Chapter 17
The indigo silk robes, embroidered with delicate willow branch patterns, rustled softly, while sky-blue jade pendants and lustrous jade beads dangled from the tightly cinched waist sash, swaying with the child's every movement. Beneath long lashes, sparkling eyes narrowed slyly as the boy spoke.
"Surprised? Sorry about that."
Eondu, who had been about to scold him for his rudeness toward the young miss, quickly stepped back, sensing the refined aura emanating from the boy.
I eyed the boy and asked, "......Why's it useless?"
"One of its wings is broken."
Looking closely where he pointed, I saw that one wing was indeed slightly twisted. A wild fledgling with a broken wing.
"......Then it'll die. Poor thing."
The chick, oblivious to its plight, kept chirping away, one wing drooping limply. Come to think of it, the parent birds that had tried to protect their young earlier should have heard the cries and flown back by now—but they hadn't stirred from the nest. They'd probably already given up on this one.
Then the boy asked, "Why'd you do that?"
"Do what?"
"Make the academy servant send the kids back early."
His gaze drifted to my disheveled black hair.
"And give you the hair tie."
He saw all that?
Tilting his head curiously, the boy asked, "Was that really necessary? Couldn't you just tell them to stop? Aren't you cousins with the Baek Ri clan's twins?"
I nearly scoffed without thinking.
As if they'd listen if I told them to stop. They'd probably make even more of a fuss.
But there was no need to share that with a boy I'd just met, someone whose identity I didn't even know. Flashing a bright smile, I said, "My brothers are really competitive. If I'd tried to stop them, they would've grabbed it even more just to spite me."
"Competitive... ness?"
His eyes widened in surprise at my words, and then he burst into laughter. It was a clear, ringing sound.
I stared blankly for a moment before snapping back to my senses and turning to Eondu. "Let's go."
"Huh? Already?"
Ignoring the boy, who still had a hint of laughter in his voice, I turned away. Eondu glanced down at his hand.
"What about this one?"
Biting my lip slightly, I let out a sigh. "Put it back in the bushes."
"Uh......"
"Even if we put it back in the nest...... it'll die anyway."
I said it listlessly. There was no helping it. Tampering with the nest might make the parents abandon the other chicks too, and if I took it home, I'd have to care for it forever—but I wasn't confident I could.
In the Baek Ri clan, just taking care of myself is hard enough......
That's when the boy stepped forward. "I can heal it. The wing."
I paused and turned to look at him.
"You finally turned around."
Grinning, the boy straightened up gracefully, slim as a bamboo stalk, and gave a proper bow.
"I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Seok Ga-yak, a distant relative of Physician Seok Tae-ui. I arrived here not long ago."
* * *
I gazed in wonder at the blue-tiled walls, the elegant roof tiles, and the imposing buildings that exuded a dignified presence.
Did imperial physicians make this much money?
It wasn't on the scale of the Baek Ri clan, but everything—from the meticulously tended gardens with their exquisite beauty to the servants' impeccably neat attire—spoke of refined care.
As I marveled here and there, the handsome boy beside me said, "You like peonies, huh?"
It was Seok Ga-yak, who had led me here.
Seok Ga-yak......
A child I'd never encountered in my past life, never even mentioned in the story.
"The Baek Ri clan's gardens are mostly white peonies. This color's a first for me."
"The Baek Ri clan's Plum Blossom Garden is famous for its beauty too."
I was eagerly taking in the mansion as I followed Seok Ga-yak when I suddenly stopped in my tracks. He turned back with a puzzled look.
"Something wrong?"
"......Is my father here by any chance?"
"No, he's not."
"Oh?"
Tilting my head, I frowned deeply and glanced toward the stables.
I could've sworn I saw Father......
But the fleeting glimpse was gone; I couldn't spot him again.
"Guess I was mistaken."
Brushing it off, I suddenly noticed something off about Seok Ga-yak's demeanor.
How does he know for sure Father's not here?
We'd only just entered the mansion. When I asked, shouldn't he have been uncertain, or at least asked a servant if a guest had arrived? Yet he'd stated it definitively.
......What is he hiding?
But what reason could there be to keep it secret from me, his own daughter, if Father was here? Pushing aside the rising suspicion, I entered the room he led me to.
The interior was even more opulent than the outside. Lavish furniture adorned with gold and silver filled the space. Settling onto a plush cushion embroidered with grapevines in golden thread, I watched as Seok Ga-yak took a tray from his attendant. A white teacup was placed before me, and he poured the tea with a steady hand. The liquid gleamed a clear pale pink.
"It's tea that draws out the heat from the body."
He was referring to the internal injuries I'd suffered from qi deviation.
Since he was Physician Seok's kin, I set aside my doubts—but caution lingered.
"Did...... Physician Seok tell you about that too?"
"I sometimes help him organize his prescriptions. A few days ago, there was one with cheonhwa-bun, gokjeong-cho, mokdan-pi...... for drawing out heat from severe internal injuries. And with the redness around your eyes and dry lips, you looked feverish, so I figured it was for you."
"Ah."
Right. A proper imperial physician wouldn't go blabbing about patients' health. That was a relief.
But something in Seok Ga-yak's words still nagged at me.
......Is that how a kid my age acts?
Weren't the twins and Baek Ri-ri abnormal too? Sure, they were smart, but their perceptiveness and poise were on another level.
"Are you learning medicine?"
"Yeah."
"Then you don't go to the academy?"
"I do."
I tilted my head. "I haven't seen you."
"Morning class, so of course you wouldn't have. I've had private tutoring from Master Ki since I was little."
Already in the intermediate class at our age? Impressed, I watched as Seok Ga-yak leaned his elbow on the table.
"I came to ask the teacher something during his break......"
His eyes sparkled with amusement as he beamed at me. I felt awkward.
Reading my expression, he sprang up. "Haha, wait here a sec."
The tea he poured was slightly bitter and sweet. After sipping for a while, Seok Ga-yak returned sooner than expected.
"I've stabilized it for now. We'll have to wait and see how it goes. Even if it flies, it can't go back to the nest after human handling."
"Thanks for taking care of it."
He looked at me like he couldn't understand. "Why not keep it yourself?"
"......"
I lowered my eyes silently. Every pet I'd raised in the past had died—thanks to the twins' pranks, or for no reason at all. And according to past events, I'd soon be away from my quarters for a while. I couldn't explain any of that.
Putting on my saddest face, I said, "You study medicine, so you get it—I'm barely holding myself together. How could I care for a sick bird?"
"The Baek Ri clan can't be short on servants."
"......"
"Haha, no need to lie."
What? He knew all along and still asked?
No—if he knew, that was even better. Wiping away my fake expression, I said, "They say family flaws should stay hidden from outsiders. I just met you today."
It was a hint: don't pry rudely; I have no intention of sharing.
A smart kid like him should get it.
The teacup was nearly empty. Time to head back. As I looked up, my eyes met Seok Ga-yak's—he'd been watching me with a bright smile.
"I have a feeling we'll be good friends."