Side Story 19
Translator: RaidenTL
Side Story 19
Ga-hyeon walked slowly toward the window and picked up the stones.
One was painted with a black-striped white tiger, and the other featured a fluffy, snow-white baby bird.
The tiger stone was a gift from So-ya, while the baby bird was the one he had painted for her.
It had been last autumn, after he found and brought So-ya back when she was lost on Mt. Horim due to Eun Si-yo’s schemes. Since then, he had chosen the prettiest stone he could find and painted it for her.
He had done it because he wanted to understand the heart she had put into making hers.
Creating a stone amulet required far more devotion than he had expected.
Finding the right stone, washing and drying it, sketching the design, painting it, and then applying a clear coat of lacquer before baking it in a kiln to ensure the paint wouldn't peel...
I didn't recognize such precious sincerity back then. And yet, you didn't hate me. The thought made his heart ache with a sharp, stinging guilt.
Fortunately, So-ya had accepted his gift with a radiant smile.
[“It’s lonely being by yourself. So, can this stone amulet you gave me stay here too? In return, I’ll come every single day to make sure the stones are doing well!”]
Since then, the two stones had always sat together on Ga-hyeon’s windowsill.
Whenever Ga-hyeon saw the stones resting side by side, he felt a sense of satisfaction, yet his heart also ached as he remembered how poorly things had started between him and So-ya.
When So-ya first arrived at the White Tiger Palace, he had built a wall and spoken harshly to her. He had dismissed her precious sincerity as trash and drawn a line, telling her she didn't belong to the White Tiger Clan.
Perhaps the reason So-ya had been so willing to leave the White Tiger Palace after just a few words from Eun Si-yo was actually because of him.
Whenever that thought crossed his mind, Ga-hyeon resolved to be an even better brother to her.
He was willing to do anything for So-ya.
He would ensure that nothing in this world could hurt her. He would protect her so that her beautiful heart would never suffer even the slightest wound.
He would be her guardian.
Because he was So-ya’s brother...
‘So, receiving a little punishment from Father is perfectly fine.’
Ga-hyeon thought as he slowly closed and opened his eyes.
Just then, a bright burst of laughter drifted in from outside the window.
“Seol-yo, hurry and run! Before Brother Yul catches you!”
Glancing outside, he immediately spotted So-ya.
She must have been running all over the place, as the hem of her skirt was covered in dirt. A faint smile played on Ga-hyeon’s lips at the sight.
Despite her gentle personality, So-ya often played outside until she was covered in dust. And when it was time to come back indoors, she would belatedly try to brush off her dirty skirt with her tiny hands—a sight so adorable it was hard to describe.
He also saw Seol-yo running alongside her.
“Grrr, grrr!”
Seol-yo was in the form of a black wolf, growling playfully as he enjoyed himself.
“...Hmm.”
Ga-hyeon’s eyes narrowed slightly as he watched Seol-yo.
To the public, Seol-yo was known as a wolf beastkin. However, no one knew his true identity. Not even Aunt Sa-ra, the Divine Maiden of the White Tiger Palace.
Aunt Sa-ra had said the boy was a beastkin, not a demonic beast, but...
‘A beastkin who can transform into anything.’
Seol-yo could turn into anything. A wolf, a tiger, or even a tiny baby bird.
In front of others, he only showed his wolf form, but when no one was watching, he transformed freely. Seol-yo especially tended to turn into a tiger whenever he wanted to get on So-ya’s good side—specifically, a small, cute baby tiger that So-ya could hold in her arms.
It probably wasn't intentional. He wasn't a calculating child. It was more like he instinctively knew that So-ya liked tigers. So-ya’s guard always seemed to drop particularly low whenever she was around Seol-yo in his tiger form.
‘As I thought, he definitely likes her.’
Ga-hyeon could see right through Seol-yo’s heart. That black beast undoubtedly had feelings for So-ya. He likely didn't even know what "liking" someone truly meant yet, nor had he clearly realized his own feelings.
“Liking someone, huh...”
Ga-hyeon murmured the word to himself.
He, Yul, and everyone in the White Tiger Palace loved So-ya, but the way Seol-yo liked her seemed a bit different.
Romantic affection.
It was a word that didn't quite suit his younger sister, who was barely ten years old. Would his lovely sister eventually meet a partner and leave them one day? The thought made him feel a bit upset.
It would likely happen. Above all, So-ya was the only daughter of the White Tiger Clan. The Emperor was still young, so there had been no word from the Imperial Palace yet, but once he reached adulthood, So-ya would be summoned as a Bride Candidate of the Yellow Dragon.
And if she happened to catch the Emperor’s eye...
‘The Emperor...’
Ga-hyeon thought of the Emperor, Tae Yi-rim, who was around his own age.
Last autumn, when the Emperor visited the White Tiger Palace, Ga-hyeon had sensed something strange in the way he treated So-ya.
Liking her? That wasn't a strong enough word to describe it. It was something deeper... more intense...
‘What if the Emperor wants So-ya?’
Ga-hyeon’s expression darkened.
‘If he takes that child behind those high, thick walls of the Imperial Palace...’
He hated the idea. He had worked so hard to protect his sister.
‘If he has to take someone, he should just take that stupid tiger instead.’
Ga-hyeon was thinking this while watching Ga-yul, who was chasing after So-ya and Seol-yo while shouting “Roar!”
As So-ya fled from Ga-yul, her eyes met Ga-hyeon’s at the window.
“Pyaa! (Brother Hyeon!)”
So-ya fluttered toward him like a little bird.
“So-ya.”
Ga-hyeon reached out his hand with a tender smile.
“Peep, peep! (We decided to go flower viewing together. I’d love it if you came with us, Brother!)”
So-ya landed on the back of Ga-hyeon’s hand, flapping her wings as she spoke.
“Flower viewing?”
“Peep! (Yes, flower viewing!)”
Ga-hyeon had a lot of work to do. However, seeing So-ya look at him with such expectant eyes made it impossible to refuse.
“Shall we?”
Ga-hyeon smiled softly and stroked So-ya’s head.
Pyururu, pyururu—
A lovely song flowed from So-ya’s tiny beak in her excitement.
*
Colorful flowers bloomed in the front yard of the White Tiger Palace.
So-ya was working hard with her small hands to weave flower stems together. She was making a flower crown, her expression intensely serious with concentration.
Beside her, Seol-yo was also trying to weave stems, but his handiwork was quite clumsy. Ga-yul, who was sprawled out on the ground, had given up long ago.
“Ugh. I can’t do this anymore, Cotton Ball.”
Lying flat on the ground, Ga-yul rolled around on the grass, bothering So-ya.
“Cotton Ball, let’s do something else instead of making flower crowns...”
“Oh, Brother Yul. How can you give up already? Look at how focused Seol-yo is.”
Ga-hyeon, who was sitting against a tree trunk reading a book, glanced up at So-ya.
In the half-year since she had arrived, So-ya had adapted to the White Tiger Palace and become much more cheerful than when she first came. Now, when Yul complained, she would say everything she needed to say in her gentle voice.
“Don't be like that and sit here, Brother.”
“Huh? Like this?”
“Yes, and lower your head for a moment.”
“Eh?”
“Ta-da! Isn't it pretty?”
When she laughed, she did so with such a beautiful sound. Seeing So-ya giggle after placing a flower crown on Ga-yul’s head brought a smile to Ga-hyeon’s face as well.
“Brother Hyeon!”
So-ya ran toward Ga-hyeon, holding another flower crown.
“I have one for you too, Brother.”
“Wow, thank you. I made one for you too, So-ya.”
Ga-hyeon’s eyes crinkled warmly as he picked up the flower crown he had finished long ago and placed it on So-ya’s head. So-ya beamed and ran back to where Ga-yul and Seol-yo were.
‘It’s strange.’
Ga-hyeon thought as he watched her.
He had never realized until now that spring was such a beautiful season. He had never known that the flowers of the White Tiger Palace, which he had always passed by without a thought, were so lovely.
To him, spring had always been the season his mother left.
But not anymore. This spring, he planned to visit the Cheonghae Palace to see his mother. Spring was no longer a season of parting, but one of meeting.
It was all thanks to So-ya.
“Cotton Ball, I just thought of a fun game.”
“What is it?”
“How about a game of 'Steal the Flower Crown'... Gack!”
Before he could even finish his sentence, Ga-yul, who was about to run off with the crown on So-ya’s head, let out a strange yelp. Ga-hyeon had immediately grabbed him by the scruff of his neck.
“So we have a naughty tiger here trying to steal his sister’s flower crown.”
“I wasn't stealing it, I was trying to play with her! You’re always reading books, so you wouldn't know about things like that!”
Ga-yul grumbled, undeterred by Ga-hyeon’s sharp glare.
Ignoring him, Ga-hyeon took the flower crown from Ga-yul and gave it back to So-ya. As Ga-yul pouted and muttered to himself...
“Huh...?”
Suddenly, Ga-yul stared into the bushes, spotting a suspicious object he had never seen before.
“What’s that?”
When Ga-yul froze and blinked at the bushes, So-ya tilted her head and approached.
“What is it, Brother Yul?”
“Look over there, Cotton Ball. There’s something interesting over there.”
So-ya’s eyes widened as she looked where he was pointing. She thought she knew what it was. No, there was no way she wouldn't know.
“That’s... a bird’s nest!”