Chapter 35
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 35
Ga-hyeon was quite the observant one.
[By the way, So-ya. Who did you tell about your plan to climb Mt. Horim with Yul yesterday?]
When he had asked her that this morning, So-ya claimed she didn't really know. However, he hadn't missed the way her pinky finger twitched and curled inward at that exact moment.
So-ya had a hunch. She knew exactly who had put her in danger.
But the kind-hearted So-ya clearly had no intention of speaking up, so Ga-hyeon made a decision.
Then I’ll just have to find them and deal with them myself. I’m So-ya’s brother, not a pathetic tiger like Yul.
Everyone in the White Tiger Palace adored So-ya.
Therefore, if someone had put her in danger, the primary suspects were the guests from outside the palace.
The tigers of the branch lineages.
Specifically, those who would find So-ya’s existence an eyesore.
Just as he had been when So-ya was first assigned to the West End Room, there were several others who would want to keep her in check.
But how did they do it?
He had heard that in the northern lands of the Black Tortoise, there were evil arts capable of polluting beasts and making them violent.
However, the only footprints on Mt. Horim that day belonged to So-ya’s party.
There was no way Ga-yul or Su-ri would have done such a thing.
They must have carried an object imbued with evil arts up the mountain. Something that drove the beasts wild and erased So-ya’s scent…
Yet, when he had found So-ya deep in the mountains, her scent was perfectly fine, and there was no sign of any cursed object.
Something that disappears over time…
He had spent the entire day preoccupied with investigating and searching for evidence.
In the midst of this, Ho Jeok-a had come by to deliver the item Ga-hyeon had requested.
It was a small stone with a drawing of the girl rendered in pure white paint.
I wonder if this will be enough to serve as a protective charm for her.
Just as So-ya had picked up stones with her tiny, fern-like hands and plucked Sky Flowers to protect him, he wanted to gift her a talisman that would keep her safe.
I hope she likes it.
Glancing out the window, Ga-hyeon realized the sun had set.
He hadn't seen So-ya all evening, and now that he had a good excuse, he went to find her to deliver the gift.
But when he arrived at So-ya’s room, it was empty.
Only the cold night air lingered in the vacant space.
“So-ya…?”
Flustered, Ga-hyeon walked toward the open window, gripping the sill as he looked down.
But So-ya’s scent was nowhere to be found within the darkness that had settled over the White Tiger Palace.
It was just like yesterday, when they had lost her on Mt. Horim.
Don’t tell me… they did it again.
Perhaps they had tried to harm her again in that brief window of time.
In that moment, he felt as if his heart had dropped into his stomach.
Ga-hyeon immediately sprinted down the hallway toward the second floor of the east wing, where the Silver Tiger Clan was staying.
Bang!
He threw the door open without warning, startling everyone inside.
“Oh my!”
“Young Lord Ga-hyeon?”
It was Si-yo and the attendants of the Eunho Clan who were serving her.
“Where is So-ya?” Ga-hyeon demanded, stroking into the room.
“Why are you looking for that child here?” Si-yo asked, her voice laced with bewilderment.
“You’re the one who tried to hurt her. Did you think I wouldn't know?”
“Hurt her? That’s unfair! I don’t know what that girl told you, but I—I have no idea what you’re talking about!”
“Th-that’s right, Young Lord! To treat our lady like this based solely on the words of that lowborn…!”
As the maidservant chimed in to support Si-yo, Ga-hyeon’s face turned cold as he glared at her.
“Did you just say ‘lowborn’?”
“I-is it not the truth? No one even knows her status, and—!”
“So-ya is my father’s guest! And…!”
He faltered.
Ga-hyeon stopped mid-sentence, momentarily unable to find the right words to define So-ya.
“I came here as a guest of the White Tiger Palace too!”
Snapped back to reality by Si-yo’s shout, Ga-hyeon pressed her fiercely.
“If you came as a guest, you should have stayed quietly before leaving. Why did you bully such a small child?”
“Are you accusing me without any evidence?”
The surrounding area quickly grew noisy as people began to gather one by one.
“What is going on?”
Even Sa-eon appeared amidst the murmuring crowd.
“So-ya is missing, Father.”
Sa-eon’s expression hardened instantly.
“Her scent is nowhere to be found. The Silver Tiger Clan must have done something to her.”
Just as Sa-eon, his expression sharpened like a blade, opened his mouth to speak—
“What? So-ya is missing? What does that mean! So-ya promised to go with me!”
Ah-rang burst through the crowd, her voice ringing out loudly.
In an instant, all eyes turned to her.
“Go with you? Where…?”
“Since she won’t be able to stay here once the owner of the West End Room arrives! So, she promised to leave this place with me and come to my house!”
Of course, So-ya hadn't actually promised any such thing, and Ah-rang hadn't even received permission from her parents yet.
However, in Ah-rang’s mind, it was already decided that she would return with So-ya after the Mountain Lord Festival.
“So-ya… said that…?” Ga-hyeon muttered, looking utterly shocked.
He wasn't the only one.
Sa-eon’s face contorted as he clenched and unclenched his fists. He then asked in a calm voice, “What do you mean by saying this is the Silver Tiger Clan’s doing?”
Ga-hyeon explained what he had heard from So-ya—about the mountain beasts turning violent—and the fact that he couldn't catch her scent on the mountain that day.
“Stop framing me without proof!” Si-yo cried out sharply. “The mountain beasts turning violent? Didn't that girl just lie to you? The beasts of Mt. Horim are known for being gentle…”
It was then.
Thump-thump-thump-thump—!
A thunderous noise echoed from far behind the White Tiger Palace.
Even Ga-hyeon and Si-yo stopped their argument and turned toward the source of the sound.
“My goodness, the Young Lady is…!”
At someone’s shout, people rushed to the balcony railings.
Ga-hyeon quickly squeezed through the gap.
Then, like everyone else, he gasped in shock.
So-ya was galloping toward the White Tiger Palace, mounted on the back of a black wolf.
And behind her…
“The Young Lady is being chased by mountain beasts!”
The beasts of Mt. Horim were pursuing So-ya, their sharp fangs bared!
“No. Rather than being chased… it looks more like she’s leading them…”
“The mountain beasts really have turned violent?”
Si-yo’s face turned deathly pale in an instant.
“So-ya…!”
Just as Ga-hyeon shouted in alarm, a man blurred past him.
He leaped into the air like an arrow, landing firmly to block the path behind So-ya.
It was his father, Sa-eon.
* * *
So-ya had discovered the scent pouch hidden inside the carriage.
But would simply removing it be enough?
Could she be certain that Lady Si-yo wouldn't try to harm anyone else after this?
I have to tell Lord Sa-eon. So he can stop Lady Si-yo from hurting others in the future.
But would Lord Sa-eon believe her?
The doubt flickered for a moment, but then she thought that perhaps he might.
Just as the Second Young Lord, who had come to find her when she was left alone on the mountain, had believed her without question.
But…
So-ya recalled the reactions of Lady Yeon-jeong and Lady San-ho when she told them what happened on the mountain.
[Pardon? The beasts of Mt. Horim?]
[Are you sure you weren't mistaken, Young Lady?]
The people of the White Tiger Palace firmly believed that the beasts of Mt. Horim would never harm a human.
So, even if Lord Sa-eon believed her, without evidence, it might lead to unnecessary gossip.
I need proof.
That was why So-ya had asked Seol-yo for help.
The clever Seol-yo had immediately transformed into a giant furry beast at her request, taking her on his back as they swept through the mountains.
The beasts of Mt. Horim, catching the scent of the pouch, swarmed toward So-ya.
Grrr…
Snarl…
Roar…!
The maddened beasts lunged at So-ya and Seol-yo, baring their savage fangs.
“Seol-yo, now! Run! To where the most people are!”
“Kyu-ang!”
Seol-yo, looking quite excited, began to sprint toward the White Tiger Palace, leading the pack of mountain beasts behind him.
So-ya clung to Seol-yo’s back and squeezed her eyes shut. Seol-yo was so fast she felt motion sick.
Just a little… just a little more…
The White Tiger Palace gradually drew closer.
Please, let people gather when they hear this commotion.
She didn't need a massive crowd.
Just enough people to witness and prove that the mountain beasts had turned violent. Please, no more and no less than that.
Finally, when Seol-yo reached the inner courtyard of the east wing—
Whoosh—!
A man leaped down from the air and stood tall behind them, as if shielding So-ya and Seol-yo.
“Lord Sa-eon…!”
So-ya cried out, her face brightening as she recognized the fluttering white hem of his robes.
Sa-eon glared coldly at the beasts charging toward So-ya and Seol-yo.
The beasts seemed to freeze for a moment under that chilling gaze, and then—
“Begone.”
At Sa-eon’s single word, they turned tail and fled.
So-ya was just letting out a sigh of relief when—
“Cotton Ball.”
Sa-eon suddenly lifted So-ya up and asked, “What was a little Cotton Ball doing out in such danger when she should be sleeping?”
“Ah, well, that is…”
In the meantime, the people of the White Tiger Palace had made their way down.
So-ya was a bit surprised to see so many people gathered despite the late hour, but she soon decided it was for the best.
So-ya’s rose-colored eyes scanned the crowd and found Eun Si-yo.
Their gazes met.
Si-yo stood there, her face frozen pale, her fists clenched tight.
After staring at her for a moment, So-ya spoke up firmly.
“It’s the scent pouch Lady Si-yo gave me. That is what made the beasts of Mt. Horim turn violent.”