Home/The very suspicious chick of the Blue Dragon clan/ch 43

Chapter 43

Aran pushed her beak through the window frame of the room where the sounds were coming from.

She strained to open the window a little and peered through the gap—there, on the bed, was a young child gasping.

It was hard to tell if it was because he was curled up so small, but he was much smaller than Taeo.

"Go away…! Get out…!"

Was this just a dream?

The Crown Prince suddenly sat up, grabbed his wooden pillow, and threw it at the head nanny standing guard.

"I said get out!"

Thud!

The wooden pillow, which the head nanny barely dodged, hit the wall and rolled across the floor.

Trembling, the nanny picked up the pillow and left the room as the Crown Prince commanded.

Aran shook her head in disbelief.

How could someone entrusted with caring for a child leave a Crown Prince tormented by nightmares alone?

Yes, Je Geon-u was the Crown Prince.

Depending on his whim, a servant could lose their position—or even their life—so the palace women must have been terrified.

But the Crown Prince was only a five-year-old child…

Left alone, Je Geon-u lay face-down on the bed and began to sob pitifully.

"Hic, Mother… Mother…"

He gathered up a large red silk garment and clutched it to himself.

His small hands, gripping the robe, trembled desperately.

It looked like a woman's garment—perhaps one the late Empress had worn.

"Hwaaah, Mother…"

Good heavens.

Having heard from Sa-heum that the Crown Prince harbored two souls, Aran almost found the tyrant Je Geon-u pitiable.

Aran took a deep breath to steady herself.

The horrors of her previous life in her memory were too terrible for her to pity Je Geon-u.

Even if, as Sa-heum said, Je Geon-u was merely being controlled by an ancient evil spirit—if sacrificing one Crown Prince could save the entire world.

She must not hesitate.

Aran flew close to the sobbing child.

Then she carefully dropped the Jeolmaeksan bracelet, which she'd brought around her neck, into the water cup by the Crown Prince's bedside.

They said the Crown Prince longed endlessly for his deceased Empress.

Aran planned to show the Crown Prince a vision of that very Empress, and make him drink the water.

She gazed quietly at the portrait hanging in the Crown Prince's room.

It was a portrait of a beautiful, benevolent-looking woman in a yellow dragon robe.

The very Empress the Crown Prince cried out for.

While waiting for the Jeolmaeksan beads from the bracelet to dissolve into the water, Aran's eyes turned red, and markings appeared around her eyes.

At the same time, the Empress in the portrait gradually gained substance.

Her soft brown eyes, with slightly drooping corners, began to gleam, and her thin lips curved into a gentle arc.

Even the elaborate golden ornaments in her pinned-up hair seemed to come alive, sparkling.

As she began to walk, the rustle of silk sounded, but the loudly crying child didn't seem to hear yet.

Aran focused all her concentration.

Fortunately, she only needed to manifest the Empress, not the entire space—but to make the sounds and sensations convincing, she had to use all the strength of her young body.

Finally, as the Empress sat on the bed, the mattress tilted slightly toward her.

A slender, jade-like hand reached out and embraced the weeping Crown Prince's shoulder.

Pat, pat. At the gentle tapping, Je Geon-u's crying subsided.

Now all she had to do was soothe him enough to make him drink the water.

After the Crown Prince's body had been sufficiently weakened, she would show him a terrifying vision.

It was an unpleasant task, but it couldn't be helped.

She knew this child's future.

Just then, the Crown Prince sniffled and lifted his head.

His golden eyes, which had been dimly flickering, suddenly cleared as if clouds had parted.

"Mother…?"

---

Unlike Aran, who was startled, the illusion of the Empress she'd created simply smiled quietly.

The Crown Prince clutched the illusion's collar and sobbed.

"Mo-Mother, Mother…! Mother, why did you come now… I was so, so, so scared…!"

Aran felt a lump in her throat.

She couldn't… she simply couldn't make him drink the water.

She couldn't do it today.

She needed to find out if there was any way to expel the evil thing supposedly inhabiting Je Geon-u's body.

This child was just a child.

The illusion of the Empress whispered in a voice like the wind, "I'm sorry, my child."

She held the sobbing Geon-u quietly until he fell asleep.

Aran's illusion, running low on energy, gradually crumbled.

Eventually, only the hem and hands remained—but for the child drifting in and out of dreams, that seemed sufficient.

When the illusion finally vanished, leaving only Aran and the sleeping Geon-u in the bedchamber.

Aran looked at the peacefully sleeping child with tender eyes.

"Pip."

(Hold on. I'll see if I can save you.)

She tipped over the cup in which the Jeolmaeksan had dissolved, spilling its contents.

It made a bit of a noise, but Geon-u was fast asleep.

As she staggered out through the window, the eastern pavilion where she was staying felt impossibly far.

Even a few flaps of her wings were exhausting, and she had to rest several times—when a low footstep sounded.

Aran let herself collapse into the small palm that reached out from under the tree.

"…I knew it."

Taeo gently stroked the exhausted Aran.

"Did you use the Jeolmaeksan?"

When Aran shook her head, Taeo chuckled.

"Good girl, our Ran-ie."

Was he teasing or praising her?

She couldn't tell, but Aran lost consciousness and fell asleep.

---

Tap!

Yeon, roused by a strange sound in her sleep, opened her eyes.

It was still the dead of night, and Min was sleeping soundly right beside her.

"Hmm, what was that…?"

But the moment she closed her eyes again, the sound came again.

Tap!

Yeon finally rubbed her eyes and sat up.

"Ah, I thought I heard something…"

The moment she sat up, another tap sounded—so she figured out the source.

Someone was throwing something like a pebble at the window.

It was the kind of prank Min usually pulled, but Min was right there, fast asleep…

Yeon staggered to her feet and went to the window.

Thinking it strange, she opened it—and a small, crumpled paper ball flew in.

Picking up the ball, Yeon went under the lamp and unfolded the paper.

Just as she'd expected, on the crumpled paper was a neatly written message:

「Distract the guards for me. Aran issue.」

The annoyingly neat handwriting was unmistakably Hyeon Taeo's.

"Tch, as if? Why would I?"

Yeon crumpled the paper back up and threw it into the corner of the room—but then, just in case, she picked it up again.

"Wait, did Arani go out alone?"

The thought suddenly struck her.

If not, Taeo—who only acted nice in front of Aran—wouldn't have come looking in the middle of the night like this.

"Good heavens…!"

Arani really needed to be scolded!

Had she transformed into her true form…?

What if she got caught being a Vermilion Bird!

Alarmed, Yeon rushed out in her sleepwear.

Seeing Yeon suddenly appear, the guards were startled and ran over.

"Young master? What brings you out here?"

Tsk, she'd come out, but what was she supposed to say?

"I—I saw it in a dream!"

Yeon pointed her finger abruptly at the opposite wall.

"I saw a spy hiding over there!"

Though clumsy, it was the best Yeon, who had no talent for lying, could do.

"…Pardon?"

One of the hesitant guards crouched down and looked up at Yeon.

Then he asked very carefully.

"Young master, it seems you've had a nightmare—shall I call the Training Master?"

"Ah, no!"

That was absolutely out of the question.

The Training Master was sleeping in Aran's room.

If Aran had secretly gone out, the last person who should wake up was Training Master Seong So-rim.

"I-it might just be a nightmare…"

Yeon mumbled an excuse.

"Just… could you come with me to check over there? I'm scared to go alone…"

The guard smiled and spread his arms.

"Let's go together, young master. I'll carry you."

Yeon immediately pushed his hands away and snapped.

"Yeon-ie is not a baby!"

I'm sorry for snapping for no reason. I'm really, really sorry…

"I—I can walk! But I'm still scared, so you need to hold my hand!"

Fortunately, her childish approach worked…

Yeon managed to take both guards away from her quarters for a short time.

Then she had to throw a tantrum for a while, insisting she'd seen something in the tree shade by the empty wall.

Tsk, Arani.

What on earth did you do tonight?

If there was something fun, why didn't you take me along—why do you always have to take Hyeon Taeo!

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