Chapter 162
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 162
Ga-hyeon looked at Hwa-yu with chilling eyes.
“Peaches… I see.”
It was already five years ago. The day his father first brought that child—small and pure white like a cotton ball—to the White Tiger Palace.
He remembered her suffering, shivering with a boiling fever.
It’s just because she ate a peach. She’ll be fine soon.
He remembered how she had mumbled those words, walking on eggshells around everyone even as her throat swelled and the fever raged.
As time passed and he learned what she had endured in the Southern Land, he had suspected the Vermilion Bird Clan was behind it, but…
“So it was your doing.”
The fact that it was the very brother So-ya had once trusted and followed most was what truly incensed Ga-hyeon.
And what made him even angrier was…
What? They were supposed to go see the summer festival together after her first beast transformation?
And after promising that, he had neglected the child for three years, only to take her to that very festival just to abandon her and vanish?
The sight of him speaking as if it were some fond, precious memory—after feeding a child something she couldn't even eat—provoked an uncontrollable surge of rage within Ga-hyeon.
It was agonizing to listen to him drone on about his so-called memories with So-ya, but Ga-hyeon had listened to the end because he needed to know.
He needed to know everything she had suffered in that house—even the things she would never say herself—so he could pay them back in full.
“So-ya… isn’t here…?”
Hwa-yu’s face turned deathly pale at the realization that the person he had been talking to until a moment ago was not So-ya.
Hwa-yu tried to move his body, but it wouldn't obey.
“What… what did you do to me…?”
It was ‘Paralysis,’ one of the supernatural abilities known to be held by the White Tiger Clan, which froze an opponent in place with overwhelming terror.
“So-ya… where is So-ya…?”
Seeing Hwa-yu call out So-ya’s name and search for her made Ga-hyeon’s expression sink into an even colder depths.
“How pathetic. So-ya was never here to begin with. Why would she ever agree to meet you?”
“So-ya… So-ya is…”
“You abandoned her just because of the color of her feathers. Why would she want to see a red-feathered half-wit like you, who’s now trying to play the part of a pathetic older brother?”
“No. I didn’t abandon So-ya… I didn’t…”
“Yes, you did.”
Dropping his polite tone instantly, Ga-hyeon cut Hwa-yu off with a razor-sharp voice.
“You abandoned So-ya. You were the one. You stole that little girl’s Spirit Core and locked her in the Cold Palace. You didn’t hesitate to tell her you’d tear her wings off if she ever crossed your sight again.”
“Ah…”
Hwa-yu’s pupils trembled violently.
“And was that all? You even tried to kill her. Because of you, So-ya nearly died multiple times.”
“N-no, I…!”
“You said it yourself, didn’t you? That you hated her so much you wanted her dead.”
“I didn’t mean it, it wasn't my true—”
“Because of you, So-ya almost died in that freezing Cold Palace, and she almost died when her Spirit Core was damaged. Did you even know she can’t eat peaches? On that day you prattled on about—calling it a ‘gift-like day’—that child almost died because of the peach you fed her.”
“…!”
Hwa-yu’s body froze solid as he let out a jagged, gasping breath.
But Ga-hyeon gave him no room to breathe, pressing him further.
“And what about the girl you cherished as a sister pushing her into the pond? Don’t tell me you didn’t know about that either. Surely you know the Three-Legged Crow you people sent tried to kill her? I informed your eldest brother of that myself.”
“Ah… a-ah, ah…”
“Congratulations. Just as you wished, the real youngest daughter of the Vermilion Bird Clan is gone now.”
Ga-hyeon narrowed his eyes into a thin, mocking smile as he delivered the final blow.
“Because you people killed her. You might as well have killed that six-year-old child who had just finished her first transformation with your own hands.”
In that instant, the thick scent that had been flickering in the air since a moment ago suddenly flooded the room.
“I… I did…”
Ga-hyeon took a long stride toward the stammering Hwa-yu.
He lifted Hwa-yu’s chin with the tip of his closed fan and whispered as if carving the words into his mind.
“You killed her.”
“I… So-ya… I killed So-ya…?”
“That’s right. You’re a monster, worse than vermin, who couldn't even recognize his own sister and killed her instead. Actually, why don’t you just become a bug while you’re at it?”
“…”
“Comparing something as ignorant, incompetent, and immoral as you to vermin is an insult to insects, but it suits you perfectly. A bug that killed his sister.”
“I am… a bug… that killed my sister…”
Hwa-yu’s eyes began to glaze over, and he started to chant Ga-hyeon’s words back to him.
“Yes, a bug. And how should a bug live?”
“…”
When Hwa-yu couldn't answer, Ga-hyeon struck him down with his fan.
Thud.
Hwa-yu’s body collapsed helplessly onto the floor.
“A bug should wallow in the gutter like a bug. Don’t torment her with your filthy stench; live the rest of your life cowering as if you were dead.”
“Like a bug… as if dead…”
“You told her, didn’t you? That you’d cut off her wings if she ever caught your eye again.”
Ga-hyeon looked down at Hwa-yu with eyes full of pure contempt.
“I’ll return those words to you. If you ever enter her sight again, I won’t stop at those hideous red wings. I will tear you limb from limb. So never, ever let So-ya see you again.”
“Never again… in So-ya’s sight… Ugh, ugh… hngh, uwaaaah…”
Hwa-yu, who had been repeating Ga-hyeon’s words as if hypnotized, suddenly began to writhe violently, letting out animalistic sobs.
“Ugh, h-heee… an apology… I have to apologize…”
Hwa-yu flailed on the floor, clawing at his own chest.
“I will never… show my face again… so please…”
Ssh—
Ga-hyeon crouched down in front of him and tapped Hwa-yu’s cheek with his fan.
“Why would a bug offer an apology? Now that you understand your place, get up and leave.”
“Ugh, h-hngh…”
Though Hwa-yu wailed in agony, he obediently forced himself up.
“Take your people and return to the Southern Land within the hour. Do it quietly and swiftly, so that not even the sound of a single wingbeat reaches her ears.”
“…”
Hwa-yu stumbled toward the window, transformed into a large red bird, and flew away.
Ho Jeok-a, who had been hiding, poked his head out and watched the spot where Hwa-yu had vanished with fascinated eyes.
“It actually worked.”
‘Hypnosis’ was a supernatural ability known to appear rarely among the direct descendants of the Red Fox Clan.
In this generation of the Red Fox Clan, Jeok-a was the one who had awakened that power.
Of course, it would normally be impossible for an ordinary red fox to hypnotize a direct Young Lord of the Vermilion Bird Clan, who were said to be descendants of a Divine Beast. However, Ga-hyeon had commanded him to try, promising to assist from the side.
Thanks to Ga-hyeon shattering Hwa-yu’s mental state, Jeok-a’s hypnosis had taken a powerful hold.
Though there was no telling how long the effect would last…
“To think a man with a mind that collapses from a few words is a direct descendant of a Divine Beast.”
“It wasn't just a few words, though.”
Jeok-a retorted, glancing back at Ga-hyeon.
He knew his master usually kept most people outside his inner circle despite his gentle appearance, but he had never seen him show such visceral contempt for someone before.
Yet, he didn't find the sentiment hard to understand.
He, and everyone else in the White Tiger Palace, loathed the Vermilion Bird Clan for what they had done to their little cotton ball lady.
“But will this be alright? If it’s found out that you did this to a direct Young Lord of the Vermilion Bird Clan…”
“Don’t worry. There’s no evidence. And even if it is found out, you were the one who used hypnosis on the Young Lord of the Jeok Clan, not me.”
“What?”
“I’m joking.”
Ga-hyeon gave a nonchalant smile and walked toward the window.
As he moved to close it, he paused.
The cold aura that had lingered in his eyes as he stared out the window vanished instantly, replaced by a warm light.
“It’s the Young Lady.”
Following Ga-hyeon’s gaze, Jeok-a spotted So-ya trotting back toward them with Seol-yo.
“The Young Lady looks very bright.”
“Yes. It’s a relief.”
So much had happened to So-ya since coming here to the Imperial Palace.
She had to face the former family that abandoned her, and she nearly died twice because of the cuckoo who had stolen her life.
She had saved countless people from crisis, and the lies that had mocked her life had finally been exposed.
Ga-hyeon was so grateful to So-ya for remaining unshaken and smiling with that same bright face through it all.
He clenched his fists, unable to understand how the Vermilion Bird Clan could have hurt such a lovely and precious sister.
If he had followed his heart, he would have torn that man apart on the spot for having the audacity to seek her out…
But that man’s hell was only just beginning.
He hoped Hwa-yu would suffer in a hell of his own making for at least as long as So-ya had suffered—no, twice as long.
‘But no matter how much I think about it, living in hell with one less wing wouldn't be so bad…’
Ga-hyeon briefly reconsidered the plan that had already been scrapped once because Jeok-a had jumped in to stop him, fearing it would start a war between the clans. He eventually shook his head.
It was a dark thought, ill-suited for someone watching over his lovely younger sister.
After watching So-ya’s clear face for a while, Ga-hyeon’s gaze slowly drifted downward.
“Hmm.”
The sight of the two children holding hands entered his vision.
“…Well, they’re still young.”
Muttering quietly to himself, he returned to the room, grabbed a blanket, and stepped outside.
“So-ya.”
Ga-hyeon approached her with a face so warm it was worlds apart from how he had treated Jeok Hwa-yu.
“Hyeon-yi Oraboni!”
“Oh dear, how did you get so wet? You’ll catch a cold, So-ya.”
Ga-hyeon draped the blanket over So-ya’s shoulders and smiled tenderly.
“Seol-yo is much wetter than I am. Oh, more importantly, Oraboni!”
So-ya spoke with a hint of bashfulness as she showed the Light Bead to Ga-hyeon.
“Look at this. It’s a Light Bead! Seol-yo found it for me!”
Ga-hyeon’s eyes widened in surprise.
Then, he burst into a bright laugh.
“I’ll have to make sure to thank Seol-yo. Now that we have the Light Bead, we can have the summer festival you wanted so much.”
“Yes, exactly! As soon as we get back to the White Tiger Palace, the first thing I’m going to do is make a guest list and write the invitations!”
So-ya chattered away about all the things she wanted to do during the summer festival.
Perhaps it was because he had just heard the story of So-ya’s past from the second son of the Vermilion Bird Clan—who had been intoxicated by his own pathetic guilt.
As he watched So-ya prattle on with a pure smile, a gentle wave of emotion surged in Ga-hyeon’s chest.
He hoped his poor sister, who must have so many scars, would completely forget the painful times of the past and live the rest of her days smiling as happily as she was today.
That was Ga-hyeon’s earnest, heartfelt wish.