The Beloved Baby Deer of the Hwangryong Family - Chapter 4

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

“Squeak.”

The black squirrel nodded its head.

Unlike beastkin, animals couldn’t understand human speech, but Seo-yu somehow felt like this black squirrel was understanding what she said.

“…Thank you.”

When she greeted it with a touched heart, the black squirrel shook its body as if it was nothing.

Finding that gesture cute, Seo-yu smiled a little and picked a berry to offer it.

“Hey, won’t you eat this together with me? I have too many berries to eat by myself.”

“Squeak!”

However, the black squirrel quickly moved away from Seo-yu as if absolutely refusing and climbed up onto the wall.

Feeling sad about parting, Seo-yu quickly called out.

“Okay! I won’t make you eat it. But can I call you Blackie instead?”

“…Squeak.”

The black squirrel hesitated as if pondering, then squeaked briefly before leaving the mansion.

“Thank you, Blackie!”

A smile appeared on Seo-yu’s lips for the first time in a while.

* * *

Meanwhile, Nok Su-jeong, who had taken the Snow Scale Flower, headed straight to Nok Su-gyu’s room.

“Brother!”

“Come in.”

Permission was quickly granted to her urgent calling voice. Nok Su-jeong rushed into the room and handed over the Snow Scale Flower she had brought without saying anything else.

“Is this really the Snow Scale Flower?”

A strange light appeared in Nok Su-gyu’s eyes as he confirmed the transparent petals.

“She really managed to obtain the Snow Scale Flower.”

It was a medicinal herb that he had already ordered the workers to find long ago, but they couldn’t locate it.

Yet Nok Seo-yu had found it in just one day.

“Ha! To think that a legendary medicinal herb was really on the Back Mountain of our household. Anyway, that girl has always been good at finding medicinal herbs since long ago.”

Nok Su-jeong muttered as if incredulous, then lowered her voice to ask.

“The Kirin Family is really looking for this?”

“Yes. They searched only in the Snow Mountain vicinity among themselves, but couldn’t find it at all, so they even reached out to us.”

“Hmm. So the rumor that the Kirin Family head fell ill was really true.”

It was a rumor that had been secretly spreading since Gi Tae-ha, the head of the Kirin Family, stopped appearing at official events.

However, more people didn’t believe the rumor even after hearing it, saying there was no way that could happen in the Kirin Family, which had the most outstanding physicians in the Empire.

Nok Su-jeong felt the same way. She never imagined that the head of the Kirin Family could be sick.

“Tomorrow evening, the Kirin Family will visit our family clan. I plan to offer this Snow Scale Flower then.”

Nok Su-gyu said as he put the Snow Scale Flower into a clean cloth pouch. Nok Su-jeong asked back curiously.

“Then what will the Kirin Family do for us?”

Nok Su-gyu answered in a lowered voice.

“They’ll give us the right to freely enter the Heavenly Medicine Forest.”

Nok Su-jeong was startled.

“What? Heavenly Medicine Forest?!”

Heavenly Medicine Forest.

The Kirin Family had been famous for their Medical Arts since ancient times.

Heavenly Medicine Forest was a vast forest they owned, a mysterious space known to contain all kinds of precious medicinal herbs.

They controlled it thoroughly and didn’t let just anyone enter.

Only a select few recognized by the Kirin Family could enter that place.

But to let her enter such a Heavenly Medicine Forest! It was surely a tremendous opportunity.

“Su-jeong, I’m thinking of giving that opportunity to you.”

“What did you say? Brother, is that really true?”

At the unexpected words, Nok Su-jeong’s eyes widened. Nok Su-gyu placed his hand on his sister’s shoulder.

“The Kirin Family has no daughters. But they have two sons. You should marry one of them and become part of the Kirin Family.”

“Brother!”

Nok Su-jeong hugged Nok Su-gyu with great joy.

For Nok Su-jeong, who was already planning to make an impression on the young masters of the Four Spirit Families at this celebration, there couldn’t be a better proposal.

“I’ll definitely become part of the Kirin Family. And then I’ll be of help to you later, Brother.”

Nok Su-jeong smiled brightly in excitement, then suddenly hardened her expression.

“But Brother, what if that girl Seo-yu finds out about this?”

“What would change if that fool knew?”

“Still, you never know. What if she runs her mouth for no reason and makes things troublesome?”

“We can’t eliminate her. Father said to keep her alive at least.”

When Nok Su-gyu spoke firmly, having noticed Nok Su-jeong’s thoughts, she pouted and shrugged her shoulders.

“Well. There are many ways to shut someone’s mouth.”

“Right. So you go back to your room and pick out some jewelry again. It wouldn’t hurt to catch the young masters’ eyes in advance.”

“Should I? Mother said she’d give me a pretty hairpin! Brother, I’m going!”

Nok Su-jeong’s expression brightened immediately as she ran out of the room.

While they laughed and chattered, they didn’t notice the Snow Scale Flower in the pouch quietly withering away, having lost its warm sanctuary.

* * *

“Hey! Nok Seo-yu!”

Seo-yu, who had been sleeping deeply from the fatigue of wandering the Mountain all day, was startled awake by the shouting from outside.

“Y-yes?”

Smack!

A pouch flew at Seo-yu’s face just as she opened her eyes. With no time to dodge what happened in an instant, Seo-yu got hit.

“Ouch!”

Tears welled up from the stinging sensation, but she had no time to feel the pain. Nok Su-jeong was glaring down at her with fierce eyes.

Seo-yu opened the pouch with trembling hands.

‘Why is this…!’

Soon Seo-yu’s eyes widened with surprise.

The Snow Scale Flower that had been fresh just yesterday was now withered and twisted.

“What are you going to do about this? They’re all wilted!”

Nok Su-jeong shouted in fury, but Seo-yu’s eyes could only see the Snow Scale Flower.

‘Why did it suddenly wither?’

No life force could be felt from the dry, brittle Snow Scale Flower anymore.

‘This is strange.’

No plant could wither this much in just one day inside a pouch where sunlight couldn’t reach.

Seo-yu, who had been examining the Snow Scale Flower endlessly, opened the pouch and peered into every corner inside.

This seemed like she was ignoring her, making Nok Su-jeong even more heated and irritated.

“Hey! Can’t you hear me? I got scolded by my brother since dawn because of you!”

“What about the snow that was inside?”

Regardless, Seo-yu, who had been frightened all along, asked back for the first time without being intimidated.

At this sight, Nok Su-jeong frowned. She didn’t like how this girl who was usually docile acted so boldly only when dealing with medicinal herbs, as if she were someone important.

“What? What’s with this sudden talk about snow!”

“There was snow remaining on the roots yesterday. Even after I dropped it on the ground, I put the snow back in…”

“Of course I threw it all away! I’m asking why the Snow Scale Flower is in this state, so why are you talking about something else?”

“I can’t explain it precisely, but somehow this Snow Scale Flower seems to need to be in contact with snow to stay alive.”

“Are you joking right now? Then you should have said that yesterday!”

Nok Su-jeong’s face contorted with rage. At her even more fierce voice, Seo-yu snapped back to her senses and hesitated.

“Th-that’s… it was just my feeling, so I wasn’t certain…”

If she had said it yesterday, Nok Su-jeong would have definitely asked for a reason. If it didn’t make sense by her standards, she would have gotten very angry, asking what nonsense she was spouting.

But Seo-yu had no confidence she could make Miss Su-jeong from yesterday understand.

Even she wouldn’t believe it if someone said they knew how to handle medicinal herbs they’d never heard of before just by feeling.

Swoosh!

“Ugh! M-Miss!”

Nok Su-jeong grabbed Seo-yu’s horn forcefully as if snatching it.

Seo-yu struggled from the pain of having her hair pulled, but it was difficult to overpower Nok Su-jeong who was three years older.

Nok Su-jeong forcibly pulled Seo-yu’s horn toward herself and spoke with cold eyes.

“Listen carefully. Go out right now and get one more Snow Scale Flower.”

“B-but where can I find this again… ugh!”

“That’s your problem. If you can’t bring this by the hour of the dog, I’ll pull out this remaining horn too.”

Nok Su-jeong, who had shaken the horn one last time, let go of Seo-yu as if pushing her away. Because of this, Seo-yu lost her balance for a moment and tumbled backward.

“Ah, that’s right.”

Nok Su-jeong, who had cast a mocking glance as if pleased, was about to turn around when she raised one eyebrow.

“If I tell Mother about your secret outing, do you think it’ll end with just one horn?”

Flinch.

At the feeling as if an invisible Birch Rod was striking her, the fallen Seo-yu’s body trembled finely.

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