The White Tiger Clan’s Baby Cotton Ball - Chapter 167
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————
Chapter 167
“Do, do you think you’ll be safe after doing this!”
The woman trembled violently and shrieked at the sight of Cheongha approaching her.
“There’s no reason I wouldn’t be safe.”
Cheongha replied indifferently and snapped her fingers in the air with a sharp sound.
Then the plant stems began to constrict the woman even more tightly.
“Urgh…”
The woman writhed in the air as the stinging plant stems tore through her clothes and dug into her skin.
“If, if you don’t remove them right now… ugh…”
However, the more the woman writhed, the more the plant stems clung to her body and dug in painfully.
Realizing she couldn’t escape Cheongha’s plant stems with her own abilities, the woman attempted beast transformation.
Pop!
The moment the woman transformed into a large bear with a crescent mark on her chest, the plant stems that had been wrapped around her body snapped.
Taking advantage of the gap to quickly flee, a long spear thrust into the ground in front of the woman with a “thunk―!” sound.
It was none other than Cheongha’s spear.
The woman gasped in surprise and stepped back, when immediately a whirlwind of leaves bloomed from the spear tip and rushed toward her.
“Kyaaak!”
Watching the woman flee with her tail between her legs amid screams, Cheongha let out a short snort.
Did she think such talk about White Tiger Palace’s rules would work on me?
After all, Cheongha had been breaking Azure Sea Palace’s rules like it was routine even back at Azure Sea Palace.
“Soya. There’s one thing Mother has learned living to this age.”
Cheongha spoke gently with the voice of a parent imparting life’s wisdom.
“If you’re going to cause trouble anyway, it’s better to do it really spectacularly.”
“Huh…?”
Cheongha grinned at Soya, who was blinking her eyes.
“It seems Mother has no intention of letting that woman go quietly.”
Then, before Soya could respond…
Swoosh―
Blue hair scattered before Soya’s eyes along with the sound of cutting through wind.
Cheongha disappeared from in front of Soya in an instant.
“Kyaaaaaaak!”
At the sharp scream, when she quickly turned around, she could see Cheongha forcibly subduing the fleeing crescent bear.
“…”
Soya’s mouth slowly fell open as she watched the scene.
Soya was learning for the first time that Mother, who always smiled refreshingly, could make such a frightening expression and such a frightening voice.
‘Come to think of it, back then…’
She suddenly remembered how Mother had recklessly attacked Father when they first met.
[Hey, Baby Bird. I’m not a bad person. What you saw earlier was just me trying to greet your father.]
[Yeah yeah. Saeon and I have been exchanging greetings like that since we were young.]
Back then, she had been so shocked seeing Cheongha suddenly pointing her spear tip at Father and attacking that she had shed tears…
Cheongha’s appearance when seriously attacking an opponent was incomparable to that time.
Thinking about it, back then she didn’t even use her special ability, didn’t make such a frightening expression, and even immediately withdrew her spear when I told her not to attack Father.
‘That was… really just a light greeting.’
Newly realizing that those words had been true, Soya enthusiastically cheered for Cheongha as she cornered the woman from the Crescent Bear Clan.
* * *
Eventually, people gathered due to the commotion and the matter escalated.
“Though Cheongha may have been the mistress of White Tiger Palace in the past, she is now clearly an outsider. An outsider has used force within White Tiger Palace. And against our Crescent Bear Clan, who have guarded the borders of the Western Lands from the demon beasts of the Northern Lands for the past ten years!”
The Head of the Crescent Bear Clan, who had rushed a long distance upon hearing the news, bowed before Saeon in front of the retainers and protested.
“If Saeon acknowledges our clan’s contributions thus far, please punish that woman to protect the honor of the Crescent Bear Clan!”
At those words, the other retainers of the Western Lands also began to stir.
“…An outsider.”
Saeon, who had been silent with an expressionless face the entire time, slowly opened his mouth.
“Who is an outsider?”
He asked, looking down at his surroundings with cold eyes.
That chilling voice, as if it could freeze the air around them, was eerie enough to make even the woman from the Crescent Bear Clan, who had long admired him, shrink back in fear.
“Jeok Yeong.”
At Saeon’s call, Jeok Yeong brought the White Tiger Family’s genealogy record.
Rustle―
Though he hadn’t given specific instructions, Jeok Yeong, who had read his master’s mind, opened a certain page of the genealogy and held it up for people to see.
Then he grinned and said.
“The Family Head was already so excited by himself that he put Madam’s name in the genealogy as soon as she arrived.”
“…!”
“…!”
“…!”
At this, everyone looked on with surprised eyes.
Next to Saeon’s name, Cheongha’s name was listed alongside it.
The Head of the Crescent Bear Clan’s face turned pale.
“How, how could…”
Leaving him stammering in confusion, Saeon rose and walked toward Cheongha.
“Saeon…?”
Then he suddenly grabbed the hand of her who was blinking her eyes and muttered quietly.
“As I thought. I wasn’t seeing things.”
The reason his mood had been poor from earlier. It was because there was a small scratch on Cheongha’s finger.
It had occurred during the physical altercation with the woman from the Crescent Bear Clan.
“Haha, such good eyesight.”
Cheongha laughed awkwardly and pulled her hand away.
How did he notice such a small scratch that was barely visible, really.
“…”
Saeon silently stared at that hand, then immediately turned around and glared at the woman from the Crescent Bear Clan.
“You even injured the mistress’s body.”
“Sa, Saeon…!”
The Head of the Crescent Bear Clan squeezed his eyes shut and banged his forehead on the floor.
“My daughter and I have committed a grave sin by failing to recognize the mistress.”
The Head of the Crescent Bear Clan was a man with strong loyalty toward the White Tiger Family.
Regardless of how the incident unfolded, since Cheongha’s name was in the White Tiger Family’s genealogy, he thought this was all his daughter’s fault for not recognizing it.
“My daughter must have acted unknowingly as well, so if you could mercifully forgive us just this once… Juri, what are you doing! You too, hurry and apologize to Saeon and the mistress!”
“Fo, forgiveness…”
The woman apologized tearfully beside her father.
To this, Cheongha replied with an indifferent face, waving her injured hand.
“This is just a minor wound, and I’ll consider your rude behavior toward me as something done unknowingly.”
In fact, Cheongha herself had just learned that her name was back in the genealogy, so she had no intention of holding them accountable for not recognizing the mistress.
However…
“I do need to receive a proper apology for what was said to my daughter.”
She couldn’t overlook what that woman had said to Soya.
“Calling her an impudent girl, saying that just because she’s not a real white tiger but everyone calls her Young Lady, she thinks she’s really from the direct lineage of the White Tiger, calling her a rootless Cotton Ball who rolled in from who knows where.”
With each word Cheongha uttered, Saeon’s expression grew frighteningly stern.
The White Tiger Palace people never treat Soya carelessly.
Anyone who lived in White Tiger Palace even briefly could tell that Soya was a young lady beloved by the people.
Even bear beast-people, famous for their dull nature, couldn’t fail to notice this.
Yet she said such things because Soya was still young and looked gentle, making her seem like an easy target.
However, before Saeon could say anything, the Head of the Crescent Bear Clan thunderously scolded his own daughter.
“How dare you commit such a grave sin against the masters of the Western Region!”
“F-Father…”
“I thought I had raised you to be worthy of our family’s name all this time, yet you disappoint me so!”
While her rude behavior toward Cheongha stemmed from ignorance of not knowing about her reunion with Saeon, her disrespect toward Soya was an unforgivable grave sin with no room for consideration.
“I beg forgiveness for my daughter’s sins. Please punish both me and my daughter, and let your anger subside.”
The Head of the Crescent Bear Clan formally apologized once more to both Cheongha and Soya.
“What should we do, Soya?”
Saeon asked Soya for her opinion.
“I understand the Head of the Crescent Bear Clan’s feelings. So I’ll accept that apology.”
Soya, who had been silently watching the Head of the Crescent Bear Clan and the woman, stepped forward toward them.
“But accepting an apology and granting forgiveness are different matters. Simply forgiving the Crescent Bear Clan for disrespecting me and Mother would set a bad precedent for the White Tiger Family’s honor.”
Soya spoke with a resolute face devoid of any smile.
“Please have the Head of the Crescent Bear Clan personally calculate the value of my forgiveness and come apologize again.”
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————