Yeonbi was at a loss for words, her face filled with confusion.
Haena, unable to hear properly, could only look up at Seowan with a worried expression.
Something about Seowan’s face felt strange. It was unusually detached, almost distant.
She had seen that same expression on the man she once called “uncle” right before he died.
“Please… leave now.”
If this conversation continued any longer, something felt like it would break. Haena stepped in front of Seowan to block her.
“If you have something to say, please come back another time—ah!”
Before she could finish, she was suddenly lifted into the air.
When her feet touched the ground again, she was standing once more behind Seowan.
“I thought you said you wouldn’t cause trouble with your own mouth.”
Seowan’s gaze toward the child was cold.
Haena, unable to say anything, lowered her head to the ground. At that moment, Yeonbi’s voice rang out.
“That’s enough. There’s no need to continue watching this farce.”
Seowan ignored her completely, as if she hadn’t heard a word, and only bent slightly to check on Haena.
Yeonbi clicked her tongue in irritation, then turned away sharply.
“I hope I hear good news of whatever this is. I’ll take my leave!”
She disappeared quickly down the hall, her exit as noisy as her arrival.
Seowan did not spare her even a single glance.
Confirming that not a single scratch had been made on Haena, she straightened up.
Seeing that the dishes on the table had already gone cold, Seowan clicked her tongue lightly.
“Heat the food again. And you.”
She gave an order to the servants before looking down at Haena.
Feeling her gaze, Haena flinched.
“Do you understand how dangerous what you just did was?”
Feeling small, Haena bit her lip tightly.
Being scolded for causing trouble was fine.
But hadn’t her sister been the one standing face-to-face with a high-ranking noble all this time?
If what she did for a moment was considered dangerous… then that meant Seowan had also been doing something dangerous all along.
She knew she should apologize.
She knew it—but the words refused to come out.
“Th-then… sister, you shouldn’t do dangerous things either…”
Haena muttered quietly, then bowed her head deeply.
Seowan was momentarily speechless.
“Don’t do dangerous things,” the child had said. How insolent for something so small.
Was she not the great general who stood at the front lines of war?
“You should reflect on your actions. As punishment…”
Seowan sighed and began to speak coldly, but stopped midway.
There was no way she could make this tiny thing run laps around a training ground.
At that moment, the servants returned with reheated food.
Seeing the table filled again, Seowan spoke briefly.
“Eat everything. Don’t leave a single bite.”
Then she returned to her seat.
Feeling the silent command to sit, Haena awkwardly sat down as well.
As if nothing had happened, Seowan resumed her meal.
Following her lead, Haena picked up her spoon and ate cautiously.
“Um… are you alright?”
“Don’t talk during meals.”
Seowan cut her off sharply, then placed carefully prepared fish onto Haena’s rice.
Haena quietly put it into her mouth without a word.
As she chewed, the child’s gloomy expression gradually brightened.
No matter how composed she tried to be, she was still just a child.
Because of the earlier interruption, breakfast had been delayed and she was hungry.
Before long, Haena had finished every last grain of rice.
Seeing Seowan rise from her seat, Haena quickly ran up to her.
“U-um… sis—”
The hesitant address made Seowan look down at her.
“Are you alright? Because of me… are you in trouble?”
She hadn’t heard everything, but she could tell it hadn’t been a pleasant conversation.
And above all, hadn’t Yeonbi said it herself at the beginning?
“The family of a traitor.”
To protect a traitor was itself treason.
No matter how young or naive Haena was, she understood that much.
If Seowan was suffering because she had brought her here, that would be unacceptable.
“There will be no such thing.”
But Seowan replied calmly, as if nothing at all had happened.
“Even if something does happen, I will take responsibility for the choices I made. It has nothing to do with you.”
It was a cold statement.
And yet, for some reason, it felt warm.
Haena lowered her head sadly.
She didn’t understand what was happening, nor how she could help Seowan.
It was a familiar feeling of helplessness.
She had felt this many times in the Yeon family home.
And every time, all she could do was pray.
“I hope nothing bad happens…”
This time too, it was the same.
“Not to me… but to you, sister… I hope nothing bad happens.”
Even if she prayed earnestly, nothing ever changed.
Still, prayer was the only thing she could do, so Haena prayed every day.
At that moment, a rough hand gently landed on her head.
It awkwardly patted her hair, as if unsure how to do it.
It was a clumsy touch, as if it were the first time.
“You don’t need to worry about anything.”
Haena’s neatly tied hair, which Cheongyeon had fixed earlier, was now completely messy.
She didn’t even notice and looked up.
Seowan’s brow was faintly furrowed.
Her hand hesitated, then gently patted Haena’s head once more before withdrawing.
Haena stared at her with wide eyes.
Seowan looked large—so large that it felt like she could answer any prayer.
This was the first time her prayer had ever been answered.
Tears almost came to her eyes.
Haena rubbed her eyes quickly. She didn’t want to look like a crybaby in front of her sister.
“Did it hurt?”
A serious voice came from above her head. Hearing it, Haena suddenly burst into laughter.
Seowan, who had been so stern, let out a quiet sigh at the sound.
Haena looked up at her and smiled brightly.
She silently wished that things could stay like this.
But as always, Haena’s wish was powerless.
The next day, a message arrived from the royal palace.
The Fourth Prince had awakened—and he wished to meet Haena.
* * *
Seowan immediately prepared to enter the palace upon receiving the summons.
Asking Cheongyeon to look after the child and changing into formal military attire took less than two hours.
Haena, properly dressed according to etiquette, looked tense.
She seemed to sense that something was wrong.
“She probably wasn’t told properly.”
The child was unusually perceptive.
She must have quickly picked up on the uneasy atmosphere in the manor.
Before mounting the horse, Seowan knelt in front of Haena and met her eyes.
Those sunset-colored eyes trembled anxiously.
For some reason, the child often looked at her with blind trust, as if she didn’t understand why.
“I’m only going to the palace for a short while. Don’t be afraid.”
Though she had heard those words many times before, Haena finally nodded with a slightly relieved expression.
After ensuring Haena entered the carriage safely, Seowan mounted her horse.
The journey to the palace did not take long.
At the massive gates, the group came to a stop. Seowan dismounted and lifted Haena into her arms.
“I-I can walk!”
“It’s faster this way.”
Startled, Haena protested, but Seowan dismissed it briefly and continued walking with her in her arms.
In the end, Haena clutched Seowan’s shoulder tightly.
The palace was more majestic than she had ever imagined.
Elegant tiled roofs stretched overhead, decorated with intricate dancheong patterns.
Below them, palace attendants moved quietly without making a sound.
“So this is the palace…”
She had been told she would be meeting His Highness, the Fourth Prince.
Cheongyeon and the servants had said nothing more.
They hadn’t told her who he was, or why he wanted to see her.
Still, she vaguely understood it had something to do with the Yeon family.
“Could he be one of those children?”
The Fourth Prince was said to be about her age.
Cheongyeon had said the children were all rescued and receiving treatment…
But…
“He might hate me.”
She had been powerless while they suffered.
Perhaps this was revenge.
If so, she could accept it. What worried her was whether Seowan might be punished as well.
The Fourth Prince’s quarters were located deep within the royal western palace.
Seowan set Haena down in front of a grand hall.
“Come this way.”
A strict-looking palace lady tried to take Haena. Seowan blocked her hand.
“I will accompany her.”
“His Highness only requested the child.”
“I entered the palace as her guardian. If I am not allowed to accompany her, then neither will she go.”
The firm tone made the palace lady glare.
But perhaps unable to oppose the Tamrang Seong-gun’s will, she reluctantly led the way.
Even after entering the hall, they passed several doors before reaching the Fourth Prince’s chambers.
The palace lady announced their arrival respectfully, and soon the door opened.
A bed draped with a canopy came into view. Following instructions, Haena approached carefully and bowed.
The sound of fabric shifting came from behind the canopy.
“Tamrang Seong-gun. Is this the child?”
A boy’s voice spoke above her head.
“Huh?”
The voice felt strangely familiar.
Startled, Haena forgot her manners and abruptly looked up.
“—!”
A sharp reprimand from the palace lady followed.
But Haena ignored it completely and looked at the person sitting on the bed.
Delicate features, but sharp eyes that were not soft. Firmly closed lips. A mole beneath the left eye.
A familiar face.
And someone she never expected to see here.
“Hwiso…?”
A disbelieving voice escaped her lips.
