Arrival at the Butler's House
I was snuggled deep inside the carriage, Lumia wrapped securely in my arms, while the butlers' endless quarreling kept me from finding any sleep.
Ever since Haetae had kissed me, the fighting had only grown more heated.
“Oppa, unnies… when are you going to stop fighting…?”
“Kyawoong.”
I don’t know…
It had been a day or two of this, but listening to their squabbles inside the moving carriage had pushed my irritation straight to the limit.
Lumia looked a little worn out too, her face scrunched in displeasure.
I couldn’t stand it any longer.
“Kyaaaaang!!!!”
Everyone shut up at once!!
My thunderous roar, laced with pure frustration, made the entire carriage rock violently.
“Kyawoo! Kyaang!”
It’s noisy! Why are you fighting right here where Lumia is! What kind of age are you two supposed to be! Act civilized in front of the kids!
My booming shout echoed through the small carriage, instantly halting the butlers who had been snarling and glaring at each other moments before.
They froze, eyes wide with shock, and quickly clamped their mouths shut.
Good, now I can finally relax.
“Kyawoo.”
Until we reach the butlers’ house, don’t touch me and don’t talk to me either.
“B-Blang… you’re really angry…?” We shouldn’t have been noisy… sorry…
“Blang-nim, we’re sorry…”
“We were foolish…”
“We’ll stay quiet from now on…”
With the butlers’ apologies finally registering, I let out a long, relieved sigh, then turned back to Lumia, curled into a tight ball, and closed my eyes again.
“Kyawoong.”
You should have been quiet the whole time.
“Oppa… that was really awesome just now.”
I scooped up Lumia, who was staring up at me with sparkling eyes, and drifted off to sleep.
“Blang, wake up. We’re here.”
The gentle tapping on my cheek from Kailian woke me from my nap.
By now the carriage had stopped, and the grand imperial palace trumpets echoed from outside—sounds I’d heard many times before.
“Kyawoam…”
Good thing it was quiet so I could sleep well.
I stretched and let out a huge, jaw-cracking yawn.
Kailian opened the carriage door and stepped out.
Following her, I lightly stepped down the stairs and leaped out in a single bound.
“Welcome back. Did you enjoy the trip?”
The familiar voice from the carriage made me blink and lift my head.
“Kyawoo?”
Grandpa, why are you here?
Emperor Karsion stood waiting right in front of the carriage.
Did Grandpa come just to tease Demian again?
“Kyawoo.”
Grandpa, why did you come?
When I tilted my head curiously, Emperor Karsion stepped forward, knelt on one knee, and lifted me up to meet my eyes.
I stretched my lower body long in his arms, then placed my jelly paws into his hands where he was holding my armpits.
“Kyawoo.”
I missed you too, Grandpa.
“Did everything go smoothly on the Snowy Mountain? Any injuries? You look like you’ve gained weight—have you been eating well?”
“Kyawoo.”
This Grandpa…
Emperor Karsion spoke in a warm, grandfatherly tone, gently stroking my head with his huge, rough hand.
“Grrooong…”
As expected, his petting is the best.
My ears flopped back on their own, and the deep purring song rose from my throat.
Swish… swish.
His rough but warm touch.
There was no reason to hate the warmth that cherished me. Plus, having spent time playing on the Snowy Mountain, the sturdy welcome from this Grandpa I hadn’t seen in a while felt incredibly refreshing.
“Kyawoong… golgol gol gol.”
I closed my eyes in pure happiness and rubbed my cheeks and head vigorously against Grandpa’s rough palm.
“Hahaha! You brat, welcoming me without forgetting me like this—how grateful I am.”
“Kyawoo! Kyaang!”
How could I forget! How was Grandpa?
With my tail swaying like a propeller, I burrowed into Grandpa’s embrace and nuzzled him cutely.
After a long while of our joyful reunion, Grandpa finally stood up.
He gazed at Kailian and the butlers with tender eyes.
“It’s been a long journey for everyone—get some rest once we get inside.”
“Yes, Father.”
Kailian answered on behalf of all of us, and the butlers bowed their heads in unison.
After our warm reunion with Grandpa, I trotted along behind Kailian toward my familiar room.
“Kyawoo! Kyaang!”
Home is the best after all.
As soon as Kailian opened the door, I shot inside like a bullet.
Though only a few days had passed, the scents I smelled felt like a long time away—comforting and nostalgic.
I glanced around the room briefly, then dashed straight for the cat tower in the corner.
And in one swift leap, I reached the scratching post at the top.
Vuck! Vuck! Vuck! Vuck! Vuck!
“Kyawoo! Kyaang!”
Yes! After a trip, this is exactly what I needed. Of course, this was my first trip to the Snowy Mountains.
I awakened my wild instincts and scratched the post furiously.
After my claws were perfectly sharpened, I leaped from the tower in a bouncy, refreshed gait.
Finally, I safely reached the penthouse floor on the very top of the cat tower—the spot with the best view of the entire room.
“Kyawoo.”
Good thing I put this up.
I flopped onto the luxurious bed Rosalia had made and stretched out.
The magical devices installed in the bed immediately adjusted themselves to keep me in my most comfortable state.
“Kyawoong… grroong…”
The effort of convincing the butlers to bring this top-tier bed was totally worth it.
“Kyawoong… this is heaven…”
I was enjoying the room’s comfort with half my eyes closed and a piece of bread in my mouth, when
Ta-da! Ta-dak!
“Eh? Oppa, are you being so sneaky and climbing up here alone? I want to go too!”
Lumia followed me into the room in her original fox form, then transformed and began climbing the cat tower.
She used her short legs and panted her way up from the first floor to the second, then to the third without any trouble.
But due to her fox body structure—less jumping power than a tiger’s—climbing all the way to the fourth floor was impossible.
“Kyaeng… neng… neng…!”
“Kyawoo?”
Why can’t you make it?
Lumia was clinging precariously to the edge of the third-floor platform, staring up at me on the fourth floor where I was leisurely baking bread, with a pitiful and distressed look in her eyes.
“O-Oppa… it’s so high here. My legs can’t reach… can you pull me up?”
Lumia’s tail drooped as she flailed her tiny front paws helplessly.
I looked down at the small, pathetic white fox and curled the corners of my mouth upward.
Hey… you’re still too young to be my peer.
Unconsciously, a very mischievous laugh escaped me.
“Kya fu fu fu… kyawoong!”
Access is forbidden unless you’re a white tiger. You’re only allowed on the third floor.
“Chii… Oppa is so mean! You pig-headed white tiger!”
“Kyawoo?”
What’s the matter, buddy?
When I laughed down at her without helping, Lumia transformed back into human form, puffed up with anger, and grumbled while glaring at me from the third floor.
Bam!
While I was teasing Lumia from the fourth floor, the door opened and Kailian walked in.
“Haa, home really is the best…”
Kailian’s gaze, as she entered the room, naturally turned toward the cat tower where I was.
She rolled her eyes for a moment, then looked at me on the fourth floor—still in my full, arrogant pose while baking bread—and at Lumia below, who was neng-nenging and glaring at me.
Seeing the perfect vertical hierarchy, Kailian let out a chuckle in disbelief.
“What? As soon as you two stepped into the room, you’re already sorting out ranks? Look at the pig on top posing like royalty.”
“Kyawoo.”
One more time with “pig” and I’ll really…
“Blang. Stop posing and come down. There’s work to do.”
“Kyawoo?”
Why am I supposed to rest? I’m tired.
“You have something from the First White Tiger on the Snowy Mountain, right? That altar. It’s too big for Rosalia to keep in the room forever.”
“Kyawoo!”
Oh right! I have to give bread to my Mom and Grandpa the White Tiger!
“It’s too big to keep in the room, so we’ll find a good spot to place it together.”
“Kyawoo!”
Okay!
I spun my tail like a propeller and stood at the top of the tower, rolling my feet, when Kailian smiled at me and spread her arms wide.
“Good, I knew it. Now jump down. I’ll catch you.”
“Kyawoo.”
Seeing her sturdy arms, I leaped without hesitation from the fourth-floor peak straight toward the empty space below.
Polluck—!
“Kyawoong!”
I flew through the air in a heavy arc.
Thump! Boom!
“Ugh…”
Kailian caught me with lightning-fast reflexes.
But the impact I’d felt while falling was still significant, and a small groan slipped from her lips.
“Kyawoo.”
Good catch! Nice catch!
I wagged my tail happily in her arms.
However, Kailian’s reaction was strangely odd.
She held me in her embrace and began rubbing my belly with a strangely smug expression.
“…Hey. Blang.”
“Kyawoo?”
Why?
Kailian suddenly buried her face in my soft belly.
Rub rub rub!
Here we go again…
“K-Kyaak!”
What are you doing! It tickles! I can’t breathe!
I thrashed around with my four paws, but she just mumbled in an annoyingly sweet voice while burying her face in my belly.
“Eww, you pig. Why won’t this belly fat go away… it seems like you’ve gained weight recently…”
“Kyawoo…”
That’s not fat, that’s muscle…
“No muscle, just fat. You’re rolling around everywhere.”
I pushed Kailian’s face away with my front paw.
Don’t play with me today.
Go put the altar away with Lina.