Chapter 22
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Chapter 22
Sa Eon swallowed hard, observing the drooping corners of the child's eyes and her tiny mouth clamped shut like a bird's beak.
Though she tried not to show it, I could see her fingers fidgeting with distress and her melancholic pink eyes darting nervously to gauge my reaction.
In that tense moment, the thought that a wrong answer might disappoint the little cotton ball hung heavy in the air.
"Oh my! You look just like the Family Head!"
Jeok Young interjected into their conversation, deliberately raising his voice with exaggeration.
"Come now, how is this a cat? That's clearly a tiger. Our Family Head must be developing forgetfulness on top of dimming eyesight. What shall we do about this?"
"That's right. My eyes have been getting worse lately—must be old age catching up. Now that I look again, it's definitely a tiger."
Sa Eon quickly picked up Jeok Young's thread and nodded along.
So Ya's face brightened for a moment, only to cloud over again immediately.
"But if your eyesight is getting worse, isn't that serious?"
So Ya asked with concern in her voice.
"Yes, it is serious."
Sa Eon chuckled and nodded.
"So that's why, little cotton ball. You need to visit me often."
"Does my visiting actually help?"
"Of course it does, young lady. It helps tremendously. When you're here, even this dreary Study Room becomes bright."
"Really? Truly?"
So Ya's eyes widened in surprise.
So Ya, who had been stripped away the moment her spiritual core awakened, hadn't yet undergone her first growth phase, and naturally hadn't awakened any abilities.
Yet she possessed the ability to brighten a dark Study Room!
"But I haven't awakened any abilities yet, so how could I possibly have such a power...?"
"Sometimes, exceptionally gifted young beastkin possess an innate aura that helps those around them even before awakening their abilities. It seems you're one of those cases, young lady."
Jeok Young lied without the slightest hesitation.
"You've exorcised the spirits from Baek Ho Palace and brightened our gloomy Family Head's Study Room—our little cotton ball young lady can do anything!"
Swayed by his eloquence, So Ya's cheeks flushed pink.
After bowing respectfully, So Ya stepped into the corridor and peeked inside the bamboo basket with a quiet laugh.
This morning, when Yeon Jeong had brought the finished stones, they'd been so beautifully gleaming that I could only stare at them for a long time.
Delighted by everyone's reactions, I'd given one to each person I met, leaving only a few remaining in the basket.
Among them, one stone that sparkled with pristine whiteness caught my eye particularly. It was meant as a gift for the Second Young Master.
'I hope he'll like this.'
Even as So Ya thought this, she kept putting off visiting Ga Hyeon's chamber until the very last moment.
Being disliked and rejected was familiar, but familiarity didn't make it any less painful.
Just as So Ya carefully reached into the basket to touch the stone meant for Ga Hyeon, she heard it.
"Huh?"
Startled by the loud voice from across the way, she dropped the stone from her hand.
A girl with brown hair came rushing down the corridor and stopped upon spotting So Ya.
From what Yeon Jeong and San Ho had told her last night about the branch family young ladies, So Ya recognized her immediately.
It was Arang, a young lady from the Brown Tiger Family, one of the branch families staying in the Eastern Guest Room.
"Hello, Arang."
"What are you? You're so tiny. You don't seem to be a tiger at all."
Arang examined So Ya with curiosity, turning her this way and that as she spoke.
"Oh, I'm So Ya! Sa Eon brought me here—well, picked me up, rather...."
"What? Sa Eon brought you?"
At So Ya's introduction, Arang's eyes widened in surprise as she asked.
"Then could it be—you're the little fluffball who's taken over the Western End Room?"
"Huh? Y-yes. But how did you...?"
At So Ya's bewildered response, Arang laughed and pressed further.
"How? Don't you know what room you're sitting in with your backside planted there?"
"...?"
"What? You really don't know? It's the room reserved for the young lady of the Baekho Family!"
"The young lady of the Baekho Family?"
"My father said so. At this Mountain Lord Festival, the most exceptional tiger to catch Sa Eon's eye would occupy the Western End Room and become the young lady of the Baekho Family."
"Really, truly?"
So Ya's eyes widened at hearing this for the first time.
"Then am I a liar or something?"
"Ah...."
Only then could So Ya understand why there was a girl's room in Baek Ho Palace, where only young masters resided.
'I see. They were only lending me this precious room temporarily.'
Gratitude mingled with an inexplicable bitterness in her heart.
"But how did you end up taking that room?"
"Well, that's...."
"A creature that isn't even a tiger suddenly appeared and took the room—everyone's in an uproar about it. Don't tell me you want to become Sa Eon's daughter like Eun Siyo?"
Unable to contain her curiosity about So Ya, Arang fired off questions in rapid succession, speaking whatever came to mind.
"No, I'm not...."
"You're not even a tiger—how could you? Are you trying to become a fake tiger?"
Thump.
At the word "fake," So Ya's heart suddenly sank with a heavy blow.
[How despicable—I've deceived everyone all this time.]
[A fake who stole the young lady's place.]
[Poor young lady Riri. Because of that wretched fake....]
The sharp voices she had forgotten for a while came rushing back, clamoring in her ears.
No.
I'm not a fake.
I never tried to steal the young lady's position.
I....
So Ya said nothing, her face turning ashen as cold sweat beaded on her skin.
"Huh? What's wrong with you? Are you hurt?"
It was at that moment that Arang called out to So Ya in a puzzled voice.
"What is this! Bullying a small guest who isn't even a tiger!"
A girl with silver braided hair wedged herself between the two and cried out.
It was Eun Siyo of the Silver Tiger Family, who was currently regarded as the most likely candidate to become the master of the Western End Room among the branch tigers.
"I, I didn't do anything!"
Arang cried out in panic.
"I just said a few words, and suddenly she got sick on her own. I, I'm being wronged!"
"You are Arang of the Brown Tiger Family, aren't you? I had high expectations since you're said to be my rival for the Western End Room, but I'm truly disappointed."
"No! Really, no! I wasn't trying to torment this child...!"
Arang wanted to make excuses, but lacking eloquence, she didn't know how to explain herself.
"What Arang says is true. You've misunderstood."
So Ya, who had regained her senses belatedly, stepped forward before Siyo and defended Arang.
"Arang didn't really torment me. It's just that I wasn't feeling well."
"Y, yes! Why did you have to get sick the moment I spoke to you...."
With So Ya taking her side, Arang quickly added her own words.
Yet seeing So Ya defend her with such a pale face, Arang felt something strange stir within her.
'This makes it seem like I really was tormenting a sick child.'
It was an odd sensation, as if her heart were being pricked repeatedly.
"Ugh, don't you dare get sick in front of me from now on!"
Arang scratched her head vigorously, then fled the scene with those words.
"Are you truly alright?"
Eun Siyo asked So Ya, who remained behind, with a concerned voice.
"You're the guest that Sa Eon brought, aren't you? I'm Siyo of the Silver Tiger Family. If you've been tormented, I'd like to apologize on behalf of my family as a fellow tiger."
"Thank you for your concern. But I really wasn't tormented."
So Ya shook her head in response to Siyo's attitude, which seemed convinced that Arang had tormented her.
"Then I'm relieved. But if you ever need my help, please don't hesitate to tell me."
"Yes, I will definitely do that."
So Ya turned away with a faint smile.
But on the way back to her room.
The smile that had lingered on So Ya's face gradually faded, and her steps grew slower.
Upon reaching her room, So Ya closed the door and sank down before it with a soft thud.
[Don't worry, it's not bothersome at all. Stay here for a while.]
So Ya had always wondered when that "while" that Sa Eon had mentioned would end.
She had continuously hoped that this "while" would last just a little longer.
But after meeting those tiger ladies just now, she understood.
Soon, this sweet and warm "while" of mine would come to an end.
'I must leave Baek Ho Palace before the Mountain Lord Festival ends and the true master of this room arrives.'
So Ya swallowed the surge of emotion and slowly took in the sight of the room.
Knowing the true nature of this precious room filled her with both gratitude and a bittersweet ache, for she now understood that the time had come to leave it.
She had not cried when crossing the threshold of Jujak Residence, yet the thought of leaving Baek Ho Palace made her eyes sting with unshed tears.
Though she had known she must leave, the sorrow that gripped her heart came from the warmth and kindness the people of Baek Ho Palace had shown her—it was far too comforting to bear.
Though her heart ached, So Ya did not cry.
Coveting something that was never mine to begin with—that's the sort of greedy, shameful behavior only a foolish nestling would exhibit.
I didn't want to steal someone else's place again.
'When I was younger, I didn't understand anything, and I ended up taking Riri's position. But I'm already nine years old now. I'm at an age where I can think and act for myself.'
I nodded firmly to myself with determination.
Yet no matter how I tried, a faint sorrow crept into my heart.
Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org