A Baby Cat Who Commands the Dog Clan - Chapter 29

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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 29
“…Yes, I ordered Hong Seol to wear that dress.”
Nam Goong On’s hand trembled visibly on the table. He barely managed to suppress the emotion rising in his throat.
“Why would you do such a thing?”
“I hoped you would finally come to your senses.”
Nam Goong Ho regarded his son with pitying eyes.
“Three years have already passed. How much longer will you cling to a silk robe with no owner, lost in memories of a child you’ve already lost?”
Nam Goong On’s jaw clenched at those words.
I understood he spoke out of concern for me. Yet my wounds remained too fresh to accept such counsel.
“Now think of those who remain in this house. Starting with Baek Yi’s health and extending to reconciliation with Yu Hwa—there is much for you to do here.”
He spoke with sorrow, watching his son constantly abandon the estate to escape painful memories.
But in that moment, something hot and unnamed surged violently within Nam Goong On.
‘Yet you still yearn for Mother, do you not, Father?’
Nam Goong On caught himself before the words could escape.
He sensed the presence of a small child arriving with Wi Sa from beyond the door.
‘So Hong Seol has come.’
If I were to cry out with such emotion here, the child would surely be startled half to death.
“Haa….”
Nam Goong On forced down his anger.
Witnessing this, Nam Goong Ho’s expression grew bitter.
‘Indeed, he is kind.’
His son seemed to be the very image of his mother’s gentle nature.
And it was precisely that tenderness, coupled with his prudence, that had made Nam Goong On the family head.
‘Though Yeol’s martial prowess surpasses On’s….’
Born of the same mother, yet Nam Goong Yeol’s hands were uniquely cruel.
He was notorious for employing any method to claim victory in combat. Even in formal martial contests against the scions of prestigious clans, he showed some restraint.
But in street brawls, he would not hesitate to throw sand in an opponent’s eyes to seize advantage.
Against someone like Heuk, who had no backing, he would not merely beat him savagely—he would sever limbs and tongue alike, crippling their martial arts entirely.
And that was not all.
The slightest quarrel at a tavern would result in collective punishment, with even young servants forced to kneel on cold stone.
‘I cannot entrust the Nam Goong Family to such a man.’
He had hoped Nam Goong On’s superior strategy would compensate for any gap in martial ability.
Yet the elders seemed to think otherwise.
Especially as Nam Goong Yeol defeated him in the martial competitions held each year, their complaints grew louder.
‘Have I made a grave error?’
People valued what they could see far more than he had anticipated.
A defeat witnessed on the martial stage was spoken of far more than the merit of repelling a numerical horde.
“Come in.”
Creak.
The moment Hong Seol stepped through the threshold, she nearly jumped out of her skin in surprise.
Nam Goong On’s dark eyes fixed directly on Hong Seol, and the emotion gleaming in that gaze was anything but benevolent.
‘So that’s the head of the Nam Goong Family!’
Her small hands, gripping the hem of her garment tightly, trembled visibly.
But before Hong Seol could offer a greeting, Nam Goong Ho’s puzzled voice cut through the air.
“Wait, Seol… what are you wearing?”
Hong Seol was dressed not in the silk robes she normally wore, but in threadbare, worn-out clothes.
They were a gift she’d received from Elder Judge Nam Goong Mu Young not long ago.
“Why on earth… never mind. First, offer a proper greeting.”
At Nam Goong Ho’s call, Hong Seol hesitantly approached them. Her hands clasped delicately before her, her nervousness was plainly evident.
“I’m, I’m Hong Seol.”
Hong Seol’s eyes darted about uncertainly.
She was trying to figure out on her own how to show proper respect to the head of the Nam Goong Family.
But Hong Seol, who had grown up estranged from her parents, had learned precious little from the Nam Goong Family Estate…
“It is an honor to meet you, Family Head!”
Hong Seol wrapped her small fist with her other palm and bowed her head sharply.
It was the Changcheon-style fist salute that the Nam Goong Family took pride in.
Nam Goong On was utterly taken aback.
‘Young girls rarely perform that greeting…’
It was clear she hadn’t been properly taught, but had merely imitated what she’d glimpsed and overheard from the warriors’ shoulders.
‘Just an innocent child who knows nothing.’
Realizing he’d been angry at such a child, he felt his own spirit deflate in shame.
Nam Goong On asked in a slightly gentler tone.
“Why have you come dressed in such clothes?”
This was the occasion of a formal first greeting to the Family Head. Surely it was only proper to wear one’s finest garments.
“That is… well…”
Though his tone wasn’t accusatory, Hong Seol flinched at his question and bowed her head deeply. Though unseen, even her toes curled inside her shoes.
“Because the silk robes Grandfather gave me aren’t really mine.”
“What?”
“I found out today.”
Hong Seol mumbled with her head lowered. Her small shoulders had already begun to droop.
“There was a baby who was the original owner of those silk robes…”
A baby who would never wear those clothes again.
“If I had known beforehand, I wouldn’t have worn them so carelessly. I’m… I’m so sorry.”
Nam Goong On fell silent for a moment, stunned.
‘What am I clinging to, exactly…?’
It was his own father, Nam Goong Ho, who had given the silk robes to this unknowing child.
Yet if he blamed the child before him simply for wearing them…
‘…how pathetic of me.’
Nam Goong On had already learned through correspondence of this child’s pitiful circumstances.
To let the shadow of a dead child make a living one anxious and self-conscious—how could he allow such a thing?
My heart felt heavy.
Nam Goong On barely managed to squeeze out words to comfort the child.
“Yes, thank you for saying so.”
He released a shallow sigh and continued.
“That greeting is sufficient. You may withdraw now.”
Though the dismissal had been given, Hong Seol lingered uncertainly, unable to move her feet.
“Is there something you wish to ask?”
“Y-yes, sir. I was wondering… would it be alright if I remained at Chang Cheon Pavilion as I am?”
“What do you mean by that?”
“I heard that you are the foremost elder of the Nam Goong Family. I was afraid that perhaps you might despise me for wearing silk… and if that were the case, I could not stay with the Nam Goong Family from today onward…”
As she spoke in that measured way, the child’s nervousness was evident—she could not meet his eyes at all.
Even at a glance, it was clear she had agonized over this, and Nam Goong On’s chest suddenly tightened.
“Why would you harbor such thoughts?”
“…Because I felt sorry.”
“Sorry to whom?”
Nam Goong On asked with a voice tinged with moisture, but in truth, both questioner and answerer already knew the answer.
That child who had died without ever seeing light.
“I felt sorry toward her. She was the one who should have worn silk and been happy… but it feels as though I’ve taken her place instead…”
Even remaining at Chang Cheon Pavilion feels like I’ve stolen what was meant to be hers.
Crystal-clear tears rolled down Hong Seol’s cheeks like dewdrops.
…
After a long silence, Nam Goong On sighed and patted the child gently.
“You are the guest of the Former Family Head. I would never cast you out from Chang Cheon Pavilion.”
At those words, Hong Seol seemed to calm somewhat. Seeing her like this, Nam Goong On added without thinking.
“Unless you were an enemy of our family, that is.”
At those words, Hong Seol’s face suddenly turned ashen.
Hic!
The hiccups that had suddenly begun would not stop.
Then Nam Goong Ho called to the maidservant Mae Ran, who stood outside the door.
“Take Seol away at once and calm her down.”
Nam Goong On could not tear his gaze from Hong Seol’s retreating figure as she left with the maidservant.
It was only much later that he noticed Nam Goong Ho’s gaze fixed upon him.
“My, my. Why do you stare so intently, Father?”
“What do you make of Seol?”
At his question, Nam Goong On, who had been silent for a moment, spoke.
“…A pitiful child indeed. However, her manners will require retraining. Coming to greet us in such worn-out attire, no less.”
“It is my fault for failing to provide her with proper clothing. And besides, those were not mere rags.”
“Pardon?”

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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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