The White Tiger Clan’s Baby Cotton Ball - Chapter 118
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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 118
Lili’s complaints didn’t end there.
‘I’m right here beside them, yet they’re just talking about boring political matters.’
After finishing their greetings and moving inside the pavilion, the Vermillion Bird Family members caught up with each other, discussing events from the battlefield and the situation in the Southern Lands.
She had expected them to look at Lili’s new clothes and ornament and tell her how pretty she looked. Instead, she felt disappointed seeing them with serious faces, sharing uninteresting stories.
‘What’s so important about war this, birds that… Such trivial things!’
The first to notice Lili leaving outside in a huff was none other than Hwayu.
“Lili. Where are you going?”
“These stories are so boring. I’m going outside to look around the Imperial Palace.”
Usually when she said things like this, everyone would apologize and listen to what Lili had to say.
However, today was different.
“Oh my, our Lili was bored. Then while Father and Elder Brother are talking, shall we go tour the Imperial Palace together?”
They could have just changed the conversation topic, but Hwayu’s suggestion to tour the Imperial Palace together made her feel even worse.
“No. Everyone seems to be in the middle of important discussions, so I’ll go by myself.”
At her words, deliberately hiding her sulky mood, her family spoke in gentle voices.
“Be careful and come back safely, Lili.”
“It’s dangerous to go alone, so take the servant women with you.”
Lili pouted and went outside.
‘No. Actually, this worked out better. I might be able to meet His Majesty while strolling through the rear garden.’
The rear garden Lili was heading to was a space open to outsiders, where the possibility of meeting the Emperor was extremely slim.
However, unaware of this fact, Lili secretly harbored such expectations as she left the servant women behind and headed to the rear garden alone.
And there, seeing the beautiful scenery of the Imperial Palace, her unpleasant mood completely disappeared.
The Vermillion Bird Mansion, called a heavenly estate, was also very large and beautiful, but it couldn’t compare to the Imperial Palace.
‘If I become the Dragon Emperor’s Bride, I’ll be able to live here, right?’
Just thinking about it made her heart flutter with excitement.
‘Everyone said so. That His Majesty would also be blinded by my beauty when he sees me.’
Lili believed those words without a shred of doubt.
Most importantly, hadn’t Hwayu promised her? That he would make her the Dragon Emperor’s Bride.
Then he would surely make it happen by any means necessary.
Lili, whose mood had quickly improved, was walking while humming cheerfully with excitement.
‘Huh…?’
Suddenly her steps stopped.
Not far away, she spotted boys with snow-white hair and blue eyes.
Lili could immediately tell who they were.
They were the Young Masters of the White Tiger Family that ruled the Western Region.
Lili blushed slightly upon seeing the two Young Masters of her age with outstanding appearances.
Then she made eye contact with the one among them who was slightly taller with a gentler impression.
Startled.
Lili unconsciously gasped in surprise, but the Young Master looked at her intently before turning his gaze away again.
‘What, what was that? It seemed like he was looking at Lili just now?’
When the two Young Masters were about to pass by, Lili panicked.
‘Why are they just passing by without talking to Lili?’
This had never happened in the Southern Lands.
When Lili went outside her father’s or elder brother’s estate, everyone would cheer upon seeing Lili and try to strike up a conversation with her.
The servant women following Lili had been so troubled by this.
[Oh my, how annoying. Why is everyone so eager to say even one word to Lili whenever they see her.]
[Well, it’s because our Young Lady is so beautiful. She’s so lovely that no one can take their eyes off her.]
Suddenly remembering the servant women’s words, Lili gathered courage and approached them.
“Hello!”
Then both Young Masters of the White Tiger Family turned to look at Lili simultaneously.
“I’m Lili from the Vermillion Bird Family. You’re the Young Masters of the White Tiger Family, right?”
“What? Vermillion Bird Family?”
Gayul’s expression, which had been staring blankly, instantly turned fierce.
Though Gayul was loved as the cute tiger young master in White Tiger Palace, his essence was also that of a tiger, king of beasts.
At that suddenly fierce aura, Lili was startled and unconsciously stiffened her body.
“Yul.”
At that moment, Ga Hyeon restrained Gayul with a gentle voice.
“This is the Imperial Palace.”
“But…!”
“Baek Gayul.”
“…”
Gayul, who had been bristling, shut his mouth tight at Ga Hyeon’s single word.
Ga Hyeon looked at Lili with a cool smile over his characteristically gentle face.
“No crest… I see.”
He slowly muttered incomprehensible words.
Then he turned around just like that.
“W-wait a moment…!”
Lili grabbed Ga Hyeon, thinking she couldn’t let them go like this.
Then she was startled for a moment and immediately let go of his hand.
All traces of laughter had completely disappeared from Ga Hyeon’s face as he looked at her.
The characteristic bright blue eyes of the White Tiger Family gazed at Lili with cold killing intent.
It was such a chilling gaze that just meeting it made her shiver with goosebumps.
Lili unconsciously stumbled backward and ended up sitting down with a thud on the grass field.
Swoosh—
However, the white tiger Young Masters left without even giving her a glance, let alone helping her up.
In the past five years of living as the Young Lady of the Vermillion Bird Mansion, these were the first people to treat Lili this way.
She was so embarrassed and angry that tears even welled up.
“I’m going straight to Father to tell him everything!”
Lili fumed with indignation.
Meanwhile, Hwayu, who had come out because he was worried about Lili walking alone, was shocked to find Lili sniffling.
“Lili!”
“Elder Brother…!”
“What happened? Who made you cry?”
“The White Tiger Family Young Masters ignored Lili!”
“What? The White Tiger Family Young Masters?”
“Even though Lili approached them first and greeted them, they ignored me and didn’t acknowledge me!”
Remembering that moment made tears well up again.
“Lili is so upset, Elder Brother.”
“Oh my, Lili. Don’t cry.”
“Sob sob, Elder Brother…”
Lili cried and threw herself into Hwayu’s arms.
Hwayu patted Lili’s back while furrowing his brow.
The people of the Vermillion Bird Mansion catered well to Lili’s moods.
However, he couldn’t force people outside the mansion to cater to Lili’s mood as well.
This would be the first time Lili, having left the mansion, experienced conflict with someone.
It was perfectly natural for a child to encounter conflicts big and small as they grew up.
However, what he should do as the child’s guardian was not to step in and remove the conflicts, but to help her develop the strength to resolve them herself.
Jeok Hwayu was not unaware of this fact.
But… Lili was such a precious child.
A child their mother had given birth to in exchange for her life.
However, she was a pitiful child who had been switched with a servant’s daughter and forced to wander the streets.
In the midst of all that, she was a poor child who was mocked for having no father, and when her spirit core ached, she couldn’t receive proper treatment, unable to achieve beast transformation or even first growth.
Jeok Hwayu held feelings of guilt as strong as his love for Lili.
Therefore, he wanted to become an elder brother who could do anything for Lili, hoping she would never face even the smallest conflict in her life.
To achieve that, he had to place Lili in a position more noble than anyone else’s.
The Dragon Emperor’s Bride.
Even those arrogant young masters of the White Tiger Family who had upset Lili wouldn’t dare act insolently toward the Emperor’s consort.
Not just them, but even the heads of the Four Great Families wouldn’t be able to hold their heads high arrogantly in front of Lili.
The greatest obstacle to that plan was the youngest daughter of the White Tiger Family.
‘I need to find out about the youngest daughter they brought from the White Tiger Family.’
Just before leaving the Vermillion Bird Mansion, he had investigated that child.
Strangely enough, she wasn’t a branch family tiger, but a child that Family Head Baek Saeon had picked up from somewhere.
If she was adopted over the branch family tigers, she must possess a powerful special ability.
It was also concerning that the White Tiger Family was keeping that ability tightly hidden.
‘But if she becomes an obstacle to Lili, I’ll have to remove her somehow. By any means necessary.’
It was when he was hardening his resolve with such thoughts.
He paused.
His lips parted slightly as he spotted a small bird chirping and flying around in the distance.
‘Mother…?’
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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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