Chapter 55
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 55
The atmosphere was such that So-ya felt she shouldn't disturb him, so she simply watched him in silence.
"Since you haven't found the owner of the flame yet, you likely needed a medium to borrow this power," Yi-rim explained in a calm voice.
"A medium?"
"Yes. For example..."
His voice trailed off slowly as he reached out his hand.
"…!"
So-ya gasped in surprise. There was a fresh wound on his palm.
"Something like the summoner's blood."
"Brother, the—the wound...!"
Bright red blood dripped steadily down his wrist.
"Don't worry too much. I inflicted it myself."
This wound, which hadn't been there moments ago, was something he had done to himself while So-ya had her eyes closed, listening to her spirit core.
"I told you, didn't I? That the summoner's blood is required. But since I couldn't draw blood from your body, I lent you the blood of the Yellow Dragon instead."
"..."
So-ya’s eyes trembled.
To intentionally wound one's own body—it was a terrifying thought that So-ya could never have imagined. It was a wound that looked painful enough to make one's flesh crawl just by looking at it, yet Yi-rim showed no sign of pain.
"Will you treat it for me, So-ya?"
He gestured with his eyes toward the flame resting on So-ya’s palm.
Understanding his meaning immediately, So-ya swallowed hard and nodded. She carefully opened her palm and focused all her attention on the flame blooming there.
Then, slowly—very slowly—the flame moved and enveloped Yi-rim’s hand.
Sss—
As the flame flickered out, the wound on his hand vanished without a trace.
However, instead of the joy of success, So-ya asked in a distressed voice, "Why would you do such a thing? To hurt yourself like that..."
"Don't be upset, So-ya. Look, I'm perfectly fine again thanks to you."
"But... just because it can be healed doesn't mean it didn't hurt."
He had wounded his own hand purely to help her utilize her supernatural ability. He had done something that offered him no benefit at all, simply for her sake.
"No. It didn't hurt."
"Liar."
So-ya spoke with a firm expression.
At her words, the smile slowly faded from Yi-rim’s face.
"...Yes, you're right. It did hurt a little. No, it hurt quite a lot," he admitted to her in a steady voice. "So, So-ya. Try to save this flame and don't use it if you can help it. Not unless it's an absolute necessity."
"You don't even have to say that; I won't do anything so dangerous."
The summoner's blood. He said that because she hadn't found the owner of that power yet, blood was required to manifest it.
So-ya remembered that when she had repelled the ghost in Sa-eon’s office and when she had purified Seol-yo, she had unknowingly suffered scrapes and scratches from falling.
She had been able to use the purification power because she happened to be wounded when the power was needed, but she couldn't rely on such coincidences every time. Nor did she have any intention of wounding herself the way Yi-rim had.
"So, Brother Yi-rim, please promise me as well. Promise that you will cherish your own body."
He faltered.
Yi-rim, who had been composed throughout, hesitated for the first time.
The gaze So-ya fixed on him was straight and unwavering—much like that clear smile of hers that had remained unchanged even in the face of hostility from those she once believed were family.
"Very well. I give you my word, So-ya. I will surely cherish my body."
"You must keep it. You must!"
Only after securing the promise did So-ya release the hand she was holding.
Feeling a strange sense of emptiness in his hands, Yi-rim stared blankly at her receding hand before slowly raising his head. He took in the sight of So-ya’s face, etching it into his memory.
Once they parted this time, it would be quite a while before he could see her again.
"And So-ya, I'll say my goodbyes now. I must return to the Imperial Palace early tomorrow morning."
"Ah..."
A look of regret washed over So-ya’s face.
It made sense. He was now the Emperor of the Taehwa Empire. He must be much busier than before.
Seeing her dejected face, Yi-rim let out a small chuckle and spoke.
"So-ya. About that promise from before."
[I want to take you to the Imperial Palace. If... you will allow it.]
So-ya froze for a moment as she recalled the promise they had shared before leaving the Vermilion Bird Mansion.
Even on that day, So-ya hadn't been able to give a clear answer. The Vermilion Bird Mansion, where everyone hated her, had made her feel smaller with each passing day; yet, she had foolishly been unable to let go of her feelings for her father until the very end.
However, as she looked at his finger hooked with her pinky, she might have harbored a vague expectation. That someone might pull her out of that place, where she couldn't bring herself to run away due to her dull lingering attachments.
But things were different now.
The people here at the White Tiger Palace were all kind and gentle to her. Above all, she had found a family here. A 'real family' that cherished and protected one another, no matter what they looked like.
Just as So-ya was worrying about how to phrase her refusal to Yi-rim—
"I'm sorry, So-ya. It seems I'll have to delay it a bit longer."
Yi-rim spoke as if he had read her thoughts exactly.
"The Imperial Palace where I reside has become a living hell, making it impossible to take you there right now."
Yi-rim smiled bitterly, thinking of the Imperial Palace where the scent of blood never faded.
"I am not yet ready, so once I have finished preparing to take you, I will come to ask for your permission again."
"..."
"Though I have been late every time before, I will not be late this time."
"..."
"Will you grow up healthy until then?"
Yi-rim asked in a tender voice.
So-ya still couldn't give a definitive answer to the man who said he would come back for her permission. However, there was one thing she could say for certain.
"You've never been late once, Brother Yi-rim."
At So-ya’s answer, Yi-rim smiled silently.
There was something about that smile that felt distant and ethereal, giving So-ya a strange feeling.
Whoosh—
An autumn breeze blew past, fluttering So-ya’s hair.
"Oh."
As her swaying hair obscured her vision, So-ya reached up to brush it away.
Slide—
In an instant, Yi-rim leaned in and gently tucked her stray hair behind her ear.
"…!"
The sudden proximity made So-ya’s earlobes flush crimson and her face grow hot. The autumn night air was chilly, yet strangely, it felt scorching only around her.
For some reason, So-ya couldn't understand why her heart had been thumping so loudly for a while now.
* * *
After parting with Yi-rim, So-ya didn't go to her room but went straight to Sa-eon’s office.
It was late, but it was still the time when Sa-eon would be in his office. She wanted to be the first to brag to him about using her purification power earlier.
‘It’s a power I shouldn't use recklessly yet, but if I work harder, I’ll be able to use it even without a medium.’
So-ya’s face was full of anticipation.
‘Will he praise me again, calling me a brave and admirable baby Cotton Ball?’
So-ya liked his rough palm that stroked her hair as if rumpling it. She didn't actually mind him calling her a 'baby' Cotton Ball, either.
In those moments, she felt like a baby who was truly loved.
‘Hehe.’
So-ya giggled to herself as she arrived in front of Sa-eon’s office.
Perhaps because it was late, the hallway was deserted. Through the slightly ajar door, she could see Sa-eon and Jeok Yeong talking.
"Clan Head. The thing you gave to Lady Cotton Ball today... it was Dragon Blood Herb, wasn't it?"
So-ya, who was about to push the door open and enter the room, froze at the mention of her name.
‘Dragon Blood Herb? What’s that?’
So-ya unknowingly held her breath and eavesdropped on their conversation.