Home/The Beloved Young Divine Child of the Twelve Zodiacs/ch 67

Chapter 67

"I—I need to rest a bit."

"I'll come with you."

"No, I'll be right back!"

Arin fled from the spot. Left alone, Muje was looking for a place to wait comfortably when Youngjae, mustering courage, spoke up.

"If you liked them, shall I send some to the Crown Prince's residence?"

"No need—they're not to my taste."

After harshly criticizing the sweets, Muje walked off. Only then did he seem like his usual self.

It was like seeing a ghost.

Since he never attended such social events, it felt like a mirage.

---

Arin, out for some air, ran straight into Sosso and Yuhui returning to the gathering. It hadn't been a good parting. Acknowledging each other felt awkward, and pretending not to see was equally difficult—so they just exchanged stares. Yuhui broke the silence.

"You're Lady Geum Arin of the Geumho House, right? I'm Cheong Yuhui of the Cheongmyo House."

"Ah, hello."

"You two seem to know each other—were you close before coming here?"

At her clueless question, Arin glanced at Sosso. She had been so high and mighty when they first met in the annex—now she looked like she'd been caught stealing.

"Long time no see."

Arin spoke first, and Sosso replied reluctantly.

"Indeed. I heard you entered the Geumho House. You're quite lucky—charming your way into a new family already."

Her barbed tone was unchanged. But Arin was no longer the child locked in that annex.

"Yes, I am. So I hope you do well too."

"..."

Seeing Arin unfazed, Sosso felt like she'd lost. As Arin moved to pass them, Yuhui stopped her.

"Leaving already?"

"I came out for a walk. I'll be back."

Leaving only that, Arin walked away. Sosso glared at her back and muttered under her breath,

"That annoying girl."

Hearing this, Yuhui smiled meaningfully.

"A former friend?"

At her probing question, Sosso shook her head.

"She used to be in the Red Serpent House."

"Ah, so she was a collateral too?"

"Haha, no—her birth is noble. Her abilities, however, are not."

Sosso clicked her tongue as if to hold back. But she was itching to talk about Arin.

"You seem to have a grudge."

"Yes, I do. I don't want anything more to do with her."

Having said that, Sosso walked on briskly. When they reached the gathering, Yuhui spoke aloud,

"So the Geumho House took in a child from the Red Serpent House? That explains why the two masters always growl at each other."

Her voice rang out in the room, and Sosso was flustered.

"Lady Yuhui!"

"Oh, was that a secret?"

Yuhui blinked innocently, but others had already taken an interest.

"What do you mean? So the new adopted daughter of the Geumho House is from the Red Serpent House?"

Suddenly pressed about Arin, Sosso bit her nails nervously.

"I don't know much about it—she was already there when I joined the Red Serpent House."

She tried to evade, but they wouldn't let it go.

"Come to think of it, the Red Serpent House did have a daughter, didn't they? She should have been invited to the festival."

The question of why an adopted daughter had come instead of the real one put Sosso on the spot. Cornered, she defended herself.

"I'm the only daughter of the Red Serpent House now. That girl was kicked out long ago!"

"Kicked out? Why?"

"...Ah!"

Realizing she had misspoken, Sosso clamped her mouth shut. But everyone had already heard.

"So the Geumho House really did adopt a daughter of the Red Serpent House?"

"..."

"They said she was disowned. Did she cause some kind of problem?"

It was extremely rare for a direct-line twelfth-year to be disowned—usually only for disgracing the family or committing a serious crime. But a six-year-old like Arin couldn't have done that.

Yuhui, watching quietly, murmured,

"I heard that sometimes direct-line twelfth-years are disowned when their abilities don't manifest."

Her words, as if she knew Arin couldn't transform, made Sosso nervous.

"I—I don't know the details. When I entered the Red Serpent House, she was already confined to the annex..."

She was about to spill secrets in her rambling.

"You're all far too interested in other people's business."

Having heard enough, Muje cut in coldly. He had been hiding his presence to keep others from bothering Arin until she returned—and had overheard the conversation.

So Arin was a daughter of the Red Serpent House.

When he was Seol, Arin had told him she had been abandoned by her birth family—she had spoken calmly, but her face looked lonely. Though she could have resented them, she never complained. It seemed she swallowed it all inside, and he felt sorry for her.

He found Sosso, who so casually dug up Arin's wounds, deeply unpleasant. So he deliberately revealed his presence.

"Disgusting."

At his single remark, the room fell silent. Caught gossiping, Sosso's face turned red.

That person...

She had dressed up so eagerly, hoping to meet him today—yet their reunion had to be like this. Humiliated, she thought, It's all that girl's fault!

The frozen atmosphere wouldn't thaw. Just then, Arin, unaware of what had happened, entered. Seeing her, Muje approached as if he had been waiting.

"Shall we leave?"

"Already?"

Arin looked puzzled, glancing over her shoulder at the children—they all avoided her gaze, pretending to be busy.

"Yes. The gathering is over."

Having effectively dissolved the meeting, he took her hand and left. Sosso's eyes fixed on their joined hands.

Why do they know each other?

She had met the boy first—but now he was shielding Arin. Jealousy flared.

Only after he disappeared did the tension break, and they all let out held breaths.

"How long had His Highness been here?"

"Are we in trouble?"

"Is there anyone he hasn't marked?"

Their voices rose again. Sosso, who had just learned the boy was the Crown Prince of the White Dragon Palace, gaped.

"He was His Highness?"

"Oh, you didn't know?"

The man she had fallen for at first sight turned out to be her betrothed—normally she would have called it fate. But the fact that he had left with Arin complicated her thoughts, especially knowing they would have been paired if Arin had succeeded in transforming.

"They seemed to know Lady Arin..."

Curious gazes gathered on Sosso—but she was seething.

Why her again?

Blinded by anger, she no longer heard them.

"I'm leaving too."

Ignoring their stares, she walked out—unaware of the stir her words would cause.

---

Arin stared at Muje's back as he walked silently.

He seems angry.

Something must have happened while she was away. She followed him without question, waiting for him to calm down. After walking for a while, Muje finally came to his senses and stopped.

"Oh."

Lost in thought, he had ended up inside the Crown Prince's residence.

"Sorry. We should have gone to the detached palace."

As he turned to go back, Arin stopped him.

"Should we rest here a bit?"

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