Baby Lynx of the Tiger Family - Chapter 20

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

Baby Calico of the Tiger Clan
Chapter 20
Bariya couldn’t sleep a wink that night.
The terror of what would have happened if not for her Authority, the fear that she might really have died.
Not just putting someone to sleep, but using her power properly for the first time, to the point of fever. That thrill.
The fear of having her Authority discovered.
And on top of it all, the overwhelming joy of having saved someone, thanks to the power she’d always been so desperate to hide.
So many emotions crashed over her at once that sleep simply wouldn’t come.
On top of that, a hope had begun to bloom: since Kalif already possessed Authority, they wouldn’t covet her ability the way Marina had. She spent the night almost wide awake.
That’s why she’d been agonizing over how she was supposed to face the Kalif family come morning…
‘Lucky charm? Honored guest? A banquet?!’
What on earth is all this about?
“There’s no guarantee the same thing won’t happen again. And if you get hurt, we have no standing to protest to Marina.”
Sabrina calmly explained to the bewildered Bariya.
“We’re nothing more than a contractual arrangement. When something happens to you, we have no legal grounds to step in and help.”
“So we intend to announce that you are an honored guest, one the Kalif holds in high regard.”
Sirka chimed in to explain as well.
“But legally, we still aren’t related at all.”
“Still, it gives us a pretext. Anyone who lays a hand on someone we’ve officially declared our honored guest is effectively declaring war on us.”
A pretext matters more than you’d think.
Especially among people like them, who aren’t bound by any legal ties.
‘Honestly, it would be far easier if we just became the little one’s guardians.’
But Bariya hasn’t fully opened her heart to the Kalif yet. That would weigh on her.
That can wait until the child settles in. For now, building the pretext comes first.
“Since it’s important to spread the word, we’ll have to invite guests too. Not just the Kalif’s vassal families, but the other beast clans as well.”
Having said that, Sabrina stole a glance at Bariya’s face.
“…Of course, it’s not a demand. The choice is yours. If you’d rather not be seen in public, we’ll find another way.”
If Bariya grew burdened by it and slipped away one night in secret, that would be a problem, so Sabrina chose her words with the utmost care.
Now Bariya was no longer simply an ally who would take revenge on the Hyena alongside them.
She was the Kalif’s precious benefactor, someone who had to be protected at all costs.
“As I’ve said before, I’m tired of running away.”
Bariya blew away Sabrina’s worries in a single stroke.
“Of course, the thought of standing before so many people frightens me. But since I’ve decided to fight the Hyena, I have to overcome that too.”
So I can do it.
Once Bariya made up her mind, the faces of the three Beastkin of the Kalif softened considerably.
“It’s best to hold the banquet as soon as possible, so let’s make it a week from now.”
“What do I need to do?”
She should have attended parties like this before.
The most she’d ever experienced was a modest birthday celebration with just her mother.
So, to be honest, she felt more anticipation than fear.
“All the little one has to do is one thing.”
And what would that be?
When Bariya tilted her head, Sirka grinned.
Suddenly, a deep unease began to creep over her.

‘So that was what I had to do.’
Bariya grew busy starting the very next day.
“What a pleasure to see you again so soon, Miss!”
“Good morning, Madame.”
She exchanged a brief greeting with the ever-cheerful tailor, Madame Renoir.
That’s right.
There was really only one thing she had to do for the banquet.
“Shall we get you fitted for a gown for the banquet, then?”
It was all about getting dressed up.
“Miss, you have such lovely, soft honey-colored hair. I think you’ll suit any color.”
Madame held up fabrics of various shades against Bariya’s still body, one after another.
Pastel tones suited her, and perhaps because the child’s features were so distinct, bolder colors looked surprisingly good on her too.
“Do you have any particular color you prefer?”
At Madame’s question, Bariya shook her head.
She had never lived a life where she could freely choose colors, so there was no way she’d have a favorite.
“Hmm, what should we do, madam?”
In the end, Madame turned to Sabrina for help.
Sabrina didn’t so much as glance at the bolts of colorful fabric draped over Bariya’s body. She spoke without hesitation.
“Blue.”
“Hm?”
“A deep, vivid blue. That’s what I want.”
“Oh, I have just the thing.”
Madame draped over Bariya the most expensive and richest blue cloth she’d brought along.
It was an elusive shade, somewhere between navy and a bright sapphire that came alive whenever the light caught it.
“Mm, good. Let’s use that cloth as the main piece on a white base, and embroider it with gold thread. That should do nicely.”
“My, your eye is as sharp as ever.”
Madame Renoir, already seized by inspiration, began sketching frantically.
“The little one doesn’t like frills, so we’ll go with lace. For ribbons, several small ones rather than a single big one. And skip the flowers for the embroidery. Use something else.”
Sirka, peering over Madame’s sketches, even added a string of detailed requests of her own.
Bariya is the one who’ll be wearing it, yet I can’t figure out why Sabrina and Sirka are so much more serious about this.
‘Do they just like clothes?’
Now that I think about it, the two of them were the more eager ones the last time we went to the dressmaker’s too.
“And what about accessories?”
“Accessories, hm. She’s still so young. I doubt heavy jewelry would suit her.”
Jewelry?!
“I don’t want jewelry!”
Bariya shot to her feet, balling her fists tight, and shouted.
Do you know how scary it is to carry around stuff like that? I’d be terrified of losing it!
And I don’t even have money to pay it back!
“But it would be unthinkable for a guest of the Kalif to go without a single gem.”
Tairin, who had been standing by silently, threw herself into the fray as well.
“She’s right. It would be a shame not to show off the Kalif’s prestige.”
But not one of them paid any attention to what Bariya had said.
You can’t hang a heavy necklace on a child who hasn’t filled out much yet, and you can’t slide rings onto those little fingers either.
And piercing her ears isn’t exactly an option either.
That leaves only one thing.
“A pretty hair ornament would be best.”
At Tairin’s solemn pronouncement, everyone nodded and leaned their heads together once more.
“How about a stunning headdress?”
“She’ll break her neck, Mother. And wearing something like that would hide the little one’s looks. Her adorable face deserves to be shown off to the whole world.”
“Exactly. So how about a cute little hat like this?”
“That might do for an outing, but it’s wrong for introducing her to people for the first time. Wouldn’t it be better to tie her hair up with ribbon ties like these?”
“Hm, not bad at all.”
The four of them began to deliberate, tying and untying Bariya’s hair over and over.
I’d only bought ready-made clothes last time, so I had no idea. Who knew getting a single dress tailored could be this complicated and exhausting?
“Do we really have to go this far?”
Bariya asked the group, who had gone back to whispering among themselves about whatever they’d decided.
“Oh my, the young lady must be worn out. But since Madam and the Young Family Head asked us to, we’ve kept it as simple as we possibly could. We can’t cut it any further, so please bear with us, miss.”
“Wait, you call this simple?”
Bariya nearly jumped out of her skin at Madame’s words.
“Yes. For the grand banquets held by a Chieftain Family, preparations usually begin a full month in advance.”
What on earth do they do that it takes a whole month just to prepare for one party…?
Bariya grew bewildered by a world she simply couldn’t comprehend.
Sabrina tidied up Bariya’s confusion with a single sentence.
“A banquet is, in the end, just another battlefield.”
“A battlefield?”
“Which is why suits and gowns are no different from battle gear. Never treat them lightly.”
Right, right.
Madame and Tairin nodded in agreement with Sabrina’s words.
“Is that so…?”
“Nobody throws punches, but they fight with the blade of words instead. Of course, if things get heated, a punch or two might fly now and then.”
A battlefield. Battle gear.
Bariya’s expression turned grave.
Whenever there was a party at the Mariner Family, it was loud enough to reach the rooms down in the basement.
So the fighting was all with words?!
“Then I can’t lose.”
The lazy glint in Bariya’s eyes suddenly sharpened.
When it came to a brawl, she never lost either!
“Let’s go!”
“That’s the spirit!”
At Bariya’s eager display, everyone grinned warmly and piled in.
And so, bit by bit, Bariya’s first battle outfit began to take shape.
* * *
Kalif was the most notable family for rarely holding banquets.
The lady of the house, Sabrina, was at the mansion for fewer than ten days a year, and none of the direct Kalif bloodline had much interest in feasts to begin with.
At most there was the New Year Assembly, or the birthday banquets for the Clan Head and the Young Family Head—and Sabrina’s own birthday banquet never happened at all.
That’s why the Tiger Clan’s Beastkin had to soothe their longing with banquets held by other families.
And then, one day.
<Kalif will hold a banquet to welcome an honored guest. All Vassal Families are to attend.>
The sudden official notice from Kalif sent every vassal into an uproar.
“An honored guest of Kalif, no less!”
And the Gloss Family, one of Kalif’s vassals, was no different.

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