Chapter : 19
It was Soyah’s mealtime.
The table was filled with food.
When she had first arrived at Baekho Palace in Saeon’s arms, she had been terribly thin. But after eating well and sleeping well these past days, she had slowly begun to put on a little weight.
After finishing her meal until she felt as if her stomach would burst, Soyah drank the herbal medicine Yeonjeong had brought her—without leaving a single drop.
‘Most children would whine about how bitter the medicine is, or at least frown while drinking it.’
‘But our young lady is so gentle.’
Yeonjeong and Sanho thought this as they watched Soyah drink the bitter decoction quietly, without even the slightest grimace.
“Wow, our young lady! You’re amazing!” Yeonjeong clapped as she looked at the completely empty bowl.
“It’s time for a sweet treat. Say ahh—”
“Aah—”
Soyah opened her tiny mouth like a baby bird.
Giggling, Sanho popped a sweet rice confection into her mouth.
Soyah chewed the treat with her little mouth, nibbling earnestly.
The slightly bitter scent of the medicine, and the sweetness of the confection spreading through her mouth—both felt wonderful.
Why is everyone being so kind to me?
Her cheeks flushed as she thought that.
The delicious food and clean clothes were all nice—but the very best thing of all was the smiling faces directed at her.
The people of the Vermilion Bird clan had always frowned and avoided her whenever they saw her. But everyone in Baekho Palace smiled brightly at her.
Even for small things—like finishing her meal or taking her medicine—they clapped, called her amazing, and praised her with warm smiles.
So this is what a smile feels like. It’s so warm… so nice. I should smile a lot too.
With that thought, Soyah smiled shyly.
Just as their smiles warmed her heart, she wanted to return that warmth to the people of Baekho Palace.
Saeon had told her to stay here “for the time being.”
She didn’t know when that “for the time being” would end—but Soyah believed that this very moment, living in the westernmost room of Baekho Palace, was the happiest “for the time being” of her life.
I hope this ‘for the time being’ lasts a very, very long time. Long enough for me to remember this sweetness forever.
To remember this sweet and slightly bitter “for the time being,” Soyah carefully chewed the remaining confection in her mouth.
Just then, Ho Jeokyeong arrived carrying a gift from Saeon.
“This… is from the Head of the Family for me?”
Soyah’s eyes sparkled as she stared at the wooden box in Jeokyeong’s hands.
“Yes. He said it’s a token of thanks for the talisman.”
The talisman had been her way of repaying him for saving her—and now he was giving her another gift in return.
Her chest tightened with emotion.
When she opened the wooden box, a cloth doll shaped like a tiger popped out.
“It’s a tiger!”
Soyah exclaimed excitedly.
Seeing her cheeks flushed and her bright eyes fixed on the tiger doll made everyone chuckle softly.
“Thanks to the young lady’s talisman driving away ghosts, this tiger doll slept very well last night.”
“Waaah…!”
“Don’t just stare at it—try hugging it.”
“May I really?”
“Of course. It’s a gift from the Head of the Family to you.”
At their urging, Soyah swallowed nervously and looked at the doll.
Then, very carefully, she hugged the cloth tiger to her chest.
It was just as soft as the doll she used to sleep with in her father’s arms when she was very little.
She had once owned cloth dolls she played with as a child—but when she was cast into the Cold Palace, they were all taken and burned.
Among them had been a beautiful phoenix doll her late mother had sewn by hand while waiting for Soyah to be born.
The scrap of cloth she had barely found among the ashes had been blackened beyond recognition.
Remembering that moment made tears well up in her eyes.
“Oh no… I’m so grateful…”
She fidgeted, wondering how she could possibly express her feelings.
Then she asked carefully,
“May I use some paper and ink?”
“Paper… and ink?”
“Are you going to draw something, young lady?”
“No. I want to write a letter to Lord Saeon.”
She shook her head as she answered.
Everyone stared at one another in shock.
Could this tiny young lady truly write?
Reading and writing were skills usually reserved for the children of prestigious families.
With doubt still lingering, Yeonjeong brought ink, an inkstone, paper, and a brush.
Soyah sat down immediately, ground the ink, and lifted the brush to write.
Her strokes were slightly crooked at the ends due to her weak grip, but overall her handwriting was neat and elegant.
It was even better than the youngest young master’s—and comparable to the second young master’s.
They could hardly hide their astonishment.
Unaware of their thoughts, Soyah felt upset that her handwriting seemed crooked after so long without practice.
“It’s been a while since I’ve held a brush… Is it very bad?”
“No, young lady! It’s perfect!”
“When the Head of the Family reads this, he’ll surely be delighted!”
Seeing her drooping eyes, Sanho and Yeonjeong hurriedly waved their hands in reassurance.
Soyah’s face brightened immediately.
“Then please deliver my letter to the Head of the Family! Please, Lord Jeokyeong!”
“Don’t worry, young lady.”
Jeokyeong smiled as he accepted the letter.
Soyah hugged the tiger doll tightly and smiled shyly.
Meanwhile, the previous night when Soyah had come carrying a stone—
Gahyeon had not been asleep. He had only pretended to sleep while observing her.
The little puffball had snuck quietly into his room, placed something beside his pillow, and hurried out.
“What is this?”
As soon as she left, he checked.
It was an ordinary stone.
“What kind of nonsense prank is this?”
Annoyed, he threw it away.
But the next morning—
Gayul came into his room holding a stone and began boasting.
“Look, hyung! It’s a talisman I got from Puffball!”
“A talisman?”
“Yep! I told her there was a ghost in Baekho Palace, so she gave me a ghost-repelling talisman!”
Gahyeon looked at his younger brother with disbelief.
Ghosts? Talismans? What nonsense.
“You didn’t see her transform into her beast form, did you? I did! It was super tiny and cute!”
“……”
“But why is Puffball scared of transforming? She looked so cute…”
Gayul wasn’t particularly perceptive—but he had strong animal instincts.
The emotion Soyah had shown when he asked to see her transformed form had clearly been fear.
“Maybe she’s too cute… and she’s afraid she’ll get kidnapped! What should we do, hyung? What if Puffball gets kidnapped?!”
Gahyeon’s head began to ache at the ridiculous talk.
“You’re noisy. Get out.”
“This is serious! Puffball is so small! Bad thieves could hide her in their pockets and run away—we wouldn’t even catch them!”
But Gayul kept babbling.
Ignoring him, Gahyeon stood and walked outside.
Gayul followed behind, still chattering without noticing where they were heading.
“Maybe Father stole Puffball too! That’s it—hyung, I—”
Suddenly, Gahyeon stopped.
Thunk!
“Ow! If you stop so suddenly—”
Gayul, who had walked straight into Gahyeon’s back, rubbed his nose.
“Young Master Gayul!”
“Uh—huh?”
At the booming voice, Gayul peeked up—only to realize they were at the training grounds.
His martial arts master, who had discovered that his disciple had been slacking off lately, approached with an ominous voice.
“Hehehe… Yesterday, you also ran away while I stepped out briefly.”
“M-Master…! Wait, I—”
As Gayul slowly tried to retreat, Gahyeon grabbed him by the back of the collar and handed him over.
“Here. Take him.”
“Hyung! How could you do this to me?! You’re not even my brother anymore!”
Gahyeon scoffed as Gayul was dragged away, wailing.
“Finally, some peace and quiet.”
Just as he turned to leave with a lighter heart—
He spotted Soyah crouched in the garden opposite him, rustling among the plants.
Unlock soon!~