TVBC 09

Chapter 9

“Come in.”

At Ju Jeokseo’s command, Sirang carefully stepped into the hallway.

Bowing at the waist, she reported in a soft voice.

“The young lady has woken up. She seemed a little confused because she was in an unfamiliar place.”

“She woke up after two days.”

“The physician said that Baby Snake woke up earlier than expected. However, she has not fully recovered yet, so he said she should rest well in a warm place for at least a week.”

“Good. Let her rest well for the time being, and tell them to prepare foods that will help her recover her strength. She may be startled by the unfamiliar surroundings, so tell everyone except you, Sirang, to refrain from entering.”

“Yes. But…… Head of the Family, aren’t you going to meet the young lady?”

“There is no need to unnecessarily upset a child who is already unstable.”

Ju Jeokseo stopped speaking and raised an eyebrow.

Sirang was standing before him with an awkward smile, looking as though she had something to say.

“If you have something to say, say it.”

“Actually, Baby Snake asked to meet the Head of the Family.”

“Me?”

“Yes. Since this is an unfamiliar place, I think she is a little anxious.”

At Sirang’s words, Ju Jeokseo fell into thought.

He had not intended to meet Baby Snake for the time being.

It was not because of some grand reason involving the Imperial Palace or anything like that. He simply thought that Baby Snake’s condition might worsen if she met him.

Because Ju Jeokseo was born with a naturally powerful flame, timid people and young children were afraid of him.

Some even fainted from time to time.

With Baby Snake’s current condition, she might not be able to withstand even the slightest amount of his presence.

As he frowned thoughtfully, Sirang looked at Ju Jeokseo with shining eyes.

She looked as though she desperately wanted him to meet Baby Snake.

In the end, he let out a deep sigh.

“What does the physician say? Did he say it would be fine for her to meet me?”

The little snake wanted to meet him, so he could not simply ignore her.

How frightened and lonely must such a small and young child be after coming to an unfamiliar place?

And if even the person who brought her here refused to meet her, she might become even more frightened.

In any case, he had no intention of treating the little guest who had come to his home that way.

Sirang brightened at Ju Jeokseo’s response.

“He said it should be fine if it is only for a short while! He said it should not be for too long, though.”

“That is enough. I will go meet her.”

Ju Jeokseo started walking without any further hesitation.

Since the physician had said it was fine, there should not be any major problem.

If the child’s condition worsened, he could simply leave the area quickly.

Besides.

‘I wanted to take a closer look at that face anyway…….’

That small, white face that faintly resembled his younger sister.

Ever since he brought Baby Snake here, that was all he had been thinking about.

Round eyes, round eyebrows, delicate features, and hair as white as snow.

Whenever he thought of that hair, he felt as though his younger sister had returned to him.

Of course, Baby Snake was a member of the Imperial Family, so she could not possibly have any connection to his sister.

The Imperial Family and the imperial bloodline had rejected the Bird Clan for a long time.

Therefore, she was merely a child who had happened to be born with white features. She could have no connection to the Vermilion Bird Clan or the White Vermilion Bird.

But whenever he thought of Baby Snake, he felt strangely unsettled.

So perhaps it would not be bad to meet her, listen to what she had to say, and ask her about the things he was curious about.

He had already instructed his subordinates to investigate the child, but hearing it directly from her would surely be the fastest and most accurate way.

Baeksa was in the southern annex.

It was the warmest room in the entire Vermilion Bird family estate, with the most sunlight.

It was not originally a place meant for guests, but Ju Jeokseo had impulsively given it to Baby Snake after hearing that her condition was poor.

Because of that, he did not need anyone to tell him where Baby Snake was.

Ju Jeokseo’s footsteps headed without hesitation toward the warmest and coziest room in the south.

Behind him, Sirang followed with quick little steps, secretly looking pleased.

Baeksa carefully got out of bed and neatly folded the blanket.

Then she knelt quietly beside it.

She was used to sitting on cold floors, so she had chosen to sit there. But perhaps because the brazier was burning, even the floor was not cold.

‘It is such a nice room.’

It was far too nice for someone like her.

The room was not particularly large, but it was clear that it had been carefully maintained.

‘It feels just like Sister Yeoryun’s room.’

As Baeksa looked around the room in admiration, she gently clenched the fists she had been resting neatly on her knees.

Only now, sitting alone in the quiet room, did she truly realize the situation she was in.

‘What if they throw me out……?’

If she was thrown out even from here, would they send her back to the snowy field?

Sitting in the warm room, the time she had spent lying alone in the snowfield felt like a distant dream.

But it had not been a dream.

It had been the reality she had experienced.

The soles of her feet, still prickling painfully from frostbite, proved it.

The child did not want to be thrown back there again.

‘If I want to avoid that…….’

Baeksa carefully brought both hands together and tried to use her ability.

Baeksa’s ability, which swallowed anything and everything, faintly shimmered above her palms.

The girl knew.

This ability looked extremely faint and insignificant, but in truth, it was a terrifying and greedy ability.

Over the past year, there had been nothing Baeksa could not absorb.

Even Songra’s blessing had been absorbed by Baeksa’s ability and lost its radiance. Anything precious or valuable was absorbed and transformed into something useless.

There was no one who would be happy about having such an ability around.

Even the Emperor had initially been pleased with this ability, only to eventually abandon her.

Moreover, Baeksa’s ability was not something that allowed her to absorb someone else’s power and use it herself.

Once something was absorbed, that was the end.

It was truly a monstrous, worst-of-all abilities.

‘I should tell them about this too…….’

She could not deceive everyone with lies and then ask them for help.

They had the right to know what kind of terrible ability the child they had brought here possessed.

Just as Baeksa made up her mind—

Swish.

A breeze came from somewhere and gently brushed against the child’s cheek.

Then, a small white feather suddenly appeared in the air.

There had been no warning at all.

“Hmm……?”

Baeksa opened her round eyes in surprise at the suddenly appearing feather.

Whose feather could this be?

If it was a white feather, it could not be a Vermilion Bird’s feather.

Just as she was thinking that, the feather slowly descended toward Baeksa.

When the child reached out her hand, the feather landed perfectly in her tiny hands.

The feather was large and soft.

Startled, Baeksa stood up while holding the feather.

As far as she knew, the Bird Clan considered feathers extremely important.

The feathers of the Vermilion Bird Clan were used to make warming stones, while the feathers of other birds also possessed their own abilities.

So perhaps this feather had a valuable ability as well.

‘I must not touch it……!’

Her ability ruined everything it touched.

If it was something important, she absolutely must not touch it.

Baeksa belatedly realized this and was about to put the feather down when—

Fwaaash!

Five-colored light poured out from the feather in Baeksa’s hands and surrounded the little Baby Snake.

And at the same time—

‘N-No!’

Baeksa’s ability shot out from her hand on its own.

Black light spread from her palm and wrapped around the brilliantly colored feather.

Soon, Baeksa felt the feather’s energy flowing into her.

Before the startled child even had time to react, the color of the feather slowly began to change.

The white feather was gradually fading into black.

Baeksa’s face turned pale.

“E-Even now!”

She had to stop it, even now.

But the greedy ability showed no sign of stopping.

As Baeksa’s ability greedily sucked in the feather’s power, the five-colored light disappeared, and the feather soon became completely black.

Baeksa clutched the feather helplessly.

After its color changed, her ability finally stopped activating on its own.

But it was already too late.

The pale child’s fingertips trembled with fear.

‘What if it was something important?’

What if she had ruined it as soon as she arrived?

Cold sweat poured down her face.

Just as the child desperately tried to return the feather to its original state—

Knock, knock.

“Baby Snake, it’s Sirang. The Head of the Family has come to see you.”

At the voice from outside the door, Baeksa’s face became even paler.

She needed to tell them to wait a moment, but no voice came out, as if someone were blocking her throat.

‘W-What should I do?’

What should she do?

But she could not think of anything.

Her throat tightened, and tears instinctively trickled down her cheeks.

Meanwhile, wondering why there was no sound from inside, Sirang opened the door.

Creak.

The door opened, and Ju Jeokseo appeared behind Sirang.

Baeksa looked up at the Head of the Vermilion Bird family with a frightened expression, still clutching the feather in her hands.

For a moment, silence filled the room.

Sirang and Ju Jeokseo’s gazes moved from Baeksa’s face to the feather in the child’s hands.

Then, both of them stared at the feather in shock.

Ju Jeokseo widened his eyes and looked at Baeksa as if what he was seeing was impossible.

“This is……”