chapter 42
Worried that we might have missed something, we decided to take a little more time to look around the Sa family estate.
Among the exhibits, there were decorative items carved from elephant ivory and glass crafts. They were exotic, but not really my style.
I preferred things that sparkled more and were more liquid-asset friendly.
“Do you like that? Shall I make it in gold for you?”
Just like Sobaeksan said, gold was always right. But I couldn’t accept any more.
How many gold tigers had he already given me? And how many boxes of jewelry? On top of that, the small gold bars he handed me as pocket money could probably be stacked high enough to play Jenga.
“Plop!”
“No?”
When I nodded my head, Sobaeksan pouted his lips. Still, “no” was “no.”
With my firm, solemn expression, Sobaeksan finally gave up on the gold gift.
He turned his head slightly and shivered. I felt a little guilty for being too strict, but this was a matter that had to be addressed.
No waste!
“Mm, alright. I’ll use it sparingly.”
Sobaeksan, who now understood my words well, made a promise to me:
Be frugal. Don’t spend money carelessly.
If he were human, he’d probably have put his pinky in as a sign of agreement.
As I pouted in disappointment, Sobaeksan brought his pinky to my mouth. I bit it unconsciously, and the sound of my fiancé giggling tickled my nose.
“Pinky promise.”
Ah.
So this was how he wanted to seal the agreement.
My fiancé was smart. Every time he said “pinky promise,” I bit it, and this little game continued for quite a while.
Our business at the Sa family estate was finished. We’d looked everywhere, but nothing particularly remarkable caught my eye.
Uncle Radali seemed to have built connections everywhere, while my uncle and father ordered every type of tea from the head of the Sa family.
“The fragrance is very pleasant.”
“Is that so? To receive such praise from Lord Hyunga and the Outer Supervisor is truly delightful.”
The blond foreigner smiled happily. Upon hearing his voice, the invited guests began whispering among themselves.
“Seems their tea is really good.”
“Tea that satisfies the canine nose…”
“I was going to buy just one casket. Looks like we’ll need three.”
“If it’s guaranteed by the Hyun family, it must be trustworthy.”
Suddenly, my head buzzed.
So that was why the Sa family had sent me an invitation under the guise of a late apology? To use our family to promote their products?
“Come to think of it, I haven’t greeted the head of the Hyun family, Jangjungbo Ok.”
On top of everything, the head of the Sa family tried to greet me personally.
I quickly pretended to be hurt and nestled into Sobaeksan’s arms. As if waiting for this, he relaxed all the tension he had been holding back.
Flinch.
The approach of the lion-like figure halted.
“Who’s there?”
“The heir of the Baek family, Baek Hwiruk.”
“Ah, the noble clan’s…”
The smooth tongue of the approaching figure froze. I lifted my face from Sobaeksan’s chest.
The people before me looked pale with shock. Only my uncle and father seemed unfazed.
“Is this your first time seeing a noble beast?”
Even these two furrowed their brows when Sobaeksan deliberately displayed his aura and spoke.
It was the tiger’s nature: just its voice could paralyze those who heard it.
“Yuguk, well… There are no noble beasts…”
“I see.”
Sobaeksan’s voice was like ice breaking over a surface.
Cold, sharp, and dizzying if you stared too long at its pointed edge.
“I thought as much. You wanted to take a noble beast’s companion because you didn’t know.”
“…”
“If you knew a noble beast, you wouldn’t dare.”
“…”
“—.”
What Sobaeksan said after that was hard even for me to fully hear.
But the air vibrated, and a faint haze shimmered near him.
Sobaeksan was really angry.
To calm him, I lifted my head and gently licked his chin.
“Hmm?”
Just like that, the pressure vanished.
My tiger, normally fierce, now looked gentle and beautiful, and I wagged my tail in relief.
The head of the Sa family excused himself for health reasons. Indeed, his complexion was very pale, so no one tried to stop him.
The festive atmosphere became tense. No one dared meet Sobaeksan’s gaze.
I worried that my tiger would feel hurt by their reactions, but soon realized my concern was unnecessary.
He was completely fine.
“Want me to do it again?”
Did he like the chin lick that much? If so, wouldn’t a kiss have been easier?
I tilted my head repeatedly, and Sobaeksan scooped me up lovingly into his arms as we boarded the carriage. Once my uncle, father, and Uncle Radali also boarded with crates of tea, the coachman drove off.
“Ugh…”
“Tiring, huh? You did well.”
Once I left his arms and transformed into human form, I groaned from exhaustion.
My body ached, my nose was tingling. Today had been rough.
My stomach growled.
Already tired, and now hungry on top of that.
The smell was so bad I couldn’t eat anything.
I hadn’t packed a lunch, planning to eat at the Sa estate, so my stomach felt like it was sticking to my back.
“I’m hungry.”
Seeing my pout, the people in the carriage quickly handed me food.
“I thought ahead and brought some rice cakes. Let’s start with this, my daughter.”
“Drink water so you don’t get an upset stomach.”
“How about some Seolsan special jerky?”
Unfortunately, the portions the three adults prepared wouldn’t be enough for me. Even more, none of them could eat, so I couldn’t possibly eat it all alone.
They said it was fine, but I wasn’t fine.
“Luckily, I brought something just in case.”
Sobaeksan solved this dilemma. My thoughtful fiancé pulled out a lunchbox from a magical scroll!
And it was a seven-compartment box, so plenty of food.
“Rice!”
Opening it, steam rose. He had used magic to keep the food warm.
“Meat!”
The contents were substantial: two compartments of rice balls, three filled with meat dishes. The remaining two had various vegetable sides and fruit, making it nutritious as well.
“Sobaeksan is the best!”
I cheered and hugged my tiger, who purred and laughed in response.
After stuffing myself, drowsiness hit.
But I couldn’t sleep. Once we arrived, Sobaeksan would have to leave immediately.
Sure enough, when we reached the Hyun estate, Sobaeksan’s expression turned gloomy.
“See you again.”
I greeted him cheerfully on purpose. When his brow didn’t lift, I transformed into a puppy and pressed my wet nose to his cheek.
Unlike human form, in puppy form I could show affection as much as I wanted.
“…Once more.”
At his request, I pressed my nose to the other cheek.
Finally, in a better mood, Sobaeksan left a deep kiss on my head before departing.
A white and blue glow lingered and faded.
As his warm scent and embrace disappeared, my ears flattened, my tail drooped, and a whine escaped from my muzzle.
Even when my father picked me up to comfort me, I didn’t feel any better.
“Woof!”
A sharp bark split the chilly air.
My drooped ears and tail perked up.
“Woof woof!”
“…! Wang! Mang mang mang!”
When my father set me down, I ran toward a black dog charging toward me.
A black dog, resembling a goblin, exhaling white breath.
“Plop plop!”
It was my grandmother!
All my longing for Sobaeksan vanished like twilight, replaced by joy shining like the morning star at seeing my grandmother.
I spun around her, out of breath, and she grabbed my scruff.
“Huff huff.”
Her warm breath soaked my neck and back.
It was so fun I giggled, but then commotion arose nearby.
The black-clad guards of the massive dark mansion had noticed her return.
They had come to welcome grandmother.
“We’ve been eagerly awaiting your return.”
My father bowed politely.
“There is much to report. We’ll have the study lit.”
Although my uncle greeted her as the head of the Hyun estate, when grandmother passed me, he whispered softly, “Glad you returned safely.”
Squeeeeek.
The front gate opened.
The black goblin-like dog crossed the threshold with pride.
“Ghewng.”
Carrying the tiny granddaughter in its mouth.
Without even unpacking, grandmother entered the study, transformed into human form, drank a glass of water prepared by Aunt Baek, and spoke:
“I heard. Some brats tried to mess with our granddaughter?”
“Woof! Plop plop!”
Grandmother, Sion oppa even got bruised!
Hearing my tattling, grandmother asked:
“The opponents?”
“They avoided fractures.”
Grandmother’s expression brightened.
“Sion did well. If you can’t beat the brats who insult my group, you can’t call yourself a Hyun estate person.”
Having lived through wars, grandmother responded generously to Sion oppa’s violence.
“You know you can’t say that outside, right?”
“Do, you start scolding me the moment I arrive?”
And whenever grandmother’s sharp tongue needed moderation, my father stepped in.
I had missed this atmosphere so much. My tail wagged as my mother gently petted me.
“How was the meeting?”
“Don’t even ask. It was chaos.”
When Aunt Baek asked, grandmother made a disgusted face.
“Especially that Baeksan. His temper was so bad, everyone was busy watching him.”
“Eh?”
Everyone else looked puzzled, but I understood and was shocked.
The meeting of the five great families was held in the capital where the royal family resides. And in the royal palace, who else would be there?
The blue dragon of lightning.
Chungheon of the Hulguk.
Baeksan had surely misbehaved, unable to meet him face-to-face.
I nestled into my grandmother’s arms, exhausted. Her smile spread as she patted my chubby pink belly.
“Yes. Setting aside my own matters…”
I realized why my grandmother was a general of a nation and head of a powerful family.
“Tell me everything that happened.”
The sense of stability was different.
Just her presence gave me a vague certainty that everything would be resolved.
And that, truly, was…
“Every detail, without leaving anything out.”
The mark of a leader who commands a group.
