Hours passed before Sao Hyeon finally finished cleaning the garden and the back courtyard. Despite being only five years old, exhaustion weighed heavily on his small body. He sat down beneath a tree, barely able to keep himself upright. But the moment he noticed the stepmother approaching, every part of him tensed.
Why is she coming? What did I do now?
The thought echoed inside him with a familiar fear.
She looked down at him with open arrogance and said in a proud, cold tone:
"Surprisingly… you did well today. Seems strict discipline truly works."
The moment he heard her voice, a tremor ran through him. Her eyes narrowed with a sly glint as she added:
"So? Should we start over again, little one?"
His voice cracked as he tried to speak:
"N-no… please… I didn't do anything…"
His fearful eyes said far more than his words.
She let out a light laugh.
"Relax. I'm your mother after all. Everything I do is for your own good."
She tossed something small away from her as if giving him a meaningless scrap, then walked off, lifting her pink dress elegantly as she left.
Sao Hyeon bent down to pick up what she had thrown. He whispered to himself, voice barely audible:
"A mother…? What mother treats her child like this…?"
He lifted his gaze toward the setting sun. Its fading light reflected off his silver eyes, while his long black hair—uncut since the day of his birth—fell messily over his forehead.
---
He wandered away until he reached a small cliff near the main residence of the Sao family, built on the slope of Stillstone Mountain. Something about the quiet there always stirred his memories.
He recalled what one of the maids had told him:
His real mother, Hwan Yara, had passed away while giving birth to him… on the night of a full moon.
"And that other woman with the fox-like eyes… her name is Dai Xia, from the 'great' Dai family. Great… what an exaggerated title."
He sighed as he watched the darkness gradually swallow the horizon.
"I should go back… otherwise Father's wife will be upset."
He turned around—
But a whisper drifted through the air:
"Every great one is either born from greatness…
or forges greatness within himself.
But remember… the moon at night never sleeps."
Sao Hyeon froze.
"W–who's there?! Answer me!!"
Silence.
Only the wind responded.
Yet one thing was certain: he needed to return home immediately.
---
"I–I have to hurry back…"
He didn't realize how far he had run until he found himself at the back wall of the estate. He tried climbing it, but slipped and fell.
"Ah…"
A voice came from behind him:
"Where were you at this hour?"
He stopped breathing for a moment.
"I… I didn't… I wasn't—"
A warm hand rested gently on his shoulder.
"Calm down. Didn't I tell you not to be afraid of me?"
He looked up—
It was Sao Baek.
With a soft smile, he said:
"Come on. I brought you something to eat."
He handed him a neatly arranged plate.
But Sao Hyeon lowered his head and whispered:
"No… I can't… If she finds out, she'll be angry…"
Sao Baek leaned against the wall and replied:
"And how exactly would she find out?"
Sao Hyeon looked into his brother's golden eyes… and the fear inside him finally cracked.
He began to eat silently, tears slipping down his cheeks without a sound.
Sao Baek gently patted his shoulder.
"Hey… don't rush. The food isn't going anywhere."
Then he stood up.
"I'll leave you for now."
---
The next morning…
A luxurious carriage made its way along one of the winding paths of Stillstone Mountain, pulled by two powerful horses well-trained in traversing rugged terrain…