A Baby Cat Who Commands the Dog Clan - Chapter 164

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 164
“…All right. Ready!”
At that moment, Mae Ran spoke in a voice tinged with sorrow.
“Miss, someone from the Myo Family Estate has arrived.”
“Got it!”
Hong Seol slid down from her chair with unusual vigor and took the lead.
Though she seemed slightly tense, her face bore no trace of sadness.
“Miss…?”
Mae Ran watched Hong Seol’s demeanor in bewilderment.
* * *
The Patriarch’s Residence of the Nam Goong Family Estate was unusually crowded.
The elders of the Branch Family Residence lined both sides with imposing presence, while the martial artists known as the Black Heaven Squad stood blocking the entrance.
Most striking were Nam Goong Yeol with his contemptible expression and his son Nam Goong Do.
Faint claw marks still lingered on Nam Goong Do’s face.
They were traces left by brave Hong Seol when she had protected Nam Goong Baek.
Nam Goong Do glared at Hong Seol with burning intensity.
“So that’s the cat-human from the Myo Family Estate….”
Through this visit, he had clearly discovered that the cat who had scarred his face was none other than Hong Seol.
‘Hmph, as if I’d be frightened by that.’
Hong Seol suppressed the urge to stick out her tongue at him and walked with dignified composure.
Today was when the plan she had spent a fortnight preparing would bear fruit.
She had no wish to be treated like a child through needless petulance.
Hong Seol’s appearance as she advanced to the center of the Patriarch’s Residence was particularly radiant today.
Her hair, braided and coiled on both sides, had been carefully arranged by Mae Ran.
She wore garments woven from the blue silk that symbolized the Nam Goong Family and the white silk that Bing Yu Hua favored.
Her shoes bore meticulously embroidered wolf patterns—though Hong Seol believed them to be dogs—sewn into the fabric.
A silk pouch hung from her right side, suspended by a cord across her chest, and it bulged with something inside.
Her appearance stirred the hearts of all who beheld her.
‘Perhaps they’ve placed something precious to preserve memories of the Nam Goong Family inside.’
The people of the Nam Goong Family, including those from the Changcheon Division, maintained a unified silence.
In contrast, the Branch Family members spoke with unbridled enthusiasm and chatter.
“Ahem, speaking of which, I hear our Branch Family’s finances have been improving daily?”
“It’s thanks to the Mu Young Merchant Guild’s investment in violet silk! Merchants eager to establish trade keep knocking on our doors.”
“Rumor has it that the Branch Family’s financial director walks around with his mouth split wide open in a grin.”
“And that’s not all. Martial artists seeking to learn the patriarch’s martial prowess are lining up as well.”
They spoke deliberately loud enough for the main family to hear.
Among them, only Elder Nam Goong Mu Young remained silent, taking no part in the conversation.
As if to fill that void, those with loose tongues raised their voices further.
“After all, people move according to money and power.”
“Hehe, perhaps in a few years, the positions of the main and branch families might be reversed….”
“Everyone, mind your words!”
At the sharp command, the elders all flinched and clamped their mouths shut.
Hong Seol, recognizing the voice, held her breath.
‘Oh no, it’s Grandfather!’
It had been a full two weeks since I last saw Nam Goong Ho, the Grand Patriarch.
He had withdrawn because he couldn’t contain his anger.
Perhaps that was why he felt unusually distant and difficult to approach today.
“Seol Ah.”
When our eyes met, I quickly bowed my head.
‘Grandfather… did my saying I would return to the Myo Family Estate anger you greatly?’
But contrary to my expectations, his voice was gentle. Though his throat seemed slightly hoarse, everything else felt as it always did.
“…Let me hold you for a moment.”
I hesitated before carefully approaching and opening my arms.
With a soft grunt, Nam Goong Ho lifted me up and sighed.
“Were you hurt that I absented myself during this precious remaining time?”
His hand, gently patting my small back, was tender.
“I needed time to calm my turbulent heart. But I’ve wasted these precious moments carelessly, and for that, I can only apologize to you.”
Tears threatened to spill, so I kept my head bowed and shook it slowly.
“No, it’s not…”
“Even if it becomes difficult to speak like this after today… remember this. You were my one and only granddaughter.”
“Sniff…”
I couldn’t respond and instead hugged his neck tightly.
‘Grandfather, I’m sorry. The truth is, everything about returning to the Myo Family Estate is a lie.’
My conscience pricked so sharply that I couldn’t lift my head.
“The Patriarch has arrived.”
With Nam Goong Ui Gyeol’s weighty voice, Nam Goong On soon appeared.
Bing Yu Hua, forcing a smile toward me, came with him.
The moment Nam Goong On entered, he cast a displeased look at his younger brother Nam Goong Yeol.
“Why visit the main residence on a day like this?”
“Our Doa has urgent matters to discuss with Father, Elder Brother.”
I shot Nam Goong Yeol a discreet glare of displeasure.
His deliberate use of “Elder Brother” instead of “Patriarch” made his intentions transparent.
‘He’s announcing to the whole world that he doesn’t acknowledge the Patriarch!’
I wanted nothing more than to scratch his nose with my nails right then, just as I had done to his son Nam Goong Do.
‘For now, I’ll endure.’
After all, they would face far worse before this day was through.
That was when it happened.
“Je Gal Seon, Lady of the Myo Family Estate, has arrived!”
The doors of the Patriarch’s Residence swung wide open.
Je Gal Seon then appeared with a somewhat displeased expression.
Behind her stood the Myo Family Estate’s martial forces arrayed in impressive formation—a procession designed to flaunt the Myo Family’s power before the Nam Goong Family under the pretext of retrieving Hong Seol.
Je Gal Seon, bowing deeply in greeting, opened her mouth with a tone that seemed somehow reluctant.
“As promised, I’ve come to retrieve the child, but….”
The moment had arrived.
My heart began to race.
“Mother!”
I leaped from Nam Goong Ho’s arms and rushed toward Je Gal Seon.
Nam Goong Ho’s face fell for a moment, but this was hardly the time for such concerns.
Just as Je Gal Seon extended her hand to seize my wrist and pull me away.
I quickly hid my hand behind my back, my brows furrowing slightly as I whispered.
“Mother, please give me ‘that’ first….”
Je Gal Seon’s brows knitted together.
How troublesome.
This little one never forgot a single detail of their agreements.
The promised item was certainly brought along. But there was something that needed to be confirmed first.
“Let me ask you one thing first.”
Je Gal Seon whispered near my ear, her expression somewhat uncomfortable.
“Is it true that your body still hasn’t fully recovered?”
“Pardon?”
“In other words, is the ‘rumor’ that you failed to mend the Yin-Yang Severed Meridian actually true?”
Je Gal Seon’s eyes, as she regarded me, were filled with suspicion and venom.
It was a stark contrast to how she had repeatedly referred to me as the Myo Family Estate’s precious heir.
But this was precisely the question I had been waiting for.
I opened my eyes wide and answered through transmission of sound.
– How could that be, Mother!
Without the ability to channel inner force, one cannot employ sound transmission.
There was no clearer proof that the Yin-Yang Severed Meridian had been healed.
“…That’s right!”
Je Gal Seon, visibly relieved, turned sharply toward Nam Goong On and bowed respectfully.
Her face was now radiant with a smile as warm as a spring breeze.
“I’ve brought a gift for the Nam Goong Family—a token of gratitude for caring for Hong Seol.”
What Je Gal Seon withdrew from her bosom was a single scroll.
Judging by how it was firmly mounted on silk fabric, it appeared to be a document of considerable importance.
“Please accept the Myo Water Trading Company.”
The elders of the Branch Family Residence gathered within the Patriarch’s Residence began to murmur among themselves.
“The Myo Water Trading Company? Isn’t that quite a substantial merchant guild?”
“Though they suffered considerable losses from the iris silk and violet silk ventures, I understand their revenues are still quite substantial….”
“To surrender it so readily—it seems the child truly is the rightful heir of the Myo Family Estate!”
The situation was unfolding exactly as Je Gal Seon had anticipated.
By surrendering the Myo Water Trading Company and cementing Hong Seol’s position as the Myo Family Estate’s heir.
If it meant I could take Hong Seol away, it was hardly a losing proposition.
‘A child who has mended the Yin-Yang Severed Meridian would become an invaluable asset to the Myo Family Estate.’
It was also an opportunity to demonstrate to the suspicious Nam Goong Family just how much I cherished this child.
Je Gal Seon spoke with a radiant smile spreading across her face.
“Now then, Patriarch, do make your decision.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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