Chapter 113
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 113
Lost in thought, So-ya suddenly shook her head.
She didn't want to think about it any further.
No matter how they reacted, it wouldn't be pleasant for her.
To see them cast her aside coldly again, just as they had before.
Or to see them embrace her, saying everything was alright, as if they had never treated her that way.
After staring at them blankly for a moment, So-ya turned her gaze away.
This isn't the time. I need to go find the norigae.
Reminding herself of why she had come all this way, So-ya flew toward Ri-ri’s room.
Thanks to the transformation bead from the Nine-Tailed Fox Clan, no one recognized her.
So-ya landed safely on the open windowsill of Ri-ri’s room.
The birds chirping in the trees tilted their heads as they watched her.
“Shh.”
So-ya whispered in a tiny voice to the birds.
“It’s a secret that I’m here. It’ll be big trouble if I’m caught.”
At her words, the birds flew over and perched on the windowsill beside her.
“Oh? You’re going to stand guard for me?”
Chirp, chirp—
Tweet, tweet—
The birds nodded, letting out clear, bright cries.
“Thank you. I’ll be in and out quickly, then.”
So-ya gave them a brave farewell and hopped inside the room.
She had been worried that maidservants might be present, but the room was empty; it seemed they had all followed Ri-ri out.
Landing on the floor with a soft thud, So-ya looked around.
A long time ago, she had stood outside this very door and heard Ri-ri’s voice asking for her to be eliminated, and Jeok Hwa-yu’s voice agreeing to it.
I thought I was completely fine now.
A sharp pang throbbed in her chest.
But that still hurts my heart.
Glancing briefly at the door, So-ya scurried toward a lavish vanity set against one side of the room.
Though it had been brief, she had served as Ri-ri’s personal maid and knew exactly where the girl kept her important belongings.
The drawer beneath the vanity.
Ri-ri kept her most precious items there and never allowed the other maidservants to touch them.
So-ya gripped the drawer handle with her small beak and pulled with all her might.
Rattle—
The momentum of the drawer sliding open sent So-ya tumbling backward onto her bottom.
“Oof.”
Shaking out her tail feathers, So-ya picked herself up and hopped onto the drawer.
Inside, a hoard of extravagant jewels and ornaments was revealed.
So-ya hesitated instinctively.
Given the prestige of the Vermilion Bird Clan, these were certainly things they could afford… but they felt utterly out of place with the clan’s tradition of valuing simplicity.
Stepping into the drawer, So-ya sifted through the jewelry with her beak until she discovered a single feather tucked away in the deepest corner.
Huh…?
It was a stiff gray feather she had never seen before.
What kind of feather is this?
So-ya tilted her head in confusion but soon pushed it from her mind to focus on finding her mother’s heirloom.
Fortunately, it was exactly where she expected it to be.
She had been told that this norigae, inlaid with a red gem, had been passed down from her mother’s mother, and her mother’s mother before her.
Taking the norigae in her beak, So-ya hopped down to the floor and tucked it into the bundle Yeon-jeong had tied for her.
Then, she used her head to push the drawer shut and headed back out the window.
The birds who had been standing guard for her flapped their wings in greeting.
Tweet, tweet—
Chirp, chirp—
“Thank you, birds. I made it out safely thanks to you.”
So-ya was about to spread her wings and leave when she suddenly paused.
If I don’t do it today, I’ll never have a reason to come back here again.
Instead of heading back toward the Western Land, So-ya changed direction with newfound resolve.
The place she headed for was none other than the Vermilion Bird Clan’s family cemetery.
Standing before the grave where the long-deceased Madam of the Vermilion Bird Clan was buried, So-ya released her transformation.
Poof!
Her body shifted back into that of a twelve-year-old girl.
Since she had come here on a whim, she hadn't prepared even a single flower to offer at her mother’s grave.
So-ya opened her palm and drew upon the energy of the Blue Dragon.
Transparent seeds of life began to pop into existence in the air.
As the seeds drifted gently to the ground, they immediately began to bloom into a kaleidoscope of flowers.
In an instant, beautiful, colorful blossoms flourished in front of the grave.
“Thank you, Dragon God.”
So-ya offered her thanks to the Dragon God of Cheonghae for lending her the power of life, then turned her gaze back to the tombstone.
“Hello, Mother. It’s me, So-ya.”
She wasn't sure if this was the right way to say hello.
“Um… I’ve grown a lot, haven't I? I’ve already gone through my First Growth, and I’m twelve years old now.”
She remembered how people in her memories would speak to the deceased when they visited graves, so she tried to imitate them in an awkward voice.
“When I was little, I was always curious about you. But the Vermilion Bird showed me what you were like.”
A mother she had been separated from too early to remember.
However, So-ya remembered her from the past the Vermilion Bird had shown her, and from the illusion she had seen in the Swamp of the Dead.
A mother who had worried for her until the very moment she closed her eyes.
A mother who, even as an illusion, had been so warm she felt like she might cry.
“I’m sorry I couldn't live happily after you worried about me until the end. But I have a better, real family now. So please, don't be too sad, Mother.”
It had been awkward to start, but once she began to speak, the stories she had wanted to tell for so long came pouring out.
“And… I’m sorry I couldn't get along with those people—the ones who should have been a good husband and a good son to you.”
So-ya briefly thought of the people she had severed ties with long ago.
“But I don't think I can ever go back to them. No, I won't go back.”
She continued, her voice taking on a stubborn edge.
“I can't help this, even if you scold me for it. I’m truly sorry.”
So-ya fell silent for a moment, staring blankly at her mother’s grave.
After a short while, her small lips slowly parted again.
“……Actually, Mother. When I was little and didn't know any better, I resented you. Everyone told me… that I was a child who should never have been born.”
Her voice sank, heavy with the loneliness of a confession.
Until Ri-ri appeared with the red feather, So-ya had been seen as proof of the deceased Madam’s infidelity.
The Clan Head, Jeok Ah-yun, had been driven to madness by the fact that he could neither accept nor deny that his wife had died after giving birth to another man’s child.
The people of the Vermilion Bird Clan had whispered whenever they saw So-ya.
That she was a child who should never have been born.
That if only she hadn't been born, the Madam wouldn't have died, and the Clan Head wouldn't have suffered.
That all the tragedies of the Vermilion Bird Clan began with her birth.
“I wondered why you gave birth to me. I had such wicked thoughts and resented you.”
She shouldn't have. She should never have harbored such terrible thoughts.
“I’m sorry for having such a bad heart when you worried about me until your final breath.”
But So-ya knew now. She knew those thoughts were wrong. And…
“And thank you for giving birth to me.”
Her throat felt hot as she spoke those words.
“Because you gave your life to bring me into this world, I’ve come to know so many wonderful things.”
Now, So-ya knew how refreshing the air felt against her cheeks as she raced through the mountains.
She knew how cozy the crunching sound of footsteps felt on the first snow of midwinter.
She knew how beautiful the vast world looked from above when she spread her two short wings and took flight.
“If you hadn't given birth to me, I would never have known how beautiful this world is.”
This was the beautiful world she had come to know in exchange for her mother’s life.
“So, I’m going to live bravely from now on without crying.”
So-ya said, her eyes crinkling into a smile as if to reassure her mother.
“I probably won't be able to visit here again… but I’ll always think of you.”
Even after finishing her farewell, her throat was so tight that she couldn't leave, standing there in silence for a long time.
Perhaps because she knew she would never return, it was difficult to take that first step away.
She stayed there for a long while longer, and just as she finally began to turn around—
Her eyes met those of the Southern birds peeking at her from between the tree branches.
“Oh? Were you watching me talk this whole time? How embarrassing.”
So-ya’s face flushed slightly.
The birds flew over to her, chirping as if to comfort her.
“Thank you, birds.”
So-ya laughed softly as she replied, but then she jumped in surprise at their continued chirping.
“What? You’re going to follow me?”
Cheep!
Chirp!
Tweet!
Peep!
Birds of all different colors and songs chirped in a chaotic chorus of agreement.
She was a bit worried about so many birds following her, but…
Well, I suppose it doesn't matter. The White Tiger Palace is huge. And so is Mt. Horim.
Having made her decision, So-ya smiled brightly.
“Do as you like. But the White Tiger Palace is very far from here. You’ll have to keep up.”
The birds chirped and nodded their heads.
Poof!
Transforming back into Jjaek-jjaek, So-ya soared high into the sky.
Behind her, the sound of many wings flapping echoed through the clear sky as the birds followed her lead.
* * *
At that same moment, Jeok Ah-yun was making his way toward his wife’s grave.