Baby Lynx of the Tiger Family - Chapter 24

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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 Wildcat of the Tiger Clan
Chapter 24
A man who’s lived this long, asking such a rude question so openly in a crowd like this.
‘Looks like he thinks I’m still a kid he can push around. He’s got the wrong Beastkin!’
“Ahem. I am Kalvin Glosa, Clan Head of Glosa, one of Kalif’s Vassal Families.”
Whispers rippled through the crowd, and Kalvin, apparently sensing the room’s eyes on him, finally gave his name.
Well, well. He’s a Vassal Family, too.
“Oh, I see.”
“…Is that all?”
“Was there something more I should say?”
Bariya blinked wide and tilted her head.
Honestly, she wasn’t feeling well, nor was she glad to see him, so no proper greeting came to mind.
Baiden had already introduced her to everyone, so there was no need to repeat it.
And there was nothing more to tell beyond her name.
‘About being a Tabby Beastkin…’
The people of Kalif still believed she was a cat Beastkin.
Before, she had hidden it on purpose, not wanting to reveal too much to them.
‘I think it’s fine to tell them now.’
Ever since learning that Kalif, unlike Marina, already possessed Authority, I’ve definitely felt much more at ease.
‘And I want to be the first to tell Kalif.’
I don’t want to say it in front of that detestable old man and everyone else, so in the end, I have nothing to say at all.
I admit it. The truth is, I simply don’t like Kalvin Glosa.
Who told him to glare at me with such a disgusting look, anyway?
“Well, then…”
“In that case, I’ll take my leave, since I have nothing to say~”
Kalvin opened his mouth, but Bariya ignored him and spun on her heel.
She heard the people around them snickering.
He tried to embarrass her, so he’ll just have to bear being embarrassed himself.
Perhaps because of the spat with Kalvin, no one approached her anymore, so Bariya stood near a pillar and looked around the Banquet Hall.
Baiden was still dancing, holding onto Sabrina, who looked like she was ready to die.
Sirka wasn’t dancing at all; she was only chatting with the young ladies.
It’s a bit boring, but if I pulled Sirka out of there, I’d probably get some terrifying glares, right?
Especially since everyone has mistaken her for the heir’s prospective fiancée.
‘The heir must be so tired. A mere ten-year-old, and everyone’s on edge, afraid he’s about to get a fiancée.’
Still, it’s a relief I was born a wildcat and not a hyena.
If I’d been a hyena, I would have been caught by Marina right away, made to live as they wished, and forced to marry whoever they picked for me.
Ugh, just imagining it makes my skin crawl and I feel like I’m going to be sick.
‘Though even in this wildcat body, I wasn’t completely free.’
As memories of what happened in Marina flickered through her mind, a sigh escaped her on its own.
Krrung.
Just then, Hwaiteu came over to her, a blue ribbon tied around his neck, and nuzzled her face.
“What’s wrong?”
When she stroked his head, Hwaiteu purred *gareureung* and settled down beside her, pressing his rear against her side.
“Do I look upset?”
Krrung.
“Thanks for worrying about me.”
Bariya smiled and leaned comfortably against Hwaiteu.
Running her hands through his soft, sweet-smelling fur, she felt her heart settle on its own.
Our first meeting went so badly, and yet now he’s the one comforting me.
Just like my relationship with Kalif.
“Excuse me.”
Hardly had her mood lifted when a beautiful woman with lustrous golden hair, dressed in a snow-white gown, approached.
“I am Obli, daughter of Kalvin Glosa, Clan Head of Glosa. I offer my greetings to the honored guest of Kalif.”
Bariya was a little surprised by the courteous greeting.
Hasn’t she seen her father just get into it with me?
“…I’m Bariya Bell. We met before at Madame Renoir’s dress shop, didn’t we?”
“Thank you for remembering me. I’m afraid I didn’t get the chance to greet you properly back then.”
“It wasn’t exactly the moment for that, was it?”
“It is an honor to finally be able to greet the honored guest of Kalif, even belatedly. …I also wish to apologize on my father’s behalf for his rudeness.”
Well, look at that?
Far off, Kalvin Glosa stood with his face flushed red, breathing hard through his nose.
But no one moved to console him or take his side.
Only one person was looking out for him: his daughter Obli, who was apologizing on her father’s behalf for his rudeness.
“Of course, I know my apology means little. But I don’t think it would be proper for us to remain silent forever.”
Unlike her father, Obli seemed to know shame, her two hands clasped tightly together.
Now that I looked closely, her face was slightly red as well.
“I won’t dare ask for your forgiveness. I only hope my apology might ease your feelings, even a little.”
An apology is only worth receiving from someone who knows no shame.
Though from Obli, it’s worth nothing to me.
“I’ll accept Miss Obli’s apology.”
I have no wish to belittle the courage it took for her to speak.
“Still, someday I’d like to hear an apology from the Glosa Clan Head as well. I was deeply hurt.”
Because of that, the unpleasant memories of what happened in Marina came rushing back.
“I hope the day comes when your father recognizes his own wrongdoing.”
Obli smiled bitterly.
She didn’t turn away from her father’s wrongs, but it seemed she held no hope that he would ever change his ways.
“Is power really that appealing?”
“Pardon?”
It was a question I had always wondered about but never dared to ask anyone.
In Marina, of course, there had been no one to ask.
And Kalif’s Chieftain was the last person whose answer would mean anything.
So for the first time, Bariya voiced the question she had been forced to swallow.
“What’s so special about the Chieftain’s seat that everyone wants it so badly?”
Bariya’s father, Darius Mariner, was a man, not a woman, so he hadn’t even been allowed to challenge for the Chieftain’s seat.
So he had tried to gain power indirectly, by fathering a daughter who wielded Authority.
But when he saw that his daughter had been born a bobcat rather than a hyena, he flew into a rage and abused both the lover he had shared his bed with and their child.
Why?
What on earth was power worth, anyway?
“Right? I’m curious too.”
Contrary to Bariya’s expectations, Obli seemed to have no answer to that question either.
“I don’t understand why it’s necessary either, but everyone around me keeps pressing it on me.”
Obli smiled bitterly once more.
“What, Miss Obli, don’t you want to marry Sirka?”
“I know the young family head is a good man. He’s a truly admirable candidate for the next Clan Head.”
Handsome, strong, and principled, he was also the son of Chieftain Baiden, who was known as a devoted lover.
Even without being the heir, he had more than enough charm to spare.
Yet Obli didn’t seem interested in that charm at all.
She felt only a sense of duty to become engaged to Sirka because of her father’s greed for power.
“Well, so we’re comrades after all.”
Once I understood Obli’s true feelings, the tension drained out of me.
She, too, was just a victim of greed.
“If you really hate it that much, you could just leave home.”
“Pardon?”
At Bariya’s words, Obli’s eyes widened.
It was Bariya who was surprised by the look on her face, as if the thought had never once crossed her mind.
“Aren’t you an adult? You’re old enough to get by on your own.”
She wasn’t a herbivore; Obli was a tiger Beastkin from a Vassal Family of Kalif, no less.
She had both the strength and the money to survive on her own.
“If you really hate it, you should figure out a way to make a life for yourself. Even I’m only ten years old.”
“T-ten? I’m so sorry. I didn’t… ”
“It’s all right. I look older than I am, don’t I?”
How many people in this Banquet Hall had noticed that Bariya was only ten?
Since coming to Kalif, she had eaten well and grown a little, but she still had a long way to go.
“Life was pretty harsh for me. But you’re not like that, Miss Obli. You’re healthy, you come from a prestigious family, so I’m sure you’ve learned a lot, and you even have money.”
“…”
“Think it over. Are you being forced into something you truly hate, or are you turning away from it because you’re afraid to step off the path you’re on?”
The reason Claire endured seven years of Marina’s abuse was that she had been waiting until Bariya was old enough to survive the grueling life of running away.
She could have survived if she had abandoned Bariya and fled alone, yet instead she gave her life for her young daughter.
That isn’t to say Obli has to go that far.
Claire was a Spirit Beast, and Obli had only just come of age.
But if she truly wants to stand on her own, she’ll need to be prepared for the cost.
“I’m offering this advice as a comrade.”
“…”
“And just so you know, I have absolutely no intention of getting engaged to Sirka, so don’t you dare misunderstand.”
With that, Bariya dashed off to Sabrina, who had finally escaped from her dance purgatory with Baiden.
It was only that we both had greedy fathers, and I felt a sort of kinship.
The choice belongs to Obli.
“Did something happen?”
Sabrina scooped Bariya up effortlessly and asked.
Her gaze was sharp as it flicked between Obli, standing there dazed, and Kalvin, who was still fuming.
“Something did happen, but I’m fine. It’s my first time attending a banquet, so a little incident like this is only proper.”
Besides, didn’t you say banquets are just verbal battlegrounds?
If nothing had happened, I’d have been disappointed.
“And I handled it well, so there’s no need to worry.”
If Obli rejects the engagement to Sirka and leaves the house, Kalvin’s plan will be utterly shattered.
Wouldn’t that feel far more satisfying than punching him right in the nose?
‘I hope Obli makes the right decision.’
Bariya grinned from ear to ear.

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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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