Fortunately, Kyeol-i was not far away. He was walking along the stream near my house, wearing a blue robe, and he looked like a painting. I wanted to capture him, even if it was just for a moment, but time was of the essence.
"Seol-ah, I met Congressman Nari earlier. He seems like an extraordinary person."
"I know, I think he sensed you had magical powers. This place is dangerous for you now."
At my words, Kyul's face became tense. I had to tell him other news right away.
"And in the northwest corner, I saw two gray cubs with a pack of white foxes. I think they're more comfortable walking around in their wolf form these days, so I think they might have been your children."
"Really..?"
Gyeol's eyes sparkled.
"Kyeol-ah, it's time for you to leave."
I held both of Kyeol's hands. I felt like tears were about to fall, but I had to hold them back because I didn't want Kyeol to shake.
"Leave immediately for the northwest forest. I'll stop by the temple and follow you. I've always wanted to leave the temple. I want to abandon human life. I don't want to live here anymore."
"Seol-ah..."
The hand that held mine tightened.
"The promise I made to you will always stand. Even though my village is gone, if you ever find yourself without a place to go, I will always accept you. The Wolf's Oath will never be broken."
I promised to meet Gyeol again at the water's edge.
. . .
After watching the stray float away from the stream, I returned home and prepared to go to the temple. I wore a red turban, the attire of a priestess. I hated my innate divine powers. So, wearing the red turban and the ceremonial attire associated with priestesses, like a head priestess, felt uncomfortable. However, I had been told to meet the Supreme Priestess today, so I felt I had to go and see her. I figured I could leave in the evening. She'd tell me to return immediately, but I could make tomorrow the official day of my return to the temple.
All this time, I'd studied diligently to hide my divine powers. I dabbled in forbidden books and learned many things, which also sparked my curiosity about my mother. My divine powers were like a family history, passed down through generations. They say it's often passed down through the maternal line, but I'd never heard anything about my mother from my father. All I knew was that I lost her when I was a baby.
Since priestesses were forbidden from marrying, their divine powers were usually inherited not through a direct mother-daughter relationship, but through a niece or nephew. For example, between an aunt and a nephew. However, I came across a forbidden book that said that if a priestess gave birth to a child, all of her powers would pass down to the child, causing the former priestess to suffer and die young. In such cases, the child's divine powers could be hundreds of times stronger than the mother's. So, could my mother have been a priestess? If she had been a priestess expelled from the temple... Then, my poverty as a child, and my father's silence about her, all made sense. But even if I wanted to confirm, there was no way. After losing both my father and mother, who would? And even if I knew for sure, the qualities of a priestess—the kind I never desired—would have been meaningless. In fact, it seemed better not to know that my mother's sacrifice was behind my divine powers.
As I was getting dressed, lost in thought, I heard a noise. It felt strange. The servants hadn't returned home yet, and I'd already seen Gyeol-i off. Who could possibly be here?
I opened the door and looked out across the porch. There was no one outside. Was it rain? I finished tying the purple belt that signified my rank and prepared to head to the shrine.