I’m the Youngest Daughter of the Serpent Family
Chapter 23
Chapter 23
“Greetings, Lady Irene. It is an honor to meet you.”
“Hullo.”
Madame Seri, who had entered alongside Rosaria, was a strikingly flamboyant woman.
When I stared straight at her while offering my greeting, she gave a practiced, easy smile.
“I had no idea the Astrophel family had such a cute and darling young lady.”
She spoke while pulling a measuring tape and a notepad from her bag. There were plenty of other items nestled inside, though I couldn’t see them clearly.
Stepping toward me, Madame Seri drew the tape measure out long to take a few simple measurements.
“Shall we raise your arms, then?”
“Okaay.”
“Very well done. Shall we try once more?”
I raised my arms again. To avoid making any mistakes, she double-checked the numbers several times before jotting them down in her notepad.
Seeing me stare in fascination at her fountain pen—which was adorned with an extravagant feather—Madame Seri remarked,
“It’s a peacock feather. I happen to be a peacock, you see. It is something you receive once you become a designer.”
“Wah. Pretty.”
“Do you think so?”
Nod, nod.
I gently touched the tip of the feather. It was astonishingly soft. Attached to the end of the multicolored plume was a metallic nib.
I tried imagining a pen made from my own feathers. A short, stubby little thing came to mind.
It would be nice if my wings were this pretty, too.
Thinking of my tiny, snow-white wings made the dazzling feather before my eyes seem all the more marvelous.
After I fiddled with it for a long while and handed the pen back, Madame Seri folded her notepad and got down to business.
“I feel any color would suit you wonderfully, my lady. Bright, solid shades would likely be the most flattering. Would you say you are quite active?”
“She is remarkably energetic. Though for now, it mostly consists of running around,” Rosaria replied.
“Then we can certainly afford to focus more on the design. What is Lady Irene’s favorite color?”
Listening intently to their conversation, I fell into deep thought.
A favorite color? But I liked them all.
It was hard to pick just one, but since both of them were waiting for an answer, I made my decision after much deliberation.
“Iring likes pink.”
“I shall keep that in mind when designing the dress.”
“I’m gonna wear pwetty clothes and make lots of fwends.”
Surprised by my ambitious aspiration, Madame Seri’s eyes widened before she burst into laughter. After that, she confirmed a few more details with Rosaria.
They discussed whether I had any allergies, and what the overall atmosphere of the banquet hall would be like.
As my eyes wandered about, I spotted a scrap of fabric poking out of the bag she had brought along.
What’s that?
Noticing my fixed stare, she kindly opened the bag.
“It seems you’re curious about this. I’ve brought various samples inside.”
“Wah!”
Madame Seri took the garments out one by one. Dresses of all sorts of designs lined up before me. Among them, the one that caught my eye was…
“Faiwy!”
“Oh my, that’s a very lovely fairy outfit.”
I pointed at the yellow fairy dress. It was a dainty piece with delicately scalloped hems.
Attached to the back was a pair of translucent yellow wings, which seemed to form a matching set with the accompanying lace socks and yellow shoes.
“Iring wants to be a faiwy too!”
“You seem to fancy this one. Would you like to try it on?”
“Yeees!”
Hurry, hurry!
With Rosaria’s help, I changed into the outfit. The wings reflected in the mirror fluttered with my every move.
Whoa, I really became a fairy!
Tying the ribbon around my waist from behind, Rosaria gasped in admiration.
“How can you be so utterly precious!”
“It suits you wonderfully,” Madame Seri remarked, taking a sip of her tea.
“I shall give that to Lady Irene as a present. A commemorative gift for our first meeting.”
“How wonderful for you, Lady Irene!”
“Mm-hmm. Sank you.”
I gave a polite little bow of gratitude. Madame Seri packed the displayed dresses back into her bag.
“I will make sure to craft the most beautiful dress in the entire banquet for you.”
“Thank you, Madame Seri. The payment will be dispatched by the family,” Rosaria said.
“Understood, Rosaria.”
With her business concluded, Madame Seri rose from her seat. Her own attire was glamorous and splendid, befitting a designer.
It was an outfit that truly radiated her individuality.
Will my dress turn out that pretty too?
As the madame prepared to depart, Rosaria stood up as well, intending to see our guest off.
“Please wait just a moment, Lady Irene. I will be right back after seeing Madame Seri out.”
“Mm. Bye-bye, Wosawia. Have a safe twip.”
“It was lovely meeting you, my lady.”
With Madame Seri’s farewell, the door clicked shut. I looked down at the gifted fairy dress once more.
I loved everything about it, all the way down to the frilly socks and little shoes.
“Hehe. Pretty.”
It was just as I was moving about in front of the mirror, watching the wings flutter to and fro—
Flap!
The window reflected in the mirror swung wide open. And then…
Arvan casually hopped over the sill and into the room.
Having stepped into my room for the first time, Arvan looked around the interior, only to make a bizarre face the moment he laid eyes on me.
He scanned me from head to toe before falling silent for a few seconds.
“What in the world are you wearing?”
“Lookie. Iring is a faiwy.”
“Fairy, my ass…”
Whatever he was about to say, Arvan clamped his mouth shut mid-sentence. He hurriedly gauged my reaction, then scratched his cheek with an awkward cough.
What was he about to say?
Dressed in my fairy outfit, I stared up at him. Arvan averted his gaze slightly and muttered just beneath his breath,
“Well, you’re wearing something that suits you, I guess.”
“They said Iring looks pwetty.”
“…Who said you were pretty?!”
In the end, he bellowed at me. I burst into cheerful giggles.
“By the way, why did Arvan come here?”
“I just dropped by on my way somewhere.”
“Where are you going, Arvan?”
Arvan smirked.
“I’m going to check out the banquet hall. Well, if you want to go too, I could take you along.”
My mouth fell wide open.
The banquet hall!
For some reason, Arvan seemed to be sparkling all over.
“Iring wants to go too!”
“Come here, then.”
Arvan effortlessly scooped me up into his arms. Then, in the blink of an eye, he landed lightly outside the very window he had entered through.
It happened in a flash.
When I stood dumbfounded, unable to utter a word, Arvan puffed up with pride and spoke,
“Cool, right?”
“Arvan is weally cool!”
Even after landing, however, Arvan didn’t set me down. When I cast him a puzzled look, he scowled and snapped defensively,
“Don’t get the wrong idea—it’s not like I’m carrying you because I’m worried your legs might hurt. It’s just easier for me to move like this.”
…That was an awfully passionate explanation.
The banquet hall was located not too far from the main building.
It was situated in the mansion’s East Wing, where a multitude of people were bustling about.
With only a few days remaining until the banquet, everyone appeared exceptionally busy. I took in the sights of the banquet hall with wide-eyed wonder.
Dozens of tables were neatly arranged, and a massive chandelier sparkled overhead.
From the designated area for the orchestra to the wide-open hall in the center, it truly felt like a real party venue.
“Why, isn’t it Young Master Arvan and Lady Irene?”
A man pushing a cart piled high with small boxes called out in recognition.
“You must have come to take a look. Preparations will be fully completed in just a few days.”
“What is that?”
When I pointed at the stacked boxes and asked, the man kindly explained,
“These are small gifts to be handed out to the invited guests.”
“Pwesents?”
“Yes. We will hand them out one by one once the party concludes. Now then, I must put these away in the storage room, so I will take my leave.”
The man walked off. I watched the cart roll farther and farther away.
“Iring wants to give pwesents to fwends too. Arvan, do you know how to do that?”
I wanted to give them gift boxes brimming with toys and snacks. When I asked, Arvan clicked his tongue beside me.
“You need money to prepare stuff like that. Do you have any money?”
Money?
Come to think of it, I had never even seen money before. Since Rosaria provided everything I ever needed, I had never felt the need for it.
A profound shock washed over me.
…I have no money.
Seeing my utterly devastated expression, Arvan wore an ‘I knew it’ look.
What should I do, then? I wanted to prepare gifts too, but I didn't have any money.
“What do you do if you don’t have money?”
“You have to work, obviously, dummy.”
“Can Iring work?”
I asked with hopeful eyes. At my expectant tone, Arvan burst into hearty laughter.
“Who would ever hire a tiny squirt like you?”
“Then what?”
“Listen closely.”
Arvan lowered his voice solemnly, making it clear he would only say this once.
Gulp. I swallowed dryly.
I’m all ready to listen just once.
I focused every shred of my attention, as if about to hear an earth-shattering secret nobody else knew.
“All the money in this house belongs to Father. The treasure vaults holding the family assets—every single bit of it belongs to Father.”
“…Weally?”
“Yeah.”
All the money in this house belongs to Kaid.
I straightened my back in an instant.
“Ah, well, that’s just how it is, but if you really need money, you don’t necessarily have to—”
“Iring has to go somewhere! Bye-bye, Arvan oppa!”
Where is Kaid?!
I hurried off with quick little steps. With only a week left until the banquet, there was no time to lose.
* * *
Meanwhile, left all alone, Arvan stared at Irene’s retreating figure with a look of sheer disbelief.
“…I was going to say you could just ask Rosaria instead of going to Father.”
Every year, the heirs were allocated a living allowance. Naturally, there was bound to be money set aside for Irene as well.
Arvan shrugged his shoulders.
“Whatever.”
It would work itself out somehow.
