Chapter 11
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"Did they leave?"
Arin carefully pulled herself up. She had intended to escape through the window, but she heard voices coming from the next room.
"The Head of the Hong family has agreed to hand Arin over."
"Gasp!"
Arin nearly let out a scream.
Just as So-so had said, it was true that her father had sold her to the Golden Tiger Family.
Arin stopped her attempt to flee and pressed herself against the wall to eavesdrop on the conversation.
Just then, the man's voice reached her ears.
"She seems to have a healthy appetite, so if we feed her well, she’ll plump up in no time."
"That is a good thing."
"Since all our business is concluded, shall we depart immediately?"
"We should."
*Oh, no!*
At the mention of an immediate departure, Arin knew she couldn't afford to delay any longer.
After carefully placing the note she had written earlier on the bedding, Arin fled through the window.
* * *
Do-gyeong glared at the memorandum Yeo-ryeong had handed him.
The paper stated that Hong I-jin was disowning Hong Arin from the Red Snake Family and would relinquish all future parental rights.
With this, Hong Arin was no longer a member of the Red Snake Family.
Do-gyeong asked with a suspicious look.
"Did he sign it easily?"
"There was some slight resistance, but he seemed to have no lingering attachment to the child. He was more interested in how he would explain things to the White Dragon Family."
"He truly is a man unfit to be a father until the very end."
If he had cherished the child even a little, he wouldn't have handed her over so easily.
Geum Do-gyeong glared at the neat handwriting once more before tucking the paper into his robes.
"Still, it is a relief. Now that he has written this memorandum, he won't be able to go back on his word later."
Since things had turned out this way, he would simply have to raise her with the utmost care.
Of course, it would take time for Arin to accept him as her father.
Furthermore, he hadn't yet informed the elders of the Golden Tiger Family or his sons.
He could push the elders if he had to, but his sons were a bit of a headache.
Just then, Yeo-ryeong asked about Arin's condition.
"How is the child? Has she awakened?"
"Yes. She woke up last night, polished off two bowls of chicken porridge, and fell back asleep."
Do-gyeong chuckled, recalling Arin wiping the bowls clean.
The way she chewed with her small mouth was so adorable that he kept wanting to feed her more.
"She seems to have a healthy appetite, so if we feed her well, she’ll plump up in no time."
"That is a good thing."
Yeo-ryeong smiled with satisfaction.
Just as she was about to speak to Do-gyeong about departing immediately, she added:
"Before that, let's have a physician check on the child before we go."
"I have already called for a physician, so do not worry."
Yeo-ryeong clicked her tongue, watching Do-gyeong already trying to play the role of a father.
Meanwhile, Do-gyeong was thinking about what Arin might like.
The Golden Tiger Family, a clan that had protected the Divine Priestess for generations, was filled with all sorts of delicacies.
In particular, the seafood and fish caught in the nearby sea were exquisite.
*I wonder if she has ever eaten fish? She seems to prefer meat, though.*
Whatever it was, he would provide her with more than she ever had while living in this house.
With the arrival of a daughter, a vitality that had been absent returned to Geum Do-gyeong's face.
"Are you that happy? You’ve been grinning from ear to ear already."
"Have I?"
Do-gyeong touched his lips belatedly, looking embarrassed.
He realized he had been smiling like a doting fool without even knowing it.
"Then, I shall take my leave."
It was just as an embarrassed Do-gyeong hurried back to the next room.
"Little one?"
Do-gyeong looked at the empty room with a puzzled expression.
His blood boiled at the thought that perhaps Hong I-jin had gone back on his word.
But the moment he saw the small note left on the bedding, Do-gyeong held his breath.
[I don't taste good.]
"……What is this?"
Do-gyeong stared at the note for a long time.
He understood the general meaning, but he couldn't fathom why she would leave such a message.
Just then, Yeo-ryeong's voice came from behind him.
"Did you perhaps threaten the child?"
"Of course not."
"Then why would she leave a note like this?"
"I have done nothing but feed her well and let her sleep!"
"Think carefully. Did you truly never threaten to eat her, like you do with your sons?"
At Yeo-ryeong's interrogation, Do-gyeong's brow furrowed.
A moment later.
*‘Stay comfortable. I won’t eat you.’*
Recalling the words he had said when he first met Arin, Do-gyeong spoke in a voice devoid of confidence.
"I suppose I did say I wouldn't eat her."
"Sigh."
Yeo-ryeong clutched her forehead as if she had expected as much.
"It seems the child overheard our conversation. She has been abandoned by her father, so she must have been shocked."
"Ah."
As Do-gyeong let out a blank exclamation, Yeo-ryeong commanded:
"Why are you standing there like a fool? Go and find her at once."
* * *
Unfortunately, Arin could not easily escape the Red Snake Family.
That was because she ran straight into Hong So-so on her way out.
"You!"
The moment Hong So-so saw Arin, she glared at her with eyes like daggers and lunged.
*Thwack!*
So-so pushed her with all her might, and Arin fell flat on her back.
So-so climbed on top of her and grabbed Arin by the hair.
"Ouch! L-let go!"
"You left that ribbon behind on purpose to frame me, didn't you? Huh?!"
So-so had been thinking about it all night. Why that ribbon had been there of all places.
And so, she had reached one conclusion.
That Arin had intentionally set a trap for her before leaving.
Arin had appeared right in front of the enraged So-so.
"Do you have any idea what kind of humiliation I suffered because of you?"
"I-it hurts! L-let go!"
Arin tried to push So-so away in surprise, but she was no match for So-so, who was a head taller than her.
Just as Arin was being helplessly pulled by her hair, she tripped So-so and knocked her over.
"So-so!"
Hong A-hyeon suddenly appeared, wedged himself between the two, and shoved Arin hard.
*Roll, roll.*
Arin was sent tumbling far away by the sheer force.
A startled So-so stared blankly at A-hyeon.
She wondered if he had seen her bullying Arin, but A-hyeon roared at her instead.
"You! Didn't I tell you not to step a single foot outside the Annex? Not only are you wandering around where you have no business being, but you're also causing a scene?"
"O-Older Brother."
Arin called out to him in surprise, and A-hyeon flinched. Arin, whom he hadn't seen in a long time, looked thin and pathetic.
*‘From now on, your only sister is So-so.’*
*‘What are you saying? What about Arin?’*
*‘Arin is a disgrace to our family. If the fact that a half-wit was born into the Red Snake Family gets out, not only you, but the entire family will become a laughingstock.’*
*‘But…….’*
*‘Our family must be perfect. Don't you realize your own position could be at risk? If you ever mention Arin in front of me again, I will not forgive you, no matter who you are.’*
His father's warning flashed through his mind. His father's words were always absolute.
A-hyeon agreed with his father completely.
After all, a member of the Twelve Zodiacs who couldn't perform a Phantom Beast Transformation wasn't truly one of the Twelve Zodiacs.
He felt sorry for Arin, but it was unavoidable for the sake of the family.
Hardening his heart, A-hyeon shouted sharply.
"Why would I be your older brother!"
At that moment, Arin just stared at A-hyeon, looking as if she had lost her entire world.
Right on cue, So-so even burst into tears.
"Waaah! Older Brother! She suddenly lunged at me, waaah……!"
"So-so, don't cry. This older brother will take care of it."
After wiping So-so's crocodile tears with his sleeve, A-hyeon glared at Arin as if he wanted to kill her.
The atmosphere in the mansion had been terrible enough because of what happened yesterday.
Judging by his father's fierce expression, it seemed he had been cornered by the Divine Priestess.
And in the middle of all that, Arin had snuck out and caused a commotion.
"Do you have any idea how bad the atmosphere in this house is right now?! Go back and stay quiet!"
Just as A-hyeon reached out to grab Arin's wrist with a rough grip—
*Jingle.*
A clear, ringing sound reached Arin's ears.
Immediately after, a Golden Mouse stood valiantly in front of Arin, blocking his path.
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