Chapter : 13
The baby bird, whom they thought had fallen asleep, was lying there with her eyes closed, letting out only faint, thin breaths.
Thud!
Gayul’s heart dropped.
It sounded like a fragile breath that could stop at any moment.
“S-Sommungchi’s breathing is strange!”
“Oh my, a physician! I’ll call a physician right away!”
Suri was just about to dash out to fetch a doctor when—
“Wait, not a physician!”
“Pardon…?”
“Her spirit core is strange!”
Gayul knew instinctively. The problem wasn’t Soyaa’s body, but her spirit core.
“She has to go to Aunt, not a doctor!”
“W-What? A-Aunt… you mean Lady Sara?”
Baek Sara, the elder sister of the family head Baek Saeon and the priestess of Baekho Palace. She was famous for her eccentric personality.
Because of that, people of Baekho Palace—including Suri—usually avoided approaching the shrine, but this wasn’t the time to worry about that.
That cute little Sommungchi was suffering.
Suri immediately transformed into a large wolf, put the young master and young lady on her back, and ran toward the eastern shrine of Baekho Palace.
As soon as they arrived, Gayul jumped off Suri’s back and pounded on the door.
“Aunt Sara! Aunt Sara!”
The door creaked open, and a gorgeous yet cold-looking woman with long, curled white hair elegantly pinned up stuck her head out, holding a pipe in her mouth.
It was Baek Sara, priestess of Baekho Palace.
“I wondered which rude beast dared knock on the shrine door… and it’s Baek Saeon’s youngest beast. Tsk.”
Baek Sara clicked her tongue as she looked down at her third nephew.
“Save Sommungchi!”
Gayul suddenly thrust out both hands and shouted.
“Sommungchi…! Sommungchi’s breathing is strange! I was watching her carefully with my eyes wide open, but she suddenly collapsed…!”
In Gayul’s small palms lay an even smaller, snow-white baby bird.
“So this is the Sommungchi Saeon picked up?”
Sara narrowed her eyes and examined the baby bird.
Recently, rumors had spread throughout Baekho Palace that Baek Saeon had suddenly picked up a tiny girl like a ball of fluff in the middle of the night and given her the far western room.
Even Sara, who had no interest in matters outside the shrine, had heard it.
Not a four-legged beast, but a winged bird.
A tiny creature unseen in Baekho Palace.
She was curious, but first came checking the child’s condition.
Sara gently placed her hand over the baby bird’s small body and closed her eyes.
Then suddenly, sensing something strange, her eyes snapped open.
Golden light flickered within her blue eyes.
“Bring Saeon. Immediately!”
“Y-Yes! Lady Sara!”
At her fierce shout, Suri rushed out in a panic.
* * *
Far to the south of the continent, the land of the Vermilion Bird.
Jeok Huayu sat at his desk handling documents.
Since three years ago, he had been managing the family affairs in place of his father.
“Young master.”
A man in a black mask appeared.
Jeok Huayu glanced at him and replied in a flat voice.
“That’s unusual.”
It had been two days since he assigned the task.
He had thought the man had already left the southern lands by now, so his visit was unexpected. Still, Jeok Huayu lowered his gaze to the papers again and asked indifferently,
“What happened to the child?”
“She died.”
…Stop.
The hand that had been flipping papers froze.
The masked man placed what he had found on the desk.
A blood-stained pouch. And… three colorful beads.
Jeok Huayu didn’t recognize them at first.
Then he realized they were part of the bead bracelet he had bought Soyaa on the street.
“They were found where her last traces remained.”
“……”
While Jeok Huayu stared blankly, the masked man continued his report.
The wicked baby bird who stole the young lady’s place and deceived everyone had vanished, leaving only bloodstains.
Even her body could not be found.
“…I see.”
Jeok Huayu nodded and dismissed the man.
He covered his tired face with his palm.
The child died…
Was she really dead?
He hadn’t meant to kill her. He just…
“Riri absolutely cannot live under the same sky as that child. Unless you want to see Riri die, please get rid of her.”
“I’ll do anything you want. If that child hurts you, I’ll remove her from your sight forever. So please stop crying, Riri. My heart is breaking.”
Yes. He hadn’t meant to kill her.
He only intended to send her far away so she would never appear before Riri again.
Because if she was there, Riri would be sad.
Poor Riri.
Whenever he thought of Riri, his chest ached.
But why?
Thinking Soyaa might have died hurt his heart the same way.
No… No. She’s the daughter of the sinner who stole and ruined Riri’s childhood. For Riri’s sake, shouldn’t I not grieve that child’s death?
Jeok Huayu clenched his teeth and stood up.
I have to report to Father…
His father still didn’t know.
He probably didn’t even know the child had disappeared from the estate.
Ever since Riri returned, his father’s attention had been only on Riri.
But what should he report?
The child has died.
Only some belongings and dried blood were left where she disappeared.
We couldn’t find the body.
Even if she’s alive, she’ll soon die.
Because her spirit core has already…
* * *
On the day of her first beast transformation at age six, Soyaa awakened her spirit core for the first time—and immediately had it taken away.
Because of that, her body failed to grow properly for three years without a spirit core.
Worse, she forced herself to transform without one, leaving injuries throughout her body.
Her weakened body then absorbed too much energy from the spirit core she had recently regained, causing side effects.
“This child seems to have endured a long time without a spirit core,” Baek Sara explained, now back in human form, looking down at Soyaa sleeping weakly on the bed.
“That’s probably why she’s so small and frail. She couldn’t grow properly without a spirit core for so long.”
Saeon listened silently, his face stiff.
In the world of beast-people, stealing someone’s spirit core was a punishment reserved for great criminals.
Only the heads of the four great families had that authority, and this child had lived under the Vermilion Bird family’s influence.
That means… the one who took her spirit core…
Jeok A-yun, head of the Vermilion Bird family.
“So what about the spirit core now?” Saeon asked quietly.
“It’s not intact,” Sara said grimly. “Not simply damaged from being separated from its owner. It looks like someone deliberately destroyed it.”
“For such a small child… deliberately?”
Saeon recalled the three-legged crow of the Vermilion Bird family attacking Soyaa the day he first met her.
Could it have been them…?
Jeok A-yun, known as the Sage of the South, had a reputation for being benevolent and righteous.
Nothing like Baek Saeon, the so-called Mad Tiger of the West.
It was hard to believe such a man would do something so vile to a tiny child.
“Then… I almost died, right? From… the Vermilion Bird family people…”
Remembering Soyaa crying sadly as she said that, Saeon frowned.
The red fox he had assigned to guard Sommungchi reported wounds all over her body.
Like marks of long abuse.
What exactly had happened between this child and the Vermilion Bird family?
I should send someone south to investigate.
The easiest way was to ask the child directly.
But if she had truly been abused, remembering it again would only hurt her.
More than anything, Saeon didn’t want to see her cry again.
Just remembering her tearful face made his chest ache.
While Saeon was thinking unusually gentle thoughts—
“I gave the child medicine from my treasured elixirs to nourish her body and spirit core. Feed her, let her sleep and play, and she’ll recover soon.”
“Thank you, Sister.”
“No need. But unless the spirit core itself is properly healed, the root problem won’t be solved. And as you know, the way to heal a spirit core is…”
They were speaking seriously when—
“Oh! Sommungchi opened her eyes!”
Gayul, glued to Soyaa’s side, jumped up and shouted.
Everyone’s gaze turned to Soyaa.
“Sommungchi! Are you okay?”
“Are you alright?”
Gayul and Saeon asked in turn.
Waking up in an unfamiliar place, Soyaa blinked blankly, not understanding the situation.
“You were dozing on the rock and suddenly collapsed! So I brought you to Aunt Sara!”
“Ah…”
Soyaa’s eyebrows drooped in a sad curve.
She had been sitting on a big rock in the garden, basking in the sun because the weather was nice.
Chasing sunlight was the nature of bird beast-folk, but she couldn’t freely enjoy sunlight in the Vermilion Bird estate.
Everyone disliked her going outside.
But Baekho Palace was different.
Yeonjeong and Sanho said she could take walks whenever she wanted.
No one got angry or frowned when she went outside.
No one covered their noses saying she smelled, or whispered and pointed.
There was a strange tiger young master who kept sneaking glances at her, but she knew there was no sharp hatred in his eyes, so she didn’t mind.
So while Yeonjeong briefly left her side to report something to Saeon, Soyaa crept outside alone to walk.
She remembered sitting on the rock, basking in the sun… and getting sleepy, nodding off…
