The White Tiger Clan’s Baby Cotton Ball - Chapter 214

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

Part 2, Chapter 6

Before long, Irim had arrived at the imperial bedchamber.

The palace attendants guarding the front of the bedchamber blushed at the Emperor’s countenance, which they could never grow accustomed to despite seeing it daily.

Regrettably, the Emperor never spared them a glance.

At the sight of the Emperor walking past the lovely palace attendants with indifference, as if they were inanimate objects, the eunuch had to swallow another inward sigh.

Creak—

It was the moment when the door to the bedchamber opened and Irim stepped inside.

He stopped short.

His previously indifferent eyes hardened sharply.

“Your Majesty? What is the matter…”

Before the eunuch could finish speaking.

Clang!

A golden light that bloomed in an instant struck the bronze incense burner placed beside the bed, shattering it to pieces.

“Th-this is…!”

At the same time, the eunuch covered his nose with his sleeve at the murky scent that wafted up.

“Be careful. It’s an aphrodisiac incense.”

Irim warned in a cold voice.

Fortunately, for the eunuch who couldn’t function as a man, it only made his head slightly dizzy, but the original effect would be far more dangerous than this.

Though it was a strong incense that made one’s head spin dizzyingly, Irim showed no change in expression.

Shing—

Drawing his sword, he pointed the blade at the palace servant guarding the bedchamber and asked in a cold voice.

“Who tampered with the bedchamber?”

“Y-Your Majesty, th-that is…”

The palace servant trembled and stammered before the blade that seemed ready to cut flesh at any moment.

Irim glanced at the servant’s fingertips.

He could detect a faint scent that would be difficult for an ordinary person to notice.

“So it was you.”

“P-please spare my life!”

The palace servant collapsed to the floor and pressed her head to the ground in apology.

However, Irim mercilessly swung his blade.

Slash—!

“Kyaaah!”

With a scream filled with terror, a pouch hanging from the palace servant’s skirt fell to the floor.

When he tore open the pouch with his sword tip, white powder spilled out.

It was the same powder that had poured out when the incense burner shattered moments before.

“Take her away.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

At the indifferent command, the imperial guards approached and dragged the palace servant away.

“Y-Your Majesty! Please spare me! Your Majesty! Your Majesty!”

Watching the sobbing palace servant being dragged away, the eunuch spoke worriedly.

“Your Majesty, that palace servant entered the palace a month ago and is the adopted daughter of the Minister of Revenue…”

“And so?”

Irim asked back with an expressionless face.

“Are you saying the Minister of Revenue conspired with his daughter to assassinate me?”

“Y-Yes? N-no, th-that’s not…”

“You’re tiresome. Withdraw.”

“I-I apologize, Your Majesty.”

The palace attendants opened the windows to air out the incense and cleaned the floor.

Amid their orderly movements, Irim frowned slightly, finding it somewhat bothersome.

He too knew that the palace servant’s purpose was not to assassinate him, but something else entirely.

A woman’s seduction. It was something he had never experienced in his previous lives.

His life had always ended before he became a grown man.

The gazes of women that had followed him subtly even before reaching adulthood had become more blatant after his second growth stage.

Things he had never experienced in previous timelines made him quite weary.

Soon the palace attendants withdrew, and as he remained alone in the bedchamber, still emanating a sharply honed and menacing aura.

Tap.

Tap, tap.

At the sound of a small beak tapping the window frame, his gaze turned toward the window.

As he approached the open window, Soya’s skylark primly flicked its tail feathers and struck the window frame with its tiny feet.

“Chirp!”

Upon discovering the small letter tied to the skylark’s ankle, a remarkably warm and gentle smile spread across Irim’s face.

“A letter from Soya.”

It was such a contrasting appearance that it was hard to believe he was the same person who had been emanating that chilling murderous aura moments before.

Irim untied the letter from the skylark’s ankle.

As he unfolded the rolled paper, small flower petals fell out.

‘She must have visited Horim Mountain again today.’

Feeling as if the fresh floral fragrance was purifying his lungs, Irim smiled broadly and imagined Soya running around Horim Mountain excitedly.

In this life, he had never seen Soya frolicking on Horim Mountain.

But in a previous life, he had seen her playing wildly with the youngest tiger of the White Tiger Family.

It was the first time he had seen her with such a mischievous and bright face, and it seemed he couldn’t forget that day’s expression even after passing through countless lives.

Of course, Soya was no longer a child now, but in Irim’s memory, Soya remained frozen at fourteen years old.

The last time he saw her was when she celebrated her fourteenth birthday at White Tiger Palace.

After that, his physical condition was poor due to the aftermath of fighting the Heavenly Tribunal Judge, making it difficult to meet her, and the following year he had to endure long growth pains.

After overcoming the growth pains, when he belatedly discovered Soya’s red feather under the pile of snow by the window.

Thump…!

His heart sank at the thought that the child had flown that great distance and waited for him in the cold snow before returning.

Irim immediately went to find her without time to think.

He wasn’t discouraged even when Saeon told him Soya wasn’t at White Tiger Palace.

Because he could feel a small gaze stealing glances at him with bean-like eyes from earlier.

But regrettably, the Soya he met again didn’t show him her grown appearance.

When she said in a prim voice that she wouldn’t show him her face, there was nothing he could do, so Irim just smiled.

He was really curious about what she would look like at fifteen, which he had never been able to see through countless lives…

However, since that day, he somehow couldn’t meet with Soya.

His physical condition had been quite poor for a while around his second growth stage, but more than that… it seemed like Soya was uncomfortable with him.

To dismiss it as just a vague feeling, he had quite good intuition.

That day, when he unconsciously stroked her soft head feathers.

He clearly remembered her reaction of stiffening her body at his touch.

Even the usually composed Irim hesitated a bit at that moment.

Did I make Soya uncomfortable?

Though he tried to pretend not to know, he couldn’t help but worry inwardly.

He had never once imagined that she would be uncomfortable with him.

But not long after, she was the first to send a letter through this small bird.

He had heard that girls of that age had fluctuating emotions and were as fickle as boiling porridge.

Soya must be like that too. How adorable.

Seeing that the thought of her being cute came before any hurt feelings, it seemed he was quite weak when it came to his young consort.

That Soya had already turned seventeen.

Seventeen. The age when adolescent beast-people suffer through second growth pains and become ‘real adults.’

But, well.

Irim found it hard to imagine that the child had grown enough to become an adult.

Because the Soya in his mind was always a small child.

My beloved young consort whom I promised to protect.

* * *

When Cheongya was born and the two families were in conflict, Saeon promised to bring the child to the Imperial Palace once he turned two, as a condition for receiving imperial mediation.

The Imperial Dragon, leader of all dragons on earth, could see through the dragon orbs that dragon beast-humans are said to carry from birth.

Originally, this ability was used to identify the bloodlines of young dragon beast-humans born in the Imperial Family, but for Cheongya, who has mixed tiger beast-human and dragon beast-human blood, his exact lineage could also be confirmed through the presence or absence of an orb.

Thus, on the day before Saeon and Cheongya’s prepared departure to the Imperial Palace.

Soya went to find Saeon and pestered him, saying she wanted to come along on this Imperial Palace trip under the excuse of wanting to see Ga Hyeon.

“You want to come along because you miss Hyeon?”

“Yes, yes…! I’m curious about how Hyeoni Elder Brother is doing in the capital.”

At Saeon’s suspicious questioning, Soya quickly answered.

It was true that she missed Ga Hyeon.

But hadn’t Ga Hyeon visited White Tiger Palace just two weeks ago to meet with Soya?

So in truth, Soya missed someone else.

Someone else she could meet if she followed Father to the Imperial Palace…

“Why does Papa feel like our Baby Cotton Ball is keeping secrets from Papa?”

“Secrets? There’s no way I’d have anything like that.”

Soya slightly blushed and avoided her father’s gaze.

The truth was she missed His Majesty.

Apart from worrying that her heart might start feeling all fluttery and strange again if she encountered him.

“A-And I’m not Baby Cotton Ball anymore!”

Soya unnecessarily changed the subject to divert the conversation.

She didn’t want others to notice her restless feelings whenever she thought of Irim.

Even if that person was the Papa she loved most in the world.

“That’s right. Our Cotton Ball isn’t Baby Cotton Ball anymore, but grown-up Cotton Ball.”

Saeon chuckled and played along with Soya’s words.

“But why is our grown-up Cotton Ball keeping secrets from Papa? How unbecoming of an adult.”

However, it seemed he hadn’t dropped his suspicions, as he looked at Soya with meaningful eyes and added.

“Don’t tell me, our grown-up Cotton Ball is…”

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