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Chapter 31
“Assassin?”
Now that I think about it…
That guy mentioned assassins when we first met too, didn’t he? Looks like he’s had more assassination attempts than I thought.
“I see.”
“Yeah. I can’t let you open your eyes and start messing around again.”
“Huh? Who are you talking about?”
“Who do you think?”
“…Me?”
No response. Was he seriously talking about me?
What did I even do?
I was left confused.
“Where are we?”
“My residence.”
“…You mean your house. Why are you talking so weird?”
“Because it doesn’t feel like a home.”
Dad sat down heavily in front of me.
The door was slightly ajar, and a pleasant breeze drifted in. His large hand rested on my forehead.
“Are you hot?”
“…A little.”
I felt hazy. A cool breeze blew, lingering only by my side.
It felt so refreshing…
“Your fever’s gone down.”
I blankly stared at his long hair swaying gently.
“Are you going to do something reckless again?”
“Huh?”
Ugh, I can’t think straight. Talking like this puts me at a disadvantage.
“So, explain yourself. Why did you do something so insane?”
“Well…”
The evidence Dad presented was very effective. A perfect strike that used wind magic to its full potential.
But…
“It wasn’t enough.”
My eldest aunt had immense influence.
If things weren’t dealt with properly this time, the Black Guard would’ve gotten off clean and definitely come after us again.
Who knows what kind of dirty tricks they’d use next time.
“Not that I’m scared of anything.”
I just didn’t want to be interrupted.
“I need to treat Uncle first. Then Second Uncle too.”
There’s a mountain of work to do—how can I afford to be held back by a cousin who looks like a poison toad?
My aunt’s poison is extremely potent. She had it made just in case, never knowing when she might need it.
“I was planning to use it against enemies in gas form if needed.”
Since it ended up being useful for self-defense, I’d say it all worked out.
“They also want to talk more seriously about your condition.”
“Who?”
“My brother.”
…Should I avoid Uncle’s place for a while? Yeah, sounds like a good idea.
“They say you’re much weaker than kids your age. Did you know that?”
“Who says that?”
“The doctor who helped detox you.”
“Ah.”
I understood. I gave a simple answer—because I already knew.
“Yeah.”
Of course I knew. I’ve lived my whole life with this frail body.
It was hard at first, but after a while, you get used to it. You just need to suffer a bit more.
I spoke calmly.
“But Dad… Isn’t it obvious? There’s nothing here, you know.”
I thought it was already impressive that I survived until age three without any memories in my first life.
“There was no comfortable shelter. No fresh food. No medicine.”
At first, I couldn’t even light a fire. It made me feel a bit sad. No, maybe a lot.
“I didn’t even have a guardian.”
I spoke the truth indifferently.
“It’s the worst environment for a child to grow up in.”
Thank goodness the region had a mild climate.
“So really, isn’t the fact that I’m alive kind of amazing?”
* * *
Duke Heukbihoo hadn’t felt breathless like this in a long time.
His mind was clear.
He knew there was no reason for him to feel suffocated.
He wasn’t the one who abandoned that child.
It was something he did before he lost his memory. So why was he feeling guilty about it?
“Dad?”
Biyu tilted her head.
“…I’m listening.”
Heukbihoo focused on the tiny mouth in front of him. He hadn’t concentrated this much on anything since losing his memory.
And even then, everything he remembered concentrating on had to do with this little girl.
It made him realize just how much she had shaken up his life.
“Well, that’s how it is.”
The child explained everything with a calmness unbelievable for a three-year-old.
“Maybe it’s a miracle that you and I even met, huh?”
Her big, clear eyes looked like they’d fall apart if you so much as tapped them.
They were calm. As if saying, “You didn’t raise me.”
No.
That’s just how he interpreted it.
“Did you want me to call you Dad?”
She smiled like it was no big deal.
Heukbihoo could easily see through her.
It was resignation.
And a sign she never expected anything in the first place.
“Hehe, so take care of me a little, okay? I am the doctor you contracted with, remember?”
She was a strange child from the very beginning.
Meanwhile, Biyu was growing anxious watching her silent father.
‘Why isn’t he saying anything?’
So when his big hand reached toward her, she flinched.
She remembered the hands of the Black Guard who used to strike her.
“N-No!”
“…?”
“Ah…”
People had treated her harshly.
She lived a life where no one cut her any slack just because she was a child.
Realizing what she had done, Biyu quickly grabbed Heukbihoo’s hand.
She gave an awkward smile.
“Sorry… You startled me.”
She let go of his hand as if it were nothing, not even noticing his expression.
“What a scare.”
Heukbihoo spoke in a neutral tone. That calm voice reassured Biyu.
His large hand hovered for a moment before it gently pinched her chubby cheek.
“Owwww, what are you doing?!”
“I have a favor to ask.”
“Faaavor?”
Heukbihoo recalled the events that had occurred after Biyu collapsed.
“In the end…”
There had never been such chaos.
“I should’ve wiped them all out. That would’ve been the right move…”
It was the first time he’d seen his brother so enraged.
Well, maybe not the first—his memories were unreliable—but from what he remembered, it was.
Heukbiwon had witnessed how the Black Guard had tormented both the attendant and Biyu alongside him.
Even though the Black Guard hadn’t actually poisoned Biyu himself,
His brother had been sincerely furious. Heukbihoo didn’t understand why.
‘Aren’t you ashamed that two grown adults had to rely on a kid to get the job done?’
Heukbiwon had been angry, but at least he hadn’t succumbed to madness.
Those who had been prepared for Heukbiwon’s potential frenzy were clearly surprised by the situation too.
In any case, the matter was resolved—for now—when their eldest sister Heukharan provided the antidote.
Because the poison had been so dramatically displayed, punishment was unavoidable. Just as Biyu had hoped.
The Black Guard would be punished one way or another.
Heukbihoo kept thinking of Biyu’s face as she warned him over and over. Her expression had been far too calm for someone about to ingest poison.
‘Don’t be too surprised. I’ll be fine.’
Who would believe it?
That the mastermind behind all this was just a three-year-old child?
“What happened after I collapsed?”
Heukbihoo briefly explained to the child what had happened after.
“Ah, really? That pig—I mean, the Black Guard is getting punished? That’s so satisfying!”
After hearing everything, Biyu grinned with her cheek still being pinched.
It was a smile that would’ve looked perfect nestled among wildflowers.
“So, Dad, what’s the favor you wanted to ask?”
Now that he’d finished explaining, it was time to bring up the actual matter.
But before that, Heukbihoo had something else to say.
“Before that, let me just say—it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
“Huh?”
“Watching the doctor who was supposed to heal me suddenly attempt suicide was quite a unique sight, even if I were insane.”
His words were sharp.
‘Wait… is he mad?’
Biyu trembled slightly, trying to read his mood. His tone was gentle, but his words were scathing.
“You see the world with a spiteful, crooked lens. Just like me.”
They didn’t look alike in the slightest.
“So that’s why you’re my daughter?”
Biyu was stunned by the first similarity her dad ever pointed out.
‘What a terrible joke.’
Damn father. Is this really what he’s going to say right now?
