The White Tiger Clan’s Baby Cotton Ball - Chapter 209

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

Part 2, Chapter 1

White Tiger Mountain Palace, a mountain fortress located at the foot of Horim Mountain.

If someone were to ask what the most precious thing in that magnificent white palace was, everyone would answer in unison.

It would be Cotton Ball Miss, who is as white as snow and as lovely as sugar candy.

Cotton Ball Miss, who the Family Head stole—no, picked up—while passing by.

Ho Jeokyeong, representative of the Red Fox family and advisor to Family Head Baek Saeon, said:

[Our Family Head has earned the right to not receive any criticism for the next thousand years just by picking up Cotton Ball Miss.]

That’s how tremendous the impact Cotton Ball Miss had on White Tiger Palace was.

She found the White Tiger’s divine artifact that hadn’t been found for hundreds of years, healed the Family Head’s corrupted spiritual core, melted the Second Young Master’s heart to help him reconcile with Lady Cheongha, and treated the sick beasts and birds of the western lands…

And this is a secret no one knows, but it was also Cotton Ball Miss who defeated the head of the Xuanwu Clan who had allied with evil and ended the long war.

Thanks to that, Lady Cheongha and Young Master Gaya returned to their family’s embrace, and above all, she was the one who filled White Tiger Palace with love and laughter.

[Of course, our precious youngest daughter is the most valuable gift Baek Saeon brought home.]

Lady Cheongha, the mistress of White Tiger Palace, didn’t deny Jeok Yeong’s words and burst into hearty laughter.

[Tch. I should have picked up Somsom before Father did.]

Baek Gaya, the eldest son of the White Tiger family, always regretted that he was pushed to second place behind his father as his little sister’s favorite.

(Of course, his claim to be Soya’s second favorite was something only Gaya believed—the other brothers didn’t acknowledge it.)

[Give up, Gaya. I’m the only one who can be Cotton Ball’s papa and the coolest tiger to Cotton Ball. Our Cotton Ball said Papa is the best in the world.]

Baek Saeon felt proud of being Soya’s father with a satisfied expression.

[But Soya, our Soya promised to live with Elder Brother when she grows up. Don’t you remember? When our Soya was nine years old…]

Meanwhile, second son Baek Gahyeon would bring up childhood stories that she probably didn’t even remember whenever he had the chance, subtly trying to win Soya over.

[Cotton Ball! I’ll give you all the kumquat preserves that just came in! I treasure them but I’ll give them all to you! So cancel going to visit the brown tigers with Elder Brother tomorrow and come with me instead!]

Third son Baek Gayul willingly offered his precious snacks, trying to monopolize Soya.

Even though Soya was no longer a young child who could be swayed by food, and in fact, she had never been swayed by food even when she was really little.

[But Yul Elder Brother said he was upset with Lady Arang and didn’t want to go to the Brown Tiger family?]

[Th-that…! I changed my mind!]

[Then let’s all go play together nicely. Elder Brother, you eat lots of the kumquat preserves.]

When Soya spoke with giggles, both the willful Youngest Young Master and the somewhat displeased Little Young Master nodded obediently without complaint.

Everyone in White Tiger Palace loved Cotton Ball Miss.

But Jeok Yeong knows.

Even if Cotton Ball Miss hadn’t found the Baekho Sword, even if she hadn’t healed the Family Head’s spiritual core, even if she hadn’t defeated Hyeon Rabaek and ended the war, everyone would have loved her.

Because Cotton Ball Miss is White Tiger Palace’s treasure, who brings happiness to everyone just by existing, without doing anything.

With such unconditional love being showered upon her, she might have grown up a bit spoiled, but Cotton Ball Miss didn’t.

She was always consistently kind and gentle to everyone.

Perhaps due to Soya’s influence, the Young Masters, who had been somewhat sensitive and aggressive, also tried to act as gently as Cotton Ball Miss.

Anyway, it had been eight years since this precious and lovely Cotton Ball Miss came to White Tiger Palace.

Soya had become a proper young lady of seventeen this year and was approaching her second growth phase.

When she first came to White Tiger Palace, Soya was smaller than her peers due to the absence of a spiritual core and malnutrition.

So much so that Arang, who was the same age, naturally thought she must be older than Soya.

But Soya, who grew up receiving plenty of love at White Tiger Palace, grew tall like a bean sprout, and her round face lost its baby fat, shedding her childish appearance to display the bearing of a complete young lady.

And that wasn’t all.

She had grown so beautiful and lovely that not only the beastmen of the western lands but even the beasts of Horim Mountain would turn to look at her as they passed by, and even birds flying overhead would fold their wings and stare blankly.

She had grown this gracefully and beautifully.

[My, already seventeen years old! Our Cotton Ball Miss could get married now!]

A few months ago, when Su Ri said such words while congratulating Soya on turning seventeen, everyone glared at Su Ri sharply.

And that evening, Su Ri was dragged to a secluded place where masked tigers pulled out a handful of fur from his bottom, leaving him crying and fleeing to Horim Mountain.

Although they were all wearing masks, Su Ri definitely saw them.

The Youngest Young Master with fierce blue eyes wielding sharp claws!

The First Young Master laughing eerily while making jingling jewelry sounds!

There was even Sanho, his own blood relative, among those tigers!

Su Ri, who had fled to a corner of Horim Mountain sniffling “It’s not like I said anything wrong, so why are they all acting like that!”, discovered the shadow of a blue dragon silently pouncing on him and had to run in terror until dawn broke.

Cotton Ball Miss was no longer a child, but the protection from the Young Masters and White Tiger Palace people seemed to have intensified.

But it couldn’t be helped.

The young lady, who grew more beautiful each day, was being coveted from here and there.

Just recently, a marriage proposal came from some family’s young master who had fallen in love with Soya at first sight and was bedridden with lovesickness, turning White Tiger Palace upside down.

Saeon and Cheongha, who had married at eighteen themselves, argued that Soya was too young to discuss engagement, while the three Young Masters raged that any family trying to steal Cotton Ball away from White Tiger Palace was their enemy.

Unfortunately, Soya herself, the person in question, seemed unconcerned.

“All done!”

Soya, who had finished treating a baby bird with an injured wing, exclaimed with a bright smile.

The baby bird carefully flapped its wings, then realized it was completely healed and danced excitedly with chirps.

“Now you must be careful not to get hurt.”

Soya also smiled warmly while gently patting the baby bird’s cute bottom, when a white tiger as big as a house appeared before her with a mouth full of flowers.

“Cotton Ball!”

When the tiger opened its mouth, the colorful flower petals it was holding spilled out in front of Soya.

“How is it?”

“Wow, you picked so many, Yul Elder Brother.”

“Look at this, Cotton Ball! The sky flowers you like!”

Gayul pointed with his front paw at a sky-blue flower among them and exclaimed.

“…!”

Soya’s eyes widened. Because it wasn’t yet time for sky flowers to bloom.

‘I did hear Father and Lord Jeok Yeong worrying about recent weather anomalies, could it be because of that?’

“There was only one, and I climbed all the way up the cliff to pick it!”

Gayul lifted his chin proudly and wagged his tail left and right.

“That’s really amazing, Elder Brother.”

Soya giggled and stroked Gayul’s soft fur.

Then Gayul twitched his nose and made pleased rumbling sounds.

Each time, his cute tiger whiskers would flutter along with the sounds.

Gayul was now a fully grown adult tiger who had completed his second growth phase, but still acted like this—showing affection that wasn’t quite affection—like a not-yet-grown tiger in front of Soya.

Unlike his brothers who were disgusted by their grown younger brother’s aegyo, Soya consistently responded warmly.

Perhaps because of this, Gayul, who was naturally very clingy, acted even more adorable when he was with her.

Soya carefully placed the flowers Gayul had brought into her basket.

Lying on his belly in the grass, lazily rumbling while watching, Gayul suddenly perked up his ears.

“Huh…!”

Soon he jumped up in surprise with a flutter.

“Yul Elder Brother?”

Soya turned her head in puzzlement at his pale face.

From far away, she could sense someone’s extremely angry presence.

“Huh? This is Sanho’s…”

“Oh, oh no, Cotton Ball. You have to say I’m not here…”

“Young Master Yul—!”

Sanho’s booming voice echoed through Horim Mountain Valley.

“Eek!”

“Elder Brother, did you skip class again?”

“It’s not that… Ahhh!”

Gayul couldn’t even finish answering Soya’s question before swiftly running down the mountain.

Soon after, a massive blue-gray wolf huffed and puffed as it chased after him.

“Oh my, Yul Elder Brother really. He’s already eighteen years old but still skips classes.”

Soya was shaking her head and trying to get up.

“I should go down now too…”

“Chirp!”

“Hm? You want to play together?”

“Chirp chirp!”

The baby birds pecked at Soya’s sleeves with their tiny beaks, whining to play together.

“Alright, alright. Then what should we play?”

Soya smiled softly and sat on the grass field with the baby birds, humming a song.

And at some distance away, three gazes were watching her.

―She resembles her more as she grows.

―It’s natural since they’re the same soul.

The loving voices of Vermillion Bird Heavenly Lady and White Tiger Mountain Lord were directed toward Soya.

―…I’m glad I can see her smiling face again.

At Cheonghae Yongsin’s murmured words, the three Divine Beasts simultaneously became solemn.

Unaware of the tender gazes directed at her, Soya was simply closing her eyes gently while playing with the baby birds.

Rustle, the sound of stepping on grass leaves could be heard.

Soya’s eyes, which had casually looked up, widened in surprise.

Soon her eyes curved softly.

“Sanyu Elder Brother…!”

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