The White Tiger Clan’s Baby Cotton Ball - Chapter 277

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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 69

The festival was gradually coming to an end.

Soya had tried to help Gaya find a lovely Young Lady who could become his match, but he only showed lukewarm reactions every time.

“Mother said not to think about returning to White Tiger Palace until you bring back a match. Is that really okay?”

Unable to just watch, Soya asked with a worried heart.

“Don’t worry, Somsom. This Elder Brother knows all the secret passages into White Tiger Palace.”

Gaya replied in a nonchalant voice.

“If Elder Brother isn’t there, Somsomi would be sad, so even if Mother tries to chase me away, I’ll crawl back into White Tiger Palace and cling on.”

“There are secret passages in White Tiger Palace?”

Gayul, who had been listening to their conversation from the side, looked at Gaya with sparkling eyes and an interested expression.

“Hmm?”

Seeing Gayul’s bright, eager eyes, Gaya soon smiled mischievously and stretched out his legs.

“Oh my, my legs are stiff.”

“I’ll massage them for you, Elder Brother! Does this feel refreshing?”

Gayul stuck close to the preening Gaya and diligently massaged his legs.

“Oh dear, the secret passage isn’t what’s important right now…”

Seeing this, Soya muttered worriedly, but aside from her, no one else seemed to worry about Gaya’s whereabouts.

“Sigh. Elder Brother will handle it himself.”

Soya shook her head and put down her worries.

Actually, now wasn’t the time to worry about Gaya.

She had a much bigger and more important concern at the moment.

[There is one way for the young Imperial Dragon of the earthly realm to live with his memories even in human form.]

Last night, her Elder Brother from the Heavenly Realm who came to find her had said.

With the help of the Imperial Dragon who is the master of the earthly realm, it would be possible for Irim to live with his vast memories even in human form.

At those words, Soya’s heart wavered for a moment…

‘But would that really be for His Majesty’s sake?’

Because such thoughts happened to occur to her.

‘Those were very painful and sad memories, weren’t they?’

Irim had turned back time countless times for my sake, and each time he had to watch my death.

It’s sad for me that he can’t remember me, but if the forgotten memories come alive, it will ultimately be his heart that bears the sorrow.

Since he’s a kind person, perhaps he might feel heartbroken just from having forgotten me for the past 3 years.

Soya didn’t want to make him sad.

[So you’re worried that That Man’s heart will ache if he regains his memories.]

Han Seol, who had noticed her concern, spoke in a complicated voice.

[I wish you would cherish your own heart more than others’ hearts. To me, that is the most precious thing in the world.]

[Don’t worry, Elder Brother. I also find my heart very precious.]

Soya answered with a gentle smile.

[However… I learned from him that there is a love that cherishes the other person’s heart more than one’s own, so that’s why.]

Soya recalled his confession when he promised me unchanging love with an unwavering, straight voice.

She remembered him asking me to look back just once when things got difficult, and him saying he would always wait for me in the same place.

He who had asked permission to wait for me without pressuring my heart was still the same warm and kind Man I knew, even though he no longer had his memories.

‘So wouldn’t it be okay? Even like this without memories…’

Although he doesn’t remember, I remember him… The traces left in his heart bloomed new affection again…

She thought it might be okay to bury the sad memories and accept his love as it is.

‘I don’t know. It’s really too difficult.’

She had asked him to wait just a little, but her heart wouldn’t settle easily.

‘I wish someone would tell me the right answer.’

Soya was always praised for being smart at White Tiger Palace, but she couldn’t figure out the right answer to this alone.

Still, asking her Elder Brothers or Seolyeo for advice was a bit embarrassing.

‘Would Mother know the right answer?’

It was when Soya was thinking of Mother, who would be spending happy times with Father at White Tiger Palace.

“Young Lady, you have a visitor.”

At the words that someone had come to find her, Soya raised her head.

“I serve the Young Lady of the flower snake tribe from the Northern Lands.”

An unfamiliar Young Girl introduced herself and stated her business.

“Our Young Lady wishes to invite the Young Lady of the White Tiger Family to tea, so I came here.”

“How kind of you. Could you tell her I’m grateful for the invitation?”

Soya answered with a bright smile.

This was the visitor she had been waiting for all morning.

* * *

Last night, Han Seol handed Soya a small porcelain bottle and said:

[Even if your heart feels that way, how about thinking about it a bit more instead of deciding right now? Take this.]

It was a bottle that could contain the energy of Evil, and he earnestly urged her not to purify it but to definitely bring it back contained in this.

That way, he could use it as leverage to threaten… no, to clear the debt with the Imperial Dragon.

He said the one who stole the energy of Evil would be hiding somewhere within the Imperial Palace.

Soya was able to catch that trail without difficulty.

It was all thanks to Heuksa.

Evil was born when wicked things attached to his emotions that Hyeonto Yeomwang had separated.

Similarly, Heuksa, created by Hyeonto Yeomwang separating part of his own body, shared the same origin as Evil, so he could easily track down the energy of Evil.

—I’m back. Just like you said, one of the beast-people from the Northern Lands was hiding the energy of Evil.

Heuksa grumbled about being given troublesome work, but still obediently fulfilled Soya’s request.

—But it was strange. That Woman is definitely the daughter of the flower snake tribe chief…

Heuksa tilted his head, saying that direct descendants of flower snake beast-people should have poison-related Special Abilities, but that Woman only had an ordinary molting Special Ability.

“More importantly, how did what I asked you to do go?”

Despite his insignificant appearance, Heuksa, who was good with words, had a hobby of using his excellent eloquence to entice beast-people into unfair contracts.

So Soya had asked Heuksa.

To find the beast-person who stole the energy of Evil and persuade them well to target her specifically, not someone else.

—I didn’t even need to entice her; that Woman was already trembling trying to figure out your weakness.

“That Woman, targeting me?”

Since she had no connection with the flower snake tribe Woman, Soya asked back with a puzzled face.

—Yeah, so just like you said, I even told her your weakness…

“That worked out well. Then I can just wait without needing to set a trap.”

—Is it really okay to just casually reveal something like that?

Heuksa asked worriedly.

If something happened to Soya, he would be severely scolded by the Divine Beasts for revealing her weakness.

“It’s fine. Thank you, Heuksa.”

Instead of a detailed explanation, Soya smiled brightly.

And now.

Clatter.

With a small clinking sound, a tea cup filled with a rich floral fragrance was placed in front of her.

“This is precious flower tea from the Northern Lands.”

Soya had been invited to the pavilion where the Flower Snake Tribe woman resided.

“Thank you.”

Soya smiled and lifted the tea cup.

Between the rich tea fragrance, she detected a very faint peach scent that would be difficult for ordinary people to notice.

The weakness of Soya that Heuksa had told the woman was none other than peaches.

Soya’s body would produce toxins when she consumed peaches.

Though not fatal enough to cause death, it would cause fever and make her body sluggish, so she had to be careful.

It seemed they tried to hide the peach scent with the strong flower tea fragrance, but if her Elder Brothers or Cheongya had followed, they surely would have detected it.

However, this woman before her eyes hadn’t noticed that fact at all.

Flower Snakes. These venomous snake Beast Tamers, also called ‘Bloodthroat,’ were one of the few surviving established tribes in the Northern Lands, strong enough to aim for the position of the new ruling tribe.

Yet she couldn’t detect the peach scent at all, no matter how faint it was.

‘Just as Heuksa said, really suspicious.’

Soya sipped it casually as if nothing was wrong.

As she set down the empty tea cup, she felt the woman’s gaze briefly linger on her tea cup.

“It’s really a shame that the festival will end soon. I’m so happy to meet and talk with Lady Soya, the benefactor of the Northern Lands, before then.”

“Benefactor? You flatter me.”

“Oh my, how modest you are. The weather is nice, shall we take a walk together?”

At the woman’s suggestion, Soya nodded with a pleased expression.

The two dismissed those who tried to follow and strolled through the rear garden together, exchanging meaningless small talk.

By the time they had somehow entered deep into the secluded inner part of the rear garden, Soya felt her body gradually becoming sluggish and her steps slowing.

The effects of consuming the peach were taking hold.

“May we rest for a moment?”

Soya asked as she sat on a rock.

“You must be quite tired.”

The woman said, glancing at Soya’s complexion.

It was just as the ‘voice’ that had visited her last night had said.

She had a weakness where peaches would turn into toxins in her body, and indeed, all the color had drained from her face.

“By the way… we’re alone now.”

A meaningful smile spread across the woman’s face.

“Indeed we are.”

Soya, whose expression had suddenly disappeared, looked straight at the woman and said.

“Finally, we’re alone.”

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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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