Chapter 16
“What are you looking at so intently, Young Master?”
A fox beastkin girl of about thirteen with reddish hair tilted her head as she asked.
It was Ho Jeokah, the second son of the Red Fox Clan, the younger brother of Ho Jeok-yeong and Yeon-jeong.
“It’s Gayul. Look at that pathetic sight. I hear he hasn’t even been paying proper attention in his lessons lately. How does he expect to grow up acting like that?”
Gahyeon shook his head.
Unlike his elegant young lord-like demeanor, the words he spat toward his younger brother were sharp and biting.
In truth, Gahyeon, with his soft and gentle impression, was known as a polite young nobleman, but he was actually a cold-tempered, knife-sharp young master.
“Becoming a direct descendant of the White Tiger Clan and running around without any dignity like that. And that girl with him…”
On top of that, he had heard that Soya had severely injured her Spirit Core not long ago and had even gone to see Aunt Sara.
“What if she collapses again from running around like that? What is that idiot baby tiger thinking?”
Gahyeon was worried about Soya, who was playing and running around with Gayul when she could collapse again at any moment.
No doubt Gayul had stubbornly begged her to play with him.
From a young age, Gayul had loved people and chased after Gahyeon every day, begging him to play.
Of course, Gahyeon had refused sharply every time, but that kid didn’t know how to take no for an answer, so it was obvious he had ended up playing along anyway.
‘He can’t even say he can’t eat peaches and just eats them anyway. So predictable.’
At that moment, Ho Jeokah chuckled softly.
“You’re worried about Miss Cotton Ball, aren’t you?”
Gahyeon scowled in displeasure.
“Worried?”
Worried? About whom? Surely not that tiny little cotton ball?
“No, it’s not like that. Who would worry about a pathetic guy who can’t even take care of his own condition?”
Gahyeon scowled as much as he could and abruptly turned his head away from the window.
“More importantly, it should be about time for the branch clan tigers to start arriving.”
The end of summer was already approaching.
When autumn came, the Western Land’s biggest event, the ‘Mountain Lord Festival(山君祭)’, would be held.
“Yes, Young Master. They say everyone is gearing up fiercely, seeing this Mountain Lord Festival as the perfect opportunity to catch the patriarch’s eye.”
Who would become the master of the Western End Room had recently become a huge topic of conversation among the tigers.
Parents with daughters from tiger clans were desperate to get their daughters into the Baekho Clan somehow.
It wasn’t as if becoming Sa-eon’s adopted daughter meant cutting ties with their birth parents, and if she even became the bride of the imperial dragon, it would be the greatest glory for their family.
“So, who are the girls worth watching at this Mountain Lord Festival?”
“I happened to glimpse the list that Brother Jeokyeong selected. First, Arang from the Brown Tiger Clan, and…”
“She’s too stupid to be a representative.”
“Sahye from the Black Tiger Clan, and…”
“She’d be lucky not to become a disgrace to her clan, let alone a representative.”
“And Siyo from the Silver Tiger Clan…”
“She’s… somehow not to my liking.”
The branch clan girls that Ho Jeokah listed were all top contenders that Ho Jeok-yeong had carefully selected and submitted to Sa-eon.
However, none of them met the high and strict standards in Gahyeon’s eyes.
“If she’s going to be my little sister, shouldn’t she be a bit more… small and white and soft and fluffy?”
Gahyeon muttered in dissatisfaction and turned his gaze back out the window.
His eyes went to Gayul, who was hopping around in his baby tiger beast form, and Soya, who was panting as she chased after him.
Gahyeon watched for a long time as his small, white, soft, and fluffy little brother played with the even smaller, whiter, softer, and fluffier uninvited guest of the Western End Room.
* * *
Soya had been swept up by Gayul and spent the whole day playing in the garden—tossing a ball, playing tag, running around together.
Gayul, who had beast-transformed into a baby tiger, really didn’t stop running for even a moment.
Even today, after skipping training grounds and just playing, he was finally caught by Suri, who couldn’t take it anymore, and dragged away, ending the playtime.
“Oh dear, our lady. Wasn’t today tiring?”
Yeon-jeong sat down on the grass next to Soya, who was panting, and offered her cool water as she asked.
“The youngest young master really doesn’t rest for even a moment when he runs. As expected of a tiger.”
“If you didn’t want to play with the youngest young master but he kept bothering you…”
Soya, who had been gulping down water with both hands holding the cup, quickly shook her head at those words.
“Ah, no! I really had a lot of fun!”
It had been so long since she had run around until she was this out of breath.
Every time she chased the ball, cool wind brushed her cheeks, and her heart pounded thump-thump-thump-thump.
It was a joyful feeling she hadn’t experienced in a very long time.
Moreover, midway through, Yeon-jeong and San-ho had suggested they rest on a rock and brought drinks and snacks, so it wasn’t too exhausting.
She thought it would be nice if she could play like this with the youngest young master again next time.
“But is it true that there are ghosts in Baekho Palace?”
On the way back to her room, holding Yeon-jeong and San-ho’s hands.
Soya cautiously asked what had been bothering her.
“Is our cotton ball lady scared of ghosts?”
“Ah, no. It’s not that I’m scared… What if the ghosts take the young masters away?”
Soya recalled Gayul, who had been playing ball with her just moments ago, and drooped her eyebrows.
“I didn’t know tigers were so small and cute. I feel like I need to protect him.”
The tiger with soft pink paw pads was much smaller and cuter than what she remembered from picture books as a child.
‘The young master boasted that he could fight ghosts and win with his sharp teeth and sturdy claws, but…’
No matter how she thought about it, he didn’t seem like he could beat a ghost.
“Oh my!”
At Soya’s worried mutter, Yeon-jeong and San-ho burst into giggles.
“The youngest young master is still cute, yes.”
“Everyone would be delighted if you said you’d protect him, lady.”
“Really?”
Soya’s face brightened.
Since Sa-eon-nim had saved her life, she wanted to protect them too.
Ghosts were a little, just a tiny bit scary…
‘It’s okay. Ghosts don’t take me anyway.’
People from the Zhuque Clan used to click their tongues when they saw her, saying she was the kind of girl even ghosts wouldn’t take.
So Soya was confident she wouldn’t run away even if ghosts scared her.
‘I’ll definitely protect you!’
Soya clenched her fists and steeled her resolve.
* * *
Sa-eon’s study.
A small shadow fell over Sa-eon’s face as he sat at his desk reviewing documents.
He hadn’t been in a good mood since hearing that Soya’s Spirit Core had been damaged.
Sa-eon knew better than anyone the pain of a damaged Spirit Core.
Because years ago, during the war with the Northern Land, his own Spirit Core had been severely contaminated and damaged.
Fortunately, Soya’s Spirit Core wasn’t too badly damaged, so it could be nourished back with Sara’s help.
However, unless the Spirit Core was fully healed, the root problem wouldn’t be resolved.
And there was only one way to heal a Spirit Core.
“…Dragon Blood Grass.”
Sa-eon murmured lowly.
He too had searched for Dragon Blood Grass for a long time to purify his contaminated Spirit Core.
That was why he had made a deal with the prince.
Come to think of it, there had been no contact from the prince since that day.
Even after the report that the imperial order in the Southern Land had been carried out, the prince hadn’t asked what had been stolen.
The prince’s last words had been that he would come to see the stolen item once the Imperial Palace was sorted out.
‘What on earth is that mild-mannered prince thinking?’
The situation in the capital had been unusual lately. And at the center of the rumors was the Fifth Prince, Tae Irim.
‘Is he really planning to stir up a bloodbath in the Imperial Palace?’
Sa-eon suddenly felt a headache coming on and pressed his forehead. It wasn’t just because of the unknown situation.
At night, the contaminated Spirit Core would absorb yin energy and rampage, and it was especially worse on full moon nights.
“No restful sleep tonight, I suppose.”
Sa-eon glanced up at the full moon floating serenely outside the window and muttered.
On full moon nights, when yin energy was strongest, Sa-eon chose to stay up all night in his study instead of going to his bedroom.
His body felt bad even when awake, but if he tried to sleep, nightmares from the battlefield would torment him.
Rustle. Flip.
The only sound in the room filled with the turning of paper pages.
“Haa…”
Sa-eon felt his head spinning with dizziness and wiped away his cold sweat.
His condition was especially poor today.
Thinking he should close his eyes for a bit, Sa-eon closed the document binder and leaned back in his chair.
And then, he unwittingly fell asleep.
And shortly after.
Creak.
The door opened cautiously, and a small shadow slipped in stealthily under the moonlight.
