Baby Lynx of the Tiger Family - Chapter 26

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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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The Baby Lynx of the Tiger Clan
Chapter 26
“Honestly. You’ve always been all talk and no substance, whether back then or now.”
Seeing Darius stand there with nothing to say, Rojan clicked his tongue.
Crack!
Darius clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles felt like they might snap.
“I heard you brought back a Spirit Beast, and for once you actually did something right. But how hollow must a man be to produce a lynx instead of a superior hyena? It’s truly shameful.”
Riding on the clan head’s coattails, Rojan belittled him with a swagger in his step.
“You—!”
“Darius Mariner.”
Just as Darius, unable to hold back any longer, was about to fire back—
Clan Head Belodic’s mouth opened for the first time.
Darius, whose fury had been burning to the top of his head, and Rojan, who had been eagerly tearing him down at every chance, both snapped their mouths shut at once.
Belodic’s heavy, suffocating pheromone pressed down on the entire study.
The color drained from both Darius’s and Rojan’s faces.
“You know well enough where you went wrong.”
“…I’m sorry for showing such inadequacy, Clan Head.”
Darius dropped to his knees at once.
He had already lost Belodic’s trust—not only had he let Claire and Bariya slip through his fingers three years ago, but he had also gotten Claire killed.
If he fell out of favor any further, he might lose his place in the Mariner household altogether.
To Belodic, what mattered was the clan’s standing, not some disappointing child.
“This is your last chance. Either bring that young lynx back, or make sure you’re thrown out of Kalif.”
Belodic turned around.
Under those jet-black eyes without a single glimmer of light, Darius swallowed hard.
Those eyes were terrifying no matter how many times he saw them.
“I trust that my child isn’t so dull-witted that he can’t manage even that.”
“I won’t disappoint you again. This time, I will succeed without fail.”
Darius pressed himself flat against the floor.
Belodic watched his child’s loyal yet groveling posture in silence, then turned away once more.
“Get out.”
Even with Rojan’s dismissal ringing in his ears, Darius could say nothing and hurried out of the study.
“Whew.”
In the short time since he’d entered, his whole body had soaked through with cold sweat.
The only reason he’d been given so many chances was that Bariya, who possessed both the Mariner blood and its authority, was too valuable to lose.
If he failed again this time, Belodic would show him no mercy whatsoever.
‘Whatever happens, I have to prevent being cast out of the Mariners!’
“Get ready. We’re heading to Khalif Mansion.”
At Darius’s command, the aide waiting by the door faltered.
“You’re going in person?”
“Yes.”
There was no room left for pride or pretense.
Groveling before Kalif, with whom he had a poor relationship, was far better than falling out of Belodic’s favor.
‘Bariya, you little wretch! Just wait until I get my hands on you!’
He had disappointed Belodic, and his pride had been shattered in front of Rojan.
And now he even had to go to Kalif himself!
Once I drag her back, I’ll teach her a lesson she won’t forget.
So she never dares to defy him again!
* * *
Bariya had far more to do at Kalif than she’d expected.
First, she had to taste every meal and snack with Sabrina and give her honest opinions on each one.
During hunting play time, she had to romp with Sirka with her whole body.
Hwaiteu, who had lately been spending more and more time with Bariya, also needed walks at set hours, and the time flew by whenever she took him out.
Everything was enjoyable, but the time she looked forward to most was her study session with Baiden.
“Very few Beastkin clans possess Authority. Among the tiger Beastkin, the Frost family is the only one. Kalif has gained Authority now as well, but to be frank, since it came through a single generation of mixing, their blood runs thin. Unlike the Frost family, a bearer of Authority won’t appear in every generation.”
Bariya carefully stored away the knowledge Baiden taught her, one piece at a time.
Despite his stern appearance, he was very kind and thorough in his explanations, which made the lessons a joy.
He knew so much that he taught her everything from the basics of Beastkin society to language, culture, and even mathematics.
Back at the Mariners, she had never even dreamed of such things, so this moment was precious and delightful beyond words.
“How many Beastkin with Authority are there in Frost right now?”
“Four, including Sabrina. The Frost clan head, his two children, and a grandchild all hold Authority. For reference, the current clan head is Sabrina’s father.”
“Then isn’t it only the direct line that has it? I’d have thought there’d be more, since the blood of Spirit Beasts is mixed in.”
“It passes only to the direct line, because it comes from the Spirit Beast’s blood. Ordinary Beastkin find it hard to carry that blood through intact.”
Well, that makes sense. If everyone who inherited Spirit Beast blood had Authority, there would be far more Awakened than there are now.
I suppose that’s why the Marinas went hunting for Spirit Beasts instead of marrying into a house with Authority, like the Kalifs did.
“By the way, Authority passes down through the mother’s line far more readily than the father’s. That’s why most of the women in houses with Authority are the ones who inherit it. Frost’s heir is Sabrina’s younger sister.”
“Eh…?”
I have a question, but may I ask it?
Seeing Bariya hesitate, Baiden caught on and smiled.
“Are you wondering why Sabrina, the eldest daughter, didn’t take over the clan and married me instead?”
“…If it’s a secret, you don’t have to tell me.”
According to Sirka, Baiden and Sabrina were in an arranged marriage.
If it had been a love match, that would be one thing, but with the affairs of two houses tangled up in it, it was bound to be a delicate matter, so Bariya shook her head.
“It’s fine. Most people in Kalif already know, anyway.”
Yet Baiden told her without the slightest hesitation.
“It’s because I loved Sabrina too much.”
It was a reason she had never imagined.
And yet, for some reason, Baiden wore a bitter smile.
As if loving Sabrina were a sin.
“My feelings weren’t faint enough for me to hide them well, and everyone in Frost noticed. In the end, Sabrina said she couldn’t send her younger sister to a man who loved her, and volunteered to come to Kalif.”
Baiden was blaming himself.
“Sabrina was born with the strongest Authority in Frost’s history. She could have become a clan head greater than anyone. Yet because of my feelings, she gave up everything and came to Kalif.”
The wife of the Chieftain who commanded the Tiger Beastkin.
Some might regard that as an honor, but for Sabrina, who had been hailed as Frost’s future clan head from the day she was born, it would never be enough.
So Baiden lived with a heart full of atonement toward Sabrina.
And he smothered the feelings that kept growing stronger by the day.
Sabrina had no particular need for Baiden’s love.
“I’m always the sinner where Sabrina is concerned.”
Ever since he lost his firstborn son, Rabin Kalif, the guilt had weighed on him even more.
“What is that cursed Authority, anyway?”
If not for the political marriage, Sabrina would never have been driven to fury, and she could have become the Frost clan head, stronger and more beautiful than anyone.
Baiden murmured, as if lamenting.
“Oh, I’m sorry. This has gotten far too heavy.”
Then, noticing Bariya staring at him, he wore an awkward expression.
“Most of this is already common knowledge, and since you live with us, I didn’t think I needed to keep it from you. It’s all in the past now, so just know it and let it be.”
I told her so she wouldn’t feel left out, but I never thought she’d find it burdensome.
“I don’t think the Clan Head is a bad person.”
But he hadn’t expected the child to say something like that.
Baiden’s eyes widened.
Honestly, Bariya felt sorry for Sabrina, who had suffered so much because of Authority.
‘But the Clan Head hasn’t done anything wrong.’
The political marriage was arranged by agreement between the two houses, and falling in love with Sabrina was no crime.
On top of that, he knew shame, was tormented by guilt, and was atoning to Sabrina for it.
Compared to the Marinas, who abused even a young child just because they needed Authority, he couldn’t even be mentioned in the same breath.
‘Those people even chose her fiancé before I was born.’
That fiancé, whom she had occasionally met, was not one bit better than Darius, if anything much worse.
Same age, and yet so insufferably rude!
“Ah, I’m just saying what I think.”
Bariya, who had been burning with anger, suddenly realized Baiden was staring at her blankly, and her heart sank.
She had no idea what Sabrina thought of Baiden, and here she was, an outsider, going on and on with her opinions.
“…No, it’s all right.”
Fortunately, far from being angry, Baiden smiled and pulled Bariya into an embrace.
The trembling in his arms was so sad and painful that Bariya quietly patted his back.
When they first met, he had seemed as huge as a great mountain.
Now his back felt strangely small.
Just like his heart, which had lived weighed down by guilt.
* * *
That night.
Boom!
A tremendous roar that shook the entire mansion jolted Bariya awake, her eyes flying open.

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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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