The White Tiger Clan’s Baby Cotton Ball - Chapter 60
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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 60
She had already been teased by Gayul that her fur had gotten thicker and made her rounder every time she transformed due to the cold weather.
Of course, Gayul had just thoughtlessly voiced what came to mind and had no intention of teasing Soya.
However, Soya had also been subtly aware of it. Recently, it wasn’t just her fur that had gotten thicker.
Every time she looked in the mirror, her plump cheeks greeted her.
Thanks to eating well and living well over the past few months, her face had become even more glossy and round.
“Good job, Cotton Ball. You need to dress warmer to avoid catching a cold.”
Saeon said as he tightened Soya’s winter gear even more snugly.
“And what’s wrong with being a little round? You’re cute even when you’re round.”
Her already round face became even more circular from the tightly fastened winter gear.
Saeon suppressed the laughter that was about to come out and spoke in a deliberately serious voice.
This was because he had received a report from Yeonjeong that Soya seemed to be concerned about her appearance becoming rounder due to her thicker fur.
When the weather got cold, the fur would thicken accordingly during beast transformation, and beast-people called this “fur getting thick.”
Not just Soya, but young beast-people experiencing their first winter after learning to transform were often shocked by their round appearance from thickened fur.
The child who had been busy reading people’s expressions when she first came to White Tiger Palace was now having concerns typical of children her age, which Saeon found endearing and precious.
Her fuller face looked much better too.
“This is a secret, but Father was much rounder than you when he was your age.”
“…Really?”
Soya looked up at Saeon with an intrigued expression.
It was hard to believe that Father, who had no round features anywhere, had been much rounder than her at her age.
“Really. Isn’t that right, Jeok Yeong?”
“Ah, yes, well. He was very round indeed. Round enough to roll all the way to the Blue Sea ruled by the Azure Dragon Family.”
Jeok Yeong, who had been following Saeon, nodded enthusiastically in agreement.
To Soya, who still looked unconvinced, Saeon chuckled and asked.
“Have you ever seen Father lie?”
“…”
Soya fell into quiet thought, then shook her head. Father was someone who always told her only the truth.
“Then do I resemble Father?”
“Hm?”
“Hyeoni Elder Brother resembles Father and is tall, and Yul Elder Brother resembles Father and is good at running! And I resemble Father and am round, right?”
Soya asked with sparkling eyes.
Saeon burst into laughter at the child’s unexpected question.
“That’s right. Our Baby Cotton Ball resembles Father and is round. And resembles Father in being brave, strong. And kind like this too.”
“Family Head, if you have any conscience, perhaps you should leave out that last part?”
Jeok Yeong looked at him with clouded eyes and said.
“Hehe, I’ll eat more and get even rounder!”
Soya burst into giggles in Saeon’s arms.
A gentle smile bloomed on Saeon’s face at the child’s clear laughter.
Jeok Yeong looked at Saeon’s softly relaxed face with renewed wonder.
His master had not originally been someone with such a gentle expression.
So much so that his cold and fierce appearance caused people to misunderstand him even when he did nothing, and young beast-people would burst into tears whenever they made eye contact with Saeon.
For that Saeon to make such soft and gentle expressions.
This was all a change that occurred after adopting Cotton Ball Miss.
It wasn’t just Saeon, the Family Head.
The sensitive Little Young Master who had built narrow walls around himself and consistently drew lines with people outside them.
The Youngest Young Master who liked people but had a combative nature and would bicker with young beast-people whenever he had the chance.
Both had become much gentler after accepting that small Cotton Ball Miss as family.
It wasn’t a bad change.
“But why were you hesitating? Don’t you want to step on the first snow?”
“Ah, that’s…! Mmm…”
Soya couldn’t readily answer and just stared at the pure white snow field.
“Don’t be scared. Daddy is right here with you.”
At Saeon’s reassurance, Soya shook her head.
“It’s not that I’m scared. It’s just so white and clean that I’m not sure if I should step on it. It feels like I’d be ruining it.”
“What?”
Saeon chuckled at such a Soya-like thought.
“But Daddy wants to step on the first snow together with Baby Cotton Ball. I think it would be cute if Daddy’s footprints and baby’s footprints were side by side on the clean snow field.”
Saeon spoke in a deliberately wistful voice.
“What if you think of it not as ruining it, but as leaving traces together with Daddy?”
It was a perfectly tailored suggestion targeting Soya, who loved anything that involved doing things ‘together with Daddy.’
“…!”
And Soya, who fell right into Saeon’s intention, sparkled with excitement.
Saeon asked with a giggle.
“Then, Baby Cotton Ball. Want to hold Daddy’s hand and step on the first snow together?”
“Yes…! I want to do it together with Daddy!”
As Soya eagerly nodded, Saeon smiled warmly and set the child down.
Soya held Saeon’s hand tightly with a slightly nervous expression and took one step forward.
Crunch—
Her foot sank in with the sound of stepping on snow.
Soya’s eyes widened at the sensation she was feeling for the first time in her life.
“It made a crunching sound!”
“That’s the sound snow makes when it’s happy to see Baby Cotton Ball.”
“Wow…”
Soya carefully took another step with her heart somehow pounding. Then she sneakily looked back.
There, next to Saeon’s footprint, was her own small footprint.
Since tiger beast-people had notably large hands and feet, her footprint looked particularly small next to Father’s footprint.
“Look at this, Father! It really does look like Daddy’s footprint and baby’s footprint!”
Soya’s face brightened cheerfully even at this obvious fact.
Both stepping on snow and leaving footprints were fun.
Soon, excited Soya let go of Saeon’s hand and walked alone through the snow field with crunching sounds, then finally started walking backwards to see the footprints she had made.
“Cotton Ball. Walking backwards is dangerous…”
It was when Saeon was about to warn Soya.
Whoosh— Thud!
“Ouch.”
A cold snowball flew over and hit Soya.
When she turned her head toward the direction the snowball came from, Gayul was laughing while holding his tail.
“Growl, grr-howl!”
“Yul Elder Brother!”
Just as Soya realized it was Gayul’s doing and shouted at him.
“Don’t attack Soya!”
Seolyeo threw a snowball at Gayul on Soya’s behalf.
“Oh my, Young Master. Are you alright?”
With Su Ri joining Soya’s side as well, a snowball fight immediately broke out.
“Gr, growl! Grr-woof! (W-wait! Nam Suri, why are you attacking me?)”
Even for Gayul, fighting 3 against 1 seemed difficult, so he lowered his tail and started running away.
“Ahaha!”
Soya burst into clear laughter with her nose tip and both cheeks reddened from the cold.
Saeon watched that scene for a moment, then smiled softly and left his seat.
* * *
The problem was that Soya had played too excitedly.
Having snowball fights, building snowmen, and drawing pictures with footprints on the snow field, time flew by in an instant.
Even when Yeonjeong suggested going inside several times, Soya persisted, asking “Can’t we play just a little more?”
Since it was the first time Soya had made such a request, Yeonjeong’s heart softened as well, and as a result, Soya played in the snow field until very late.
And as a consequence, Soya ended up catching a cold!
“Achoo!”
Soya sniffled and sneezed.
She had felt uneasy when her head started aching slightly, but now she had properly caught a cold.
“Cotton Ball, are you okay?”
“It’s because of you.”
Ga Hyeon said a word to Gayul, who was sticking close to Soya’s side and asking worriedly.
“Wh-what did I do!”
“If you hadn’t thrown snow at Soya, she wouldn’t be sick like this!”
“N-no! I got hit more!”
Soya sat between the bickering Elder Brothers, wrapped in a blanket, sipping warm tea.
But somehow.
‘In the past, whenever I was sick, I always felt cold and miserable…’
Soya thought to herself drowsily.
‘Strangely, even though my body feels chilly, my heart feels warmer.’
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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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