Chapter 25

Yeonghwa slowly opened her eyes on the bed, staring blankly at the unfamiliar ceiling.

Her head felt heavy. It seemed she had dozed off for a moment.

Rubbing her temples, she lifted her heavy body and checked outside. Fortunately, the sun hadn’t set yet.

She prepared a brazier for the afternoon prayer. Flicking her fingers, she lit the small indoor brazier.

*Tadak-tadak-tadak-*

She stared blankly at the flames swaying in various directions, flickering with beautiful colors. She flicked her fingers again, and the fire died down.

She flicked her fingers once more, and the dying flames reignited with vigor. The flames flickered on and off with each flick of her finger—such a fickle fire.

…Come to think of it, she once got scolded by her mother for playing with fire like this.

The elders of the sect praised her, saying she was different from the start, destined to insult the Creator’s creations and bring destruction to the world.

As a child, she was happy to receive such praise, but now, thinking back, those elders were truly insane.

Lost in thought, she gazed at the fire. The sacred flame that never extinguished, burning deep within the sect, came to mind.

The ember that carried the first flame created by Ahura Mazda. A sacred brazier that must never be extinguished. And Yeonghwa’s mother was the holy maiden of Zoroastrianism, the guardian of the sacred fire.

Her mother had fair skin, beautiful black hair, and a kind yet somehow alluring presence. She was a gentle mother.

…Though at times, she would deny the reality of not being loved by Sima Bu, lash out in anger, and then cry herself to sleep. But she was still a precious mother.

Yeonghwa loved her. She felt sorry for her.

A holy maiden destined to burn the world, a precious offering for the devotion of Shaoshyant.

Yeonghwa grew up in a large cage surrounded by beautiful silks and rare treasures, treated as the sect’s treasure.

In this well-decorated prison, she was raised with love and anger from her mother, Hordad, and the reverence and fear of the maids.

Her father… Sima Bu might not have cared, but her mother loved him.

She ran her fingers through her well-maintained, silky black hair.

Her mother would gently brush her hair on the bed, singing softly about the day she first met Sima Bu.

“Thick eyebrows, a sharp jawline, a well-defined nose, and strong amber eyes. A fearless spirit, even with a blade at his throat. A confident stride.”

Her mother, who had only lived in the sect’s palace, fell in love at first sight with the dangerous aura of the foreign man, Sima Bu.

“His eyes seemed cold at first glance, but upon closer look, they shone and burned like fire.”

Though there were many reasons she fell in love, in the end, it was love at first sight, she would say with a laugh.

“He was a wolf in human form. A big, dangerous, greedy wolf.”

Her mother’s gentle touch, her joyful humming. As a child, Yeonghwa loved hearing stories about her father, whom she had never seen.

“He held my hand, embraced me tenderly, and taught me so many things I didn’t know.”

Sima Bu was a clever, hypocritical man. To maintain good relations with Zoroastrianism, he pretended to cherish and love her mother.

But in the end, it was all an act. It could never be real.

Wolves are often seen as symbols of infidelity, but in truth, they mate for life.

Sima Bu was a wolf-like man, in both good and bad ways. His heart already belonged to another woman. There was no place for her mother from the start.

He only allowed her into his life because he needed gold to restore his family. There was no love from the beginning.

A dirty illegitimate child born without love.

A child born without parental love is said to have no heart, born only from desire.

The heart is a creation of Ahura Mazda. Then, without a heart, whose creation am I? Angra Mainyu?

Perhaps. A holy maiden of the Demon Sect, born to burn the world. A monster destined to be slain by a hero’s sword.

That’s the reason I was born.

…My head hurts. It’s throbbing.

After finishing her prayers, she staggered to her feet. The sun had already set. The rest of the “family” would be gathered in the dining hall.

She had to go before it was too late. She had to play the perfect daughter, the perfect sister. She had to hide her emotions. She had to smile.

Step by step, she moved forward. Her body felt hot. Rough breaths escaped her lips.

“Haa… haa…”

As she staggered forward, Mantian came to mind.

In Zoroastrianism, all good things are touched by Ahura Mazda, and all bad things are touched by Angra Mainyu.

…Is he like me? Born a cripple, untouched by the Creator’s hand?

His resemblance to Sima Bu, his piercing eyes, his annoyingly confident face—everything about him was irritating, but perhaps he was like me…

As she moved toward the dining hall, she heard cheerful voices echoing. It wasn’t just one or two people.

Leaning against the wall, she peeked into the dining hall. The real Sima family, except for Yeonghwa, was gathered there. They were all laughing.

Sima Bu looked at Mantian with a gentle smile, a face he never showed Yeonghwa. Mantian awkwardly responded to the family’s laughter.

…That blindingly bright scene made Yeonghwa turn away.

With heavy steps, she returned to her dark room.

Her vision blurred.

***

After skipping lunch and sleeping in her room, she woke up to find it was already evening. She was hungry.

Holding her growling stomach, she hurried to the dining hall.

When she arrived, she saw the rest of the family gathered, except for her.

“Where’s Yeonghwa? Isn’t she eating?”

As she sat down, her father praised her with a pleased expression.

“It’s only been a day since you joined the family, and you’re already looking out for your sister? Impressive.”

Starting with her father, her mother and older brother showered her with praise for her hard work yesterday.

It was nice, but being praised for something so trivial felt a bit anticlimactic.

‘Whoa~ Sugeee! You can even handle guests?! Amazing!!’

…That kind of feeling? Honestly, our family is too generous with praise. If I had constipation and finally relieved myself, they’d probably applaud and praise me for it.

Thankfully, I have thick skin, or I’d have died of embarrassment.

“Yeonghwa seems to be resting in her room. Just because she puts on a bright face doesn’t mean the pain of losing her parents has disappeared.”

Her father paused for a moment, then spoke in a gentle voice, expressing concern for Yeonghwa and seeking the family’s agreement.

“…For now, it’s best to give her some time alone to sort out her feelings.”

The rest of the family nodded in agreement, but I felt something… something uncomfortable and rubbed the back of my neck.

Her father might be right. Time usually solves most problems. But being left alone to brood doesn’t always solve everything.

Thinking things through alone is something you do when you’re in a normal state of mind. And to think normally, you need to eat something first. Humans are weak. When you’re hungry, your brain doesn’t work.

“But she still needs to eat. I’ll go get Yeonghwa. Please start without me.”

I got up to fetch Yeonghwa. I could have asked a servant, but I thought it was better for family to take care of such things.

It might be unnecessary meddling, but we’re family.

Family doesn’t meddle in each other’s business—except for marriage, jobs, and money issues.

…Come to think of it, there are a lot of things family shouldn’t meddle in. I’m hungry, maybe I should just go back and eat.

As I walked to Yeonghwa’s room, I saw something collapsed in the hallway.

‘What’s that?’

As I approached, I saw Yeonghwa lying there, breathing heavily.

Placing my hand on her forehead, it was burning hot. I’m not a doctor, but she clearly looked very ill.

I wanted to carry her in the so-called “princess carry,” but being a cripple, it wasn’t easy. So, using the injured person transport method I learned in the army, I hoisted her onto my shoulder.

…It looked a bit like a kidnapping, but this was an emergency. No time to worry about appearances.

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Somehow, I managed to lay Yeonghwa on her bed and had the maids prepare medicine and porridge. She had a high fever, so a wet cloth was also needed.

I was about to leave the room, thinking my presence would only be a hindrance, when something grabbed the hem of my clothes.

“…Don’t leave me.”

Turning around, I saw Yeonghwa’s slender, beautiful fingers tightly clutching my clothes.

She seemed unconscious. Did she grab me instinctively?

As I tried to pull my clothes free, I heard her faint whisper, filled with longing.

“…Don’t leave me alone.”

Who was Yeonghwa longing for as she held onto my clothes? Was she thinking of someone she could never see again?

…Well, there’s no helping it.

Carefully moving so as not to let go of her grip, I brought a chair to her bedside and sat down, placing a wet cloth on her hot forehead to nurse her.

I didn’t know what troubles Yeonghwa was facing or how much she was suffering, but I could at least stay by her side.

I stayed by Yeonghwa’s side, changing the wet cloth to cool her fever. As I repeated the process, the water became lukewarm.

Normally, I would have gone to fetch more water, but since Yeonghwa was holding onto my clothes, I had no choice but to take drastic measures.

“Jang Sam! Bring a basin of water!! And some barley pills!!”

Jang Sam, the servant, guard, and errand boy of the Sima family.

After finishing his work and about to have a late dinner, he was called back to duty by the young master’s meddling, ending up eating bloated noodles that day.