Chapter 31
When Sa-eon returned after inspecting the western lands with the representatives of each family, the atmosphere at Baekho Palace was tense.
“What’s going on?”
“Master, well…”
After hearing the explanation, Sa-eon’s face stiffened.
“What? Sommungchi got lost in the mountains?”
It was already quite late; the sky had grown dark.
Sa-eon was about to leap toward Horim Mountain to search for Soya immediately.
But he paused.
In the distance, two small figures were coming down the mountain.
Gahyeon was carrying Soya on his back.
“It’s Master and the young lady!”
“It seems Young Master Hyun came to find Miss Sommungchi!”
“Ha…”
Sa-eon let out a short breath.
“Father.”
Gahyeon bowed deeply in front of Sa-eon.
Meanwhile, Soya was asleep, clinging to Gahyeon’s back.
“I’ve heard most of the story. Well done, Hyun. You’ve kept Baekho Palace safe while I was away.”
“…”
“You must be tired, so hand the child over to me.”
“No, I’ll take her to her room.”
Gahyeon spoke with an unusual stubbornness that wasn’t typical for him.
Sa-eon smiled faintly and nodded.
“Alright.”
Gahyeon carried Soya toward her room, with Yeonjeong and Sanho following behind.
Sa-eon watched them for a moment, then turned his attention to a strange presence he suddenly sensed.
“Grr…”
Not far away, a dark beast was stamping its paws while staring at Soya.
“That is…”
Sa-eon’s eyes narrowed.
“Why is that thing here?”
It was clearly the creature Sa-eon had picked up seven years ago during the stalled war in the northern lands.
Shy and afraid of humans, it had immediately fled to the mountains upon arriving at Baekho Palace. And yet, it had come all the way down here.
Moreover, it was stamping its feet at Soya, as if it wanted to follow her but was scared because there were too many people around.
As Sa-eon observed it with narrow eyes, the creature, Sul-yo, suddenly locked eyes with him and bolted away.
“Huh?”
Sa-eon raised an eyebrow in disbelief.
The next day, Soya woke up slightly later than usual.
She heard that everyone had been worried because she hadn’t returned.
“About me…?”
Soya didn’t understand at first and asked again.
“Yes, the young lady! Do you think we were worried about the tiger young masters?”
When Sanho answered in a raised voice, Yeonjeong, brushing Soya’s hair, nodded in agreement.
“Ah…”
It felt strange to Soya that everyone had been worried about her.
Back at the Jujak Mansion, nobody had cared about her at all.
Once, she had been locked in the greenhouse, gone without food for a whole day and night.
If a servant hadn’t come looking for something, she might have starved to death there.
No one had come to look for her or worry about her in that place.
But the people at Baekho Palace were different.
The young master had searched the mountains for her, and everyone else at Baekho Palace had anxiously waited late into the night…
Knowing that everyone cared about her so much made Soya’s heart ache.
‘I feel so many strange emotions since coming to Baekho Palace.’
“I’m glad you weren’t hurt, young lady.”
“I’m sorry for worrying everyone.”
“What do you have to apologize for? Suri, I told him to protect you well.”
Sanho, Suri’s older sister, was muttering while referring to her brother.
‘Huh…?’
Soya’s gaze wandered to the window, and something caught her eye.
Through the wooden lattice, a shock of white hair was poking out.
Soya got up and pushed the window open.
Then, on a branch opposite, Gayul froze.
“Hic…!”
“Youngest Master?”
“I-I wasn’t trying to spy. I just wanted to see if you woke up safely, so…”
Gayul’s eyes were red around the edges.
“S-Sommungchi, I’m sorry. I…I was foolish and couldn’t protect you… Ugh, ugh, waaaah!”
Gayul’s sobs turned into full crying.
“Master…!”
Soya reached out in surprise.
“Don’t cry, Master. I’m fine. I’ve arrived safely, so…”
But before Soya’s hand could reach him, Gayul suddenly transformed into a baby tiger and slipped between the branches, hiding.
Unlike before, when his tail would wag weakly in front of her, now it drooped limply.
It was a pitiful sight that made her want to console him, but Soya didn’t know how to climb the tree.
So she could only watch helplessly, thinking, ‘What should I do.’
“Leave him, Soya. He needs to be scolded a little more.”
A gentle voice came from the doorway. Soya turned to see Gahyeon standing there.
“Youngest Master…!”
“Are you okay?”
“Oh, right. Master, I have something for you!”
Soya took flowers from a bamboo basket.
“These!”
“These are…?”
“Sky flowers! I heard you like them!”
Gahyeon paused for a moment, staring at the sky flowers in Soya’s hand. She had climbed Horim Mountain yesterday to pick these flowers as a gift for him. It was just a simple flower…
“Thank you, Soya.”
Gahyeon held back a lump in his throat and smiled gently.
“But we promised yesterday. You’ll call me something other than Young Master.”
“Ah…”
Soya paused. She remembered the words exchanged when she was carried down on Gahyeon’s back.
“Ah, I…forgot, older brother.”
Soya replied awkwardly, smiling faintly.
Then, Gayul, still hiding in the branches, twitched and a few leaves fell.
“Soya, do you want to take a morning walk with your older brother?”
“Rwaaah! (No!)”
The response came not from Soya, but from Gayul.
“Rwaa! Rwaaah! (Why… Why is he Sommungchi’s older brother?)”
No matter how much she coaxed him, Gayul suddenly jumped out from the branches, shouting.
“Has Young Master stopped crying?”
Soya asked happily.
“Grrr… Rwaa! Rwaa, Rwaa! (I want to be an older brother too! Let me be an older brother too, Sommungchi!)”
Before Soya realized it, Gayul had leapt into her room, rolling on the floor in a tantrum.
“You couldn’t even protect Soya and only made things more dangerous, and now you want to be an older brother? All you do is roll on the floor like a brat and don’t even realize it’s shameful. You’re a disgrace to tigers. Stop rolling and get up.”
Gahyeon scolded sharply.
Soya widened her eyes in surprise, staring at him.
‘So the Young Master can speak so fiercely.’
Gahyeon noticed her gaze and hesitated.
“Uh… Soya?”
“I realized you weren’t being harsh because you hated me,” Soya said with a smile.
“Ah… no, that’s not it…”
Gahyeon, caught with his stern temper exposed, awkwardly tried to explain.
“Rwaa! Rwaa! (Right! You’re just a mean tiger who only says nasty things!)”
Gayul pouted but his eyes and nose were still red.
Soya handed him a handkerchief.
“Have you stopped crying now, Master?”
“Grrr… Grrr! (Don’t talk to me like I’m a child!)”
Soya chuckled at Gayul’s reaction.
Indeed, the youngest master looked better spirited than sulking.
Then Soya’s thoughts wandered to Sul-yo.
“Oh, by the way. What happened to the one who protected me yesterday…?”
“He kept following us, but disappeared at some point,” Gahyeon replied.
“Ah… I see.”
Soya felt a little disappointed.
‘Did he go back up the mountain?’
It was probably for the best. If he had been seen, people might have harmed him because he was a beast.
“By the way, Soya. Did you tell anyone that you were going up Horim Mountain with Yul yesterday?”
Gahyeon asked seriously.
“It felt strange. The beasts became violent, and when we tried to find you, there was no trace of your scent.”
Soya’s face stiffened.
Someone immediately came to mind.
