chapter 46
The sky over Seolgokdo was dim today, shrouded in clouds that the sorcerers had left scattered when they came to Hyun’s household.
Through that gray sky, a blue dragon sliced gracefully, gliding as smoothly as a current in water — a breathtaking sight to behold.
Rumble—
“It’s thunder. That means His Majesty the Emperor has arrived.”
And sure enough, the dragon approached amid flashes of lightning.
I focused on a strange, shimmering sound coming from between the rumbles.
Trrring.
What was that? I tilted my head, puzzled, when a familiar hand gently touched my shoulder.
That scent — familiar. It was Sobaeksan, one of the sorcerers who had answered this summons.
“It’s the sound of scales striking against each other,” he said.
“Scales?”
“Listen closely.”
Sobaeksan cupped his hands beside my ears. Caught off guard, I concentrated — and gasped softly.
Chrrrng. Tirriring.
It was the sound of something thin, hard, and smooth rubbing against itself.
Sobaeksan was right — it was the sound of scales colliding.
“Amazing, Sobaek…”
I stopped short. There was a faint melancholy in his face as he looked up at the sky.
So I closed my mouth and simply watched as the Azure Dragon approached.
But as the Emperor drew closer, my jaw dropped again.
It was enormous.
So large that it seemed it could fill the entire sky.
Tiririririrring!
Each time the dragon moved, its scales clashed, releasing sparks of lightning.
Along with that, there came a cool scent — like clean, rushing water.
Trrrroooooom—
When the dragon’s movements became faster and rounder, lightning suddenly struck the center courtyard.
The brilliant flash blinded me; when I blinked my eyes open again, a figure stood proudly on the blackened stone.
A woman — her long blue hair still sparking faintly with residual lightning.
It was Emperor Cheong Heunlin.
“Long live His Majesty the Emperor! Long live, long live, long may she live!”
While everyone froze, Grandmother was the first to kneel. Startled, the others followed her lead, bowing deeply.
“Long live! Long live! Long live!”
Rumble…
As though echoing their chant, thunder rolled belatedly across the sky.
✦✦✦
That evening, a banquet was held — not for revelry, but to honor the sorcerers who would need to work tomorrow. So, little to no alcohol was served.
Instead, we offered tea that Sir Pilatae had gifted us.
It was of exquisite quality — fragrant, invigorating, and perfect for a day like this.
There was even just enough to serve three cups per guest, thanks to Sir Pilatae’s generosity.
“Where is this tea from? It’s wonderful.”
“So sweet — it must have flowers and fruit in it.”
“This one tastes like milk tea made from a strong brew. How unusual.”
The reactions were far better than expected.
Even His Majesty and the high officials and sorcerers invited to the banquet took interest once they tasted it.
“Where did you obtain this tea?”
“It’s from Pildahyang,” Father answered. “We seized it when we captured the villain Your Majesty ordered us to investigate.”
“Oh?”
When people leaned in with interest, Father began recounting the story — smooth, charming, completely in control.
He truly had a gift for words.
The very same people who’d been intimidated by his presence were soon completely absorbed in his storytelling.
What amazed me even more was how deftly he edited his tale —
erasing any mention of me or the Special Task Force,
and instead weaving every achievement to reflect glory back to His Majesty.
“Is that silver-tongued man truly your son? He speaks as though his tongue were gilded.”
“Not just his tongue — look at that face. It’s worth more than gold.”
“You grow bolder by the day.”
“Well, it’s only my face that thickens with age.”
Grandmother and the Emperor spoke with unexpected ease, enjoying themselves.
Still, the air was heavy, and no one else dared even glance their way.
“Hyeon-ah.”
I turned when my cousin, Sion, called me.
Since the incident with the Sa family, he’d grown more serious. He handed me a round rice cake.
I admired its shiny surface before quietly eating it.
“Hyeon might choke — here.”
On my other side, Seon offered me a sweet and tangy cup of tea.
I obediently drank that too.
“Eat something too, you two.”
“No, it’s fine. Sobaeksan told us to take good care of you — so that’s what we’ll do.”
Originally, Sobaeksan had wanted to sit beside me, but the sorcerers’ seats were separate.
Before leaving, he’d bowed deeply and asked my cousins to look after me.
They had readily agreed.
Funny — they once suspected Sobaeksan might be untrustworthy, and now they seemed genuinely fond of him.
“You really don’t know a person until you spend time with them,” Sion said with a wry smile. “Sobaeksan’s a decent man.”
I patted his arm comfortingly — he’d been through a lot with the Saraon affair.
Seon nodded. “He feels familiar, somehow.”
“Familiar?”
“Yeah. The way he looks at you — it’s the same way Uncle looks at Aunt.”
I’d heard that before.
Which basically meant — Sobaeksan’s feelings for me were obvious.
A little embarrassing… but not unpleasant.
I hid my smile behind a polite cough. Then suddenly, I felt someone’s gaze.
Turning my head, I saw the Emperor, still speaking with Grandmother.
Was it just my imagination?
I studied her more closely. Even from a distance, she was breathtaking — that cascade of blue hair, those delicate features, like marble sculpted by touch alone.
Though she was older than Baeksan, she looked younger — small, graceful, and serene.
That woman was both Sobaeksan’s mother and Baeksan’s lover.
When I glanced toward Sobaeksan, he seemed to deliberately avoid looking her way. Instead, he met my eyes and waved brightly.
Why was my fiancé — who was tall as a mountain — still so adorable?
I waved back and finally turned toward Baeksan…
Oh dear.
He was glaring at the Emperor so hard, it looked like he could burn a hole through her face.
Wouldn’t he get caught staring like that? But oddly enough, no one seemed alarmed.
“Baeksan looks displeased again.”
“Shh, quiet. When has that tiger ever been in a good mood?”
“Did you see him glaring at Her Majesty?”
“Still as arrogant as ever.”
Amazingly — Baeksan’s reputation as an unruly brute was actually protecting their secret.
I realized my future father-in-law’s infamous temper had its… unexpected benefits.
The next day, after the banquet ended at a reasonable hour —
the sorcerers gathered in our courtyard to finally bring the rain.
The people of Hyun’s household were ready, and I stood beside Grandmother to lend a hand.
“Yaaawn—”
“Look, there he is.”
Baeksan, the second most crucial person in this ritual, arrived mid-yawn. Grandmother grabbed his collar, but he didn’t seem to care — even more disheveled than usual.
“Is everyone prepared?”
Despite his lazy appearance, his power was anything but relaxed.
The air itself felt taut and heavy — proof enough of the strength he held back.
Even the sorcerers’ chants sharpened in response.
“Seems ready.”
Baeksan glanced around, then transformed into his White Tiger form.
“Ugh—”
Someone groaned faintly, but no one dared mock them for weakness.
“Every time I see it, it steals my breath,” muttered Grandmother — even she was in awe of the White Tiger’s presence.
Even I, a haetae with little fear, felt my skin prickle with its power.
Hoooh.
Though it was still chilly in March, the tiger’s breath came out in thick, misty clouds. The massive creature moved gracefully, almost delicately, toward the Emperor.
Grrrr.
His low growl rumbled louder than thunder.
Yet the blue-haired woman only smiled, lifting a soft white hand to stroke his mane.
Perhaps it was just my imagination — but her touch seemed almost playful.
“I’ll be counting on you,” she said.
Then the Emperor leapt lightly onto his back — so swiftly one might think she had trained in martial arts.
The White Tiger gave another low growl and bounded upward, carrying the Emperor into the sky.
Higher, and higher still — until lightning like a spider’s web spread across the heavens.
Chrrrnnng—
As if blue paint were bleeding through the sky, the Azure Dragon’s body once again filled the firmament.
The sorcerers below began chanting in unison.
“Water becomes breath.”
“The falling sighs of the earth — flow upward.”
“Winds that collide — converge!”
Different incantations, yet they resonated together in perfect harmony. At their center stood the high-ranking sorcerers.
Three in Seolgokdo, including Aunt Hyeseo. Five in Homyeokdo, the Baek family’s famed line of sorcerers — even invoking forbidden arts to lend strength.
Paarak— Pararak!
The gathered energy whipped at their robes.
Even calm Sobaeksan’s hair danced wildly, glowing with lights like fireflies.
I was mesmerized by the sight when—
<Now.>
Baeksan’s voice echoed everywhere at once.
<Exhale the clouds.>
At his signal, the sorcerers released their gathered power skyward.
It became a pillar of light — massive, twisting, and blinding.
Their combined energies shot upward, piercing the heavens.
BOOM!
With a sound like bursting fireworks, the power spread in all directions.
Everywhere it passed, clouds began to form — brilliant and multicolored, spilling across the sky like paint.
Thick here, thin there, patchy and uneven — but enough.
CRACK!
Lightning slashed through the newborn clouds, seizing hold of them.
Strangely, the lightning didn’t vanish — it lingered, connecting the heavens like threads, channeling the Emperor’s power into the clouds.
I stared upward as the sky darkened — the clouds turning blacker and heavier than my father’s or mother’s fur, until they covered all of Seolgokdo.
At that moment, I felt Baeksan’s energy surge.
It swelled — wild, immense, ready to tear the world apart—
and then—
Shhk—
With a chilling sound, it split the dark clouds over Seolgokdo cleanly in two.
