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Chapter 33
"Am... am I too heavy?"
Jeok Soya startled in alarm.
"Please put me down! I want to get down!"
"Squeak! Chirp, chirp!"
As Jeok Soya thrashed about, Seol Yo below tugged at Sayeon's pant leg as if ‌‌demanding he set her down immediately.
At this, Sayeon burst into laughter.
"I'm just teasing, cotton ball. You're not heavy at all—light as a feather. I'm worried you'll blow away if I breathe too hard. So come on, get a bit heavier."
"No, I can't! If I get any heavier...!"
Gurgle.
A gurgling sound emanated from Jeok Soya's stomach.
Flush!
Jeok Soya's face burned ‌‌‌‌crimson. She quickly spread her palms to cover her face.
Of all moments, her stomach had to make that sound—it was ‌‌‌mortifying.
"This won't do. Let's go get you some food, cotton ball."
Sayeon chuckled and began walking, then noticed Seol Yo padding along behind him and ‌‌‌‌stopped.
He bent down toward Seol Yo and poked his forehead with a finger, speaking in an offhand tone.
"I'll fatten up cotton ball ‌and bring her back, ‌‌‌so stay out of sight and behave yourself."
As if understanding his words perfectly, Seol Yo nodded obediently and vanished.
* * *
Eun Siyo gripped the ‌‌window frame ‌‌tightly as she gazed down.
In her line of sight was Jeok Soya, cradled in Sayeon's ‌‌arms as ‌‌they moved through the palace.
'Why...'
Last night, when that girl went missing, Baek Ho Palace was thrown into chaos.
Everyone in the palace—even Sayeon, who had just returned from his travels—fretted over whether something had happened to her.
'She's not even a tiger, so what makes her so special?'
Originally, that sachet had been prepared during the Mountain Lord Festival ‌‌to counter the girls from other branch families.
The plan was to drive the mountain beasts into a frenzy and ‌‌‌obstruct the ‌other children's performances.
In truth, when Siyo first learned of Jeok Soya's existence, she hadn't paid much attention.
She believed a small, ‌‌naive girl who wasn't even a tiger could never ‌‌be her rival.
But seeing how the ‌‌Baekho Family members doted on her began to worry her.
So when the opportunity arose to climb Horim Mountain, she had given her that sachet as a gift.
Yet Jeok Soya returned completely unharmed.
And on Baek Gahyun's back, no less!
Moreover, through that incident, Jeok Soya had grown even closer to the Baekho Family princes.
Baek Gahyun, who had drawn a line with her about proper titles, now allowed that girl to call him "older brother."
The fact that Baek Gahyun had abandoned their tea gathering to search for that girl alone made her anxious, and the series of events had filled Siyo with a profound sense ‌‌‌of crisis.
"What if Sayeon actually decides to register that girl into the family registry?"
Siyo muttered, gnawing at her nails.
"If I ‌‌‌lose the Western End Room to that girl... then I..."
"It seems things aren't going as planned, miss."
At that moment, Eun Siyo's head snapped around at the voice from behind her.
A man in a black mask stood behind her without a sound.
"You...!"
He was the man who had visited the Eun Ho Family not long ago, offering to help her.
"What's ‌‌‌the meaning of this! You said anyone could ‌‌‌‌be dealt with if I just had that sachet. I did exactly as you instructed, and yet the situation ‌‌has only gotten worse!"
Siyo's voice cut through the air like a blade.
"An unforeseen variable has emerged."
"Everyone at Baek Ho Palace is fawning over that girl. If she ends up being registered into the Baekho Family..."
"Have no fear. Such a thing will not come to pass."
"How can you be so certain?"
"Because I know that girl's weakness."
Siyo paused, her eyes narrowing.
"Her weakness?"
* ‌‌‌* *
Jeok Soya shared lunch with Sayeon.
He kept offering her more food until her belly was completely full.
"While I was away yesterday, you climbed the mountain and ended up alone—I was ‌so worried when I heard."
Sayeon rested his chin in his hand, watching her eat with an amused smile, then pulled out a handkerchief.
"I heard everything from Gahyun. You must have been terrified, but you came back safely and bravely. Thank you for that, little cotton ball."
He gently wiped the corner of her mouth with ‌the handkerchief as he ‌‌‌‌spoke.
Grateful that I came ‌back bravely.
I had never heard such words before.
Could something so simple ‌really be worth gratitude?
And I only managed to return because the young master carried me on ‌‌‌‌his back.
Jeok Soya didn't know how to respond, her fingers fidgeting until she finally managed to speak.
"I'm grateful too, Sayeon. Thank ‌‌you for worrying about me. And I'm ‌‌sorry for causing you concern."
"I'm the one who should apologize. ‌‌I brought you here but failed to protect you properly."
"No, that's not true! You've ‌‌already protected me so much!" ‌‌‌
"I have?"
"Yes! ‌From the day ‌‌‌‌I arrived at Baek Ho Palace, and when I was ill..."
Jeok Soya counted on her fingers the moments when Sayeon had helped her.
"See? You've protected ‌‌‌me all this much! So please don't apologize to me. If anything, I have far more to be grateful for."
Sayeon burst into soft ‌‌laughter.
"If we're counting like that, little cotton ball, you protected Baek Ho Palace from those terrifying spirits. Let's see—you protected me, that old fox Ho Jeok Young, Gahyun, Yul, and also..."
Sayeon listed the people of Baek Ho Palace one by one, then tilted his head with exaggerated confusion.
"My, ‌‌‌I don't have enough fingers."
"Well, that's..."
"You see, little cotton ball? I clearly have far more to thank you for, don't I?"
Sayeon gestured to both his hands—her fingers folded into a fist ‌‌and his own ten fingers also curled into a fist.
"Y-yes..."
Jeok Soya nodded ‌‌obediently, ‌‌though something felt off about Sayeon's ‌‌‌logic.
Despite her lingering confusion, Sayeon chuckled softly ‌‌‌once more and ruffled her hair affectionately.
"Thank you, little cotton ball. For protecting Baek Ho Palace."
“....”
The corners of Jeok Soya's mouth rose shyly.
Something still felt strange, yet her heart felt warm.
After finishing the meal and dessert, Jeok Young arrived and took Sayeon away.
Jeok Soya bowed toward Sayeon as he was led away with a pained expression, then headed ‌to her ‌‌room.
She walked through the corridor with hurried steps, lost in thought.
'Since Arang and Sahye said they didn't want to be registered as family, it's likely Eun Siyo will become the family of Sayeon and the young masters.'
Jeok Soya still hadn't told anyone about the fragrant ‌‌‌sachet Eun Siyo ‌‌had given her.
She didn't want to cause unnecessary discord because of it.
I loved ‌‌the people of Baek Ho ‌‌‌Palace who had treated me warmly, and because of that, I wanted to protect it.
I hoped nothing would happen that would trouble the people here because of me.
'I don't want to become a difficult and bothersome ‌‌child again. Besides, I'll ‌‌‌be leaving soon anyway...'
At that moment, ‌‌‌Jeok Soya stopped upon spotting a girl approaching from the opposite direction.
The girl with silver hair was none other than Eun Siyo.
Their eyes met directly.
Without realizing it, Jeok Soya clenched her fists inside her sleeves.
After a brief silence, it was Eun Siyo who greeted first.
"Hello, Jeok Soya. I was just about to come find you, and here we are."
She approached with a gentle smile. ‌‌‌
"...I also ‌had something to tell you, Eun Siyo. About that fragrant sachet you gave me."
Jeok Soya stood rigidly as she spoke.
I intended to ‌‌tell her everything.
That I wouldn't covet that position. That she didn't need to do such frightening ‌‌‌‌things to me. That I would be leaving this place soon anyway.
"Oh."
Eun Siyo gasped in surprise, then her eyes widened with a smile.
"You're quite perceptive, Jeok Soya. I didn't realize that."
"Did you really intend to harm me?"
"Yes. Is there a problem with that?"
At the immediate affirmation, Jeok Soya's body stiffened involuntarily.
Despite the gentle ‌‌smile still gracing her face, Jeok Soya felt a clear hostility emanating from Eun Siyo. ‌‌‌‌
It was then.
Eun Siyo suddenly leaned toward Jeok Soya's ear and whispered in a chilling voice.
"You're a criminal, aren't you."
"...!"
"A criminal who stole and destroyed someone else's life."
In that instant, Jeok Soya's heart plummeted.

---------------
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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