Chapter 67
“I’m so jealous, Baek Sa-eon. You have such a cute, kind, and clever daughter.”
Cheongha deliberately let a playful smile play on her lips to hide the warmth blooming in her heart as she spoke.
“If you’re jealous.”
Sa-eon replied in a leisurely tone.
“Then why don’t you become the mother of a baby cotton ball yourself?”
“Oh my, what are you saying? I have no intention of stealing that child from you…….”
For a moment, Cheongha’s words trailed off.
She slowly lowered her gaze.
He was holding her wrist.
As if cradling something utterly precious, desperately. And tenderly.
“You don’t have to steal her from me. It can happen anytime. Just come back to Baekho Palace.”
Unlike the casual way he had tossed out the question moments ago, his eyes met hers with profound depth.
“Baek Sa-eon. I…….”
“The day you first met that child, you said it. That you could never beat me.”
Sa-eon cut off Cheongha’s attempt to respond, speaking in a low voice.
“But that’s not true. You said you could never beat me, but the one who truly can’t win against you is me. I’ve always yielded to you.”
“…….”
“No matter what you do, even if you point a spear at my throat, I’ll yield to you for the rest of my life.”
“…….”
“From when we were very young, even accepting your request for divorce. There’s never been a moment when I didn’t yield to you.”
“…….”
“And even now.”
Sa-eon gripped her wrist more firmly, slowly stroking the inside of it with his thumb.
“I can’t beat you even now, so I’m waiting like this.”
At his calm confession, Cheongha quietly pressed her lips together.
Swoosh—
A cold winter wind brushed between them.
“Cheongha.”
A low voice seeped into the chilly night air.
“I never got to say this to you during all those years.”
Sa-eon curved the corner of his mouth into a smile and pulled on the wrist he held.
In an instant, her body folded into his embrace.
He lowered his head slowly and whispered something into her ear.
“…….”
“……!”
In that moment, Cheongha’s earlobe flushed bright red.
Sa-eon let out a soft chuckle as he released her.
His low laughter echoed through the clear night air.
“The position of Matriarch in Baekho Palace is still empty. And as long as I’m the Patriarch, it will remain empty forever.”
With his eyes curving loosely, he spoke to her, who had just slipped from his arms.
“So whenever you want, come back.”
“…….”
“No matter when that is—even if it’s after ten years, twenty years, or even a hundred…… come back whenever you want.”
“…….”
“I’ll be waiting. The children too.”
“…….”
Cheongha looked at him silently for a moment before smiling gently, just like him, and replying.
“Thank you, Sa-eon.”
* * *
The next morning.
Soya, who had gone to bed later than usual after admiring the snowy night view of Horim Mountain the evening before, woke up rubbing her eyes a bit later than usual.
“You’re awake, Soya?”
As Soya sat up, she spotted Gahyeon coming through the door.
“Big brother?”
“When you weren’t at breakfast, I asked around, and they said you were sleeping in.”
Gahyeon set the tray he was carrying on the bedside table and smiled brightly.
On the tray were tangerines and honey tea, the same ones Soya had enjoyed when she had a cold.
“I was worried you might be hungry by yourself, so I brought some.”
“I’ll eat well, big brother.”
As Soya smiled and greeted him, she suddenly noticed something.
‘Huh? That’s……?’
The silver hairpin with a blue jade inlay that held a single strand of Gahyeon’s hair up high……
‘It’s Cheongha-nim’s gift, isn’t it?’
It was the gift Cheongha had taken to give to Gahyeon just yesterday but ended up bringing back without delivering.
‘They’ve made up!’
Realizing this, Soya’s face lit up with joy.
‘It’s really a relief.’
As Soya gazed at him with a pleased expression, Gahyeon, sensing her look, blushed slightly.
He had come specifically to let her know he’d reconciled with Cheongha, but it felt a little embarrassing.
“Then I’ll head off to my lessons first, Soya. Make sure you eat properly.”
“Yes, big brother!”
Soya giggled and waved her hand.
And there was one more piece of good news.
Gayul had finally finished his growth pains!
“How about it, cotton ball? Doesn’t your big brother look super cool now?”
Growl~!
Gayul boasted in his beast transformation form, now a massive tiger after completing his Primary Growth.
Soya’s eyes shook without a word.
Her face utterly shocked.
“What’s wrong? Are you stunned because your big brother is too cool?”
Gayul remembered how, when Soya had first come to Baekho Palace, she had clapped and exclaimed in admiration at his beast form.
Surely she’d react the same way this time, so he looked at her with sparkling eyes full of anticipation.
“……Not cute at all!”
Soya cried out as if the world had ended.
“W-What……?”
Gayul panicked, his pink nose tip twitching.
“Not cute at all. What is this?”
“C-Cute? Who? Me? Cotton ball, you thought I was cute all this time?”
Gayul started hopping around wildly in his massive body.
No longer a little baby tiger, but a house-sized tiger thrashing about, making the ground quake with thuds.
But instead of being startled, Soya pouted her lips and puffed out her cheeks.
Of course, Soya had seen Gahyeon’s beast form many times, so she knew how big a tiger was after Primary Growth.
Still, in Soya’s mind, Gayul had always been a cute baby tiger, and seeing that image shatter in an instant felt devastating.
“Really? I think this form is cute too.”
Cheongha said as she stroked under Gayul’s chin, who was huffing indignantly.
At that, Gayul froze mid-thrash and unwittingly let out a grrr rumble.
Seeing this, Soya perked up with interest and approached from Cheongha’s opposite side, reaching out to stroke his chin as well.
“D-Don’t, cotton ball! It tickles……! Grrr, grrr.”
Every time Gayul rumbled, his long white whiskers twitched along with it.
Soya’s eyes widened round.
“It’s true, Cheongha-nim! Now that I look again, this form is super cute too, big brother Gayul!”
“Cute? I’m the third son of the great White Tiger Clan……! Grrr, grrr.”
“And the fur under his chin is even fluffier and feels so nice!”
“Right?”
As Cheongha winked, Soya burst into giggles.
Surrounded by Soya and Cheongha, Gayul rumbled contentedly.
His body was that of a massive tiger, but his behavior was still that of a baby tiger.
Poof!
Gayul’s beast transformation soon released.
It hadn’t been long since his Primary Growth, so he couldn’t maintain it for long yet.
As he stumbled, strength draining from him, Cheongha caught him.
Gayul, buried poofily in the hem of Cheongha’s skirt, peeked his head up, met her eyes, and grinned hehe.
Gayul, who had been too young when Cheongha left Baekho Palace, simply loved having his mother by his side.
‘Big brother Gayul must be happy she’s here too. His expression is different from when he’s with Father. I wonder what it feels like to have a mom?’
It was then, as Soya watched the scene quietly.
“Soya.”
Cheongha called her and reached out her arms.
“……!”
Recognizing the signal, Soya toddled over, and Cheongha swept her small body into a tight hug.
Poof—
Father’s embrace was firm. But Cheongha-nim’s was soft and warm.
The kind of cozy warmth that would melt away a chilled body after playing in the snow.
‘I wonder if my birth mother’s embrace was this soft and warm too?’
Soya naturally found herself thinking of her own mother.
