Chapter 83
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 83
Ga-hyeon was brought in, captured by the Gray Wolves who guarded the outskirts of the Western Land.
“Our men discovered the Young Master destroying the bridges leading to the Southern Land, seemingly intending to head there alone. In the process of restraining him, several members of the garrison were injured…”
Sa-eon received the captain’s report with a stoic expression.
Apparently, Ga-hyeon had destroyed every single bridge leading to the Southern Land. Not stopping there, he had engaged in a physical brawl with the garrison when they tried to stop him from heading south.
First Ga-yul, and now Ga-hyeon—Sa-eon felt a dull ache throb at the back of his neck.
“Baek Ga-hyeon.”
He looked at his second son, who stood silently with a pale face.
“Do you realize that such actions constitute an act of treason against the Clan Head?”
Injuring the Gray Wolves, the guards of the outskirts, was a grave crime that defied the Clan Head’s authority—even if there had been no direct intent to harm them. Furthermore, Ga-hyeon had destroyed vital infrastructure connecting the Western and Southern Lands.
Sa-eon asked out of sheer exasperation, but Ga-hyeon kept his mouth tightly shut, stubbornly refusing to answer.
“Are you not going to tell your father why you did such a thing?”
“…”
His second son, Ga-hyeon, had always been a mature child. While the youngest, Ga-yul, occasionally caused trouble or played mischievous pranks, Ga-hyeon had never done anything of the sort. Considering how most young White Tiger beastkin often caused accidents due to their overflowing competitive spirits, he was quite the exception.
As such, he had always been the gentle, refined young lord, beloved by all the beastkin of the Western Land. Yet, this same Ga-hyeon had just caused an incident far more serious than Ga-yul’s petty pranks.
“Ha, honestly…”
Sa-eon let out a deep sigh, pressing his throbbing temples with his index fingers. He was stunned that his sons would cause such trouble on a day like today, of all days.
“Why are you both acting like this all of a sudden? Do you even know what today is?”
He lectured his two sons in a stern voice as they stood before him with their heads bowed.
“It’s the day your younger sister finally woke up after her first growth pains. On such a wonderful day, when you should be celebrating for her, you both cause trouble as if you’d planned it together—”
“B-But…!”
Ga-yul suddenly cut Sa-eon off.
“But?”
Sa-eon raised an eyebrow at his youngest son, as if inviting him to try and make an excuse. Ga-yul squeezed his eyes shut and cried out.
“But we couldn’t help it! We can’t let them take Cotton Ball away!”
“…What?”
“…Huh?”
Sa-eon and So-ya both stared at Ga-yul, their eyes wide with surprise.
“Take Cotton Ball away? What are you talking about?”
“Take me away? By whom?”
“T-That… that…! I—I can’t say!”
Ga-yul jerked his head away, refusing to answer. However, his trembling shoulders and the intermittent sniffing sounds made it clear he was on the verge of tears.
Unable to understand the situation, So-ya blinked blankly before approaching Ga-yul.
“Brother, you’re the one who bullied me. Why are you the one crying?”
“Ugh, hic, sob…”
“Don’t be like that and just tell me. Who is going to take me away?” So-ya asked, looking up at Ga-yul’s tearful face.
Unable to avoid her gaze any longer, Ga-yul squeezed his eyes shut and confessed.
“That… feather. The red feather. It’s a Vermilion Bird feather, isn’t it?”
“…?”
“So… I was afraid you’d go to those people… I wanted to stop you from leaving…”
“Those people?”
So-ya didn’t immediately realize who Ga-yul meant by ‘those people’ and tilted her head in confusion. However, Ga-yul couldn’t answer; he bit his lower lip hard, feeling as though a flood of sorrowful tears would burst out if he spoke another word. He bit down so hard that his lip turned white from the lack of blood.
“Brother, do you mean… the people of the Vermilion Bird Clan?” So-ya asked tentatively.
At her words, Ga-yul’s sobbing grew louder until he finally burst into a full-blown wail.
So-ya’s mouth fell open in sheer bewilderment. So, the reason he took all her shoes, and the reason he blocked the hallway in front of her room…
‘It wasn’t to pick on me, but to keep me from leaving?’
“Ha…”
Sa-eon let out a hollow laugh of disbelief. Then, a sudden thought struck him, and he whipped around to face Ga-hyeon.
“Then, Hyeon, was that why you cut off the bridges to the Southern Land?”
“…I intended to stop So-ya from going south. Even though she could cross over if she transformed into her beast form, I thought it would at least buy us some time.”
Ga-hyeon, who had remained silent until now, finally raised his head and looked his father straight in the eye.
“And with the time I bought, I planned to go to the Vermilion Bird Mansion and challenge them to a duel. Or perhaps just burn the place to the ground.”
“What?”
“If they have no home to return to, So-ya will have to stay here at the White Tiger Palace.”
Sa-eon asked again in shock, but Ga-hyeon continued his explanation firmly.
Ga-hyeon still vividly remembered that night long ago, before the Mountain Lord Festival, when So-ya had tried to leave the White Tiger Palace alone in the middle of the night. He remembered the chilling fear, the shock, the sadness, the guilt, and the sense of loss—all those negative emotions were still fresh in his mind.
He never wanted to lose So-ya again.
She was his sister. She was the precious younger sister who had made him want to cherish someone for the first time in his life. As long as he could stay with So-ya within the fence of family, Ga-hyeon was willing to do anything—even if it meant harming her trashy biological family.
“If I couldn’t burn down the Vermilion Bird Mansion, I was going to pluck every single comb off those chicken-headed bastards. They deserve it, after all.”
“Do you even realize what you’re saying right now…!”
Sa-eon was about to reprimand his son for so boldly declaring his intent to commit arson and assault when a voice cut through the air.
“So.”
At So-ya’s voice, everyone fell silent.
“The reason you both did those things… was because you were afraid I’d leave? That I’d leave the White Tiger Palace to go to the Vermilion Bird Mansion? Am I understanding this correctly?”
“Hic, sob, Cotton Ball…”
“…”
At So-ya’s question, Ga-yul burst into fresh tears, while Ga-hyeon clenched his fists and lowered his head. Seeing this, So-ya raised her voice.
“What on earth were you thinking? Why would I ever go there! My family is right here!”
“Hic, sob, huh…?”
“…?”
Ga-yul stopped crying instantly, and Ga-hyeon snapped his head up. Both brothers stared at So-ya.
So-ya, looking as though she were suppressing a great deal of anger, placed her hands on her hips and snapped at them fiercely.
“Then, don’t tell me the suspicious way you two have been acting for the past few days was because of that too?”
“…”
“…”
It was the first time So-ya had ever spoken in such an angry tone. Caught off guard by her interrogation, Ga-hyeon and Ga-yul froze with blank expressions before slowly nodding their heads.
“No, why would you… Did you see it? The red feather?”
“Y-Yeah…” Ga-yul confessed meekly, glancing at So-ya’s reaction.
A long sigh escaped So-ya’s lips. She had suspected something was up when the two of them kept stealing serious glances at her and then pretending nothing was wrong whenever she spoke to them, but this…
“Brother Hyeon. You told me once, didn’t you? That a real family doesn’t abandon each other just because of appearances.”
So-ya looked at Ga-hyeon as she spoke.
“But you thought I would leave just because a red feather grew?”
“…But that’s not just a feather. It’s proof that you share the same blood as those people,” Ga-hyeon replied, gritting his teeth as if he loathed to even say it.
“Hyeon, that’s—”
Sa-eon, who had been quietly watching the children’s conversation, tried to step in.
“What does that matter? It’s just a bloodline,” So-ya said in a casual voice, as if stating the most obvious fact in the world.
“My real family is all right here.”