Home/The Beloved Young Divine Child of the Twelve Zodiacs/ch 2

Chapter 2

Having confirmed that even her new mother ignored that child, Sosso interrogated the maids. And so she learned a shocking truth.

"Ah, that is Young Lady Arin. She used to live in this room, but she is a twelfth-year who cannot perform the Spirit Beast Transformation."

At that moment, Sosso realized: she had come here to replace that child. And that if that child ever succeeded in the transformation, she herself could be cast back to her former life at any moment. She had gained this comfortable life by sheer fortune. She could not let it be taken away.

So Sosso resolved to drive Arin out of this house. Purely for her own security.

---

After encountering her mother, Arin spent every night weeping. Her mother's cold gaze, devoid of any warmth, tormented her night after night.

Who was that girl beside her?

An unfamiliar girl her age had called Arin's mother "Mother." She wore Arin's ornaments and clothes. What that meant, Arin could not easily grasp. She simply stayed in the annex, breathless and powerless.

Then one day, as she sat blankly in the yard counting leaves as usual, something dropped from the tree with a soft thud.

"Oh?"

Startled, Arin approached the tree. A golden mouse lay there, bleeding.

Squeak—

It had apparently twisted its leg, for it could not get up easily. One ear was torn by something sharp, and blood flowed from the wound. Seeing the golden mouse whimpering, Arin felt pity.

It must have been chased by a cat.

The mouse was likely a mutant, its fur shimmering close to gold. Such a conspicuous color would have made it an easy target for predators. In a way, its situation was not unlike that of Arin—a mutant and a nuisance in the House of the Red Serpent.

I was told that the beasts of the Twelve should be treated with care.

Unable to leave the golden mouse as it was, Arin wrapped it in her handkerchief and carried it inside. She washed away the blood with clean water and applied ointment to its wound—one of the necessities her nursemaid had given her when she was confined to the annex. After treating it, Arin laid the golden mouse on a soft cushion and covered it with the handkerchief, lest it grow cold in the drafty bedroom.

"Hup."

Arin lay down beside the golden mouse. The creature was wonderfully warm. To Arin, who had always been alone, its body felt almost scorching. Leaning into that warmth, she dozed off. When she woke, she felt strangely empty.

"Gone."

The golden mouse she had tended so carefully had vanished without a trace.

"It could have at least said goodbye. It shouldn't be moving around so soon."

Arin brushed the cushion as if searching for any lingering warmth. But it had already grown cold.

---

Lately, something strange had entered Arin's daily life. Small snacks began appearing one by one on the tiny desk beside her bed. Each day brought something different, as if pilfered from the kitchen. At first, she thought it might be coincidence, but when it continued for a full week, she grew terribly curious. So she pretended to fall asleep early and lay in bed with her eyes closed.

Around the hour of the Rat—when the moon hung bright and clear—a rustling sound came, and an unfamiliar silhouette crept quietly into the room. Arin peeked through her lashes to see who it was. The fluffy backside shimmered golden in the moonlight. Recognizing the creature, Arin sprang up.

"Ah! It was you!"

Squeak!

Startled, the golden mouse tumbled over, sending a sweet rice cake rolling across the little table. Its eyes, wide with surprise, were utterly endearing. It looked far healthier than before.

Did it come to see me?

Arin's eyes sparkled with joy. "Your ear is all better! What a relief."

She lit a candle to check on the mouse and smiled broadly. The golden mouse twitched its whiskers and sat up on its haunches, looking up at her. Tonight, it seemed to gleam even brighter.

"You didn't have to repay me. So you were the one bringing me snacks all along."

Squeak, squeak.

The golden mouse shook its head as if understanding her words. Then it even bowed its head in apparent gratitude, surprising Arin.

"Can you really understand what I'm saying?"

She wondered if she was so lonely that she had begun to imagine a mouse could comprehend human speech. Just then, the golden mouse turned to the window instead of answering. The night was still chilly, and mist had settled on the glass. Arin thought it was about to leave, but instead the mouse used its front paws to trace something on the fogged pane:

[Why are you here?]

"Wow, you can write too? You really are smart!"

But Arin's smile quickly faded into a sullen expression.

"I'm being punished because I'm a half-wit."

Yes—if only she had succeeded in the Spirit Beast Transformation, she would not have been discarded like this. Remembering her situation once more, her brows drooped into a sorrowful arch.

"They say a twelfth-year who can't transform is no twelfth-year at all. Father, Mother, my brother... I think they've all forgotten me."

For the first time, she admitted she had been abandoned, and tears welled up. She wiped them with her sleeve and forced herself to speak calmly.

"But at least they feed me and give me a place to sleep, even if I am a half-wit—so that's something, right?"

The golden mouse wore an astonished expression. Those were not words one expected from a child's lips.

"The House of the White Dragon asked me to look into the Red Serpent's daughter. They wanted me to observe her character and report back."

In truth, the golden mouse was a spirit beast raised by the Divine Maiden Yeoryeong, who served the Twelve Spirit Beasts. It often ran errands for her. Yeoryeong was the elder of the Twelve Spirit Beasts and the sole Divine Maiden in charge of all the great affairs of Yeonhaguk. No one knew where she was born or how old she was; she had become the teacher of all the Twelve Houses solely by virtue of her divine power. Every successor of the Twelve had to pass through her hands, and without her recognition, no one could become the rightful head of a house.

By Yeoryeong's command, the golden mouse had set foot in the Red Serpent estate. She had heard there was one daughter in the house, but oddly, there were two young girls on the premises. One was clearly a noble young lady; the other was confined to an annex like an exile. And from eavesdropping on the household's talk, the golden mouse learned that the true daughter was none other than Hong Arin before her—and that she had failed the transformation.

That's strange. I sense an immense energy emanating from this child. How could she have failed?

In the golden mouse's eyes, Arin's aura was far superior to that of the newly adopted daughter. Being near her felt like being invigorated. Of course, the power of the Twelve could not be judged by aura alone—if the spiritual core had not opened, all that overflowing energy was useless. What was certain was that the Red Serpents intended to deceive the White Dragons by hiding their true daughter and sending a collateral branch in her place. If the golden mouse reported as things stood, the betrothal between the two houses would effectively be broken.

A week ago, the golden mouse had completed its investigation and was about to leave—until it was caught by the son of the house, Hong Ahyeon, and forced to run errands. It barely escaped and collapsed as soon as it reached the deserted annex. And it was Arin who had cared for it.

What a pity. If only she could perform the transformation, she would have made a splendid mistress of the White Dragon House.

The golden mouse's heart ached for the endearing Arin. It had only meant to take one last look at her face before leaving, but it was discovered and had to reveal itself.

[I must return to my master now.]

"So you do have a master. I thought so. A mouse with such beautiful golden fur—I've never seen one like you in my life."

At that moment, the golden mouse's eyes bulged as if they might pop out. In fact, it had used magic to change its fur to look like an ordinary mouse. Yet Arin saw its coat as golden. Never before had it encountered a human immune to its spell. The golden mouse was baffled.

Then Arin spoke words even more astonishing.

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