The White Tiger Clan’s Baby Cotton Ball - Chapter 31

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 31

When Saeon returned after touring the Western Lands with representatives from various families, the atmosphere at White Tiger Palace was far from normal.

“What’s going on?”

“Family Head, well…”

Saeon’s face hardened at the explanation that followed.

“What? Cotton Ball got lost in the mountain?”

It was already dark enough for the sky to be pitch black.

Just as Saeon was about to leap straight toward Horim Mountain to search for Soya.

He paused.

In the distance, he could see two small figures coming down from the mountain.

Ga Hyeon was carrying Soya on his back as they descended.

“It’s Young Master and Young Lady!”

“It looks like Young Master Hyeon found Cotton Ball Miss and brought her back!”

“Hah…”

Saeon let out a short breath.

“Father.”

Ga Hyeon bowed his head deeply before Saeon.

Meanwhile, Soya was fast asleep, clinging to Ga Hyeon’s back.

“I heard the general story. You did well, Hyeon. You protected White Tiger Palace well while I was away.”

“…”

“She must be heavy, so hand the child over to me now.”

“No. I’ll carry her to her room.”

There was an unusual stubbornness in Ga Hyeon’s words that wasn’t typical of him.

At this, Saeon chuckled and nodded.

“Alright.”

Ga Hyeon headed toward Soya’s room while carrying her, with Yeonjeong and Sanho following behind.

Saeon watched this scene for a while before turning his gaze toward an unfamiliar presence he suddenly sensed.

“Whine…”

Not far away, a pitch-black beast was looking at Soya while stamping its feet restlessly.

“That thing…”

Saeon’s eyes narrowed.

“Why is that guy here?”

That was definitely the creature Saeon had picked up during the drawn-out war with the Northern Lands seven years ago.

With a nature that was very wary of strangers and afraid of people, it had stubbornly fled to the mountain as soon as it arrived at White Tiger Palace, yet now it had come all the way down here.

Moreover, the way it was stamping its feet while looking at Soya made it seem like it wanted to follow that child but was afraid because there were too many people around.

As Saeon observed this with narrowed eyes, Seolyeo, who had suddenly made eye contact with him, quickly ran away.

“Huh?”

Saeon raised one eyebrow as if he found it absurd.

* * *

The next day, Soya woke up a little later than usual.

Soya heard that everyone had been worried because she hadn’t returned.

“Me…?”

Soya asked back, unable to understand those words for a moment.

“Yes, you, Young Lady! You don’t think we were worried about the tiger young masters, do you?”

When Sanho answered with an intense voice, Yeonjeong, who was brushing Soya’s hair, also nodded in agreement.

“Ah…”

Everyone was worried about me – this was a very strange feeling.

When she was at Vermillion Bird Mansion, no one paid attention to Soya.

Once, she had been locked in the storage room and spent the night starving for a whole day.

If Ga Bok hadn’t happened to pass by and come in looking for something, she might have really starved to death in there.

But there, no one looked for Soya or worried about her.

However, the people at White Tiger Palace were different.

The Young Master who searched through the mountain looking for me, and the other people at White Tiger Palace who waited anxiously for me until late at night…

Soya’s heart swelled with emotion at the fact that everyone had worried about her like this.

‘It seems like I’ve been feeling a lot of strange emotions since coming to White Tiger Palace.’

“Still, it’s such a relief that you weren’t hurt anywhere, Young Lady.”

“I’m sorry for making you worry.”

“What does Young Lady have to be sorry about? That Su Ri, I told him to protect Young Lady properly.”

It was when Sanho, Su Ri’s older sister, was grumbling while mentioning her younger brother.

‘Huh…?’

Something caught Soya’s eye as she casually looked toward the window.

Snow-white hair was sticking out between the wood window frame.

Soya got up and pushed the wood window frame to open the window.

Then Gayul, who had been sitting on a tree branch across from her, suddenly stiffened.

“Hic, hiccup…!”

“Youngest Young Master?”

“I, I wasn’t trying to peek, it’s just that I was curious if you woke up healthy, so…”

The area around Gayul’s eyes was red.

“Co, Cotton Ball, I’m sorry, I, I was so stupid that I couldn’t even protect you… Woo, wooo, waaaaah!”

Gayul, who had been speaking while sniffling, soon burst into wailing tears.

“Young Master…!”

Soya was startled and reached out toward Gayul.

“Don’t cry, Young Master. I’m fine. I came back safely like this. So…”

However, before Soya’s hand could reach his eyes, Gayul transformed into a baby tiger with a ‘poof!’ and hid among the tree branches.

Unlike how Gayul’s tail, which poked out between the leaves, used to wag cheerfully in front of Soya every time, it now hung down limply.

It was a pitiful sight that made her want to comfort him, but Soya didn’t know how to climb trees.

So Soya was just looking up pitifully, thinking ‘What should I do about this.’

“Leave him be, Soya. He needs to be scolded a bit more.”

When she turned around at the gentle voice from the doorway, Ga Hyeon was standing there.

“Little Young Master…!”

“Are you feeling alright?”

“Oh, right. Young Master. I have something to give you!”

Soya took out flowers from the bamboo basket.

“This!”

“This is…”

“Sky Flowers! I heard you like them!”

Ga Hyeon paused for a moment and looked at the Sky Flowers in Soya’s hands.

Yesterday, Soya said she had climbed Horim Mountain to pick flowers as a gift for me. What’s so special about these flowers…

“Thank you, Soya.”

Ga Hyeon suppressed his overwhelming emotions and smiled gently.

“But we made a promise yesterday, remember? You were going to call me something other than Young Master.”

“Ah…”

At this, Soya hesitated.

Come to think of it, she remembered having that conversation while being carried down on Young Master’s back yesterday.

“Well, um… I forgot, Elder Brother.”

Soon, Soya answered with a slightly awkward voice and smiled bashfully.

Then Gayul’s body, hidden among the tree branches, trembled and leaves fluttered down.

“Soya, would you like to take a morning walk with your elder brother?”

“Krwaang! (No!)”

It wasn’t Soya who answered, but Gayul.

“Krwang! Krwaang! (Why…! Why is he Cotton Ball’s elder brother?)”

Gayul, who had been hiding deep among the tree branches no matter how much they coaxed him, suddenly popped out and shouted.

“Young Master, have you stopped crying now?”

Soya asked with delight.

“Krrrrrr… Krwang! Krwang, krwang! (I want to be an elder brother too! Make me an elder brother too, Cotton Ball!)”

Gayul, who had somehow jumped through the window into Soya’s room, began throwing a tantrum and rolling on the floor.

“You couldn’t even protect Soya and only made things more dangerous for her, and you think you can be an elder brother? All you know how to do is roll on the floor and throw tantrums, yet you don’t even know how pathetic you are. You’re a disgrace to tigers. Stop rolling around embarrassingly and get up.”

Ga Hyeon snapped with a sharp tone.

Soya was startled and stared at Ga Hyeon with wide eyes.

‘So Little Young Master was originally someone who spoke this harshly.’

Ga Hyeon, belatedly noticing Soya’s gaze, hesitated and looked back at her.

“Uh… Soya?”

“I realized that you, Young Master—no, Elder Brother—didn’t say those things because you particularly disliked me.”

Soya answered with a gentle smile.

“Ah… I, that’s not…”

Ga Hyeon, caught with his harsh nature exposed, made excuses with an embarrassed face.

“Krwang! Krwang! (That’s right! He’s originally a bad tiger who only picks mean things to say!)”

Gayul shouted indignantly.

But his eyes and nose tip were still red.

Soya bent toward Gayul and offered him a handkerchief.

“You’ve stopped crying now, haven’t you, Young Master?”

“Krrr… Krrrleong! (You…! Don’t talk to me like you’re treating me like a child!)”

Soya chuckled at Gayul’s disgusted reaction.

Indeed, the Youngest Young Master suited this spirited appearance better than looking dejected.

Then suddenly Soya’s thoughts turned to Seolyeo.

“Oh, right. What happened to that child yesterday? The one who protected me…”

“Come to think of it, it kept following us but disappeared at some point.”

“Ah… I see.”

Soya felt somewhat disappointed.

‘Did it go back up the mountain?’

Perhaps it was for the best.

If it caught people’s attention unnecessarily, it might be harmed for being a demon beast.

“More importantly, Soya. About yesterday’s plan to climb Horim Mountain with Yul, who did you tell?”

At that moment, Ga Hyeon asked in a serious voice.

“Something seems strange. The beasts becoming violent, and when we tried to find you, we couldn’t pick up your scent.”

Pause.

Soya’s face hardened somewhat.

There was someone who immediately came to mind.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————