The White Tiger Clan’s Baby Cotton Ball - Chapter 158

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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 158

Lili, who had been crouched inside the underground dungeon, spotted Jeok Ayun who had come to find her and jumped to her feet.

“Ah, Father…!”

Jeok Ayun, who was taking a step into the prison cell, suddenly hesitated.

One side of Lili’s face was twisted.

No, it wasn’t just her face.

Half of her body was all wrinkled and withered like an old woman.

‘How did this happen… Is this the price of evil magic?’

Feeling that gaze, Lili slightly covered her face.

She remembered the looks of people who had been startled upon seeing her face.

Except for Hwayu who had come with his eyes rolled back in fury, everyone looked at Lili’s withered half with horrified eyes as if they were looking at a demon beast.

However, Ayun only hesitated briefly and did not turn away.

Gaining courage from this, Lili carefully asked.

“Did you come… to take Lili away…?”

“…”

“Lili…”

Lili bit her lower lip tightly, then spoke in a tearful voice.

“Lili did wrong. Lili deceived Father and Elder Brothers. I deceived people. And I tried to harm that child. Lili did everything wrong.”

Lili, who was crying and saying everything was her fault, seemed more deflated than before.

After Hwayu’s visit, she kept waiting but Father and Elder Brothers never came again.

Without a single ray of light, she couldn’t even tell the passage of time and could only wait.

Then Lili learned from the guards’ conversations that she had received a life sentence.

‘I have to… live here for the rest of my life?’

It was too terrible and frightening.

But the most frightening thing was that no one came to see her while she was alone in this cold and scary place.

Having lost the red hair and eyes she had been so proud of in an instant, Lili now faced the crisis of her face becoming hideous and being abandoned by her family.

Lili, who had been crouched and shivering in the cold and dark prison cell, realized the moment she saw Jeok Ayun that he was her last lifeline to get her out of this place.

“I didn’t want to lose Father, that’s why I did it. I won’t do it again. I won’t harm that child either and will get along well with her. So Father, please get Lili out of here. Please…”

“…”

“Sob, sob, Father, please…”

However, even seeing Lili’s weakened state as she cried and begged for forgiveness, Jeok Ayun strangely felt no sympathy whatsoever.

With that face, she tried to harm someone somewhere I didn’t know…

Soya… That poor child of mine… she tried to kill her…

The moment his thoughts reached that point, nausea rose again, and Jeok Ayun covered his mouth with one hand.

If Soya, who was abandoned alone five years ago, hadn’t met Baek Saeon…

Or if this time in the Imperial Palace, they hadn’t noticed Lili’s scheme in advance and had fallen for it…

‘Then I would have lived my entire life cherishing this child as my daughter, without knowing that Soya was my daughter… without even knowing of my daughter’s death.’

At that horrific assumption, Jeok Ayun unconsciously took a step back from Lili.

“How can you abandon me just because of feather color!”

Finally, Lili burst out with resentment while crying.

“You said you could do anything for me! You said I was the most precious daughter in the world! You said that! How can you abandon me over just one feather color!”

“…”

“Ah, ahh, Father… I was wrong. What I just said, raising my voice, was absolutely not sincere. Father. Father…”

Lili, who had been grumbling, came to her senses again and clung to his feet.

‘Just feather color…’

But ironically, those words made Jeok Ayun think of Soya again.

The child who was abandoned at a much younger age because of just feather color.

Yet never once complained…

“Lili says she did wrong. Please say something, Father…”

“…”

“Father…!”

“…”

Jeok Ayun tried to move his lips, but no words came out.

“Fath… Cough! Cough! Sob…”

Finally, Lili collapsed at Jeok Ayun’s feet, coughing up blood.

* * *

When he came outside, the Emperor’s eunuch was waiting for him.

“His Majesty is waiting.”

His clothes, which he hadn’t changed for three days, smelled musty, and his unkempt appearance was quite unsuitable for an audience with the Emperor.

“Let me arrange my clothing…”

“His Majesty does not like to wait long. He said that if the Jeok Family Head says such things, tell him not to mind and not to make him wait longer.”

“…I understand.”

Jeok Ayun followed the eunuch up to the pavilion where the Emperor was waiting.

Irim, who was sitting in front of the tea table, looked at him and coldly narrowed his eyes.

“Come quickly, Jeok Family Head.”

“Ayun of the Jeok Family greets His Imperial Majesty.”

Jeok Ayun hesitantly sat before him.

“Did you meet your daughter?”

Irim asked while tilting the teapot.

Trickle—

The sound of tea water hitting the tea cup could be heard.

“She probably doesn’t have many days left to live.”

“…”

“What a pity. I had hoped your daughter would live a long, long time.”

“…”

“And Jeok Family Head, you too.”

Irim looked at Jeok Ayun with cold eyes and offered him the tea cup.

“I hope you live a very, very long time too.”

“Your Majesty…?”

“It’s an imperial command, so please live a long, long time.”

Under that somehow chilling gaze, Jeok Ayun received the tea cup with both hands and bowed his head.

“Your imperial grace… is overwhelming…”

He couldn’t tell how the brief tea time with the Emperor passed.

Irim left first, and Ayun slowly came down.

His steps touching the ground swayed greatly.

He realized that since the incident two days ago, he had consumed nothing except the tea water he had just drunk.

However, he didn’t feel hungry at all or want to eat food.

Even though he had wandered outside without sleep for two days, he didn’t feel like going to bed at all.

Because his life was wretched and terrible.

Ayun just wanted to let go of his life like this.

The Emperor’s words about hoping he would live long felt meaningful.

Those words about not allowing death to a father who abandoned his child seemed exactly like punishment given with full knowledge of his sins.

Clench.

Jeok Ayun painfully closed and opened his eyes.

He had to go to Soya. He had to go and tell her.

Anything, he had to say something.

But he knew.

The fact that I don’t even have the right to go find that child…

[You said you were sorry to me, didn’t you? Then return my mother’s ornament that was taken by Lili.]

Suddenly, the words the child had said to me not long ago flashed through my mind.

[Not just words of apology. If you’re truly sorry to me, then return that. If you do, I’ll accept the Family Head’s apology.]

‘Yes, that ornament…’

He hurriedly ran to Lili’s quarters and searched through the room.

Clatter, thud!

Clatter, thud!

The sound of roughly opening and closing drawers and wardrobes echoed all the way to the corridor outside the room.

At the Family Head’s strange behavior upon returning after two days, the servant women didn’t know what to do and could only stamp their feet anxiously.

However, no matter how much he searched and searched, he could not find Madam’s ornament.

Perhaps she hadn’t brought it on this trip to the Imperial Palace.

Making that judgment, he immediately flew toward the Southern Lands.

Upon arriving at the estate, the household members asked why he had returned alone first like this.

However, he ignored the household members’ greetings and headed straight to Lili’s room.

“The ornament, the ornament…”

He muttered while searching through Lili’s drawers, vanity, and wardrobe everywhere.

“I need to find the ornament… Only then will Soya…”

However, even here, Madam’s ornament was nowhere to be seen.

Only expensive and luxurious jewels filled the space.

He was somewhat startled that there were so many extravagant jewels that didn’t suit the customs of the Suzaku Family.

However, that wasn’t what was important right now.

“Why, why isn’t it here… Why…”

Gradually, his voice began to mix with tears.

“Where… Where on earth…”

In truth, he knew as well.

That even if he found it now and brought it to her, Soya wouldn’t meet with him.

Nevertheless, it felt like the last thread of hope left to him, so he couldn’t give up.

Finally, as he opened the drawer under the vanity, he discovered gray cuckoo feathers there.

“…Cuckoo.”

In an instant, his heart sank heavily.

Clear evidence that the cuckoo had stayed in this room.

In the room where hope could not be found, only that remained.

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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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