The White Tiger Clan’s Baby Cotton Ball - Chapter 142

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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 142

Flutter—

With the sound of a bird flapping its wings, a young sparrow fluttered as it flew, then suddenly dropped straight down.

The sparrow that fell to the ground trembled with its whole body.

Small, rough hands picked up the sparrow.

It was none other than Gayul.

“Huh? The bird hurt its leg?”

The bird’s leg was rotting away, turning completely black.

Gayul didn’t know what to do seeing the bird, smaller than his palm, in pain, so he carefully held it in his arms and went to find Soya.

Soya examined the young sparrow’s condition, then asked with a somewhat serious expression.

“Where did you find this bird?”

“I, I don’t know. It just fell from the sky.”

“…”

“What should we do, Cotton Ball? Is the baby bird badly hurt?”

Gayul asked, stamping his feet anxiously.

“Don’t worry too much, Elder Brother. I’ll take care of the baby bird so it won’t hurt anymore.”

“But…”

Gayul looked at the small bird with a tearful expression.

“It’s so small… It must have been struggling.”

“But thanks to Elder Brother, this baby sparrow doesn’t have to suffer alone and can receive treatment like this. It’s really fortunate.”

“Sparrow? Isn’t it a wild bird? I thought it was a wild bird.”

It was when Gayul, who was particularly bad at remembering bird names, was muttering the sparrow’s name several times.

With fluttering red feathers, a magnificent and dignified fire bird came looking for Soya.

“Hiek? A, a fire chicken?”

Startled, Gayul opened his eyes wide and shouted.

“It’s not a fire chicken, it’s Suzaku.”

Soya giggled and explained.

“What? Suzaku?”

Gayul immediately glared fiercely at the red Suzaku with sharp eyes.

Unlike his innocent appearance from moments ago when he was anxious about the young sparrow getting hurt, he was filled with a menacing aura.

Poof!

The Suzaku that came to find Soya quickly took human form.

“Hello, Soya. We meet again, Young Master Gayul.”

Sanyu greeted Soya and Gayul.

“Welcome, Elder Broth…”

Pause.

Soya’s expression, which had been warmly smiling as she welcomed Sanyu, suddenly hardened.

“Elder Brother, did something happen with Lili by any chance?”

“I had my injured hand treated by Lili.”

Sanyu held out his palm toward Soya.

“You said you were curious about that power.”

“Elder Brother, I’m asking just in case… you didn’t deliberately injure yourself to confirm that, did you?”

Soya carefully asked while grasping Sanyu’s hand with both hands.

“Haha, of course not. More importantly, it healed completely without leaving a single trace.”

The way he quickly changed the subject seemed suspicious, so she examined his palm with eyes that couldn’t quite dispel her doubt.

His cleanly healed palm didn’t have even the smallest wound remaining, but…

‘It smells of evil magic.’

It was giving off a thick scent of evil magic.

And this scent was the same as what Soya had sensed from the baby sparrow earlier.

“Are there any uncomfortable parts?”

“Not at all. It seems perfectly healed. I wonder how Suzaku gave that child such great power…”

“…”

Sanyu muttered with a face that showed he couldn’t understand at all.

As he said, his hand was cleanly healed as if it had never been injured in the first place.

It would have been perfect if not for this thick scent of evil magic.

‘It seems I need to see Lili’s healing process myself.’

The problem was that the relationship between Soya and Lili wasn’t very good…

While Soya was pondering for a moment, a method suddenly came to mind.

* * *

After the day when she had treated people who were harmed by the lotus demon beast.

Lili became an object of interest to people.

Even people who didn’t particularly believe in divine oracles showed interest in her.

Being the youngest daughter of the Suzaku Family alone meant Lili had superior bloodline than anyone else.

Until now, there had been unfortunate rumors that she couldn’t transform into beast form due to her weak spirit core, but this time she demonstrated her remarkable ability by healing people with purification power, suddenly silencing all the malicious rumors.

Gifts piled up in Lili’s room, and there was a continuous stream of people coming to ask her to examine their ailments.

Everyone unanimously said that Lili would become the next Empress.

Lili hummed a tune as she walked down the corridor.

Then she spotted Sanyu having a serious conversation with someone.

‘That person is… Three-Legged Crow?’

The man had a tattoo of a three-legged crow on the back of his neck.

“Ah, Lili.”

At that moment, Sanyu turned to look at Lili and smiled gently.

The man who had been conversing with him immediately bowed his head and withdrew.

“You seemed to be having an important conversation.”

“No. I was just hearing about what happened while I was away from the estate. No matter how important a conversation might be, how could it be more important than you, my sister?”

At those words, the corners of Lili’s mouth gradually curled up.

Sanyu, who she initially thought didn’t show much interest in her unlike other family members, had become an elder brother who doted on her over the past few days.

Of course, he was sometimes oblivious and didn’t immediately notice when she was in a bad mood.

Like when he just stood there blankly when she encountered the White Tiger Family people by the pond last time.

‘It can’t be helped, I suppose. No one can be perfect. Even if he’s a bit oblivious, kind me should understand.’

Thinking about that time still annoyed her, but Lili decided to understand with a particularly generous heart.

“But Lili. I heard Soya still hasn’t recovered.”

“Pardon? Who?”

At that name that popped out of Sanyu’s mouth, Lili’s expression immediately soured.

“So I was wondering, could you perhaps treat that child?”

“You want me to treat that child?”

Lili asked back in a displeased voice.

It was just moments ago that she thought she’d understand even if he was oblivious, but no matter how oblivious someone is, there are limits.

Asking her to treat that child. Is he in his right mind?

“Of course that child would be uncomfortable, but a friend I truly cherish is that child’s elder brother.”

Sanyu explained in a very distressed voice.

“Watching him suffer because his sister won’t wake up makes my heart ache terribly too. So I ask this of you, Lili.”

“That child was picked up from outside, wasn’t she? The person you call your friend probably doesn’t truly care for such a child either.”

Lili pouted her lips as she retorted.

‘Why should I treat her? It would be better if she just stayed sick and died.’

It was when Lili was having such wicked thoughts.

‘No, wait. Maybe this opportunity could…’

Suddenly, a very evil idea occurred to her.

“However, since Elder Brother asks this of me, I’ll specially examine that child.”

Lili said this in a tone as if she was doing a great favor.

That afternoon, Lili arrived at the White Tiger Family’s pavilion.

A man with reddish-brown hair hanging down greeted Lili with a grin.

“Welcome, Young Lady of the Suzaku Family. I am Ho Jeokyeong of the Red Fox Family, who manages the affairs of the White Tiger Palace. Thank you so much for coming all this way.”

Jeok Yeong guided Lili to Soya’s room.

The room was somewhat dark, with all the windows closed and no lights lit.

“I’ll give you some space, so please examine her comfortably.”

Ho Jeokyeong left those words and withdrew.

Lili approached the bedside with an indifferent expression.

On the large bed lay a small, pure white bird covered with a blanket.

Being in the dark room, that body felt particularly white.

She felt like plucking out all the feathers from this little bird, but…

‘As the benevolent Dragon Emperor’s Bride, I can’t commit such a terrible act.’

Instead, Lili smiled wickedly and pulled something out from her bosom.

* * *

Several days later.

Lili headed to the Shrine of the Golden Dragon, holding her father’s hand.

It was said to be the most sacred place in the Imperial Palace, normally not open to people.

To commemorate the victory in this war, they were holding a ceremony in front of the Shrine of the Golden Dragon, and they were specially opening the altar to all visitors to the Imperial Palace.

Upon arriving in front of the altar, they could see the prepared seats.

‘They said the place where the Imperial Dragon welcomes his bride is also on top of that altar.’

As Lili looked up at the altar with enchanted eyes, the sound announcing the Emperor’s arrival could be heard.

Everyone rose from their seats and bowed their heads toward the Emperor.

Soon the Emperor ascended to the top of the altar.

The White Tiger Family’s seats were still empty.

The corners of Lili’s mouth curled up slyly as she glanced at those empty seats.

Since that day, Soya, who couldn’t get up and recover, could no longer be seen at official occasions.

[I did my absolute best, but it’s really strange that she still hasn’t recovered. Isn’t it like she’s been cursed by the Heavenly Deities?]

Of course, Lili said this in front of people with a face that showed she couldn’t understand, but that child would probably never get up again.

Because…

Hesitation.

Lili’s thoughts suddenly cut off.

Her pupils trembled thinly as she spotted those who arrived late.

‘How is that child…!’

Soya appeared together with the White Tiger Family members.

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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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