The Dragon Family’s Beloved Baby Cat - Chapter 106
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 106
The banquet resumed, but the atmosphere was quite different from before.
It was natural since there had been the Emperor’s threat.
Still, people tried to smile and chatter to liven up the mood, showing consideration for the hosting Saryeom House.
“Were you scared earlier?”
Joon asked quietly from beside her.
“Huh? Of what?”
“When the official came in. You were trembling.”
“I wasn’t trembling!”
Moa got indignant, but she had actually trembled a bit.
Even now, thinking about the Emperor made her shudder.
“Liar. You went like this, trembling-“
Joon suddenly stood up from his seat and pretended to shake his body.
“That was because I was angry! Not because I was scared!”
“Come on, be honest.”
Joon giggled. Moa’s irritation surged and she puffed out her cheeks, when Haesoo quietly approached and asked.
“Moa, are you okay?”
“Yeah. I’m perfectly fine.”
“You must have been startled, I’ll stay by your side.”
Haesoo spoke gently and tried to sit next to Moa.
“Oh, that’s my seat.”
But Joon spoke nonchalantly and blocked Haesoo.
“…What?”
“I’ve been sitting there since earlier.”
“It’s empty now though?”
“I just stood up for a moment. It’s originally my seat.”
Haesoo’s eyes narrowed.
He had been trying to maintain a gentle impression, but was gradually reaching his limit.
“…I was friends with Moa first, you know?”
“Wow, how childish~ Is it first come, first served?”
“This little brat…”
“You’re young too, older brother.”
Joon grinned.
Though younger than Haesoo, his attitude wasn’t intimidated at all.
So much so that while Joon was cheerfully smiling and teasing Haesoo, Moa became annoyed at how irritating Joon was.
‘…This kid is no ordinary opponent?’
Wariness arose in Haesoo’s eyes.
He instinctively felt this wasn’t someone to take lightly.
“Why are you both acting like this?”
Moa tilted her head between the two.
“If you’re going to fight, go fight over there. It’s uncomfortable when you do it in front of me.”
When Moa scolded them firmly, both shook their heads.
“It’s nothing.”
“Yeah, we’re not fighting~”
However, even while answering simultaneously, they glared at each other.
“…Hey.”
Yeongang’s voice was heard from the side.
Yeongang, who had approached at some point, squeezed between Haesoo and Joon and took the seat next to Moa.
“The kid says she’s uncomfortable~ Go away, go away. The seat next to the little one is mine, you know?”
They had scattered to interact with other houses, but when two boys kept coming and going next to Moa, he couldn’t stand it and came over.
“…Young Master Jin.”
“When her older brothers are here, how dare you get cozy with my sister?”
Yeongang shrugged and grabbed Moa’s hand.
Dowoon also quietly approached and sat on the opposite side.
“They say they’ll bring out the meal soon, wouldn’t it be right for family to sit together.”
At Dowoon’s words, both Haesoo and Joon closed their mouths simultaneously.
The two young masters of Jinryong Clan had firmly built a wall.
Haesoo noticed that Jin Saheon and Jin Wonbaek, standing in the distance, were sharply paying attention to this side and sighed inwardly.
Making a good impression on Moa was difficult, but the mountain to overcome was too steep.
‘…Let’s retreat for now.’
Haesoo gritted his teeth inwardly.
‘Should I try talking more next time~’
Joon had similar thoughts and quietly retreated.
“Why are you older brothers acting like this too?”
Moa tilted her head.
“It’s nothing. Let’s eat, little one.”
Yeongang answered with a smile.
* * *
After the banquet ended and Moa returned home, small daily routines continued.
“…What should I write?”
Moa was struggling at her desk.
On the desk lay dried iris flowers.
Moa, who had been afraid to touch the iris flowers Danhwi sent in case they crumbled and could only look at them, let out a deep sigh.
“Reply, replyyy…”
At first, receiving Danhwi’s letter had actually annoyed her.
If he had something to say, he should have written words!
But after a few days passed, the flowers kept catching her eye.
‘If I don’t reply, I’ll become an impolite child…’
To become the proud youngest daughter of Jinryong Clan, she needed to know proper manners.
That’s the only reason she was writing a letter!
However, she just kept picking up and putting down the brush repeatedly.
Because she didn’t know what to write.
“If he had written something, it would have been easier to reply.”
Moa pouted her lips and fell into the contemplation that had continued for several days.
‘How are you? I’m doing well too.’
That seemed too bland.
‘Thank you for the flowers. They’re pretty.’
This didn’t seem right either.
But she couldn’t exactly scold her older brother who had gone far away to suffer, asking ‘Why didn’t you send a proper written message?’
“Argh, I don’t know!”
Moa clutched her head.
[You don’t have to write anything.]
Somi sat beside her, grooming her fur as she spoke.
“But I feel like I should send something!”
[Why?]
“…I don’t know, just because!”
Moa puffed out her cheeks.
[Then just send him a flower too. You planted some recently.]
At the suggestion to return the same thing, Moa’s face brightened.
“I should dry it crispy and send it too! I need to ask the older sisters!”
To ask Yehui and Sehui how to dry them while preserving even the fragrance, Moa jumped up abruptly.
Moa, who rushed out of the room, immediately encountered Sehui.
“Sister Sehui! I need to dry flowers, but how can I make them the prettiest?”
“To dry flowers most beautifully, the best way is to press them between heavy, flat books, Miss.”
Since Sehui knew about Moa’s recent concerns, she recommended a method that would create pressed flowers suitable for putting in letter envelopes.
“While you go pick the prettiest flowers, I’ll bring several thick books.”
“Yes! Please! It has to be books that dry them the prettiest!”
Even though just having sufficient weight would be enough, Moa earnestly requested as if there were some secret manual.
After that, she went out to the garden and carefully examined the newly planted azaleas.
When she chose the reddest and most luscious flower cluster among them, somehow Danhwi’s red eyes naturally came to mind.
‘Huh? Did Brother maybe give them to match my eyes…?’
Moa’s eyes widened as she finally realized Danhwi’s intention.
“Oh my, if he’s going to give me something, he should give me his eye color so I won’t forget.”
However, she was still too young to read the affectionate feelings contained within.
“Hehe, my child. Are you tending to the flowers?”
Jin Wonbaek, who was passing by on a walk, discovered Moa carefully selecting and picking flowers and asked with a smile.
“I’m going to dry flowers!”
“Hehe, who are you giving them to? Perhaps…”
“It’s a secret!”
Jin Wonbaek had harbored a faint hope when he asked, but when Moa quickly answered, a thought occurred to him and he clicked his tongue softly.
‘It’s because of the flowers the Crown Prince sent.’
To Grandfather and Father and Mother, to her brothers, and even to the maids.
Thanks to her boasting “I received flowers!” and complaining “But there was no letter!” all around the neighborhood, all the servants knew about the flower letter.
‘Really, why send flowers to complicate the child’s heart.’
Accepting him as a lord and targeting his granddaughter’s ‘unknown position’ were completely separate matters.
“In Grandfather’s opinion, that flower over there would dry better.”
Jin Wonbaek advised Moa to choose the withered flowers blooming inside, with a touch of petty jealousy and revenge.
* * *
After much deliberation, she selected flowers and carefully placed them between book pages so the petals wouldn’t get damaged.
Then, worried they might not be pressed enough, she sat on them with her bottom all day, pressing down firmly.
After dinner that evening, Jin Saheon called Moa over and asked affectionately.
“Moa, do you know what the ‘Twelve Zodiac Meeting’ that will be held soon is?”
Moa shook her head.
She had seen Father and her brothers making a fuss about it being a very important occasion, but she didn’t know exactly what it was.
“The Twelve Zodiac Meeting is a very sacred and grand conference where all the Guardian Spirits of the twelve families gather in one place.”
“Wow! Then twelve grandmothers and grandfathers as big as Snake Grandmother will gather?”
“That’s right. The Guardian Spirits usually don’t interfere much in human affairs, but when all twelve unite their will, even the Emperor cannot arbitrarily overturn their decisions.”
Moa’s eyes sparkled as she listened to Jin Saheon’s explanation.
Beings that even the Emperor couldn’t do as he pleased with!
That meant they could potentially punish the bad villain Emperor who was tormenting Brother Danhwi.
“Can I go too?”
“Originally humans don’t participate, but… for some reason, Jin Ryong Spirit said you must come.”
[It’s probably because of me.]
Since it was an occasion where all the Guardian Spirits on earth gathered, it was certain that the new Guardian Spirit Somi should also attend.
‘Then I need to be really loved!’
With a goal set, strength filled Moa’s small fist.
From that night, Moa’s intense training began.
“Now, Somi. You be Tiger Grandfather.”
Moa placed Somi squarely on the bed and arranged a bunch of dolls in a circle around her.
It was her own imagination of the Twelve Zodiac Meeting where all thirteen Guardian Spirits would gather.
“Hello, Tiger Grandfather! I’m Jin Moa. If you’ll be friends with me like our Dragon Grandfather, Snake Grandmother, and Pig Grandfather, I’ll call you a kind Guardian Spirit Grandfather!”
[…Why am I a tiger? And if you say that to the Guardian Spirits, they’ll be so shocked they’ll flip over.]
Somi tapped her tail as if dumbfounded, but Moa was serious.
How should she introduce Danhwi to make everyone interested?
She had to act as sweetly as possible to score lots of points.
After spending hectic days preparing for the meeting at night and chasing after Jin Ryong Spirit during the day to ask what other Guardian Spirits liked.
Finally, the promised morning two weeks later dawned.
It was the day the Twelve Zodiac Meeting would begin.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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