The White Tiger Clan’s Baby Cotton Ball - Chapter 40

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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 40

“…!”

Saeon’s expression stiffened at the unexpected point.

“…That’s because Cotton Ball still needs time to adjust.”

“But she calls the young masters Elder Brother just fine.”

“….”

Jeok Yeong drove the point home with a mischievous face.

“Our Cotton Ball Miss knows too. The Family Head’s character isn’t quite good enough to call Father… Ahhhhh!”

As Saeon suddenly threw open the window, the documents piled on Jeok Yeong’s desk scattered in all directions.

“Family Head!”

“Hmph.”

Saeon snorted at Jeok Yeong with a satisfied expression and caught one of the fluttering documents.

It was a report summarizing this incident with the Silver Tiger Family’s daughter.

Siyo had testified that a black masked man had come to find her recently.

The man had given her a scent pouch made with evil magic from the Northern Lands and told her about Soya’s past.

However, unfortunately, when they searched for the man after hearing Siyo’s testimony, he had already vanished without a trace.

‘Who would do such a thing, and for what reason. Was it simply for personal purposes, or perhaps….’

As Saeon was lost in thought while reading through it with indifferent eyes.

Jeok Yeong, who was organizing the documents, asked as if suddenly remembering.

“Oh, by the way, shouldn’t we inform Lady Cheongha as well?”

He paused.

“She is the young masters’ mother, after all.”

“….”

Saeon’s expression hardened slightly.

* * *

After finishing lunch, Soya went to find Sara.

Sara made a pleased expression after checking Soya’s spirit core condition.

“You must be taking the medicine I sent you well, child.”

The spirit core’s condition had improved considerably.

The best way to nourish a spirit core that had been separated from the body was to frequently perform beast transformation so the spirit core could adapt to the body.

However, Soya was afraid of beast transformation.

Realizing this, Sara didn’t force Soya to transform and instead helped nourish her body and spirit core with medicine.

‘Still, she can’t avoid beast transformation forever….’

But for now, adapting to White Tiger Palace would be more urgent for Soya.

“Once you get a little healthier, you’ll be able to undergo first growth and awaken your special ability.”

“Really?”

Soya asked back in a surprised voice.

“Yes. So my cotton ball child. Keep taking the medicine I send you and grow up healthy and strong.”

“Yes, Lady Sara!”

Soya answered with a bright face.

However, Sara looked at Soya with an expression as if something didn’t please her.

At Sara’s stern expression, Soya glanced at her nervously, wondering if she had done something wrong.

Then Sara frowned deeply around her eyes and soon demanded in a clear voice.

“Call me Aunt too.”

“May I really do that?”

“If you’re Baek Saeon’s daughter, then you’re my niece, so of course you can. Don’t tell me you’ll only acknowledge that Baek Saeon as family and not me?”

“No, of course not! Au, Aunt…Lady.”

Sara laughed heartily at the title Soya timidly added.

After bowing to Sara and stepping outside the Sacred Hall, Soya felt somewhat embarrassed.

The two young masters had chased after Soya all day asking her to call them Elder Brother, and Yeonjeong and Sanho had asked her not to use honorifics with them.

But changing titles so easily was still too difficult for Soya.

[Let Cotton Ball do as she’s comfortable. Don’t make Cotton Ball uncomfortable.]

Fortunately, thanks to Saeon saying that, everyone waited patiently until Soya got used to it.

‘Since everyone is waiting for me, I should hurry and get used to it….’

Soya looked around quickly, and after confirming no one was there, she muttered to herself.

“Elder Brother. Aunt. Fa… Hmm.”

Small wrinkles formed above Soya’s nose bridge.

“Fa, Father… Mmm.”

Somehow one title starting with ‘Fa’ wouldn’t come out well, so Soya pursed her lips in frustration.

The reason the word ‘Father’ particularly wouldn’t come out was probably because for a long time, there had been only one person who was a father to Soya.

The man who inevitably came to mind when she thought of the word father.

Jeok Ayun, the head of the Vermillion Bird Family, who had flame-red hair and a gentle, soft impression in contrast, but was utterly cold only to Soya.

The man Soya once believed was her real father.

‘When was the last time I called him Father.’

Soya fidgeted with her fingers as she searched her memory.

She remembered it was not long after being banished to the Cold Palace.

There, Soya was always alone, believing that her family would come someday and continuing to wait.

Then one day, she missed her father terribly.

So she took advantage of lax security to sneak out and secretly visit her father’s quarters.

[Father…! Gasp!]

And when Soya found her father there, she froze in shock.

Under the moonlight, a man with disheveled red hair was wandering around making beast-like whimpering sounds.

The man glanced at Soya with desolate eyes, then passed by her, reeking of sharp alcohol.

At that moment, that man didn’t seem like the father Soya knew.

It was too frightening and shocking.

‘Father is suffering like that because of me. It’s all because of me….’

After that, she never thought to visit him again.

Soya shook her head to dispel the memory.

Scary memories leaked out like this on their own and clung to her ankles.

Actually, even after leaving the Vermillion Bird Mansion, she often remembered.

Her father who pushed her away and Hwayu who despised her asking who her brother was….

‘Is it really okay to call him Father? What if Lord Saeon changes like those people.’

Lost in thought, Soya picked up a stone and drew pictures on the dirt ground.

Three tigers with round, pointed ears were Lord Saeon and the two young masters, and the small girl next to them was Soya herself.

Just then, a plump black furball popped out next to Soya.

“Seolyeo!”

Soya turned around with a bright smile, delighted.

“Kying, kying!”

Seolyeo drew a crude circle next to Soya’s picture with her plump front paw.

“What’s this?”

“Kying, kying!”

“You drew me?”

Soya looked at Seolyeo’s unrecognizable drawing and giggled.

“You write your name well, but you have no talent for drawing at all.”

“Kying?”

Seolyeo tilted her head.

Soya added round, pointed ears to the circle Seolyeo had drawn and drew a long tail as well.

Then it became quite similar to Seolyeo’s appearance.

“Thank you for that day.”

That day, Seolyeo had mimicked Su Ri’s appearance she saw on the mountain, transforming into a black wolf to carry Soya and rampage through Horim Mountain.

Thanks to that, she was able to show people the beasts of Horim Mountain that had become violent, and even reveal that Siyo had used evil magic from the Northern Lands.

Fortunately, the night was dark and everyone was distracted by various incidents, so people didn’t realize that Seolyeo was a demon beast.

Though that day’s events were resolved well, Saeon separately sat her down and told her that Soya’s method had been dangerous.

[Even if you hadn’t used such a dangerous method, I would have believed you, Cotton Ball.]

[But if you just blindly believed me, you would become an unfair Family Head. I didn’t want to cause trouble for you, Saeon.]

[What a thoughtful baby Cotton Ball. But from now on, it’s okay to cause me all the trouble you want.]

[Huh…?]

[We’re family.]

Family.

As Soya mulled over that word once more and quietly stared at the drawing on the dirt ground.

Seolyeo suddenly jumped up and growled while looking toward the bushes across from them.

“Huh? What’s wrong, Seolyeo?”

Soya turned her head to follow the direction Seolyeo was looking.

However, there was no one there.

* * *

A man wearing a black mask quickly hid himself.

The man’s name was Chaos.

One of the Four Fiends along with Qiongqi, Taowu, and Taotie, he was moving under orders from Hyeon Rabaek, the leader of the Black Tortoise Clan.

Disrupt the Three Great Families so that the Yellow Dragon’s bride cannot be produced.

That was his lord’s command.

For this purpose, he had approached Eun Siyo.

He planned to use her to eliminate the other girls, and finally kill even Eun Siyo herself.

However, his plan, which he had thought would not be difficult, had gone awry.

It was all because of that baby bird that had fled from the Vermillion Bird’s nest.

[But the other young ladies’ palanquins had the same scent. If we leave it like this, something dangerous might happen tomorrow…]

‘But how did she smell that scent.’

Chaos was puzzled by the fact that Soya had smelled the scent of evil magic.

It seemed he needed to investigate more about that child.

However, it wasn’t easy to approach the child.

Because the child was monopolizing White Tiger Palace’s attention.

But an opportunity would come soon.

The Mountain Lord Festival was not far away.

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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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