The White Tiger Clan’s Baby Cotton Ball - Chapter 195

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Side Story 18

3. Soya, Spring of Ten Years Old. Ga Hyeon’s Story

Saeon’s Office.

In front of Saeon’s desk, who sat with a somewhat stern expression, Ga Hyeon had been summoned.

“Hyeona.”

“Yes, Father.”

Ga Hyeon answered in his usual gentle voice.

“Do you know why you’ve been called here?”

“….”

Instead of answering, Ga Hyeon slowly blinked with a docile face, causing Saeon to furrow his brow.

“Jeok Yeong.”

“Yes, Family Head.”

At Saeon’s call, Jeok Yeong brought documents and spread them on the desk.

Ga Hyeon’s face as he glanced down at them remained peaceful without the slightest disturbance.

He had already predicted this situation.

That Father would discover what he had done and summon him like this.

“Did you ruin the merchant guild owned by the Silver Tiger Family?”

“Yes.”

Ga Hyeon didn’t deny it and readily admitted.

The wrinkles on Saeon’s brow deepened further.

“Why did you do such a thing?”

“Because Soya cried because of the Silver Tiger Family.”

Ga Hyeon answered in a calm voice while lowering his eyes.

“The punishment for what the Silver Tiger Family did during the last Mountain Festival has already been completed by me as the Family Head. Yet your unilateral retaliation against them is an act of overstepping the Family Head’s authority.”

“Yes, Father. I know. I will gladly accept punishment for it.”

“You’ll gladly accept punishment…?”

Just as Saeon’s gaze turned fierce.

“Young Master…!”

Jeok Yeong, unable to watch any longer, raised his voice and intervened.

“Ha, haha! Young Master’s deep affection for Cotton Ball Miss led to this incident, we all understand. I know, and the Family Head knows too.”

“….”

“So for this matter, apologizing to the Family Head and promising not to do this again would be….”

Jeok Yeong advised Ga Hyeon while breaking out in cold sweat.

“No. I committed a crime, so I must pay the price accordingly.”

However, Ga Hyeon once again requested punishment from Saeon.

“Especially when a direct descendant of the Baek family oversteps the Family Head’s authority, I know they receive the most severe punishment. Please punish me.”

“…Hyeona. You, don’t tell me.”

Saeon’s voice dropped another level.

“Did you do such a thing knowing you would be caught by me and punished?”

“Yes.”

Ga Hyeon obediently nodded his head.

Last autumn, a girl from the Silver Tiger Family dabbled in evil magic and tried to harm Soya and other girls.

Due to that incident, the Silver Tiger Family was stripped of their branch family status, their rank was lowered, and they were expelled from the Western Nobility Council.

The Silver Tiger Family, which had once split from the White Tiger Family that ruled the Western Region, became commoners overnight.

They were only demoted because Eun Siyo was young and it was an incomplete attempt, but if Soya had been hurt, they would have faced family annihilation.

However, Ga Hyeon was not satisfied with that alone.

Especially Eun Siyo, that child who had given Soya a scent pouch containing evil magic and put her in danger.

Soya’s life had almost been in danger, so shouldn’t that child’s life be equally endangered?

Because of that child, how much Soya had cried that day.

She cried so much that her pretty eyelids became swollen.

She cried so sadly that it made my heart ache as I watched.

Because of that child’s sharp tongue, Soya had even tried to leave White Tiger Palace.

Even now, just thinking of that day made Ga Hyeon feel all the blood drain from his body.

Soya, who had clearly prepared to leave, packing only a tiger doll in her bundle and trying to leave silently in the middle of the night.

Though she actually didn’t want to leave.

Though she liked White Tiger Palace.

Though she liked the White Tiger Palace People so much that she had the courage to save people even while enduring everyone’s hatred.

The Silver Tiger Family had fallen to commoners, but they still had their merchant guild.

Of course, the merchant guild was also affected by the family’s downfall, but they would still live more prosperously than ordinary commoners for their entire lives.

Ga Hyeon couldn’t just stand by and watch that.

He planted people in the Silver Tiger Family’s merchant guild and sent Ho Jeoka to manipulate their competing guilds.

He had thought from the beginning that Father wouldn’t fail to notice.

That Red Fox advisor Father kept was far too competent.

“I’ll gladly accept punishment. I was prepared for it.”

Unlike his quiet plea for punishment, there was a subtle stubbornness in his voice.

“Hyeona.”

Saeon softened his rigid expression slightly and tried to persuade Ga Hyeon with a coaxing voice.

“Just as you cherish and treasure Soya, I feel the same way. I’m that child’s papa. She’s my daughter. That’s why I gave them severe punishment.”

“….”

“But Soya wouldn’t want you to do such things either.”

“I know.”

Ga Hyeon nodded obediently again and answered.

Kind Soya wouldn’t understand scheming to ruin someone’s life.

“You know, yet you acted that way?”

“That’s why I did it without Soya knowing, secretly from Soya.”

“What…?”

“I don’t care if Soya finds out about this and becomes disappointed and hates me. I just need Soya not to cry. So I just made sure those who made Soya cry can never appear before Soya again.”

“….”

Saeon was left speechless by his son’s too-confident answer.

In the end, Ga Hyeon was punished.

However, there was no sign of resentment about it on Ga Hyeon’s face.

Watching his son’s retreating figure as he closed the door and left, Saeon pressed his throbbing forehead.

“Are you alright, Family Head?”

Jeok Yeong asked while glancing at Saeon’s expression.

“Well, what can I do. It’s a parent’s job to clean up their child’s mistakes.”

Saeon shook his head with a deep sigh.

“What should we do about the Silver Tiger Family?”

“There’s no way to help a merchant guild that’s already collapsed. If it crumbled to a mere twelve-year-old child’s scheme, that’s also the incompetence of the guild master running it.”

“I agree, Family Head. It might have collapsed anyway, even if not this time.”

“But we can’t let people with a ten-year-old daughter end up on the streets, so arrange minimal means for them to maintain their livelihood.”

“Yes, Family Head.”

Jeok Yeong nodded and went outside.

Left alone, Saeon rubbed his tired eyes and thought of his two sons.

Ga Hyeon and Gayul, who had completely different personalities, had attitudes toward Soya that were just as different.

Unlike Gayul, who would play pranks with Soya and run around noisily, always trying to make her laugh, Ga Hyeon always watched quietly from a step away from Soya.

Wondering if she might trip over a stone.

Wondering if pollen might get in her eyes and make her cry.

Wondering if she might be startled by their energetic youngest brother’s pranks.

While meticulously taking care of such small and trivial details.

Saeon knew the reason why Ga Hyeon acted particularly sensitive when it came to Soya’s matters.

Guilt. And because of regret.

Ga Hyeon, who had put up walls against that child when Soya first came to White Tiger Palace, thought that Soya had been hurt because of him.

So he thought that he had to do better, as much as Soya had been hurt.

Sometimes he was so overprotective of Soya that it was hard to tell who the father was.

But still…

‘He said it didn’t matter if Soya hated him. As long as that child didn’t cry.’

Saeon let out a hollow laugh as he recalled Ga Hyeon’s words from earlier.

‘He’d be sad if Soya really hated him. That little one is just full of bravado.’

Of course, kind-hearted Soya would never hate anyone.

* * *

Meanwhile, Ga Hyeon’s face remained consistently calm as he returned to his room.

Perhaps he had disappointed Father with this incident.

But…

‘I only did what had to be done.’

Just like what that child did to Soya, he hadn’t threatened that child’s life either.

He had simply made them lose what they had and threatened their livelihood.

So they could never appear before Soya again.

Ga Hyeon, who had arrived at his room before he knew it, rubbed his eyes with a slightly tired expression.

Jeoka, who glanced at Ga Hyeon, asked carefully.

“Are you alright, Young Master?”

“Get out.”

Instead of answering, Ga Hyeon issued an order to leave.

After driving Jeoka away, Ga Hyeon, left alone in his room, discovered two stone pebbles placed side by side at the window.

At that moment, a remarkably warm light appeared on Ga Hyeon’s face, which had been expressionless the entire time.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————