Seoyul was taller than most boys his age, so lifting the child onto his back was effortless. With long strides, he carried her through the crowd while Chigyeong forged a path ahead.

A few people glared at them for cutting through the packed street, but the moment they noticed Chigyeong’s towering frame—well over six feet tall—they quickly shrank back.

Before long, they had reached the very front.

The procession of slaves was not particularly long.

After spending a day or two at the local government office, most of them would be transferred elsewhere. Only a handful would remain in this town.

As Seoyul watched the girl, he became certain of one thing.

She was searching for someone.

There was not the slightest trace of curiosity or amusement in her eyes. She was not watching a spectacle.

Instead, she examined each weary face with heartbreaking earnestness.

Hope flickered within her gaze.

A desperate hope.

A hope that perhaps, just perhaps, she might find the person she was looking for.

The daughter of a ruined noble house… perhaps?

The thought crossed Seoyul’s mind again.

The exhausted slaves.

The child clinging tightly around his neck, stretching forward as far as she could.

An inexplicable heaviness settled in his chest.

A faint, elegant fragrance drifted from her.

Perhaps she should simply be grateful to still be alive.

For some reason, the softness of her body against his back and the warmth of her small frame felt strangely comforting.

Strangely reassuring.

When the procession finally passed, the girl slid down from his back.

“Thank you. I shall never forget your kindness.”

Even while expressing gratitude, she continued speaking as though she were the superior party.

The tone was astonishingly arrogant for someone who had just received help.

Yet Chigyeong no longer scolded her.

Instead, he merely looked down at her with a faint smile tinged with pity.

Seoyul’s gaze, too, had softened considerably.

“Who are you searching for?”

“…”

“Were you separated from your family?”

“…”

The girl’s expression darkened slightly, but she refused to answer.

“Where do you live now? Are you staying at the government office?”

“No.”

“No?”

She blinked her large eyes but said nothing more.

Seoyul soon realized her nature.

She spoke her mind without hesitation.

But whenever a question was difficult to answer, she would rather remain silent than lie.

After a moment, he sighed.

“Very well. If you do not wish to answer, I will not press further. However—”

Grrrrrrr.

A loud rumble interrupted him.

The sound came directly from the girl’s stomach.

Apparently she had been far hungrier than she’d admitted.

Considering her tiny frame, the noise was surprisingly loud.

“Ah!”

Her face immediately flushed.

With an embarrassed cry, she wrapped both arms around her stomach.

For a moment, both Seoyul and Chigyeong smiled.

Then their expressions froze.

A ring on her left index finger had caught their attention.

The silver ring was extraordinary.

Even at a glance, it was clearly priceless.

Brilliant gemstones were set around its surface with exquisite craftsmanship.

It was the sort of treasure a slave child could never possess.

Even if she had once belonged to a noble family before its downfall, it seemed impossible that such a valuable item would still remain in her possession.

Yet she wore it openly and without concern.

Seoyul alternated his gaze between the ring and the girl.

Everything he had assumed suddenly became uncertain.

Who exactly are you?

◇ ◆ ◇

Warm broth slid down his throat.

The rich, savory flavor spread throughout his body, easing the exhaustion that had accumulated during the journey.

After bringing the girl into a tavern, Seoyul and Chigyeong only realized how hungry they themselves were when the smell of freshly cooked food filled the air.

After all, they had traveled almost nonstop from Hanseong to Boryeong.

Such a journey would drain anyone.

As the hearty soup restored his strength, Seoyul ate in silence for a while before suddenly pausing.

The girl across from him had barely touched her meal.

Instead of eating, she seemed far more interested in observing every corner of the tavern.

She absentmindedly stirred the generous bowl of rice soup with her spoon.

No matter how long he waited, she made no move to eat.

Finally, he asked:

“Does the food not suit your taste?”

The girl’s large black eyes shifted toward him.

She shrugged.

“I don’t know. I haven’t tried it yet.”

“You said you were hungry. Why aren’t you eating? Is there something else you’d rather have?”

“It’s not that.”

She hesitated.

“This is simply… strange.”

“Strange?”

“Is it not strange to eat at the same table with several people? And what is this? It’s neither scorched-rice tea nor sweet rice punch, yet someone put rice directly into the broth.”

Her innocent explanation made Seoyul furrow his brow.

Before he could respond, Chigyeong spoke gently.

“At least taste it. Our young master thought the same thing the first time he saw it. Now he enjoys it quite a bit.”

Reluctantly, she scooped up a spoonful.

A moment later, she took another.

And another.

Whatever her initial reservations, hunger quickly won.

Chigyeong chuckled knowingly and returned to his own meal.

Seoyul, however, set down his spoon entirely.

The girl’s words echoed in his mind.

Eating together is strange?

Rice in broth is unusual?

The more he thought about it, the stranger she seemed.

An hour later, after paying for the meal, the three left the tavern.

Then the girl shocked them once again.

Without hesitation, she removed the ring from her finger and offered it to Seoyul.

“Take it. I cannot accept charity.”

Seoyul accepted the ring, partly out of curiosity.

Up close, it was even more impressive.

Golden amber stones formed intricate chrysanthemum patterns around the silver band.

Tiny white gems—so small they resembled grains of snow—sparkled across the surface.

The craftsmanship was extraordinary.

No artisan within the kingdom could likely produce such a piece.

A family capable of giving a child this ring could only be one of the most powerful and prestigious houses in the nation.

Again the question returned.

Little one… who are you?

“This is a remarkable ring. Where did you get it?”

“My mother gave it to me.”

The girl’s expression softened.

“She told me to live a long and healthy life.”

The chrysanthemum.

A symbol of dignity and longevity.

When Seoyul examined the inside of the ring, he found a delicately engraved blessing for health alongside a chrysanthemum blossom.

After carefully studying it, he gently took the girl’s hand and slipped the ring back onto her finger.

She blinked in surprise.

“What are you doing?”

“Keep it.”

“I don’t mind.”

“Neither do I.”

He smiled faintly.

“There is no famine, and surely I can afford a bowl of soup for someone fate has brought into my path. Treasure your mother’s gift.”

For a moment, emotions rippled through her clear eyes.

She stared at him silently.

Then, after some thought, she spoke with complete seriousness.

“Then I shall send someone tomorrow to reward you properly. Where do you live?”

The declaration was so grand that it sounded as though it had come from the daughter of the kingdom’s highest ruler.

Seoyul couldn’t help indulging her.

“I will be staying at the government office.”

“The government office?”

“Yes.”

A smile touched his lips.

“As of today, I am the newly appointed magistrate of this town.”

The girl’s eyes widened.

“Are you making fun of me? I’ve never seen a magistrate as young as you.”

Rather than taking offense, Seoyul burst into laughter.

By now, he had become surprisingly accustomed to her bluntness.

Her skepticism was understandable.

After all, Seoyul’s life was anything but ordinary.

At only fourteen years old, he had placed first in the highest state examination and been appointed to an official government position.

The King himself had praised him as:

“A talent among talents, destined to become a pillar of the nation.”

Yet despite such accomplishments, he still looked like little more than a growing boy.

“To reject something simply because you’ve never seen it before is rather narrow-minded.”

The girl tilted her head.

“Is it?”

“Can you truly claim to know everything in the world?”

She considered this.

Then finally nodded.

“Very well.”

Pointing a finger at him, she declared:

“Tomorrow I shall personally visit the government office and confirm whether you truly are the magistrate.”

Her eyes narrowed suspiciously.

“If you lied to me, you will pay dearly for it.”

“I look forward to it.”

Then Seoyul added gently:

“Though if circumstances are difficult, there is no need to repay me.”

At those words, the girl laughed for the first time.

A bright, carefree laugh.

It was so cheerful that both Seoyul and Chigyeong found themselves smiling as well.

“Was what I said truly that amusing?”

“No.”

The girl grinned.

“I simply assure you that my circumstances are not difficult at all.”

Then she waved.

“Until tomorrow.”

Without waiting for a reply, she turned and skipped away.

Within moments she was already several streets ahead.

Is she really leaving just like that?

Realizing he hadn’t even had the chance to say a proper farewell, Seoyul hurriedly called out:

“Shall I escort you home?”

Without looking back, the girl waved dismissively.

“No need! I already know the way!”

Her laughter lingered in the air.

Then she rounded a corner and disappeared.

From beginning to end, she had been utterly impossible.

Utterly unpredictable.

And entirely her own person.

Watching the empty street where she had vanished, Chigyeong spoke quietly.

“She looks so lovely when she smiles. Do you think she’s truly from a fallen family? She seems like a young lady who was cherished all her life and knows nothing of hardship.”

“Who knows…”

Unlike Chigyeong, Seoyul remained unconvinced.

His eyes lingered on the direction she had gone.

Filled not with certainty—

but with growing suspicion.

Something about that child did not add up at all.