The White Tiger Clan’s Baby Cotton Ball - Chapter 6

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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 6

“I’ll do everything you want. If that child is making you upset, I’ll remove her from your sight forever. So please don’t cry, Lili. My heart is breaking.”

Hwayu was comforting Miss Lili with a gentle voice, saying he would get rid of me.

‘Ah…’

Thud. Soya’s heart sank.

As Soya stood alone in the corridor with her face pale as a sheet, she heard footsteps approaching.

It was Family Head Jeok Ayun.

She remembered again his chilling threat that he would not forgive anything that hurt Miss Lili.

‘He’ll be angry. He’ll punish me for making Miss Lili sad.’

Thump. Bang. Thump. Bang.

Her heart raced frighteningly.

Cool eyes swept over Soya’s trembling, fragile body.

The moment she felt their gazes meet, he simply passed by her.

Then he entered the room.

“Lili. Why are you still crying?”

“Sob, sniff, sob… Father…”

“I’m sorry, Lili. Don’t cry. This is all your father’s fault.”

Ah…

Soya collapsed weakly to the floor.

Father hadn’t overlooked punishing me out of mercy.

Right now, comforting Miss Lili was more important to him than punishing me, so he had passed me by.

Listening to Father’s gentle voice comforting Miss Lili, Soya limped away down the corridor.

Soya returned to her room and cried silently.

* * *

“The Young Master is calling for you.”

The next day, upon hearing the message from a servant woman of the main house, Soya went to find the Young Master.

The Young Master was at Hayeonji.

Hayeonji was an artificial pond that Family Head Jeok Ayun had built for the deceased Madam, accessible only to the direct lineage of the family clan.

Soya had once loved this place very much.

A red-haired boy stood with his back turned, hands clasped behind him in front of the pond.

“I heard you were looking for me, Young Master.”

Sensing her presence, Jeok Hwayu slowly turned around.

“…You came, Soya.”

A gentle voice drifted to her ears. Soya looked up at him with a confused expression.

Hwayu was calling her name with a gentle voice. Just like he did with Miss Lili.

“Young Master? That title seems a bit stiff between us. Please call me elder brother like before.”

“But, however…”

“I’ll return your Spirit Core.”

He took out an orb emitting pure white light from his pocket and handed it to Soya.

It was the Spirit Core that he had taken from Soya three years ago on Father’s orders.

Soya received it with a bewildered expression.

Soya could only blink at his sudden change.

“After yesterday’s incident, I’ve been thinking a lot. And I’m regretting it now. How I treated you coldly and left you alone all this time.”

“…”

A brief silence fell between the two.

Jeok Hwayu was the first to break that silence.

“Today is the last day of the summer festival. Would you like to go see it together?”

“No, no. How could I dare…”

Toward Soya who was waving her hands in panic, he added with a gentle expression.

“Haven’t you always been curious about the summer festival?”

“…”

At that moment, Soya’s lips closed shut.

‘He remembered…’

Long ago, she had made a promise with him. That they would go see the festival together after she completed her first beast transformation on her upcoming sixth birthday.

So Soya had been counting the days until then.

Though it all became meaningless when it was revealed that Soya was fake on that very day.

“There isn’t much time, so you’d better get ready quickly.”

“…”

“Then I’ll see you in a little while.”

Watching him feign awkward kindness, Soya had an intuition.

‘Ah, today is the day. The day I’ll be abandoned.’

Soya’s eyes sank heavily.

Soya watched Jeok Hwayu’s retreating figure as he turned and left, and thought.

It was just yesterday that she had walked away down the corridor, listening to the gentle voices of the Family Head and Young Master comforting Miss Lili.

[Please get rid of that child. Before His Highness the Prince comes back for her.]

[Yes.]

Elder brother had promised such cruel words with such a gentle voice, without a moment’s hesitation.

So she could no longer trust his words.

He regrets leaving me alone and neglecting me?

No.

If there was one thing they regretted, it would be not driving me out long ago and leaving me in this estate to hurt Miss Lili.

‘So now they’re going to drive me out.’

Soya quietly gazed at the pure white glowing orb sparkling in her palm.

For the past three years, Soya had to live as a half-wit beast-person without a Spirit Core.

Soya now understood the reason why they had taken this from her, which she hadn’t known at the time.

‘They were horrified. By my appearance when I transformed…’

So taking away the Spirit Core was a warning never to transform and appear in such a form again.

And returning the Spirit Core they had taken meant…

‘Now they don’t care whether I transform again or not. Since they’re planning to… drive me away from their sight forever anyway.’

Soya’s eyes sank into sadness as she looked at her Spirit Core.

Soya slowly closed her eyes. The pure white glowing orb sparkled as it was absorbed into her body.

Her body, which had been incomplete without the Spirit Core, finally became whole, but strangely, instead of feeling energized, her body went limp.

Her heart ached, and her solar plexus felt numb.

But there was no time to just lie there feeling weak.

Soya returned to her room and took out a small wooden box hidden in the corner, quietly looking at what was inside.

Those things were everything Soya owned.

Soya selected only a few items from among them and headed to the meeting place.

As Soya left the estate, she somehow found it difficult to cross the threshold of the main gate.

After staring at the threshold for a long time, she finally stepped over it and looked back at the estate.

Suddenly, she felt her eyes meet with a man standing on a tall pavilion.

But in the moment she slowly blinked, Soya realized it had been her imagination.

On the pavilion stood Father. Together with Miss Lili, who was bursting into clear, ringing laughter.

‘Father couldn’t have been looking at me.’

When Father was with Miss Lili, he always acted as if he could see nothing but the young lady.

Miss Lili, who had been crying her heart out until yesterday, now seemed to have cheered up a bit as she held Father’s hand and danced in circles.

And Father watched her with a fond smile on his lips, as if he found the young lady utterly adorable.

They looked so happy. They were such a perfect family.

‘If only I weren’t here….’

Soya, who had been quietly watching them, placed her hands together neatly and silently bowed her head in a brief greeting toward Father.

Thinking that this might be the last greeting she would ever give to Father.

* * *

Soya walked through the bustling streets with Jeok Hwayu.

Though she was finally seeing the summer festival she had long been curious about with her own eyes, bitter emotions welled up rather than joy.

“Here’s a fruit skewer you like. Try it.”

Jeok Hwayu handed food to Soya with a gentle smile. It was a fruit skewer made of beautifully carved peaches coated in sugar.

‘That’s what Miss Lili likes, not me. I get a fever and my throat swells when I eat peaches.’

Soya knew that this peace would be shattered the moment she said those words.

Though she knew it was false, Soya wanted to see Jeok Hwayu’s face smiling gently at her for just a little longer. She didn’t want to break this dreamlike sweet moment.

So instead of saying that, she pulled up the corners of her mouth and smiled.

“Thank you, Young Master.”

However, when it came time to actually eat the peach, she hesitated.

Perhaps thinking she was being picky with food, Jeok Hwayu’s eyes furrowed slightly.

It was a very subtle change, but Soya, who had grown accustomed to reading people’s expressions over the past three years, noticed it immediately.

“If you don’t want to eat it….”

“Oh, no!”

Soya hurriedly bit into a piece of peach. Because she swallowed it so quickly, she started coughing and choking.

While Soya quickly wiped away the moisture that had formed around her eyes, Jeok Hwayu stood in front of a stall across the way.

It was a stall selling cute jewelry rings and necklaces.

“Give me one bracelet with that red gemstone. It’s a gift for my sister.”

“The little lady next to you must be your sister. She’ll be so pleased.”

“Ah.”

At this, Jeok Hwayu picked up a bead bracelet from the stall as if just remembering and handed it to Soya.

“I’ll pay for this too. It’s yours, Soya.”

“…!”

Soya’s eyes widened in surprise at the unexpected gift, and soon a rosy blush colored her face.

“…Thank you so much, Elder Brother.”

Even though he had bought it as an afterthought while shopping for Lili’s gift, even though he hadn’t chosen it carefully and just grabbed whatever was at hand.

“I’ve always wanted to go to the summer festival. Thank you so much for remembering and bringing me here.”

Nevertheless, Soya hugged the bracelet preciously and smiled brightly.

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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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