The White Tiger Clan’s Baby Cotton Ball - Chapter 22

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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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Chapter 22

Saeon swallowed hard as he looked at the child’s drooping eyes and her tiny mouth pursed like a bird’s beak.

He saw her fingers fidgeting as if she was upset despite trying not to show it, and her melancholy pink eyes glancing at him cautiously.

Just as a tense sense of crisis filled the room, thinking that Cotton Ball might be disappointed if he answered wrong.

“Oh my! She looks exactly like the Family Head!”

Jeok Yeong interjected into their conversation with a deliberately exaggerated voice.

“Oh dear, how could this be a cat? Anyone can see it’s a tiger. Our Family Head, after his forgetfulness, now his eyesight must be getting dim too. What shall we do.”

“Right. I was wondering if old age was catching up to me lately, making my eyes dim. Looking again, it’s definitely a tiger.”

Saeon quickly picked up on Jeok Yeong’s words and played along.

At this, Soya’s face seemed to brighten, but then immediately clouded over again.

“But if your eyesight is getting dim, isn’t that a big problem?”

Soya asked in a worried voice.

“Yes, it’s a big problem.”

Saeon chuckled and nodded.

“So Cotton Ball, you need to come visit me often.”

“Would my visits be helpful?”

“Of course, Young Lady. They would be tremendously helpful. When you come, even this gloomy office brightens up.”

“Really? Is that true?”

Soya’s eyes widened in surprise.

Having had her Spirit Core stolen right after awakening it, Soya hadn’t even achieved First Growth yet, and naturally hadn’t awakened any special abilities either.

To think that she had the ability to brighten up a dark office!

“But I haven’t even awakened my special ability yet, so there’s no way I could have such power…”

“Sometimes very gifted young beastkin help those around them with their innate aura even before awakening their abilities. You must be one of those cases, Young Lady.”

Jeok Yeong lied without batting an eye.

“You chase away the ghosts of White Tiger Palace and brighten up the Family Head’s gloomy office – our Cotton Ball Young Lady can do anything.”

Soya’s cheeks flushed red as she fell for his smooth talk.

After bowing in greeting and stepping out into the corridor, Soya glanced inside her bamboo basket and giggled softly.

This morning, when Yeonjeong brought the fully baked stone pebbles, they were so sparkly and pretty that she just stared at them for a long time.

Excited by people’s happy reactions, she had given one as a gift to everyone she met, leaving only a few in the basket.

Among them, one pure white sparkling stone pebble particularly caught her eye. It was meant as a gift for the Second Young Master.

‘I hope he’ll like this one.’

Even as Soya thought this, she was putting off visiting Ga Hyeon’s room until the very last.

Being hated and rejected was familiar, but being familiar with it didn’t make it pleasant.

Just as Soya carefully reached into the basket to fidget with the stone pebble she planned to give Ga Hyeon.

“Huh?”

Startled by a loud voice from the opposite direction, she dropped the stone pebble from her hand.

A girl with flowing brown hair came running down the corridor but stopped when she spotted Soya.

Thanks to Yeonjeong and Sanho telling her about the branch family young ladies last night, Soya could recognize her immediately.

It was Arang from the Brown Tiger Family, one of the branch tiger families staying in the Eastern Guest Rooms.

“Hello, Miss Arang.”

“What are you? You’re so tiny! You don’t look like a tiger.”

Arang looked Soya up and down curiously as she asked.

“Oh, I’m Soya! Saeon brought me here after he picked, no, found me…”

“What? Saeon brought you here?”

Arang’s eyes widened at Soya’s self-introduction.

“Then don’t tell me, you’re the Cotton Ball who’s occupying the Western End Room?”

“Yes? Yes. But how did you know…”

At Soya’s bewildered reaction, Arang laughed and asked back.

“How do I know? Hey, don’t you know what kind of room you’re sitting in?”

“…?”

“Huh? You really don’t know? It’s the room for the White Tiger Family’s young lady!”

“The White Tiger Family’s young lady?”

“My father said so. During this Mountain Lord Festival, the most outstanding tiger would catch Saeon’s eye and occupy the Western End Room to become the White Tiger Family’s young lady.”

“Really?”

Soya’s eyes widened at this story she was hearing for the first time.

“Are you saying I’m lying?”

“Oh…”

Only then could Soya understand why there was a girl’s room in White Tiger Palace where only young masters lived.

‘I see. They temporarily lent me such a precious room.’

She felt grateful yet strangely bitter.

“But how did you end up occupying that room?”

“Oh, that’s…”

“Everyone’s in an uproar saying some non-tiger suddenly appeared and took that room. Don’t tell me you want to become Saeon’s daughter like Eun Siyo?”

Unable to contain her curiosity about Soya, Arang rapid-fired questions as they popped into her head.

“Oh, no, I’m…”

“If you’re not even a tiger, how? Are you trying to become a fake tiger?”

Gasp.

At the word ‘fake,’ Soya’s heart suddenly plummeted.

[How disgusting that she’s been deceiving everyone all this time.]

[A fake who stole the young lady’s place.]

[Poor Miss Lili. Because of that wicked fake…]

The sharp voices she had forgotten for a while came back to life, disturbing Soya’s ears.

No.

I’m not a fake.

I didn’t try to steal the young lady’s place.

I…

Soya couldn’t say anything and broke out in cold sweat with a pale face.

“Huh? What’s wrong with you? Are you sick?”

Just as Arang called out in a puzzled voice at Soya’s condition.

“What is this behavior! Bullying a small guest who isn’t even a tiger.”

A girl with braided silver hair stepped between them and shouted.

It was Eun Siyo from the Silver Tiger Family, who was considered the most likely candidate to become the owner of the Western End Room among the branch tigers.

“I, I didn’t do anything!”

Arang shouted in panic.

“I just said a few words and suddenly that kid got sick on her own. I, I’m being wronged!”

“You’re Miss Arang from the Brown Tiger Family, right? I had expectations since I heard you’d be competing with me for the Western End Room, but I’m really disappointed.”

“No! Really no! I wasn’t trying to bully this kid…!”

Arang wanted to make excuses but didn’t know what to say due to her poor way with words.

“Miss Arang is right, it’s a misunderstanding.”

Soya, who had belatedly come to her senses, stepped in front of Siyo and defended Arang.

“Miss Arang really wasn’t bullying me. I just wasn’t feeling well.”

“Right! Why did you have to get sick right when I was talking to you…”

When Soya took her side, Arang quickly added her words.

But seeing Soya defending her with such a pale face made her feel strange.

‘This makes it really look like I was bullying a sick kid.’

It was a strange feeling, as if something was pricking at a corner of her heart.

“Ugh, don’t you dare get hurt in front of me again!”

Arang scratched her head vigorously and shouted this before fleeing the scene as if running away.

“Are you really okay?”

Eun Siyo asked Soya, who had been left behind, in a worried voice.

“You’re the guest that Lord Saeon brought, right? I’m Siyo from the Silver Tiger Family. If you were being bullied, I’ll apologize on behalf of a fellow tiger.”

“Thank you for your concern. But I really wasn’t being bullied.”

Soya shook her head and answered, facing Siyo’s attitude that seemed convinced Arang had been bullying her.

“That’s a relief then. If you ever need my help, please don’t hesitate to ask anytime.”

“Yes, I definitely will.”

Soya smiled brightly and turned around.

However, on the way back to her room.

Gradually, the smile that had been on Soya’s face disappeared, and her steps slowly became slower.

Upon reaching her room, Soya closed the door and plopped down in front of it.

[You’re not bothersome at all, so don’t worry and stay here for the time being.]

Soya had always been curious about how long the “time being” that Saeon had mentioned would last.

She had continuously hoped that “time being” would be even a little longer.

But after meeting the tiger young ladies just now, she realized.

That her sweet and warm “time being” would soon come to an end.

‘I’ll have to leave White Tiger Palace after the Mountain God Festival ends and before the real owner of this room comes.’

Soya swallowed down her surging emotions and carefully took in the sight of the room.

Knowing the true identity of this precious room made her feel both grateful and bitter at the same time, because she realized the time had come to leave this room.

She hadn’t cried even when crossing the threshold of Vermillion Bird Mansion’s main gate, but thinking about leaving White Tiger Palace made her feel like she might shed a few tears.

Even though she knew she had to leave, the reason she felt upset was probably because the warm kindness the people of White Tiger Palace had given her was so comforting.

Though she felt a little sad, Soya didn’t cry.

Coveting something that was never mine to begin with is something only greedy, wicked baby birds do.

Soya didn’t want to steal someone else’s belongings again.

‘When I was young, I didn’t know anything and ended up stealing Miss Lili’s place, but I’m already nine years old now. I’m old enough to think and act for myself.’

Soya thought bravely and nodded her head.

But she couldn’t help feeling a little sad.

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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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