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Chapter 53

It was true.

Joo Hong-woo had indeed suspected the restraint.

What if it wasn't working properly, or Hyeon Taeo had used some cowardly trick?

The chill that had pierced the back of his hand earlier was clearly real.

But if he said that and was wrong, it would be troublesome—and Hyeon Taeo's name would once again spread across the world.

Why was that kid always being praised as the reincarnation of a god!

"Th-that's…"

Hong-woo faltered.

Aran found her cousins' behavior so tedious she could hardly bear it.

"Yaaawn…"

With tears in her eyes from yawning, she looked up at the inspector.

"Inspector, Taeo was just stopping that older brother from hitting me."

Aran happened to be the smallest among the divine beast children gathered here.

She was also the only Blue Dragon with white hair.

Realizing that Joo Hong-woo had been tormenting the younger, differently-born Aran to the point of tears, the inspector's eyes grew even sterner.

"Striking the youngest of another palace? Are you unaware that everything that happens during the assembly is reported to each palace and to His Majesty?"

"Eek…"

Joo Hong-woo finally backed away in fear.

"I—I wasn't trying to hit her—I was just going to give her a light tap on the head. But she grabbed me so hard that only my hand hurts."

As Joo Hong-woo groveled, begging the inspector not to report the incident, Aran shook her head and began walking.

"Let's go, Taeo."

"Yeah."

Taeo followed immediately, and the startled twins, leading Sa-heum, quickly followed behind.

"Aran, take us too…!"

If they stayed, Joo Hong-woo would surely take his anger out on them.

Even Hong-bi toddled along, clinging to the group's tail.

"I—I'll come too…!"

---

"Eat this."

Taeo, who had gone to the eastern pavilion alone, handed over a small ceramic jar.

"What is it? Something tasty?"

Min, his eyes wide with curiosity, opened the lid—then immediately grimaced and backed away.

"Ugh, what's this? Ginseng? Are you giving this to our dad?"

"No, it's for Ran-ie."

"Eh? Do you think Arani is some kind of old lady?"

Min was exasperated, but Aran just buried her nose in the jar and tilted her head.

Her hundred-year-old Vermilion Bird nose could tell—what was inside wasn't ginseng.

It wasn't ginseng, but…

Aran stared blankly at Taeo's proud expression and asked.

"Where did you get this?"

In her previous life, she'd done all sorts of work just to put food in her mouth, and before coming of age, she'd even survived by gathering medicinal herbs.

So Aran immediately recognized that what Taeo had brought wasn't ginseng—it was wild ginseng.

No matter how much they tried to mask it with the sweet scent of honey, it was useless.

The earthen smell unique to aged wild ginseng had thoroughly permeated the jar.

If she pulled one out, it would have a long head and several protruding knots, unlike ginseng—but none of the children here would know the difference.

Taeo answered shyly.

"I had the snakes find it for me."

Wow—the Blue Dragon Palace also had plenty of snakes—what were they doing?

Aran asked, puzzled.

"You—do you know what this is?"

"Yes."

"And you're… giving it to me?"

As far as Aran knew, the Black Tortoise clan head was quite old.

She'd planned to find and eat the elixir of immortality at some point, so she didn't particularly need wild ginseng.

"Ran-ie, you have to live a long time."

But at Taeo's earnest face, she couldn't help but laugh.

"Pfft—me? Live a long time?"

"Yeah, at least as long as a Black Tortoise."

Black Tortoise beastmen do live a bit longer than others, but to boast about that…

Don't worry. This body will live much, much longer than you—until she becomes an immortal.

Even as she thought that, Aran found Taeo quite admirable.

For a beloved friend, a child had gone so far as to command snakes to find wild ginseng.

And he'd brought several precious roots that could have earned him favor even if gifted to the Great Lord—without any conditions.

Wanting to repay his effort, Aran immediately pulled a honey-soaked wild ginseng root from the jar.

"Well then, shall I try some?"

Thick honey dripped from the wild ginseng Aran held up.

"Ugh, gross."

Hong-bi recoiled in disgust and called for an attendant, but Aran didn't care—she put the wild ginseng in her mouth.

As she chewed from the fine rootlets, a deep, bittersweet herbal fragrance filled her mouth.

When an attendant brought a plate, the children watched Aran eat the ginseng (which they thought was ginseng but was actually wild ginseng) as if it were a spectacle.

"As expected, Arani can even eat bitter things."

As Sa-heum looked at Aran with admiring eyes, Taeo went one step further.

"Ran-ie can do anything."

Of course, only Sa-heum and Taeo had positive reactions.

"Bleck."

"Eugh…"

"Harani…"

The rest just watched in astonishment, as if witnessing a bizarre sight.

---

Eating the wild ginseng took quite a while.

In the meantime, Aran made various excuses to send everyone out, skillfully keeping only Sa-heum by her side.

She had things to ask him.

"How did he look to you?"

At the sudden question as soon as they were alone, Sa-heum tensed his shoulders.

"Well…"

Aran looked at Sa-heum silently.

If Geon-u's condition today had been the same as before, the fact that Sa-heum hadn't fainted was already commendable.

Sa-heum took a deep breath, as if steeling himself, and spoke.

"It—it looked scary. But I believed it would be okay because the Immortal was here… and when I was scared, I looked at the Immortal."

"Good job, good job."

Aran praised Sa-heum, who had immediately become polite and formal now that they were alone.

Then she asked again.

"Did it look scary—meaning it was the same as before? Did that old soul seem to be tormenting His Highness like before?"

Sa-heum nodded.

"Yes, but it's a little different from last time. Rather than the ferocious, overwhelming feeling from before… it just felt like something terrifying was lurking. And the yellow dragon looked even weaker than the first time I saw it."

"That's a problem."

Aran said with concern.

"You still haven't been able to persuade the Great Lord?"

This time, Sa-heum answered gloomily.

"He won't let me talk about it anymore. To convince my father, I think I need to prove my spiritual eyes more clearly."

"Hmm."

Proving the spiritual eyes.

In fact, proving spiritual eyes to someone who doesn't have them is very difficult.

But it's not entirely impossible at the White Tiger Palace.

"Well, you could prove it with the Baekokgyeong, couldn't you?"

The Baekokgyeong—a mirror that reflects souls.

Along with the Baekhon Sword, which can drive away ghosts, it's the White Tiger Palace's most famous sacred relic.

But Sa-heum tilted his head.

"The Baekokgyeong?"

Aran frowned.

Could he possibly not know about the Baekokgyeong?

Had the White Tiger clan head been calling Sa-heum a true White Tiger all this time without testing him with the Baekokgyeong?

No, that couldn't be.

He must have tested him without Sa-heum knowing.

If so, he must have correctly assessed Geon-u's condition as well.

But he was still hesitating to act…

Well, questioning the Crown Prince's fitness—in a way, that was no different from treason.

No subject would want to raise doubts about the only legitimate Crown Prince's qualifications so soon after the Empress's death, and risk falling out of the emperor's favor.

If Aran hadn't seen the grown Je Geon-u in her previous life, and hadn't known the consequences he would bring, she too would have wanted to give the young Crown Prince time and opportunity.

Perhaps the White Tiger clan had been doing their best in their own way all along.

Aran found it difficult to explain all this to young Sa-heum, so she simply shook her head.

"Never mind. Then you should head back too. It seems about time for Hong-bi to return."

The moment she finished speaking, commotion arose outside, and the twins and Hong-bi returned.

They'd gone to the pond to show Hong-bi how to skip stones and get her to judge who was better.

"Arani! I won again today!"

Next to the triumphant Min, Aran quietly held Yeon's hand.

She could only hope that Hong-bi—who hadn't slept well the night before, had sweated through her first lesson, and had played outside with the twins—would fall asleep early tonight.

---

Geon-u's world had always been dark.

It was a strange thing.

Even in the first moment he could remember, he'd felt trapped and afraid, as if caught in a snare—and yet he was the heir to the yellow dragon throne.

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