The White Tiger Clan’s Baby Cotton Ball - Chapter 191
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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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Side Story Episode 14
In the rear garden of White Tiger Palace, a baby tiger was hopping around.
It was Gayul, who was once again searching all around White Tiger Palace today to find something that would make Soya happy, trying to be a good elder brother to her.
The baby tiger, lost in thought for a while, failed to look ahead and bumped his head right into a wooden pillar.
“Kking, kking…(Ow ow…)”
Gayul rubbed his aching head with his front paw and looked up.
‘Huh? This tree is…’
Red berries were hanging from the tip of those high tree branches.
Suddenly, Gayul remembered how Soya had recently flown around in her baby bird form, pecking at berries to eat them.
“…!”
Gayul’s face lit up with joy.
“Krung, krung!(This is it for today!)”
Gayul nimbly climbed up the tree and plucked off one berry.
‘Cotton Ball will like this, right? Hehe.’
Just thinking about Soya pecking at the berry with her tiny little beak already made him feel pleased.
‘Cotton Ball’s beak is really cute. Her body is so tiny, and her beak is even tinier…’
But when Gayul went to visit Soya’s room, his second elder brother Ga Hyeon had already arrived there before him.
“Cotton Ball…! Huh? What’s that?”
“Oh, Yul Elder Brother, you came?”
Soya showed Gayul the colorfully and beautifully arranged sweet confections on a tray, smiling brightly.
“These are sweet confections that Hyeoni Elder Brother brought. Those fig confections sent from the Heukho Family.”
Those confections were one of the gifts that had arrived at White Tiger Palace after this mountain festival ended.
Ga Hyeon, Gayul, and Soya had each received one box, but Gayul had eaten all of his right there on the spot as soon as he received it.
“Hyeoni Elder Brother says he doesn’t like figs. So Yul Elder Brother and I will share and eat them together.”
“Elder Brother doesn’t like figs?”
Gayul tilted his head at hearing this for the first time and looked at Ga Hyeon.
Ga Hyeon, who was sitting close beside Soya, was looking at him with a deliberately displeased expression.
‘That can’t be right…’
While thinking something was strange, a realization flashed through Gayul’s mind.
‘Don’t tell me he lied just to give Cotton Ball the confections?!’
Gayul looked at Ga Hyeon with a deeply shocked expression.
Because Gayul had never even thought of the possibility of sharing delicious snacks with his little sister.
‘I should have shared my confections with Cotton Ball instead of eating them alone… Why didn’t I think of that?’
Gayul looked back and forth between Soya and the confections with violently shaking eyes.
“Soya, Yul has eaten a lot already, so don’t worry about him and eat by yourself.”
At that moment, Ga Hyeon drew Soya’s attention to himself and picked up a confection from the plate.
“Huh? But it’s more fun when we eat together…”
“Here, say ah―.”
When Ga Hyeon held the confection toward Soya’s mouth, Soya reflexively opened her mouth.
The sweet confection slipped smoothly into her small mouth that was like a bird’s beak.
This caused Soya’s words to be cut off abruptly.
Gayul glanced at Soya, whose one cheek had puffed out as she diligently chewed the confection in her mouth.
Figs were fruits that didn’t grow in the Western Lands, so they were extremely difficult to obtain.
Especially those fig confections were special treats that even Gayul could only eat once a year, around this time.
Gayul felt that the tree fruit he had brought seemed shabby for no reason.
“Yul Elder Brother. Elder Brother should come and eat together too.”
Meanwhile, Soya, who had swallowed the confection in her mouth, looked after Gayul who was standing there blankly and offered.
Gayul, who would normally have rushed over excitedly, shook his head.
“N-no, Cotton Ball. I don’t really like figs…”
Though he kept swallowing saliva at the sweet confection aroma, he couldn’t take away his little sister’s snacks too.
Of course not. It’s not like I’m a pig tiger or anything.
“Oh my? Elder Brother, that…!”
At that moment, Soya opened her eyes wide and pointed at the tree fruit in Gayul’s hand.
“Huh? What? Oh, this?”
Oh no. Soya had spotted his shabby gift.
“This is just… something I picked up on the way…”
Gayul fidgeted and handed the fruit in his hand to Soya.
“Cotton Ball, you take it.”
“This is the first time I’ve seen such a smooth and pretty fruit without even a single scratch! Elder Brother picked it on purpose, didn’t you?”
However, Gayul’s lie was immediately caught by the perceptive Soya.
‘Eek.’
Gayul’s face turned red from embarrassment at being caught in his lie.
“Thank you so so much.”
“Huh?”
But Soya’s reaction was strange.
If it had been his elder brothers, they would have teased him asking if he had lied to them, but she smiled brightly and thanked him.
“I-it’s not really something to be that thankful for…”
“Yul Elder Brother always brings me things I like.”
“Y-yeah, that’s right…”
It was amazing.
Soya’s voice wasn’t as loud as his, but listening to that gentle voice made him quickly get convinced and nod his head.
“This was on a really high tree, so how did you bring it? Elder Brother doesn’t even have wings. You’re really cool and amazing!”
“I-it wasn’t difficult at all. I’m the tiger who climbs trees best in White Tiger Palace.”
Gayul, who quickly became proud from Soya’s praise, laughed happily without noticing that his elder brother was looking at him with sharp eyes.
* * *
Gayul, sitting in front of his desk, pondered over the events of that day.
‘When I’m with Cotton Ball, I feel like I’ve become a really amazing tiger.’
Like when he picked fruit for her last time, and just yesterday when they were playing ball…
[Oh my, Young Master. Young Lady doesn’t have stamina as good as yours, so you should play gently.]
[N-no, Sanho!]
When Yeonjeong and Sanho said something to him, Soya immediately stopped them and said:
[I really really love playing ball with Yul Elder Brother…! So it’s okay.]
As if she wanted to keep playing with him, she firmly grabbed his sleeve while saying this.
[See! Cotton Ball likes playing with me too!]
Gayul was captivated by Soya’s words saying she “liked” it and grinned with a proud expression.
[Yul Elder Brother always plays with me so I won’t be bored.]
[That’s right. Elder Brother doesn’t even play ball with Cotton Ball. I’m the only one who plays this fun with Cotton Ball.]
[That’s right. I feel so reassured and happy that Yul Elder Brother is my elder brother.]
‘Back then too, Cotton Ball said that to me and I felt really good.’
He felt like he had become the most amazing elder brother in the world.
‘Cotton Ball always makes me into an amazing person.’
But actually, Gayul knew the truth.
The one who was truly amazing wasn’t himself, but Soya!
“Cotton Ball is really amazing….”
Gayul glanced out the window and muttered.
“She’s so tiny, but how does she fly so high and far? Really amazing….”
“Maybe it’s because she’s a flying beast?”
Su Ri, who was beside him, tilted his head and replied, but Gayul didn’t hear him.
“And Cotton Ball, you know, she’s really really good at hide and seek too. When Cotton Ball runs away, she flies up high high where no one can catch her, and when Cotton Ball is ‘it’, she’s as fast as a tiger. …Could Cotton Ball actually be a genius?”
“Oh my, Young Master!”
At that moment, the teacher who was helping Gayul with his literary studies raised his voice in alarm.
“The brush tip is bleeding ink right now. This is what happens when you keep getting distracted.”
“Uh, ugh…!”
The ink had already spread, turning the paper black.
In the end, Gayul got scolded for constantly daydreaming during class, but he still felt good.
Because now that class was over, he could go see Soya.
‘I need to hurry and go to Cotton Ball.’
Gayul went outside while thinking about what would be fun to play with Soya today, and discovered Soya surrounded by people in the front courtyard of White Tiger Palace.
“There are always people around Cotton Ball Miss.”
“Of course. Cotton Ball is so small and cute, it’s natural that anyone would want to play with Cotton Ball.”
“Ah, is this natural?”
Su Ri scratched his head and asked back.
“Huh?”
“Actually, I also keep wanting to play with Cotton Ball Miss whenever I see her.”
Su Ri said that and laughed “hahaha.”
Gayul felt somewhat sulky and snapped at him.
“Why do you want to play with my little sister? No way. You go play with your own sibling.”
“I don’t have any siblings though. Even though I look like this, I’m the beloved youngest wolf of the Blue Wolf Family. Hehehe.”
“….”
Gayul’s mood got even worse.
How could they attach the word “cute” to a guy like that?
No way, absolutely not!
The word “cute” can only be used for our Cotton Ball!
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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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