“Come in.”
At Jujeokseo’s command, Sirang carefully stepped into the corridor.
Bowing deeply, she reported in a calm voice.
“Miss has woken up. She seemed a little flustered, being in an unfamiliar place.”
“So she woke up after two days.”
“The physician said the baby snake girl woke up earlier than expected. However, her body has not fully recovered, so she should rest warmly for about a week.”
“Fine. Let her rest for now, and tell them to prepare nourishing food. Since she may be startled by the changed environment, instruct that no one enters except you.”
“Yes. But… Lord, will you not meet her?”
“There is no need to provoke a child who is already unstable.”
As Jujeokseo spoke, he raised his eyebrows slightly.
Sirang looked as if she had something more to say, smiling awkwardly in front of him.
“If you have something to say, speak.”
“Actually… the baby snake girl said she wants to meet you, Lord.”
“Me?”
“Yes. She seems anxious because everything here is unfamiliar.”
At Sirang’s words, Jujeokseo fell into thought.
He had originally planned not to meet the baby snake girl for a while.
Not because of any grand reason like the imperial palace or politics, but simply because he thought his presence might worsen her condition.
Jujeokseo was born with a strong flame-type energy, and weak people or children often feared him.
Some even fainted.
So in her current condition, the child might not be able to endure it at all.
As he frowned in hesitation, Sirang looked at him with shining eyes, clearly hoping he would go.
In the end, he let out a long sigh.
“What did the physician say? Did he think it would be fine for me to meet her?”
He could not simply ignore a child who specifically wanted to see him.
How frightened and lonely she must be, suddenly brought to such an unfamiliar place.
If even the person who brought her refused to see her, she might become even more afraid.
He had no intention of treating a small guest that way.
Sirang brightened immediately.
“He said it should be fine for a short time! But not for long.”
“That’s enough. I’ll go see her.”
Without further hesitation, Jujeokseo stepped forward.
If the physician allowed it, there should be no major problem.
And if her condition worsened, he could simply leave immediately.
Besides…
‘Come to think of it, I wanted to see that face more closely.’
That small, pale face that faintly resembled his sister.
Ever since bringing the baby snake girl, that image had stayed in his mind.
Round eyes, soft brows, delicate features, and snow-white hair.
Whenever he thought of that hair, he felt as if his sister had returned.
Of course, the child was from the imperial bloodline and had nothing to do with his sister.
The imperial family and the beast clans had long been estranged.
So it must simply be a coincidence of birth—a white-haired child, unrelated to the Zhuque clan or the White Vermilion lineage.
And yet, whenever he thought of the baby snake girl, a strange feeling lingered.
So meeting her and hearing her speak would not be a bad idea.
He had already ordered his subordinates to investigate her, but hearing directly from the child would be faster and more accurate.
Baesa was in the southern annex.
It was the warmest room in the Zhuque household, receiving the most sunlight.
It was not normally used for guests, but Jujeokseo had impulsively assigned it after hearing the child’s condition was poor.
So he did not need guidance to find her.
His steps naturally headed toward the warmest, coziest room in the south wing.
Behind him, Sirang followed with quick, cheerful steps, unable to hide her excitement.
Baesa carefully stepped out from under the blanket and neatly folded it.
Then she sat down politely on her knees beside it.
She was used to cold floors, so she chose to sit on the ground, but because of the brazier burning in the room, even the floor was not cold.
‘It’s such a good room.’
It was far too good for her.
Although the room was not large, it was clearly well cared for.
‘It’s like Sister Yeoryun’s room.’
As she looked around in admiration, Baesa slowly clenched her small fist resting on her lap.
Now, sitting alone in the quiet room, the reality of her situation finally sank in.
‘What if… they throw me out?’
If she were cast out again, would she be sent back to the snowy field?
Sitting in the warm room made the memory of lying alone in the snow feel like a distant dream.
But it was not a dream.
It was reality.
The stinging pain in her frostbitten feet proved it.
She did not want to be thrown back there again.
‘If that’s the case…’
Baesa carefully brought her hands together and tried using her ability.
A faint, devouring energy flickered above her palms.
She knew it.
This ability looked weak and insignificant, but in truth it was terrifyingly greedy.
Over the past year, there had been nothing she could not absorb.
Even Songra’s blessing had been swallowed and faded by her power, turning precious things into useless remnants.
No one would welcome such an ability.
Even the Emperor had once valued her because of it, only to eventually abandon her.
Moreover, her ability did not even let her use what she absorbed.
Once absorbed, it simply ended.
It was nothing but a monstrous, worst kind of power.
‘I should… tell them.’
She could not lie while asking for help.
They needed to know what kind of horrifying ability the child they brought had.
Just then—
Swish.
A breeze suddenly passed, brushing softly against her cheek.
And then, a small white feather appeared in midair.
There was no warning at all.
“Huh…?”
Startled, Baesa widened her eyes.
Whose feather was this?
A white feather… it couldn’t be from the Zhuque clan.
While she was thinking that, the feather gently drifted down toward her.
She reached out, and it landed perfectly in her small hands.
It was large and soft.
Baesa stood up quickly, still holding it.
As far as she knew, bird clans treated their feathers as extremely important.
Zhuque feathers were used to make warmth stones, and other feathers also carried various abilities.
So this might be something valuable too.
‘I shouldn’t touch it…!’
Her ability always ruined things.
If it was something important, she absolutely should not touch it.
Just as she was about to set it down—
Flash.
Colorful light burst from the feather, wrapping around the small snake girl.
At the same time—
‘Ah, no!’
Her ability surged out of her hand on its own.
Dark energy spilled from her palm, wrapping around the radiant feather.
Before she could even react, she felt the feather’s energy flowing into her.
Panicking, she tried to stop it, but her ability did not obey.
As it greedily devoured the feather’s power, the feather’s colors faded.
Baesa’s face turned pale.
“P-please stop!”
Even if she tried now, it would not stop.
The greedy ability kept sucking the energy until the feather turned completely black.
Baesa stared at it helplessly, gripping it tightly.
Once the color changed, her ability finally stopped moving on its own.
But the damage was already done.
Her fingertips trembled in fear.
‘What if it was something important?’
What if she had ruined something precious the moment she arrived?
Cold sweat poured down her back.
She was desperately trying to fix it when—
Knock knock.
“Baby snake girl, it’s Sirang. The Lord has come to see you.”
At the voice outside the door, Baesa’s face turned even paler.
She needed to ask them to wait—but no sound came out, as if her throat was blocked.
‘W-what do I do…’
She couldn’t think of anything.
Her throat tightened, and tears instinctively welled up.
At that moment, sensing no response, Sirang opened the door.
Creeeeak.
The door opened, and behind Sirang stood Jujeokseo.
Baesa, terrified, looked up at the lord of the Zhuque family while still clutching the feather.
A heavy silence filled the room.
Sirang and Jujeokseo’s gazes moved from Baesa’s face to the feather in her hands.
And then both of them froze in shock.
Jujeokseo widened his eyes as if unable to believe what he was seeing.
“This is…”
Episode 9
“Come in.”
At Jujeokseo’s command, Sirang carefully stepped into the corridor.
Bowing deeply, she reported in a calm voice.
“Miss has woken up. She seemed a little flustered, being in an unfamiliar place.”
“So she woke up after two days.”
“The physician said the baby snake girl woke up earlier than expected. However, her body has not fully recovered, so she should rest warmly for about a week.”
“Fine. Let her rest for now, and tell them to prepare nourishing food. Since she may be startled by the changed environment, instruct that no one enters except you.”
“Yes. But… Lord, will you not meet her?”
“There is no need to provoke a child who is already unstable.”
As Jujeokseo spoke, he raised his eyebrows slightly.
Sirang looked as if she had something more to say, smiling awkwardly in front of him.
“If you have something to say, speak.”
“Actually… the baby snake girl said she wants to meet you, Lord.”
“Me?”
“Yes. She seems anxious because everything here is unfamiliar.”
At Sirang’s words, Jujeokseo fell into thought.
He had originally planned not to meet the baby snake girl for a while.
Not because of any grand reason like the imperial palace or politics, but simply because he thought his presence might worsen her condition.
Jujeokseo was born with a strong flame-type energy, and weak people or children often feared him.
Some even fainted.
So in her current condition, the child might not be able to endure it at all.
As he frowned in hesitation, Sirang looked at him with shining eyes, clearly hoping he would go.
In the end, he let out a long sigh.
“What did the physician say? Did he think it would be fine for me to meet her?”
He could not simply ignore a child who specifically wanted to see him.
How frightened and lonely she must be, suddenly brought to such an unfamiliar place.
If even the person who brought her refused to see her, she might become even more afraid.
He had no intention of treating a small guest that way.
Sirang brightened immediately.
“He said it should be fine for a short time! But not for long.”
“That’s enough. I’ll go see her.”
Without further hesitation, Jujeokseo stepped forward.
If the physician allowed it, there should be no major problem.
And if her condition worsened, he could simply leave immediately.
Besides…
‘Come to think of it, I wanted to see that face more closely.’
That small, pale face that faintly resembled his sister.
Ever since bringing the baby snake girl, that image had stayed in his mind.
Round eyes, soft brows, delicate features, and snow-white hair.
Whenever he thought of that hair, he felt as if his sister had returned.
Of course, the child was from the imperial bloodline and had nothing to do with his sister.
The imperial family and the beast clans had long been estranged.
So it must simply be a coincidence of birth—a white-haired child, unrelated to the Zhuque clan or the White Vermilion lineage.
And yet, whenever he thought of the baby snake girl, a strange feeling lingered.
So meeting her and hearing her speak would not be a bad idea.
He had already ordered his subordinates to investigate her, but hearing directly from the child would be faster and more accurate.
Baesa was in the southern annex.
It was the warmest room in the Zhuque household, receiving the most sunlight.
It was not normally used for guests, but Jujeokseo had impulsively assigned it after hearing the child’s condition was poor.
So he did not need guidance to find her.
His steps naturally headed toward the warmest, coziest room in the south wing.
Behind him, Sirang followed with quick, cheerful steps, unable to hide her excitement.
Baesa carefully stepped out from under the blanket and neatly folded it.
Then she sat down politely on her knees beside it.
She was used to cold floors, so she chose to sit on the ground, but because of the brazier burning in the room, even the floor was not cold.
‘It’s such a good room.’
It was far too good for her.
Although the room was not large, it was clearly well cared for.
‘It’s like Sister Yeoryun’s room.’
As she looked around in admiration, Baesa slowly clenched her small fist resting on her lap.
Now, sitting alone in the quiet room, the reality of her situation finally sank in.
‘What if… they throw me out?’
If she were cast out again, would she be sent back to the snowy field?
Sitting in the warm room made the memory of lying alone in the snow feel like a distant dream.
But it was not a dream.
It was reality.
The stinging pain in her frostbitten feet proved it.
She did not want to be thrown back there again.
‘If that’s the case…’
Baesa carefully brought her hands together and tried using her ability.
A faint, devouring energy flickered above her palms.
She knew it.
This ability looked weak and insignificant, but in truth it was terrifyingly greedy.
Over the past year, there had been nothing she could not absorb.
Even Songra’s blessing had been swallowed and faded by her power, turning precious things into useless remnants.
No one would welcome such an ability.
Even the Emperor had once valued her because of it, only to eventually abandon her.
Moreover, her ability did not even let her use what she absorbed.
Once absorbed, it simply ended.
It was nothing but a monstrous, worst kind of power.
‘I should… tell them.’
She could not lie while asking for help.
They needed to know what kind of horrifying ability the child they brought had.
Just then—
Swish.
A breeze suddenly passed, brushing softly against her cheek.
And then, a small white feather appeared in midair.
There was no warning at all.
“Huh…?”
Startled, Baesa widened her eyes.
Whose feather was this?
A white feather… it couldn’t be from the Zhuque clan.
While she was thinking that, the feather gently drifted down toward her.
She reached out, and it landed perfectly in her small hands.
It was large and soft.
Baesa stood up quickly, still holding it.
As far as she knew, bird clans treated their feathers as extremely important.
Zhuque feathers were used to make warmth stones, and other feathers also carried various abilities.
So this might be something valuable too.
‘I shouldn’t touch it…!’
Her ability always ruined things.
If it was something important, she absolutely should not touch it.
Just as she was about to set it down—
Flash.
Colorful light burst from the feather, wrapping around the small snake girl.
At the same time—
‘Ah, no!’
Her ability surged out of her hand on its own.
Dark energy spilled from her palm, wrapping around the radiant feather.
Before she could even react, she felt the feather’s energy flowing into her.
Panicking, she tried to stop it, but her ability did not obey.
As it greedily devoured the feather’s power, the feather’s colors faded.
Baesa’s face turned pale.
“P-please stop!”
Even if she tried now, it would not stop.
The greedy ability kept sucking the energy until the feather turned completely black.
Baesa stared at it helplessly, gripping it tightly.
Once the color changed, her ability finally stopped moving on its own.
But the damage was already done.
Her fingertips trembled in fear.
‘What if it was something important?’
What if she had ruined something precious the moment she arrived?
Cold sweat poured down her back.
She was desperately trying to fix it when—
Knock knock.
“Baby snake girl, it’s Sirang. The Lord has come to see you.”
At the voice outside the door, Baesa’s face turned even paler.
She needed to ask them to wait—but no sound came out, as if her throat was blocked.
‘W-what do I do…’
She couldn’t think of anything.
Her throat tightened, and tears instinctively welled up.
At that moment, sensing no response, Sirang opened the door.
Creeeeak.
The door opened, and behind Sirang stood Jujeokseo.
Baesa, terrified, looked up at the lord of the Zhuque family while still clutching the feather.
A heavy silence filled the room.
Sirang and Jujeokseo’s gazes moved from Baesa’s face to the feather in her hands.
And then both of them froze in shock.
Jujeokseo widened his eyes as if unable to believe what he was seeing.
“This is…”
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