The Red Flower Falls (9)
The Red Fire family is one of the oldest among the five great houses. Its bloodline has never once been broken, stretching all the way back through the Burning Decade and even before the Falling Star Day into the ancient civilizations. This main estate itself is older than any structure owned by the other families…
“Ah, yes…”
The dimly lit corridor was lined with gas lamps at regular intervals, casting a soft, gentle glow. Combined with the old-fashioned decorations, it created the illusion of walking through a dreamlike maze. Unfortunately, I had no leisure to enjoy the ethereal scenery. The steward walking ahead never stopped talking, constantly dragging me back to reality. Thanks to him, I was practically force-fed the long history of the Red Fire family until it was crammed tight inside my head.
He had only joined two years ago himself, yet his pride was enormous. Or perhaps this was simply the standard protocol for greeting guests. The way he droned on in that perfectly consistent tone, like a recording from a phonograph, made the latter explanation seem far more convincing.
“Huh?”
I had grown tired of listening and was letting his words wash over me with one ear while trying to appreciate the surrounding scenery. Just as he had said, every sculpture and artwork lining the corridor at regular intervals looked at least ten times older than I was.
Then we entered a section where ornate, gilded frames hung in a long row. Each one contained a portrait of someone dressed impeccably, staring forward with a solemn expression. It appeared to be a gallery displaying photographs of the Red Fire family’s past members across the generations.
As I passed by, glancing at their faces, one photograph suddenly caught my eye. I stopped in my tracks and stared at it.
It showed a young man and woman who looked to be in their late teens, standing shoulder to shoulder in a grassy field, both beaming with wide, joyful smiles. Just looking at it filled me with a sense of warmth. But that wasn’t the real reason it had seized my attention.
The woman in the photograph looked exactly like Yeon Minha.
Even the man beside her resembled her so closely that he could have been her with shorter hair. Their facial features were nearly identical. Yet no matter how hard I thought about it, I had never once heard that she had an older brother close to her in age.
Moreover, although it hung on the far left, the photograph’s colors had faded considerably, giving it a yellowish tint. It looked like it had been taken at least twenty or thirty years ago. The idea that Yeon Minha had maintained the exact same appearance since then was simply impossible.
I agonized over it for a moment, but in the end, my curiosity won out. No matter how much it concerned someone else’s family matters—and a prestigious one at that—I simply couldn’t let this go. If it came down to it, I’d just have to endure a scolding. Whatever.
“…The eleventh ancestor was known for his peculiar insight and would sometimes foretell the futures of businessmen and politicians. This was before the Falling Star Day, so the concept of mages didn’t exist yet, but in hindsight, the glory of the Red Fire family had already begun back then…”
“Excuse me, steward?”
“Yes, honored guest. Is there something inconvenient?”
When I called out to him in a small voice, he immediately stopped walking, turned around, and approached me again. I carefully pointed at the photograph of the man and woman and asked,
“Um… may I ask who these people in the photo are…?”
“Ah, that is a photograph of the current family head and his younger sister. It was taken just before their coming-of-age ceremony when they were young.”
Fortunately, it didn’t seem to be an impertinent question. He answered as if it were nothing of importance. The current family head would be Yeon Minha’s father. His younger sister would be her aunt. It seemed the captivating beauty she possessed had come from her father’s side.
“Is there anything else you would like to know?”
“No, that’s all. I’m fine now.”
Having satisfied my curiosity, I shook my head and followed him toward the guest room. But from the moment I saw that photograph, a strange, sticky feeling had clung to the back of my mind and refused to leave. I quickly realized what it was.
What I was thinking about was the woman I had met earlier—Yeon Minha’s mother. She too possessed an extraordinary beauty that belied her age, but no matter how I looked at it, none of Yeon Minha’s features resembled her mother at all. If I had encountered her somewhere else, I probably would have assumed they weren’t even related by blood.
If anything, it felt as though the late aunt had been reborn. Yeon Minha looked exactly like the woman in that photograph. Was the blood from the paternal side simply that strong…?
“We have arrived, honored guest. You may enter as you are.”
Lost in thought, I had reached the door of the guest room assigned to me before I knew it. For a brief moment I had worried I might receive poor treatment, given how coldly her mother had regarded Yeon Minha earlier. But it seemed those concerns had been unnecessary. This guest room was more luxurious and extravagant than any lodging I had ever seen.
Before leaving, the steward added one more explanation.
“If you require anything, please ring the call bell beside the bed. Also, I recommend that you refrain from venturing outside the estate as much as possible.”
“…Why?”
I had no intention of snooping around, but earlier Yeon Minha had said I could go anywhere except the inner quarters where her parents resided. The steward had been right beside her at the time. I was curious why he would now say the exact opposite of what his master had permitted.
“The particle concentration in the air around here is quite dense, which means the density of spirit habitats is also very high. As a result, conflicts between them occasionally spill over into the material realm. This can cause phenomena such as lights or illusions appearing in midair.”
He continued his explanation diligently, as if determined to clear up my doubts.
“Ordinary servants like us who lack any magical training might not notice, but mage guests often become startled by the sight. Some have even complained of seeing will-o’-the-wisps. On rare occasions, low-grade magical beasts from the hunting grounds escape as well. In any case, it is best to remain cautious.”
“If that’s the case… I understand.”
I nodded at his words. Though it seemed a bit excessive, from a servant’s perspective it was a reasonable enough concern. Still, I didn’t take it particularly to heart. Yeon Minha had already said it was fine, and more importantly, I felt I would suffocate if I didn’t take a night stroll at least once. The stifling atmosphere of this prestigious family, combined with the excessively ornate and ceremonial spaces, had left me feeling quite oppressed.
Besides, according to Yeon Minha, the spirits were afraid of me, so there probably wouldn’t be any real danger. Low-grade magical beasts were hardly worth mentioning.
“Then please rest comfortably.”
The steward bowed once toward me and turned back down the corridor he had come from. His figure gradually blurred, flickering between the darkness and the gas lamps. I was about to enter the guest room when a strange scent carried on the night breeze from the direction he had left made me pause.
It was slightly acrid, almost unpleasant. It didn’t feel entirely unfamiliar; I was certain I had smelled it somewhere before. Yet I couldn’t quite identify it. It had only brushed past me faintly on the breeze, and after spending so much time in an enclosed space with Yeon Minha, my sense of smell was hardly in peak condition. The sharp, sweet after-scent she had emitted still lingered in my nose, clouding everything.
I stood there for a moment, pondering, but eventually gave up and stepped into the room. Surely a steward of a prestigious family wouldn’t be someone who hadn’t bathed properly…
After unpacking and changing into comfortable clothes, I didn’t immediately go to bed. I had a visitor scheduled to arrive later that night. I turned on the stand lamp and was writing a letter to my sisters at the desk beside the bed when I heard a soft knock—tap, tap—at the door.
When I checked the pendulum clock on the wall, it was already approaching midnight. I walked over and opened the door to find a now-familiar female student standing there.
“W-why didn’t you open it sooner? What if someone sees…?”
Yeon Minha slipped into the room like a squirrel and snapped at me.
“I opened it the moment you knocked. And if you’re worried about being seen, wouldn’t it have been better if I went to you? Was it really necessary for you to come all the way here?”
“My room is in the inner quarters. The security there is strict. You saw it earlier, didn’t you? How strict Mother is. If you were caught entering the inner quarters, you really could die. As for me, if I’m seen outside, I can just say I went for a walk…”
It was obviously a figure of speech, right? But hearing the word “Mother” brought back the memory of that photograph I had seen earlier. I looked at the young lady who had come for a midnight stroll. Her hair glistened as if oiled, and her cheeks were still flushed red, suggesting she had washed not long ago. The darkness of the night accentuated the sharp shadows of her refined features, making her look like a perfectly sculpted statue.
Overall, her beauty was so otherworldly it left one speechless… yet in her face, I could see not even the slightest resemblance to the woman she called Mother. Instead, she looked exactly like the aunt from the photograph, as if they had been cast from the same mold.