TLBSV 11

Chapter 11

Joo Jeok-seo stared intently at Baeksa.

The young girl looked so incredibly fragile, like she might burst into tears at any given moment, but she absolutely refused to let a single tear fall.

It was as if she instinctively, desperately knew that she was not allowed to cry in a place like this.

He forcefully swallowed the urge to comfort the child right then and there, and slowly closed his eyes.

Just as I suspected.

Sending her away in a carriage belonging to the Imperial Palace, and deliberately dressing her in the garments of the Imperial Family.

They sent her here to die.

He finally understood exactly why the Emperor had not moved quietly, but instead purposefully sent a loud, conspicuous procession. It was because the bastard was worried the child might actually survive.

If she somehow didn’t die from the elements, he intended to use the hands of the Southern beastmen—who held a bloody, absolute hatred for the Imperial Family—to dispose of his own flesh and blood.

A piece of trash worse than a rabid beast.

How could a parent ever do such a thing to their own child…

It is an absolute law of nature for parents to love their children unconditionally, regardless of what form they take. Because that is the fundamental duty of a parent.

And yet.

‘Because I… I was sent here under a direct Imperial decree to die in this place.’

Just how twisted and sick must a bastard be to issue such a horrific command to his own daughter?

He could not understand the Emperor at all. No, he absolutely refused to understand him. Right now, trash like the Emperor wasn’t important anyway.

He pushed the Emperor out of his mind and shifted his gaze back to the tiny baby snake right in front of him.

“Imperial Princess, how old are you?”

“I-I’m seven years old…”

The child hurriedly held up her tiny fingers. Exactly seven of them.

“Seven?”

At the completely unexpected answer, Joo Jeok-seo raised an eyebrow in sheer disbelief.

She’s seven years old, but she’s this small?

The child looked to be five or six years old at the absolute most. And even guessing six was being incredibly generous. Judging by her painfully small frame and emaciated, twig-like limbs, five seemed like the most accurate estimate.

Yet she was seven?

Just how severely neglected has she been?

And the exact moment he heard the child was seven years old, a sudden, wild hypothesis flashed through Joo Jeok-seo’s mind.

His missing younger sister. A child possessing the exact same pure white hair that perfectly resembled his sister…

Could she possibly…

However, he immediately discarded the thought.

There was absolutely no way his sister would have gone to the Imperial Palace. The current Emperor viciously despises the Southern beastmen. The chances of him and his sister marrying and having a child were practically nonexistent.

While Joo Jeok-seo was lost in thought, the child looked up at him with a face completely filled with intense anxiety. It seemed she was terrified he might not believe her. So he decided to quickly move on to his next question.

“And your name?”

“Ah, my name…?”

The young girl awkwardly rolled her eyes, looking deeply troubled. At that reaction, Joo Jeok-seo’s brow twitched once again.

Don’t tell me…

Cautiously gauging Joo Jeok-seo’s reaction, the baby snake hesitantly opened her tiny mouth.

“U-Umm, actually, I don’t have a name. Because they said a snake does not need a name, they never gave me one…”

As if simply saying those words out loud was incredibly shameful, the young girl tightly clenched her small fists.

“His Majesty simply called me Baeksa. You may just call me whatever is most comfortable for you, My Lord.”

“Your father didn’t even grant you a name?”

“Y-Yes, that’s right…”

Baeksa nodded. The tiny child, still fearfully watching his expression, added quietly,

“Um, if you do not wish to use that, it is completely fine if you just call me ‘Snake’.”

Her fragile voice trembled pitifully. Before the child could even finish her sentence, he answered immediately.

“I will absolutely never do that.”

Completely appalled by the Emperor’s atrocious, sickening behavior, Joo Jeok-seo’s voice had sunk to a deadly cold chill. He quickly cleared his throat and spoke as gently and warmly as he possibly could.

“I will give you a proper new name very soon. Until then, to avoid confusing you, I will continue to call you Baeksa. I ask for your understanding.”

“Okay.”

The child nodded eagerly.

Before Baeksa even had a chance to say anything else, Joo Jeok-seo quickly continued.

“Furthermore, you may stay here for absolutely as long as you wish. The Vermilion Bird Clan never chases away a young child who has nowhere else to go.”

“R-Really…?”

“If you are in need of a guardian, I will personally find a good family to take you in and raise you. And if you wish to continue living right here in this estate, I will become your guardian myself. So you do not need to worry about a single thing.”

At Joo Jeok-seo’s incredibly warm words, the baby snake’s tense face completely melted. Her damp, tear-filled eyes began to sparkle brilliantly like stars.

Pressing her two tiny hands together respectfully, the child looked up at Joo Jeok-seo and spoke.

“Thank you… thank you so, so much, My Lord…! I-I will stay very quietly and make absolutely sure I don’t cause any trouble…!”

“Just how much trouble could a tiny thing like you possibly cause? Don’t worry about nonsense like that and just rest comfortably.”

“But still…”

“However, it would be best to keep the exact nature of your ability a strict secret for the time being. It is an incredibly powerful ability, but there may be people who would try to exploit it for terrible things.”

The ability the child had demonstrated just moments ago. An ability horrifyingly powerful enough to turn a metal ornament into ash in a single instant was something even Joo Jeok-seo had never seen in his entire life.

He still firmly believed it was a profoundly incredible ability, but until he could figure out exactly what kind of power it truly was, it seemed best to keep it an absolute secret.

After all, not every beastman in the Southern Lands was inherently good.

Of course, he would protect her with absolutely everything he had to ensure nothing bad happened, but it was always best to prevent any unforeseen dangers.

“I will personally investigate exactly what kind of ability it is and how it can be utilized properly, so please just wait patiently until then.”

“Yes, My Lord…”

Resting her hands neatly on her knees, Baeksa looked up at Joo Jeok-seo and gave a soft, radiant smile.

As if all the paralyzing tension had finally melted away, it was a gentle, breathtakingly bright smile, like a flower blooming vividly after the snow has thawed.

Looking at that smile, the face of his missing sister vividly flashed through Joo Jeok-seo’s mind once again. He had simply taken in a child with nowhere to go, so he truly couldn’t understand why the thought of his sister kept violently surging up like this.

Was it simply because their hair colors were identical? Or because that pitiful, fragile face somehow resembled his sister’s?

Either way, it wasn’t particularly important right now.

After ensuring the child’s expression was far more comfortable than before, he stood up. He couldn’t just leave a child whose body hadn’t fully recovered sitting on the floor like this forever.

Standing tall, Joo Jeok-seo effortlessly scooped up Baeksa, who had been kneeling the entire time, in one fluid motion.

“Ah…!”

“Sitting like that is terrible for your knees. Rest comfortably right here.”

After gently laying the baby snake down on the soft, plush silk bedding, the large man warmly patted her tiny head with his massive hand.

“This Ahjussi will be taking his leave now. Do not worry about being chased out, and just rest deeply.”

“Yes…”

“If you are uncomfortable or need absolutely anything, tell your maid. The physician will arrive shortly with medicine; make absolutely sure you take every single drop.”

“Yes. I will do exactly that, My Lord. Thank you so, so much.”

Lowering her eyes, the child conveyed her absolute, heartfelt gratitude.

Joo Jeok-seo gently ruffled Baeksa’s white hair one last time before leaving the room. He knew full well that the longer he stayed in the annex, the less time the child would have to truly rest comfortably.

Stepping out of the annex, Joo Jeok-seo called over a servant who was hurrying past.

“Keep a very close eye on the child. If absolutely anything happens, report it to me immediately.”

“Yes, My Lord, understood!”

The servant replied sharply and immediately.

The man cast one final, lingering glance back at the annex before fully departing.

I’m so glad…

That was the very first thought Baeksa had after being left alone in the room.

Fidgeting with her heavily scarred, frostbitten palms, the child quietly replayed the meeting that had just taken place.

The touch of the Patriarch of the Vermilion Bird Clan was as incredibly warm as a roaring flame. It felt as if that profound warmth was still lingering deeply within her tiny palms.

It was the very first time in her entire life she had ever felt the gentle, caring touch of an adult.

That touch felt exactly like an umbrella shielding her from a bitter rain, or a blazing fire warming her frozen body.

He truly is an incredibly kind person.

In truth, she hadn’t expected much at all. This was the Southern Lands, home to beastmen who harbored a terrifying, bloody hatred for the Imperial Royals, and Joo Jeok-seo was the absolute leader of those very beastmen.

She had honestly thought she would have no right to complain even if he kicked her out immediately…

He said I can stay for as long as I want.

And he even promised to give me a proper new name.

Did that mean she actually could live just a little bit longer? Did it mean she didn’t have to die at the age of eight like she had in the past…?

Within Baeksa’s tiny heart, a single sliver of bright hope slowly bloomed, much like a beautiful lotus flower.

And a short while later.

Knock, knock.

“Young Lady, it is Sirang. I have brought the physician. May we come in?”

Sirang’s bright voice called out from beyond the door.