Chapter 51
The pale pink eyes that held the image of the boy standing before her widened roundly.
He greeted her in a voice as soft as a spring breeze—he was exactly the kind prince that Soya knew.
The prince from those unbelievable rumors: the one who had stirred up a bloodbath in the imperial palace, killed all his brothers, and ascended to the throne as emperor.
No, now he was Taehwa Kingdom’s Son of Heaven(天子).
Soya was at a loss for words, her eyes trembling faintly and her lips quivering soundlessly.
“Your Majesty.”
That low voice she had missed so much these past few days seeped into her ear, and Sa-eon’s robes fluttered, blocking Soya’s view.
At the same time, Gahyeon stepped forward in front of Soya, and Gayul gripped the hem of her sleeve tightly.
From behind her, Seolyo glared at the boy over her shoulder.
Tae Irim let out a languid laugh at the immediate, protective reactions of the four men surrounding her.
“How impertinent, Sa-eon. To block the Son of Heaven’s path.”
“She is my daughter.”
Sa-eon spoke as he shielded Soya behind the folds of his robe.
“Yes. I heard just before the last Mountain Lord Festival that you had adopted a youngest daughter.”
Unlike the tense men of Baekho Palace, Irim replied in a gentle voice.
For some reason, Sa-eon didn’t like that composure of his.
“You came to Baekho Palace on business with me, did you not? Please, come inside.”
Though he used deferential language, Sa-eon’s attitude remained prickly throughout. Ever since the moment Irim had stepped in front of Soya, in fact.
Yet Irim, fully aware of Sa-eon’s wariness, didn’t yield. Instead, he gazed at Soya with a faint smile playing on his lips, then curved his eyes sweetly.
Soya’s eyes quivered at that fresh, bright eye smile.
It wasn’t just Soya—everyone who had come out to greet the patriarch’s return was shaken by that beautiful smile.
Even Gahyeon, Gayul, and Seolyo, who had been eyeing him warily just moments before.
Amid it all, Sa-eon was the only one with a displeased expression as he turned to his children.
“I have matters to discuss with His Majesty, so we’ll catch up later. Take good care of your little sister.”
Sa-eon ruffled the children’s hair and then led the emperor inside the building.
And in the space left behind.
“Cotton ball, who was that guy just now?!”
“Soya. Do you know the Fifth Prince—no, His Majesty the Emperor?”
Gahyeon and Gayul grabbed Soya and asked.
Curiosity and wariness were plainly written on the faces of the two brothers.
“Ah…… Yes,”
Soya, coming back to her senses belatedly, soon smiled brightly and answered.
“We knew each other from when we were young.”
* * *
Meanwhile, Sa-eon was asking Irim the same thing.
“How do you know my daughter?”
Irim gazed out the window as if recalling a distant past, then answered.
“We’ve known each other for a very long time.”
Sa-eon scoffed inwardly. ‘A very long time’—as if eleven years was anything substantial.
Of course, the young emperor before him had shown conduct over the past few months that made it hard to believe he was only eleven.
[I promise you, Sa-eon. Before the year is out, I will ascend the throne and give you the Dragon Blood Grass.]
He had declared to Sa-eon that he would become emperor before year’s end, and he had truly kept his word.
After purging his brothers and confining the previous emperor, he had made himself the Son of Heaven of Taehwa Kingdom.
No one had imagined he would do such a thing, given his usual lethargy and quiet disposition in all matters.
But his ascension wasn’t simply a matter of catching the complacent off guard.
Irim had uncovered the weaknesses of his brothers that no one else knew, seized control of the imperial family’s military authority, and ascended to the bloodstained throne.
This deed would remain in history as an eternal stain on his name. Even if he became a benevolent sacred emperor(聖皇).
And yet, he had wielded his blade against his own blood kin without the slightest hesitation.
Covered head to toe in blood as he climbed the throne, he had looked truly like a demon.
No one knew what had caused such a change in this young emperor’s state of mind……
“My daughter may be young, but she is already nine years old. With her Primary Growth approaching soon, I believe it improper to associate with her so privately.”
For now, what mattered to Sa-eon was simply the fact that the young emperor was showing interest in his cotton ball.
“Hmm.”
Irim tilted his head languidly.
His fine platinum hair slid down softly, following the tilt of his head.
“You really think so?”
“?”
Sa-eon furrowed his brow slightly and looked at Tae Irim.
Irim curved his eyes with a soft smile.
“Baek Sa-eon. You still haven’t fulfilled my command, have you.”
Sa-eon froze.
His face stiffened for a moment.
[Go to the South, the land of the Zhuque. Steal the most precious thing there.]
[You cannot possess it. You need only show it to me unharmed.]
Steal the South’s most precious treasure and show it to him unharmed.
Yes, that had clearly been the extent of his imperial command.
Afterward, he had said he would come to see the stolen item once the imperial palace was sorted, but the bloodbath in the imperial family had let it fall by the wayside.
“What do you mean by that now.”
“No great meaning. It just came to mind.”
Irim smiled faintly as he lifted his teacup.
But Sa-eon could not smile along with him.
“…….”
Could it be that this young emperor had foreseen from the start that he would bring that child from the southern lands and issued that command accordingly?
But he had no power to see the future—how could he have been so certain?
“I’ll give you what was promised.”
Changing the subject, Irim gestured, and his attendant brought over a wooden box and set it on the desk.
Click. The wooden box opened, revealing the flower within.
Dragon Blood Grass(龍血草).
When Taehwa Kingdom’s new emperor ascends, he performs a rite before the statue of the imperial dragon.
The imperial family is known across generations as dragon beastkin, and upon ascending the throne and completing the rite, their old scales shed, golden scales emerge in their place, and they awaken as imperial dragons.
During this, the scales are forcibly shed, tearing flesh and spilling blood—and the flower that blooms absorbing that blood is the Dragon Blood Grass.
Because of this origin, it was a precious medicinal herb that could not be easily obtained.
“…….”
Sa-eon gazed silently at the Dragon Blood Grass in the box.
Even faced with the Dragon Blood Grass he had searched so long for, his expression showed no particular change.
But Irim saw it.
The moment the Dragon Blood Grass appeared, Sa-eon’s eyes twitched ever so slightly.
* * *
Soya was playing on the ground, making shapes with fallen maple leaves.
‘Why did Brother Irim—no, His Majesty—come to talk with Sa-eon-nim?’
Her mind was filled with thoughts of Irim, whom she had just seen.
‘They say he’s become the Son of Heaven, and he seems even more grown-up. He must have been surprised to see me here, but he didn’t show it at all.’
As she paired up bright yellow ginkgo leaves to make butterflies, Soya realized she was short on leaves.
“Oh no. One wing is missing.”
“I’ll go pick up more!”
Seolyo, who had been squatting beside her admiring the maple leaf drawings, jumped up at her words.
Then, without giving Soya a chance to speak, he dashed toward the bushes.
‘Seolyo really is something. So incredibly fast.’
Soya giggled, watching her friend who always moved for her sake without hesitation or complaint.
As she sat alone waiting for Seolyo.
“Flowers and butterflies.”
Suddenly, a shadow fell over Soya’s head.
“The flowers are as pretty as you, and the butterflies just make you wait—like a pathetic version of me.”
