Chapter 19
Arin stared at Do-yeong with a blank expression.
It was an unexpected reaction. Usually, whenever Arin offered a kindness, people were quick to use it as an excuse to work her to the bone.
Instead, Do-yeong was shouting at her not to walk on eggshells, leaving Arin at a loss for what to do.
Arin asked in a trembling voice.
"Then what should I do?"
"About what?"
"What should I do so that you won't dislike me, Young Master?"
Do-yeong felt even more flustered by Arin’s question. Her straightforwardness, which he hadn't anticipated, pricked his conscience.
"No, why are you saying I disliked you?"
When he thought about it, Arin had done nothing wrong. Even if she were his father’s illegitimate child, that was his father’s fault, not hers.
Feeling uneasy for having seemingly bullied a young girl who had simply been born, Do-yeong felt a pang of guilt.
"I’m sorry. I’m just angry at my father. It’s not that I dislike you. I just didn’t know how to treat you!"
Hearing that Do-yeong didn't dislike her, Arin felt her heart lighten.
Her hunched shoulders relaxed, and she innocently asked in return.
"But why do you dislike that gentleman?"
"Gentleman? Why don't you call him Father?"
"Huh?"
"Huh?"
Do-yeong and Arin tilted their heads in turn. Soon, Do-yeong blinked and said.
"You... aren't you the child our father brought in from outside?"
"No. That gentleman just picked me up."
As Arin said this nonchalantly, Do-yeong’s eyes widened as if they were about to pop out.
"Ehh?"
"That gentleman is my savior. A daughter? I never even wished for such a thing."
As Arin shook her head in denial, Do-yeong’s jaw dropped.
Meanwhile, Cho-ryeong, who had been waiting for the two to clear up their misunderstanding, could no longer hold back her laughter.
"Ahahaha! I knew it!"
Cho-ryeong, who had handed them green tea, placed her hands on her hips.
"Really, Young Master. How could you believe what the servants say so blindly?"
"But she’s one of the Twelve Zodiacs..."
"The power of the Twelve Zodiacs doesn't only manifest in the direct line. Do you still know so little about the Family Head?"
At Cho-ryeong’s rebuke, Do-yeong didn't know what to do with his embarrassment.
Come to think of it, he had been blinded by the persimmon and had believed the servants' words at face value.
"Damn it, how embarrassing."
As Do-yeong ruffled his hair and squirmed, Cho-ryeong’s laughter grew even louder.
Meanwhile, Arin, who had been watching the two blankly, spoke up.
"Then you don't dislike me?"
"Are you teasing me?"
"..."
"Oh my, Young Master. You shouldn't speak so harshly to a young girl. What will you do if Miss Arin cries?"
At Cho-ryeong’s scolding, Do-yeong’s eyes narrowed, but then he held out his hand to Arin.
"I don't dislike you."
"..."
"So, from now on, feel free to call me Older Brother Do-yeong. It sounds really strange for someone as small as you to call me Young Master."
Do-yeong averted his gaze, looking shy. Watching him, Arin smiled softly.
"Okay. Older Brother Do-yeong."
* * *
Geum Do-gyeong recalled what Yeo-ryeong had said a few days ago.
‘Arin is the child who will become the Divine Priestess after me. So, I want you to protect her.’
It was a grave reason he hadn't expected. It was something he couldn't have imagined even when he first decided to bring Arin with him.
‘So that is why you had Hong I-jin sign a memorandum. To ensure he cannot claim to be Arin’s parent in the future.’
‘Yes. I saw all the circumstances of the child’s abuse; we cannot leave any room for future trouble, can we?’
‘...You are going to get quite an earful from Hong I-jin later.’
‘I seem to keep using you as my scapegoat.’
‘Isn't that why I became the Family Head of the Golden Tiger Family? Since it has come to this, I must have Arin’s name entered into the family register as soon as possible.’
Besides, by now, news of Arin must have reached the elders as well.
‘It’s obvious what those old fools are thinking.’
They must have assumed he brought her as a partner for Do-hun.
So, they would be burning with curiosity to find out which family Arin belonged to.
‘I am Arin.’
A child who had decided to abandon the surname of the Red Snake Family.
Thus, for Arin’s sake, Do-gyeong intended to keep her secret.
First, he summoned his eldest son, Do-hun, who was away from the estate, and immediately convened the Council of Elders.
Of the seven elders, the head, Geum Hui-taek, threw out a topic with honeyed words.
"Congratulations on your safe return, Family Head. It was your first outing in a long time; did you enjoy it?"
"It’s not like I went on a vacation."
As Do-gyeong replied indifferently, Geum Hui-taek’s narrow eyes narrowed further.
‘Trying to brush it off like this?’
News that Geum Do-gyeong had brought back some girl was already widespread.
Even if she was still young, if she was a child vouched for by the Divine Priestess Yeo-ryeong, she was a sufficient threat to him.
For Hui-taek, who had already set his sights on his own granddaughter as a partner for Do-hun, this was a matter he had to verify.
"However, I heard there is a guest staying at the Plum Blossom Hall..."
As he pointedly mentioned the Plum Blossom Hall, Do-gyeong burst into a hearty laugh.
To be so transparent.
Do-gyeong shifted his posture, sitting at an angle, and said.
"Don't beat around the bush. You mean you’re curious about who our Arin is, don't you?"
At the term "our Arin," the elders held their breath. It was because they seemed even closer than they had imagined.
Do-gyeong went a step further.
"If you saw Arin yourselves, you would immediately understand why I brought her."
It was clear to anyone that he was very fond of the child named Arin.
Flustered, Hui-taek cleared his throat and continued.
"Since you put it that way, I will ask directly. Why did you bring that child here?"
"I brought her here to raise her."
"By saying you intend to raise her, you don't mean you intend to make her a partner for Young Master Do-hun, do you?"
When Geum Hui-taek asked more directly, Do-gyeong’s expression turned cold.
"Why? Do I need Elder Hui-taek’s permission for that too?"
As he straightened his posture, an immense pressure descended upon Geum Hui-taek.
Among all the past heads of the Golden Tiger Family, he was the one who utilized the power of the Twelve Zodiacs the best.
Due to the vast difference in skill, which he dared not even fathom, cold sweat trickled down Hui-taek’s forehead.
Even so, Hui-taek did not back down.
"I am merely curious if she is a suitable partner for Young Master Do-hun."
When he showed his determination to hear Do-gyeong’s intent, Do-gyeong withdrew his killing intent as if he were bored.
"Doesn't 'daughter' sound more intimate and better than 'partner'?"
"Not a daughter-in-law, but a daughter? Hup!"
One of the elders who had been listening quietly asked out of habit, then clamped his mouth shut.
Some seemed relieved at the news that she wasn't a daughter-in-law, but Hui-taek felt even more uncomfortable.
‘Could that rumor have been true?’
Hui-taek asked with a cold expression.
"Is she, by any chance, the Family Head’s child?"
"Are you insane? You speak so easily of things that would make the late Jin-gyeong appear in my dreams to cut my throat."
Do-gyeong jumped up as if he didn't even want to imagine it and rubbed his chilled neck.
At that clear rejection, Hui-taek’s momentum faltered.
If she wasn't meant to be a daughter-in-law, there was no need to unnecessarily confront Do-gyeong.
Regaining his usual composure, Hui-taek smiled thinly.
"Then is she a daughter of a collateral branch? If you tell me which family she belongs to, I will verify her lineage."
As he tried to dig into Arin’s background while pretending to back off, Do-gyeong drew a sharp line.
"I have already verified everything. So, do not try to dig into Arin’s identity any further. If it is confirmed that anyone is trying to uncover the child’s identity..."
Do-gyeong paused for a moment, then scanned the elders and made a gesture of drawing his thumb across his throat.
"You’ll all die by my hand."
With that harsh warning, it was only a matter of time before the elders’ faces turned ashen.
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