Translator: Nox

Chapter 15

15화

Everyone giggled at that shout, which laid his intentions bare, but only Soya jumped in shock and asked back.

“G-G-Ghost?”

“Y-Yeah! A ghost! They say there’s a terrifying ghost living in Baekho Palace that only kidnaps tiny little kids like you!”

Gayul’s heart was pounding wildly. He had nearly blurted out, ‘Because you’re cute!’

In truth, Gayul’s mind was filled with the sight of Soya’s beast-transformed form that he had glimpsed that day.

It was his first time seeing a flying beast.

The baby bird, no bigger than the palm of his hand, had been whiter than a rabbit and smaller than a mouse.

The fluffy wings in place of front paws had been adorable, and the slender little legs were fascinating.

‘How does she even walk on legs that tiny?’

The perky tail feathers were just as cute as Suri had described.

And the baby bird’s snow-white down feathers, like snowflakes!

Of course, he himself, as a white tiger, had white fur too, but unlike his own long, glossy coat, the baby bird’s down was short and fluffy, like dandelion fluff.

When he had carefully picked her up, she had felt so small and precious, giving him that ticklish urge to protect her.

‘She was so, so cute!’

But saying she was cute outright felt embarrassing somehow. After all, he was a shy baby tiger.

That was why he had ended up spinning a tale about a nonexistent ghost.

Meanwhile, unaware of Gayul’s inner thoughts, Soya’s face grew deeply uneasy.

She had never seen a ghost before, but it sounded utterly terrifying. And more than that…

“Th-Then that means you’d be in danger too, Young Master?”

“Huh?”

What if the ghost showed up and took the young master away?

Soya’s face crumpled into a pout.

“Wh-What? No! I’m fine! I, the third son of the great Baekho Clan, am not afraid of any ghost!”

“But…”

“You know tigers, right?”

“Y-Yes…”

“Even if I look like this, I’m a ghost-slaying white tiger!”

“……”

Soya’s gloomy expression didn’t lift in the slightest.

When she had been very young—back when she was still the beloved youngest young lady of the Zhuque Clan.

Her father and brothers had read her picture books every night before bed.

[The arrogant tiger went flying far away with a single flap of the majestic firebird’s wings.]

“Big brother, look at this picture! I think this is a tiger! It has four legs!”

“That’s right, Soya. That’s a tiger. The white tigers who rule the Western Region.”

“Phee… They call it the king of beasts, but it seems way weaker than birds. It goes flying with just one flap.”

“Haha, yes. That’s why they say a one-day-old tiger cub doesn’t know to fear birds.”

The problem was that the picture book portrayed tigers as ridiculously small and weak, and Soya believed it completely.

In fact, what she had seen in the pictures wasn’t even a tiger—it was a cat.

Of course, Sa-eon, who had saved her from the assassins, had been incredibly strong, but assassins and ghosts were different…

“Have you ever seen a real tiger?”

Gayul asked abruptly.

“I’ve seen one in a picture book.”

“Not like that—a real tiger.”

“No.”

Soya shook her head vigorously.

“Tigers are so strong! They have sharp fangs and claws as hard as steel!”

“……”

Looking at Soya’s face, still filled with worry, Gayul explained just how strong tigers were.

But Soya’s expression suggested she didn’t believe a word of it.

“Argh. Fine, I’ll specially show you the majestic form of a tiger!”

Frustrated, Gayul attempted his beast transformation right in front of her.

Poof!

“Rawr!” (How’s that? Majestic, right?)

“……!”

Soya’s eyes went wide as saucers.

The beastkin childhood period was called the years from age six, when they first awakened their spirit core, up to around age ten, just before their Primary Growth.

Unlike humans, who grew gradually, beastkin experienced explosive growth at specific stages.

Thus, Gayul, who had only recently turned ten, was still a child in the pre-Primary Growth phase—a baby tiger.

A baby tiger small enough for Soya to lift with both hands!

The baby tiger opened his tiny mouth wide and let out a “Rawr!”

Soya’s eyes, which had been downcast all along, sparkled, a faint blush blooming across her cheeks.

‘He’s… so cute!’

The tiger was just as small and adorable as she had imagined.

His perky, round-tipped ears. His moist, rosy-pink nose. His plush fur and swishing tail.

She bet petting his head would make him purr.

“Rawr!” (How’s that, fluffball? Impressive and cool, right?)

Gayul puffed up proudly and raised his fluffy white front paw.

The thick pad, with its claws retracted, was one of the body parts he was most proud of.

“……!”

Seeing Gayul’s paw pad, Soya was struck with awe.

‘Th-The paw pads are pink! And they look so squishy!’

Soya clapped in admiration.

Gayul in his baby tiger form was far cuter than any of the stuffed dolls in Lady Riri’s room.

“Amazing!”

Unaware that Soya found him cute, Gayul assumed she was marveling at his bravery and said magnanimously,

“Grrowl!” (I’ll let you pet my glossy fur as a special treat, fluffball!)

“Is that okay?”

“Grrowl! Grrowl!” (Go ahead, pet me.)

Soya leaned down and very carefully stroked Gayul’s fur.

A tiger’s fur felt different from a bird’s feathers—cozy and soft in its own way.

Feeling good, Gayul purred with a rumble and wagged his tail.

‘Tigers really are small, cute animals.’

Soya thought, gazing at Gayul’s swishing tail.

‘I wonder if Sa-eon-nim and Second Young Master have pink noses and pink paw pads too? But the patriarch is so huge—how could he be a small, cute tiger beastkin…?’

Imagining the cold, sharp-featured Sa-eon with pink paw pads and a pink nose felt oddly fascinating.

“Rawr!” (Now it’s your turn!)

“Huh?”

“Grrowl, grrowl!” (Fluffball, I mean your beast-transformed form!)

“……”

In an instant, Soya’s face drained of color.

“N-No! I’m not cool at all, and… anyway, no!”

Soya shook her head back and forth.

“Grrowrl?” (So what if you’re not that cool?)

But Soya turned away, biting her lower lip hard, her face pale.

Unlike her usual demeanor, it was a stubborn refusal.

Even the oblivious Gayul instinctively sensed from her ashen face that he shouldn’t push further.

Above all, her trembling fingertips kept drawing his gaze.

‘Uh oh, what do I do? I’ll end up making fluffball cry.’

Gayul looked around for help, but Yeon-jeong and San-ho had just stepped away to fetch drinks.

Then, his restless eyes spotted an abandoned leather ball.

Gayul’s eyes lit up.

“Rawr!” (Fluffball! Wanna play ball?)

“……?”

Soya blinked at the sudden suggestion.

Gayul quickly fetched the ball in his mouth and dropped it at her feet.

It rolled to a stop right by her toes with a tumble.

Soya looked down.

‘It’s…’

A ball.

She couldn’t even remember the last time she had played with one.

Balls weren’t allowed for her in the Zhuque Clan.

Once, while cleaning Lady Riri’s room, she had touched the lady’s leather ball and gotten severely scolded.

It turned out the ball was a toy her father had brought from the Western Region especially for the lady.

‘But Lady Riri isn’t here, and the young master suggested playing ball first…’

Soya hesitated a moment, then carefully picked up the ball with both hands.

Thump, thump, thump, thump.

Her heart was thumping just like that.

Seeing it, Gayul backed up a bit and wagged his tail as he called out.

“Grrowl, grrowl!” (Throw the ball already, fluffball!)

Soya took a deep breath, as if steeling herself, then hurled the ball toward Gayul with all her might.

Thump, thump, roll…

The ball didn’t even reach his paws and rolled away, but a shy smile spread bashfully across Soya’s face as she watched.

* * *

Meanwhile, Baek Ga-hyeon, who had been standing by the window looking down, scowled in disdain.

‘What the hell is that idiot doing?’

Gayul, in his baby tiger form, was frolicking in the garden with Soya.

For a tiger on the cusp of Primary Growth, it was a pathetically unimpressive sight.