The Beloved Baby Deer of the Hwangryong Family - Chapter 1

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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The Beloved Baby Deer of the Golden Dragon Family

Chapter 1

Chomp chomp chomp.

A baby deer hurriedly picked up and ate Mountain Berries that had fallen under a tree.

The Mountain Berries were overripe and burst open, covered in dirt, but the baby deer didn’t mind at all.

This fruit was her first meal in three whole days.

‘If I don’t eat now, who knows when I’ll get to eat again. I need to hurry and eat while I can.’

Scurry scurry.

While the baby deer was busily eating the berries, a skinny black squirrel hesitated and wandered around nearby.

‘Huh? That squirrel is…’

It was a baby squirrel she had encountered several times in the mountains. Unlike other squirrels living in the area, its entire body was black as a chestnut, making it memorable.

‘But it’s never come close before.’

Whenever food was shared, the black squirrel would always come last to take whatever remained.

The puzzled baby deer realized that she was eating all the berries in this area.

She also realized that these berries were very precious since there wasn’t much food in the mountains at the end of autumn.

“Kyu-yu… Kyu. (Sorry… you eat this.)”

The baby deer, feeling very embarrassed, quickly gathered the remaining berries and gave them to the squirrel, then carefully backed away so as not to startle it.

The black squirrel, which had been maintaining a certain distance as if wary of the baby deer, soon cautiously approached, filled its cheeks with berries, and disappeared.

‘I’m glad it didn’t just run away.’

The baby deer, who had been watching the black squirrel fondly, was startled by the sun breaking dawn.

‘Eek, everyone will be waking up!’

The place the baby deer headed to was the mansion of the Great Antler Deer Family, the largest in the village.

However, the baby deer didn’t approach the main gate, but rather the wall closest to the mountain.

Under the wall was a small hole big enough for a child to crawl through.

‘Is no one around?’

The baby deer carefully looked around and squeezed her eyes shut.

Poof!

The baby deer soon became a young girl.

The girl was a beastkin, Nok Seo-yu, the youngest daughter of the Great Antler Deer Family.

It was when Seo-yu was crouching down and carefully crawling through the hole.

“Ouch!”

Seo-yu screamed at the pain she felt from her head. Someone had grabbed her antlers with rough hands and yanked them.

Thud!

“Ugh…!”

Seo-yu, who had tumbled to the ground, was rubbing her painful antlers when she flinched.

Before her eyes stood a pair of great antlered deer siblings, proudly showing off their large antlers as they glared at her.

“So it was true that there’s been a little rat sneaking around morning and night.”

“I told you, brother. That girl has been playing tricks.”

Nok Su-gyu and Nok Su-jeong.

They were the first young master and young lady of the Great Antler Deer Family, Seo-yu’s siblings.

“Y-Young Master, Young Lady….”

However, Seo-yu couldn’t address the two of them familiarly. Unlike the two who were born from the madam, Seo-yu was an adopted daughter.

To be precise, they were cousins. Seo-yu was a child born under the family head’s younger brother and had been adopted by the family head.

The problem was that the family head’s younger brother was someone who had left the family long ago.

The family head had taken in his brother’s child, but that was all—he didn’t properly care for her.

The madam of the Great Antler Deer Family didn’t welcome the stranger’s child who had rolled in one day, and since their mother disliked her, naturally the direct bloodline siblings also hated Seo-yu.

Nine years like that.

While Seo-yu grew up in the Great Antler Deer Family, she wasn’t even allowed the natural forms of address between siblings, and it was difficult for her to get even one proper meal a day.

“That child is already learning only bad things at such a young age. Why don’t we just kick her out of the house to live as a beggar?”

“N-No! That’s not it, I was just so hungry that I tried to eat some fruit from Back Mountain. Really.”

Seo-yu hurriedly explained her situation, but the siblings didn’t even pretend to listen.

“Brother, this girl is definitely trying to ruin our family. Otherwise, why would she disobey the order to never go outside? And at a time like this when guests attending the celebration are arriving one by one?”

Nok Su-jeong glared at Seo-yu with fierce eyes. More precisely, at the small horn attached to the center of Seo-yu’s head.

Feeling the gaze, Seo-yu shrank back.

Unlike the siblings who had elegant deer horns on both sides of their heads, Seo-yu had only one horn, and it was small, pointed, and unsightly in shape.

While there were those who had no horns at all depending on gender and species, Seo-yu was the only beastkin with such strange horns.

Perhaps because of this, family head Nok Sa-pyeong prevented Seo-yu from wandering around outside carelessly.

Nok Su-jeong continued to corner Seo-yu.

“You’re planning to spread rumors that our family has a half-breed, aren’t you? So you want to make Father step down from his official position, right? I’m right, aren’t I!”

“N-No! How could I dare think such things…!”

“Then why were you carrying around that ugly horn? You can’t even do Human Transformation properly!”

Nok Su-jeong approached threateningly as if she might grab and shake the horn at any moment.

“I’m sorry! But I really hadn’t eaten anything. I starved for three days, three days, and I was so hungry. Please don’t tell the madam.”

Seo-yu prostrated herself flat on the ground. When the madam beat her once with the rod, she couldn’t walk properly for days.

The pain that came each time the Birch Rod struck her calves was hard to endure, but most of all, Seo-yu was most hurt by the madam’s cold gaze.

“Hmph, do you think words solve everything? This won’t do. I need to fix your habits while we’re at it.”

“Young Lady! Young Lady, I was wrong. Please, just once, have mercy, please….”

Seo-yu clasped her hands together and begged. The siblings looked down at her pitiful head with arrogant eyes and exchanged glances.

After a moment, Nok Su-gyu spoke in a subtle voice.

“Do you truly understand your mistake?”

“Yes, yes. Young Master. I won’t go out on my own again.”

“That’s only natural. That alone isn’t enough.”

At his tone that seemed to want something, Seo-yu carefully asked.

“Th-Then what should I do….”

“There happens to be one task that’s perfect for you.”

Looking down at the trembling Seo-yu, Nok Su-gyu wore a sinister smile.

* * *

In this world, there were four divine beasts that ruled over all animals.

The qilin, a symbol of wisdom and benevolence with a deer’s body, dragon’s head, and gentle horns that could harm no one.

The phoenix, a bird with brilliant five-colored feathers, leader of all winged beasts.

The spirit turtle, a giant tortoise that lived over a thousand years and gained heavenly power, possessing Divine Power and Prophetic Power.

The dragon king, the strongest among the four spirits, called the symbol of emperors for producing the most rulers.

People called them the Four Spirits, and this place, Jusang Kingdom, was a beastkin nation blessed by the Four Spirits.

Among them, the Great Antler Deer Family belonging to the qilin’s territory was facing a tremendously auspicious event today.

Their family head, Nok Sa-pyeong, had been appointed as the next leader of the Four Spirits Bureau.

The Four Spirits Bureau was an Imperial Palace institution responsible for rituals praying for the nation’s peace, and its leader held a considerably high position.

Therefore, all the heads of the Four Spirits families were planning to visit the Great Antler Deer Family to congratulate Nok Sa-pyeong.

On the day of the celebration feast.

‘It smells delicious.’

Seo Yu, who had been trapped in her room ever since being caught by the siblings, swallowed her saliva at the food aromas wafting from outside her door since early morning.

The savory and sweet smell, as if Rice Cakes were being grilled in oil, stimulated her hunger.

‘It would have been better if the kitchen were farther away…’

Seo Yu’s Separate Quarters was located on the outskirts of the mansion, very close to the kitchen.

Thanks to this, she could only smell food she couldn’t eat every day, making it truly like a pie in the sky.

Though she had diligently gathered and eaten berries yesterday, it was only a few pieces that couldn’t possibly fill her stomach.

‘How delicious would those Rice Cakes be…’

Just as Seo Yu, clutching her empty stomach, swallowed her saliva once more at the savory smell, the door burst open!

“Hey.”

Seo Yu, who had been absent-mindedly savoring the taste, snapped to attention in surprise at the sharp gaze.

Nok Su-jeong was looking down at her with a deeply furrowed brow. Seo Yu’s throat bobbed loudly in tension.

“What are you doing? Why are you still dawdling here instead of leaving?”

“You told me to get permission before leaving…”

Yesterday morning, Nok Su-gyu had given Seo Yu a specific order.

He said if she properly carried out that command, he would keep secret from the lady that she had been sneaking around through dog holes like a thief.

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