Chapter 134
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 134
San-ho’s wickedly grinning expression was so funny that So-ya eventually burst into giggles, chiming in.
“You’re right, San-ho. I’ve done everything I could, so I’m going to sleep soundly with my legs stretched out! That man can just go ahead and regret everything!”
She didn’t know why those words—telling him to go ahead and regret it, words she never would have uttered in the past—felt so light and refreshing.
Perhaps, just perhaps…
Deep down, she might have been thinking that all along.
She wanted that man, whom she had once called father, to regret it a little.
No, not just a little, but a great deal.
As much as she had been hurt and upset—even more than that—she wanted him to regret it and feel just as miserable.
“And our Young Lady wasn’t soft at all! You were so cool and firm!”
“Exactly!”
Seol-yo nodded vigorously from the side.
At their comfort, So-ya’s mood, which had been sinking into a restless gloom just moments ago, quickly filled with warmth.
So-ya’s eyes curved into crescents as she looked at them. She then plucked a flowering branch blooming nearby and tucked one behind San-ho’s ear and then Seol-yo’s.
“San-ho is sweet. And Seol-yo is sweet, too.”
“Oh my.”
San-ho let out a short exclamation and beamed.
Seol-yo flinched slightly, then very carefully reached up to touch the yellow petals.
Meanwhile, So-ya plucked another flowering branch for Yeon-jeong, who would be inside the pavilion.
There was still a little time left before they were supposed to go boating. However…
“I can’t wait. I want to see my Father now!”
Perhaps it was because she had faced that man since morning. So-ya suddenly missed her Father very, very much.
“Pardon? So suddenly? If you wait just a little longer, it’ll be time for boating, and you can join the Clan Head and the Young Masters then…”
It might have been a bit of a sudden whim. But her Father had told her long ago:
It was only natural for a baby to look for her papa.
[You can answer honestly, Cotton Ball. It’s only natural for a baby to look for her papa.]
Recalling the words Sa-eon had once said to her, So-ya cried out clearly, “I want to go see Father right now! That’s okay, right?”
Seeing the Young Lady ask with her eyes crinkling into a bright smile, San-ho chuckled and nodded.
“All right, my Lady. Go tell Yeon-jeong to dress you up as beautifully as possible.”
“Yes!”
So-ya’s bright laughter rang out toward the clear sky as she went pitter-pattering toward the inside of the pavilion.
* * *
The archery range on the east side of the Imperial Palace.
A large crowd had gathered for the archery competition that had begun early in the morning.
Among them were the members of the White Tiger Clan and Ga-ya, who had been dragged along by Sa-eon.
Following yesterday’s disturbance, Ga-ya had been placed under Sa-eon’s close surveillance. Since Sa-eon was acting as the guardian for Ga-hyeon and Ga-yul, who were participating in the competition, Ga-ya had been hauled along as well.
Despite being brought there against his will, Ga-ya was, for once, fiddling with an arrowhead, claiming he would participate in the competition alongside his younger brothers.
Everyone marveled at the sight of Sa-eon and Ga-ya standing side by side, as they looked remarkably alike.
The fellow generals who had fought alongside Ga-ya marveled for a slightly different reason; it was truly a wondrous sight to see that even the fierce Ga-ya was so well-behaved in front of Sa-eon.
In reality, however, Ga-ya was merely pretending to be obedient while looking for an opportunity.
“L-w-r y-r k-ll-ng n-t-nt.” (Lower your killing intent.)
Sa-eon spoke to Ga-ya through gritted teeth.
“Th-s s th- m-p-r-l P-l-c-.” (This is the Imperial Palace.)
“Tch.”
Ga-ya, who had been radiating a chilling killing intent while nocking an arrow before the match had even begun, pouted and grumbled.
He was terribly disappointed when he realized later that the Vermilion Bird Clan would not be attending.
Once it was clear they weren't coming, Ga-ya became utterly indifferent. His attitude seemed to ask why he even had to participate in such a boring competition.
Then, it was Ga-ya’s turn.
“Brother. Your arrow is facing the wrong way.”
“Ah, so it is.”
Ga-ya tossed the bow aside as if it were a nuisance and began flicking the arrows with his hands.
His posture was as if he were playing a game of pitch-pot.
And yet, every single arrow he threw pierced the center of the target.
Ga-yul’s eyes went wide at the incredible skill, and he looked back and forth between his brother and the target.
“B-Brother is using magic!”
At Ga-yul’s shocked cry, Ga-ya smirked.
“You’ll become a magician too if you roll around on the battlefield for eight years, Youngest Tiger.”
Ga-ya achieved a score far superior to Ga-yul, who had used a bowstring to shoot at the target, but he was ultimately disqualified for breaking the rules.
Since the Vermilion Bird Clan, famous for their archery, had not attended, the winner of this competition was Ga-hyeon.
As the match ended and the crowd began to disperse, So-ya arrived at the archery range.
“Som-som!”
Ga-ya’s eyes, which had been dull all this time, sparkled.
“Father!”
However, So-ya ran right past Ga-ya and dove into Sa-eon’s arms.
Sensing her spoiled mood, Sa-eon lowered himself as he pulled the child into a hug.
“Baby Cotton Ball. Did you run all the way here because you missed your papa?”
“Oh, Father! People are listening.”
So-ya grumbled in a low voice.
She was a little embarrassed to be called ‘Baby Cotton Ball’ in a place with so many people.
“Well, what does it matter? Your brothers are all babies in front of their papa, too.”
“Still…!”
So-ya couldn't raise her voice because of the crowd, so she spoke softly to Sa-eon.
Finding her adorable, Sa-eon chuckled and stroked the child’s hair.
“I really should have been the father instead of just one of three brothers.”
Ga-ya grumbled as he watched the affectionate father and daughter.
“So-ya. Look at this.”
At that moment, Ga-hyeon approached So-ya, holding the prize he had just received for winning.
“It’s a gift. I won it in the competition just now.”
“Is it okay to give such a precious thing to me?”
“Of course. To a brother, the most precious thing is our So-ya. It makes me so happy to give a precious item to the most precious person.”
“Thank you, Brother!”
So-ya beamed as she looked into the wooden box containing Ga-hyeon’s prize.
Inside was a bright yellow bead.
“It’s an Imperial Light Bead that is said to brighten the darkness,” Ga-hyeon explained as So-ya tilted her head.
“But this is incredibly rare!”
“No matter how rare it is, it couldn't possibly be more precious than our So-ya.”
“Oh, honestly…”
So-ya pondered how to use this precious item before speaking.
“When we go back to the White Tiger Palace, I’m going to hang it on the large tree branch in the front yard. So that the White Tiger Palace stays bright even in the middle of the dark night.”
“That’s a great idea, So-ya. This summer, it would be fun to have a feast together under the Light Bead on a night when the stars are twinkling.”
“Like the feast we had around the bonfire during the Mountain Lord Festival?”
So-ya giggled softly and began to think about who she should invite to the feast this summer.
She definitely had to invite Lady Ah-rang. Otherwise, she would get sulky.
And perhaps, this time, she might be able to be with her mother.
No, she definitely would. Because the war was over now.
‘Mother, Brother Ga-ya… it’ll be the first summer where our whole family is gathered.’
Even though summer was still a long way off, So-ya’s heart was already racing with excitement.
Afterward, So-ya ate with her family at the outdoor luncheon area in the palace’s rear garden before heading to the pond where the boating was to take place.
The Imperial Palace pond was massive.
It was far larger than the one she had seen at the Vermilion Bird Mansion as a child; it was wider than most lakes.
So-ya strolled around the pond with her family, watching the duck families floating on the water and the schools of fish swimming beneath the surface.
She climbed up a tall pavilion and enjoyed refreshments while feeling the warm spring breeze.
As they chatted amiably, noon passed, and the afternoon sun began to grow stinging.
Inadvertently looking down, So-ya spotted Ri-ri and the members of the Vermilion Bird Clan passing right below the pavilion and approaching the edge of the pond.
In an instant, So-ya’s expression froze.
‘This scent…’
A sharp, acrid scent carried by the spring breeze tickled the tip of her nose.
It was a scent So-ya knew all too well.
‘There’s no mistake. It’s the scent of evil arts.’
And the source of this scent was none other than Ri-ri.
A scent stronger and more acrid than the one she had smelled from Si-yo’s scent pouch long ago, and even stronger than what she had smelled in the Hyeon-to Underground Palace across the Swamp of the Dead, was wafting from Ri-ri.