A Baby Cat Who Commands the Dog Clan - Chapter 69

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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 69
Nam Goong Ho, the culprit who had fed Hong Seol the most sweets, cleared his throat awkwardly and asked.
“Ahem, is there a problem?”
Wan Li Yi Xian sighed.
“The child’s teeth are on the verge of decay.”
“…I’ll be careful.”
“I will do the same.”
“Warn the servants as well. No sweets are to be given after taking medicinal broth.”
Only after receiving assurances from everyone did Wan Li Yi Xian leave.
* * *
Meanwhile, Nam Goong Baek, Nam Goong Heuk, and Nam Goong Jeok huddled together in Hong Seol’s quarters.
They had been denied entry for days, but only when Hong Seol’s condition improved were they finally allowed to stay by her side.
“Sob, sob, Sister. Sob, sob…”
Nam Goong Jeok’s incessant whimpering was clearly getting on Nam Goong Heuk’s nerves.
“Ugh, Jeok, why are you crying again? Stop being so annoying! The little one isn’t dead!”
“Sniff, I’m just relieved… But why won’t Sister open her eyes?”
“They said she’s sleeping!”
“But what if our Sister never wakes up!”
Jeok burst into full-throated wails. Nam Goong Heuk glanced sideways at his older brother.
As always, but especially today, his brother hadn’t spared them a single glance.
‘The older brother looks like he’s dying more than the little one.’
Now that I thought about it, I hadn’t seen my older brother take even a sip of water or a spoonful of rice the entire time Hong Seol had been lying there.
“…Hic! Hic!”
Nam Goong Jeok’s body twisted as his mouth was suddenly covered mid-sob.
Nam Goong Heuk was clamping his younger brother’s mouth shut and dragging him outside.
“Hic! Why are you doing this!”
“Let’s step out for a moment. If you make any more fuss, I think I’m going to lose it.”
In the end, the exhausted Jeok was dragged outside.
Throughout all the commotion, Nam Goong Baek remained motionless in the chair before the bed, his gaze fixed on Hong Seol’s face.
* * *
Throughout my sleep, I dreamed.
I was climbing Dae Chuk Mountain, my feet sinking deep into a blizzard, alone.
The lake, mirror-still and serene, and the snowflakes falling on my cheeks were as vivid as before.
‘Strangely, it’s not cold this time.’
It wasn’t sorrowful either. No tears fell.
‘Why is that?’
Even in the dream, I found it puzzling.
Soon the clouds that had been swirling the blizzard parted, and a clear blue sky appeared through the sunlight.
‘It’s the blue of the Nam Goong Family!’
As I shaded my eyes with one hand and gazed up at the sky in my dream.
In reality, the wind blowing through the window caused her foot resting on the sill to lift slightly.
Through that gap, a gentle breeze seeped in and softly stirred Hong Seol’s hair.
Yes, as if awakening her from slumber.
In that moment, Hong Seol’s eyes fluttered open as naturally as if she’d never been asleep.
The first sight that greeted her eyes was a silver-haired boy sprawled across the blanket covering me.
“…Older brother?”
At that voice, Nam Goong Baek’s eyes gradually opened. Still lying prone, he repeated her words as if unable to believe them.
“Seol…?”
Hong Seol gazed at him with hazy eyes and offered a weak, gentle smile.
“Older brother, were you there the entire time I was sleeping?”
Nam Goong Baek, who had been lying across Hong Seol’s blanket, finally lifted his head.
A single dried tear clung to his delicate cheek.
Seeing this, Hong Seol felt an overwhelming surge of tenderness and strange emotion.
“Because older brother was always by my side… I wasn’t cold at all on Dae Chuk Mountain.”
“Dae Chuk Mountain? What on earth are you talking about?”
Startled by her words, Nam Goong Baek leaned closer to examine Hong Seol’s face.
Her blue eyes, glistening with unshed tears, were as beautiful as precious gems.
In that instant, Hong Seol’s cheeks flushed crimson.
Seeing her fever rising, Nam Goong Baek appeared deeply concerned.
“You still haven’t fully regained your senses. I should go fetch the adults.”
Nam Goong Baek moved to rise hastily, then paused.
Hong Seol’s small hand was gripping his collar tightly.
“I’m fine, older brother. And… thank you.”
At her words, Nam Goong Baek hesitated, then turned and sat back down beside Hong Seol’s bed.
“You came to rescue me from the underground chamber, didn’t you?”
“How can you be so certain?”
“Because you’ve always protected me.”
During the An Hui Province incident, from Myo Eun Myung’s grasp, and before that, from Nam Goong Do of the Branch Family.
And though the memory was now distant, even from Nam Goong Jong Woo’s rampage on the day of the martial competition.
“….”
Meanwhile, Nam Goong Baek’s expression suggested he was holding something back with great effort.
After a moment, he spoke with grave weight.
“Promise me you won’t do this again.”
“What?”
“Promise that you won’t carelessly throw away your life for others as you did this time. That in any circumstance, you’ll prioritize your own survival above all else.”
“But surely, as a martial artist, one must uphold righteousness and loyalty…”
“Righteousness and loyalty be damned!”
When Nam Goong Baek raised his voice, Hong Seol shrank back and smiled sheepishly.
Had this been before, or had it been anyone other than Nam Goong Baek, she would have been frightened. But now was different. Hong Seol understood that his anger wasn’t meant to intimidate her.
“This is infuriating. Promise me at once!”
I gazed at the spot where Nam Goong Baek had been lying just moments before.
‘My brother was crying… because of me.’
The tear stains on the blanket were both amusing and heartbreaking.
That was why I found myself utterly unable to refuse Nam Goong Baek’s words.
“I won’t act recklessly anymore. I promise.”
* * *
“Please, let me in at once!”
An unexpected commotion erupted before the gates of the Nam Goong Estate.
A filthy beggar boy was stubbornly insisting on entering the grounds.
Thud!
“Ugh!”
Yang Do Jin, who had tried to force his way inside, was blocked by Wi Sa and tumbled backward.
Wi Sa, wiping sweat from his brow, clicked his tongue.
“First that strange beggar elder, and now why are there so many odd beggars appearing lately?”
“I’m not an odd beggar! I’m a friend of this young lady!”
The beggar boy stiffened his neck and shouted.
“Boy, I’ve served the Nam Goong Family as Wi Sa for ten years now. In all that time, I’ve never seen a young master here befriend someone like you.”
Just then, a sharp girl’s voice rang out.
“What he’s saying is true!”
“Xiao Xiao, didn’t I tell you not to stick your head out of the carriage!”
Creak.
The moment the carriage stopped, a tiny girl with a determined face leaped out from within.
“Goodness, this child!”
Despite the irritated voice of the middle-aged woman, Deng Xiao Xiao reached the gate entrance in one bound and blocked the beggar boy’s path.
Her hands were planted firmly on her hips.
“I am Deng Xiao Xiao, the only daughter of the Deng Family Estate!”
The beggar boy, who had tumbled backward, picked himself up. Deng Xiao Xiao pointed at him forcefully with her finger.
“And this is Yang Do Jin from the Beggar Sect!”
Deng Xiao Xiao thumped her chest proudly.
“We are friends of Hong Seol. Very close friends, in fact. You understand? Hong Seol—the girl staying at Chang Cheon Pavilion.”
Wi Sa stood there, bewildered.
The fine clothing worn by the girl called Deng Xiao Xiao was unmistakably that of a martial arts family, but he could not allow entry without verifying her identity.
As Wi Sa found himself at an impasse, a woman spoke up.
“I do apologize for the trouble. You should recognize my face, shouldn’t you?”
“Ah, yes! Of course. You are the lady of the Deng Family Estate.”
Wi Sa immediately bowed his head. He was familiar with Seo Shi Lady of the Deng Family Estate.
“I shall vouch for this boy Yang Do Jin’s identity as well.”
“If you say so, madam…”
Click.
The firmly closed gates of the Nam Goong Estate swung open.
“Waaaaaah!”
Deng Xiao Xiao, brimming with excitement, rushed inside. Yang Do Jin’s expression darkened momentarily before he confidently passed by Wi Sa’s side.
“Hey, Xiao Xiao!”
Seo Shi Lady called out in an attempt to stop her, but Deng Xiao Xiao had already vanished far ahead.
Seo Shi Lady let out a sigh.
“Really, does that Hong Seol girl mean so much to her?”
* * *
“Are you feeling alright?”
“Yes, thanks to you.”
I sat in the pavilion of the Back Garden with Deng Xiao Xiao and Yang Do Jin.
Seo Shi Lady from the Deng Family Estate had gone to the Medical Pharmacy to meet Bing Yu Hua.
Deng Xiao Xiao suddenly exclaimed.
“I brought you a gift!”
“A gift?”
I clasped my hands together at my chest, my heart racing with anticipation.
Since coming to live at the Nam Goong Family Estate, I had received gifts many times before, but this was my first time receiving one from a friend I’d met outside.
My heart couldn’t help but flutter.
“Wait a moment… here!”

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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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