deny it.
I have to run… I have to…
But her body, weakened by the peaches,
wouldn’t move properly.
The killing intent was getting closer.
“Don’t just stand there! Run, Soya!”
The voice rang out again.
There was no time to question it.
Soya ran—
in the opposite direction.
Behind her, she heard footsteps chasing her.
Thu d. Thu d. Thu d.
Her body trembled.
Her legs threatened to give out.
But she kept running.
Then—
“Ah!”
She tripped over a stone and fell.
Clatter—
The bracelet snapped, and colorful beads scattered.
At the same time,
The small pouch hidden in her clothes fell out.
“Ah…!”
And then—
“You little rat.”
A shadow loomed over her.
Soya froze and looked up.
The masked man stood before her—
raising his sword.
No… I’m going to die.
A small child could never escape an adult.
She closed her eyes tightly—
***
Clang—!
A sharp sound rang out.
The assassin’s sword flew away.
Soya slowly opened her eyes.
The first thing she saw—
was a broad back.
Father…?
No—
It wasn’t him.
A tall man stood before her.
his long white hair flowing to his waist.
On his shoulder was a silk cloak.
embroidered with a fierce white beast with blue eyes—
and a blue emblem.
Soya recognized it immediately.
The guardian of the West.
The ruler of the land.
The king of beasts.
—
The White Tiger…
—
The head of the Baek family—
someone she had only heard about—
stood in front of her, wielding his sword with elegance.
* * *
Baek Sa-eon,
head of the White Tiger family,
had come to the southern lands under the prince’s command.
—
“Go to the Vermilion Bird territory. Bring me the most valuable thing there.”
—
It was a strange, riddle-like order—
But he couldn’t refuse.
—
“And in return, I will give you the Dragon Blood Herb you’ve been searching for.”
—
The prince knew exactly what he wanted.
So it was less a command—
and more of a deal.
He hadn’t expected to end up stealing from the Vermilion Bird clan—
those foolish firebirds.
But then—
he sensed killing intent nearby—
and moved instinctively.
***
Slash—!
His white blade cut cleanly through the assassin.
Sa-eon looked down coldly.
With a flick of his sword,
He cut off the assassin’s mask.
Revealed underneath—
was a tattoo of a three-legged crow.
The mark of the Vermilion Bird clan’s assassins—
Samjok-o.
Sa-eon frowned slightly.
Then—
He felt something trembling beside him.
He turned.
“…?”
A small figure.
Pale.
Shaking.
Yet strangely calm for her age.
“What is this… little cotton ball?”
It was a small,
soft,
white-haired girl—
like a tiny cotton ball.
