The White Tiger Clan’s Baby Cotton Ball - Chapter 267

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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 59

The next morning.

Soya sat in front of her vanity mirror with an anxious heart.

Fortunately, her eyes weren’t swollen thanks to calming herself down with Seolyeo while breathing in the night air.

“Phew, thank goodness.”

A sigh of relief escaped through her teeth.

—Did that young Imperial Dragon make Lady Soya sad?

The Vermillion Bird Heavenly Lady asked with teary eyes.

“No, Zhua. I was just… I guess I was hoping.”

She thought she had gotten much better over the three years.

But it seemed she had been secretly hoping deep down.

That when she came to the Imperial Palace and met His Majesty again, miraculously he would like her again or something…

‘It’s not like a fairy tale, really.’

Soya chuckled and shook her head.

—Zhua is so upset. I’ll catch that wicked young Imperial Dragon and boil him into Imperial Dragon soup in bubbling Suzaku fire.

—I’ll help strip the Imperial Dragon’s bones.

—Then I’ll pluck off all his scales.

—Cutting off the tail is my job.

The Divine Beasts who were thoroughly angry at Irim casually made frightening threats.

“Everyone, don’t be like that. It’s sad that he forgot me, but he’s someone who gave me love greater than sadness. So I don’t resent him.”

Soya gently soothed the Divine Beasts with her soft voice.

She felt grateful to them for looking more upset than she was, but also sorry for making them worry.

After finishing her simple morning preparations, Soya headed to the breakfast hall.

Ga Hyeon, Gayul, and even Seolyeo had already arrived and were seated there.

Seolyeo sent her a worried glance, but Soya responded with a smile.

“Everyone woke up early?”

“Cotton Ball, did you hear? They’re opening Bandi Dungeon starting today.”

“Bandi Dungeon?”

Soya’s eyes widened in surprise.

Bandi Dungeon was a cave located in the central part of the continent, where the earth’s veins were twisted, making it countless times easy to get lost if you entered carelessly.

Even very brave beast-people often became lost there.

Therefore, access was normally blocked, but occasionally on special days, the Imperial Palace would open the cave for entertainment.

During that period, it was safe because patrol units with earth-type special abilities would go around checking the earth’s veins.

“Mother and Papa said they went there together when they were young too!”

“Right. They said Father carried Mother on his back to the Forest of the Stars after she hurt her knee falling in the cave.”

The reason Bandi Dungeon was famous was because of the ‘Forest of the Stars’ that supposedly existed at the end of the cave.

There was a legend that if a man and woman went there together, they would become lovers.

“Lady Yeonjeong told me. She said the reason the two of them, who were enemies until childhood, became such a loving couple was definitely thanks to Bandi Dungeon.”

“But what’s the point? We don’t have anyone to go there with and become paired anyway.”

“That’s true.”

Soya and Gayul stopped eating and drooped sadly.

“Don’t be too heartbroken, Soya. That’s just superstition people talk about.”

Ga Hyeon said gently while deboning fish and placing it on Soya’s rice bowl.

“Hyeoni Elder Brother has no romance at all…!”

“S-Soya…?”

Ga Hyeon was flustered by Soya’s criticism, which he was receiving for the first time.

“I’ve been to that cave a few times, and it was nothing special.”

“Elder Brother, you’ve been to Bandi Dungeon? Several times even?”

“Mm. It just happened…”

When Soya asked as if interrogating him, Ga Hyeon smiled awkwardly and trailed off.

“I think it would be nice for us to go together regardless of the legend…”

Seolyeo, who was sitting across from them, glanced at Soya and carefully spoke up.

“Tell us honestly, Elder Brother! Who did you go with?”

“Don’t tell me you went with young ladies?”

However, unfortunately, Seolyeo’s courageously spoken words were drowned out by the excited voices of Gayul and Soya.

* * *

[Soya, Yul, don’t get excited. How about going once in the afternoon? Even if it’s not about that legend, it’s a place that holds traces of Father and Mother.]

Soya and Gayul were completely won over by Ga Hyeon’s words as he calmed his excited siblings.

Unfortunately, Ga Hyeon had to go to court right after finishing breakfast, so he couldn’t go with them.

Ga Hyeon said that during the five years he spent in the Central Region, he had visited the cave several times, but had never made it to the Forest of the Stars.

This fact further ignited Gayul’s fighting spirit.

“Today I’ll definitely go to the Forest of the Stars and flatten Elder Brother’s nose.”

“I don’t think Hyeoni Elder Brother’s nose will get flattened just because of that…?”

Soya asked back in a dubious voice, but Gayul’s head was filled only with thoughts of somehow beating Ga Hyeon.

“Seolyeo, you’re coming with us too. The three of us need to team up and beat Elder Brother.”

Thus, Soya, Gayul, and even Seolyeo arrived together in front of Bandi Dungeon.

Perhaps because it was festival season, there were so many people that it didn’t seem dangerous at all.

“Be careful, Soya. It’s dark inside the cave.”

“Thank you, Seol Yoya.”

Inside the cave was very wide and dark.

The three of them relied on light and worked hard to move forward.

Unlike the bustling entrance, the crowds gradually thinned as they went deeper inside.

Before long, when there were few people around and only the sound of dripping water could be heard.

“There seem to be too few people.”

“Is this not the right path?”

“I think I hear wind sounds from over there…”

It was then.

Rumble—

A vibration echoed from deep within the cave.

“Uh oh…?”

It felt like the cave was moving.

No, it wasn’t just a feeling—the cave was really moving!

Rumble—!

“It’s dangerous, Cotton Ball!”

“Soya…!”

Gayul and Seolyeo reached out their hands toward Soya.

Crash—!

But immediately, a large rock fell from the ceiling, becoming a wall that blocked them.

“Cotton Ball! Can you hear my voice?”

“Yes, Elder Brother. Are you there?”

“The rock won’t budge at all.”

Gayul said while pounding on the rock wall.

“Don’t do that since it’s dangerous. Let’s meet again at the exit.”

Soya said in a calm voice.

Although she was separated from the group and alone, the cave’s paths were connected anyway.

So if she continued toward the exit, they would be able to meet again.

However, it wasn’t long before Soya encountered a problem.

“Huh? This is the path we passed earlier…”

Soya blinked her eyes and looked around.

Already the fourth time, she was passing the same path.

It seemed she had gotten lost.

‘This is trouble. I shouldn’t move any further from here.’

Fortunately, they said the patrol units made regular rounds, so if she stayed put, she would be found before long.

Soya stopped walking and crouched down on the ground so the patrol could come find her.

More than being lost and left alone, she felt more regretful about not being able to reach the Forest of the Stars.

‘I really wanted to go, even if it was alone…’

It was while Soya was swallowing her disappointment.

Step, step.

Someone’s footsteps echoed against the cave walls.

‘Did the patrol come?’

When she lifted her head slightly, a familiar silhouette entered her sight.

Shimmering platinum hair that didn’t lose its light even in the dark cave, and delicate, noble features.

Though he wore plain clothes, the man who couldn’t hide the subtle presence and overwhelming aura flowing from him was none other than Irim.

“Your Majesty…?”

“We meet again.”

Toward Soya who was staring blankly, Irim approached with a gentle smile.

“How did Your Majesty come to be in this place…?”

“I got lost.”

Irim said nonchalantly as he plopped down beside Soya.

It sounded exactly like a lie.

That he, who should be at the Imperial Palace, leisurely came to a cave…

And that he got lost too…

‘But the Imperial Dragon can’t lie.’

So she had no choice but to believe him.

‘What a strange coincidence indeed.’

Soya looked at him with a curious expression and thought.

“Then was Your Majesty also on your way to the Forest of the Stars?”

“Forest of the Stars? Were you heading to that place?”

“Yes…? Yes, everyone who comes to this cave goes to see that forest. There’s a very wonderful legend about the forest.”

Though Irim’s attitude of seemingly knowing nothing about the ‘Forest of the Stars’ despite coming this far was puzzling, Soya answered sincerely.

“I see. I simply followed someone else to this place.”

“Then did you come with that person and get lost and become alone?”

“…”

Instead of answering, Irim quietly gazed into Soya’s eyes.

Under that gaze watching her in the quiet silence, Soya somehow felt strange.

It was when that gaze gradually grew deeper.

“Why did you run away yesterday?”

In an instant, Soya’s body trembled with a start.

She hadn’t expected him to ask about yesterday’s events like this.

“I-I apologize. It seemed like I saw something I shouldn’t have seen.”

Soya answered while subtly avoiding his gaze.

Then Irim suddenly said.

“It was a chance encounter.”

“Yes…?”

Soya’s gaze turned back to him.

“That woman you saw yesterday. I believe she said she was from the Red Flower Snake Tribe of the Northern Lands.”

Irim frowned as he recalled the woman.

“I too had never seen that woman before yesterday, and we have no relationship whatsoever.”

“Why are you telling me this…?”

At Irim’s appearance of speaking as if making excuses, Soya asked back with a puzzled voice.

“Just because. I didn’t want you to… misunderstand.”

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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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