The Beloved Baby Priestess of the Twelve Zodiac Gods - Chapter 11

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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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Chapter 11
‘Has she gone?’
Arin rose carefully to her feet. She was planning to slip out through the window when she heard a voice from the adjoining room.
“The Hong Family head says he’ll hand Arin over to us.”
‘Oh!’
Arin nearly cried out in shock.
Just as Soso had said, her father had sold her to the Geumho Clan.
Arin abandoned her escape and pressed herself against the wall to eavesdrop on the conversation.
At that moment, a man’s voice reached her ears.
“She has a healthy appetite, it seems. Feed her well and she’ll fill out nicely in no time.”
“That’s good to hear.”
“Now that all business is settled, shall we depart at once?”
“Yes, we should.”
No, this won’t do!
Hearing that they would leave immediately, Arin could not afford to delay any longer.
She placed the Note she had prepared in advance gently atop the bedding, then fled through the window.
* * *
Do Gyeong stared at the Document that Yeo Ryeong had presented.
The paper bore Hong Ijin’s declaration that he was expelling Arin from the Hong Clan and would make no future claim to her custody.
With this, Arin was no longer a member of the Hong Family Estate.
Do Gyeong asked with a suspicious look.
“Did he agree readily?”
“There was some resistance at first, but the child holds no attachment for him. His concern lay only in how to explain matters to the Baekryong Family.”
“He truly has no right to call himself a father.”
If he had cared for the child at all, he would never have handed her over so easily.
Do Gyeong examined the neat handwriting once more before tucking the Document into his robes.
“Still, it’s fortunate. With this Document in hand, he cannot claim ignorance later.”
Now that this was settled, he need only raise her with utmost care.
Of course, it would take considerable time for Arin to accept him as her father.
Moreover, he had not yet informed the elders of the Geumho Clan or his own sons.
The elders could be persuaded with enough pressure, but his sons would prove troublesome.
It was then that Yeo Ryeong inquired after Arin’s condition.
“Has the child woken?”
“Yes. She woke last night and devoured two bowls of chicken congee before falling asleep again.”
Do Gyeong recalled the image of Arin emptying her bowls and chuckled softly.
The way her small mouth worked as she chewed was so endearing that he found himself wanting to keep feeding her.
“She has a healthy appetite, it seems. Feed her well and she’ll fill out nicely in no time.”
“That’s good to hear.”
Yeo Ryeong smiled with satisfaction.
Now that only the immediate departure remained, she turned to Do Gyeong with one final suggestion.
“Before we go, perhaps have a physician examine the child to be certain she’s well.”
“I’ve already sent for one. Don’t worry.”
Yeo Ryeong watched Do Gyeong already playing the role of father and shook her head in amusement.
Meanwhile, Do Gyeong was thinking about what Arin might enjoy.
The Geumho Clan, a family that had guarded Priestesses for generations, possessed every delicacy imaginable.
Especially the seafood and fish caught from the nearby waters were of exceptional quality.
‘Has she tried fish before? She seems to prefer meat, though.’
Whatever the case, she would have abundance here, far more than in that house.
With a daughter now in his life, a brightness that had never been there before bloomed across Do Gyeong’s face.
“You seem quite pleased. Your smile has not faded since morning.”
“Me?”
Do Gyeong touched his mouth belatedly, his expression turning sheepish.
He had not realized he was grinning like a fool without meaning to.
“Well then, I’ll take my leave.”
It was just as the embarrassed Do Gyeong hurried back toward the adjoining room.
“Child?”
Do Gyeong’s expression turned puzzled at the sight of the empty room.
For a moment, fierce anger rose in him—had Hong Ijin gone back on his word?
Then he saw the small Note resting upon the bedding, and Do Gyeong held his breath.
[I am not tasty.]
“……What is this?”
Do Gyeong stared at the Note for a long moment.
He grasped the general meaning, but couldn’t for the life of him understand what intent had driven someone to leave it.
That was when Yeo Ryeong’s voice came from behind him.
“Surely you didn’t threaten the child, did you?”
“I would never.”
“Then why would she leave such a Note?”
“I’ve done nothing but feed and shelter her properly.”
“Think carefully. Have you truly never threatened to devour her, the way you do with your sons?”
At Yeo Ryeong’s pressing, Do Gyeong’s brow furrowed.
A moment passed.
‘Rest easy. I won’t devour you.’
Remembering those words from when he first met Arin, Do Gyeong spoke without conviction.
“I suppose I did say something to that effect.”
“Sigh.”
Yeo Ryeong pressed her palm to her forehead as if she’d known it all along.
“The child must have overheard our conversation. She’s been abandoned by her father—no wonder she’s in shock.”
“Ah.”
As Do Gyeong let out a vacant exclamation, Yeo Ryeong barked a command.
“Why are you standing there like a simpleton? Go find her at once!”
* * *
Unfortunately, Arin didn’t escape the Hong Family Estate easily.
On her way out, she ran directly into Soso.
“You!”
The moment Soso saw Arin, her eyes blazed with fury and she charged.
Slam!
Soso shoved hard in her rage, and Arin tumbled flat on her back.
Soso straddled her and seized a fistful of Arin’s hair.
“Ow! Stop—let go!”
“You left that Hair Ornament on purpose to trick me, didn’t you? Didn’t you?!”
Soso had spent all last night brooding over one question: why that Hair Ornament had been there in the first place.
And she’d reached a single conclusion.
That Arin had deliberately set a trap for her before leaving.
And now, with eyes blazing white-hot, Soso had Arin pinned.
“Do you have any idea what humiliation I suffered because of you?”
“It hurts! Stop—let go!”
Arin tried to push Soso away in panic, but she couldn’t overpower someone a head taller than herself.
Just as Arin was desperately pulling back, she hooked Soso’s legs and sent her tumbling.
“Soso!”
Ahyeon suddenly appeared and forced himself between them, shoving Arin away with force.
She rolled across the ground.
The powerful shove sent Arin flying a distance away.
Soso stared at Ahyeon in shock.
Had he seen her tormenting Arin? She was trying to read his expression when he bellowed at her.
“You! Didn’t I tell you not to set one foot outside the Separate Building? And here you are, wandering about brazenly—and laying hands on others besides?”
“B-brother.”
As Arin called out to him in alarm, Ahyeon flinched. After so long, the Arin before him was skeletal, hollow-cheeked.
‘Now your only sister is Soso.’
‘But what about Arin?’
‘Arin is a disgrace to our house. If it becomes known beyond these walls that the Hong Family has a Half-blood child, not only you but the entire clan will become a laughingstock.’
‘And yet……’
‘Our family must be flawless. Don’t you understand that your own position hangs by a thread? If you mention Arin to me once more, I will not forgive you, no matter who you are.’
His father’s warning crashed through his mind. His father’s words were always absolute.
Ahyeon had agreed with his father entirely.
A Celestial Beast that couldn’t manifest its true form wasn’t a Celestial Beast at all.
It was a pity about Arin, but for the sake of the family, there was no choice.
With his resolve hardened, Ahyeon’s voice cut like a blade.
“Why would I be your brother!”
In that moment, Arin stared at him as if the world had slipped away from her feet.
And right on cue, Soso burst into tears.
“Wail! Brother! She suddenly just came charging at me, wail…!”
“Soso, don’t cry. Your brother will take care of this.”
Ahyeon wiped away Soso’s tears—plump as chicken droppings—with his sleeve, then glared at Arin as though he meant to kill her.
The atmosphere in the estate had been dreadfully tense since yesterday’s affair.
Judging by Father’s savage expression, it seemed the Priestess had gotten some kind of leverage over him.
And now, on top of everything, Arin had to sneak out and cause a commotion.
“Do you have any idea how terrible the mood in this household is right now?! Go back to your room at once!”
Ahyeon reached out to seize Arin’s wrist as she lay sprawled on the ground—a rough, unyielding grip.
Tinkle.
A clear, crystalline bell chimed at Arin’s ear.
In the next instant, a golden rat stood boldly before her, blocking Ahyeon’s path.

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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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