Baby Lynx of the Tiger Family - Chapter 14

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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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Baby Lynx of the Tiger Clan
Chapter 14
Bariya couldn’t tear her eyes from the window for the entire ride in the carriage.
Back when Sirka had dragged her here, this road had looked like a road to ruin.
And now here she was, riding in a carriage with Sabrina, the master of the Kalif, and Sirka, sightseeing as if it were the most ordinary thing in the world.
Life really was full of surprises.
“This mansion’s pretty far from the city, isn’t it?”
They had left the gate behind a good while ago, passing through that endless, winding garden she still hadn’t gotten used to, and yet the carriage was still rolling along a forest path.
The sunlight pouring through the green leaves was lovely, but she hadn’t expected the place to be so remote, and it fascinated her.
“Khalif Mansion sits deep in the mountains. I don’t like noise, and I don’t want the villagers feeling they have to mind their manners around us.”
“Doesn’t that make it hard to rush over whenever something happens in the territory?”
Sirka lifted one shoulder in a shrug.
“Not really. We’re far faster than horses or carriages. We can get there in no time at all.”
“…”
Bariya shot Sirka a withering glare.
‘In no time? I ran for three hours and still couldn’t even get out of the mansion grounds!’
Sure, she was still young, and a lynx was a good deal smaller than a tiger, but still!
The memory came rushing back, and heat flooded her face.
“Must be nice to be so big.”
“Eat plenty of meat and train hard, little one, and you’ll grow in no time. You’ll be running as fast as we do before you know it, so don’t you worry.”
“Of course!”
Bariya wasn’t just any cat. She was a lynx Beastkin, and one that was close to a Spirit Beast, no less!
She would grow into a lynx greater than any tiger!
“Still, it’s nice how quiet it is. The Hyena Mansion is right in the middle of the city.”
She had been locked away in Marina Mansion since the day she was born, but there had been that one time.
When she escaped in her mother’s arms, that was the first time she’d ever seen the outside world.
Around the mansion, which sprawled over its wide gardens, stood all sorts of dazzling buildings.
Bariya, who had spent seven years living alone with Claire in a windowless back room, had been furious at the sight of it.
They lived in all this splendor, and yet they treated us like dirt!
“Those people are soaked in vanity.”
Sabrina scoffed.
“They want to see the villagers groveling before them. Truly pitiful creatures.”
At Sabrina’s helpful explanation, Bariya’s face twisted as though she’d bitten into something rotten.
“Why do they live like that? What on earth is their problem?”
Did the whole lot of them have something wrong with their heads?
“A normal person can never understand an abnormal one. There’s no need to bother with the workings of those people’s minds.”
Sabrina stroked Bariya’s head awkwardly as she spoke.
“What matters is that those people won’t hesitate to kill others for the sake of their greed. Those kinds don’t deserve your understanding.”
She was right.
Deceiving Spirit Beasts for the sake of Authority, then abusing a child the moment things didn’t go their way. It was only natural not to understand the minds of people like that.
“I can’t stand the sight of those Hyena people.”
“Yes, well, neither can we.”
Sabrina said it with something close to a sigh.
“Ah, little one. That’s the city over there.”
At Sirka’s words, Bariya immediately pressed her forehead against the window.
“So this is…”
The moment they left the forest, an open expanse unfolded, and buildings began appearing one after another.
The neatly kept roads were clean, and the buildings stood straight and tidy, without a single jagged edge.
People walking past with cheerful faces would recognize the Kalif carriage and bow their heads slightly.
The whole place had a peaceful, warm atmosphere.
“Well, I have to say, it’s a bit of a surprise.”
At her honest remark, Sirka laughed.
“Why? Did you think a beast village would be loud and chaotic?”
“Something like that.”
Beastkin of the predator kind have far stronger instincts than the herbivorous kinds, and they generally follow the law of the jungle, where the strong eat the weak.
That was why Mother had urged her, again and again, that if she had to hide, she should go to the lands of the herbivorous Beastkin rather than the lands of the predators.
‘And yet somehow I’ve ended up with a tiger Beastkin, and a family of the clan chieftain at that.’
I wonder what Mother would have said if she knew.
No one forced this on her. It was her own choice.
“Come on, let’s get out.”
The carriage stopped, and Sabrina climbed out first.
Sirka lifted Bariya into her arms and followed after her.
I don’t know why she insisted on carrying me when I’m ten years old and not a baby, but whatever.
She’d volunteered to be my legs, so there was no reason to refuse. Bariya stayed right where she was, nestled in Sirka’s arms.
Honestly, it was rather comfortable.
“Welcome, Madam, Young Family Head.”
In front of a building that was dazzlingly ornate and steeped in old-fashioned elegance.
The woman who had come out to greet them bowed her head.
“It’s been a while, Madam.”
“Yes, Young Family Head. It’s been since you had your New Year Assembly outfit tailored this year, hasn’t it?”
The woman wore a dress that looked both comfortable to move in and thoroughly sophisticated.
A gown that leaned more toward grace than flash suited her remarkably well.
“It’s been ages since I’ve seen you, Madam. It’s been years, I think, and you haven’t changed a bit.”
“I’m trying not to age. I need to stay healthy for something I have to do.”
“I always pray that you stay healthy for many years to come, Madam.”
Madam, who knew exactly what that something was, spoke with a sorrowful face.
“And that young lady over there…?”
“Ah, say hello, sweetheart. This is Madam Renoir, Kalif’s personal tailor. She’s a Puma Beastkin with a remarkable touch with a needle.”
Renoir, with her red hair, smiled brightly.
“I’m Bariya Bell.”
“She’s a child under our sponsorship, Madam. You’ll be seeing a lot of her from now on.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss. Please, just call me Madam.”
Madam Renoir was quick to read the room. Seeing how carefully Sirka, the Young Family Head, held the girl, she understood at once that Bariya was someone important.
Wisely, she bowed her head to Bariya with the same courtesy she had shown Sabrina and Sirka.
“I need to have some clothes made for the little one. You do make children’s clothing, don’t you?”
“Of course! There’s no kind of clothing I can’t make. Please, come inside.”
Renoir led the three of them straight to the fitting room.
The people looking over garments in the fitting room saw them and immediately lowered their heads.
“M-Madam, Young Family Head. It’s an honor to see you.”
It was a simple greeting, yet somehow everyone stood up stiffly straight.
Bariya watched the people with curiosity, since they were faces she hadn’t seen at Khalif Mansion.
“Don’t mind us. Get back to your work.”
When Sabrina waved a hand carelessly, the people flinched.
So it seems it’s Sabrina they fear, not Sirka.
“Oh, Madam!”
But there was one who approached without any fear.
Of all the Beastkin here, she was the most splendidly dressed woman.
“It’s been a truly long time since I last saw you.”
The woman glided toward them and bowed gracefully.
Sabrina, who had been about to climb the stairs and was now interrupted, scrunched her face up sharply.
“What?”
“I’m Obli of the Gloss Family. I’ve had the honor of greeting you a few times before.”
But Obli didn’t lose her composure in the slightest.
Instead, she regarded Sabrina and Sirka with an air of ease.
Then she spotted Bariya in Sirka’s arms and stiffened slightly, though only for a moment.
“Um, that child…?”
“She’s under Kalif’s patronage.”
“Ah…! I-I see. I hadn’t heard the news yet…”
“Our girl is terribly shy around strangers. We’ll be going now.”
Sirka brushed past Obli and climbed the stairs.
Sabrina had long since gone up to the upper floor alone.
Because Bariya was being held in Sirka’s arms, she could see what was below.
Obli stood there with dark eyes, staring endlessly at the back of Sirka’s head.
“The Gloss Family, right? The ones who keep sending over marriage proposals for no good reason.”
The second floor, reserved for distinguished guests.
The moment she sank onto a wide sofa, Sabrina blurted it out.
As Sirka settled Bariya down beside her, she let out a sigh.
“That’s right. I’ve already turned them down three times. Since they saw me today, they’ll be back again.”
“Sirka, are you getting married?”
Bariya’s eyes went wide and round.
No wonder that look she kept giving Sirka seemed so odd.
Was it the look of a one-sided crush?
“I’ll have to, someday. I need an heir to carry on the family line. But not now. I have things I need to do.”
“So that’s why you turned her down?”
“I turned down the family, not the daughter. Honestly, the girl doesn’t seem bad at all. It’s the family that’s the problem.”
Sabrina corrected herself.
“I’m sick and tired of greedy people.”
Judging by the bone-chilling way she muttered that, it seemed the Gloss Family had made itself guilty of greed as well.
“That’s a real headache, isn’t it?”
Bariya, who had suffered from greed since the day she was born, understood at once.
Why on earth are there so many greedy people in this world?
“All right, let’s start with the baby’s clothes. What should we look at first?”
Bariya didn’t have many outfits.
That was because the little one had never shown any interest in anything but her nightclothes and a comfortable dress.
So today, Sabrina and Sirka had come prepared, having steeled themselves to buy proper clothes.
Surely Bariya will change her mind once she sees some pretty outfits!
“What about this one, little one?”
Buoyed by that hope, Sirka proudly held up the most eye-catching yellow dress.
Frills trimming the sleeves and hem, a big ribbon across the bodice, and even sparkling jewels.
It was a dress that any child would be sure to covet at first sight.
Sirka looked at Bariya with an expectant face.

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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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