Chapter 57
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 57
“Ah…”
So-ya’s mouth hung open slightly.
“A-Ah…”
The child’s lips quivered as if she were on the verge of saying something.
Sa-eon did not rush her; he waited for So-ya with calm patience.
Looking into his eyes, which were curved into a gentle, warm smile, So-ya squeezed her eyes shut and cried out.
“Dad…!”
At that moment, tears burst from So-ya’s eyes like a fountain as she threw herself into his arms.
In truth, she had wanted to call him that for a long time.
Father. Dad.
She had wanted to call out to him and leap into his embrace, just like her brother Yul did.
But strangely, the word ‘Father’ had been exceptionally difficult for So-ya.
While she could have many brothers, she could only have one father.
She felt that if she were to lose her one and only father again, she truly wouldn't be able to overcome that sorrow.
Sa-eon froze for a moment, not expecting her to lung at him.
However, he soon scooped the child up into the air and gazed into her tear-streaked eyes.
His heart ached at the sight of her reddened eyes—it hurt so much it felt like it was breaking—and yet, at the same time…
“Do you know something, Cotton Ball? I’m incredibly happy right now.”
Sa-eon suppressed his heartache and gave her a broad grin.
“Because I feel like I’ve finally truly become my little Cotton Ball’s dad. I’m so, so happy right now.”
“I’m sorry I said it so late. I knew you were waiting, Sa-eon… no, Father. I knew, but it was just so hard…”
“Don’t say you’re sorry, Cotton Ball.”
Sa-eon spoke as he gently pinched So-ya’s sobbing nose with his index and middle fingers before letting go.
“What do you have to be sorry for? You just needed time.”
“But…”
“Are you really that sorry?”
“Yes…”
“Then you can just call me that more often from now on to make up for it. Call me Dad.”
“Yes, I will, Dad! Dad, Dad, Dad, Dad!”
The corners of Sa-eon’s mouth twitched upward at So-ya’s hurried repetitions.
He hadn't realized it until now, but the resonance of the word ‘Dad’ felt wonderful.
It was so good that he wanted to keep hearing it over and over again.
* * *
The next morning.
By the time So-ya opened her eyes, Yi-rim had already departed from the White Tiger Palace.
He really left right away.
Though they had said their goodbyes the previous night, she couldn't help but feel a lingering sense of regret.
Will I be able to see him again?
With those thoughts, So-ya sat before the mirror and watched Yeon-jeong braid her hair.
Today, her hair was braided into two sections, then rolled up into buns just below her ears and decorated with satin ribbons—a style So-ya had specifically requested.
“Ta-da! All done, Young Lady. Oh my, you look so adorable today.”
“Our Young Lady, what’s gotten into you today to care so much about your appearance? You even picked out your own clothes.”
It was the first morning that So-ya, who usually didn't care how her hair was done or what clothes she wore, had expressed a preference.
The maids wondered if their cute Young Lady had someone she wanted to impress.
But the Emperor from the Imperial Palace had already returned early this morning.
“I’m going to see Father!”
So-ya answered promptly, as if she had been waiting for that very question.
“Oh my.”
The Young Lady had referred to the Clan Head as ‘Father’ for the first time. Realizing this, Yeon-jeong and San-ho let out gasps of surprise and admiration.
“I promised to go see my aunt with Father this morning.”
So-ya spoke with a somewhat boastful expression, emphasizing the word ‘Father.’
The sight was so lovely that Yeon-jeong and San-ho looked at each other and giggled.
So-ya headed to Sa-eon’s office with a beaming smile.
Jeok-yeong, who happened to be standing outside, greeted her upon seeing her.
“Good morning, Cotton Ball Young Lady. Have you come to see the Clan Head?”
“Yes! I came to see Father! I’m going to see my aunt with Father!”
“The Clan Head is inside… Huh? Young Lady, did you just say ‘Father’?”
“Yes, Father!”
So-ya answered with a spirited voice.
Sa-eon, who had heard her through the slightly ajar door, stepped outside, barely managing to suppress the corners of his mouth that were twitching upward.
“Cotton Ball. Did you come to see Dad?”
“Yes, Daaad…!”
So-ya smiled brightly and snuggled into Sa-eon’s arms.
Ho Jeok-yeong’s eyes widened in shock at the changed behavior of the Young Lady, who had previously maintained a distance by calling the Clan Head ‘Sa-eon.’
“Jeok-yeong. I have somewhere to go with Cotton Ball, so keep an eye on the office.”
Sa-eon spoke to Jeok-yeong with a triumphant face.
In that moment, the expressions of the father and daughter were identical.
The place the two were headed was none other than Sa-ra’s shrine.
Sa-ra closed her eyes and placed her hand on Sa-eon’s head, examining the energy of his Spirit Core.
So-ya was more nervous than either of them, clenching her fists and waiting anxiously for the result.
“This is unbelievable.”
After a long while, an exclamation broke from Sa-ra’s lips.
“This is strange, Sa-eon. The energy of your Spirit Core has truly changed.”
“Is it a good thing, Auntie?”
Unable to contain her curiosity, So-ya chimed in.
“It is, my little Cotton Ball. It has changed in a very good way. This fellow’s Spirit Core has become very clear and pure. It’s almost as if…”
Sa-ra trailed off for a moment, glancing at So-ya before continuing.
“Yes, as if it has been ‘purified.’”
“…!”
So-ya’s face lit up brilliantly.
“T-then, does that mean Father’s Spirit Core doesn't hurt anymore?”
“Well. How do you feel, Sa-eon?”
“The faint pain I used to feel in my Spirit Core seems to have vanished. Though I’ll have to wait until the full moon to be certain.”
“It’s mysterious. What happened last night?”
No matter how much So-ya possessed the supernatural ability of ‘Purification,’ it should have been impossible to wash away the corruption within a Spirit Core.
Restoring a broken and contaminated Spirit Core was not within the realm of ordinary Beastkin.
Under Sa-ra’s suspicious gaze, So-ya explained everything she had seen, heard, and done the previous night.
“It wasn't purification, but borrowed power?”
Sa-ra’s expression stiffened slightly.
“What is it, Sister?”
“…”
Supernatural abilities that allowed one to borrow the power of others had existed before.
However, the power So-ya had borrowed was the power of a transcendent being, far from ordinary.
One specific being immediately came to Sa-ra’s mind.
If the Divine Beast White Tiger was the ‘Guardian’ of the West, there was a being in the Southern Land known as the ‘Purifier.’
Perhaps it was a coincidence. But…
[Sister. So-ya awakened the Divine Beast White Tiger during the Mountain Lord Festival.]
What if, during the Mountain Lord Festival, this child hadn't simply awakened the ‘Guardian,’ but had borrowed his power?
I thought the energy felt from the child’s Spirit Core was extraordinary, but…
If the child was indeed destined to awaken transcendent beings, it was right for her, a mere Beastkin, not to interfere any further.
The moment she spoke, the child’s destiny might be warped.
“It’s nothing. You have a truly magnificent ability, little one.”
Thus, Sa-ra withheld any further words.
More than that, she had one more question.
How on earth had the young Emperor seen through So-ya’s ability?
Something that even she, who had seen the Spirit Cores of countless Beastkin, could not recognize at once.
* * *
Slap!
With the sound of flesh striking flesh, the young maidservant’s head snapped to the left.
“I-I’m sorry, Young Lady. Please, forgive me…”
“Then why did you make a mistake in the first place?”
Slap!
“Agh!”
This time, the maid’s head snapped to the right.
Ri-ri was throwing a full-blown tantrum, huffing with rage.
It was while the young maidservant, her cheeks swollen red, lay prostrate at Ri-ri’s feet, sobbing.
“Ri-ri.”
The voice of her father, Jeok Ah-yun, reached her ears.