A Baby Cat Who Commands the Dog Clan - Chapter 26

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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 26
With a soft sigh, he settled across the table and continued his story.
“I was not born into the Nam Goong Family. I was fortunate enough to be adopted, and that’s how I came to be here.”
Hong Seol already knew this tale well. Nam Goong Mu Young’s expression turned bitter as he went on.
“That’s why I sheltered Jong Woo so fiercely. When one’s roots are weak, the branches must appear all the more lush. I had no choice—I couldn’t let my grandson be looked down upon wherever he went.”
He released a long, weary breath.
“But it seems that became poison for Jong Woo. Look at him now—he can’t tell right from wrong. I hear he even attacked you at the Training Ground before the martial contest?”
Ah, the shoe incident.
‘Was that really an attack?’
In Hong Seol’s innocent mind, it had been nothing serious.
“And apparently he was disrespectful to Nam Goong Baek as well.”
Was he…?
‘No matter how I think about it, Nam Goong Jong Woo never acted disrespectfully toward his older brother.’
Hong Seol had no way of knowing that Nam Goong Baek had not only seized Jong Woo’s ankle and scolded him, but had deliberately spread rumors to reach the ears of the family elders.
“In any case, Jong Woo has come to his senses now. We’ve even reconciled. And that’s all thanks to you, Hong Seol.”
With genuine gratitude, Nam Goong Mu Young bowed his head deeply once more.
“Oh, it was nothing really…”
The unexpected praise from an elder was as sweet as honey. Hong Seol’s cheeks flushed with embarrassment.
“So then, I’d like to give you a gift.”
“A gift?”
At this unexpected offer, Hong Seol tilted her head curiously.
“Yes, what do you think it might be?”
Could it be something like candy?
“…Candy?”
At those words, Nam Goong Mu Young’s face flushed red and purple before a booming laugh erupted from him.
“What are you saying!”
The stubborn old man pounded his chest with both palms.
“I am Elder Judge Nam Goong Mu Young! Even so, I control the largest merchant guild in Hefei!”
As he spoke, Nam Goong Mu Young pinched his thumb and forefinger together to form the shape of money.
Though his appearance seemed fierce, his true nature was entirely different.
Hong Seol’s eyes, which had been watching Nam Goong Mu Young’s gestures with wide wonder, began to fill with pure, innocent laughter.
This is fun!
This grandfather is fun!
Hong Seol’s eyes sparkled—she had never met someone of common street origins before in her life.
“Would I, of all people, give you something as trivial as candy and call it thanks?”
“Wow!”
Her anticipation growing, Hong Seol swallowed hard. Her small hands trembled with excitement. Seeing this, Nam Goong Mu Young couldn’t help but smile warmly.
“I’ll give you the chance to choose between two gifts.”
“What are they?”
“The first is clothing.”
Nam Goong Mu Young withdrew a box wrapped in silk cloth. The container was crafted from pale jade that shimmered with a soft blue luminescence.
My gaze snapped toward the box.
‘Such meticulous wrapping… it must be quite a precious garment.’
My cheeks flushed warm, and my heart began to race.
Click.
When Nam Goong Mu Young unfastened the clasp and lifted out the clothing.
“Huh?”
I couldn’t help but let out a sound of surprise.
What lay in Nam Goong Mu Young’s hands was an utterly worn martial robe.
Though it bore no holes or tears, the sleeves were completely faded—unmistakably an ancient artifact.
It resembled a burial shroud freshly exhumed from a tomb, decayed and fragile.
Noticing my disappointment, Nam Goong Mu Young chuckled knowingly.
“Does it not please you?”
“Oh, no, it’s not that at all.”
My face burning, I waved my hand dismissively.
‘He went to all this trouble to prepare something for me—I mustn’t show such a disappointed expression!’
Forcing brightness into my expression, I asked.
“What about the other gift?”
My disappointment was transparent, yet I concealed it and inquired about the next present.
A knowing smile played at the corners of Nam Goong Mu Young’s mouth.
“The other gift, unlike this worn garment, is something you desire greatly.”
‘Something I desire greatly?’
What could that be?
Nam Goong Mu Young leaned close and whispered mysteriously to me, my eyes still blinking in confusion.
“Don’t you wish to become a member of the Nam Goong Family?”
My heart plummeted at those words.
“H-how did you know…?”
So startled was I that I spoke my innermost thoughts aloud, then immediately gasped at my own words.
‘I never dared voice it, fearing I’d be called shameless…’
It felt as though my most carefully guarded secret had been exposed, and shame washed over me.
“Because I felt the same way. Once anyone gazes upon Nam Goong’s azure sky, they become enchanted by it.”
Especially a child with nowhere else to belong.
I flushed deeply, biting my lip in silence.
My small hands remained clasped together respectfully.
“…Can I truly become a member of the Nam Goong Family?”
“Of course. If there were no way, I would never have mentioned it.”
“How?”
Curiosity ignited within me as I blinked. Nam Goong Mu Young spoke with a coaxing tone.
“The answer is simple… you need only marry into the family.”
“Marry?”
“That’s right. A man and woman pledge to spend their lives together and announce it to the world.”
“Can anyone marry into the Nam Goong Family?”
“No, that won’t do. You must marry someone who bears the Nam Goong name to become a member of the Nam Goong Family.”
“I see….”
Hong Seol fell into contemplation, then spoke carefully, gauging my reaction.
Her tone betrayed deep reluctance, yet she hesitated, fearing her words might wound me.
“But I really don’t want to marry grandfather….”
“What, what!”
Nam Goong Mu Young, utterly flabbergasted, exhaled sharply. In that moment, Hong Seol added hesitantly:
“I’m sorry, but… I prefer handsome faces….”
Was this the pure cruelty of a child plucking the wings from a dragonfly?
Her downcast eyes, so genuinely apologetic, only twisted my insides further.
“No, I was once quite… that’s not the point! What in the world is going through that walnut-sized head of yours?”
By now, Nam Goong Mu Young’s sparse crown had flushed crimson.
“This old man has a grandmother waiting at home—one I’d never tire of looking at, understand! Don’t you dare repeat such nonsense anywhere else!”
“Then why did you even mention marriage in the first place?”
“Hmm. I had another Nam Goong child in mind as your match.”
My match?
For reasons I couldn’t explain, in that instant Hong Seol found herself thinking of a boy with beautiful silver hair.
“My grandson Nam Goong Jong Woo. Quite handsome, wouldn’t you say?”
At those words, Hong Seol’s mouth snapped shut.
Not that she could call him ugly, but he didn’t captivate her eyes.
Having already beheld Nam Goong Baek, Heuk, and Jeok—rumored to be the most beautiful in the entire history of the Nam Goong Family—Hong Seol’s standards had been set.
“Hmm….”
“If you marry Jong Woo, you’ll become a member of the Nam Goong Family. Moreover, you’ll gain a real family.”
Family?
At that word, my heart plummeted.
‘Nam Goong Jong Woo’s family—the ones who came to cheer at the martial competition—would become my family?’
Nam Goong Jong Woo’s mother and father, their cheers brimming with concern and encouragement.
That was truly what Hong Seol desired. More than the Nam Goong name itself.
Nam Goong Mu Young cleared his throat loudly.
“Of course, I would become your grandfather too. Then I swear with all my heart that I will protect you, Hong Seol, for the rest of your life.”
Because that’s what family does.
Hong Seol’s heart trembled profoundly.
“So, which will you choose? This worn-out old man, or the Nam Goong name and a real family?”
“I… I….”
After a long hesitation, Hong Seol drew a deep breath and spoke in one rush:

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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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