Chapter 81
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 81
At Sa-eon’s words, So-ya’s face lit up brilliantly.
“Yes, Father!”
So-ya beamed, her eyes crinkling into lovely crescents.
Watching the child smile so prettily, Sa-eon let out a soft chuckle.
It would be a lie to say he wasn't worried. Even at this very moment, his heart was far from at ease, knowing that such a heavy destiny had been placed upon his child’s shoulders.
However, he hadn't brought her here just to keep her tied up and sheltered.
Sa-eon stroked her hair, looking at her with pride.
A short while later, after Sa-eon had left, So-ya remained alone. She whipped her head back and forth, glancing around the room.
Truth be told, she had been dying of curiosity to see what she looked like now that she had completed her growth.
So-ya gathered energy into her spirit core and attempted her beast transformation.
Poof!
In an instant, she felt her body shrink as she drifted up into the air.
“Huh…?”
Blink, blink.
So-ya blinked her eyes in bewilderment.
“Wait, what…?”
Soon, her body began to tremble as if she couldn't believe it, and she fluttered over to the mirror.
“This can’t be happening!”
So-ya’s solitary scream echoed through the room as she stared into the mirror.
* * *
Having completed her First Growth, So-ya was a bit larger than she had been as a baby bird.
Yes. That was the problem.
The fact that she was only ‘a bit’ larger.
“Peep, peep!”
At Jjaek-jjaek’s chirp, So-ya lifted her head gloomily.
Unlike her usual self, the look she gave Jjaek-jjaek was a bit sulky. Even though she had gone through her First Growth, So-ya was still smaller than Jjaek-jjaek in her beast form.
To be perfectly honest, the post-First Growth So-ya simply looked like a crow tit with red feathers on her back, wings, and tail.
The red-headed tit—otherwise known as the crow tit—to which her biological mother belonged was a small avian species. Even as adults, they were only about as large as a child’s palm.
Still, I thought that once I grew, I’d become a big, cool firebird like the Vermilion Bird.
Sa-eon, who had rushed back in surprise after hearing her scream, had told her she didn't need to be discouraged because she hadn't finished growing yet.
[But my brothers are already huge, and they’ve only had their First Growth.]
[Hmm. Is that so?]
Sa-eon had tilted his head at her words.
[They’re actually quite small compared to an adult white tiger.]
[That’s considered small?]
So-ya had asked back, her face full of confusion.
In their beast forms, her brothers were already larger than most grown men. She couldn't even imagine how much bigger they would get once they completed their Second Growth.
“I’ll get really big once I finish my Second Growth too, right? Right, Jjaek-jjaek?”
“Peep, peep!”
Jjaek-jjaek fluttered his wings as if answering So-ya’s question. He looked perfectly healthy, as if his recent collapse from the poisonous insect had been a lie.
So-ya giggled and looked at the red feathers scattered across the room. They were the ones that had fallen out while she was repeatedly transforming back and forth.
So-ya carefully picked one up.
“…”
In truth, when she had found a red feather here not long ago, she had instinctively realized it was hers.
However, her subconscious had urged her to ignore it.
It was because she wanted to turn away from the truth. The truth that she was the child who inherited the blood of that man… the blood of the Vermilion Bird Clan.
[If anything happens to hurt Ri-ri because of you, I will not forgive you.]
The man who had spoken those words in a chilling voice and ordered her to become Ri-ri’s handmaid.
The man who had only looked for Ri-ri even as Ri-ri pushed her, causing her to go tumbling across the floor.
He was actually her biological father, the one who had given her life.
The reason she had poured out all her sorrow upon learning the truth through the illusion shown by the Vermilion Bird wasn't because she still held any lingering affection for that man.
It was just… So-ya felt sad.
The fact that a man who had once cherished her so dearly, a long time ago, had become worse than a stranger due to a twist of fate.
But if I really am the one who inherited the blood of the Vermilion Bird Clan…
So-ya’s brow furrowed as she thought about Jeok Ah-yun.
Then what about Ri-ri?
So-ya thought of Ri-ri, the youngest daughter of the Vermilion Bird Clan, who possessed brilliant red hair.
Back at the Vermilion Bird mansion, So-ya had always envied Ri-ri and felt sorry for her. She was the precious young lady of the clan who had supposedly spent a miserable childhood because of So-ya.
Even though she knew Ri-ri hated her, So-ya hadn't even dared to hate her back.
But that wasn't the case.
She hadn't stolen Ri-ri’s place; Ri-ri had stolen hers.
They said Ri-ri appeared holding a red feather.
Ri-ri, whose spirit core was said to be weak due to the aftereffects of a childhood illness, had never even attempted a beast transformation since the day she first arrived at the mansion.
Maybe the claim that she can’t transform because of a weak spirit core is also a lie.
She had no desire to interfere in the affairs of the Vermilion Bird Clan now. Whether they cherished Ri-ri as family or not was no longer her concern.
However, there was one thing.
[The deceased Madam… then this belongs to Ri-ri’s mother?]
[Why do you have my mother’s thing? Tell me, now!]
The norigae that Ri-ri had snatched away that day.
In the illusion shown by the Vermilion Bird, ‘Mother’ had handed that norigae to her in her final moments. Worrying for her young child until the very moment she closed her eyes…
As So-ya grew up, she realized she didn't have a mother, and there were times when she missed the mother she had never even seen. At those times, she would fall asleep clutching the norigae she was told her mother had given her, finding comfort in it.
Thus, it was a precious and meaningful object to her.
The reason she hadn't thought to take it back after Ri-ri stole it was because she believed the Madam was Ri-ri’s biological mother, but…
I have to get that back, no matter what. That norigae was given to me by my mother.
But first, she had to handle the other tasks set before her.
* * *
After So-ya had completely recovered from her growing pains and stood up, the White Tiger Palace was filled with a festive atmosphere.
“Our young lady… you were so tiny when the Clan Head first brought you to the White Tiger Palace in his arms. And now you’ve already had your First Growth.”
“Of course, our young lady is still as cute and lovely as a little cotton ball.”
Yeon-jeong and San-ho, who were helping her prepare for this evening’s banquet, were chattering away, even more excited than So-ya herself.
Having cared for So-ya from nearby, they knew better than anyone how much she had longed for her First Growth, and they sincerely celebrated her progress.
Yeon-jeong braided half of So-ya’s hair and pinned it up in a coil, letting the rest fall long down her back. Once she added a butterfly-shaped ornament, a mature aura wafted from her.
So-ya, who was admiring her reflection in the mirror, noticed the various piles of gifts stacked in a corner of the room.
“They say these are gifts sent from all over after hearing the news of your growth, My Lady.”
“Let’s see… that one was sent by Lady Ah-rang of the Galho Clan. And this gift is from Lady Sa-hye of the Black Tiger Clan…”
“Ta-da! There’s even a gift from the Indigo Wolf Clan here. Not now, My Lady. Open it later tonight when you’re alone.”
“So many people are celebrating our young lady.”
So-ya felt her heart grow warm.
“So-ya! Congratulations on your growth!”
As So-ya was finishing her preparations, Seol-yo burst through the door.
Seol-yo had picked every single flower he could find on Mt. Horim to congratulate her. Thanks to him, So-ya’s room was filled with the scent of flowers.
San-ho grabbed the back of her neck, wondering when they would ever clean up all the flowers Seol-yo had mindlessly brought in.
“Uh…? Did I do something wrong, So-ya?”
Seeing Seol-yo’s eyebrows droop as he tentatively checked her reaction, So-ya burst into a small laugh.
“No, Seol-yo. We can just clean it up together later. Thank you so much.”
Like the floral scent filling the room, So-ya’s heart swelled with a fragrant, cozy feeling.
But…
As she was about to stand up after finishing her preparations, So-ya suddenly realized why she had been feeling a bit empty for a while.
Why don’t I see my brothers?
Ga-hyeon and Ga-yul, who she thought would celebrate her growth more than anyone, hadn't been seen all day.