Chapter 60
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 60
It didn't help that as the weather turned colder, Ga-yul had been teasing her, saying she looked like a little ball because her fur "fattened up" every time she transformed.
Of course, Ga-yul hadn't actually intended to make fun of So-ya; he was simply the type to blurt out whatever thought popped into his head.
However, So-ya had also been feeling it instinctively. Lately, it wasn't just her fur that had gotten thicker.
Every time she looked in the mirror, two chubby, well-fed cheeks greeted her.
Thanks to eating well and living happily over the past few months, her face had become even more radiant and perfectly round.
"Good job, Cotton Ball. You have to dress warmly so you don't catch a cold."
Sa-eon spoke as he tightened So-ya’s winter gear.
"And so what if you’re a bit round? You’re cute when you’re round, too."
Because he had pulled the winter gear so tight, her already round face looked even more like a little sphere.
Sa-eon suppressed the urge to laugh and spoke in a deliberately serious voice.
He had recently received a report from Yeon-jeong that So-ya seemed concerned about how round she looked now that her winter coat was coming in.
When the weather grew cold, a beastkin’s fur would thicken accordingly during transformation, a phenomenon they referred to as "fluffing up."
It wasn't just So-ya; many young beastkin spending their first winter after their first transformation often felt a great deal of shock at their newly rounded appearance.
To Sa-eon, seeing the child—who had been so busy walking on eggshells when she first arrived at the White Tiger Palace—now worrying about things typical for a girl her age was simply precious and endearing.
Besides, he thought her filled-out face looked much healthier.
"This is a secret, but your father was much rounder than you are now when he was your age."
"…Really?"
So-ya looked up at Sa-eon, her face full of curiosity.
It was hard to believe that her father, who didn't have a single round edge on him now, had been much rounder than her when he was a child.
"It’s true. Isn't that right, Jeok-yeong?"
"Ah, yes, well. You were quite round indeed. So round you could have rolled all the way to the Cheonghae Sea, which the Blue Dragon Clan governs."
Jeok-yeong, who was following behind Sa-eon, nodded vigorously in agreement.
Despite this, So-ya still looked skeptical, prompting Sa-eon to let out a short laugh.
"Have you ever seen your father tell a lie?"
"…."
So-ya fell into quiet thought for a moment before shaking her head. Her father was someone who always told her the truth.
"Then, do I take after you, Father?"
"Hmm?"
"Hyeon-yi Orabeoni is tall because he takes after you, and Yul-i Orabeoni is a good runner because he takes after you! So, I’m round because I take after you, right?"
So-ya asked, her eyes sparkling.
Sa-eon burst into laughter at the child’s unexpected question.
"That’s right. Our little Cotton Ball is round because she takes after her father. And you’re brave and spirited because you take after me, too. And kind, just like this."
"Clan Head, if you have a conscience, perhaps you should leave out that last part?"
Jeok-yeong said, looking at him with dead eyes.
"Hehe, I’m going to eat even more and get even rounder!"
So-ya let out a giggle from within Sa-eon’s arms.
At the sound of the child’s bright laughter, a soft smile bloomed on Sa-eon’s face as well.
Jeok-yeong watched Sa-eon’s relaxed expression with a sense of wonder.
His master was not originally a man with such a gentle demeanor.
His impression was so cold and fierce that he was often misunderstood even when doing nothing, and young beastkin would frequently burst into tears just by making eye contact with him.
For that very Sa-eon to wear such a soft, tender expression…
It was a change that had come entirely from adopting the little Lady Cotton Ball.
And it wasn't just the Clan Head.
The sensitive Second Young Master, who used to build narrow walls around himself and draw firm lines against outsiders…
And the Youngest Young Master, who, despite liking people, was so bellicose that he would bicker with other young beastkin at every opportunity…
They had all become significantly softer since accepting that tiny Cotton Ball as family.
It was a change for the better.
"But why were you hesitating? Don't you want to step on the first snow?"
"Ah, that’s…! Uuuuhm…."
So-ya couldn't answer readily and simply stared at the pure white field of snow.
"Don't be afraid. Daddy is right here."
At Sa-eon’s encouragement, So-ya shook her head.
"It’s not that I’m afraid. It’s just… it’s so white and clean, I don't know if it’s okay to step on it. It feels like I’m ruining it."
"What?"
Sa-eon let out a chuckle at the thought, which was so typical of So-ya.
"But Daddy wants to step on the first snow with his little Cotton Ball. I think it would be cute to see Daddy’s footprints and the baby’s footprints side by side on the clean snow."
Sa-eon spoke with a deliberately disappointed tone.
"Instead of thinking of it as ruining it, why not think of it as leaving a trace together with Daddy?"
It was a tailored suggestion aimed right at So-ya, who loved doing anything as long as it was "together with Daddy."
"…!"
And So-ya, falling right into Sa-eon’s intent, looked up with sparkling eyes.
Sa-eon chuckled and asked, "So, little Cotton Ball. Do you want to hold Daddy’s hand and step on the first snow together?"
"Yes…! I want to do it with Daddy!"
As soon as So-ya nodded eagerly, Sa-eon smiled and set the child down.
With a slightly nervous face, So-ya gripped Sa-eon’s hand tightly and took a single step forward.
Crunch—
With the sound of treading on snow, her foot sank right in.
So-ya’s eyes grew wide at the sensation, which she was experiencing for the first time in her life.
"It made a crunching sound!"
"They say that’s the sound the snow makes to welcome the little Cotton Ball."
"Whoa…."
With a heart that was somehow fluttering, So-ya carefully took another step. Then, she stole a glance behind her.
There, right next to Sa-eon’s footprints, were her own tiny tracks.
Since tiger beastkin had notably large hands and feet, her footprints looked exceptionally small next to her father’s.
"Look at this, Father! They really look like Daddy’s footprints and a baby’s footprints!"
Even at that simple fact, So-ya’s face lit up brilliantly.
Stepping on the snow and leaving footprints—it was all so much fun.
Soon, an excited So-ya let go of Sa-eon’s hand and began walking through the snow on her own, crunch, crunch, eventually even walking backward to see the footprints she was leaving.
"Cotton Ball. Walking backward is danger—"
It was just as Sa-eon was about to warn her.
Whish— Thwack!
"Ouch."
A cold snowball flew through the air and hit So-ya.
When she turned toward the direction the snowball had come from, she saw Ga-yul clutching his tail and laughing.
"Krahang, krahang!"
"Yul-i Orabeoni!"
The moment So-ya realized it was Ga-yul’s doing and shouted at him—
"Don't attack So-ya!"
Seol-yo threw a snowball at Ga-yul on So-ya’s behalf.
"Oh dear, Young Master. Are you alright?"
With Su-ri joining in as well, a snowball fight broke out immediately.
"Kr-Krawang! Krawang! (W-Wait! Nam Su-ri, why are you attacking me?!)"
Even for Ga-yul, a three-on-one battle was too much, and he began to flee with his tail tucked.
"Ahaha!"
So-ya let out a clear, ringing laugh, her nose and cheeks flushed red from the cold.
Sa-eon watched the scene for a moment before leaving with a faint smile.
* * *
The problem was that So-ya had played a little too hard.
Between the snowball fight, building a snowman, and drawing pictures with her footprints in the snow, time had flown by.
Even though Yeon-jeong had told her several times that it was time to go inside, So-ya had persisted, asking, "Can't I play just a little longer?"
Since it was the first time So-ya had ever made such a request, Yeon-jeong’s heart had softened, and as a result, So-ya had run around in the snow until very late.
And as a consequence, So-ya ended up catching a cold!
"Achoo!"
So-ya sniffled and sneezed.
She had felt uneasy ever since her head started to throb slightly, and now she had a full-blown cold.
"Cotton Ball, are you okay?"
"It’s because of you."
Ga-hyeon threw a sharp word at Ga-yul, who was sticking close to So-ya’s side and asking worriedly.
"W-What did I do?!"
"If you hadn't thrown snow at So-ya, she wouldn't be this sick!"
"N-No! I’m the one who got hit more!"
So-ya sat between her bickering brothers, wrapped in a thick quilt, sipping warm tea.
But how should she put it?
‘In the past, whenever I was sick, it just felt cold and miserable….’
So-ya thought to herself amidst her drowsiness.
‘Strangely, even though my body feels chilly, my heart feels even warmer.’