The Beloved Baby Priestess of the Twelve Zodiac Gods - Chapter 23

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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 23
Cho Ryeong grinned wickedly and pulled Arin inside.
What followed—careful washing, dressing, adorning—consumed hours in what felt like moments.
Arin gazed at herself in the mirror and gasped.
“Wow. I really do look like a princess!”
The golden Lian Yi Chang Jun that symbolized the Kim Ho House
—a one-piece gown—
was adorned with a Noeunghwa Ornament that matched Arin’s hair color.
Layered in shades of pale and deep hues, the fabric was strikingly beautiful.
“This gown was given to you directly by the House Master herself. It is the only one of its kind in the world!”
“It’s so beautiful. Am I really allowed to receive something so precious?”
“And again! The young mistress is already precious—what distinction is there between noble and common dress? If the House Master heard you, she’d clutch her head again.”
“Hehe.”
Arin beamed, speechless with delight.
Once the preparations were complete, Do Young was waiting outside.
“Whoa! Little one, you’ve really got some presence today, haven’t you?”
“Brother!”
Arin ran to him with such joy that Do Young swept her up and spun her around in a full circle.
“Oh no, all my careful work on that dress!”
While Cho Ryeong shrieked in the background, the two children glowed with happiness.
Then Do Young turned serious.
“Little one, if anyone there bothers you or treats you badly, what should you do?”
Arin’s expression grew fierce.
“Kick the boys in the groin! Tell the girls, ‘I won’t play with ugly things like you!'”
She even mimed a kick, which made Do Young clap in approval—though Cho Ryeong cried out in alarm.
“Heavens, young mistress! You can’t do that!”
“What? I can’t?”
Arin looked uncertainly between Cho Ryeong and Do Young, and he answered without hesitation.
“You can, you can, you can. You can do anything. Father will handle the consequences anyway.”
“Young master! Today is supposed to be about the young mistress making friends!”
“Exactly—so don’t befriend bad children in the first place. Right, little one?”
“Yes!”
Arin answered with such vigor that Cho Ryeong gave up arguing further.
‘The young mistress is becoming more and more like Young Master Do Young.’
If only Young Master Do Hoon would arrive soon to put an end to this.
‘It seems he won’t make it to the welcoming party.’
This journey was stretching on far longer than expected.
Because of it, Do Young was traveling with Arin, which filled Cho Ryeong with no small amount of worry.
Cho Ryeong decided to clarify once more, just to be safe.
“Young Master Do Young. We are not going to a battlefield.”
“Huh? We’re not?”
“No, we are not.”
As Cho Ryeong emphasized this again, Do Young deflated with visible disappointment.
“Ugh. How boring. I thought little Arin was going to have a proper duel!”
“Sigh. I’m so anxious. Young Master Do Hoon really should have come.”
Cho Ryeong followed the two of them with an uneasy gaze.
When they arrived at the appointed place shortly after, Do Young reached into his pocket and pulled something out.
“Here. This is my gift for you.”
“Wow! A yakgwa!”
“This is no ordinary yakgwa.”
“What do you mean?”
“You could call it a picture of rice cake. Don’t eat it—keep it safe. Since I heard you like yakgwa, I went all the way to the market to buy this special one. I did well, didn’t I?”
“Yes! You’re the best, brother!”
What Do Young had given her was a Yakgwa Hair Ornament.
Do Young grinned and gestured, and Arin obediently tilted her head forward.
As the strange yakgwa ornament settled into Arin’s carefully arranged hair, Cho Ryeong felt her composure slip.
“Ah, like throwing ash on a perfectly prepared table…….”
“Hehe, thank you, brother!”
But with Arin laughing so happily, there was no way to ask her to remove it.
“Come now, it is time we went in.”
It was the moment Cho Ryeong emerged from the bathhouse and opened the door.
The clamor inside fell silent all at once.
Every eye turned toward Arin in unison.
Under the sudden onslaught of gazes, Arin froze.
Seeing this, Do Young’s face darkened and he muttered ominously.
“What’s going on? Why did everyone get so quiet? Don’t tell me our little one said something rude.”
“Surely not.”
Cho Ryeong took the words in stride, her eyes sweeping across the room.
Familiar faces stood in pairs, stealing glances at the newcomers.
At a glance, it was plain they were wary of Arin.
They were children, no matter how carefully selected by the household elders.
Especially the young ones from the 1st Elder Family—they took great pride in bearing the Kim surname.
‘The atmosphere is worse than I expected.’
Just as Cho Ryeong was about to step in, Arin—silent until now—drew a deep breath and greeted them brightly.
“Hi! I’m Arin. Nice to meet you.”
Her voice was cheerful, as though she hadn’t noticed the strange mood at all.
This was a situation far too familiar to Arin.
It seemed that here too, no one truly wished to become her friend.
‘It’s okay. I have Father behind me, and I have Do Young. I’m not alone.’
Father always said to stand tall in moments like this.
Arin swallowed down her fear, pressing it deep.
If things went wrong, she could use the method Do Young had taught her.
Meanwhile, the moment Arin openly mentioned the Kim surname, several children frowned.
The truth was, all of them had been dragged here by their household elders against their will.
To be attendants to some adopted daughter of unknown origin?
No child would truly desire such a position.
Yet they had come hoping—just perhaps—to build even the faintest connection with Do Hoon.
The moment they spotted Do Young, however, they couldn’t hide their deflated expressions.
When Arin greeted them, no one stepped forward; they only hesitated.
It was then that a soft exclamation rang out.
“Oh my.”
A girl who had been embroidering behind a pillar, apart from the group, suddenly rose to her feet.
Apparently she had been separated from the others even before Arin arrived.
“I do apologize. When I concentrate, I have trouble hearing my surroundings. I’m terribly late with introductions. I’m Kim Se Yeon, daughter of the 1st Elder Family.”
She seemed to have mistaken that she had already exchanged greetings with the others.
Se Yeon apologized gently, offering a faint smile.
For a moment, it seemed the awkward atmosphere might ease—
But one of the girls murmured under her breath.
“My, the princess actually spoke to us first. Usually she won’t even acknowledge our existence.”
“She’s probably doing it on purpose. The lead character always makes a late entrance, don’t they? Tee-hee.”
At first, Arin thought they were talking about her, but watching them, she realized they meant Se Yeon.
‘So she gets excluded too.’
What was remarkable was that Se Yeon didn’t seem to mind their remarks at all.
How was that possible? Just watching made Arin’s chest sting as if it were her own burden.
Arin couldn’t help but envy Se Yeon’s composure.
“Thank you so much for the invitation. I made this Scent Sachet myself—would you accept it?”
Se Yeon presented the gift to Arin. The pouch, embroidered with a baby tiger, carried a pleasant fragrance.
“Wow, you made this yourself?”
“I love embroidery. Though my skill isn’t particularly good.”
“No! The tiger looks like it’s about to leap off the cloth.”
“You’re too kind. With a little practice, you’ll be able to do it just as well.”
“Really? Will you teach me?”
“If you’d like.”
Her manner was unusually reserved for a child, but she seemed like a good person.
“Yes! Teach me. I’ll work really hard.”
Arin clenched both fists as she spoke, and Se Yeon nodded with a faint smile.
From beside her, Do Young spoke up.
“Is this something you eat?”
“No. It would make you sick if you did.”
“What? You just gave our little one poison?”
When Do Young protested with wide eyes, Cho Ryeong, who had been listening beside him, quietly offered an explanation.
“Young master, this isn’t meant to be eaten—it’s for fragrance.”
“What? Then why give me something I can’t eat?”
For Do Young, who loved eating above all else, it was a gift he couldn’t fathom.
But Arin’s thoughts were different.
A gift made by her own hand.
It pleased her more than any other present could have.

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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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