I’m the Youngest Daughter of the Serpent Family
Chapter 16
Chapter 16
* * *
Between going to sleep and waking up, I had become human.
Overcome by an indescribable sense of wonder, I examined myself this way and that in front of the mirror.
I clenched and unclenched my hands and wiggled my feet.
I touched my lengthened hair and felt my eyes, nose, and mouth—every single part of my face.
“Rosawia!”
“Yes, Irene-nim.”
“Look at dis! There’s fibe!”
When I splayed my fingers wide for her to see, Rosaria nodded.
“Yes, there really are five!”
“Uh-huh! I weally turned into a human!”
I was so happy!
I had already been standing in front of the mirror for hours, but I didn’t get tired of it in the slightest.
“Is it still that fascinating?”
“Uh-huh! ……But Rosawia.”
“Yes?”
“What if I wake up and I’m a biwd again?”
That would be a huge disaster.
While I looked in the mirror out of joy, I also checked it every chance I got out of anxiety that I might have turned back into a bird.
What if my arms suddenly went poof into wings, or my tail sprouted out?
They said young children with weak pheromones sometimes reverted to their original forms mid-transformation.
I had finally managed to humanize; I didn’t want to go back to being a bird.
When I voiced my worries, Rosaria, who was tidying up the toys, burst into laughter.
“Are you worried you’ll become a bird again?”
“Mmh-mmh.”
Like someone frightened by anything remotely resembling their fear, I would often startle in shock upon catching a glimpse of my silver-white hair, mistaking it for sprouting wings.
Whenever that happened, I would pat my startled chest and run straight into Rosaria’s arms.
When I snuggled close into her embrace this time too, she stopped what she was doing and hugged me back.
“Don’t worry so much. As long as you don’t be a picky eater and chew your meals thoroughly, that won’t happen.”
“Weally?”
“Of course.”
“For weal?”
“Yes.”
Hearing Rosaria reassure me several times finally put my mind at ease.
Phew. As I let out a sigh of relief, Rosaria checked the time, and her movements quickened.
“Irene-nim, you must be hungry, right? Let’s hurry and go have a meal.”
“The food isn’t here yet, though?”
Every day, meals had been delivered to my room, but today there had been no sign of them.
I hoped it would arrive soon. Because of the major ordeal since morning, mealtime had been thrown off.
Rosaria smiled brightly.
“Starting today, you will be eating in the dining hall.”
“……Dininy hall?”
“Yes. The Head of the Family and the young masters will be waiting. Let’s go together!”
“Yeah! I’m gonna eat in the dininy hall too now.”
I was so excited to be able to go to the dining hall from now on. The head chef mister would be there too, right?
Besides that, what else was hidden in the mansion?
Since I only went to limited places with Rosaria every day, there was still so much I didn’t know about the mansion.
My heart fluttered with anticipation.
Now I can even go to the dining hall on two feet!
“Irene-nim, your hand!”
“Mm.”
I held Rosaria’s hand and took cautious steps forward.
If I let my guard down for even a second, my feet could tangle and send me tumbling. I wasn’t used to having two feet yet.
Having left the room and walked bravely down the hallway, I naturally wobbled once again.
Catching me before I fell with practiced ease, Rosaria smiled brightly at my tearful face, reassuring me that it was okay.
“……Rosawia.”
“Yes?”
“I…… I don’t fink I can walk by myself without a tail.”
I used to walk so well before, but without a tail to keep my balance, I couldn’t do it anymore.
What if I have to learn how to walk from scratch like a toddler?
I thought everything would be solved once I humanized, but there was a mountain of things I had to relearn.
“You don’t have to rush. You’re already walking quite well right now, you know.”
“Bu-but this is……”
It was practically just tottering around. I had to take the stairs one step at a time, too.
No, don’t be downhearted. I can do it!
Squeak. Squeak. Squeak.
As I walked energetically, my shoes made sounds.
Squeak. Squeak. Squeak.
“Oh my, Rosaria-nim. Is that person Irene-nim?”
“Durias-nim?”
“She looks very……”
A man walking by with documents approached with curiosity after hearing the squeaking sounds.
He was a man I thought I had seen once in front of the conference room.
Wearing white gloves on his hands so no bare skin was exposed, he exuded an overall neat and tidy aura.
Looking down at me in my yellow sleeveless top and white shorts as I held Rosaria’s hand, Durias gave a refreshing smile.
“She is insignificant, just as the Head of the Family said.”
“……”
“She’s cute enough to devour in a single bite.”
I froze solid. Rosaria hastily intervened to stop Durias.
“If you say it like that, Irene-nim will misunderstand!”
“Why?”
Durias put on an expression that showed he genuinely had no idea.
Is he asking because he genuinely doesn’t know?
I wondered what kind of mindset one needed to speak in such a manner.
This family’s way of expressing things was way too extreme.
“You said so as well, Rosaria-nim. That she was cute enough to make you want to slaughter everyone.”
Rosaria flinched and checked my reaction.
Come to think of it, I seemed to remember her saying something about wanting to destroy everything in the past too.
When I gave her a bright smile to show I understood, the flustered Rosaria looked deeply moved.
“As expected, our Irene-nim is so broad-minded.”
“It’s otay!”
“Still, you really should be careful, Durias. What if Irene-nim learns such radical expressions?”
For someone worrying about it, she used them far too openly herself. I fidgeted with the hand I was holding.
When are we going to the dining hall? I’m hungry.
“Rosawia. I’m hungwy.”
“Oho. Are you going to feed it?”
“……Durias. Mind your words. That way of speaking is only meant for between clansmen.”
Rosaria sighed and scolded Durias.
So they do realize that their way of speaking is off-kilter.
They just had no intention of fixing it.
That was very likely the case.
Judging by the family members I had met so far, even if those around them voiced complaints, they definitely wouldn’t have listened.
If anything, they would have done it even more openly out of spite rather than stopping.
“Then please enjoy your meal, young lady. I am quite busy, so……”
“Bye-bye.”
Bye-bye.
When I waved with my other hand, Durias bowed politely at the waist and vanished down the path he was taking.
“Rosawia.”
“Yes?”
“My legs huwt. What do I do?”
Perhaps because I had been standing for too long, my legs were beginning to ache.
All I did was come down from the second floor to the first, yet I was already exhausted.
Was a young child’s body naturally this low on stamina?
Rosaria smiled warmly and scooped me into her arms.
“Then I can just carry you there. The dining hall is in the basement.”
“Basement?”
“Yes. Even if it’s the basement, sunlight streams in, so it’s not scary at all.”
I see. Then it’s okay.
I wrapped my arms around Rosaria’s neck and leaned against her.
It took forever when I walked, but being carried made reaching the dining hall feel instantaneous.
A delicious smell wafted from the entrance, making my stomach rumble.
“Our Irene-nim must have been very hungry. I should have brought you sooner, I’m sorry.”
“No, it’s otay!”
“Being this good-natured, how are you ever going to survive in this world?”
Looking genuinely concerned, Rosaria said,
“It would be much better if you expressed yourself and acted however you wished, Irene-nim.”
“Mm.”
So people even worry when someone is too nice.
Though I didn’t think I was all that nice. After all, I sometimes only thought of myself when acting.
As we chatted and stepped into the dining hall, I saw Kaid, who had already arrived.
“You’ve arrived.”
And then I saw two boys.
One was Seth, whom I had already met, and the other was a boy I was seeing for the first time.
“I wanna get down!”
“Yes, Irene-nim.”
Rosaria set me down on the floor. At the same time, my shoes made a sound.
Squeak!
Squeak. Squeak. Squeak.
“……What is that?”
“Dis is Iween’s!”
I shouted energetically that it was mine, along with the name I had been memorizing so hard in my mind all this time.
Kaid chuckled with a breath of air.
“It makes a bizarre sound.”
“It’s not bizaww! Rosawia gave dis to me as a pwesent.”
“Since Irene-nim isn’t familiar with the way yet, I put them on her to prevent her from getting lost.”
That’s right. That’s why!
I made my way toward an empty seat.
I saw piping-hot meat served on a plate. Now I can eat meat!
Growing impatient, I quickened my steps.
