Home/The Beloved Young Divine Child of the Twelve Zodiacs/ch 6

Chapter 6

After thoroughly fondling her cheeks, Geum Dogyeong noticed that the child had remained perfectly still, sweet rice cake in her mouth. They say even a dog won't bother you while you're eating, he thought, but this little one's cheeks are like a charm—I can't take my hands off them.

"Ahem!"

He let her go so she could eat in peace. As he looked at her with lingering reluctance, he noticed her eye color for the first time. They were golden.

Could she be a twelfth-year?

Children of the Twelve Houses were born with golden eyes—proof that they possessed a spiritual core.

That's strange. I was told the Red Serpent head had only one daughter.

Moreover, it made no sense that this child could be the Red Serpent's daughter. She clearly seemed to have received little care from anyone.

"Are you a child of this house?"

Arin flinched at the question. She could neither say yes nor no. Sensing her difficulty, Dogyeong changed his question.

"Why were you alone earlier? If you're lost, I can take you back."

But that question was equally unanswerable. She had been confined to the annex alone for a long time, and now it seemed she had no place left to return to.

Should I go back to the annex?

The Geumho House had arrived today, so leaving was the right thing to do. If she stayed, her spiritual core might be torn from her while she was still alive.

Arin carefully set down the sweet rice cake in her hand and rose from her seat.

"Why aren't you eating more?"

"I... I think I should go now."

"Do you dislike me escorting you?"

"..."

"Then take that with you. I have plenty more anyway."

Dogyeong gathered the half-eaten box of cakes and tucked it into her arms.

"Thank you."

After a moment's hesitation, Arin bowed deeply and fled the room as if escaping.

"Hmph. She must have her reasons."

He felt uneasy, as if his prying questions had driven the child away.

Just as the child's presence was fading from his mind, the Divine Maiden Yeoryeong returned from her tea with the Red Serpent head and his wife. Seeing her luggage rummaged through, she asked calmly,

"Did we have a thief?"

Belatedly remembering that he had taken a ribbon from her bag, Dogyeong made an excuse.

"Ah, I needed something and borrowed it. I'll buy you a new one."

"But there was nothing in there you could use."

The bundle contained only women's ornaments and clothing—nothing he would need. Dogyeong scratched his cheek.

"I gave it to a little girl, not myself."

"A little girl?"

At Yeoryeong's question, Geumgeum, who had been hiding in Dogyeong's vest pocket, came forward.

What little girl? Surely not the one with vermilion hair like a trumpet vine?

Of course, to Dogyeong, who could not understand Geumgeum's speech, it was just squeaking.

"What is it saying? It sounds like it's talking to me."

"She asks if the girl you mentioned had vermilion hair."

"Oh. How did you know? Are you reading minds now?"

As Dogyeong expressed his surprise, Geumgeum and Yeoryeong exchanged glances. They had thought the annex was empty and their trip wasted—yet she had been with Dogyeong.

Yeoryeong asked seriously, "So where did that child go?"

"I let her go when she said she was leaving."

"When?"

"About two hours ago."

At Dogyeong's words, Yeoryeong signaled Geumgeum with her eyes.

I'll be back!

Geumgeum darted to the floor and vanished in a flash. Dogyeong tilted his head, watching the mouse disappear.

"Is it off to the outhouse or something?"

"Actually, the reason I came here is that child."

"Excuse me?"

"The Red Serpents are hiding their real daughter and trying to send a fake one to marry into the White Dragon House."

As Yeoryeong lowered her voice, Dogyeong's face hardened.

"Surely the Red Serpents haven't caught wind of something?"

Currently, the only son of the White Dragon House was temporarily staying in the Village of the Twelve Spirit Beasts due to a spiritual core issue—a matter known only to the Geumho House and the White Dragons. Could the Red Serpents have obtained this information and were now trying to send a daughter?

But Yeoryeong gave an unexpected answer.

"At first I wondered the same, but from what Geumgeum tells me, there seems to be a different reason."

"A different reason?"

"The child cannot perform the Spirit Beast Transformation. I heard she is now confined to an annex, living alone, so I came in haste."

"What? They cast out their daughter for something like that?"

Dogyeong recalled the child's appearance. Her clothes were worn thin from repeated washing, and her frail body looked as though she had neither eaten well nor slept properly. It was plain she had been neglected.

Regretting that he had let her go, Dogyeong spoke firmly.

"This is abuse. Where in the world is a child treated like that? And they intend to deceive the White Dragons too. This should be reported immediately and severely punished."

"Given that the White Dragons themselves have their own flaw, we cannot blame only the Red Serpents."

"But leaving things as they are is too dangerous... She is still a young child."

At his stubborn words, Yeoryeong gazed at him steadily.

"You seem to think I intend to turn my back on the child."

At her reproach, Dogyeong fell silent. He was always weak toward the small and defenseless; having seen Arin, it was natural that she would linger in his mind. Knowing his character well, Yeoryeong had brought him along—so that he could take Arin into the Geumho House.

"If you feel so sorry for her, you can take her with you."

"Excuse me?"

"I have no intention of leaving the child in that annex. However, since she is a child of the Red Serpent House, we will need Hong Ijin's permission."

Her voice flowed as naturally as water, as if she had already grasped everything and made her decision. Dogyeong could not immediately discern her intent; he merely stared blankly at her. She drove the point home in a low voice.

"Did I not tell you? I would make you a daughter."

---

Upon returning to the annex, Arin began packing at once. Her bundle contained only a change of clothes and a small wooden squirrel doll she had played with as a very young child. Unable to bring herself to leave, she untied and retied the bundle several times, and before she knew it, dusk was falling.

I have to go before it gets dark.

Now that she had resolved to leave, she felt strange.

"Don't you have any shame?"

Sosso had been right. She had apparently been staying here without any awareness of how unwelcome she was. Arin did not want to be a burden to her family any longer, nor did she want her spiritual core taken by the Geumho House.

She held the box of sweet rice cakes the man had given her that afternoon, cradling it preciously. The kindness she had received after so long gave her a little strength to leave.

She slung her bundle over her shoulder and was about to put on her shoes when—

Squeak-squeak! (Child, are you there?!)

The loud squeaking stopped her in her tracks. Naturally turning her gaze toward the sound, Arin's eyes sparkled.

"Golden mouse!"

There, after several days of absence, stood the golden mouse. It leaped onto her knees in one bound. Arin opened her arms and embraced it. She was overjoyed that the mouse, which she had thought had left her forever, had come back.

"I thought you were never coming back."

Squeak, squeak. (Phew—we didn't miss each other this time!)

Geumgeum panted heavily and clung to Arin. Judging by her appearance, she had been about to go somewhere—if he had been any later, he would have missed her again. As he caught his breath, he realized her body was feverishly hot, and he cried out.

Squeak! (What's wrong with you?)

Up close, her cheeks were too flushed. Geumgeum sprang onto her shoulder and touched the back of her ear.

Squeak, squeak, squeak! (You're burning up!)

"Ugh."

Arin swayed under the mouse's sudden weight. Perhaps she had been unwell since morning. Feeling her head spin, she collapsed to the floor.

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