The White Tiger Clan’s Baby Cotton Ball - Chapter 162

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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 162

Ga Hyeon looked at Hwayu with cold eyes.

“Peach… I see.”

It was already 5 years ago now. The day Father first brought that small, cotton ball-like white child to White Tiger Palace.

He remembered that child suffering from a raging fever.

It was because she ate peaches, he said, she would get better soon.

He also remembered how she mumbled while watching people’s reactions even as her throat swelled and fever burned.

A little more time passed and he learned about what that child had endured in the Southern Lands, thinking it must have been the work of Vermillion Bird Family members…

“It was your doing.”

The fact that it was the doing of the very elder brother Soya had once trusted and followed most made Ga Hyeon angry.

And what made him even angrier was…

What? They had promised to go see the summer festival together once her first beast transformation was complete?

And after neglecting the child for 3 years, he took her to the summer festival only to abandon her and disappear?

In the midst of that, he fed the child peaches she couldn’t even eat, and now spoke as if it were some precious memory of his own – this behavior filled him with unbearable rage.

Listening to the stories he rattled off claiming to be memories with Soya was torturous, but he listened to the end because he needed to know.

Everything that Soya had endured in that house, even the things that child would never speak of herself – he needed to know it all to repay them in full.

“Soya… isn’t it…?”

Hwayu’s complexion turned deathly pale upon realizing that the person he had been conversing with wasn’t Soya.

Hwayu wanted to move his body but couldn’t do as he wished.

“What did you… do to me…”

It was due to ‘paralysis,’ one of the special abilities known to be possessed by the White Tiger Family – freezing opponents with overwhelming fear.

“Soya… where is Soya…”

At the sight of Hwayu calling Soya’s name and searching for her, Ga Hyeon’s expression grew even colder.

“How foolish. Soya was never here from the beginning. Why would that child agree to meet you?”

“Soya… Soya is…”

“You abandoned that child just because of her feather color, and now you’re trying to act like a caring elder brother, you half-wit bird with only red feathers.”

“No. I didn’t abandon Soya… didn’t abandon…”

“You did abandon her.”

Ga Hyeon, instantly dropping his formal speech, cut off Hwayu’s words with a sharp voice.

“You abandoned Soya. You abandoned her. You stole that small child’s spirit core and imprisoned her in the Cold Palace. You didn’t hesitate to say you’d tear her wings if she caught your eye.”

“Ah…”

Hwayu’s pupils trembled finely.

“Is that all? You even tried to kill Soya. Because of you, Soya nearly died several times.”

“N-no, I…!”

“You said it with your own mouth, didn’t you? That you hated that child so terribly you wanted to kill her.”

“That was never sincere…”

“Because of you, Soya nearly died in the cold Cold Palace, nearly died from her injured spirit core. Do you know Soya can’t eat peaches? On that day you babbled about being like a gift, that child nearly died because of the peaches you fed her.”

“…!”

With the sound of roughly swallowing breath, Hwayu’s body froze completely.

However, Ga Hyeon pressed him relentlessly without a moment’s pause.

“What about the girl you cherished as a sister pushing that child into the pond? Don’t tell me you didn’t know that either? At least you must know that the Three-Legged Crow your family sent tried to kill that child, right? I told your elder brother directly.”

“Ah… ah, ah… ah…”

“Congratulations. Just as you wished, the real youngest daughter of the Vermillion Bird Family no longer exists.”

Ga Hyeon, his eyes gently closing, spoke as if driving in a nail.

“Because you killed her. That child who was only six years old, who had just undergone beast transformation – it’s no different from you killing her.”

Suddenly, the thick fragrance that had been wavering spread throughout the room.

“I… I…”

Toward Hwayu who was stammering, Ga Hyeon took a large step forward.

Then, lifting his chin with the fan he was holding, he whispered as if brainwashing him.

“You killed that child.”

“I killed Soya…? I killed Soya…?”

“That’s right. You’re a terrible creature worse than vermin who killed his sister without even recognizing her. No, how about becoming vermin for real?”

“…”

“Comparing someone as ignorant, incompetent, and immoral as you to vermin is too unfair to the bugs, but it suits you perfectly. A bug that killed his sister.”

“I’m… a bug that killed… my sister…”

Hwayu’s eyes gradually became hazy and unfocused, then he recited following Ga Hyeon’s words.

“That’s right, a bug. How should a bug live?”

“…”

Ga Hyeon struck Hwayu, who couldn’t answer, with his fan.

Thud.

Hwayu’s body collapsed powerlessly to the floor.

“Bugs should play in sewage like bugs. Don’t torment that child with your filthy stench, live cowering as if dead.”

“Like a bug… as if dead…”

“That’s what you said to that child. That you’d cut off her wings if she caught your eye one more time.”

Ga Hyeon looked down at Hwayu with contemptuous eyes and spoke.

“I’ll repay those exact words. If you catch that child’s eye one more time, it won’t just be those horrible red wings. I’ll tear apart all your limbs. So never appear before Soya’s eyes again.”

“Never again… before Soya’s eyes… ugh, ughhh, heuuk, uhheuk…”

Hwayu, who had been reciting Ga Hyeon’s words as if hypnotized, violently writhed his body at those words and made beast-like crying sounds.

“Ugh, heuuu… apology… at least an apology…”

Hwayu floundered on the floor, clawing at his chest.

“I’ll never… appear before her eyes again… please…”

Swoosh—

Ga Hyeon crouched down in front of him and tapped Hwayu’s cheek with his fan.

“What apology would a bug make? Now that you understand your position, get up.”

“Ugh, heuuk…”

Hwayu wailed in anguish but dutifully raised his body.

“Lead your family members and return to the Southern Lands within one hour. Quietly and swiftly, so that not even the sound of wingbeats reaches that child’s ears.”

“…”

Hwayu staggered toward the window, transformed into a large red bird, and flew away.

Ho Jeoka, who had been hiding, poked his head out and looked at where Hwayu had flown with curious eyes.

“This really works.”

‘Hypnosis’ was a special ability known to rarely appear in the legitimate heirs of the Red Fox family.

In this generation of the Red Fox family, Jeoka had awakened that ability.

Of course, it would have been impossible for an ordinary red fox to hypnotize a direct prince of the Vermillion Bird Family, called descendants of divine beasts, but Ga Hyeon had ordered him to attempt hypnosis while he assisted from the side.

And thanks to Ga Hyeon shaking Hwayu’s mind, Jeoka’s hypnosis showed very powerful effects.

Of course, they couldn’t know how long this effect would last…

“What kind of direct descendant of a divine beast has a mind that crumbles at a few words?”

“It wasn’t just a few words though.”

Jeoka replied thus and glanced back at Ga Hyeon.

He knew that his master, despite his gentle impression, kept most people outside his circle and pushed them away, but this was the first time he’d seen him despise someone so terribly.

But that feeling wasn’t incomprehensible.

He too, and all the White Tiger Palace people including himself, hated the Vermillion Bird Family members who had tormented Cotton Ball Miss.

“But will this be alright? If it becomes known that you did this to a direct prince of the Vermillion Bird Family…”

“Don’t worry. There’s no evidence. And even if it becomes known, the one who used hypnosis on the Jeok Family’s prince wasn’t me but you, wasn’t it?”

“What?”

“I’m joking.”

Ga Hyeon smiled indifferently and walked to the window.

He who was about to close the window suddenly paused.

The cold aura in his eyes as he gazed somewhere outside the window instantly disappeared and warm light filled them.

“It’s Young Lady.”

Beside him, Jeoka, who had followed Ga Hyeon’s gaze, spotted Soya returning with quick steps alongside Seolyeo.

“Young Lady’s expression looks so bright.”

“Yes. What a relief.”

So many things had happened to Soya since coming to this imperial palace.

She had to face again the old family who had abandoned her, and nearly died twice because of the cuckoo who had stolen her life.

She had saved countless people from crisis, and the lies that had toyed with her life were revealed.

Though many events had rushed upon her, he was so grateful to Soya for continuing to smile with an unchangingly bright face without wavering.

Ga Hyeon couldn’t understand the Suzaku Family who had hurt such a lovely and precious little sister, so he clenched his fists tightly.

If it were up to his feelings, he would have wanted to tear apart right here that bastard who had shamelessly come looking for Soya just moments ago…

That man’s hell was just beginning now.

He hoped that man would suffer in a hell of his own making for at least as long as Soya had been in pain… no, many times more than that.

‘But no matter how I think about it, even without one wing, it shouldn’t be insufficient for living in hell…’

Ga Hyeon mulled over again the plan that had already been thwarted once when Jeoka had jumped up and stopped him, asking if he intended to start a war between families, then soon shook his head.

Such sinister thoughts were quite inappropriate to have while looking at his lovely little sister.

Ga Hyeon’s gaze, which had been looking at Soya’s clear face for a while, slowly moved downward.

“Hmm.”

The two children’s clasped hands came into his view.

“…Well, they’re still young.”

He muttered quietly, then went back to the room to get a blanket and came back outside.

“Soya.”

Ga Hyeon approached Soya with a completely different warm face than when he had dealt with Jeok Hwayu moments ago.

“Hyeoni Elder Brother!”

“Oh my, how did you get so wet? You’ll catch a cold, our Soya.”

Ga Hyeon covered Soya’s shoulders with the blanket and smiled affectionately.

“Seolyeo got much wetter than me. Oh, but Elder Brother.”

Soya said this with some embarrassment, then showed the light orb to Ga Hyeon.

“Look at this. It’s a light orb! Seolyeo found it for me!”

Ga Hyeon’s eyes widened into circles.

Soon he burst into a bright laugh.

“This, I should thank Seolyeo. Now that we have the light orb, we can hold the summer festival our Soya wanted to have.”

“Yes, that’s right! When we return to White Tiger Palace, the very first thing I’ll do is make a list of guests to invite to the summer festival and create invitations.”

Soya chattered away about the things she wanted to do at the summer festival.

Perhaps it was because he had just heard the story of Soya’s past that the Suzaku Family’s second son had drunkenly rambled about in front of him, consumed by his pathetic guilt.

A gentle emotion rippled across Ga Hyeon’s chest as he watched Soya chattering with a clear smile.

He earnestly hoped that his pitiful little sister, who must have had many wounds, would completely forget the painful times of the past and live the remaining days ahead laughing happily just like today.

Ga Hyeon wished this so desperately in his heart.

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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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