The Beloved Baby Priestess of the Twelve Zodiac Gods - Chapter 72

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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 72
“That fool’s actually proving useful.”
Do Yeong, who’d been listening, let out a stifled laugh, his lips twitching with barely suppressed mirth.
After days of swallowing the things he’d wanted to say in deference to Arin, this was welcome news indeed.
The Crown Prince’s difficult temperament was already common knowledge throughout the Capital.
So it seemed many had begun to regard Arin with curiosity, wondering how she’d managed to befriend someone so prickly.
“Truth is, I was shocked that day when I saw him defending you. He’s never shown interest in anyone else’s affairs before.”
“We’re best friends, after all.”
“Just friends? Weren’t you two supposed to become husband and wife?”
When Yeong Jae pressed the point, Do Yeong’s eyes widened.
“Why are you dredging up ancient history? My youngest has no betrothed.”
“Maybe not now, but who knows what the future holds? There’s been plenty of talk that the marriage arrangement with the Hong Sa Family will fall through. If that happens, wouldn’t His Highness be without a betrothed too?”
“Enough! Our youngest is still young! If you’re going to talk nonsense, go somewhere else!”
“This is my place. Where exactly am I supposed to go?”
Arin watched Do Yeong and Yeong Jae bicker with visible discomfort.
Sensing an odd gaze, she lifted her head and found Yeon-ssi Lady there.
The moment their eyes met, Yeon-ssi Lady flinched violently and looked away.
That stark rejection alone made it clear she found Arin uncomfortable to be around.
‘Mother.’
Arin didn’t know how to approach Yeon-ssi Lady, whom she was seeing again after so long.
She’d thought that if they crossed paths, she could at least offer a greeting.
But Yeon-ssi Lady was looking at her as though she’d seen a ghost.
“Little one.”
At Do Gyeong’s call, Arin turned her eyes to him.
Before her lay an adorable flower pastry shaped like a baby tiger.
Do Gyeong dangled the pastry and asked gently.
“Would you like to try it?”
The cute confection, so unlike him, had been prepared especially for Arin.
As Arin eagerly took it and began to eat, Do Gyeong murmured quietly.
“You don’t need to worry about me. You can go greet them if you wish.”
With the rumors only now beginning to settle, it wouldn’t be prudent for Arin to seek out the Hong Sa couple.
Yet he’d said this for her sake.
They were her biological parents, after all, and he had no authority to prevent her from meeting them, whether he liked it or not.
Since she’d rarely seen her family, a simple greeting seemed harmless enough.
Arin shook her head firmly.
“I’m fine, really.”
“Truly?”
“Yes. I am Arin of the Gold Tiger Clan.”
From the moment she’d decided to become Do Gyeong’s daughter, the Gold Tiger Clan was her only family.
Sensing the firmness of Arin’s resolve, Do Gyeong’s lips curved into a soft smile.
“Good. As long as you’re at peace with it.”
The hand that lightly stroked Arin’s hair was trembling with quiet joy.
* * *
Meanwhile, Yeon-ssi Lady had recognized Arin the moment she arrived at the gathering.
‘She’s living well.’
Yeon-ssi Lady gazed at Arin with wistful eyes.
She’d already learned that Arin had been registered into the Gold Tiger Clan, but couldn’t muster the courage to seek her out.
Then, by chance, they’d encountered each other at this formal occasion.
Arin sat beside the Gold Tiger Clan’s son, speaking in hushed, comfortable tones, and her face looked happy.
The worry that had gnawed at Yeon-ssi Lady—that the rumors might have caused the girl to suffer—lifted considerably.
A few days prior, Yeon-ssi Lady had had a small argument with Yi Jin.
‘Did you know? That Arin was registered into the Gold Tiger Clan?’
‘There’s no harm in it. Isn’t it better for the child?’
‘…Don’t tell me you’re the one who spread those rumors.’
‘Does it matter?’
It stung to learn of the rumors so late, and his response had been cold as ice.
He hadn’t even given her a proper explanation.
Suspecting that he’d deliberately spread the rumors about Arin, Yeon-ssi Lady’s heart remained unsettled.
So she’d been observing the child from a distance when—
—suddenly, their eyes had met, and she’d quickly looked away in a panic.
She couldn’t bring herself to meet the child’s eyes.
She didn’t know what she’d do if she saw resentment in that gaze.
Like a criminal, she could only stare at the ground.
Watching the lady waver, So So’s fist clenched tight.
‘This is so infuriating.’
It was her first outing since her father had scolded her.
She’d known Arin would come—it was an official event, after all—but seeing Yeon-ssi Lady so flustered left a bitter taste in her mouth.
Worse still, Arin looked completely unbothered, when So So had expected her to be downcast.
‘Why is she smirking like that, when everyone knows she’s a half-blood? What does she have to be proud of?’
The fact that her target showed no sign of distress only made So So more anxious.
If she’d thought ahead, she would have let slip the detail that Arin couldn’t perform Beast Transformation—instead of spreading vague rumors that had landed only herself in trouble with her father.
Now she was the one who’d been scolded, while suspicion remained conveniently ambiguous.
At least Yi Jin seemed to show no interest in Arin.
Just then, the opening bell for the ceremony rang out.
So So turned her attention to the stage, brimming with anticipation.
‘He’ll be here too, won’t he?’
Since that day, she’d been unable to go out and meet him separately—a frustration that gnawed at her.
But there was to be a banquet after the eve ceremony.
Then she’d seize her chance to have a proper conversation with him.
So So forced her spirits back up and focused on the performance, trying to shake off the gloom Arin had cast over her mood.
Presently, Ah Hyeon took the stage and began his Beast Transformation—with a fire the size of his own body, he sculpted a serpent, and the crowd erupted in cheers.
‘That’s my brother for you!’
Knowing how hard he’d been practicing all this time.
So So clapped as if it were her own accomplishment, her joy genuine. Yi Jin, too, clapped with a satisfied expression.
Next, Do Hun took the stage.
Transformed into a golden tiger, he pawed at the ground, and in an instant, where the fire serpent had been, an earthen tiger rose with gaping jaws.
The serpent, startled, fled—but there was no escaping the tiger’s claws.
In a single gulp, the serpent was swallowed, and Ah Hyeon’s face turned pale.
Every eye in the crowd now fixed solely on Do Hun.
“Magnificent! A golden tiger indeed! I can feel the earth trembling from here! Look at that immense size. It’s like the Tiger Spirit itself has descended!”
“But that fire serpent was terribly weak. To be devoured in one bite—standing right beside it, it barely registers!”
The stark difference in power was evident, and the crowd showered the Gold Tiger Clan with praise.
Ah Hyeon’s Transmutation was hardly lacking, but Do Hun’s was on another level entirely.
Having lost all the attention in an instant, Ah Hyeon hurried back to his place and stood there, visibly uncomfortable.
Do Hun, as if oblivious to the crowd’s gaze, circled the stage with the earthen tiger beside him.
His movements carried no wasted motion—pure, economical grace.
Next came the rat, the rabbit, the pig, and the others in turn.
The rat climbed onto the earthen tiger’s back, but unlike the ferocity with which the tiger had torn apart the fire serpent, the tiger didn’t drive the rat away.
It was as clear as day—Do Hun had deliberately chewed and swallowed Ah Hyeon’s fire serpent.
Hong Yi Jin clenched his fists, his eyes boring into Do Gyeong.
– This sort of retaliation is rather childish, wouldn’t you say? I’ll need to discipline my son properly.
To Yi Jin’s protest, Do Gyeong merely shrugged.
– Perhaps. But the one who needs discipline is your son, I think. I took that fire serpent for an earthworm.
The blatant mockery brought blood rushing to Yi Jin’s temples.
He was right—Ah Hyeon’s fire serpent, compared to Do Hun’s creation, was no bigger than a worm.
The harsh comparison stung, and Yi Jin’s displeasure was written plainly across his face as he turned and walked away.
While the successors of the Twelve Zodiac Families took their turns on stage to display their abilities, Ah Hyeon chewed his lower lip to shreds.
‘Why is he doing this to me?’
Ever since that day, Do Hun had been picking fights with him, and the resentment boiled inside him.
It was So So who’d spread the rumors, yet here he was, bearing the brunt of it. The injustice burned.

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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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