Chapter 13
“It must’ve been about fifteen years ago… Back when we were invited by the Namgung family, we all headed to Anhui Province together. At the time, the Clan Head was away, so only Madam Ryu and her children made the trip.”
“I heard his existence was kept secret because he was an illegitimate child. Then why did he go with them?”
“Beats me. Madam Ryu just insisted he be brought along.”
Even then, no one treated Dokgo Ryung like a person. He wasn’t given a seat in the carriage like the other children.
He was taken along as if he were just another piece of luggage—tucked in a corner of the freight wagon.
That’s when the incident happened.
“On the way to Anhui, the boy went missing.”
“You lost a child in the mountains?”
“Yes. I was in a different procession and only realized he was gone after we arrived in Anhui.”
It was the same for everyone else.
Dokgo Hwayoung had thrown a fit, insisting they go look for him immediately.
“The road to Anhui is long and rough, with mountain paths all over the place.”
“And no one knew when or where exactly he disappeared, so we had no idea where to even start looking.”
How could anyone retrace their steps and comb through that vast forest? Everyone was too frustrated to care.
That’s when Madam Ryu spoke up.
“If he disappeared in the forest, there’s no chance of finding him. That path we took is infamous for its tigers. As tragic as it is, all we can do now is pray for his soul.”
She didn’t even pretend to search. She just declared him dead and offered a half-hearted incense burning.
“But if he showed up here just now…”
“It means he survived. And I only found out much later—but it turns out, he wasn’t just lost. He was deliberately abandoned.”
The day Dokgo Ryung was left behind,
The ones camping with him let the sleeping child be, packed up their things, and descended the mountain like nothing happened.
“Didn’t he wake up from the noise?”
“They say they laced his food the night before with a mild sedative. It was all planned.”
“Who would do such a thing…?”
“Who else? There’s only one person.”
The junior gatekeeper clicked his tongue, clearly picturing Madam Ryu.
“Even if he was a bastard, he was the only other boy besides the Young Lord. She must’ve seen him as a future threat.”
“She’s… far more terrifying than I imagined.”
“Now you understand, don’t you? You’d better keep your mouth shut. I’m only telling you this because you’re close.”
“Yes, I won’t breathe a word of this. Still, that bastard’s something else. He was left to die deep in the forest and not only survived, but made it all the way here…”
Boom!
The two guards flinched at the sudden thunderous noise behind them and looked up, startled.
“E-everything’s fine!”
Panicked, they blurted out a reassurance, fearing someone had overheard them.
But the man approaching from afar wasn’t just anyone.
No—he was from the Dokgo family, but not someone they could truly call one of them.
“Where the hell did he come from?”
“C-could he have heard us?”
The junior gatekeeper stared at Dokgo Ryung in shock.
The ground where Ryung stood was sunken in, as if he’d fallen from the sky.
And the tiny girl who’d been with him earlier? Gone without a trace.
As he tilted his head, the brim of his dark hat shifted, revealing his eyes.
The two guards involuntarily recoiled.
Beneath the shadow of his hat, his eyes glowed red like a beast’s.
If they moved even slightly, it felt like their heads would fly off.
They couldn’t even reach for their weapons—completely frozen in place.
Only after Dokgo Ryung had walked far away…
“Phew…!”
They finally exhaled the breath they’d been holding.
Gasping for air, they stared at his shrinking figure in the distance.
“Hah… hah… What the hell happened in there?”
“I thought he was harmless when I first saw him, but now… Doesn’t he seem like someone who’s reached peak-level martial prowess? But you said he couldn’t read or fight…”
“Y-yeah… I did say that…”
But whatever his senior had said before, one thing was clear:
If they treated that man lightly, they wouldn’t live to regret it.
“…Good thing we didn’t try to stop him.”
“…”
The senior gatekeeper couldn’t argue with that.
‘Sowol… My beautiful little girl.’
Warm sunlight. The familiar scent of the forest. A small, shabby, yet cozy home.
Eun Sowol kicked her little legs happily in her mother’s arms, listening to her soft humming.
When the weather was nice, they would sit like this on the porch and enjoy peaceful moments.
‘Sowol.’
‘Yeah?’
‘Who do you love most in the whole world?’
‘You, Mama! I love you most in the world!’
‘Hehe, Mama loves you most in the world too.’
She giggled as her mom kissed her cheek.
‘When I grow up, I’ll get rich and live happily with you! I cooked all by myself today, you know?’
‘Really? My baby’s amazing.’
‘Yup! Not just that—I swept the yard, wiped the floor, and folded the laundry too!’
‘You’ve grown so much, haven’t you?’
‘Of course! I’m not a baby anymore!’
Sowol puffed out her chest proudly, and laughter rang above her head.
Then, suddenly, that laughter stopped.
Time itself seemed to freeze.
“…Mama?”
Noticing the shift, Sowol looked up—and froze.
The warm glow on her mother’s face had turned dark and cold.
A chilling aura settled over every part of her mother she was touching.
“Then… can my little Sowol…”
Dokgo Hwayoung’s lips trembled as she spoke with a pale expression.
“…live well even without Mama?”
“M-mama…”
Fear struck her—fear that her mother was about to disappear.
She reached out with trembling hands—
And in an instant, the scene changed.
Gone was the peaceful warmth. Everything turned black.
In front of her stood a simple grave marker labeled: ‘The Late Dokgo Hwayoung’.
Sowol gasped, suddenly remembering—
Her mother was already dead.
She was all alone in a pitch-black world. The crushing loneliness numbed her mind.
Then—
Grab.
Someone’s hand gripped her shoulder.
Startled, Sowol turned her head. A tall man stood there—much bigger than her mom.
“Let’s go.”
His voice was blunt, his face unreadable under the black hat. But the gaze he gave her—
It was overflowing with warmth.
From behind him, a bright light burst forth, pushing away the darkness like a shadow.
That’s right. I’m not alone.
Even without Dad, even without Mom…
Even if she was all alone in this dark world,
There was still someone who reached out to her first.
Someone who didn’t turn away, someone who walked beside her.
The large hand that had grasped her small shoulder was firm and warm.
It gently, silently pulled her out of that shadowed world.
‘Let’s go.’
That short phrase, those two simple words—
They were like a spell that shattered the illusion, the loneliness, the pain.
It was then that Eun Sowol remembered.
The person who had found her when she was lost,
Who took her away from the forest and gave her a name—
That person had always been…
Her everything.
The dream slowly faded.
As if swept away by waves, the illusion dissolved and the darkness receded.
When she opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was the endless blue sky stretching far above her.
“Ah…”
Her breath caught.
Warm sunlight brushed her cheek like her mother’s once had.
It felt so real.
Was it just a dream?
Or a memory?
Her hand moved to her chest. Her heart was pounding fast, as if something inside her was still clinging to that warmth.
Suddenly—
“Wake up already. You’re not a princess.”
A familiar gruff voice sounded next to her.
Startled, Sowol turned her head.
Standing over her, arms crossed, was that same man.
His expression was still stoic, like always—but his tone was unmistakably annoyed.
“Y-You…”
“You fainted. I had to carry you.”
His voice was blunt, but she could see the faintest hint of concern in his eyes.
She blinked.
A laugh suddenly bubbled up in her chest. It surprised her.
“…Thank you.”
“Tch. Don’t make a habit of it.”
He turned away sharply, his coat fluttering in the wind.
But Eun Sowol could feel it now.
Even if she stumbled, even if she fell—
He would always be there.
Not a dream. Not a memory.
But her reality.
