Chapter 89
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 89
So-ya’s eyes widened as she looked at the navy blue handkerchief embroidered with rugosa roses.
In the free-spirited Eastern Land, there was a custom where boys and girls who had completed their First Growth would offer a handkerchief embroidered with rugosa roses to ask someone to court them.
Snapping a branch of a rugosa rose in return signified acceptance, while returning the handkerchief as it was signaled a rejection.
When her mother had told her about it yesterday, So-ya had listened idly, thinking it was just an interesting custom. She never imagined she would actually receive a handkerchief herself.
Unable to even think about taking the offering, So-ya stared at Ah-han with a look of pure shock.
Ah-han gave her a bright smile and firmly pressed the handkerchief into her hand.
“I’ll be waiting for your answer, My Lady.”
“I…!”
So-ya tried to say something, but Ah-han vanished before she could.
Left alone, So-ya stared blankly at the spot where he had stood. It was then, while Jjaek-jjaek was chirping and fussing by her side, that a voice called out.
“So-ya, we’re ba—”
Ga-hyeon, who was returning with Jeok-a after securing tickets for the Martial Arts Tournament, froze in his tracks the moment he saw the handkerchief in So-ya’s hand.
“Cotton Ball! What is that in your hand?!”
Ga-yul, who was returning with Su-ri and Seol-yo after buying snacks, also spotted the handkerchief. His eyes narrowed into a fierce glare as he came sprinting over.
“It appears the Young Lady has received a proposal for courtship,” Jeok-a remarked in a dry tone.
Su-ri let out an uncharacteristic gasp of “Oh my!” while Seol-yo froze like a statue on the spot.
Ga-hyeon approached So-ya and began to reason with her.
“So-ya, you have to think about this carefully. Even if you’ve completed your First Growth, you’re still only twelve years old.”
“In the Eastern Land, once you pass ten, it’s common to—”
“Shut your mouth, Ho Jeok-a.”
Jeok-a tried to offer a cautious correction, but Ga-hyeon’s sharp rebuke cut him off instantly.
“Co-Cotton Ball! You’re not actually thinking of accepting that proposal, are you? Right?”
Ga-yul huffed and puffed, glaring daggers at the handkerchief in So-ya’s hand. Seol-yo, meanwhile, watched So-ya with a consistently anxious gaze.
“Ah…”
So-ya, who had been staring blankly at the handkerchief, finally snapped out of it.
“Don’t worry. I was just a bit surprised because I didn’t expect it. I’m going to return the handkerchief.”
Seeing her brothers instantly relax their serious expressions and breathe sighs of relief, So-ya let out a small giggle.
“Let’s go watch the tournament now.”
“I think there’s still a bit of time left. Shall we walk along the coastal path over there for a while?”
“Yes, Brother!”
So-ya took off her shoes and walked along the sandy beach. Every time the waves lapped against the tops of her feet, she felt a ticklish sensation.
It was then.
“Have you heard the news? They say the rugosa roses in our Eastern Land have been wilting lately.”
So-ya paused.
“No, isn’t that a disaster? Of all things, the rugosa rose, the symbol of the Eastern Land…”
So-ya instinctively stopped walking at the sound of voices drifting from a distance.
“It’s been quite a while since the cries of new life have ceased as well, hasn’t it?”
“Isn’t all of this because the Blue Dragon is angry that that woman is serving as the Acting Clan Head?”
“In the first place, it makes no sense for a woman who once had her name on another family’s register to represent the Eastern Land.”
So-ya’s face hardened as she listened to the people whispering.
They’re talking about Mother.
She realized that the "woman" they were referring to was Cheong-ha.
As So-ya looked toward them with a hurt expression, Ga-hyeon stepped up beside her.
“Don’t pay them any mind, So-ya. It’s all nonsense.”
“Those people were saying bad things about Mother.”
“Because the Clan Head is young and away at the battlefield, some of the retainers are eyeing the position. Besides, Mother was once a member of the White Tiger Clan, so they use that as an excuse to belittle her.”
“…”
“But they won’t be able to touch her easily, if only because of our alliance with the White Tiger Clan.”
Ga-hyeon explained that thanks to his visits to the Eastern Land since the year before last to demonstrate their solidarity, those who openly opposed the Blue Dragon Clan were keeping a low profile. Instead, they resorted to spreading such nonsense behind her back.
“Mother is far too stubborn. It would have been better if she’d spoken up sooner and accepted Father’s help. Though I know that’s not in her nature.”
Ga-hyeon spoke in a forced, cheerful voice to comfort her, but So-ya couldn’t stop worrying.
Is there any way I can help Mother?
While watching the tournament with her brothers, So-ya slipped away and sought out the rugosa rose colony the people had been gossiping about.
Originally, the rugosa roses here were blessed by the Blue Dragon and did not wither even in the dead of winter. Yet now, the reddish-purple flowers that symbolized the Eastern Land were shriveled and dry.
So-ya tried to manifest her Purification Flame toward the wilting flowers. However, it had no effect.
—Those plants aren't corrupted; they've simply lost their life force. That is why the Vermilion Bird crone’s flames are useless.
“Then what must I do to bring these flowers back to life?” So-ya asked, stroking a withered leaf.
—Life is the symbol of the Blue Dragon. This is happening because his spiritual body, the Painted Halberd, has vanished. You must find that first.
*
The following morning.
So-ya visited the Blue Shark Mansion in the underwater district to return the handkerchief.
A servant led So-ya to a pavilion in the inner courtyard and asked her to wait a moment before disappearing.
So-ya admired the scenery of the courtyard while waiting for Ah-han. Even in the underwater district, one could see the flowers and trees of the land, which was said to be thanks to the Dragon God’s blessing.
Looking only at the landscape before her, it felt no different from the surface, but when she looked up, the blue Cheonghae Sea stretched out above her—a truly mysterious and beautiful sight.
As So-ya sat on the pavilion, taking in the view with a relaxed expression, Jjaek-jjaek, who was perched on her shoulder, spotted a plump, delicious-looking insect.
“Peep-peep!”
Jjaek-jjaek fluttered down and scurried off with tiny, hurried steps.
“Jjaek-jjaek, you shouldn’t go that way.”
“Pyu-rit!”
But Jjaek-jjaek ignored So-ya and headed deeper into the courtyard. So-ya quickly chased after the bird and caught him.
“You were just punished severely by a poisonous insect the other day because of your greed. How can you cause trouble over food again?”
“Peep!”
Caught in So-ya’s grasp, Jjaek-jjaek let out a pitiful cry in her arms.
“Crying won’t help. Let’s go out—”
So-ya, about to carry Jjaek-jjaek back outside, suddenly froze and looked around.
Huh?
So-ya blinked, feeling a strange sense of dissonance.
Why only here…?
Deep within the courtyard of the Blue Shark Mansion, the red rugosa roses were in full, radiant bloom.
*
A short while later.
So-ya, who had entered the Blue Shark Mansion with Jjaek-jjaek, emerged from the estate alone.
However, her brothers, who were waiting outside, didn't care about Jjaek-jjaek’s whereabouts.
“You rejected him properly, right?”
Ga-yul hopped toward So-ya and blurted out the question immediately.
“No. I’ve decided to go see the Falling Flower Fireworks with the Young Lord of the Blue Shark Clan.”
So-ya shook her head with a bright smile.
“What?!”
“So-ya!”
Ga-hyeon and Ga-yul shouted simultaneously.
“Cotton Ball! Don’t tell me you actually like that guy?!”
“So-ya, I told you before, you’re only twelve. It’s far too early for you to be courting anyone.”
“I’m not courting him; I’m just going to watch the fireworks with him.”
Throughout the rest of the festival that day, the two brothers ranted and raved, trying to persuade So-ya otherwise, but she only gave them a serene smile.
In the end, faced with So-ya’s firm resolve, Ga-hyeon and Ga-yul gave up on their attempts to convince her.
That evening.
So-ya waited by the open window for Jjaek-jjaek to return.
Before long, Jjaek-jjaek arrived and relayed what he had overheard at the Blue Shark Mansion.
“So, those are the things they were saying.”
“Peep-peep!”
“Thank you, Jjaek-jjaek.”
As So-ya stroked his head, the little lark let out a happy, trilling chirp.