The White Tiger Clan’s Baby Cotton Ball - Chapter 38

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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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Chapter 38

After crying for a long time, Soya finally swallowed her hiccupping sobs and asked.

“Can I, *hic*, can I really become Saeon’s family?”

The child’s moist eyes glanced nervously at Saeon.

“I’m not a tiger, and I don’t have beautiful patterns or strong legs, and I don’t have steel-like teeth either…”

“Well. Actually, I’d rather ask you that question.”

Saeon chuckled softly as he swept the damp hair clinging to Soya’s cheek behind her ear.

“I’m not a Cotton Ball either. I don’t have wings, and I don’t have tail feathers. I’m not cute. I don’t know for sure, but people say I have a bad personality too.”

“…”

“Still, I want to be family with Cotton Ball. What do you think, Cotton Ball? Would such an uncute father with a bad personality be undesirable?”

He asked with a deliberately playful grin to comfort the child, but Soya’s shoulders, which had barely stopped shaking, began trembling again and she burst into even louder tears.

“Father…! Soya is crying again!”

As a result, Saeon received a lot of resentment from Ga Hyeon.

Though he felt a bit wronged, Saeon was pleased to see Ga Hyeon already taking special care of Cotton Ball.

After sending the children to their respective rooms to sleep, Saeon returned to his office and muttered with a deliberately worried voice.

“By tomorrow, she’ll become a puffy Cotton Ball. What should I do about this.”

Thinking of Soya sniffling and crying made his heart ache sweetly.

It was the first time he had seen that child cry out loud like that.

Soya rarely cried easily.

She didn’t cry when she nearly died to the Suzaku Family’s Three-Legged Crow, nor when she suffered after eating the peach.

She didn’t cry when her Spirit Core was injured and she collapsed, and he heard she didn’t cry even when she got lost in the mountain.

Only once, when she learned that it was the Suzaku Family who had ordered her death, did she silently shed tears – other than that, he had never seen the child cry.

Seeing such a Soya, the people of White Tiger Palace all said she was a truly gentle and mature Young Lady, but Saeon didn’t like that very much.

[That Cotton Ball-like child. She doesn’t know how to cry out loud.]

[If she keeps bottling up her anger like that, it will interfere with healing the child’s Spirit Core. So Saeon, teach the child how to cry.]

Was it because of those words Sara had conveyed?

While his heart ached seeing Cotton Ball cry, he was also somewhat proud that the child had finally learned how to cry out loud.

“Oh my, you’ve finally done it.”

Jeok Yeong, who entered the office, let out deep sighs.

Half an hour ago.

In the midst of that chaos, Saeon had the young children, including Soya and Siyo, sent inside first.

Afterward, Sara came running with a frightening expression and asked where the scent pouch had come from.

It was confirmed to be evil magic from the Northern Lands, and yet in front of some retainers who argued it wasn’t right to punish a tiger because of a child of unknown identity, Saeon declared he would register Soya into the White Tiger Family.

As a result, White Tiger Palace became quite noisy.

“But, Jeok Yeong.”

“Why, what are you trying to say by calling me like that again? I get so scared when the Family Head calls me in such a lowered voice like this.”

“…I’ve been thinking about it carefully.”

Saeon said, looking back at the grumbling Jeok Yeong.

“Children don’t exist for the needs of adults. They’re not beings to be consumed for the sake of the family.”

Eun Siyo suffered from the obsession that she had to somehow become the owner of the Western End Room, unable to bear her parents’ expectations.

And that obsession reached the point of harming other children.

The moment the evil magic was discovered, that child who trembled and didn’t know what to do was also just a young child of barely ten years old.

“Because of some custom about being the Dragon Emperor’s bride or whatever, having those young children compete with each other for the direct lineage position seems a bit strange to me.”

“What? But Family Head, as you know, that position is as direct lineage…”

“The duties of direct lineage. That’s certainly important too.”

As the Family Head, Saeon knew best the responsibilities and duties that the White Tiger’s direct lineage should bear as descendants of an ancient divine beast.

Therefore, he had no intention of neglecting to teach the children about the duties of direct lineage either.

“But they’re still children. So until the children grow up, adults can take on those damn duties for them. Pushing family duties onto children who aren’t fully grown yet is too cowardly.”

Saeon continued in a calm voice.

“So what if Cotton Ball isn’t a tiger. What if her claws are weaker than other branch family children’s, what if she can’t hunt.”

Thinking of Soya, a faint smile bloomed on Saeon’s face.

“Cotton Ball makes talismans well and writes in such round, pretty letters. She takes her medicine well without frowning once and walks well too. Besides this, if we look, there will be many things she does well.”

Jeok Yeong thought Saeon was just rambling about his affection for Cotton Ball Miss, unable to contain himself. Until his next words continued.

“It’s probably not limited to just Cotton Ball. That child from the Silver Tiger Family, and the children from the Brown Tiger Family and Black Tiger Family surely have many things they do well too.”

“…What are you trying to say?”

Jeok Yeong asked, narrowing his eyes as he couldn’t understand Saeon’s intentions.

“So the point of what I’m saying is that there’s no need to rank those children.”

Saeon answered with a chuckle.

“Because they’re children. Children who sparkle brilliantly just by laughing brightly and running around.”

The children each carried their own sparkle.

That kind of beautiful and lovable sparkle that shines in its own color without needing to be ranked.

And protecting that sparkle from fading would be the adults’ job.

“Shouldn’t adults like us protect that sparkle of the children more?”

The children from Brown Tiger Family and Black Tiger Family didn’t want to be registered but came to White Tiger Palace pushed by their parents.

The child from Silver Tiger Family who wanted registration more than anyone else, when something frightening actually happened, burrowed into her mother’s arms and burst into tears.

Seeing that, Saeon felt this custom of making children who hadn’t even undergone First Growth compete with each other and separating them from their parents’ embrace was very strange.

“So I’m going to eliminate this strange custom from now on.”

So that children can sparkle like children should.

So they don’t lose that sparkle by being wary of each other under pressure to serve the family.

“Then you really intend to register Cotton Ball Miss?”

Jeok Yeong asked in a resigned voice.

“Yes. I already got Cotton Ball’s permission. I can’t back down now.”

“If that’s the Family Head’s will, well, there’s nothing to be done.”

“Don’t worry too much, Jeok Yeong. Even if we fail to produce the Dragon Emperor’s bride, our family won’t be shaken that easily.”

Saeon said with a grin.

“Above all, I’ll straighten things out for Cotton Ball’s sake too.”

He was confident.

Confident that he could perfectly support both Cotton Ball and the family.

‘More than that…’

Saeon recalled how Soya alone had smelled the scent of the pouch that no one else could detect.

The reason the Silver Tiger Family child had so boldly hidden the evil magic-imbued scent pouch in the palanquin was because she never thought anyone would smell that scent.

But Soya had smelled the scent of evil magic.

Sara said this matter might be related to Soya’s Spirit Core.

That she felt a special energy from Soya’s Spirit Core. However, she couldn’t say for certain because the child’s Spirit Core wasn’t intact.

‘A special energy…’

Since Spirit Core energy was passed down through blood, beastman society particularly valued bloodlines.

‘But wasn’t Cotton Ball originally a servant woman’s daughter.’

Deep wrinkles formed on Saeon’s brow.

* * *

The next morning.

Opening her eyes on the soft bed, Soya looked up at the ceiling and muttered blankly.

“It wasn’t a dream…”

Her swollen, heavy eyelids told her that last night’s memories weren’t a dream.

“I really became family with Lord Saeon.”

Still unable to believe it, Soya was slapping her own cheeks when she happened to lock eyes with Yeonjeong, who had just entered the room.

“Young Lady, oh my…! Your eyes are all swollen!”

Startled, Yeonjeong brought precious ice, wrapped it in a towel, and gently pressed it against Soya’s swollen eyes.

Her rough eyelids were burning from how much she had cried the night before, but Soya just giggled.

In reality, Soya’s daily life hadn’t changed much.

Soya was still Cotton Ball Miss of the White Tiger Palace, still used the Western End Room, and after breakfast, still took walks holding Yeonjeong’s hand.

Yes, surely nothing had changed much, and yet…

‘Strangely, the sunlight feels warmer today, and the trees and grass in the garden seem greener too. Even though summer has ended and autumn has come.’

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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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