Chapter 22
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 22
Sa-eon swallowed hard as he looked down at the child’s drooping eyes and her tiny mouth, pursed tight like a bird’s beak.
Though she tried her best not to show it, he saw her fingers twitching with distress and her somber pink eyes stealing glances at him, gauging his reaction.
A thick sense of crisis filled the room. Sa-eon realized that if he gave the wrong answer now, his little Cotton Ball might be crushed by disappointment.
“Wow! She looks exactly like you, Clan Head!”
Jeok Yeong cut into the conversation, his voice intentionally exaggerated.
“My goodness, how could this be a cat? Anyone can see she’s a tiger. It seems our Clan Head’s eyes are getting as dim as his memory. What are we going to do?”
“Right. My eyes have been failing me lately; I suppose old age is finally catching up. Looking again, she is indeed a tiger.”
Sa-eon quickly followed Jeok Yeong’s lead, chiming in with agreement.
So-ya’s face seemed to brighten for a moment, but a shadow quickly fell over it again.
“But isn't it a big problem if your eyes are failing?” So-ya asked, her voice laced with worry.
“Yes, it’s a very big problem,” Sa-eon replied with a smirk, nodding his head. “That’s why, Cotton Ball, you need to visit me often.”
“Does me visiting actually help?”
“Of course, Young Lady. It helps immensely. This gloomy office brightens up the moment you walk in.”
“Huh? Really?”
So-ya’s eyes grew wide with surprise.
Having had her Spirit Core stolen the moment it awakened, So-ya had yet to undergo her First Growth, and naturally, she hadn't manifested any supernatural abilities. To think she had the power to brighten a dark office!
“But I haven't even awakened an ability yet, so there’s no way I could have a power like that…”
“I’ve heard that sometimes, exceptionally clever young beastkin help those around them with their innate energy even before they awaken an ability. It seems you are exactly such a case, Young Lady.”
Jeok Yeong lied through his teeth without batting an eye.
“Chasing away ghosts from the White Tiger Palace and brightening the Clan Head’s dreary office… there’s nothing our little Cotton Ball can’t do.”
Swayed by his smooth talk, So-ya’s cheeks flushed a rosy pink.
After bowing politely, So-ya stepped out into the hallway and peeked into her bamboo basket, letting out a little giggle.
This morning, when Yeon-jeong brought over the finished, fired stones, they were so shiny and beautiful that So-ya could only stare at them for the longest time.
Excited by everyone’s happy reactions, she had been giving them away to everyone she met, leaving only a few in the basket.
Among them, one pure white, sparkling stone stood out. It was a gift for the Second Young Master.
I hope he likes this one.
Even as she thought this, So-ya was intentionally saving Ga-hyeon’s room for last. Being hated and rejected was something she was used to, but being used to it didn't make it any less unpleasant.
It was just as So-ya reached into the basket to fiddle with the stone meant for Ga-hyeon.
“Huh?”
Startled by a boisterous voice coming from ahead, she quickly pulled her hand away.
A girl with long, flowing brown hair came running down the hallway, skidding to a halt when she spotted So-ya.
Because Yeon-jeong and San-ho had told her about the young ladies from the branch families the night before, So-ya recognized her immediately.
It was Ah-rang, the young lady of the Galho Clan—one of the branch tiger families staying in the east guest rooms.
“Hello, Lady Ah-rang.”
“What are you? You’re so tiny! You don't look like a tiger.”
Ah-rang scrutinized So-ya from head to toe with curiosity.
“Oh, I’m So-ya! Lord Sa-eon st—I mean, picked me up and brought me here…”
“What? Lord Sa-eon brought you?”
Ah-rang’s eyes went wide at So-ya’s introduction.
“Then wait, are you the ‘Cotton Ball’ everyone says took over the West End Room?”
“Pardon? Yes… but how did you know that?”
Seeing So-ya’s bewildered reaction, Ah-rang gave a mischievous grin.
“How could I not? Do you even know what kind of room that is—the one you’ve parked your butt in?”
“...?”
“Wait, you really don't know? That’s the room for the Lady of the White Tiger Clan!”
“The Lady of the White Tiger Clan?”
“My father said so. He said the most outstanding tiger at this Mountain Lord Festival would catch Lord Sa-eon’s eye, take the West End Room, and become the Lady of the White Tiger Clan.”
“R-really?”
So-ya’s eyes widened at the news she was hearing for the first time.
“Do you think I’m a liar?”
“Oh…”
Only then did So-ya understand why there was a girl’s room in the White Tiger Palace, a place inhabited only by young masters.
I see. They let me stay in such a precious room for a little while.
She felt grateful, yet an inexplicable bitterness welled up in her heart.
“But how did you end up in that room?”
“Oh, well, that’s…”
“Everyone’s in an uproar because someone who isn't even a tiger suddenly appeared and took that room. Don't tell me you’re trying to become Lord Sa-eon’s daughter like Eun Si-yo?”
Unable to contain her curiosity, Ah-rang bombarded her with every question that popped into her head.
“N-no, I’m…”
“You’re not even a tiger. How? Are you trying to be a fake tiger?”
So-ya flinched.
At the word ‘fake,’ her heart felt like it had dropped into her stomach.
[How loathsome, deceiving everyone all this time.]
[A mere fake who stole the Young Lady’s place.]
[Our poor Lady Ri-ri. Because of that wicked fake…]
Sharp voices she had forgotten for a while came rushing back, swirling around her ears and making her head spin.
No.
I’m not a fake.
I wasn't trying to steal the Young Lady’s place.
I…
So-ya couldn't say a word. Her face turned deathly pale, and cold sweat began to bead on her forehead.
“Huh? What’s wrong with you? Are you sick?”
Ah-rang called out in a puzzled voice, watching So-ya’s sudden change.
“What do you think you’re doing! Bullying a little guest who isn't even a tiger.”
A girl with silver hair tied in braids stepped between the two and shouted.
It was Eun Si-yo of the Eunho Clan, the one rumored to be the strongest candidate among the branch tigers to become the master of the West End Room.
“I-I didn't do anything!” Ah-rang cried out in a panic. “I just said a few words and she suddenly looked sick on her own. This isn't fair!”
“You’re Lady Ah-rang of the Galho Clan, right? I was looking forward to competing with you for the West End Room, but this is truly disappointing.”
“No! It’s really not like that! I wasn't trying to bully her, I just…!”
Ah-rang wanted to explain herself, but she lacked the eloquence to find the right words.
“Lady Ah-rang is right. It’s a misunderstanding.”
So-ya, finally coming to her senses, stepped in front of Si-yo to defend Ah-rang.
“Lady Ah-rang really wasn't bullying me. It’s just that I’m not feeling very well.”
“R-right! Why did you have to feel sick the moment I started talking to you…?”
With So-ya taking her side, Ah-rang quickly chimed in.
However, looking at So-ya’s pale face as she defended her, Ah-rang felt a strange sensation.
Now it really looks like I bullied a sick kid.
It was an odd feeling, like something was pricking at a corner of her chest.
“Ugh, fine! Just don't get sick in front of me again!”
Ah-rang scratched her head aggressively, shouted those words, and then fled the scene as if she were running away.
“Are you really alright?” Eun Si-yo asked in a worried tone once they were alone. “You’re the guest Lord Sa-eon brought, right? I’m Si-yo of the Eunho Clan. If you were being bullied, I apologize on behalf of all tigers.”
“Thank you for your concern. But I really wasn't being bullied.”
So-ya shook her head, responding to Si-yo’s certain tone.
“Well, if you say so. If you ever need my help, please don't hesitate to ask.”
“Yes, I will.”
So-ya gave a small smile and turned away.
But on the way back to her room, the smile gradually faded from her face, and her steps grew slower and slower.
Upon reaching her room, So-ya closed the door and slumped down onto the floor right in front of it.
[It’s no trouble at all, so don't worry and stay here for the time being.]
So-ya had always wondered how long the ‘time being’ Sa-eon mentioned would last. She had constantly hoped that ‘time being’ would be just a little bit longer.
But after meeting the tiger ladies just now, she realized.
Her sweet, warm ‘time being’ was about to come to an end.
I have to leave the White Tiger Palace after the Mountain Lord Festival, before the real owner of this room arrives.
So-ya swallowed the lump in her throat and slowly took in every detail of the room.
The reason she had felt both grateful and bitter upon learning the true nature of this precious room was that she realized the time to leave it had come.
She hadn't even cried when she crossed the threshold of the Vermilion Bird Mansion to leave it forever, but the thought of leaving the White Tiger Palace made her feel like she might burst into tears.
Even though she knew she had to leave, the reason it hurt so much was likely because the kindness the people of the White Tiger Palace had shown her was just so warm.
She was sad, but So-ya didn't cry.
Coveting something that wasn't hers to begin with was something only a greedy, wicked baby bird would do. So-ya didn't want to steal someone else’s place ever again.
When I was little, I didn't know any better and ended up stealing Lady Ri-ri’s place, but I’m already nine years old now. I’m at an age where I can think and act for myself.
So-ya thought bravely and nodded to herself.
Still, she couldn't help the small wave of sadness that washed over her heart.