I’m the Youngest Daughter of the Serpent Family
Chapter 3
I trembled all over, hesitant to step into the water.
What if it was scalding hot, or freezing cold?
I lifted one front paw just a bit and gave the water a tentative poke. To my surprise, it was pleasantly warm.
“Peep! Peep!”
Relieved, I plunged right in and flapped my wings.
I couldn’t remember the last time I had enjoyed a bath.
My flapping ended up splashing water everywhere, but I felt too wonderful to care.
Rosaria smiled fondly and scooped warm water over my body.
“Shall we go out and play once we’re done bathing?”
“Peep!”
“I think our baby will love it. The flowers are in full bloom.”
Flower viewing!
Bubbling over with excitement, I paddled my feet furiously.
Splashes rippled around me.
Tiny bubbles rose with every kick, sending playful droplets flying.
Little drops that failed to clear the rim bounced and bobbed all around the edge.
“Oh my?” Her eyes rounding at the sight, Rosaria clutched at her chest again.
“Dangerous… At this rate, I might smash everything in sight.”
Her head bowed as she muttered in a dark, ominous whisper, which made me freeze instantly.
It genuinely felt like catastrophe was imminent.
In the end, the bath concluded with me sitting quietly like a good bird.
Sadly, she said I was still too little to use bubble bath. It would have been so nice, though.
I was swaddled in a soft towel. The gentle, careful touch drying me off felt wonderful.
“Peeeeep. Peeeeep.”
Contented chirps slipped from my beak all on their own.
“Does that feel nice and refreshing?”
“Peep.”
“Now then, what should our baby have for lunch? Have you only been eating berries?”
Rosaria frowned at the remaining berries in the basket.
“This hardly provides proper nutrition.”
She was right—eating nothing but berries for long would surely take a toll on my body.
Without adequate protein, my growth was bound to be stunted.
Rosaria let out a deep sigh.
“I’ll have to prepare some nutrient-rich baby food. And toys, a proper bed… It seems I must submit a separate budget request.”
“Peep?”
“What good is just giving you a room? You need everything required for a comfortable life. Just leave it to me, little one.”
…What if asking for money gets us kicked out?
Shouldn’t I stop her?
When I gave her a worried look, Rosaria scooped me up and offered a reassuring smile.
“I may not look it, but I carry quite a bit of weight in this family.”
Before leaving the room, Rosaria carried me over and stood before the mirror.
Reflected in the glass was a tiny, adorable, snow-white baby bird.
I lifted my wings slightly. I wiggled my feet too.
“Peep peep!”
It’s me!
As I pointed at the mirror and chirped, Rosaria nodded and pulled something from her pocket.
It was a tiny pink ribbon.
“This is a gift to commemorate our first meeting today, little one.”
She tied the ribbon loosely so it wouldn’t pinch my neck, then asked how I liked it.
I fumbled shyly with the ribbon’s edge, then pressed my wings to my cheeks.
“Peep!”
“You like it, I see.”
“Peep!”
“Now that you’re all dressed up, shall we head out?”
Stepping out of the room, a marble hallway stretched before us.
Sunlight poured through the massive windows, dazzling my eyes.
Whoa, it really feels like being in a castle.
As I looked around, captivated by everything in sight, a soft chuckle came from above.
Every time I spotted an intriguing fixture, my little body bounced with excitement.
Rosaria slowed her pace so I could take in the sights to my heart’s content.
Since we were on our way out, I stretched my wing out toward a spot in the estate I wanted to see.
“Peep!”
“Shall we head over there?”
A garden with a grand fountain came into view.
We can look at the flowers there! When petals fall, it’ll look just like snowflakes.
Right foot. Left foot. Right foot. Left foot.
As I pedaled my feet as if I were the one walking, a familiar chill suddenly prickled the air.
I turned my head toward the presence that drew my gaze.
There stood a man with pitch-black hair and crimson eyes, gazing down at me with an expressionless face.
He let out a dry, incredulous scoff, as if encountering me here was the last thing he expected.
Then his firmly set lips parted, and a frosty voice rang out.
“I told you to do as you pleased, but I never expected you to actually strut around my house.”
It was the master of the house.
I quickly tucked away the wing I had so boldly outstretched.
Of all times to run into him… How could my luck be this rotten?
“P-peep…”
“You’ve frightened the baby.”
“Ridiculous.”
“Are you alright, little one?”
Rosaria patted me gently and asked with concern.
Thank goodness I had someone to lean on at a moment like this.
I burrowed deeper into Rosaria’s embrace.
Feeling his piercing gaze linger on me, I curled up tight to hide, and Rosaria cooed reassuringly.
“Don’t worry, little one. I’m right here.”
“Peep…”
“Oh, your ribbon is crooked. Let me fix it for you.”
It must have come undone while I was squirming in her arms.
Sniffling, I stayed still and let Rosaria adjust it.
The ribbon gently tightened once more, settling neatly on my head.
“There, all done!”
“Peep.”
“Isn’t our baby simply adorable? Don’t you agree, Head of the family?”
Rosaria asked the master of the house. With the ribbon perched on my head, I peeked covertly at him.
Did he really think so too?
In that instant, our eyes locked.
I hadn’t expected him to be looking right at me.
I flinched.
“Pee-eep…”
When I startled and visibly twitched, his brow furrowed.
His gaze was fixed squarely on the pink ribbon atop my head.
I shifted uneasily and swallowed dryly.
At last, a response I thought would never come spilled from his lips.
“Making such a fuss over a single ribbon.”
The master of the house seemed to dislike me far more than I had anticipated.
If I kept being hated like this, I might really get thrown out.
“Don’t look so down, little one.”
“Peep… Peeeep.”
“Look here! Flower petals.”
Rosaria tossed the petals she had prepared high into the air.
Colorful petals fluttered and drifted softly toward the ground.
I gazed up at the sky, plopped down, and flapped my wings about. Petals blanketed the grass in heaps.
“Peep! Peep!”
“Pretty, isn’t it?”
“Peep!”
“Once you grow a bit more, you’ll be able to look down on them from the sky.”
Waaah. Really?
Seeing my eyes sparkle, Rosaria nodded.
“Of course. Though you are still a baby…”
Yet her expression gradually shifted from subtle hesitation into grave concern.
Curious at the change, I hopped closer to her.
“Peep?”
“Goodness, little one. What on earth should we do?”
“…?”
“I can’t teach you how to fly. I don’t have wings!”
Rosaria looked thoroughly devastated.
Well, that’s only natural since you’re not a bird… You were actually planning on teaching me that too?
When I patted her to say it was fine, she shook her head.
“I wanted to teach you so many things.”
“…”
“Since it’s come to this, I will teach you the art of hunting to absolute perfection.”
Teach me how to hunt?
I stared at Rosaria in shock. No one had ever offered to teach me anything like that before.
Rosaria beamed with sheer joy at the thought of having something she could teach me.
“Our clan’s hunting methods are so flawless that everyone yearns to learn them.”
I really did want to learn, but…
Could a baby only a few days old really learn how to hunt already?
I sank into deep, serious contemplation.
“The young masters knew how to hunt from the moment they were born, but since you don’t, little one, I shall teach you with all my heart.”
“…Peep?”
I tilted my head in disbelief at her words.
How could anyone know how to hunt from the moment of birth?
The young masters living here must be incredible. That’s something you can’t learn unless a guardian teaches you.
As if resolving my confusion, Rosaria added:
“We know it instinctively from birth.”
“P-peep?”
“Given the right environment, I’m sure you will do wonderfully as well, little one.”
Could that really be possible? One look at Rosaria was enough to see that her determination was blazing.
