Chapter 125
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 125
A low sigh escaped through Jeok Ah-yun’s teeth.
Until now, he had never once faced the truth.
The child’s red hair—it was evidence enough for anyone to see that she was a direct descendant of the Vermilion Bird.
But just a moment ago...
After seeing the beautifully grown So-ya—whose lovely face, strangely enough, reminded him of his deceased wife—Ri-ri’s face suddenly felt very foreign to him.
Ri-ri did not resemble his late wife at all.
Rather, it was So-ya who looked more like her.
Jeok Ah-yun’s fingertips trembled faintly.
“Father. Ri-ri is anxious.”
At Hwa-yu’s repeated words, Jeok Ah-yun blinked slowly and looked back at his second son.
“I will look into it.”
“…….”
“How that child, So-ya, is still alive. And why she is with the Clan Head of the White Tiger Clan.”
“……Yes, I understand. Hwa-yu.”
Jeok Ah-yun nodded.
“Father, are you alright……?”
Unlike her usual self, Ri-ri asked cautiously, watching her father’s reaction.
Jeok Ah-yun forced a smile, pulling up the corners of his mouth that refused to rise.
“Yes, Ri-ri. I’m sorry. I must have startled you.”
However, between the gaps of his habitually tender voice, an unknown, gritty residue of emotion clung to him like sludge.
* * *
As soon as they returned to the pavilion, So-ya began treating Sa-eon’s hand.
“That tickles, Cotton Ball.”
Sa-eon chuckled softly as he watched the Purification Flame seep into his palm.
But So-ya didn’t laugh with him. Instead, she spoke in a stern tone.
“Father! You’re not even Yul-i oraboni, so how could you get into a fight in a place with so many people!”
“Sorry. But Daddy won—”
“Agh, honestly! Winning or losing isn’t what’s important!”
Sa-eon tried to brag that he had landed more hits, but So-ya immediately raised her voice, glaring at him with sharp eyes.
“Your hand is hurt like this! You told me not to get even a single scratch!”
“Cotton Ball. You’re misunderstanding something. Daddy is a tiger……”
“Tigers aren’t invincible!”
“But tigers are invincible……”
“Invincible, my foot! Not when you’re getting hurt like this!”
“…….”
At that, Sa-eon was left speechless.
The voice of the child speaking to him so strictly was laced with deep worry.
Even though she had been anxious the whole time about running into the Vermilion Bird Clan, the image of her running out from the protection of her brothers to reach him over this tiny scratch was still vivid in his mind.
That face, filled with shock and concern, those eyes brimming with tears, and the way the corners of her eyes had turned red.
Thinking that the child had almost cried because of him…… he suddenly felt like he had done something quite terrible.
Thus, Sa-eon apologized while stealing glances at So-ya.
“I’m sorry, my daughter. From now on, Daddy won’t get hurt anywhere.”
“Since you seem to be sincerely reflecting on it, I’ll let it slide just this once,” So-ya said primly.
So-ya was the first person to ever speak to Sa-eon this way.
A bellicose nature was a characteristic of the White Tiger beastkin; therefore, ever since he was very young, whenever he returned from a fight, everyone would ask if he had won, not scold him for fighting.
Even his aide, Ho Jeok-yeong, would worry more about Sa-eon’s opponent than his own superior.
Naturally, this was the first time he had ever received a lecture—or rather, a scolding—not to fight, and the first time he had received this kind of worry.
‘Come to think of it, Cotton Ball has been like this since she first came to the White Tiger Palace.’
Sa-eon let out a smirk, remembering how So-ya had promised to protect him from ghosts.
How did such a precious daughter just fall from the sky?
“Thank you. I knew my Cotton Ball was the only one who truly cared about her Daddy.”
Sa-eon smiled broadly and reached out to stroke the child’s hair out of habit, but then he paused.
He had almost ruined the hair she had spent all morning meticulously styling.
Sa-eon realized once again that the child was no longer just a little thing.
Fourteen…….
Beastkin were considered adults once they completed their Second Growth around the age of seventeen or eighteen.
This was because that was the time they were deemed capable of independence.
Sa-eon himself had married not long after completing his Second Growth.
So-ya was nine when she first came to the White Tiger Palace, and already five years had passed, making her fourteen.
Thinking that she would become a full-fledged adult in just a few more years, Sa-eon felt proud of how well she had grown, yet also a bit wistful that time was passing so quickly.
‘I wonder if my baby Cotton Ball won’t want to play with me anymore when she gets even bigger.’
But Sa-eon knew.
That today, this very moment, was the youngest the child would ever be.
Of course, as he had told her long ago, she would always be his baby no matter how old she got.
Even so, he resolved to do his best in every moment spent with her today, so that these sparkling, lovely days wouldn't slip away too easily.
Just as the nine-year-old So-ya had grown up in a flash, the fourteen-year-old So-ya would become an adult just as quickly.
He wouldn't miss a single moment of his baby Cotton Ball’s fourteenth year, a time that would never return.
As Sa-eon grinned at the thought, So-ya, who had been standing with one eyebrow arched in a pout, eventually broke into a soft laugh as well.
* * *
The young protagonists of this war moved indoors with the Emperor to enjoy a brief tea ceremony before receiving their royal gifts.
Ga-ya’s expression brightened considerably upon seeing the glittering jewels nestled in a wooden box.
It wasn't just Ga-ya; everyone’s faces were filled with the joy of the war’s end, the pride of having led them to victory, and pure excitement.
Even after the Emperor rose to leave, the excitement did not easily subside.
However, in this meaningful place, Jeok San-yu, the eldest son of the Vermilion Bird Clan, looked quite unwell.
It was because of a certain young girl he had caught sight of when he happened to turn around in the banquet hall earlier.
‘Did I see wrong?’
Yes, perhaps he was mistaken.
Otherwise, how could the youngest daughter of the White Tiger Clan have a face that was the spitting image of his younger sister, whom they had lost so long ago?
‘The last time I saw So-ya, she was only six. It’s such an old memory…….’
He had tried to convince himself of that throughout the tea ceremony with the Emperor, but the restless, anxious feeling in his chest wouldn't go away.
‘But for it to be a mistake, she looked too much like…….’
It was then.
“I’ve never seen you make a face like that before, Baek Ga-ya. You look quite pleased.”
Cheong Su-a spoke to Ga-ya, who seemed to be in high spirits.
“I’m going to give this to Som-som,” Ga-ya said, pulling the gift from the Emperor close to his chest.
“‘So-ya’ is her name, isn't it? Your sister. I heard from my aunt. That she’s a very small and cute bird beastkin.”
At those words, Ga-ya glared at her fiercely.
“Don’t say my sister’s name so casually.”
His voice was thick with wariness.
“You don’t have to glare like that. I told you, Ga-ya. I’m not going to take your sister, nor your mother.”
“You sure talk big. Especially for someone who’s been keeping someone else’s mother in her palace as a proxy.”
“You and I share the same maternal grandfather, so strictly speaking, we aren't strangers.”
“I don’t care. If they aren't my family, they’re strangers.”
“What a childish attitude. The future of the Baek Clan is looking dim.”
“No way. My face is so handsome it practically glows.”
Ga-ya said with a haughty expression, tilting his chin up.
“And even if you don’t ‘generously’ step aside, I’m not letting anyone take anything from me.”
“Right, I’m sure you won’t.”
Cheong Su-a shook her head and walked away.
Meanwhile, Jeok San-yu, who had overheard their conversation, froze on the spot.
‘So-ya……?’
This time, he had definitely not been mistaken or misheard.
Just now, Cheong Su-a had clearly said it to Baek Ga-ya.
That his youngest sister’s name was ‘So-ya.’
Baek Ga-ya, who was looking quite satisfied with himself for thinking he had driven Cheong Su-a away with his brilliant wit, suddenly noticed Jeok San-yu staring blankly at him.
“What are you looking at?”
“Young Lord Ga-ya. Is the name of the sister you saw last night…… So-ya?”
Normally, he would have turned away childishly, saying, ‘I’m not telling you.’
But he was in an exceptionally good mood today.
“Yeah. Baek So-ya. My cute Som-som, who shares two characters of her name with mine.”
Ga-ya gave a light snort and answered.
However, Jeok San-yu’s reaction was unusual.
“Som-som……! Som-som was the name of that baby bird I saw back then!”
“Huh?”
“But why……! How on earth……! Why is your sister Som-som, and that baby bird is also Som-som?”
“Stupid. Is that fancy chicken head of yours filled with nothing but straw?”
Ga-ya curled his lip into a smirk at San-yu, who had grabbed him in desperation.
“It’s because So-ya is Som-som, and Som-som is So-ya.”
“……?”
“That world-class small and cute baby bird you saw back then is my sister, So-ya.”