Chapter 62
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 62
So-ya flapped her wings vigorously and let out a cry.
“A bird…?”
The woman, who had been thrusting a spear at Sa-eon’s throat until a moment ago, faltered as she spotted So-ya.
Above the cloth covering her face, her exposed light-purple eyes widened into circles.
“Peep! Chirp! (Go away! Go away, you big bully!)”
So-ya chirped and peeped, venting her fury. Every time she did, large teardrops popped like bubbles from the baby bird’s bead-like eyes.
Flustered, the woman began to fidget restlessly.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, little bird. Did I scare you?”
“Ppiiiit!! (Put that spear away!)”
“Ah. Right. I’ll put it away.”
At So-ya’s outcry, the woman hurriedly lowered her weapon.
Huh?
So-ya, who had been puffing out her feathers in a fit of rage, was so taken aback by the woman’s immediate compliance that she stopped crying altogether.
???
As So-ya stared at the woman with a flurry of question marks practically floating over her head, a voice broke the silence.
“Sigh…”
Sa-eon let out a short sigh and pulled the baby bird toward him.
“That temper of yours—leading with the tip of a spear—hasn't changed a bit.”
He spoke casually, as if he knew the woman well, before looking down at So-ya.
“Are you alright, Cotton Ball? Were you very frightened?”
He asked tenderly, using his fingertip to gently wipe away the tears lingering around So-ya’s eyes.
“Pyah…! (Daddy…!)”
The warmth in his voice brought a fresh wave of tears to her eyes, and So-ya flew straight into Sa-eon’s arms, burying herself against him.
“It’s okay. Daddy’s right here, so don’t cry, my little Cotton Ball.”
Sa-eon soothed her, patting her head rhythmically until she calmed down.
“Peep, ppiii… (But hic, sniff, that person…)”
Still buried in Sa-eon’s embrace, So-ya tilted her head just enough to peek behind her.
When she saw the woman leaning forward, her eyes sparkling with intense curiosity, So-ya shrieked, “Pyu-eng!” and dove her head back into Sa-eon’s chest.
“You’re scaring her,” Sa-eon said to the woman, his tone laced with displeasure.
“My goodness, she really is a baby bird,” the woman murmured, unable to take her eyes off So-ya.
“Yes. She’s still a tiny Cotton Ball. How could you just attack someone right in front of a child?”
“But why is a baby bird calling you ‘Daddy’ instead of a tiger?”
“Because she’s my daughter.”
Sa-eon replied with a look that suggested she was asking the obvious.
“Don’t tell me… is she the child you adopted last autumn?”
Instead of answering, Sa-eon merely gave a slight nod.
A look of shock spread across the woman’s face.
“But then—!”
The woman started to ask something, but her voice trailed off at a sharp look from Sa-eon, who raised a single eyebrow in warning.
Instead, she turned her sparkling gaze back to So-ya, who was still huddled in his arms.
“Goodness. Where on earth did you pick up such a precious little bird?”
“Don’t concern yourself with her. Cotton Ball is my daughter; she has nothing to do with you.”
Sa-eon spoke guardedly, tucking So-ya further into his embrace to hide her.
“She’s your daughter, so how can she have nothing to do with me?”
So-ya’s ears perked up from where she was buried in Sa-eon’s broad chest. The two of them had been talking as if they were old acquaintances for a while now.
So-ya slowly turned her head and stole a glance at the woman, who was still watching her with fascination.
Wait.
So-ya felt like the woman’s face was somewhat familiar.
That’s strange. I’m sure this is the first time I’ve seen her.
The blue hair and the light-purple eyes were both sights she had never encountered before. And yet, she had a strange feeling that she had seen her somewhere.
As So-ya blinked and tilted her head in confusion, the woman let out an exaggerated cry of delight.
“Oh my, look at that! She just tilted her head while looking at me! She must like me!”
Startled by the somewhat overwhelming reaction, So-ya clung to Sa-eon once more.
The woman lowered her face mask and addressed So-ya directly.
“Hey there, little bird. I’m not a bad person. What you saw earlier was just my way of saying hello to your daddy.”
“Peep? (A hello…?)”
“Mhm, mhm. Sa-eon and I have been greeting each other like that since we were kids,” the woman explained with a beaming smile.
“What are you talking about? You were always the one launching unilateral attacks.”
“Pyah? (So you weren't trying to kill my daddy?)”
“Oh, heavens no. If I tried that, my own head would be the first to roll.”
The woman waved her hands dismissively at So-ya’s question.
“Peep… (But just a moment ago…)”
“That’s only because Baek Sa-eon went easy on me. I could never beat your father.”
The woman burst into a hearty laugh.
So-ya looked back at Sa-eon, her expression asking if it was true.
Sa-eon let out a sigh, pressing his fingers against his temples as if he had a burgeoning headache.
“Yes, it’s true. So you can relax now, little Cotton Ball.”
Only then did So-ya let the tension out of her puffed-up body and plop down onto the ground.
Poof!
So-ya’s beast transformation came undone.
“Is her name really Cotton Ball? How unique.”
“I’m not Cotton Ball, I’m So-ya. Baek So-ya of the White Tiger Clan.”
Her guard lowered slightly, So-ya introduced herself to the woman.
“I’m Cheong-ha. It’s nice to meet you, little Cotton Ball.”
“Are you my father’s friend?”
“Hmm, well. A friend… I suppose you could say that.”
So-ya looked back at Sa-eon with a look of newfound wonder.
So Father actually had friends.
Until now, the only person So-ya had seen close to Sa-eon was Jeok Yeong. But even Jeok Yeong didn't quite fit the description of a "friend."
“Cotton Ball, what’s with that look on your face?”
“What else? She’s amazed that a tiger with a nasty personality like yours actually has a friend,” Cheong-ha answered for her, cackling with laughter.
“That’s not it!”
So-ya raised her voice in protest.
“My daddy is a very, very good person!”
“Oh my.”
Cheong-ha’s eyes rounded at So-ya’s claim, and then she broke into a grin.
“You’ve gained quite a loyal youngest daughter, Baek Sa-eon. What should I do? I’m so jealous it actually hurts.”
So-ya had expected the woman to be angry at her for raising her voice, but instead, Cheong-ha smiled warmly and stroked her hair. So-ya tilted her head at the gentle touch.
* * *
So-ya, clutching the nandina branch laden with clusters of red berries—her original goal—returned to the White Tiger Palace with Sa-eon and Cheong-ha.
As they chatted while trekking through the crisp, white snow, So-ya learned that Cheong-ha was the mother of her older brothers.
“You’re the mother who gave birth to my brothers?”
So-ya asked again, her eyes wide with surprise.
“That’s right.”
So-ya stared at Cheong-ha with fascination.
The brothers’ mother…
She hadn't known because no one had ever mentioned Cheong-ha until now.
Looking closely, Cheong-ha did seem to resemble the brothers a little. She looked particularly like Ga-hyeon.
I always thought Brother Hyeon looked like Father, but seeing her now, I think he looks more like Lady Cheong-ha.
Ga-hyeon’s white hair and blue eyes certainly resembled Sa-eon’s, but his other features were much more like Cheong-ha’s. The long slant of the eyes, the sharp tip of the nose, and especially the way they smiled were remarkably similar.
“Ah! Then Lady Cheong-ha is Father’s…?”
A sudden thought occurred to So-ya, and she looked back and forth between Sa-eon and Cheong-ha with a face full of questions.
“I was his wife. Once upon a time.”
“…”
At Cheong-ha’s casual response, Sa-eon’s expression hardened.
“…?”
Just as So-ya was about to ask if that meant she wasn't his wife anymore, sensing the subtle tension between them—
“Madam…! No, Lady Cheong-ha! You’ve come!”
Jeok Yeong and the other residents of the White Tiger Palace came rushing out in surprise.
“Hello, everyone. It’s been a long time.”
Cheong-ha gave them a broad, easy grin.