“Young masters! Your clothes are... oh my, they’re covered in mud!”

The wet nurse came running in a hurry, holding a bundle of towels. The three children looked at each other at the same time and burst into laughter. But the laughter did not last long. After the wet nurse took Young into her arms and went inside, Han remained there. Jian, beside him, shook the rain boots and asked,

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah.”

Han answered briefly.

“Young is cute. He’s grown a lot.”

“Yeah.”

“But why are you so cold to him?”

“......”

“You don’t hate him, right?”

“It’s not that I hate him, it’s just... a little scary.”

Han said that before he knew it. Jian tilted his head.

“Scary?”

“Sometimes, when I look at him, he seems more grown-up than me.”

Jian did not answer. Instead, he looked up at the distant sky. Pale moonlight was shining through the clouds washed clean by the rain.

“The sun hasn’t even set yet, but I can see the moon.”

“Yeah.”

Han answered softly.

“Somehow... when I see the moon, I think of that kid.”

At those words, Jian smiled for a moment. But his eyes were strangely dark.

After that day, Young sat by the window every day, waiting for the two who had played in the yard. But he never saw them there again. And they never called for Young again either. That night, Han fell ill. From around evening, his face grew flushed, and before he even fell asleep, his fever was blazing. Sooryun hurriedly called the doctor and had Han’s wet nurse layer several blankets over him. Han’s breathing sounded rough. Sooryun, sitting by the bedside, had her eyebrows tightly raised.

“Why on earth is this happening all of a sudden....”

Han’s face was bright red, and cold sweat had gathered on his forehead. As the wet nurse changed the damp cloth, she said,

“This afternoon, Young master Jian said he ran around the rain-soaked ground in the garden. And the young master from the annex was with him too.”

“Young too?”

Sooryun’s face stiffened for a moment. She had never once been at ease when saying the name Young. From the moment that child was born, everything had gone wrong. When Han did not awaken, the second child was born because they could not withstand the pressure from the elders. Even after that day’s ritual ended, a sediment like lime had always remained in one corner of her heart.

“What were you doing, not stopping him?”

Sooryun asked back in a low voice, her expression twisted. The wet nurse glanced at her and nodded.

“I stepped out for a moment then... the young masters came home earlier than usual....”

Sooryun could not continue speaking for a long time. Then she stood up and slowly walked to the window. Outside, a faint light was leaking from the annex. Young must be inside that light. Somehow, that light was irritating to the eye.

“It must be because of that child....”

Sooryun muttered.

“Because he was with that child....”

“Madam....”

The wet nurse called carefully, but Sooryun seemed not to hear. Her fingertips gripped the window sill tightly.

“That child has had too much moonlight from birth. Han is weak, but... what if he was harmed by that energy.”

The wet nurse opened her eyes wide, startled.

“Madam, how can you say such a thing...”

“I don’t know. Still, my son always gets sick like this whenever he goes near that child.”

Sooryun’s voice trembled. It was closer to fear than hatred. As if she had to believe Han’s fever kept rising because of Young in order to hold on to her own anxiety.

A long while later, Han slowly opened his eyes through the faint fever. Sooryun was sitting beside him.

“Mom...”

“Yes, it’s okay. The fever is going down now.”

Suhyun touched his forehead with the back of her hand. But Han weakly shook his head.

“Where is Young?”

At those words, Sooryun’s face hardened.

“Why are you worrying about that child.”

“We played together.... He’s still young, so he’s weaker.”

Suhyun did not answer. Han’s hand was out on top of the blanket. Looking at that pale hand, Sooryun quietly went on.

“Han, Mom has told you many times, don’t get close to that child.”

“...”

“That child is... a little different from what you can handle.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m just trying to keep you from getting sick.”

Han did not understand. But vaguely, he felt that something was unfair.

“Young isn’t a bad child.”

“I’m not saying he’s bad. I’m saying you need to keep your distance. Understand?”

“No.”

“Han.”

“...Young is pitiful.”

At Han’s words, Sooryun’s gaze wavered for a moment. With his face flushed from the fever, he said weakly,

“He said he wanted to play with me.”

Sooryun could not say anything after hearing that. Her fingertips trembled. It felt as if this child had a stronger heart than she did. Such a thoughtful, kind child, and yet he had to have everything taken from him by Young. Something hot seemed to rise in her throat.

Quietly, she pulled the blanket up and covered Han’s shoulder.

“Now sleep well. You’ll be fine tomorrow.”

“Mm...”

Han slowly closed his eyes. His breathing became even. Sooryun sat beside him for a long time. Moonlight from outside the window seeped through the white curtains. The moon was still, and its light was cold.

She turned her eyes and looked toward the annex. The wet nurse would be putting Young to sleep. Unlike Han, Young’s room always had moonlight pouring in brightly. As that light swayed softly, a strange unease rose again inside Sooryun.

And the next morning, when Han’s fever had completely gone down, she told her husband Jae.

“Han needs to be kept completely away from Young.”

Those words created a new taboo in this household.

* * *

Five years passed after that fever. Spring came again, and the mansion’s garden bloomed in the same order every year. It was the same in the courtyard between the main building and the annex. The only thing that changed was the number of people walking there together.

Han no longer went toward the annex. After that day, Han’s body grew weaker, and Sooryun never once spoke Young’s name first. The wet nurse and the servants were the same. No one called him “second young master” or “annex young master.” There was only one young master.

“Lee Han, are you skipping gym again today?”

Jian asked, adjusting the strap of the schoolbag slung over one shoulder.

“Yeah, the teacher said to just study on my own.”

“Fever again?”

“No... just tired.”

“Got it. I’m on cleaning duty today, so wait a bit after I’m done.”

“Okay, see you later.”

The two, who had gone to school together but were in different classes, parted in the hallway.

Jian was always lively. He had a solid build, and while he did not talk much, his actions were clear. Han always walked one step behind him. Since “that day,” he had always had a cough, and his fingertips were faintly cold.

But Jian, entering the classroom, had a heavier expression than usual. Today he had to meet Young. He worried about what that would mean to Han. But that was Jian’s duty.

Jian had been born as the heir of the wolf clan to protect the heir of the fox clan. That was Han, and like any other pair, they had been together since they were young. But when Young was born and came to meet the conditions of an heir, the positions of Jian and the wolf clan became difficult. They were supposed to change the object of protection to Young and become subordinate to Young, but the fox clan family head and his wife did not want that. Instead, they wanted Han, whose condition had become disadvantageous and whose body was weak, to keep staying with them.

But the wolf clan’s position was different. The blood contract had to be kept. Taejun, the wolf clan family head and Jian’s father, demanded that Jian meet Young regularly. Since it could no longer be delayed, starting early this year he had been having lunch or tea with Young once a week after school. Jae and Sooryun could not stop it either. They were displeased, but the contract was the contract. A bond between Young and Jian was needed until the marking between Young and Jian was completed.

Jian let out a small sigh. After meeting Young, how hurt would Han’s face be when he saw him again? It was pitiful how hard he tried not to show it. To Jian, he was his closest friend, and someone imprinted in him as a person he had to protect from childhood. Feeling as if he were betraying him, fifteen-year-old Jian still found Wednesdays hard. The car ride to school, which he shared with Han every day, became awkward every Wednesday morning. Han was weaker and not feeling well every Wednesday. Today was the same. From now on, gym class every Wednesday had become study time for Han. Sooryun had arranged it that way.

After finishing the day with a heavy heart and lazily getting through cleaning, Jian went to Han’s classroom. Han was sitting at his seat, head bowed deeply, waiting for Jian. Sensing Jian’s presence, Han silently stood up from his seat, passed Jian, and left the classroom.

“Did I make you wait long?”

“...”

Han gave no answer and just kept walking. In front of the main gate, the car they would ride in was parked. Jian quickened his steps and reached the car before Han, opening the back door for him. Han muttered thanks and got into the car. Then silence again. The driver did not speak either. The two headed to Han’s house in silence.

“I’ll be back.”

“...Yeah.”

Leaving Han behind, who looked especially out of sorts today, Jian headed to the annex. By now the path was familiar, but today his steps felt heavy.

When he climbed the round stone steps and stood in front of the annex entrance, the door quietly opened from inside. Young was standing there alone, without the wet nurse. A calm expression that did not suit a ten-year-old. Beneath his long eyelashes, one of his lowered eyes had a faint green tint, and despite his small frame, there was an indescribable stillness about him.

“Welcome, Jian hyung.”