The Beloved Baby Priestess of the Twelve Zodiac Gods - Chapter 24

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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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Episode 24
Moreover, Se Yeon impressed her precisely because she wasn’t intimidated by others’ gazes or words.
Arin asked Se Yeon a question.
“What’s this scent?”
“It’s dried osmanthus. The fragrance is sweet and rich, so it works beautifully in a sachet. If you don’t care for it, I could prepare something else for you instead.”
“No, I like this scent. You really do know a lot of things, don’t you, Se Yeon?”
“I usually find answers in books whenever I don’t know something.”
For someone like Se Yeon, who preferred quiet solitary pursuits, this was only natural—but for Arin, it opened entirely new horizons.
She found Se Yeon even more appealing.
And so Arin continued to pepper her with questions, rather like a young child trailing after an older sister.
“Do you love books?”
“I read every single day.”
“Wow, so there’s another person like my brother here. I prefer the sword to books, though.”
When Do Young shuddered, Se Yeon spoke quietly.
“Compared to Do Hoon, I’m just indulging in a hobby. He’s accomplished in so many ways—I wouldn’t dare put myself on the same level.”
Despite the markedly firm tone, Do Young accepted it without resistance.
“Well, that’s true enough.”
Do Hoon’s brilliance was already common knowledge even among the collateral line children.
Meanwhile, as the three of them began to play among themselves, the remaining children exchanged awkward glances and eyed each other nervously.
It seemed the adults’ parting words had belatedly come to mind.
They couldn’t possibly leave without saying a single word, so everyone was deliberating on when to speak up.
Then one who appeared to be the leader of the group approached Arin.
“I like books too. I’m reading Seo Baek’s ‘Hwa Ryong Jeom Jeong’ these days. You must have read it already, Miss Arin?”
The moment a classical work was mentioned, Se Yeon’s brow furrowed.
For Arin, only six years old, it was far too difficult a book.
Clearly a trap question designed to embarrass her.
Geum Hee Jin, granddaughter of the Third Elder, had a long-standing habit of looking down on people.
An autocrat who showed no mercy in dismissing anyone who displeased her.
Se Yeon knew she herself was being subtly excluded by that group—but since it posed no real problem for her, she’d left it alone.
However, extending this treatment to Arin, who had only recently become her adopted sister, was crossing a line.
‘There’s bound to be a troublemaker in the crowd. You guard yourself well while at his side,’ she recalled Geum Hee Taek’s warning.
Se Yeon was moving to shield Arin when—
“Haven’t read it?”
Arin responded innocently, without so much as blinking.
Hee Jin blinked several times, taken aback.
The answer amounted to openly saying “I’m ignorant,” practically.
“Oh my, so you haven’t read it…. Hmm, if you’d like, I could lend you a copy with an easier commentary. That one would be much simpler to read.”
“No thanks.”
“Pardon?”
“We’re not close enough for me to borrow books from you.”
Hee Jin was left speechless by Arin’s blunt words. Then Arin turned her head sharply and continued.
“And I don’t make friends with ugly girls.”
Ugly girl.
Hee Jin turned to stone at the raw, unvarnished insult.
She’d never built up a resistance to such direct, malice-laden attacks—only used to being subtly dismissed within her circle.
Se Yeon was equally caught off guard by Arin’s counterattack, which she hadn’t anticipated.
Then it happened.
“Pff. Pufahahaha, she called her ugly!”
Do Young, who had been quiet, suddenly burst into loud laughter.
He found it adorable that Arin had put the method he’d taught her into live practice.
At Do Young’s outburst, Hee Jin’s face flushed crimson.
Arin paid her no mind and turned to Se Yeon instead.
“Do you have that book?”
“I do, but there’s no particular need to read it right now. I have a poetry collection for children written by Seo Baek—would you like to borrow that instead?”
“I’d love to!”
Hee Jin was troubled by the contrast—her book rejected, Se Yeon’s accepted.
‘Did she just dismiss me? How dare she?’
Judging by how carefully she concealed her background, it was painfully obvious they’d brought in some street beggar or illegitimate child from another house.
“Humph!”
As Hee Jin turned away, upset, her retinue clustered around her in a rush to offer comfort.
In truth, Arin and Se Yeon paid them little mind at all.
The tea party had somehow split into two camps.
If things continued like this, they might end up rejecting each other entirely.
‘If the mood turns sour, you step in.’
Cho Ryeong, recalling Do Gyeong’s words, offered a suggestion.
“We’ve had our fill of refreshments—what if we played Hide-and-Seek? With so many of us, it would be such fun!”
“Pfft. How childish…….”
Geum Hee Jin was about to protest.
“Ooh, Hide-and-Seek? Splendid!”
Do Young cut in and raised his hand so eagerly that Geum Hee Jin had no choice but to reconsider.
No matter who she was, she couldn’t afford to take issue with Do Young, of the Direct Legitimate Line.
“……I suppose it could be amusing.”
And so the Hide-and-Seek began.
Before they even started, Do Young was bouncing on his heels.
“Ooh! We’re all doomed!”
“Young Master, you do know the rules of Hide-and-Seek, don’t you?”
“Of course! The seeker finds the culprit and tags them! Right?”
“No, sir. Once found, the game ends. No tagging, please!”
Cho Ryeong called out, and Do Young clapped his hands over his ears with a shudder.
Once the seeker was chosen by lottery, Se Yeon—now it—sighed softly.
“Ah, of all the luck.”
Se Yeon was far from delighted at having drawn the seeker’s role.
The seeker typically had to move about frantically, searching everywhere.
She’d already decided she’d simply pretend to look for a while, then admit defeat.
Arin, standing nearby, murmured with unbridled excitement.
“You know, I played Hide-and-Seek once before……and no one could find me, so I ended up crouching there for half a day straight. Eventually, everyone went home without me.”
“……”
“You will find me, won’t you, Se Yeon?”
Those bright eyes pressed gently against Se Yeon’s conscience.
In the end, Se Yeon nodded firmly.
“Yes. I will find you, I promise.”
Though she detested exertion, she couldn’t disappoint Arin.
And so the Hide-and-Seek truly began.
“One hundred, ninety-nine, ninety-eight, ninety-seven, ninety-six…….”
While Se Yeon counted, the children scattered to find their hiding places.
Even Geum Hee Jin, who’d seemed reluctant, quickly found a spot to conceal herself.
Arin too hurried about, searching for her hiding place.
She recalled the Side Path she’d glimpsed on the way here and moved toward it with purpose.
“This will do nicely.”
It was the Garden attached to where the evening’s banquet would be held.
Everyone was busy preparing for the event, so no one would think to look here.
There was a particularly large tree; if she climbed it, she’d be nearly impossible to find.
From up there she could also keep watch from a distance, giving her a good vantage point.
“Up I go.”
Arin climbed the tree with determination. Having spent time alone in the Separate Pavilion, she’d become an expert at solo play and was quite nimble with trees.
“Whee.”
Arin was giggling softly to herself when——
Rustle, rustle.
A sound came from nearby, and a White Lizard emerged from between the leaves.
“……!”
The lizard’s eyes trembled like an earthquake at the unexpected appearance of a human.
Meanwhile, the White Lizard sparkled with interest as it beheld Arin for the first time.
Its platinum-white skin gleamed with a lustrous shine, and its golden eyes tinged with red glowed like citrine.
“Wow, how beautiful. Where did you come from?”
Not that the lizard could answer.
Having once met Geum Geum, Arin tried speaking to the lizard on the chance it might understand.
“…….”
The White Lizard simply stared at her without reply.
It only tilted its head occasionally, not uttering a single sound.
“So you can’t talk either. I suppose Geum Geum really is special, then.”
Arin withdrew a handkerchief from her pocket with a look of reluctance.
She spread the handkerchief beside her, then without warning, snatched the lizard up.
“……!”
The white lizard, finding itself suddenly perched on the handkerchief, froze completely.
It kept tilting its head, as if something felt uncomfortable.
Then Arin began to chatter.
“I was just getting bored waiting alone, so this works out perfectly. Will you be my companion?”

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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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