Chapter 71
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 71
“Why are you trying to find that child?”
“What are you going to do once you find her? Are you planning to raise her like your own daughter instead of Ri-ri again?”
“I hate it! Don’t look for her!”
“She’s the one who stole everything from Ri-ri!”
Screaming and thrashing on the floor, Ri-ri looked as if she were possessed by an evil spirit.
Jeok Ah-yun’s heart was wrenched with pain. He believed that the depth of the child’s emotional scars was entirely his fault.
And so, he promised Ri-ri that he would not look for that child.
He was curious about the girl named So-ya who had been adopted into the White Tiger Clan, but…
If Baek Sa-eon had adopted her, she was surely a tiger from a branch lineage. She couldn't be So-ya, the tiny baby bird with pure white downy feathers that he remembered.
Besides, hadn't Hwa-yu said it himself? That her Spirit Core was damaged and she wouldn't live long.
Thus, he chose to believe So-ya was dead and buried her in his heart.
Time passed, and Ri-ri eventually turned twelve.
Unlike the small and petite So-ya, Ri-ri was tall and sturdy. Seeing her, people would chatter about how the young lady had a fine build just like the Clan Head.
This was because the deceased Madam, a Red-headed Tit beastkin, had been very small and frail, unlike Ri-ri. She had been just like So-ya.
Ri-ri still could not perform Beast Transformation.
However, no one criticized her for it. They knew of the trauma the young lady had suffered in her childhood. If anything, they looked at her with eyes full of pity.
But the spirited youngest lady of the Vermilion Bird Clan did not let the misfortune of being unable to transform discourage her. Instead, she grew up with a defiant confidence.
The people of the Vermilion Bird Clan all took great pride in her.
Lalala—
Ri-ri hummed to herself as she admired her face in the mirror.
Piled high before her were precious gems and ornaments that her father and brother had procured for her. Ri-ri held them up against her body one by one.
Today was the day she was supposed to go boating on the river with her brother. She was in a good mood, looking forward to the rare outing.
It had already been three years since she first crossed the threshold of the Vermilion Bird Mansion. Ri-ri was the most beloved young lady among all the bird beastkin in the Southern Land. Whenever she stepped outside the estate, everyone’s eyes were drawn to her—gazes filled with a mixture of reverence and pity.
Ri-ri didn't mind those looks.
The rare jewels and ornaments, the devoted love of her family, and the respectful gazes of the people—these were all things she had never enjoyed before coming here.
‘How lucky I am. This red hair is truly a blessing.’
It was just as Ri-ri was stroking her lush red hair and thinking this.
Throb—
A sudden, sharp throb of pain made her drop the ornament she was holding.
“Ugh…”
Throb, throb—
“Ngh… Haa…”
Ri-ri clutched her chest where her Spirit Core was located, gasping for breath in agony. It was a pain emanating from her Spirit Core, caused by forcibly suppressing her Beast Transformation for so long.
Though it felt as if her Spirit Core were splitting apart, Ri-ri endured it with all her might.
After a long while, the pain subsided. Just as she was wiping the cold sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand—
“Ah…!”
Glancing down instinctively, Ri-ri was startled to find a gray feather fallen on the floor.
“W-why is this… here…”
Her face turned pale as she checked her body. Fortunately, everything seemed normal.
Just as she let out a sigh of relief, she heard familiar footsteps outside.
‘I can’t let them see!’
Ri-ri quickly snatched it up and hid it deep inside a drawer. At that moment, the door opened and Jeok Hwa-yu entered.
“Ri-ri, it’s your brother. May I come in for a… Ri-ri!”
Noticing her poor complexion, Jeok Hwa-yu rushed to her side in alarm.
“Ri-ri! Why do you look so pale? Are you hurt somewhere?”
“No, Brother. I’m just a little dizzy.”
Ri-ri replied with a bright smile, despite her ghostly pale face. However, the frown on Jeok Hwa-yu’s face did not fade.
“This won’t do, Ri-ri. Let’s postpone the boating trip for another time.”
“No! It’s a promise I made with you. I’m fine, so…”
“I’m the one who isn’t fine. Do you have any idea how much my heart sinks every moment, seeing how frail you’ve been since you were little?”
He swept Ri-ri up into his arms and laid her on the bed, then pulled the bell-pull to have a basin and a wet towel brought in.
Though Ri-ri could no longer be called weak, in his eyes, she was still his fragile younger sister. He personally wrung out the towel brought by the maidservants and wiped away her cold sweat, tending to her with the utmost care.
“You are the only hope and joy for Father and me. If you are even slightly ill, I feel like I can’t breathe from the pain. So please, cherish yourself more, Ri-ri.”
“Brother…”
Ri-ri looked at him with a moved expression.
Jeok Hwa-yu, the second young lord of the Vermilion Bird Clan. He, too, had aged in the meantime and was already fifteen. With his striking appearance, he stole the hearts of many girls in the Southern Land, yet he remained the world’s kindest brother, doting on his sister Ri-ri above all else.
Unlike their father, who occasionally worried about the violent streaks Ri-ri showed toward the servants, Hwa-yu believed that whatever his sister did was right.
He had to believe that. Only then… would the things he had done at Ri-ri’s request no longer be sins.
* * *
So-ya stared blankly at a red feather.
‘What is this?’
Blink, blink—
After staring at it for a long time, So-ya looked up and glanced at the sky outside the window. Birds were flying in flocks, but none of them had red feathers.
So-ya looked back down at the red feather in her hand. It sparkled brilliantly, like a flickering flame.
“…”
But soon, So-ya simply thought, ‘How strange,’ and tossed the red feather out the window with an indifferent flick.
She then called for Yeon-jeong, lightly washed her face, tidied herself up, and went to find Sa-eon.
“Father!”
Sa-eon, who had been sitting in his office reading something with a serious expression, immediately relaxed his face and turned around at So-ya’s visit.
“You woke up early, Cotton Ball.”
“I got a letter from Mom this morning!”
“Is that so?”
“Yes, yes! Jjaek-jjaek brought it to me!”
So-ya chattered away about the contents of the letter.
“And Mom told me to tell you this! She said not to cry even if you miss her!”
“What?”
“She said you were a huge crybaby when you were little. She said that on the day you first met, you even cried and told her not to leave when she tried to go home.”
“Hah…”
Sa-eon, who had been listening intently, turned red with embarrassment and wiped his face with his hand.
“That woman… she really says whatever she wants…”
Noticing her father’s reddened earlobes, So-ya giggled, covering her mouth with both hands.
‘It’s not just my brothers who like Mom; I think Father likes her a whole lot, too.’
“Cotton Ball. Why are you laughing with that look on your face? Is it fun to tease your dad?”
“Yes! It’s fun!” So-ya replied with a peal of laughter.
Sa-eon, who had playfully raised an eyebrow, let out a chuckle at her clear, innocent face.
“Our little Cotton Ball is quite mischievous.”
“I’m not a baby anymore!” So-ya huffed at the word ‘baby.’
“You’ve changed, little Cotton Ball. You used to love it when I called you that.”
Sa-eon felt a bit disappointed by So-ya’s reaction, as she had started insisting she wasn't a baby anymore.
“I’m twelve years old now.”
“Even when you’re twenty, fifty, or a hundred, you’ll always be a baby in your dad’s eyes.”
“Where would you find such a huge baby?”
“Why not? It’s possible.”
Sa-eon picked up a sweet from a tray on his desk and held it out to So-ya. Instinctively, she opened her mouth and popped the confection inside. As the sweet treat melted on her tongue, her expression softened.
“Haha. See? You’re still a baby. Your face lights up the moment you get a sweet.”
“!!!”
So-ya looked at Sa-eon with a face that said, ‘I’ve been tricked!’
“That’s mean, Father!”
‘But the sweets are still delicious.’
While munching on the treat, So-ya caught a glimpse of the papers on Sa-eon’s desk.
‘Plague…?’