Chapter 39
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 39
So-ya looked down out the window, marveling at the change she had discovered.
Overnight, the world had become even more beautiful.
And So-ya knew exactly why her world had changed so much.
[No one can bully you, and what they did wasn't right.]
[You’ve done nothing wrong. It’s them who are wrong, not you.]
He was the first person to ever tell her that.
Her father, her brother Hwa-yu—everyone had hated her, saying it was all her fault.
In truth, in the very depths of her heart, it had made her so sad and upset every time she saw the people who hated her. Every single day, she had wanted to crawl under her covers and wail.
But because people told her she was a child who didn't even have the right to be sad, she had endured it. To think that she hadn't been in the wrong after all.
It was a moment where the world she had believed in until now was shaken and demolished, only to be reassembled anew.
With yesterday as the turning point, So-ya felt something within her change significantly.
Before, she had felt only sadness and heartache when thinking of those who hated her; now, she felt a sense of injustice and even a bit of anger.
She was still unfamiliar with harboring such emotions and worried if she might be heading in the wrong direction, but…
‘Lord Sa-eon said so. He said he would show me what a proper world looks like.’
So-ya believed him. She believed that as long as she was with Sa-eon, she could walk in the right direction.
Because he was a steadfast and strong adult.
Unlike her father…
‘Ah, so now Lord Sa-eon is my father…’
As she thought of Jeok Ah-yun, So-ya suddenly realized a new fact.
That man was no longer her father.
The adult with the broad, warm back, who promised to show her a proper world, was going to be her father now.
‘I am Lord Sa-eon’s daughter…’
So-ya repeated the fact to herself in her mind.
It was such an overwhelming happiness that it made her a little worried. Was it really alright for her to enjoy this much?
‘I want to repay this kindness to Lord Sa-eon and the young masters, too.’
The news that Sa-eon had decided to adopt So-ya into the family register as the youngest daughter of the clan spread through the White Tiger Palace like wildfire.
San-ho arrived with the joyful news.
“My Lady! I’ve been officially assigned as your bodyguard!”
San-ho, who was also the head of the Indigo Wolf Clan, had only been serving as So-ya’s temporary guard until now.
“Now I don’t have to follow the Clan Head whenever he goes out, and I won’t be drafted for annoying chores anymore. From now on, I’m going to stick right by your side!”
She had been constantly worried about the time So-ya was left alone on the mountain while she was away with Sa-eon.
“Really, San-ho?”
“Yes, really!”
As So-ya rejoiced, Yeon-jeong chuckled and shared even better news.
“Once the Mountain Lord Festival is over, the Clan Head will provide you with excellent tutors as well.”
“Wow…!”
So-ya’s cheeks flushed pink, and her eyes sparkled.
“Hmph, what a shame, Cotton Ball. I feel so bad for you. Having to study and all.”
Ga-yul, who had barged into So-ya’s room the moment he woke up and refused to leave, looked at her with a pained expression and a pout.
His face was genuinely full of pity.
“Studying is only painful for a dim-witted tiger like you.”
Ga-hyeon, who had just finished his morning lessons and come to see So-ya, scolded Ga-yul with a look of disdain.
However, the expression Ga-hyeon wore when he turned back to So-ya was sweet and gentle, as if dripping with honey.
“So-ya, if you find anything difficult or confusing while studying later, just ask your brother. I’ll teach you everything.”
Ga-hyeon deliberately emphasized the word ‘brother.’
“Yes, Young Mas—Brother!”
So-ya, who had reflexively started to call him ‘Young Master,’ quickly corrected herself. In her haste, the words tripped over each other.
Ga-hyeon let out a small laugh and corrected her.
“Not ‘Young Mas-brother,’ just ‘Brother.’ Try saying it again, So-ya.”
“…Yes, Brother.”
Shyness seeped into So-ya’s voice as she called him brother again.
She had certainly called the second young master ‘brother’ yesterday morning, and even the day before when she was being carried down the mountain on his small back.
But calling him brother again this morning felt a little different.
‘Have we really become family?’
The fact still felt quite surreal.
“Me too! I’m your brother now too, Cotton Ball! Hurry up and call me brother!”
“Yes, Brother Yul.”
“…!”
When So-ya giggled and called his name, Ga-yul’s eyes widened in surprise.
He hadn't expected her to call him brother so readily.
Hearing the title ‘brother’ for the first time in his life made his heart feel all ticklish.
‘I’m Cotton Ball’s brother. I feel like I finally have someone I need to protect.’
While Ga-yul stood there with a dazed expression, Ga-hyeon reached out a hand to So-ya and asked, “So-ya, shall we go give our morning greetings to Father together?”
“Yes!”
So-ya’s face brightened instantly at the suggestion of visiting Sa-eon.
“Me too!”
Ga-yul quickly snapped out of it and followed along.
Just as So-ya was leaving the hallway, holding the hands of her two brothers in each of hers—
“SO-YA!!!!”
With a thundering sound, Ah-rang came running from a distance.
“A-Ah-rang…!”
“Is it true? Did you really decide to live in the White Tiger Palace?”
“Yes, that’s how it turned out…”
“No!”
Ah-rang grabbed the hem of So-ya’s skirt and burst into tears.
“You said you’d come to the Galho Clan with me! You promised me!”
“Oh dear, My Lady.”
An attendant from the Galho Clan tried to restrain Ah-rang with a troubled voice, but it was futile.
“So-ya was supposed to be my sister! Not the sister of these stupid white-haired tigers, but my sister!”
“How can Cotton Ball be your sister? She’s already nine years old,” Ga-yul said with a snort.
“What?”
Startled, Ah-rang stopped stomping on the floor and jumped up.
“Nine years old?”
Ah-rang was also nine.
“You—when is your birthday!”
“In the summer.”
“…!”
At So-ya’s innocent answer, Ah-rang’s jaw dropped. Ah-rang’s birthday was in the autumn!
“N-No way! So-ya…! So-ya is my big sister?!”
Unable to believe the fact that So-ya was born a whole season earlier than her, Ah-rang began to deny reality.
“This can’t be! This is a dream!”
“Hah! Call Cotton Ball ‘Big Sister’ and call me ‘Big Brother’ too, you brown tiger!”
“What? You want to go?!”
Ga-hyeon shook his head as he watched Ga-yul and Ah-rang bicker once again.
“Nine or ten, it’s all the same.”
Even as he said that, Ga-hyeon himself was eleven.
Though, in his own mind, he thought he was worlds apart from these young tigers who hadn't even reached their First Growth yet.
*
So-ya, the two White Tiger young lords, and even Ah-rang—the four children visited Sa-eon to give their morning greetings.
Sa-eon wore a satisfied expression as he watched the children scurry away.
“Is this what it feels like to have a daughter?”
Hyeon was one thing, but for Yul to come for morning greetings at this hour…
And they were even holding hands so nicely.
“Yes. Having a daughter definitely makes a difference.”
Sa-eon, who was muttering to himself with a beaming smile, suddenly turned his head.
Glance—
Sa-eon looked at Jeok Yeong with a look of pity.
“How unfortunate for you, Jeok Yeong. Not having a daughter.”
“I haven’t even gotten married yet, you know? Thanks to someone making me work every single day.”
Jeok Yeong grumbled, pouting his lips.
“How is it my fault you haven’t married? It’s because of your own lack of ability.”
At this, Jeok Yeong’s eyebrows twitched.
He gritted his teeth and forced a bright smile.
“By the way, Clan Head. To call her your daughter… it seems Lady Cotton Ball is still uncomfortable around you.”
“Who says? Who says Cotton Ball is uncomfortable around me?”
Sa-eon flared up at Jeok Yeong’s provocation.
“Just now, too. She called you Lord Sa-eon, not Father or Dad. Isn’t that a sign of being uncomfortable?”