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Chapter 28
'She must be hurt.'
I recalled how Siyo's large eyes ‌‌‌‌had wavered and turned the thought over in my mind.
I hadn't seen Siyo since that incident.
I should have clarified that I hadn't meant it that way, ‌‌but when it came time to seek her out, I couldn't find the right words, so I let the days slip away without purpose.
Because of that, yesterday's incident remained ‌‌‌lodged in my throat like a splinter, rough and uncomfortable.
Just then, a guest from the Silver Tiger Family arrived.
"Brother Hyun, it's been so long. How have you been?"
Eun ‌‌‌‌Siyo greeted me ‌‌with familiar warmth.
At that form of address—'brother'—I lifted my head to ‌look at ‌‌‌‌Siyo.
Though ‌‌she was a distant branch of the family, we were so far removed that such a title was hardly appropriate.
Yet I concealed my true feelings and responded with a gentle smile.
"Yes, ‌‌‌it's been a while. Siha."
I deliberately mispronounced her name—a subtle way of saying we weren't quite so intimate.
Siyo's face flushed slightly as ‌‌‌‌she caught the hint.
"Oh, um, brother, I'm not Siha, I'm...."
Siyo stammered as she reintroduced herself, and shame washed over me ‌at the thought that those around us had witnessed this.
"Ah, sorry. I must have gotten confused."
I replied in an affectionate, gentle tone, as though I hadn't done it intentionally.
"No, brother. It's my fault for visiting after so long."
"Still, it's better to use the proper form of ‌‌‌address, Siyo. What if people misunderstand? They might think you're coveting the Western End Room."
On the surface, it sounded like a warning not to covet the Western End Room, but as I made this observation, my expression and voice were tender and considerate, as though I were merely concerned for her.
Siyo sensed ‌‌‌something subtly distant in my words, yet she convinced herself it was her imagination.
"Yes, Young Master. Thank you for your concern."
The two of us sat across from each other with refreshments between us and continued ‌our conversation. ‌‌‌
"Hehe, so my father was saying...."
"Mm, I see."
My demeanor remained consistently courteous, but I had lost interest in this meeting long ago.
Even before Siyo arrived, my mind had been occupied with other thoughts, and now that we were speaking, this felt like a waste of time.
So I spent those tedious, dull hours wearing a mask of kindness, responding half-heartedly.
As I gazed ‌‌absently ‌‌out the window, I suddenly felt something amiss.
Soon I realized what that strange feeling was.
Siyo, who should have been taking her evening stroll before dinner at this hour, was nowhere to be ‌‌seen. ‌‌‌
'Why... isn't she there?'
My eyes narrowed slightly.
'Come to think of it, I haven't seen her all day.'
The moment that thought crossed my mind, I ‌‌‌‌abruptly pushed back from my seat and stood.
Siyo's routine was quite regular.
Of course, there were times when she deviated from it by an hour or two.
But for Siyo, who loved her walks, to ‌‌‌not appear in the Garden even once all day—that was far too strange.
Now ‌‌‌that I thought about it, not only Siyo but also Ga Yul was nowhere to be ‌‌seen.
"Young Master...?"
Siyo blinked in surprise, looking up at Ga Hyeon. His expression was far from pleasant.
"Is there something troubling you...?"
But before Siyo could finish speaking, Ga Hyeon rushed out, searching for Ho Jeok A.
"Ho Jeok A!"
"Young Master?"
"That girl—I can't find her. Where is she?"
"Pardon?"
"Siyo. I haven't seen ‌her all day."
Ho Jeok A stared at him with a bewildered expression.
It was the ‌look of someone asking how he expected him to know.
"I couldn't say, sir. Surely you know the Cotton Puff Miss's schedule better than I do?"
My young master knew the Cotton Puff ‌‌Miss's daily routine more perfectly than anyone else in Baek Ho Palace.
He likely understood Siyo's schedule even more precisely than Yeon Jeong ‌and San Ho did.
"It's afternoon walk time and she's not here—that's why I'm asking. She wasn't at morning walk time either, nor at afternoon playtime."
"Perhaps she wished to rest in her room for a day? She might have been feeling unwell..."
Whoosh!
Ga Hyeon swept past Ho Jeok ‌‌A and headed straight for Siyo's ‌‌chamber.
Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!
As a direct descendant of the Baek Ho line, Ga Hyeon always minded his bearing—yet he had never walked with such thunderous footsteps.
He was the ‌‌‌‌young master who wouldn't even run in the rain, choosing instead to walk calmly ‌through the downpour.
At his uncharacteristic behavior, not only Ho Jeok A but all the servants passing through the corridor turned to ‌‌‌stare.
Bang!
He threw open Siyo's chamber door, but she was not inside.
Ga Hyeon clenched his fists ‌‌‌tightly, then began searching the estate frantically.
But Siyo was nowhere—not in the Garden, ‌‌‌not on the Walking Path, not even in Ga Yul's chamber.
'Where on earth...?'
As Ga Hyeon searched with growing anxiety, he ‌spotted ‌‌‌Yeon Jeong approaching from the opposite direction.
"Where is Siyo?"
At his sharp, abrupt question, Yeon Jeong's expression grew flustered, but she answered readily.
"The young miss climbed Horim Mountain this afternoon and hasn't returned yet. She seems to ‌‌be running late."
"What?"
"The Youngest Young Master and Suri went with her, so she should be fine. Horim Mountain isn't a dangerous place."
"Suri? You mean... that Indigo Wolf Clan fellow?"
Yeon Jeong turned to look where Ga Hyeon was pointing and gasped in shock.
Suri, who should ‌‌have been with the young miss and young master by now, was loitering near the North Gate of Baek Ho Palace.
"Wait, Suri! What are you doing here? Where are the young miss and ‌‌‌young master?"
"Oh, Yeon Jeong. Young Master. I mean... ‌‌‌I had a stomach upset, so... I promised to stay right beside the Cotton Puff Miss and the young master, but..."
Suri stammered his response.
Ga Hyeon's expression hardened into rigid lines.
With Ga Yul present, there should be no danger, yet the unease refused to dissipate.
"I'll go fetch her myself."
Ga Hyeon strode purposefully ‌‌‌toward the rear of Baek Ho Palace.
"My goodness, Young Master? Young Master!"
"Young Master, I understand you're concerned about the fluffy young lady, but such excessive worry..."
It was then that Yeon Jeong and Ho Jeok A hurried after Ga Hyeon.
"Isn't that the Youngest Young Master coming down?"
Indeed, Ga Yul was descending the mountain.
"It seems he's coming down now."
Everyone felt relieved, but Ga Hyeon muttered in that rigid tone of his.
"...Why ‌‌is he alone?"
Ga Yul, who should have been with Siyo, was descending by himself.
At that moment, Ga Yul, rushing down ‌‌the mountain with an anxious expression, spotted Ga Hyeon and cried out urgently.
"Brother! Have you seen Fluffy?"
"...That girl went up the mountain with ‌‌‌‌you. What are you talking about?"
Ga Yul's face drained of color.
"Oh, oh no, ‌‌‌‌brother. I think I've lost Fluffy!"
"What?"
"I dozed off for a moment, ‌‌‌‌‌and when I woke up, Fluffy ‌‌was gone. I searched ‌‌‌‌‌everywhere, but couldn't find her, so I thought maybe she'd come down first..."
Ga Yul explained anxiously, ‌‌‌fidgeting. Ga Hyeon's face turned menacing.
"You came down alone? You fool!"
Ga Hyeon's voice thundered.
Unlike the sharp, cold manner he reserved for blood relatives, Ga Hyeon had never raised his voice in such a way before.
"U-uh-uh, uh..."
"What are you crying about?"
As Ga Yul whimpered in fear of having lost Fluffy, Ga Hyeon lashed out harshly.
"Sob, sniff, sniff, but, but Fluffy... because of me..."
Ga Yul choked back his sobs.
"Don't worry too much, Young Master. ‌‌The young lady will be safe."
"That's right. Besides, the beasts on Horim Mountain are docile and pose no danger."
"It seems she's simply lost her way, so if we go search for ‌‌‌‌her..."
Everyone was speaking optimistically when—
"I cannot sense Siyo's scent."
At Ga Hyeon's murmur, his eyes cold as they fixed upon Horim Mountain, everyone froze.
"Something is preventing me from finding her."
Ga Hyeon clenched his teeth, glaring at Horim Mountain, then with a resounding "boom!" transformed into a massive tiger.
* * *
Meanwhile, Siyo, abandoned in the forest, ‌‌‌‌waited for Ga Yul to catch her scent and come searching for her.
But no matter how long she waited, Ga Yul did not come. ‌
By then, the sun had completely set beyond ‌‌‌the horizon. ‌‌

---------------
Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, ‌‌please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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