The White Tiger Clan’s Baby Cotton Ball - Chapter 23

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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 23

Ga Hyeon stood by the window all day, looking down at the garden.

Ga Hyeon’s eyes faintly furrowed as he fiddled with the stone pebbles placed on the window frame.

Ho Jeoka, who had come to attend to the Young Master for his afternoon schedule after finishing lunch, asked in a puzzled voice upon seeing his master’s seemingly displeased expression.

“Is something wrong, Young Master?”

“It’s strange. She usually takes walks between the hour of the Goat and the hour of the Monkey, but she’s nowhere to be seen.”

“Pardon?”

“I’m talking about that child from the Western End Room.”

Soya was nowhere to be seen today.

He had even deliberately placed the stone pebbles on the window frame so that child would notice them.

“You remembered Cotton Ball Miss’s walking schedule?”

“What?”

At Jeoka’s question, Ga Hyeon frowned and turned to look at him.

It sounded as if he was suggesting that he cared about that child, which was unpleasant and bewildering.

However, Ga Hyeon soon replied in a disgruntled voice.

“What’s so special about remembering things that happen within White Tiger Palace?”

“But you don’t know the Youngest Young Master’s training schedule, do you?”

“Do you think I’m idle enough to remember every such trivial thing?”

Ga Hyeon snapped coldly and walked toward the door.

Jeoka wondered if Cotton Ball Miss’s walking schedule was then a ‘non-trivial’ matter, but didn’t ask again.

Instead, he quickly followed behind his master and asked.

“The Eunho Family has suggested having tea together. What should we do?”

“Let’s do that. While we’re at it, it would be good to meet with the Galho Family and Heukho Family before the Mountain Lord Festival begins… Wait.”

Ga Hyeon, who was about to open the door and leave, suddenly noticed a small, hard object that Jeoka was holding in his hand.

At the strangely familiar yet irritating shape, Ga Hyeon narrowed his eyes and asked.

“What’s that?”

“Pardon?”

“That thing you’re holding in your hand.”

“Ah, this is a stone talisman that Cotton Ball Miss made for me. I received it from her just a moment ago.”

“…”

At Jeoka’s straightforward answer, Ga Hyeon’s expression soured.

That small child had gotten her fingertips dirty with soil while rummaging through the garden, and it turned out she hadn’t given it only to him but had also given a gift to this fellow, which displeased him.

Moreover, unlike what he had received, the colorful appearance was irritating to his eyes.

“But why does your stone pebble look like that?”

“She said she painted it with ceramic paint and fired it. This picture here, the young lady drew it herself.”

“…”

At that explanation, Ga Hyeon’s mood sank even lower than before.

Did she like Ho Jeoka enough to personally draw a picture for him?

The picture drawn on that stone pebble was even in the shape of a red-furred fox.

Knowing that Ho Jeoka was a Red Fox beastman, she must have deliberately drawn it for him.

‘I haven’t even seen that child talking with him. What exactly did she like about him? His face?’

Ga Hyeon was sharply staring at Jeoka’s handsome face when.

“But didn’t you receive one, Young Master?”

Jeoka asked in an innocent tone.

“I already received one. Before you did.”

Ga Hyeon gestured toward the stone pebbles placed on the window frame and shrugged his shoulders.

“Not the one you received before. Yesterday she gathered lots of stone pebbles from the garden, drew pictures on them, and gave them as gifts to the people of White Tiger Palace and even the guests from the branch family.”

“What?”

“I heard the Family Head and the Youngest Young Master also received new ones with tigers drawn on them.”

“…”

Ga Hyeon’s lips sealed shut.

She made new drawings to gift to Father and Gayul, but didn’t come to me?

Perhaps she noticed that he was avoiding her and deliberately left only him out when giving gifts.

It was he who had wanted to draw the line first, so this was for the best.

But why was his mood becoming so dejected?

“Hmm. The young lady must have forgotten.”

Noticing Ga Hyeon’s fallen expression, Jeoka spoke up to console his master’s feelings.

However, Ga Hyeon’s expression didn’t brighten easily.

“Forget it. I don’t need such trashy stone pebbles…”

Just as Ga Hyeon was replying coldly and throwing open the door.

“…!”

At that very moment, he came face to face with Soya, who had come to visit his room.

It wasn’t only Ga Hyeon who froze in surprise.

Soya, who had been standing frozen while holding a small stone pebble in her hand, was startled the moment their eyes met and ran away.

Ga Hyeon stared blankly at the spot where Soya had fled with a somewhat pale face.

Did she hear everything?

She must have heard it all, right?

That I called them trashy stone pebbles…

He usually didn’t make such mistakes.

His sensitive and sharp nature was something he only showed in front of his brothers or Ho Jeoka.

But thinking that everyone in White Tiger Palace had received gifts, even the guests from the branch family had received them, yet he alone hadn’t received one made him inadvertently upset.

So for a moment, he couldn’t contain his hurt feelings and ended up saying something thoughtless.

Normally, he would have noticed that child’s presence and been careful…

He kept thinking about Soya’s retreating figure as she ran away in surprise the moment their eyes met.

Ga Hyeon remained frozen in that spot for a long time, unable to say anything.

* * *

Meanwhile, Soya walked quickly around the corridor, patting her chest.

‘Phew, that was close. If I hadn’t heard his conversation with Lord Jeoka, I would have made the Young Master feel bad again.’

Soya glanced at the stone talisman she had intended to give to Ga Hyeon.

No matter how nicely she decorated the stone pebbles, they probably just looked like trash to the Second Young Master.

‘Stone pebbles won’t work after all. But I want to make him a talisman before leaving White Tiger Palace.’

Coming out to the garden, Soya spotted two baby tigers tussling with each other.

One was a white tiger with familiar white fur, and the other had brown fur.

‘The Youngest Young Master and… Lord Arang?’

The two, who were sixth cousins, had been on very bad terms since childhood.

“Grroooar! (You stupid brown tiger! I can’t acknowledge you as a tiger of White Tiger Palace!)”

“Grr. Grrrrr! (Who do you think wanted to become family with someone like you? I came because I was curious about what poor soul would become family with a stupid tiger like you!)”

“Grroar! Grroar, grroar! (What? Stupid? Are you done talking?)”

“Grr! (Yeah, I’m done!)”

“Grroooooar! (Hey, come at me!)”

“Grrrrrrr! (Fine, I’ll come at you!)”

The two were fighting with their bodies rather than words, like the fierce baby tigers they were.

But then, Gayul spotted Soya.

“Grroar? (Huh? Cotton Ball!)”

Gayul ignored Arang charging at him and ran toward Soya.

Soya reflexively spread both her arms wide.

Then the baby white tiger leaped and nestled snugly into Soya’s embrace.

“Grrrowl! (Hey, where are you running!)”

At this, Arang chased after him and jumped up to bite Gayul’s tail with a chomp.

“Uh oh oh…!”

Unable to bear the weight of the two baby tigers, Soya collapsed onto the ground with a thud.

“Grroar? (Gasp! Cotton Ball! Are you okay?)”

Gayul was startled and pushed Arang away.

“Grroar, grroar! (You, because of you Cotton Ball almost got hurt!)”

“Gr, grrrowl? (Me, because of me…?)”

Flustered with her tail raised, Arang didn’t know what to do and circled around Soya.

Seeing this, Soya laughed and waved both hands.

“No, it’s fine. I just sat down on the grass field. I’m not hurt at all.”

The Youngest Young Master tended to be overly protective of me.

As Soya chuckled, she felt herself getting a bit too accustomed to it.

‘I’ll have to leave soon, but I think I’ve gotten too used to this.’

But then, Arang stood up on all fours and bared her teeth at Soya.

“Grrrrr… (You, you, you…!)”

“Lady Arang?”

“Grrrroooar! (I told you not to get hurt in front of me!)”

Soya tilted her head at Arang’s mighty roar.

“Are you worried about me?”

“Grrrung…! (Why, why, why, why would I care about something that’s not even a tiger…!)”

“Thank you, Lady Arang.”

Soya smiled brightly and stroked Arang’s brown fur.

“…!”

In an instant, Arang’s body stiffened.

The tigers around Arang would constantly bite, push down, and pin her down, but they never gently petted her like this.

Unable to adapt to this ticklish feeling she was experiencing for the first time, Arang bristled her fur and hissed.

“Gyahak! (Where do you think you’re touching!)”

Arang glared at Soya with huffing breaths, then quickly ran away.

“Grroar, grroar! (Hah. Running away with her tail between her legs.)”

Gayul snorted and wagged his tail.

Soya looked back and forth between Arang’s retreating figure in the distance and Gayul purring in her arms, then suddenly let out an exclamation.

“Ah…!”

“Grung? (What’s wrong, Cotton Ball?)”

“From the first time I saw Lady Arang, she felt familiar. I think Lady Arang resembles the Youngest Young Master.”

“Kyak! (What?)”

Gayul was horrified and jumped out of Soya’s arms.

“Gyahak! Kyahak! (Cotton Ball! How could you say such a thing to me! Take it back right now! Hurry up and take it back!)”

The way he bristled his fur and hissed was exactly like Arang moments before, making Soya burst into laughter.

“Grroaaaaar! (Don’t laugh! Take it back! Quickly take it back!)”

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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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