The Red Flower Falls (12)
The scent of blood that drifted in without warning was deeply unsettling. It was faint, yet I could still sense it clearly, so it was no illusion. The steward had mentioned that magical beasts from the hunting grounds occasionally escaped, but that had always sounded like mere possibility. The private lands of a noble house were the last place such accidents should occur. This annex, linked to the main residence by a long corridor where the direct family lived, sat in a somewhat peripheral area. Continuing down the hill from here would lead to the cluster of facilities I had glimpsed near the main gate earlier. The layout had changed considerably since the past, the very place where Yeon Minha had felt a sense of awkwardness. And with the wind now blowing from that direction… if I went there, I might discover the source of the blood scent.
But that would mean stepping beyond the annex boundaries…
“…”
I hesitated briefly, but ultimately decided to investigate the source. A fishy metallic odor suddenly filling the air in the dead of night, so close to dawn, was an ill omen no matter how one looked at it. If there was trouble, I could report it at once. If not, I could simply slip back into the annex unnoticed.
I planned to confess honestly to Yeon Minha tomorrow when she woke that I had sneaked out. If I was going to be scolded, then so be it…
Keeping my presence concealed, I left the promenade and melted into the dense shrubbery alongside it. Then I advanced against the wind’s direction. My memories sharpened my sense of smell further, and the fishy stench grew increasingly pungent, stabbing at my nose.
Before long, a windowless building resembling a warehouse appeared in the distance. The shrubbery ended, however, so I could not approach any closer. I dropped into a prone position at the thicket’s edge, hiding my body, and focused every sense on the structure.
Beyond the high surrounding wall and the heavy iron gate, I detected multiple presences and voices. Several sacks lay scattered carelessly on the ground before the gate. Their openings were tightly bound, the shapes suggesting they held something long and heavy inside.
People who appeared to be servants moved back and forth through the gate with dimly lit flashlights, carrying the sacks inward. Only then did I locate the true source of the blood scent. Though distant, each sweep of the light revealed dark crimson stains soaking the fabric.
…Had they been hunting something?
“Hungry… one bite…”
“Not yet… if you eat… absolutely not…”
“Skin… too tight…”
The servants seemed to be exchanging low, mumbled words, but the echoes rebounding off the wall distorted them beyond recognition. The voices sounded strangely slurred, almost like those of someone with a speech impediment.
Thud. Thud.
The sounds of sacks being shifted continued without pause. While I observed, a violent wriggling suddenly erupted from among the blood-soaked, limp bundles. One servant’s shadow approached and began stomping on it savagely.
Thump! Thump!
The kicks were so brutal they sounded as if something inside was cracking. The sack went limp once more and lay completely still. The servants carried it inside the gate as though nothing had happened, treating it like the others.
Soon the work was finished. With a heavy boom, the iron gate slammed shut, and silence returned to the area. Only the fishy smell of blood lingered in the air, still tickling my nose.
I rose and leaned against a tree trunk. Did they normally move cargo at night…? The sacks were far too elongated to contain magical beasts or ordinary animals. Moreover, their shape felt disturbingly familiar, continuously pricking my curiosity.
The impulse to vault over the wall and check their contents surged strongly, but committing such rudeness merely to satisfy my own curiosity was unthinkable. Sneaking out of the annex and coming this far was already risky enough; discovery could bring considerable trouble. Besides, I knew nothing of this noble house’s customs, so whether nighttime labor was normal remained a mystery.
“…”
I turned back. The questions still clung to my mind, but if the curiosity grew unbearable, I could simply ask Yeon Minha tomorrow.
The annex I returned to felt like an entirely different world—perfectly still.
“Zzz… zzz…”
Yeon Minha remained fast asleep, her elegant face peaceful, breathing softly. The right half of the wide bed lay empty as I had left it, but the pillow I had placed between us was now clutched tightly in her arms.
I settled into a corner of the room, crouched down, closed my eyes by force, and sought sleep. The night walk had not cleared my thoughts at all; if anything, they felt even more hopelessly tangled…
Yeon Minha woke with a rustle well before dawn. The timing was razor-thin if she wished to return to her own room before the servants noticed. Today’s dream had been immensely satisfying: in the cradle, she had finally defeated Baek Seoyeon for first place, and her parents had praised her with warm, gentle smiles.
She glanced around, reflexively scanning her surroundings. The pillow rested in her embrace, but the space beside her remained empty.
“…Hmph.”
For some inexplicable reason she felt petulant and thrust her lips out in a small pout. The masked male student was crouched motionless in the far corner, well beyond the reach of the window light. His breathing was steady and deep; he appeared to be sleeping soundly.
Without thinking, Yeon Minha pattered over to stand before him. Small fragments of leaves and grass clung here and there in his hair.
“…Did you abandon me and go out alone…?”
She murmured the words in a tiny voice. One or two hours no longer posed any problem. That safe window was expanding steeply with each passing day. She understood the fact rationally, yet the anxiety and sense of abandonment had already slipped beyond her control.
Yeon Minha reached out, gently brushing the leaf and grass fragments from his hair onto the floor. The motion looked uncomfortably like a caress, and warmth rose in her cheeks. A protective instinct whose origin she could not name kept knocking at her heart.
She considered moving him onto the bed but soon abandoned the idea. Instead she laid the pillow on the floor, leaned her body against his, and softly pushed him over onto his side.
“…Ugh.”
The direct warmth of his body made Yeon Minha swallow hard. There was truly no time left. She was about to fetch the blanket to cover him and turn away when, once again today, the boy’s earnest sleep-talking pierced her ears.
“…”
Yeon Minha felt her chest tighten with discomfort. He was gradually opening his heart to her, yet the truth behind the name “Yeon” remained unspoken—something obvious to anyone. Even with his face completely hidden behind the mask, he seemed to possess no talent whatsoever for lying.
In truth, she was not someone indifferent to the past. She had tried to appear magnanimous as his senior, but her honest heart was burning, consumed with impatience. Perhaps because of that returning anxiety and urgency, she recalled the strange joke he had once made.
Aren’t I your oppa?
It had been a rude remark laden with vulgar teasing, yet perhaps it could become the catalyst for deeper intimacy between them. After a brief hesitation, Yeon Minha uttered words she would never have spoken under normal circumstances.
She immediately squeezed her eyes shut, turned on her heel, and strode toward the door with quick, almost angry steps. Her face had flushed as red as ripe fruit.
“I’ve gone mad…”
After releasing several sighs and barely regaining her composure, Yeon Minha walked down the corridor toward her room in the main building. Yet just like yesterday, a certain sensation stopped her mid-step. She frowned slightly.
This was a strange feeling she had never experienced while living in the main house before. The particle density in the air here was extraordinarily high, comparable to the celestial basin in the southern cradle. The vast stellite rock formations beneath the ground naturally drew particles inward, creating a veritable paradise for spirits. Thus, in the past, sensing them in the atmosphere had always filled her with pure, overflowing happiness.
Even now, the air around her was thick with floating spirits. But what they conveyed was only a strange discomfort and unease.
When I woke, my vision was turned sideways. Bright sunlight poured through the windows, telling me morning had already arrived. From the garden beside the room came the loud chirping of birds.
I was certain I had fallen asleep crouched, yet a pillow now supported my head and a blanket covered my body. Had Yeon Minha done this?
When I rose, the bed was impeccably made, showing no trace of use. It looked as though I had been the room’s only occupant from the very beginning.
I washed lightly in the attached bathroom. I briefly worried someone might enter offering to assist with my bath, but fortunately no one appeared. The moment I stepped out and began changing, a knock sounded at the door.
Assuming it was a servant, I was surprised to find Yeon Minha standing there instead.
“Did you sleep well?”
“Thanks to you, I slept well. Was it you who covered me with the blanket, senior? Thank you.”
“What is there to thank for something so trivial… Really, you should have slept on the bed like a normal person…”
This girl was uttering dangerous words again.
“…Follow me. We’ll eat breakfast together. The weather is nice today, so I had it prepared in the garden.”
“Understood. But you arrived exactly when I finished washing? How did you know?”
“R-really? That… well… I had no idea… It must have been a coincidence… Ahem, ahem…”
As though something had caught in her throat, Yeon Minha suddenly began clearing it repeatedly.