I’m the Youngest Daughter of the Serpent Family
Chapter 32
He was her only son, raised with the utmost care, but who would have thought a problem like this would arise?
She thought it would be enough just to teach him the most essential survival methods… She never expected him to end up this completely ignorant of his own feelings.
“She’s like a snow rabbit.”
Now that she thought about it, that was high praise. Seiji, who usually ignored anyone who didn’t catch his eye as if they were invisible, had gone so far as to compare someone to a ‘snow rabbit.’
“That’s not an appetite, Seiji.”
Muhela decided to correct his misconception first.
Surely he doesn’t truly think of it as an appetite for prey?
“If it’s not an appetite, then what is it?”
Correction: he really had no idea.
How on earth should she explain this? Muhela was at a loss for words.
“……A day will come when you realize it on your own. Phew. So is that why you came right back to the banquet hall?”
“I thought it was better to keep my distance for now. It wouldn’t do to bite her by mistake.”
“……You did well.”
Just when she thought he had finally made a friend and gone outside with her, to think something like that had happened.
Looking at her son, who wasn’t even a month old yet, Muhela was torn between being pleased and being troubled.
It was certainly something to celebrate, but the reason she felt so unsettled was probably……
“She definitely looks like a snow rabbit, so maybe I just want to tease her.”
“…….”
“I want to take her to the North.”
…because his way of expressing his feelings seemed slightly twisted, making her deeply worry about his future.
Watching Seiji lick his lips, Muhela let out a troubled chuckle.
Yes, and if you do that, the North and South will probably be turned into ruins.
“That might be a bit difficult, Seiji.”
To protect a single child, they had summoned none other than the gatekeepers of the border.
Not just one, but four of them.
One positioned at each perimeter range, and one stationed closest to the child.
“You’d be caught before you could even leave the mansion.”
Muhela recalled the face of the man who had blocked Retra’s path. If her memory served her right, it was definitely Karma.
To bring people capable of single-handedly wiping out any ordinary small clan into a banquet meant for forging peace.
Everyone seemed to let it slide, but if anyone chose to make an issue of it, it could easily snowball into a major dispute.
Through this, Muhela came to realize with certainty.
Just how precious Irene was to the Astrophel family.
“You must never eat Irene, Seiji.”
“I know at least that much.”
“Well, what a relief you know that much.”
My stomach felt ready to burst. That was because Kaid had been continuously shoving food into my mouth without a break.
When I clamped my lips shut, unable to eat another bite, Kaid put down his fork.
“Iwing’s full.”
“After eating only this much?”
“Mm-mm.”
“Your portions are far too small.”
I had already emptied two plates, but it seemed Kaid still thought it was too little.
When I looked around to see how much the others had eaten, I really was eating the least.
I dabbed at my mouth with a napkin. Now that I was done eating, time to go play again!
“Can Iwing go play now?”
“That’s a bit difficult right now.”
“……Whyyy!”
“Because of him.”
Kaid pointed to a gray-haired man sitting not far away.
When I peeked over his shoulder and made eye contact, the man beamed and waved vigorously at me.
I was about to smile back at his warm greeting even though I was seeing him for the first time, but a large hand firmly blocked my view before I could.
Pouting, I pulled Kaid’s arm down.
“Iwing is cuwious.”
“He’s a wolf.”
“A wolf?”
“Yes. Just because he smiles at you doesn’t mean you should go smiling right back.”
I tilted my head. When I peeked out once more, the gray-haired man waved again.
“He looks nice, though.”
“Irene.”
“Hm?”
Seth called my name.
“Do you know what baby goats and baby pigs have in common?”
Baby goats and baby pigs?
I shook my head.
“Iwing doesn’t know. What is it?”
Then Arvan, who had been listening quietly, answered in his place.
“They were both eaten by wolves.”
……Eaten by wolves?
“Right. And there’s one more thing.”
There’s another thing?
“They’re both babies, aren’t they?”
Baon chimed in, joining the conversation.
I was deeply shocked.
Wolves eat babies? Then will he eat me too?
The man who had been watching this way and smiling brightly every time our eyes met instantly looked like the most villainous person in the world.
I hurriedly grabbed Kaid’s clothes and hid myself.
“Heeing. Wolves are bad. They eat babies.”
“That’s right. So you can’t go right now. There are too many eyes targeting you around here.”
“Den when can Iwing go play?”
“Once all those bastards disappear.”
“There are an overwhelming number of eyes on us. From the Wolf clan’s Myat family to the Lion clan’s Kashmir family, and the Jaguar clan’s Atvan family……”
Baon glanced around, listing the names of the families one by one.
I pricked up my ears at the unfamiliar family names. It was a parade of clans that all sounded dangerous.
Baon gave a final smirk.
“And even the Tiger clan’s Kiraas family. You’re going to have a rough time fending them all off, Head of the family.”
“Everyone is far too interested in my daughter.”
Kaid let out a sigh and looked down at me.
His gaze was practically saying, ’What on earth am I going to do with you?’ Feeling an inexplicable urge to deny it, I quickly shook my head.
“Iwing didn’t do anyfing.”
“As if you didn’t.”
“But Iwing didn’t do anyfing?”
When I made an innocent, clueless face, Kaid chuckled dryly.
“You turned the entire banquet hall upside down, yet you act completely oblivious.”
“If you know, why not introduce her, Kaid? Isn’t it a bit much keeping her all to yourself?”
An unfamiliar voice rang out. I turned around to look.
It was the first time I had ever seen someone address Kaid by his name so casually, so my curiosity was instantly piqued.
Is that person Kaid’s friend?
The man greeted me as he looked my way.
“Hello, little one.”
Who is he?
While I stared blankly at him, Kaid pulled back, naturally creating distance between the man and me as well.
As I gave him a puzzled look, Kaid said flatly,
“Irene, dirty. He’s dirty.”
A sudden silence descended.
The man’s amber eyes slowly shifted toward the fingertip pointing at him.
At the same time, the corner of his mouth twitched and trembled.
“Head of the family, isn’t calling Dante-nim ‘dirty’ taking it a bit too far?”
When the silence remained unbroken even after several seconds, Baon glanced at the man and whispered.
Judging by the polite honorifics used, the man seemed to be someone of quite high standing.
“Not at all. He’s banned from approaching Irene. He’s black-hearted to the core.”
“Well, that is true, but still.”
Contrary to how he had been gauging the man’s mood, Baon readily nodded in agreement.
As I listened to their conversation with curiosity, my eyes met a red gaze.
“Curious who he is?”
Kaid asked me. I quickly nodded yes, then stared intently at Dante.
His crimson hair, contrasting sharply with his bronze skin, was deeply striking.
Moreover, the clothes he wore were covered in unique patterns I had never seen before.
He must have come from very far away.
So fascinating!
As I stared without being able to take my eyes off him, those golden eyes, previously tinged with displeasure, turned toward me.
“Looks like she finds me fascinating, Kaid. She can’t take her eyes off me.”
“I’m sure I told her you were dirty.”
“……Iwing was just a wittle cuwious, so I only looked for a second.”
As I mumbled with small movements of my lips, Dante’s gleaming golden eyes curved into crescents.
It felt as if a massive beast of prey were concealing its true nature.
A subtle aura seemed to emanate from Dante, and when I tilted my head, his face showed a hint of surprise.
“You must have sensed my pheromones. Usually, people don’t notice so easily.”
“She’s my daughter, so of course she did.”
“At any rate, not a single brat in this house is ordinary.”
Shaking his head in disbelief, Dante took a seat next to us.
A flicker of intrigue flashed in the amber eyes gazing down at me.
We were both fascinated by each other.
Soon enough, Dante spoke first.
“I enjoyed watching your introduction earlier, Irene.”
“Thank you.”
“I am Dante Icelord. I came from the West after hearing news of your birth.”
To see me? From the West?
When I snapped my head up at the words that he had come to see me, the corners of Dante’s mouth curved upward into a smirk.