Suspicious
Suspicious
When I opened my eyes in the morning, I had hoped that Mother and Father would be there to greet me, but such a convenient turn of events did not happen.
Only an unfamiliar ceiling, an unfamiliar scent, and unfamiliar furniture greeted me.
...Truly, I've been sold.
Unexpectedly, I didn't find myself shedding tears.
I just felt as if a large hole had been punched into a corner of my heart.
When I pressed down on the bedding to lift my body, my hand sank in softly with a puk sound.
...I don't think I've ever seen such soft bedding in my life.
I don't know how many layers of mattresses they had laid out, but it was so fluffy that it felt like I would be sucked right into it.
Even though the mattress was laid out so thickly, strangely, it wasn't hot.
It was cool, just enough to be pleasant, which made it even scarier.
"...Suspicious."
No matter how I looked at it, it felt like there had to be another purpose for this besides just sleeping.
Perhaps, it might be a trap.
They made it so comfortable that the moment you lie down, you never want to get up again, intending to keep me tied to the bed forever...
...
Maybe that's going a bit too far.
I slapped my cheeks with both hands, chap-chap.
"Get a grip, Jeok Hwari."
I didn't have the luxury of entertaining strange thoughts.
They say that even if you fall into a tiger's den, you can survive if you keep your wits about you.
Right now, I had to think as cool-headedly as possible.
What happened yesterday?
Right, he said this house was mine.
He told me to do whatever I wanted, and to ask for anything I needed.
He said that even if it was difficult to get absolutely everything, he would try to obtain everything within his power.
When I asked him why on earth he was doing this for me, he said I was a person who deserved it.
That it was because I was someone worthy of such things.
Recalling those words, strangely, my stomach felt nauseous.
Do I really deserve this?
Can I really just play, eat, and live like a freeloader, just as he said?
"...There's no way."
If I were truly a person who deserved such things, Father wouldn't have sent me away so easily.
Mother would have held my hand until the very end.
My older brother and sisters wouldn't have let me go.
Therefore, those words were definitely sweet talk.
He must be trying to do something after putting me at ease.
He's either deceiving me with lies, or there's some secret he hasn't told me yet.
So, I couldn't be relieved.
I shouldn't have been relieved.
The bedding was so fluffy that drowsiness came rushing back.
"Ugh..."
I shouldn't do this. I need to hurry and uncover what he is hiding from me, that secret.
I steeled my will and forced my body up.
The floor beneath my toes was also just the right amount of warm.
There wasn't a single thing that wasn't strange.
There were too many good things.
And as far as I knew, good things usually came with a price.
At least, that was what I had learned.
...What on earth does he want from me to treat me this well?
It was while I was agonizing over that.
A cautious voice came from outside the door.
"Miss, have you risen?"
Knowing it wasn't him, my guard lowered a little.
...I don't completely trust his words, but he did say these were the people who would serve me.
For now, they must be people I can order around as I please.
"Who is it?"
Still, there was no harm in confirming, so I asked once.
"I am Yeon-gyo. I am the maid who will serve you most closely, Miss."
Ah, I think I heard that name.
Last night, I was so out of it that I didn't remember who said what.
"May I come in?"
It was so strange to be asked so politely.
...I wondered if I was really that kind of person.
Still, since he said I was the master of this place, I decided to act like one.
"Yes. Come in."
No sooner had I spoken than three people entered.
That eonni at the very front must be Yeon-gyo.
"Did you sleep peacefully?"
The eonni at the front checked my complexion and asked how last night was.
I didn't want to admit that I fell asleep as soon as I lay down... so I made up a lie.
"I couldn't sleep properly because of the bed."
"Because of the bed? Understood. I will report this to the Young Guild Master."
Huh.
That's not what I meant.
Before I could say anything, the two people behind approached.
They were each carrying a washbasin and clothes.
It was a silk garment with a reddish hue.
It looked even better than the clothes Father used to take out to wear when meeting other people, so just looking at it made me feel burdened.
"Since I do not know what kind of clothes you like, I have brought the most standard ones. If they are not to your liking, I will bring others."
As expected, I'm the one who has to wear this.
"...I'm just asking, but are there even better ones than this?"
"I cannot answer that as I do not know the value of all the clothes, but yes. I am aware there are clothes made of even more precious fabric than this. With that..."
"Ah, no. No! Th-that's fine, I'll just wear that one!"
I really just asked out of curiosity, but hearing that there actually were, I was speechless.
Just how many clothes did he buy for me to wear?
The servants tried to help me change, but I told them I could do it alone and struggled to change into them.
While doing so, I glanced at Yeon-gyo.
She looked about five years older than me.
Her tone was cautious, and her demeanor felt elegant.
Could she have been the daughter of a noble house, like me?
...If so, did this eonni get bought by that person with money, just like me?
Various thoughts rushed through my head, but I didn't bother saying them out loud.
Regardless, that eonni was ultimately his minion.
Come to think of it, I still didn't know his name.
Like it or not, we'll be seeing each other often, and it was awkward to keep calling him "that person," so I felt I should find out his name.
It would be awkward to ask him directly... so, through Yeon-gyo eonni.
"...That person, what's his name? Ah. And this, is it a secret? Because I never asked anything like this."
"When you say 'that person'... are you referring to the Young Guild Master?"
"Yes. You know, that suspicious-looking person."
Upon hearing that, Yeon-gyo's expression flickered faintly.
It looked like she was suppressing laughter, but did I see it wrong?
"It is Gong Si-hyun-nim."
"Gong Si-hyun..."
It was a name I had never heard before.
Gong Si-hyun.
So that was his name.
...I thought I would feel a little less scared once I knew his name, but that wasn't really the case.
"Are the clothes to your liking?"
Yeon-gyo held out a bronze mirror to me.
The reflection in the mirror looked good, even to my eyes.
That somehow felt chilling.
I wondered how he had prepared such fitting clothes in advance.
Judging by what he said, it seemed like this house had been built a long time ago...
Could it be that he had marked me as his bride from the very beginning?
That thought flashed through my mind.
My face grew hot, but it didn't feel like an impossible scenario.
Among old stories, one could often hear tales of brides brought in and raised from childhood.
If so, were these nice clothes, this nice house, and the servants... all prepared to make me his bride?
Seeing my own reflection, which looked quite pretty, the idea that he intended to make me his bride felt increasingly plausible.
Isn't that too young, though?
No, maybe he brought me precisely because I was young.
To make me easy to tame. To raise me into the image he wanted.
"No, no."
I slapped my cheeks again, chap-chap, and pulled myself together.
I shouldn't get too absorbed in one thought.
Because it was possible he was harboring other schemes.
For instance, yes. Maybe he brought me here to eat me.
Gong Si-hyun, that person might be a monster.
Maybe he covered his eyes with the black Aeche to hide his monster eyes.
Maybe his hair being gold wasn't dyed, but because he was a monster with golden skin to begin with.
Maybe he specifically picked me out to bring here because he wanted to eat the bloodline of the Vermilion Bird.
If so, is he fattening me up to eat me?
"Miss?"
It seemed plausible.
Come to think of it, he kept trying to feed me since yesterday.
Maybe the bed being strangely fluffy was to make me a lazybones and fatten me up.
He intends to feed and house me like a precious beast, then eat me when the time is right.
"Miss. I would like to bring in the breakfast table, will you eat?"
See, he keeps trying to feed me.
My brain was telling me not to eat, but my body was unhelpfully urging me to eat.
Seeing the set table, my stomach growled, kko-reu-reuk, on its own.
A little bit, it should be fine to eat, right?
With that thought, I picked up my chopsticks.
I know what he's up to, so just a little.
However, it was so delicious that I couldn't gauge when to stop.
Around the time I had eaten about half, another servant brought a small plate.
"Here is the tea and refreshments. Please enjoy them after your meal."
On the small plate were honey-coated cookies and fresh fruit.
Seeing that plate, I was convinced in my heart.
As expected, he might be fattening me up to eat me.
...Still, wouldn't it be okay to eat just one?
"Suspicious..."
"Yes?"
"Ah, it's nothing."
I said it was suspicious, but I kept eating.
Suspicious was suspicious, and delicious was delicious.
After finishing the entire meal, I strolled through the garden.
There was nothing particularly strange, but that made me even more suspicious for no reason.
The strangest thing was, of course, that person.
Gong Si-hyun.
He said to do as I pleased, and that I was a person who deserved it.
"...Is he really a person who would let me do that?"
Recalling what he said, I muttered to myself without realizing it.
Because I wanted to believe it.
That I really was such a person.
However, I shouldn't believe it.
There was no way such a convenient thing could exist.
Therefore, I had to find out.
Why on earth did he bring me here?
What on earth does he want from me?
And what kind of secret is he hiding?
I firmly resolved that I would find out.
If he wouldn't say it with his own mouth, I'd just have to dig it out of the people around him.
"Yeon-gyo."
"Yes, Miss."
"That honey cookie from earlier... is there any left?"
"...Yes. There is."
"Please bring a little more of that."
I'll enjoy the snacks first.