The White Tiger Clan’s Baby Cotton Ball - Chapter 238

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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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Part 2, Chapter 30

On the day she had to leave White Tiger Palace, Cheongha’s voice, which had strangely lingered in her heart, suddenly came to mind.

[Soya told me a lot about you. She said she has a kind and reliable friend with black fur.]

[That’s not something natural for everyone. It only felt natural because Seolyeo has a kind heart.]

[Please continue to be our Soya’s good friend for a long time, kind Seolyeo.]

At White Tiger Palace, Seolyeo was always the ‘kind Seolyeo.’

Everyone told Seolyeo that he was a kind and good child.

‘If only this wasn’t here.’

Seolyeo scratched roughly at his chest.

‘If only this evil wasn’t here.’

This was all because of the evil, without a doubt.

That he harbored bad thoughts, that he had to leave Soya.

If only there was no evil, he could have remained Soya’s kind friend.

Without spying on her like this and having these chilling thoughts, he could have stood proudly by her side like that man.

However, even when he scratched roughly at his chest with his sharply raised claws, only red scratches appeared.

Drip, drip—

Red droplets of blood that had beaded up over the scratches dripped down below.

His face contorted as if he was about to cry from the throbbing pain.

Seolyeo already knew that the evil wouldn’t disappear this way.

He had already tried this many times.

But this was all he could do.

If he didn’t do at least this, he couldn’t endure with his sanity intact.

Seolyeo squeezed his eyes shut and continuously harmed himself.

Even after Soya and Irim’s figures were no longer visible, continuously.

* * *

Less than half a day after Soya woke up, the Emperor’s attendants arrived from the Central Region.

Originally, they should have accompanied the Emperor to the Northern Lands, but they arrived late because Irim had sensed Soya’s danger and departed alone first.

Among them was Ga Hyeon.

“I heard the news on the way, Soya. Our Soya has finally become an adult.”

Ga Hyeon handed Soya a bouquet of wildflowers with a regretful voice.

“What should I do when this is all Elder Brother prepared.”

“What do you mean ‘this is all’? It’s so pretty. Thank you, Elder Brother.”

Soya smiled brightly as she received the bouquet of wildflowers.

She hadn’t expected to meet Ga Hyeon in the Northern Lands, so she was simply happy.

“Ah, those evil magic users did that to Soya…”

Ga Hyeon, who had heard the story of what happened here, smiled meaningfully.

—Baby Bird, I sensed an evil aura from your elder brother!

The startled voice of White Tiger Mountain Lord was heard.

“Soya. Elder Brother has something to check briefly, so I’ll be back. Rest up.”

Ga Hyeon smiled slyly and left his seat.

Watching his retreating figure, White Tiger Mountain Lord shuddered.

—It was an evil aura so malevolent I couldn’t believe it came from a descendant of a divine beast!

“Oh, that can’t be.”

Soya chuckled and waved her hand dismissively.

“There’s no one as gentle as Hyeoni Elder Brother.”

A moment later, Ga Hyeon returned with his usual soft and gentle smile on his lips.

“But how did you end up going into that mountain?”

Soya hesitated for a moment, then smiled and made up an excuse.

“I lost the gift I received from Cheongya. So I went into the mountain to look for it, and suddenly my growth pains came.”

In truth, even though she had completed the second growth stage she had been waiting for, Soya somehow couldn’t simply laugh and rejoice with her family.

Because she kept thinking about Seolyeo, whom she had missed that day.

‘Seolyeo’s condition was definitely strange.’

Above all, the black shell visible on his chest was definitely the same thing she had seen on Hyeon Rabaek’s body.

But Soya somehow couldn’t tell her family about this fact.

It was because of some uneasy premonition that had sprouted in her heart.

Perhaps, just perhaps, Seolyeo was…

[Perhaps a survivor of the remaining Xuanwu Clan inherited the black water and allied with evil.]

Before departing for the north, she remembered the conversation Father had with Elder Brother.

‘That can’t be. Allied with evil? Seolyeo couldn’t do such a thing. Besides, the Seolyeo I saw that day…’

Soya clenched her fists tightly and suppressed the ominous premonition that kept rising.

‘He definitely… seemed to be in pain…’

When the demon beasts attacked her, Seolyeo had blocked her path without caring about getting hurt himself.

Even while choking and twisting her neck, Seolyeo had suffered as if he himself was in pain.

Seolyeo, who had shown contradictory behavior of protecting her while simultaneously attacking her, had ultimately run away again.

‘Let’s keep it secret from the family until I’m a bit more certain.’

If her family found out about what happened that day, there would definitely be chaos.

However, Soya believed that Seolyeo could never have attacked her of his own will.

‘Heuksa seemed to know something… The way he and Seolyeo were hiding and talking together too.’

Unfortunately, the black snake had disappeared after that day.

Soya’s special ability, which had gone berserk during her growth pains, heated the air of the entire mountain with hot energy and melted the binding chains that held Heuksa.

Taking advantage of that opportunity, Heuksa had fled.

—I told you, Baby Bird. That guy is a cowardly runaway.

—That wicked snake. Even when Baby Bird was suffering from growth pains, he ran away just to save himself.

—Don’t be too upset, Baby Bird. When we meet that guy again, I’ll scold him until his tail falls off.

The divine beasts poured out criticism toward Heuksa.

Soya, who had many things to ask Heuksa, felt very disappointed.

Why Heuksa was with Seolyeo that day, how the two knew each other, what they had talked about.

And…

[So what’s the reason you’ve been lurking around me?]

—That’s… I made a promise.

[A promise? With whom?]

—…

Was the reason you were snooping around me because of Seolyeo?

If so, what kind of promise did you make with Seolyeo? She wanted to ask, but…

Soya steeled her resolve.

Now that the Emperor’s attendants had arrived from the Central Region, she would soon be able to meet the Black Imugi tribe.

She might be able to find some clues there.

* * *

People from the Azure Dragon Family arrived to escort the sorcerers.

The sorcerers were to be dragged to the Imperial Palace’s prison cells for another round of interrogation.

Soya stood beside Ga Hyeon, watching the sorcerers being dragged away.

Having been tortured for several days, their condition was extremely poor.

As soon as the sorcerers being dragged in the front row made eye contact with Soya, they let out “Hiiek!” sounds and became frightened.

At the sight of them trembling as if they had seen a goblin, Soya tilted her head in confusion.

“Elder Brother should go attend to His Majesty now, Soya. I’ll see you again later.”

“Yes, Elder Brother.”

After Ga Hyeon left Soya with an affectionate farewell, he returned to his group.

Once departure preparations were complete, Irim appeared.

Since the Emperor moving together with the White Tiger Family search party was officially a secret, he was dressed much more lightly than he would be in the Imperial Palace.

At a glance, he looked like a young master from some high-ranking family clan.

A blue-green hair ribbon neatly bound his hair up.

Looking at that hair ribbon reminded her of the morning’s events.

Soya somehow felt as if she had created a secret just between the two of them, so she couldn’t look directly at him and ended up averting her gaze.

Saeon, who noticed Soya’s demeanor, quietly stepped forward.

“I shall attend to His Majesty.”

“I’m counting on you, Saeon.”

Irim nodded with a slight smile around his eyes.

Ever since learning that Saeon had stayed with Soya all night during her growth pains, he could feel Saeon’s wariness.

What kind of reaction would he have if he found out that she had even said to me, ‘Your Majesty is just like a father’?

‘Would he be angry about having his father’s position stolen, or would he actually feel relieved?’

As he smiled subtly while thinking of her, Saeon looked at him with extremely suspicious eyes.

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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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