Thud…
The cozy blanket that pulls me in like a swamp, the fluffy pillow that softly wraps around my head, and the warm sunlight gently warming my body.
Gasp…!
Consciousness rises to the surface of my sleep, and I reflexively sit up.
I swiftly swivel my head around to survey my surroundings.
Gradually, a scene resembling a luxury hotel guest room starts to come into view.
The place where I was lying just moments ago is a large bed, surrounded by classic furnishings and decorations placed here and there.
But no matter how hard I think, I don’t remember this place. In other words, it’s my first time being here.
Where the heck am I?
Then, suddenly, I feel a gentle breeze tickling the fine hairs on my face, and I instinctively raise my hand to touch my face.
The soft sensation of my skin, and the texture of a long, bumpy scar that stretches horizontally under my left eye.
Cold sweat begins to pour down due to the disturbingly vivid feeling.
“My mask… my mask…”
I desperately turn my head around, searching for my belongings.
Soon, I spot it on the nightstand next to the bed, but for some reason, the mask is shattered into pieces around my right eye.
Next to it, there’s a brand-new mask, identical to the one I used before.
There wasn’t even time to ask why. I hurriedly picked it up and fumbled to fasten the locking mechanism.
After finding a bit of stability, memories of the past gradually begin to surface in my mind.
Yeon Minha’s invitation disguised as a mentoring experience, the bizarre events at the Jeokhwa family home, the madhead Jeokhwa family head who conspired with demons and even tried to use his own daughter as a magical ingredient, the sudden invasion of Paecheon and Seongsan’s forces, recalling the address handed to me by the commander while I was looking for Yeon Minha, and the blocking figure of Choi Ireh from Seongsan. After knocking her down… and then…
Silence…
No matter how hard I ponder, I can’t remember what happened afterward. It’s like my memory is covered in ink.
Did I go blank for a moment while forcefully operating predictive eyes?
I lowered my gaze and examined my body.
Bandages soaked with medicine are wrapped around various parts of my arms and legs.
There’s still a dull pain, but it doesn’t seem like there’s any major issue. Perhaps I took an antidote because the fever that was spinning my head constantly has almost vanished.
So, is this the address given by the commander? Where is Yeon Minha? My mask is in shambles? But how did they know my situation and prepare a new mask?
My thoughts are tangled like a knotted thread. Just when questions were trailing on top of each other…
Clink…
Without warning, the doorknob turns, and with a loud bang, someone appears.
I instantaneously tighten my guard, but what steps in is a woman wearing a maid’s outfit.
She looks at me with wide eyes.
“Oh my…”
“Um…”
“Madam…! The young master is awake…!”
Before I could even respond, she swiftly spins around and rushes out into the hallway, shouting something.
Soon, bustling sounds begin to echo from far away.
A moment later, the maid returns through the door.
Behind her, two individuals enter right away.
A sharply featured man, appearing to be between middle-aged and elderly, resembling someone I know, and a woman whose elegant and refined appearance seems just a bit younger than the commander.
I could feel the natural dignity and grace in even the smallest of their movements.
Moreover, they share one common trait.
There wasn’t the slightest hint of hostility or condescension in the way they looked at me.
Instead, their eyes conveyed warmth and kindness, causing my initial wariness to melt away in an instant without a trace.
“Um…”
As I reflexively tried to get up, the elegantly appearing woman stepped forward and urgently stopped me.
“My dear. It’s alright. Just stay put. You must not be well enough to do that yet…”
“Pardon? O-okay…”
“That’s right…”
Even though I was treated oddly like a child, somehow, I couldn’t bring myself to refuse her tone.
As I awkwardly turned back, the woman nodded her head lightly, satisfied.
With her actions, which clearly indicated she was the owner of this mansion, I cautiously asked them the question I was most curious about.
“Um, did a female student perhaps come with me? She’s about a head shorter than me, with a somewhat cheeky expression…”
Anxious thoughts returned to swarm over me again. But the woman shook her head side to side, smiling as if to say not to worry.
“Rest assured. If she’s from the Jeokhwa family, she’s in another room of this separate space resting. It might take some time for her to regain her senses, but her life is not at all in danger.”
“Is that really true…?”
“Absolutely. So there’s no need to worry too much.”
Hearing her words, I finally feel a bit relieved. At least we successfully got out together.
I don’t know what will happen next, but just surviving that chaos is already a significant achievement.
“I’ve been waiting for your arrival for a long time. Though I didn’t expect to meet you like this…”
Then the man with the sharp features, standing behind, finally spoke up.
His kind tone was not all that different from the woman’s.
“You were… waiting for me?”
“Of course! You know, this young one was so eager to meet you that she was about to visit the cradle herself. Do you have any idea how much I had to stop her…?”
With a sigh of exasperation, the woman suddenly let out a whoosh. The man looked at her with a perplexed expression that clashed with his sharp demeanor.
“Cough, cough. My dear. Your dignity in front of the child…”
“Hmph. Dignity, you say? What on earth is it good for…?”
Silence…
Listening to them chat nonchalantly while looking at me feels strangely comfortable.
Who on earth are they to treat me so familiarly?
Furthermore, their naturally graceful demeanor, casually calling Yeon Minha a child of the Jeokhwa family.
They certainly can’t be ordinary people.
Plus, the man’s appearance closely resembles someone I know, just older by about 30 years.
Moreover, the woman’s eye color is identical to his—unmistakably so.
Even if she appears to be of a similar age to the commander, many accomplished wizards are known to suppress aging to maintain their youthful appearance.
Even the Haewolhwa, who was said to have been around during the commander’s cradle years, didn’t seem to match that age.
Piecing together those facts, my conclusion has gradually narrowed to one.
Could it be…?
“Um, is it possible that you two are…?”
“Oh… Cough, cough.”
The two of them finally look at me after exchanging light banter.
The man, clearing his throat awkwardly with an embarrassed expression, speaks first.
“I’m called Sadaeryong.”
As soon as I hear his name, my guess solidifies and embeds itself in my mind.
“And this is my wife.”
At the man’s gesture, the woman gives me a warm smile.
Through her smile, I feel a peculiar, long-buried sensation surfacing.
“Hehe, I’m Yejin.”
“Um… then does that mean you’re related to the commander…?”
However, the moment I speak my question, a look of deep sadness and regret crosses their faces.
Though they still smile, a peculiar melancholy now lingers on the woman’s face.
“…He is our son.”
*
Through their mouths, I learned about the various events that had transpired.
I arrived at the Heukryeon mansion two days ago, just before dawn. The ones who discovered me were the Heukryeon’s soldiers.
Due to the incident at Jeokhwa, a state of alert was proclaimed throughout the capital city in the name of the highest council, and they were maintaining that state while patrolling the area.
I was said to have been standing unsteadily in front of the Heukryeon mansion, having come down from the mountain range.
I held Yeon Minha in my arms, and the moment they discovered me, I collapsed on the ground.
“We were almost ready to shoot, thinking you were a monster. Truly a relief…”
“This child kept circling around you, causing us a bit of trouble while securing things. Thankfully, it seems alright now…”
Squawk!
A familiar-looking crow now sat on the hostess’s palm.
The small creature, with a beak blunt enough to resemble a sparrow, looked like Yeon Minha’s crow.
I couldn’t help but think that perhaps that bird had saved us.
If it’s a messenger crow, it likely knows the geography of the capital much better than I do.
It seems like giving it the address ahead of time was a very good choice.
The creature chirped a couple of times, then flitted through the open window and flew off.
Perhaps it’s going to check on its owner.
The commander’s father then asked me about what had happened in the mansion.
Though the hostess tried to dissuade him somewhat, there was no reason to refuse to share.
After all, they were, for the time being, the only people who could lend us strength.
I laid out everything I had seen and heard before them.
Except for the information regarding Yeon Minha’s birth.
That was something I could never tell anyone.
“Ah, so you mean that resolution was not a scheme of Paecheon, but the truth…”
The man took on a stern expression as he mumbled.
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