The White Tiger Clan’s Baby Cotton Ball - Chapter 115

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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 115

 

Soya grew up healthy and strong, receiving abundant love from the White Tiger Palace people, the mountain beasts of Tiger Forest Mountain, and the birds that came from the southern lands.

 

Her round facial features became slightly more refined, and a peachy blush settled gently on her soft cheeks.

 

She had grown a bit taller, and unlike her purely cute childhood days, she now exuded a mature and beautiful aura.

 

No one could call Soya a ‘baby’ anymore.

 

Of course, there were exceptions – namely Saeon and Sara.

 

The Family Head was a doting father who called even the grown-up Young Master Yul ‘our baby,’ so that was understandable.

 

But wasn’t Sara, notorious for her difficult temperament, the one who would shake her head calling the Young Masters ‘Baek Saeon’s little beasts’ or ‘disgusting tigers’ whenever she saw them?

 

Yet that same Sara would deliberately imitate an affectionate tone and call only Cotton Ball Miss “baby.”

 

At such times, Cotton Ball Miss would close her eyes in a smile and reply, “Oh my, Aunt. I’m not a baby anymore.”

 

Someone muttered while watching Cotton Ball Miss’s warm eye-smile that had melted even the difficult-natured Sara.

 

[She’s grown up so beautifully, our Cotton Ball Miss.]

 

That was something all the beastkin of White Tiger Palace agreed upon.

 

Sometimes there were even those who forgot their duties and just stared at Cotton Ball Miss.

 

Especially when she was surrounded by chirping and singing birds, the Young Lady looked so beautiful she seemed like a celestial maiden descended from heaven.

 

Of course, when she heard such words, the Young Lady would laugh cheerfully and wave her hands saying, “Oh my, the real celestial maiden would be angry if she heard that. Please don’t say such things.”

 

“What’s the matter, Sanho?”

 

Soya asked, holding the swing ropes in both hands while slightly turning her body.

 

This swing was something Saeon had made for her personally in early summer two years ago, when Soya had brought a bunch of friends from the southern lands.

 

Two whole years had passed since then.

 

Even after the evil disappeared and Hyeon Rabaek died, Taowu persisted terribly stubbornly to the very end.

 

As if that was its sole purpose, it led the demon beast army and tenaciously fought back.

 

However, the demon beasts that had lost their power were no match for the Imperial Army.

 

So Taowu hid deep in the valleys of the northern lands, constantly summoning demon beasts.

 

Thus, for the past two years, the Imperial Army had been pursuing Taowu’s whereabouts while simultaneously working to find and resettle the scattered beastkin of the northern lands.

 

And a few months ago.

 

The Imperial Army finally found the stubbornly persistent Taowu, successfully beheaded it, and completely annihilated the remaining demon beasts.

 

One of the two heroes who killed Taowu was said to be Gaya.

 

Soya felt very proud of this fact, but at the same time worried whether he had been injured in the process.

 

It was just recently that Gaya had sent her a letter full of his heroic tales, telling her not to worry.

 

Soya looked at Sanho with a pounding heart, wondering if there might be more good news.

 

“A message just came from the Imperial Palace. The Imperial Army in the northern lands will return in two weeks!”

 

“Then Gaya is coming back?”

 

“Yes. Now Young Master Gaya will return, and when the Azure Dragon Family Head returns to Azure Sea Palace, Cheongha will also come back here!”

 

“…!”

 

At those words, Soya’s face brightened radiantly.

 

Her heart swelled with emotion at the fact that the long war was finally over and the scattered family members would return.

 

“So the Imperial Palace will hold a grand banquet to celebrate the victory! This is no time to be sitting around, Young Lady. If you want to attend the banquet, we need to start preparing now!”

 

“It’s not even a banquet hosted by White Tiger Palace, so what do we need to prepare…”

 

“Oh my, we need to quickly get pretty new clothes tailored and obtain accessories. On that day, our Young Lady must be the most beautiful!”

 

Sanho shouted while looking at Soya with blazing eyes.

 

“What? But the protagonist of the victory celebration isn’t me, it’s Gaya…”

 

“Let’s go quickly, Young Lady! Hurry!”

 

Soya tilted her head and asked back, but her voice was drowned out by Sanho’s following words.

 

So Soya smiled softly as if she couldn’t stop her, stood up, and headed inside with Sanho.

 

* * *

 

Meanwhile, news of the Imperial Army’s victory also reached the Vermillion Bird estate in the southern lands.

 

Lili was already excited at the thought of attending the victory celebration banquet at the Imperial Palace.

 

“If I go to the Imperial Palace, I’ll be able to meet His Imperial Majesty too, right?”

 

Lili, who had changed into new clothes, hummed a tune while holding accessories up to her body.

 

“Oh my, you’re so beautiful, Young Lady.”

 

“How can you be so lovely.”

 

Lili’s Servant Women clapped their hands and praised her from the side.

 

“Do you think His Majesty will think so too?”

 

“Of course. Our Young Lady is this beautiful!”

 

“Even if you searched the entire continent, there wouldn’t be anyone as lovely as our Young Lady.”

 

Lili’s mood improved greatly at the Servant Women’s words.

 

“But at this victory celebration banquet. That girl who was adopted into the Baek Ho family is coming too, isn’t she?”

 

Then, with a sudden thought, Lili asked in a displeased voice.

 

When she first crossed the main gate of this Vermillion Bird estate, she alone was the only legitimate daughter of the four great families.

 

But when the Family Head of the Baek Ho family adopted a daughter, she gained a competitor.

 

“What if His Majesty sees that girl and likes her more than me?”

 

“Oh my, with our Young Lady being this pretty, that could never happen.”

 

“But I’m weak and can’t even transform into beast form. Since she’s a child the Baek Ho family carefully selected and adopted, she must be sturdy unlike me, right? What if that girl becomes the Dragon Emperor’s Bride?”

 

At Lili’s upset voice, the Servant Women couldn’t readily deny it and glanced at each other.

 

The Dragon Emperor’s Bride was the Emperor’s companion.

 

Of course, the Emperor’s dragon heart would be important, but it wasn’t a position one could reach simply by capturing the Emperor’s heart.

 

It was customary to select the most outstanding Young Lady in various aspects from among the candidates sent by each family.

 

But Lili was fourteen years old yet had weak spiritual core, couldn’t transform into beast form, and hadn’t manifested any abilities.

 

So while they always chose only words that Lili liked to hear, they became cautious about making rash promises.

 

“What? Why can’t you all answer?”

 

When the Servant Women hesitated instead of giving the answer she wanted, Lili became upset.

 

“Don’t tell me you really think that girl, not me, will become the Dragon Emperor’s Bride?”

 

Lili threw the accessory she was holding to the floor and snapped in a fierce voice.

 

“I may not be able to transform into beast form because my spiritual core is weak, but I’m still the real daughter of the Vermillion Bird family! That girl from the Baek Ho family is a fake daughter brought in from outside!”

 

At the sharp shouting, the Servant Women unconsciously hunched their shoulders.

 

“Ah, Young Lady, please calm down. If you get this excited…”

 

“Then answer quickly! Say that Lili will become the Dragon Emperor’s Bride!”

 

The youngest Young Lady of the Vermillion Bird family was usually very benevolent, but occasionally when she got angry, she couldn’t control her emotions.

 

Of course, this wasn’t the Young Lady’s fault.

 

The reason the Young Lady’s temperament had become so twisted was all because of childhood wounds.

 

Because that wicked thief girl Soya who suddenly disappeared one day had stolen the Young Lady’s childhood.

 

That’s why our good Lili Young Lady had changed.

 

So the Young Lady was also a victim.

 

Therefore, the Vermillion Bird Family Members all understood why the Young Lady’s temperament was unstable, but even so, the Young Lady was a bit scary when she became violent.

 

Just when everyone was worried that the Young Lady might throw objects and resort to violence again.

 

Creak―

 

With a door sound that seemed like salvation, Jeok Hwayu appeared.

 

“Our Lili. Why are you so excited?”

 

“Elder Brother…!”

 

At that gentle voice, Lili softened the nerves she had been sharply on edge just moments before and embraced Hwayu.

 

“When Lili was little, everyone said so. That when she grew up, only Lili would become the Emperor’s companion.”

 

At those words, Jeok Hwayu paused and looked down at his sniffling sister’s face.

 

“Is it because of that fake daughter of the Baek Ho family, who knows where she rolled in from, that Lili can’t become the Dragon Emperor’s Bride?”

 

“Our Lili was upset about that.”

 

“Lili wants to become the Dragon Emperor’s Bride.”

 

Lili said while sniffling.

 

“Elder Brother grants everything Lili wants. So please make Lili the Dragon Emperor’s Bride. Okay?”

 

At that innocent appearance of still whining like a child despite having grown this much, Hwayu smiled gently and wiped his sister’s eyes.

 

“Yes, Lili. Don’t worry. Elder Brother will make our Lili the Dragon Emperor’s Bride.”

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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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