Chapter 82
Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
Chapter 82
While everyone celebrated the young lady's growth, there were two whose expressions had grown dark.
They were Baek Gahyun and Baek Gayul.
That day, in the village where Father had gone.
Baek Gayul had witnessed Jeok Soya scattering crimson feathers.
Even after Father returned to Baek Ho Palace first with Jeok Soya, who was suffering from growth pains, Baek Gayul could not stop denying what he had seen.
No.
I must have seen it wrong.
Yes. I must have been mistaken, right?
....
Yet at the end of that denial, Baek Gayul bit down hard on the tender flesh inside his mouth and had to accept reality.
I did not see it wrong.
I saw it clearly.
Those crimson feathers falling from that child's body.
How could I have misread those brilliantly burning crimson feathers blooming in the darkness?
Baek Gayul returned a little later with the others.
And when he arrived back at Baek Ho Palace.
"Older Brother. Where is Jeok Soya...?"
"In her room."
Baek Gahyun, leaning against the corridor wall with a dark expression, gestured briefly toward Soya's Room with a glance.
Baek Gayul leaned against the wall beside him and asked in a gloomy voice.
"Tell me, Older Brother. Is Jeok Soya really the daughter of the Jujak Family?"
....
When Baek Gahyun offered no response, Baek Gayul felt a chill of dread.
If even his older brother, who knew far more and was far cleverer than him, could not deny it, then Jeok Soya truly must be the Jujak Family's daughter.
"Then what do we do now?"
Baek Gayul looked up at Baek Gahyun with a trembling face, his voice wavering.
"Can I not be the fluffy cotton ball's older brother anymore? I can't accept that. I can't live without the fluffy cotton ball. I can't even imagine Baek Ho Palace without her. What do we do now, Older Brother?"
Baek Gayul recalled one by one the days since Jeok Soya had come to Baek Ho Palace and everything that had happened between them.
When everyone called him the Youngest Young Master, she was the only one who had told him he was cool.
Whenever he was with that child who resembled soft, fluffy cotton, Baek Gayul felt like he had become a magnificent tiger.
Not a baby tiger cared for by everyone, but a reliable and impressive tiger who could protect someone too.
At some point, Jeok Soya had become someone indispensable to him.
My precious younger sister, my fluffy cotton ball, whom I would protect and cherish for life.
But now, to learn that the fluffy cotton ball was the Jujak Family's daughter.
Baek Gayul grasped Baek Gahyun's sleeve, his face threatening to crumble into tears at any moment.
"...What do you mean, what do we do."
At that moment, Baek Gahyun's lips slowly parted.
"We must prevent Jeok Soya from leaving."
"How?"
"...."
In beast tamer society, bloodline was an extraordinarily precious value.
Yet Baek Gahyun could not send Jeok Soya to them.
"By whatever means necessary."
"...!"
At Baek Gahyun's answer, Baek Gayul's head lifted as if understanding had dawned upon him.
* * *
Jeok Soya had finished her preparations with a heart full of anticipation.
Yet just as she was about to leave her room to head to the banquet hall.
"Hm?"
San Ho's voice rang out in confusion.
"Young Miss, all of your shoes have vanished. However did this happen?"
"My shoes are gone?"
There were no girls Jeok Soya's age at Baek Ho Palace.
So it was inconceivable that someone had coveted them and stolen them away....
"If you mean your shoes, that little tiger carried them all off earlier?"
At this, Seol Yo suddenly spoke up from beside her. The "little tiger" Seol Yo spoke of was none other than Baek Gayul.
"What?"
"No, why would the Youngest Young Master play such a prank."
San Ho murmured in bewilderment.
Jeok Soya's lips pouted as well.
I had been secretly hoping my older brothers would come to congratulate me on my growth, yet instead of congratulations, they played such mischievous tricks.
"Oh dear, do not be so disheartened, Young Miss. The Youngest Young Master has always been mischievous, after all. Perhaps he is plotting something else to give you a delightful surprise?"
Yeon Jeong, noticing Jeok Soya's disappointment, soothed her with a gentle voice.
"Is that so?"
At those words, Jeok Soya brightened slightly, her expression softening.
"Well, there is no helping it then. They do not match my dress, but I shall simply wear these and go."
Jeok Soya had to head to the banquet hall wearing the indoor slippers she had on in her room.
Yet Baek Gayul's mischief did not end there.
The moment she opened the door and stepped outside, Jeok Soya froze in place.
"Yeon Jeong, San Ho. My eyes are seeing something strange."
"...It appears my eyes are seeing it too, Young Miss."
"...So am I."
Desks and chairs piled high like a mountain completely blocked the corridor.
"Who on earth could have done such a thing...."
As Yeon Jeong murmured in utter astonishment.
Jeok Soya spotted Baek Gayul carrying a chair from across the way.
"Older Brother!"
Baek Gayul, who had been building a great wall of desks and chairs to prevent Jeok Soya from leaving, startled at her cry and dropped the chair he was holding.
"What are you doing.... Older Brother! Where are you going!"
Baek Gayul bolted away without so much as a glance at Jeok Soya's call.
At his behavior, Soya grew rather irritated.
Boom!
Transforming into her beast form on the spot, Soya soared into the air with a flutter and chased after Baek Gayul over the mountain of desks and chairs he had stacked.
"Oh my, Miss!"
"Miss, be careful!"
"Come on, Soya!"
As Yeon Jeong and San Ho called out in flustered voices, Seol Yo transformed into a massive wolf and lunged toward Soya.
In the chaos, the mountain of desks and chairs that Baek Gayul had so carefully stacked came crashing down with a tremendous clatter.
In an instant, the entire Baek Ho Palace descended into pandemonium.
* * *
When Sayeon arrived belatedly upon hearing the news.
He discovered a tiger cornered behind the Baek Ho Palace building, a small bird beside it seething with fury, and one massive wolf.
A tiger as large as a full-grown man was whimpering pitifully, utterly cowed by the shrill chirping of a tiny bird no bigger than his own paw.
One would think someone ought to intervene, yet no one came to Baek Gayul's aid.
Even Yeon Jeong, San Ho, and Suri simply stood with their arms crossed, watching the spectacle unfold.
"What on earth is happening here?"
"Father!"
At Sayeon's bewildered murmur, Soya—who had been shrieking at Baek Gayul in fury—quickly released her beast form and rushed toward him.
Then she proceeded to recount every last misdeed Baek Gayul had committed.
"Gayul did that?"
When Sayeon asked in disbelief, Yeon Jeong, San Ho, and Suri all nodded in unison, confirming it was true.
Soya, who had shed her beast form at some point, had reddened eyes and huffed with a wounded, aggrieved expression.
Ordinarily, Baek Gayul was utterly defenseless against Soya in this state.
Whenever Soya showed even the slightest sign of pain or tears, he would rush forward faster than anyone to care for her.
Though his pride was formidable, he would apologize to Soya immediately for even the smallest transgression.
Yet this Baek Gayul had made Soya cry with mischievous pranks and offered no excuse whatsoever.
'Why would he do such a thing?'
Sayeon too found himself at a loss, tilting his head in confusion.
'Could he have grown jealous that Soya underwent her first growth phase?'
But jealousy seemed unlikely—Baek Gayul had undergone his growth before Soya, and he had waited for his younger sister's growth more eagerly than anyone.
Was this not the same Baek Gayul who had deliberately refrained from transforming so that Soya would not feel disheartened by her delayed growth?
"Listen here, Youngest Young Master."
Sayeon approached Baek Gayul.
Baek Gayul had his head pressed to the ground, his face hidden behind his front paws, showing only his hindquarters.
His drooping ears and tail suggested he was aware of his wrongdoing, yet....
"Gayul. My dear child. Father is here. Look at me."
Yet Baek Gayul did not turn to face Sayeon despite his gentle coaxing.
"You won't even talk to Father?"
A small whimper escaped him.
The large tiger whimpered softly, its nose twitching with sorrow.
As the Youngest Young Master—who had clearly caused quite the trouble—stood before them with such a dejected expression, unlike the usually spirited Baek Gayul, a wave of sympathy gradually seeped into the hearts of those who had been glaring at him with reproach.
Even Jeok Soya found her indignation from moments before beginning to soften.
"Lord Sayeon, Lord Sayeon!"
Jeok Young came rushing over, gasping for breath as he searched for Sayeon.
"What is it?"
"Young Master Baek Gahyun!"
At the sight of Jeok Young crying out as though his breath were about to give out, Sayeon's eyes narrowed.
"He destroyed the Southern Bridge and attacked the guards—he's been captured!"
"What?"
Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org