The White Tiger Clan’s Baby Cotton Ball - Chapter 278
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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 70
“Finally, it’s just the two of us.”
Startled.
The expression had vanished from Soya’s face, who had been smiling with a gentle expression just moments before.
Her soft features remained the same, but somehow a chilling sense of intimidation emanated from her.
“Wh-what…?”
The woman instinctively stepped backward at the spine-chilling sensation.
―That woman’s weakness is peaches.
Last night, a ‘voice’ from somewhere had informed her of the White Tiger Family daughter’s weakness.
―That woman has a special constitution where peaches turn toxic inside her body.
[Wh-why are you telling me this?]
―Because you and I have the same goal. Feed that woman peaches and lure her to a secluded place. Then I’ll take care of her.
Just lure her and it would handle the rest. For the woman, it wasn’t a bad proposal.
Once the ‘voice’ dealt with Soya, she planned to immediately use her blood to cast evil magic and steal her appearance.
Of course, she didn’t intend to steal her life.
She had learned that stealing only outward appearance made it extremely difficult to imitate another person.
This was also one of the reasons she didn’t want to return to the Northern Lands where the flower snake tribe woman’s family lived.
Being with them meant constantly being tense to avoid having her identity discovered.
She simply wanted to imitate Soya’s appearance to summon the Emperor and gain his favor for one night.
Even if just for one night, receiving the Emperor’s favor would allow her to live in the Imperial Palace.
When the Emperor woke up in the morning and discovered her beside him, he would be greatly flustered, but if she added wine to the dark hours, it could be glossed over as something that happened due to his mistake.
For this purpose, she had already prepared strong liquor that would cut off memories and even sleeping incense.
Of course, if she could capture the Emperor’s heart in the process, that would be even more delightful.
So she had lured her deep into the secluded rear garden…
“Fi-finally…?”
It was as if she had been waiting for them to be alone.
Looking straight at her with piercing eyes that were hard to believe belonged to someone who had difficulty walking just moments before.
‘Where is that voice now…?’
The woman looked around frantically, unable to hide her bewilderment as she searched for the voice.
Swish—
The energy that had been rippling around Soya immediately flew toward the woman.
Blue energy grew into long plant stems that wrapped around the retreating woman’s ankles and knocked her down, while pure white energy sprouted sharp and hard like metal, trapping her.
“Wh-what are you doing…!”
The terrified woman trembled violently as she shouted at Soya.
―What am I doing? You’ve been deceived.
A black snake slithered up onto Soya’s shoulder, stuck out its tongue, and grinned like a villain.
“Th-that voice…!”
The woman’s eyes widened.
“You have something you shouldn’t possess, so I’m here to retrieve it.”
Soya said calmly while looking down at the woman from her seat on the rock.
Then flame-like bright red energy instantly wrapped around the woman’s body in a whirlwind, and black water rose like waves to engulf her.
“Kyaaaah!”
The woman let out a terrified scream.
After eliminating evil, Soya could now wield the Divine Beasts’ power even more freely and subdued the woman in an instant.
Suzaku’s red energy purified the woman’s evil magic, and Hyeonmu’s black water swallowed her special ability.
Where the black water had engulfed and swept away the woman, she disappeared and a small thread snake remained.
The evil magic combined with her special ability was forcibly released, revealing the woman’s true form.
Seeing this, Soya’s eyes widened as she spoke with curiosity.
“It looks similar to Heuksa.”
―Si-similar!
Heuksa trembled violently in anger.
―Not similar at all! How can you say that insignificant thread snake is similar to the great Lord Heuksa? I am a servant of the great Northern Divine Beast, Lord Hyeonto Yeomwang…
Heuksa fumed with genuine indignation, but Soya casually ignored him and took out a small ceramic bottle.
The black fragments that had fallen to the ground gathered like smoke and were absorbed into it.
“No matter how I look at it, it doesn’t seem to be a flower snake. Then where is the flower snake tribe’s young lady?”
Soya tilted her head and asked, but the thread snake was in no condition to answer.
“Well, I’ve achieved my purpose anyway…”
Soya felt drowsiness creeping in and quietly yawned.
Wanting to resolve this as quietly as possible, Soya had taken an antidote beforehand, before coming to meet the woman.
It was made by Aunt Sara from White Tiger Palace, preventing the peaches from turning toxic in her body.
However, it had side effects of dulled senses and strong drowsiness.
‘So this is what it means not to use special abilities carelessly after taking medicine.’
Soya blinked as she recalled the precautions Sara had emphasized.
Because she had used her special ability while having taken the antidote, the drowsiness effect became even stronger. Just like inhaling sleeping incense.
“Heuksa, I’m so sleepy.”
―Huh? Huh huh?
“So the Elder Brothers won’t worry, you should…”
Thud.
Soya fell asleep in the middle of speaking.
―Lady Soya!
―Lady Soya, are you alright!
The startled Divine Beasts all revealed themselves and rushed to Soya.
―You fool Heuksa, what are you doing? Quickly bring Lady Soya’s family!
―Why aren’t you hurrying? Lady Soya is sleeping on the cold rock!
The Divine Beasts caused a commotion as they pressed Heuksa.
―Y-yes yes! I’ll go right away!
Heuksa quickly headed toward where Soya’s family was while grumbling internally.
‘The weather is warm, what cold rock…’
Heuksa, who had been crawling slowly to find Soya’s family, spotted Cheongya in the distance.
Heuksa ran happily toward Cheongya and bit and pulled at his trouser leg.
“Get away. I don’t have time to play with you now! I can’t find Elder Sister!”
Cheongya brushed Heuksa off and said.
“I have to find Elder Sister. I’m busy.”
“Hiss, hisss!”
Heuksa flicked his tongue earnestly, but Cheongya didn’t even glance at him.
‘You stupid brat! To find your sister, you need to follow me!’
Heuksa was so frustrated he hit the ground with his tail.
Cheongya couldn’t understand his words at all.
The only ones he could converse with were the beast-people of the Northern Lands who were influenced by Hyeonmu.
Only Soya, the master of the Divine Beasts, was an exception.
‘Damn, we can’t communicate at all? What should I do about this.’
While Soya would be fine sleeping briefly on the rock, if he didn’t bring her family in time, the Divine Beasts wouldn’t let him off easy.
Heuksa was trembling as he recalled the fierce eyes of the Divine Beasts.
Suddenly, Seolyeo caught his eye.
―Hey, Seolyeo! You, what perfect timing!
Heuksa excitedly slithered toward Seolyeo.
“Heuksa…?”
―That girl fell asleep on the rock in the rear garden. I think you need to go get her.
“Soya, on the rock…?”
Seolyeo frowned with a puzzled expression, then nodded and was about to go fetch her.
Kurrrrrung―!
Suddenly, a tremendous sound that shook the earth could be heard.
Startled, Heuksa jumped and looked toward the source of the sound.
―This aura is… Imperial Dragon?
* * *
Irim, who had been staring somewhere with a melancholy face, put down his tea cup and sighed.
“Your Majesty, do you have some worry?”
“…”
The eunuch serving him asked cautiously, but instead of answering, Irim fell into thought with a heavy expression.
[I’ll contact you first, so please wait quietly!]
Because of those words from last night, he was waiting without going to find Soya first.
Not even a full day had passed, yet the time waiting for her felt incredibly slow.
At that moment, Ga Hyeon came to see him.
“Your Majesty, Chief Censor Baek Gahyeon requests an audience.”
“Let him in.”
As he nodded indifferently, Ga Hyeon entered with a rather serious expression.
“What is it, Ga Hyeon.”
It was when Irim glanced at him and lifted his tea cup again.
“My sister has disappeared from within the Imperial Palace.”
He froze.
Irim stiffened completely while holding up his tea cup.
“I know this goes against Imperial protocol. However, it’s presumed that my sister consumed something toxic…”
“Toxic…?”
Irim asked back in a dazed voice.
“She nearly lost her life when she was young too… it could be dangerous…”
Thump…!
Soya is in danger. At those words, his heart instantly sank while strange afterimages flashed before his eyes.
[Your Majesty…]
A snow-white young girl who seemed about to fade away at any moment was smiling weakly at him.
[I wish… this spring…]
[I can feel the seasons passing by. It’s like being truly alive.]
Thump, thump, thump, thump…!
It was Soya.
She had a pale face he had never seen before.
No, was this really a face he had never seen?
Why was the face of her dying as a child so familiar, and why did his chest ache with throbbing pain?
“I request permission to search within the Imperial Palace so the family members can find my sister…”
Ga Hyeon continued speaking, but it no longer reached Irim’s ears.
[It hurts…]
[It hurts, Your Majesty…]
[Ugh… ah… it… hurts…]
[So… much… pain…]
Irim roughly clutched his chest.
Below his neck, a single golden scale hanging upside down glowed as it throbbed with burning heat.
It was a reverse scale.
There was no time to wonder when this reverse scale had been in his body or why it was reacting this way.
Irim instinctively stood up and tore through space.
“Your, Your Majesty…? Where are you going…”
The voices of those calling out to him in confusion scattered, and in an instant, the place where he stood changed.
Deep within the rear garden, Soya was collapsed on a rock.
“Soya…”
He rushed toward her frantically and pulled Soya tightly into his arms.
“Soya, Soya…”
A voice wet with moisture flowed out pitifully between his parched lips.
“How could I…”
At that moment, the Spirit Core held in her chest resonated with Irim’s reverse scale, emitting a pure white light.
Massive memories flooded into his mind like a tide, and the jumbled memories began to find their proper places.
[I like you, Your Majesty. I like Your Majesty.]
“How could I…”
His hands holding her trembled violently.
[I like Your Majesty. I really like you. I like you so much.]
“How could I have forgotten you?”
Throbbing pain strangled and tormented his heart.
[It’s okay if Your Majesty forgets me. This time, I’ll remember Your Majesty.]
[So Your Majesty, please just stay healthy.]
Tears that finally spilled dropped onto her face.
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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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