Chapter 101
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 101
Inside the Black Swamp.
So-ya took a slow, deep breath and lifted her eyelids.
‘Where should I go now?’
Just as the Divine Beasts had told her, she had no trouble breathing, but it was pitch black in every direction, making it impossible to see what lay ahead.
So-ya hesitated, unsure of which path to take.
—My child.
‘Huh…?’
A voice drifted from somewhere.
—My beautiful child. So-ya.
The voice was calling her name.
‘Who is it?’
For some reason, the voice didn't feel like that of a stranger.
It was warm, cozy… and strangely nostalgic, the kind of voice that made her want to burst into tears the moment she heard it.
‘When and where have I heard this voice before?’
As So-ya retraced her memories, savoring the sound of the voice, it spoke again.
—Mommy is waiting for So-ya.
‘…!’
In an instant, So-ya’s eyes grew wide.
—Come to Mommy quickly, my baby.
‘Ah. When I was in Mommy’s tummy… That’s the sound I heard back then.’
At that moment, the darkness vanished, replaced by a brilliant light.
Within that bright glow, So-ya found herself lying on a bed in a familiar room.
And there, sitting at the head of her bed, was a woman.
The woman, who had an elegant, serene appearance and auburn hair cascading down her shoulders, was none other than the Madam of the Vermilion Bird Clan.
In other words, she was the one who had given birth to So-ya—her…
“Mom… my…?”
So-ya carefully parted her lips and called out to her.
“My baby. Why did you sleep in so late today?”
The woman let out a small laugh as she spoke.
She looked exactly like she did in the past that the Vermilion Bird had once shown her.
If there was one thing different, it was that in the past shown by the Vermilion Bird, she had looked sickly and pale. Now, the woman before her eyes looked perfectly healthy as she smiled at So-ya.
“My child, you still look half-asleep.”
The woman tenderly stroked So-ya’s hair.
“Uh…”
A small gasp escaped So-ya’s lips.
The touch of that hand made her heart suddenly swell with heat, and without realizing it, So-ya tightly hugged the cloth doll she held in her arms.
Only then did she notice the doll and look down at it.
‘This is…’
A painful lump formed in So-ya’s throat.
It was the firebird doll that her biological mother, the Madam of the Vermilion Bird Clan, had made for her unborn baby long ago.
The very same doll that had been roughly snatched away by the household retainers and burned into black ash when So-ya was exiled to the Cold Palace.
“Ugh…”
The moment she saw it, So-ya burst into tears.
“Waaaaah…!”
“Oh dear.”
Startled, the woman pulled So-ya into an embrace.
“My child, why are you crying? My So-ya. Did you have a scary dream?”
“Hic, hic, waaaaaah…!”
Overwhelmed by a surge of sorrow, So-ya sobbed loudly like a baby.
On the day this doll had turned into black ash, So-ya had actually wanted to wail like this.
Because what had been burned that day wasn't just a cloth doll; it was the affection of a family that the young So-ya so desperately needed.
Because that day was also the day her entire world had been set ablaze, scattering into ash.
“It’s okay, don’t cry, my baby. Mommy is right here.”
The woman held So-ya close, soothing her.
So-ya swallowed her hiccups and looked up at the woman.
‘Why do you look even more upset than I do?’
The question lingered in her throat.
Feeling the woman’s hand patting her body, So-ya gradually stopped crying.
Sniff, sniff.
As she lowered her head while sniffing back her runny nose, she saw short, chubby arms and legs.
‘That’s strange. Was I… always this short?’
So-ya tilted her head, aimlessly clenching and unclenching her short fingers.
‘I’m a proper girl who already finished her First Growth… Hmm? How old was I again?’
Her memories kept blurring, making it hard to think clearly.
“This is a problem. Our So-ya’s fourth birthday is only ten sleeps away. If you cry like this, the Great Vermilion Bird won't give you a present.”
‘Ah, right! I’m four years old!’
At the woman’s chuckling words, So-ya had a sudden realization.
No wonder she couldn't control her tears and kept crying like a baby.
“I-I wasn’t crying! So-ya wants to get a present from the Great Vermilion Bird, too!”
As if she had never been crying at all, So-ya rubbed her eyes dry and sat up straight with a brave face.
She still held the firebird doll tightly under one arm.
“Yes, yes, my So-ya. Shall we sit over here?”
The woman brought over a small mirror and began to comb So-ya’s hair.
‘Strange. My mommy wasn't this good at tying hair…’
The woman’s hands were incredibly skillful, braiding the hair smoothly without any tangles or tugging.
So-ya kept stealing glances at the woman sitting behind her through the mirror.
‘That person is So-ya’s mommy… Ack!’
When her eyes met the woman’s, she jumped in surprise and hurriedly looked down.
“How cute you are, my baby.”
The woman burst into laughter at the sight.
“Ta-da. All done!”
With a fluttering heart, So-ya looked into the mirror.
In the reflection, her red hair was rolled into two buns on either side of her head, looking like little dumplings.
“How is it, my So-ya? Very cute, isn't it?”
“Yes…”
A slight blush crept onto So-ya’s face as she nodded.
It felt a bit awkward to say it herself, but… her reflection in the mirror was truly pretty.
Especially that brilliant red hair she had always envied…
‘Wait? I envied it?’
So-ya blinked at the thought that had surfaced unconsciously, but then the woman reached out her hand.
“Shall we go outside?”
“Ye-yes!”
So-ya quickly grabbed that hand.
The woman chuckled softly, seeing the small hand snatch hers as if afraid she might leave.
Holding the woman’s hand tightly, So-ya stepped out of the inner quarters.
The familiar scenery of the mansion unfolded before her eyes.
The two of them headed toward Ha-yeon Pond, the artificial pond located in the inner courtyard of the Vermilion Bird Mansion.
‘Ah. It’s been so long since I’ve been here.’
As So-ya was lost in thought while looking at the pond, the woman spoke.
“Hmm? But you came to see it with Mommy yesterday, too.”
The woman spoke as if she had read So-ya’s inner thoughts.
‘Oh? Is that so?’
So-ya tilted her head and looked at the lotus flowers blooming on the pond.
The woman reached her hand out into the air.
Birds flew down and chirped on the back of her hand before flying off again to pluck two lotus blossoms.
The woman tucked a lotus stem behind So-ya’s ear.
“Oh, how pretty. My So-ya.”
“So-ya too! So-ya wants to put one in Mommy’s ear, too!”
“Here, I’ll leave it to you.”
The woman smiled brightly and handed the remaining blossom to So-ya.
As she leaned down, So-ya used her small hands to carefully tuck the flower behind the woman’s ear.
However, the moment the woman tried to straighten up, the flower So-ya had placed fell with a thud.
“Ah…!”
As So-ya’s face instantly crumpled into a pout, the woman picked up the fallen blossom and apologized.
“Oh dear, Mommy was being careless. Would my baby like to put it in again?”
This time, So-ya was extremely careful, concentrating hard as she placed the flower.
As the woman helped by gently sliding it in with her hand, the blossom was firmly secured.
“How do I look?”
At the smiling question, a beaming grin bloomed on So-ya’s face.
“You’re pretty, Mommy!”
So-ya shouted with a giggle.
As she sat by the pond with the woman and looked down at the water’s surface, she saw the reflection of the mother and daughter sitting side by side.
‘Since we’re wearing the same flowers in our hair, we really look like mother and daughter.’
As So-ya giggled at the thought, the woman began to explain in a soft voice.
“This pond is an artificial one that your father made for me.”
“My original home had a large pond like this. Since I had to leave my hometown to come to your father, he made this so I wouldn't feel lonely.”
“Ooh, I see.”
So-ya nodded, swinging her feet back and forth.
“Our So-ya will also grow up to be a fine lady and leave Mommy’s side to follow her husband one day, right?”
“Pardon?”
Startled, So-ya turned to look at the woman.
“Mommy wishes our So-ya wouldn't go anywhere and would stay with Mommy for a long, long time.”
“So-So-ya will do that!”
So-ya answered immediately.
“So-ya won't get married and will live here forever! With Mommy… and also…”
‘Hmm? Didn't I have a conversation like this with Mommy before?’
As she trailed off, mumbling, a sudden doubt flickered through So-ya’s mind.
“What are you thinking about, my So-ya?”
“Ah, Mommy. Well, you see…”
Just as So-ya was about to explain the fleeting sense of déjà vu she had just felt, the woman whispered.
“My cute baby.”
The woman pulled So-ya’s small body into her arms and whispered.
“Don't worry about complicated thoughts; just grow up big and strong in Mommy’s arms.”
‘Yeah, that’s right. I won't think about complicated things.’
“Let’s stay here, just the two of us, Mommy and baby, for a long, long time—forever.”
‘Mommy’s arms feel so good. I want to live as Mommy’s baby in her arms for a long, long time.’
So-ya played with flowers in the garden with her mother, ate delicious snacks up in the pavilion, and called many baby birds to sing and dance with her.
‘But… I feel like I’m forgetting something…’
An inexplicable sense of dissonance had been bothering her for a while.
However, whenever she tried to grasp the thought, her mind became hazy, as if shrouded in fog.
After trying to trace her thoughts a few more times, So-ya eventually gave up.
It was because the hand of her mother, which was holding hers tightly, was so warm and cozy.
‘Yeah, but…’
As So-ya sat on the woman’s lap, fiddling with her palm, she absentmindedly looked around and tilted her head.
‘Why are only Mommy and I in the mansion?’
As So-ya fell into deep thought, the woman explained as if reading her mind once again.
“Your father left for the Imperial Palace because His Majesty summoned him.”
“Father?”
“Yes, Father. Since it’s your birthday in ten sleeps, he’ll be back soon. Carrying lots of presents for our baby.”
“Father…”
As So-ya blankly muttered the word, a voice suddenly surfaced.
[Because the world you’ve lived in until now was wrong. That’s why, from now on, I’m going to show you the right world.]
‘Huh…?’
A voice abruptly came to mind.
[I’m not a Cotton Ball. I don’t have wings, and I don’t have tail feathers. I’m not cute, either. I don’t know for sure, but people say I have a bad personality.]
‘This is…’
In an instant, So-ya’s expression froze.
[Is a father like this—not cute and with a bad personality—not to your liking?]
‘Dad…!’
This was the voice of the person So-ya loved most in the world.
[Call me Father. Or "Dad" would be even better.]
‘Ah. Yes, that’s right.’
The thick fog that had filled her mind slowly began to clear.
[Dad will be here guarding this place, so be careful, my little Cotton Ball.]
‘Dad—Father is waiting for me!’
Flash!
Along with the realization, So-ya’s body grew.
No longer the body of a four-year-old child longing for her mother’s absence, but the body of a twelve-year-old girl.