I’m the Youngest Daughter of the Serpent Family
Chapter 21
“Arvan, why were you hiding by yourself?”
“I wasn’t hiding.”
“Then what were you doing?”
I toddled closely behind Arvan as he made his way deeper into the garden.
Though he had seemed annoyed at first, once we entered the overgrown thicket, Arvan glanced back now and then to check if I was keeping up properly.
Seeing him look out for me while pretending not to care made the corners of my mouth turn up softly. Guess he doesn’t hate Ireng. I thought he’d hate me after we fought like that.
“Hey! Watch out for that jagged rock.”
“Yeah. Ireng dodged it!”
“What are you smiling like an idiot for?”
When I giggled, Arvan flinched and whipped his head away. Then he began swiping aside all the tangled vines making the path difficult to walk through.
Even though it was called a greenhouse garden, it seemed they had cultivated the deep interior to some extent so living creatures could thrive there.
It was a bit tricky to walk, but thanks to Arvan minding the way each time, I was able to follow along without much trouble.
I scampered forward along the path Arvan cleared for me.
“Ireng likes Arvan!”
“Wh-what are you even saying!”
His face flushed bright red, Arvan quickened his pace and took the lead. Through his curly black hair, the tips of his ears were visibly burning red.
“Then does Arvan hate Ireng?”
“Of course I do! Dummy.”
Hmph. Does he really hate Ireng?
My shoulders slumped in dejection.
As I diligently trotted after Arvan on my chubby little feet, a stray droplet of water splashed against my sandal.
“Huh?”
I hurriedly called out to Arvan.
“Arvan!”
“What.”
“Look at this!”
I’m about to show you something super amazing! If you miss it, you’ll totally regret it forever!
Seeing me make such a fuss, Arvan reluctantly turned around to see what was going on.
“What is it?”
“Watch Ireng closely!”
I pointed at a puddle left behind from watering the garden. Then I took a little hop and leaped right over it.
Watching the whole thing unfold, Arvan’s face went utterly blank with bewilderment.
It was a look of complete confusion, having no idea where or how he was supposed to react.
“Ireng can cross puddles now, you know? Cool, right?”
Having cleared the puddle so splendidly, my dampened spirits instantly soared again. A grin spread uncontrollably across my face. As I cupped my cheeks in pure delight, Arvan scoffed.
“Cool? Just for crossing a tiny puddle?”
“Ireng is amazing!”
“You could’ve just walked around it, stupid.”
“…Ireng is not stupid. Arvan doesn’t know anything.”
You don’t know anything because you’re not a bird!
Hurt that Arvan didn’t understand how I felt, I stuck my lower lip out in a pout.
I didn't have to be terrified of falling into puddles anymore, and I could easily step around stones that used to block my path—it made me so happy.
I no longer had to wander nervously through grassy fields, anxious about getting lost like before.
All of this was possible now that I could take human form.
When I clamped my lips shut tight, Arvan grew flustered, at a loss for what to do.
“Hey, what’s wrong with you?”
“Forget it. Ireng is mad!”
Squeak, squeak, squeak!
Stomping my feet loudly as I brushed past Arvan, I soon felt him trailing behind me.
Pretending not to notice while keeping my eyes forward, I spotted a tall, slender red flower swaying off to the side.
“Huh?”
It was the nameless flower I had looked at with Rosaria. The flower that had once seemed to tower all the way to the sky was now smaller than me.
As I patted the flower with deep satisfaction, Arvan, who had been staring from the side, spoke up half-incredulously.
“That’s smaller than you.”
“Uh-huh. It’s smaller than Ireng!”
“Hey, this one’s smaller than you too.”
“It really is smaller than Ireng!”
My smile stretched wider and wider. If I got any happier, my tail might just pop right back out.
“Arvan oppa.”
“Wh-what?”
Arvan recoiled in shock, taking a step back. When I looked at him quizzically, he coughed softly into his hand, straightened his posture, and asked again.
“What did you call me?”
“Arvan oppa.”
Does he not like being called oppa?
As I lowered my voice hesitantly, Arvan’s lips twitched as if fighting back a smile.
Crossing his arms with an air of arrogant pride, Arvan lifted his chin.
“Hmph. If you want to call me oppa that badly, I suppose I’ll allow it.”
“You don’t hate Ireng?”
“That depends on your behavior.”
Arvan looked up at the sky visible through the glass ceiling. The sun was already beginning to set. We had definitely come out in the morning, yet time had flown by so quickly.
“Let’s go now.”
“Where are we going?”
“Where do you think? Lesson time is over, so we’re going back. You’ll get scolded by Rosaria if you return too late, won’t you?”
Did Arvan skip his lessons? Even though he had claimed he wasn’t hiding earlier, it turned out he had been hiding to avoid his tutor after all.
When I blinked up at him, Arvan ruffled his own hair in frustration.
“Whatever! Follow me or don’t, do whatever you want. I’m leaving!”
“Wait for me!”
Perhaps because we had wandered so deep into the garden, the surroundings suddenly felt unfamiliar.
When did we come all the way out here?
I had been staring only at Arvan’s back the entire time, so I hadn’t realized it at all. Afraid of losing sight of his briskly moving figure, I urgently called out.
“Arvan oppa!”
He paused.
“Oppa!”
“Why do you keep calling me?”
“Let Ireng come too… Ireng is scared…”
Just like outside, dusk was slowly creeping over the garden. If I got lost in here, I wouldn’t be able to take a single step until morning came.
Squeak. Squeak. Squeak. Squeak.
“Hold my hand.”
“Why should I!”
“Ugh.”
My calves were throbbing with a dull ache from walking for so long. My face crumpled into a tearful frown, terrified that Arvan might just leave me behind. What if he walks off because I keep bothering him? A sudden rush of fear made my eyes sting with hot tears.
“Wh-what’s with you all of a sudden?”
“Ireng is tired. Pick me up.”
“Your legs hurt already after walking that little bit?!”
Arvan grumbled, then turned his back and crouched down. When I just stood there blankly, not knowing what he meant for me to do, he urged me impatiently.
“Get on my back.”
“…But Ireng is big now, so I’m heavy.”
“As if you’d be heavy. Just hurry up and get on.”
I hesitantly climbed onto his back. Wrapping my arms tightly around his neck from behind, I felt my field of vision rise smoothly and effortlessly into the air.
“Whoa. Arvan is the best.”
“Hmph. Carrying someone like you is nothing.”
“You’re so cool!”
“…Cool?”
“Yeah! Arvan is the coolest in the whole wide world!”
“Did you think hearing that from a squirt like you would make me happy?”
Clearing his throat, Arvan began walking back along the path we had come. I puffed out my cheeks.
“Ireng meant it, though.”
“…You really think I’m cool?”
“Yeah! Just like a prince on a white horse!”
Huh? Arvan’s ears turned red again!
He really wasn’t in a bad mood after all. He didn’t hate me.
Giddy with joy, I swung my legs back and forth. When I got back, I was definitely going to brag to Rosaria about how Arvan gave me a piggyback ride today.
* * *
The southern border region, where the Astrophel family reigned supreme.
At the top of the fortress known as the ‘Black Wall,’ a man with deep navy-blue hair gazed out over the exterior with a look of utter boredom.
The border had been unnervingly quiet of late.
With an upcoming banquet drawing near, the clans sharing the border were walking on eggshells, lying exceptionally low to avoid provoking one another.
“Boring.”
It was frustrating when things stayed like this. He wished someone would just pick a fight already.
The man quietly muttered the wish that had virtually zero chance of coming true.
He felt as though he would do anything just to break free of this tedious daily routine.
Of course, if it meant avoiding the owner of the presence approaching from below, he would gladly choose to remain cooped up quietly in his room instead.
His face twisted in irritation.
“A guy who doesn't possess a shred of manners.”
No sooner had the words left his mouth than the door burst wide open.
“Karma!”
“What is it?”
The man called Karma asked with practiced nonchalance.
Living at the border, having his private space invaded had long since become routine.
When Karma made no effort to hide his displeasure at having his solitude interrupted, the intruder merely smirked.
Black Mambas were known to fiercely guard their personal territory, which meant this fellow was unquestionably a mutant anomaly.
Despite the glare sent his way, the uninvited guest, Paymon, cleanly ignored Karma’s stare, just as he always did.
“An order has come down from the family.”
“…An order?”
“An order to return in time for the upcoming banquet.”
Return.
It was an outright order of recall issued by the head of the family.
Although the seal belonged to Baon, the family’s second-in-command, the man only ever acted upon the orders of the head of the family.
“Did something happen back home? As far as I know, something like this has never happened before.”
It made no sense why Kaid, who always maintained maximum personnel deployment along the border, would suddenly issue a recall order.
While the ‘gatekeepers,’ including Karma, belonged to a separate division from the clansmen stationed at the border, there had still never been a time when they were ordered to relocate abruptly without prior notice.
“No, nothing bad happened. Well… maybe something did happen?”
Paymon held out the letter he was carrying.
“It’s an order to serve as the young lady’s escort.”
“The young lady?”
“You didn’t know? There’s a youngest young lady in the family now.”
What on earth is that supposed to mean? Since when?
Hearing about this for the very first time, Karma’s brow furrowed in deep confusion.
