The Beloved Baby Priestess of the Twelve Zodiac Gods - Chapter 43

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 43
“Gasp! How did you know?”
“I received one just like it when I was young.”
“Hehe, what was the name of your doll? Mine is Haerrang—I gave it that name so it would grow up to be as magnificent as the sun.”
A-rin lifted the tiger doll’s front paws and waved them about.
Though the subject didn’t particularly interest him, Do-hun answered dutifully.
“I don’t think I ever gave mine a name.”
From childhood, he’d always preferred books to toys.
As he recalled, Do-young had torn up his doll the day he received it, much to their father’s disappointment.
A-rin, by contrast, clearly treasured her tiger doll very much.
“It’s just a doll, after all.”
“Is it? Well, Haerrang is my friend. Every night, he keeps watch over me.”
That made no sense whatsoever.
Do-hun felt a sharp thought rise unbidden, but he swallowed it back.
With their mother’s Memorial Day drawing near, he could feel his nerves wound tight.
To cut short this pointless exchange, Do-hun began to read.
But A-rin’s questions didn’t end there.
“Besides books, what else do you like?”
Do-hun paused mid-sentence and answered.
“Nothing I enjoy quite as much as books, I’m afraid.”
“Wow, even the book Se-yeon recommended to me was difficult… Could you explain it to me?”
“If you wish.”
Unmoved by his dry response, A-rin persisted with question after question.
“I heard you travel often. Where have you been? Where are you returning from this time?”
“I only follow my master wherever he goes. Most of the time, I don’t even know our destination until we arrive.”
“Then have you been to Cheongmyo Village? I heard there’s a huge rabbit warren there…”
“I’ve been there. It wasn’t as impressive as they say.”
“Really! Have you been to Baekryong Palace with your master too?”
“I have.”
“What’s Baekryong Palace like? I heard it’s enormous.”
“It certainly is large, but…”
Do-hun was answering straightforwardly when his eyes narrowed slightly.
She’d asked him to read to her, yet she seemed to show no interest in the book itself.
Only then did Do-hun realize she had been using that as a pretext to talk with him, and he closed the book.
“If you’re not going to listen to the reading, go back.”
“No, wait! Please keep reading! I’ll be quiet, I promise!”
A-rin seized his hand and pleaded. Her true intention was transparent, but Do-hun pretended not to notice and resumed reading.
He had no idea what scheme she was plotting, but his plan was to finish the chapter and send her away quickly.
Yet contrary to his hopes, A-rin continued to chatter throughout the reading, constantly distracting him.
* * *
Several days later.
Do-hun stood quietly at the entrance to Cheongmyeong Hall, gazing out.
By now, A-rin should have come.
When she didn’t appear at her usual time, Do-hun found himself glancing toward the entrance again and again.
‘Has she finally given up?’
For the past few days, A-rin had been following him everywhere, asking him to read to her.
The book was merely an excuse; she’d linger about his vicinity, forever interrupting his solitude.
Even subtle hints didn’t discourage her stubborn persistence, so he couldn’t very well throw her out.
Not knowing what her real purpose was, he’d taken to observing her—and a week had slipped by.
Now that the child who chattered every day was absent, Do-hun felt an odd emptiness as he stepped out of Cheongmyeong Hall.
‘I suppose I could just check on her. Only to confirm she’s all right.’
If she happened to come to Cheongmyeong Hall again, he would simply disappear first.
Before he knew it, Do-hun’s feet had carried him near Maehwa Hall.
“My, young miss, look—the sparrow is finally eating on its own!”
“That’s wonderful. Thank you for staying alive, little chirp.”
Through the crack of the open door, snatches of A-rin and Cho-ryeong’s conversation drifted out.
With the faint chirping of the bird joining their voices, Do-hun’s curiosity overwhelmed him, and he peered through the gap in the doorway.
“When will it be able to fly?”
“Its wing was injured, so it will take some time to heal. Still, thanks to you rescuing it, the chick has survived.”
“I’m sorry I couldn’t protect your parents, little chirp.”
A-rin was tenderly tending to an injured baby bird.
The way she fed it earthworms by hand was no different from a mother bird caring for her young.
For Do-hun, who loathed insects, the sight alone sent a shiver down his spine.
‘So that’s why she wasn’t there.’
Just as well. While A-rin was absorbed with the bird, he could finally breathe freely.
But Do-hun’s plans crumbled the moment Cho-ryeong recognized him.
“Oh my, Do-hun?”
“Huh? Did you say older brother?”
A-rin’s head snapped up, her eyes finding Do-hun.
She broke into a smile so bright it lit up her whole face, waving her hand eagerly.
“Older brother! You came at just the right time! Look at this. I saved a baby bird!”
Her face flushed pink with excitement, radiant as a puppy desperate for praise.
“…Yes. You did well.”
Do-hun replied halfheartedly, taking a step back while his eyes fixed warily on the earthworm in A-rin’s hand.
Misreading his gaze, A-rin cheerfully held it out toward him.
“Do you want to feed it yourself?”
“Ugh.”
Do-hun covered his mouth with his sleeve and shook his head firmly.
“I’ll pass. But what exactly is that bird?”
“It was part of a family that nested on the roof. A snake attacked them—the parents died, and only this one survived.”
“I wish you could have seen how brave Miss A-rin was, Master Do-hun!”
“Don’t tell me you drove off the snake yourself?”
“Oh, please! I threw a rock and hit its head perfectly, then grabbed its tail and slammed it against the ground over and over… I felt so satisfied!”
“Hehe.”
A-rin squirmed with embarrassment at the praise.
She looked as if she couldn’t catch so much as an ant, let alone anything else.
Do-hun’s gaze wavered slightly, doubting the tale.
“Look over there! The snake was absolutely battered, I’m telling you!”
But the dead snake lying in the corner of the courtyard confirmed the story was true.
“That’s impressive…”
“See? I told you! I’ll protect you too, older brother!”
“There’s no need for you to protect me as well.”
Do-hun imagined A-rin facing down the snake and let out a soft laugh.
Meanwhile, A-rin was delighted that Do-hun had come to Maehwa Hall.
‘His mood seems to have lifted.’
Ever since she learned that Do-hun’s condition worsened as Jin-gyeong’s Memorial Day approached,
A-rin had made a point of visiting him daily to try to brighten his spirits.
And it seemed to be working—for the first time, he had come to Maehwa Hall of his own accord.
“Hehe, did you come to see me, older brother?”
Faced with such an innocent question, Do-hun found himself unable to object, only fumbling awkwardly.
‘Why did I come all the way here anyway?’
Familiarity was dangerous, they said.
After seeing A-rin daily for a few days, she had begun to feel less strange, more natural.
“Miss, please go wash your hands first. I’ll take good care of the baby bird.”
“Okay! Older brother, don’t go anywhere—wait for me, understand?”
“I will.”
The moment Do-hun agreed, A-rin hurried away.
In her absence, Cho-ryeong fashioned a new nest from the ruined one.
Do-hun watched from a distance, then spoke.
“Has she always been so interested in animals?”
“Miss A-rin? Oh, don’t even mention it. When she goes for a walk, she greets every butterfly she passes. Isn’t that adorable?”
“Hmm.”
“Especially if she sees any small creature that’s hurt or weak—she never passes by without helping. Last time, she actually saved a dung beetle that had been flipped over by its own dung!”
“She touched dung?”
“She’s tougher than she looks. You saw it yourself just now—the way she grabs earthworms bare-handed. Those are all ones she caught this entire morning to feed to the baby bird.”
He’d had his doubts,
but they really were earthworms she’d dug up herself.
Do-hun deliberately averted his eyes from the writhing worms.
‘She’s an unusual girl.’
Her conduct was so different from other young women—Do-hun found her simply fascinating.
Usually they’re even more terrified than I am, scrambling to flee.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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