Episode 8
The child was blameless. If there was a sin, it belonged to those who used the child.
Gahwa quickly ran back to the place where she had first opened her eyes. With a few strides, she reached it, and there the child still lay asleep, just as before.
“Ugh.”
Sliding her hands under the child’s arms, Gahwa pulled him up. Though small, his limp body was surprisingly heavy. Huffing and straining, she finally managed to lift him onto the ground.
“Whew—.”
Once she had him up, Gahwa noticed how clean he was. His long, loose hair framed a delicate face, and though he wore a jeogori and pants, he was clearly a boy.
The child lay utterly still, as if dead. Alarmed that something might have gone wrong while she was gone, Gahwa pressed her ear to his nose and chest.
Thump, thump.
His heartbeat was slow but steady. Relief washed over her.
Taking a moment to breathe, Gahwa examined the boy more closely. His clothes were plain black—not fancy, but of good quality. Aside from the dirt in his hair and on his face, he looked tidy. That in itself was suspicious.
“Hmm…”
That peculiarity was the only clue, and it left her frustrated.
Palace servants never wore black, so it was hard to say he was connected to Yi Hyul. Yet she could not understand why he would be abandoned like a corpse either.
Unable to resist, Gahwa resorted to a final test: she pinched the boy’s cheek and pulled. Lacking medical knowledge, this was all she could think of.
“……”
The boy still did not stir.
“Yes, he’s definitely unconscious.”
If this were Yi Hyul’s scheme, the child would have been awake. That alone proved this wasn’t a trap.
Gahwa studied the boy’s closed eyes again.
Since he hadn’t regained consciousness, she thought of taking him to a village doctor. But the problem was how to get him there.
Groaning in frustration, she weighed her options. At the very least, she had to wash his face and hair with water from the stream. Or she could fetch water using a large leaf and bring it back. She was about to try the latter when suddenly something tugged at her trouser leg.
“!”
Startled, she looked down. The boy had woken and was clutching the hem of her trousers. Lifting her gaze, she met his eyes.
The child who had awakened was astonishingly beautiful. Even Gahwa, who cared little for appearances, found her lips parting in awe. His large, double-lidless eyes carried an uncanny charm.
Tug.
As she stared, forgetting to even blink, the boy pulled at her trousers again.
Snapping out of it, Gahwa shook her head. It felt as though she had been bewitched by a spirit.
“Surely this isn’t some monster trying to bewitch me instead of Yi Hyul’s trick?”
But this was Shindang Mountain, blessed with sacred energy. No monster could easily intrude here. Which meant the child before her was indeed human.
She bent down.
“Are you all right? Are you hurt anywhere?”
She held his shoulders, checking him over. With the dawn light spilling between the ridges, it was easier to see now. Once more, she confirmed he had no injuries. Relieved, she asked,
“Can you walk?”
They needed to go to the water, wash off the dirt and blood, and head quickly to the village.
As she rose to her feet, the boy’s grip on her trousers tightened.
Gahwa felt a wave of awkwardness.
“Is he just nervous? Or perhaps…”
A sudden thought made her ask,
“Could it be… you cannot speak?”
It was a reasonable guess. Yet the boy gave no nod or shake of the head—only gazed at her.
“Did he perhaps injure his head?”
Dealing with his silence was difficult. Was this how others felt when they looked at her?
“Surely he isn’t one of the children once offered as sacrifice…”
But no—the boy was too young.
“On the surface, maybe ten years old?”
The coronation of the former king had been thirty years ago, so the timing didn’t fit. Besides, even if he had been hidden away in some remote palace, Gahwa knew the faces of most royals. None of them looked like this child.
She rolled her eyes again, searching for the right words. She couldn’t just sit here forever. At last, she offered,
“Meeting like this must be fate. I’ll take you as far as my apothecary. If walking is too hard, then climb onto my back. I’m in a hurry.”
Crouching down, she turned her back. The boy wrapped his arms around her neck in reply—choosing to be carried.
“Hup.”
Supporting his legs, she hoisted him up. His head rested against her shoulder. He wasn’t exactly light, but she could manage.
First, she headed for the stream. There she set him down, washed his face and hair, and then tied up her own hair into a single knot. With her male disguise in order, she carried him again and started down the mountain. By hurrying, they reached the village outskirts before noon.
“Hah, hah…”
Exhausted, Gahwa gasped for breath. Normally she prided herself on her stamina, but carrying a child down a mountain was no easy feat for a woman’s body. She was drenched in sweat, her legs trembling. She felt she might die before ever finding the Dragon Pearl. Perhaps she needed to start training her body.
As she pondered, the boy tapped her shoulder.
She turned, breath still ragged. He was signaling to be put down.
“…Could it be?”
“Can you walk?”
When she set him on the ground, the boy walked off without issue.
“He could walk this whole time?!”
She felt foolish. She had carried him needlessly, but she couldn’t bring herself to blame him. Forcing a smile, she explained,
“Here we are, at the edge of the village. We’ll stop at a pawnshop first, then head to the apothecary. Once the doctor examines you, we’ll look for your parents.”
The boy said nothing, only tugged at her sleeve. She took that as an answer.
Having caught her breath, Gahwa took his hand and led him on. Avoiding familiar streets, she chose unfamiliar paths until they came to a pawnshop she had never visited.
After some haggling with the owner, she managed to sell her ring for a fair price. Proudly, she tucked the bundle of coins into her sash. From the bench, the boy quietly watched her.
“Ahem.”
Feeling strangely embarrassed, Gahwa cleared her throat and quickly tied the pouch to her waist before leading him on.
Next was the apothecary.
After examining him, the physician said the boy seemed too startled to speak, but otherwise was healthy. In time, his shock would pass. That was a relief.
Crouching down to his level, Gahwa said,
“Since you’re not hurt, that’s good news. Now, go back to your family. Whatever happened, they probably think you’re dead, so be careful—very careful.”
She pressed a few coins into his hand. But after staring at them, the boy pushed them back and clung to her sleeve.
A sense of dread filled her.
“Don’t tell me… you have no home to return to?”
Again, the boy tugged at her sleeve. Gahwa held her forehead. She was about to be saddled with this child. Saving his life was one thing, but she had no intention of taking responsibility for him. Her thoughts churned uneasily.
“No relatives at all?”
The boy pursed his lips in a pout. It seemed he had no family to care for him.
“This is bad…”
Being an orphan in Gahwa’s country meant hardship. Unless someone took them in, they’d be forced into servitude or left to beg and wander.
Gahwa herself was in no position to take care of a child. She was already a fugitive, forced to hide her identity, and she couldn’t search for the Dragon Pearl with a boy in tow.
“What should I do…”
As she struggled for words, the boy clutched her sleeve with both hands now.
It was as though he had sensed her hesitation. Gahwa sighed.
She couldn’t abandon him.
For now, she would take him along. If she found a place to leave him safely later, she would.
“All right… for now, you’ll stay with me.”
Rising, she extended her hand. The boy took it. Swallowing her sigh, Gahwa led him out of the apothecary toward the largest inn in the capital.
She recalled an old story where a protagonist gathered information in an inn. She planned to do the same.
Arriving, she saw the sign above the entrance: Yeonhwa-ru.
It was the very place the Dragon had told her to come to before she left the palace.
But her mother’s whereabouts came first.
Entering like any other guest, she looked for a seat. It was lunchtime, and the hall bustled with customers. Few seats were open.
She scanned the room. A table with three men in cotton robes had an empty spot beside them. Another table with two travelers and their packs had an open seat in front. Finally, a table with two men wearing swords had a space behind them.
“I’ll take that one,” Gahwa said in a low voice, pointing to the last.
