Chapter 59
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 59
Just a moment ago, it felt as if a light had flashed from the divine artifact.
However, when Jeok Ah-yun turned to look, there was only the massive divine bow, standing as silent and lusterless as always.
Did I see it wrong?
Jeok Ah-yun, who had been inspecting the divine bow with a startled, tense expression, soon felt the tension drain out of him.
Of course. There’s no way.
There was only one instance when a divine artifact would glow: when its true master, an ancient divine beast, awakened.
I must be exhausted.
Pressing his fingers firmly against his temples, Jeok Ah-yun turned away.
As he walked outside, he spotted his son speaking with a subordinate. Seeing the grave expression on his son’s face, Jeok Ah-yun called out to him.
“What is it, Hwa-yu?”
“Ah… Father.”
Jeok Hwa-yu hesitated before speaking.
“I’ve heard that the head of the Baek Clan has adopted a daughter.”
“That is hardly something to worry about, is it? Since there are no girls in the direct lineage, he must have adopted from a branch family,” Jeok Ah-yun replied dismissively.
“But the child’s name is…”
At his son’s next words, however, Jeok Ah-yun’s expression froze.
“They say it is So-ya…”
* * *
In the east of the Empire, the land of the Blue Dragon embraced a vast sea.
Behind a beaded curtain woven from blue jade sat a woman of captivating aura, possessing azure hair and pale violet eyes.
She was Cheong-ha, the Acting Clan Head of the Blue Dragon Clan.
Drip, drip. Along with the sound of falling water, a soft-shelled turtle leaped up from the surface of the water.
The turtle soon transformed into a small boy and scurried over to Cheong-ha.
“Lady Cheong-ha! Lady Cheong-ha!”
“Why all the fuss?”
Cheong-ha, who had been grooming her nails, asked the boy in a listless voice.
“I heard incredible news from the mainland!”
“News?”
“Well, you see…! Lord Sa-eon has adopted a youngest daughter!”
“I thought it was something important.”
“Is it not important?”
“It’s a bit cheeky of him to adopt a daughter without telling me, I suppose.”
Cheong-ha let out a short laugh as she thought of Sa-eon. Her mind then drifted to the three children who took after him—the three young lords of the White Tiger Clan: Ga-ya, Ga-hyeon, and Ga-yul.
“…I wonder how those boys are doing.”
At Cheong-ha’s murmur, the boy asked, “Are you going to the Western Land?”
“Hmm. I wonder.”
“But you know, Lady Cheong-ha. If you leave the land of the Blue Dragon, your spirit core will…”
“Don’t worry too much, Ah-saeng. My heart longs to leave for the sea this instant, but I have a mountain of work piled up.”
Cheong-ha shrugged, pointing at the documents stacked on her desk.
She couldn't leave this place right now.
If it were a responsibility she could throw away so easily, she wouldn't have accepted the position in the first place.
That little one is already approaching the time for his First Growth.
Contrary to her nonchalant reply, her gaze grew heavy as she looked down at the files.
* * *
That autumn, many things happened to So-ya.
She gained a reliable, real family who protected and cherished her regardless of what she looked like—whether she was a bird or a beast.
She awakened the White Tiger of Mt. Horim, obtained a divine artifact, and proudly became the winner of the Mountain Lord Festival.
She became a wonderful baby bird who overcame her fear of beast transformation and learned to enjoy the thrill of flight.
Furthermore, she manifested a supernatural ability and used that power of ‘Purification’ to help Seol-yo and her father.
Though she still hadn't discovered who the being was that lent her that power…
So-ya was so happy living each day at the White Tiger Palace. Every moment sparkled and was so beautiful that she cherished them like jewels.
She felt a twinge of regret that the time she wanted to treasure was passing by so quickly.
Miteum Month, the month that rushes from autumn into winter, passed by. As Knot Month, the end of the year when one composes one's heart, approached, the weather gradually turned chilly.
The bedding decorating So-ya’s room grew thick in turn.
Just like the fur of a baby cotton ball growing plump as winter neared.
So-ya was fast asleep, tucked away inside her fluffy blankets.
“…Young Lady…”
The voices of Yeon-jeong and San-ho woke So-ya from her slumber.
“Young Lady, please wake up!”
They were a bit more boisterous than usual.
“Mmm, Lady Yeon-jeong, Lady San-ho, just a little longer…”
“Hurry! It’s snowing at the White Tiger Palace!”
So-ya, who had been burrowing deeper into the blankets, bolted upright at those words.
“Snow?!”
So-ya reflexively whipped her head toward the window and was instantly stunned.
“…!”
Snow had fallen overnight, turning the entire White Tiger Palace pure white!
Her sleepiness vanished in an instant, and So-ya scurried toward the window.
Gripping the windowsill and looking down, So-ya turned to Yeon-jeong and San-ho with wide eyes and shouted.
“The White Tiger Palace turned white!”
The roofs, the tree branches, the stone statues, and the stone steps were all covered in pure white snow.
“It snowed last night. They say it’s the first snow of the year.”
“…!”
At Yeon-jeong’s explanation, So-ya’s face lit up brilliantly.
“I want to go down, I want to go down now, Lady Yeon-jeong! I want to go see the snow!”
In the land of the Vermilion Bird where So-ya was born and raised, the heat held within the earth meant it never snowed, even in the dead of winter.
Encountering a snowy landscape for the first time in her nine years of life, So-ya was incredibly excited.
Seeing So-ya stomping her feet in her eagerness to go outside, Yeon-jeong laughed softly and said, “Yes, yes. Let’s go out quickly. But first, we must wash your face and change you into warm cotton clothes.”
Even during the short time it took to wash her face and change her clothes, So-ya was so impatient that she asked several times.
“What if all the snow melts by then?”
“Don’t worry, Young Lady. It’s still falling from the sky.”
“Still, I want to go out, I want to go out now!”
“You can’t, Young Lady. If you go out like this, you’ll catch a cold. You must dress warmly.”
Despite the Young Lady’s rare persistence, Yeon-jeong remained firm.
Yeon-jeong brought a quilted jeogori and a thick baeja vest. The collar and sleeves of the jeogori were thickly decorated with pure white fur.
While So-ya looked at it with fascinated eyes, Yeon-jeong even wrapped cozy winter gear around So-ya’s head and hands.
Only after being bundled up from head to toe was So-ya allowed to step outside.
“It’s so pretty! It’s like flowers are falling from the sky!”
Because the snow she was seeing for the first time was so beautiful and wondrous, So-ya shouted in an excited voice.
Not far away, a pure white baby tiger was frolicking in the snow.
The baby tiger, whose entire body was already covered in snow, was none other than Ga-yul.
Because he was so white, it seemed he might disappear if he hid in the snow.
“Kwang, kwang! (Cotton Ball, what are you doing! Let’s play!)”
Ga-yul, with snow stuck all over his fur, hopped around like a frog.
However, despite how much she had been stomping her feet to go see the snow, So-ya hesitated, unable to easily step into the snowbank now that she was only one step away.
Oh dear, our Young Lady. She must be afraid of the snow.
She looks as cute as a ball of snow herself.
How can our Lady Cotton Ball be so lovely even when she’s scared of the snow?
Everyone chuckled at the sight of the Young Lady repeatedly lifting her foot to step on the snow, only to pull it back in hesitation.
Right then—whoosh!
So-ya’s body was lifted into the air.
However, because she knew who it was without even looking at his face, So-ya didn't get startled. Instead, she beamed and shouted.
“Father!”
Over the course of a season, the word ‘Father’ had become very natural to her.
Sa-eon grinned as he looked at the bundled-up So-ya.
“The baby cotton ball came out all armed for battle. You’ve become quite round.”
“I only look round because Lady Yeon-jeong dressed me like this so I wouldn't be cold at all!”
So-ya shouted back, feeling a bit huffy for no reason.