Chapter 6
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 6
“I’ll do everything you want. If she upsets you, I’ll remove her from your sight forever. So please, don’t cry, Ri-ri. It breaks my heart.”
Hwa-yu’s voice was tender as he soothed Lady Ri-ri, promising to "remove" So-ya.
Ah...
So-ya’s heart sank.
As she stood frozen in the hallway, her face pale, she heard someone approaching.
It was the Clan Head, Jeok Ah-yun.
She recalled his chilling threat—that he wouldn't forgive anyone who caused Lady Ri-ri pain.
He’s going to be angry. He’ll punish me for making Lady Ri-ri sad.
Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.
Her heart raced with terror.
His cold eyes swept over So-ya’s trembling, fragile frame.
The moment their eyes met, he simply brushed past her.
He walked straight into the room.
“Ri-ri. Why are you still crying?”
“Ugh... huff... hic... Father...”
“I’m sorry, Ri-ri. Don’t cry. This is all your father’s fault.”
Ah...
So-ya’s strength left her, and she slumped to the floor.
It wasn't that her father had decided not to punish her.
It was simply that, to him, comforting Lady Ri-ri was far more important than punishing So-ya. That was why he had ignored her.
Listening to her father’s tender voice as he soothed Lady Ri-ri, So-ya limped away down the hallway.
She returned to her room and wept in silence.
*
“The Young Master is calling for you.”
Following the message from the main house's maidservant the next day, So-ya went to find him.
The Young Master was at Ha-yeon Pond.
Ha-yeon Pond was an artificial pond built by Clan Head Jeok Ah-yun for his deceased wife; only those of the direct lineage were permitted to enter.
So-ya, too, had once loved this place dearly.
A red-haired youth stood by the pond, his back turned and his hands clasped behind him.
“I heard you were looking for me, Young Master.”
Sensing her presence, Jeok Hwa-yu slowly turned around.
“...You’re here, So-ya.”
A trace of tenderness lilted in his voice. So-ya looked up at him, her face filled with confusion.
Hwa-yu was calling her name with a gentle tone—just as he did with Lady Ri-ri.
“'Young Master'? That sounds a bit stiff between us. Call me 'Brother' as you used to.”
“B-but...”
“I am returning your Spirit Core.”
He pulled a bead emitting a pure white light from his pocket and handed it to So-ya.
It was the Spirit Core he had taken from her three years ago on their father’s orders.
So-ya took it, her expression dazed.
She could only blink at his sudden change in attitude.
“I’ve had a lot on my mind after yesterday. And I find myself regretting things—how I treated you coldly and left you all alone.”
“...”
A brief silence fell between them.
It was Jeok Hwa-yu who broke it first.
“I heard today is the last day of the summer festival. Why don't we go see it together?”
“O-oh, no. How could I possibly...”
As So-ya waved her hands in panic, he added with a gentle face:
“Weren't you always curious about the summer festival?”
“...”
So-ya’s lips clamped shut.
He remembered...
Long ago, they had made a promise. They would go to the festival together once she completed her first beast transformation on her sixth birthday.
So-ya had counted down the days.
Of course, that promise had been rendered void the moment it was revealed she was a fake.
“We don't have much time, so you should go get ready.”
“...”
“I'll see you in a bit, then.”
Watching him feign this awkward kindness, So-ya had an intuition.
Ah, it’s today. The day I get thrown away.
So-ya’s eyes sank, clouded with emotion.
She watched Jeok Hwa-yu’s retreating back and thought:
It was only yesterday that she had limped away from the hallway, hearing the tender voices of the Clan Head and the Young Master as they comforted Lady Ri-ri.
[Get rid of her. Before the Prince comes back for her.]
[I will.]
With that same tender voice, her brother had promised to do something so cruel without a moment's hesitation.
She could no longer believe his words.
He regretted leaving her alone?
No.
If they regretted anything, it was that they hadn't kicked her out sooner, allowing her to stay in this mansion and hurt Lady Ri-ri.
Is that why they're trying to cast me out now?
So-ya stared down at the white light bead shimmering in her palm.
For the past three years, So-ya had lived as a half-baked beastkin without a Spirit Core.
She hadn't known why they had taken it from her then, but she understood now.
They must have found it hideous. My beast form...
Taking her Spirit Core had been a warning never to transform into that shape again.
And returning it now meant...
It doesn't matter to them anymore whether I transform or not. Because... they plan to throw me away so I'm never in their sight again.
So-ya’s eyes, fixed on her Spirit Core, drowned in sorrow.
She slowly closed her eyes. The white bead of light shimmered and was absorbed into her body.
Her body, which had been incomplete without the core, was finally whole again. Yet, strangely, instead of feeling a surge of strength, she felt her body go limp.
Her heart ached, and her chest felt hollow.
But she didn't have time to wallow.
So-ya returned to her room, pulled out a small wooden box hidden in a corner, and looked at its contents.
They were everything she owned.
She picked out only a few items before heading to the meeting place.
As she left the mansion, she found it strangely difficult to step over the threshold.
After staring at the threshold for a long time, she finally crossed it and looked back at the estate.
For a moment, she felt as though her eyes met those of a man standing atop a high pavilion.
But when she blinked, she realized it was just her imagination.
Her father was up there. He was with Lady Ri-ri, who was letting out bursts of clear, ringing laughter.
There's no way Father would be looking at me.
Whenever he was with Lady Ri-ri, he always acted as if no one else in the world existed.
Lady Ri-ri, who had been wailing loud enough to shake the house yesterday, seemed to be in a better mood now. She was holding her father’s hand and spinning in circles.
And her father was watching her with a proud, warm smile, as if she were the most precious thing in the world.
They looked so happy. They were a perfect family.
If only I weren't here...
So-ya watched them for a moment, then clasped her hands together and gave a silent, brief bow toward her father.
She thought that this might be her final goodbye to him.
*
So-ya walked through the bustling streets with Jeok Hwa-yu.
She was finally seeing the summer festival she had wondered about for so long, but she felt more bitterness than joy.
“Here, it's the fruit skewer you like. Try some.”
Jeok Hwa-yu smiled warmly as he handed her the food. It was a fruit skewer made of beautifully carved peaches coated in sugar.
That's what Lady Ri-ri likes, not me. If I eat peaches, I get a fever and my throat swells up.
So-ya knew that the moment she said those words, this peace would shatter.
Even though she knew it was a lie, So-ya wanted to look at Jeok Hwa-yu’s smiling face just a little longer. She didn't want to break this moment, which was as sweet as a dream.
So, instead of speaking the truth, she forced a smile.
“Thank you, Young Master.”
However, she hesitated when it came time to actually eat the peach.
Perhaps thinking she was being a picky eater, Jeok Hwa-yu’s brow furrowed slightly.
It was a minute change, but So-ya, who had spent the last three years becoming an expert at reading people's moods, noticed it immediately.
“If you don't want to eat it...”
“Oh, no, I do!”
So-ya hurriedly took a bite of a peach slice. Because she swallowed it so fast, she began to cough and sputter.
While So-ya quickly wiped the tears from her eyes, Jeok Hwa-yu stood before a stall on the other side.
It was a stall selling charming gemstone rings and necklaces.
“Give me that bracelet with the red gemstone. It's a gift for my sister.”
“The little lady next to you must be your sister. I'm sure she'll be very happy.”
“Ah.”
As if only just remembering, Jeok Hwa-yu picked up a beaded bracelet from the stall and handed it to So-ya.
“I'll pay for this one too. This is yours, So-ya.”
“...!”
So-ya’s eyes widened in surprise at the unexpected gift, and a faint blush soon colored her cheeks.
“...Thank you so much, Brother.”
Even though he had only bought it as an afterthought while buying Ri-ri's gift—even though he hadn't even bothered to choose it carefully and had just grabbed the first thing he saw.
“I've always wanted to go to the summer festival. Thank you so much for remembering and bringing me here.”
Despite everything, So-ya hugged the bracelet tightly and smiled brightly.