The Scarlet Hawk and The Black Knights (Mina)✔️

22: Injured Canary

(This quite angsty chapter will only be about Han Ri/past Chaeng)

(A/N: Republished after a little editing)

It was a peaceful night at Hwangmo, the people were returning to their homes to get some proper rest and sleep, and those without any homes had no choice but to seek shelter under big roofs to protect themselves. It's a poor and sad thing to observe, but it's part of life. The echoing voices of the countless crowds started to fade away, leaving the town and vast land with total silence, only the sounds of crickets and fireflies, stray cats meowing and stray dogs barking as they begged for scraps of foods. Only those sounds could be heard in the night of Hwangmo.

Above in the sky, a small bird flew around, just arriving at this land. A small little canary, chirping silently as she flew swiftly and gracefully, dancing along with the soft clouds that touched her feathers. She continued glancing at the houses from atop, enjoying the peacefulness in contrary to her homeworld. She had just finished exploring the Living Realm after secretly leaving her home...again. The canary felt like she needed a relaxing time for a little sauna and to refresh herself, since she figured out that she kind of stinked. And so, she continued flapping her wings, flying in search of any hot springs she could find. Considering that Hwangmo was not so big after all, she was sure she would find the perfect place just in time.

"Ah, there it is." Han Ri gasped in excitement when she noticed hot springs just near a huge inn. She could clearly see the steam coming out into the air, and she was very eager to feel the warm water soon. Of course, she knew getting there without permission would be the same as committing a crime, but she's also sure everything would be fine anyway. "Alrighty then, time for some bath." the canary breathed out and dived right in, flying as quickly as possible to the sauna. Spinning her body elegantly, the canary soon turned into a person, and shapeshifting was always one of her favorites. Han Ri stretched her body and let out a little yawn.

The steam evaporating from the water sent chills down her spine. It was so warm, an incredible warmth she had not felt in a while. This was much better compared to the hot tub she had in the main lair, and she meant that clearly. She stretched her exhausted arms once more, maybe because they were the wings she used to fly earlier when she was a canary.

"If either appa or Jeong Yeon unnie finds out I'm here, I'll be dead meat." Han Ri chuckled to herself. Soon, she started taking off her robes, leaving her body bare, her milky white thighs exposed. Her deep collarbones and her petite body might just attract any man who would see her, or perhaps even women as well, who knows? Han Ri had always been the kind of girl who was brave enough to reveal herself in front of people, not revealing that she's the daughter of Mal Gu himself, just...being free and open about herself, she knew she could wear whatever she wanted without having to hear others' opinions. Her older sisters, especially Jeong Yeon, worried sometimes about her free-spirited personality, as they feared it could be the cause of dangers.

She gave in to her body, letting the warm water soak her as she sunk herself inside the spring, letting it all welcome her.

'Who are you?' She could still remember Momo's voice in her head clearly. It was their first time meeting, but clearly it wasn't the first time Han Ri had seen the older sister of the girl she seemed to develop feelings for. The tone in her voice when Momo asked that, it wasn't the voice of a girl who was scared, it sounded like the voice of a girl who was surprised, and bemused. She had expected Momo to attack her as she saw the symbol of The Horn on the collarbone, but no, Momo instead only remained calm and let her fly away.

"Luckily Mi Na didn't see me back there." she huffed and cleaned her arms with the warm water, rubbing them delicately to soak them all. She then stopped her actions, seemingly bothered by a thought lingering in her head for a while.