This outing was Bohye’s first in almost a month. She had taken brief walks here and there in the meantime, but that simply hadn’t been enough. Today, she had come out determined, having received her father’s permission. The outdoor scenery she hadn’t seen in so long made her heart flutter, and she kept leaving her maid Yeonhong behind to peer here and there.
Yeonhong was beside herself with worry that she might lose Bohye—the precious only daughter her master cherished above all else—or that some misfortune might befall her.
“Young Lady, why do you keep going off on your own!”
Yeonhong let out a deep sigh, looking like an older sister despite being the same age as Bohye. Bohye had been admiring a bright yellow norigae for quite some time before being dragged away.
“Yeonhong, wasn’t that norigae over there quite pretty? It looked just like a forsythia.”
“Those are all cheap trinkets. Young Lady’s norigae is far better.”
“What good is that when I can’t even wear them out anywhere?”
Bohye grumbled in disappointment. Yeonhong pretended not to hear and pulled her along.
The reason they had been able to go out after so long was that the market had opened for the first time in a while. The three-day market, stocked with goods brought by ship from the Western Regions, was truly packed with people. Even though they had come out around the time the market was dispersing on its final day, the crowds were still considerable. Yeonhong was certain that if her master had known it would be like this, he would never have let the Young Lady out no matter how much she begged.
“Look over there! How can such a strangely shaped animal exist?”
Tied by a leash in the direction Bohye pointed was a long-limbed, furry animal with a face resembling a human’s. Yeonhong’s eyes went wide as well.
“Let’s go look over there.”
“Are they Westerners? You mustn’t go near them.”
“What’s the harm? Would they dare harm me in broad daylight on a busy street? Who do they think I am?”
Yeonhong couldn’t argue with the naive Young Lady’s words. Yet her worried heart remained unchanged.
The Young Lady was beloved by all. After the Lady of the house had passed away prematurely in an unexpected accident when the Young Lady was eight, the master had raised his precious only daughter as if she would fly away if he let her sleep, or break if he held her—doting on her tenderly and meticulously.
Even apart from that, Bohye was in herself a lovely and affectionate girl. Before meeting Bohye, Yeonhong had been nothing but a beggar child with a runny nose and an empty stomach. There had been no one else who treated her kindly. No one else who took her hand and gave her warm rice and a place to sleep. It was Bohye who had changed Yeonhong’s life.
Thus, Yeonhong could never hope to best her own heart. Even if she was called a servant girl who didn’t know her place, she dared to proudly consider Bohye as close as a sister.
Unaware of Yeonhong’s many worries, Bohye was both curious and fearless. Approaching without hesitation, she clasped her hands and watched the strange animal and the brilliantly colored bird with sparkling eyes.
“Look here, look here. There is a bird here that speaks human words.”
A Westerner fluent in the local language winked and tapped the birdcage. At that, the bird inside cried out, “Give me food! Food!”
“Oh my. It must be hungry.”
Bohye murmured with a compassionate face. Yeonhong whispered into her ear.
“It’s a trick, Young Lady. Don’t fall for it.”
“But what if that person has been starving the bird?”
“Surely not. You mustn’t be fooled!”
“Let’s just help a little.”
Bohye, who had grown up wanting for nothing, was without greed and freely shared her abundant possessions with those around her. Each time this happened, Yeonhong worried terribly that the Young Lady might be deceived by some bad person.
Once again, Bohye ultimately loosened her purse and handed a few coins to the merchant. The bird cried out “Thank you! Thank you!” in a chattering voice.
While Yeonhong glared daggers, Bohye conversed with the merchant. Questions and answers were exchanged, starting with where he had come from. Fortunately, he seemed not to be a completely lowborn fellow, as his attitude toward the Young Lady was quite polite.
Then, at the edge of Bohye’s hearing, she caught the voices of people huddled together in the distance, puffing away on their pipes.
“These days there’s word that he’s fallen out of favor. People who used to come and go until the threshold wore thin have suddenly cut off ties completely!”
“Oh, those terrible people. How good a man our lord is. Like migratory birds, aren’t they?”
“But then what happens? Surely no trouble is brewing?”
“Of course there is. Since our lord has no intention of taking office anyway, it’ll end like this. At least it’s quiet and better this way.”
She hadn’t heard who they were talking about, but from the context it seemed to be about her father. Her ears perked up. Before she knew it, she could no longer hear the merchant speaking.
“His popularity runs deep. Besides, he’s famous for his integrity and clean reputation. Would they arrest him over some absurd reason?”
“That’s true.”
Arrest him?
Following the sound of the agreeing voice, Bohye turned. She could feel the merchant calling after her as she pushed through the crowd, but that wasn’t important.
“Excuse me, I’ll just pass through for a moment. Just a moment.”
Since Bohye hardly ever came outside, almost no one recognized her face. They simply moved carefully aside, seeing from her attire that she seemed to be a daughter of a noble household. But it was too late. The whispering group had left long ago.
Bohye stood frozen in place, strength draining from her. Somehow, an ominous feeling washed over her. It had been that way from the moment her father’s name came up. The content too, about falling out of favor…
“Young Lady? Young Lady!”
Yeonhong came running up behind, panting as she called out. Yeonhong usually had a mysterious talent for finding Bohye no matter where she was, but this time she felt the Young Lady kept disappearing here and there far too much.
She had intended to catch up and surely give her a piece of her mind, but when she finally caught up and examined Bohye’s expression, it did not look good. Yeonhong panicked at her darkly clouded complexion.
“Did something happen? Did some ruffian harass you?”
Filled with the determination to chase down and apprehend the culprit immediately if such a thing had happened, Yeonhong pressed her.
Bohye shook her head. It might not be about her father. And even if it were, her father was someone who would absolutely never commit a crime, so there was no chance he would be arrested or that any trouble would befall him. Bohye changed her expression and smiled at Yeonhong.
“No, it’s nothing. Yeonhong, shall we go eat some honey twists?”
That was Yeonhong’s favorite snack. Yeonhong’s face suddenly brightened and she nodded fervently.
* * *
“Father!”
When Bohye returned home after eating plenty of snacks and buying a pretty ribbon for Yeonhong, she ran into her father who had just returned from going out. Overjoyed, she quickly ran to him.
Bohye’s father, who had just dismounted his horse—Seo Jeongheum, the head of the Seo clan—smiled affectionately at the sight of Bohye. She was his precious only daughter, so dear that she wouldn’t hurt even if he put her in his eye.
Over ten years ago, Seo Jeongheum had become a widower when his wife met with a rockfall accident on her way back from her parents’ home. He did not remarry and lived quietly, honoring his wife every year. That was also the reason he did not hold office. Instead, he did not withhold advice for the village and his clan where he resided, and he did not hesitate to open his granary during droughts or poor harvests, earning him abundant praise.
However, since last year he had been frequenting the palace more often, driven by the thought that he must guide the increasingly greedy and cruel Emperor onto the right path. Though he had retired from office, he considered this the duty of a subject. But the Emperor would not heed his remonstrances and instead rebuked him, closing his ears, so his worries were no small matter. Today had been no different.
“Bohye, did you have a good time? Our daughter’s face is glowing from seeing this and that and getting fresh air after so long.”
Hiding such thoughts, Seo Jeongheum smiled broadly. At the sight of Bohye, the gloomy worries lodged in his heart seemed to vanish completely.
Bohye, who resembled both her mother and Seo Jeongheum equally, grew more beautiful by the day. Once rumors began to spread beyond the walls, there would be no stopping the flood of marriage proposals. Indeed, persistent proposals had already been trickling in for some time.
“Yes. But next time, Father must come too. I enjoyed being with Yeonhong, but I missed Father very much.”
It was no wonder Seo Jeongheum was reluctant to let his daughter go. Thanks to this, Bohye had remained here alone even until now, while all her friends had married and left the village. She considered Yeonhong both friend and sister, and the household servants her family.
*Our daughter is still very young!*
Today too, Seo Jeongheum resolved not to marry Bohye off.
“Father, let me tell you what I saw. I saw a talking bird and a furry animal that resembled a person.”
“There are such things? The world is truly vast and full of wonders, is it not?”
“Yes. Someday I wish to see an even wider world.”
Bohye’s eyes sparkled brightly. Suddenly, an uneasy feeling came over Seo Jeongheum. What if someone wants to snatch away this child who wishes to fly so freely and lock her in a birdcage?
“Bohye, shall we have dinner with your father today?”
Seo Jeongheum spoke as if swallowing down such anxiety.
“Of course. I want to have dinner with Father every day!”
Bohye, who had grown lonely from overprotection, answered cheerfully.