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Chapter: 27
Seokran’s black eyes sparkled as she immediately blurted out,
“Heavenly peaches! I wanna try the Heavenly Peaches picked from the Peach Garden!”
“Wouldn’t those be bad for demons?”
“They’re only bad for the ones that eat humans! They’re good for white foxes like us! They say they make your lifespan longer, increase your spiritual power, make your fur softer, and even make you smell nice! I wanna become pretty, kyeng!”
“Alright, then.”
I took out the Eight Jewel Bell and touched the second bell.
Jingle.
Along with the ringing sound, thick clouds of mist billowed out. Instead of the treasure vault’s entrance, what appeared was a vast orchard filled with peach trees heavy with fruit.
The fox siblings’ eyes grew wide.
The Peach Garden, managed by the Queen Mother of the West, was famous throughout the Heavenly Realm as a place with exceptionally pure and clear spiritual energy.
That’s why I always liked resting there.
Seeing how much I loved it, my parents had designated part of the Peach Garden as my personal area and connected it to the second bell of the Eight Jewel Bell.
Whenever my condition was poor and I had to fast for long periods, I survived on nothing but Heavenly Peach juice.
Now I kind of want to eat one myself.
I wonder what they taste like with a body whose tongue actually works properly.
If I pick too many, people will notice. Just a few.
Even though it was technically my own area, I couldn’t freely pick fruit from it now that I was living as a runaway.
Suppressing a sigh, I gestured to Ansi.
“Ansi, go pick four peaches… no, make it five.”
“Yes, Princess!”
Ansi flew into the cloud bank and quickly returned with an armful of peaches.
“I have brought them.”
I selected three of the Heavenly Peaches and held them out.
“Give one to each of them, and you eat one too.”
“Wow! Thank you very much!”
Beaming, Ansi handed the peaches to the fox siblings.
Seokran opened her mouth so wide it looked comically huge as she accepted hers, looking as if she were about to die from happiness.
“You’re giving us something this precious! Thank you! Kyeng! I’m so happy! Princess, you’re the best!”
I set aside the remaining two peaches to share with the Crown Prince.
Then Seokjuk cautiously spoke up.
“Instead of a Heavenly Peach… may I ask for something else?”
“Hm? What is it?”
“I-I would like merit points for good deeds!”
“Ah.”
Resting my chin on my hand, I smiled.
There were demons and spiritual creatures who cultivated themselves in hopes of ascending to Heaven.
If gods or immortals acknowledged that they had performed good deeds, those deeds would greatly help them qualify for ascension later.
Those were called merit points.
“Hmm… My merit points are worth too much to hand over for just this one task…”
“I really want them! Isn’t there anything else you need me to do? I’ll do anything!”
Watching the fox plead so earnestly gave me an idea.
“Your name was Seokjuk, right? How old are you?”
“Nine hundred fifty-seven years old!”
“So you’re almost a thousand. Then you must be quite capable. You must have refined your magic while preparing for the Thousand-Tailed Fox examination.”
“Yes! I’m confident!”
“Then I’ll give you a long-term assignment. Let’s write a contract.”
I took out a fresh sheet of paper and picked up my brush.
Seokjuk tilted his head, his tail—black only at the tip like a calligraphy brush—swaying gently.
“What kind of long-term assignment?”
“Guard duty.”
“…Pardon?”
“If you faithfully protect the human I designate for the agreed period, I’ll award you merit points in the name of Princess Cheonmyeong.”
A perfect bodyguard had just fallen into my lap for Seol Deunghwa when he escaped the Imperial Palace.
“Princess… then… what about Seokjuk’s Heavenly Peach? Sh-Should he give it back?”
While I wrote Seokjuk’s contract, Seokran stared at me with sparkling eyes, drool nearly dripping from her mouth.
Trying not to laugh, I nodded.
“I already gave it to you as a reward. It’s yours to do with as you please.”
“Thank you! Kyeng!”
“Sister! Does that mean you’re just going to snatch what should’ve been my share?!”
“You’re getting merit points!”
“That’s one thing, this is another! We both investigated together! Don’t try to freeload!”
“Kyeng! I worked harder running around!”
“I worked harder organizing the mess you brought back!”
One was over a thousand years old, and the other was nearly a thousand.
Yet they argued as childishly as little kids.
Listening to the two foxes yapping back and forth, I finished writing the bodyguard contract.
“Princess, how dare those two argue so disrespectfully in your presence? Shall I make them both shut their mouths?”
“Let it go, Ansi. They’re kind of cute.”
“…Sometimes I truly don’t understand your tastes, Princess.”
After sending the fox siblings away, I carried the two Heavenly Peaches to the Hidden Dragon Hall.
“Hm? The Crown Prince isn’t in his room.”
“Princess, I can sense that human’s presence over there.”
Ansi pointed beyond the back gate of Hidden Dragon Hall.
“What’s over there again…? Ah, the Crown Prince’s Guard Corps.”
Since I’d already memorized the layout of the Eastern Palace, I knew there was a building there used by the Crown Prince’s guards.
But why was the Crown Prince there?
The roster for the Crown Prince’s guards was practically empty.
What could he be doing somewhere no one else was around?
Still carrying the peaches, I went through the back gate.
From inside the guard quarters directly opposite Hidden Dragon Hall’s rear entrance came the sounds—
Whoosh.
Thud.
Sounds like someone’s shooting arrows.
I stepped inside.
A training ground spread out before me.
Beside it was an archery range with targets and shooting platforms.
There stood the Crown Prince alone, drawing a bow.
The shoulders and arms beneath his black training uniform were perfectly straight.
His upright body formed one flawless line from head to toe.
The taut bowstring shimmered faintly in the sunlight as it crossed the cheek of the still-youthful boy.
His dark eyes, as deep as a shaded spring, remained fixed on a single point without wavering.
Twang.
The arrow flew.
Only the boy’s fingers had moved.
His straight back and unwavering gaze remained completely still.
The arm that had released the string relaxed with practiced elasticity.
The breath he’d been holding escaped as his chest rose and fell slightly.
Following his line of sight, I looked toward the target.
An arrow was embedded dead center in the painted deer’s head, protruding like an antler.
“Hmm. For a mere human child, he has remarkably good form.”
Ansi sounded reluctant even as she praised him.
I didn’t answer.
I simply stared blankly at the Crown Prince.
Only after he finally lowered his bow completely did my thoughts begin moving again.
He’s amazing.
That was my first thought.
And then—
I want to try that too.
I wanted to learn something just like that.
Things I’d never even dreamed of attempting in my previous body.
Things I’d given up on before I could even start.
“Princess?”
I ran toward the Crown Prince.
Only then did he notice us.
Startled, he quickly set his bow aside.
Stopping in front of him, I pointed at it.
“That!”
“…Yes?”
“The bow! Please teach me!”
At my sudden outburst, the Crown Prince blinked.
Then his gaze shifted to what I was holding.
Ah.
I was pointing while still clutching the peaches.
Clearing my throat awkwardly, I first held out one of the Heavenly Peaches.
“Th-This is… for Your Highness…”
“You personally brought this for me, my lady?”
“Mm… It’s very precious. It’s delicious, and it’s good for your health.”
“Thank you, my lady.”
His eyes curved into crescents as he accepted the peach.
Looking around, he walked toward the pavilion behind the shooting platform.
There he spread out the folded outer robe he’d set aside and laid it on the bench.
“Please, sit here.”
“Isn’t that your robe, Your Highness?”
“It isn’t good for your health to sit on cold stone. Please sit.”
I’d had no problem sitting on the clothes Ansi spread out for me before.
But sitting on the Crown Prince’s robe somehow felt embarrassing.
When I hesitated, he tilted his head.
“Why are you suddenly acting so reserved? You’ve held my hand often enough.”
“I-I’m not trying to be reserved! It’s just…”
Thinking about it again…
Why was I embarrassed over something like this with a child?
I quickly walked over and sat down.
The Crown Prince sat beside me and drew a silver dagger from his sleeve.
He began peeling the Heavenly Peach.
In no time at all, he had peeled half of it.
Leaving part of the skin on, he placed it into my hand by the peel like a handle.
Then he took the peach I had been holding and started peeling that one as well.
Blankly watching the smooth white flesh with its faint pink hue, I asked,
“You know how to peel fruit too?”
“My royal father taught me when I was young.”
“His Majesty taught you?”
“He always took me hunting from the time I first learned to walk. I learned while we were at the hunting grounds. He also taught me archery himself.”
“Ah…”
Longing filled both his voice and expression.
It was a depth of emotion that didn’t suit an eleven-year-old boy.
“…Then how old were you when you started learning archery?”
“Four.”
“Wow.”
“Just like you, my lady… the moment I saw my father shooting a bow, I begged him to teach me.”
The Crown Prince scratched the back of his neck awkwardly and smiled.
“I begged so much that Father personally made me a tiny toy bow perfectly sized for me.”
“His Majesty made it himself?”
“He loved hunting so much that he also took an interest in making bows. The palace attendants nearly fainted, saying he’d injure his hands, and the ministers objected that it wasn’t dignified for a king…”
As though remembering those days, the Crown Prince chuckled softly before continuing.
“Father dismissed them all, saying that if they had enough time to interfere with a king’s perfectly proper hobby, they should spend it caring more for the people or reading another line of their books.”
“He sounds both wise and bold.”
“Doesn’t he? After that, every time I grew bigger, he made me a new toy bow. Then, on my eighth birthday, he said it was time for me to use a real one and gave me this Black Horn Bow.”
The Crown Prince looked toward the bow lying beside him.
From up close, I could see that it was a magnificent weapon.
Its deep black body was delicately engraved with dragons and clouds in subtle gold leaf.
It gleamed from constant handling while also being meticulously maintained.
He treasured it dearly.
Still…
For a bow supposedly given to an eight-year-old, it was far too large.
Even for the Crown Prince now, who was taller than most boys his age, it seemed a bit oversized.
“You got it when you were eight? Wasn’t it too big?”
“It was. Since I loved archery so much, Father wanted me to become familiar with a real bow early. He said that once I turned ten, we’d start hunting together with it…”
His voice trailed off.
He lowered his eyes.
So before the Black Curse, he really had been close with his father.
What had the nine-year-old Crown Prince been like?
Surely much brighter than he was now.
“You’re able to control the darkness quite well during the day now, aren’t you? Someday you’ll be able to go hunting together.”
“…Yes. I hope so.”
He answered with a faint smile that carried little expectation.
As though wanting to change the subject, he took a bite of the peeled Heavenly Peach.
Then his eyes suddenly widened in shock.
