I’m the Youngest Daughter of the Serpent Family
Chapter 52
Elvin’s mouth went completely dry.
As soon as he reached maturity, the current head of the family had driven out the previous patriarch and seized the throne. He possessed exceptional ability—enough to overturn a losing territorial dispute in a single stroke—but…
He was also exceedingly cruel.
Terrified of getting on his nerves, Elvin cautiously spoke up.
“……Forgive me for speaking out, but would it not be wise to withdraw now?”
“Why? Are you scared?”
“The future of our clan may well hang in the balance.”
“I know. But isn’t this getting far too interesting?”
He asked with amusement in his voice, rising from his seat.
The screen was soon drawn back, revealing a man with silver hair and dark purple eyes.
Elvin tensed as the distance between them narrowed.
Coming right up to him, the man smiled brightly and spoke.
“It seems Ella didn’t fail her mission entirely. I’d say she half-succeeded.”
“……What do you mean by that?”
“Word is that the egg hatched in the Astrophel family. And that they treasure it to death.”
Though he hadn’t been the head of the family back then to witness it with his own eyes.
Was that all? He’d even heard they arranged a time at the banquet specifically to introduce the child.
They had even bestowed upon her the surname Astrophel.
A spark of intrigue flared in the man’s eyes before fading away.
Horrified by the patriarch’s demeanor, Elvin hurriedly spoke up.
“Provoking the Astrophel family is far too dangerous.”
“Who said I was going to provoke them personally? Someone else will do that for us.”
His amusement fading, the family head’s brow furrowed. Realizing his misstep, Elvin shut his mouth.
Lost in thought for a moment, the man smirked and muttered as he returned to his seat.
“If you have cards left in your hand, isn’t it only polite to play them?”
“Don’t tell me you mean the Roisar family?”
“If they want their heir back in one piece, I’m sure they’ll follow instructions dutifully.”
“…….”
“You understand what I’m saying without me needing to explain, right?”
Of course he understood all too well.
Upon taking the clan’s throne, the first thing the man had done was take every single heir of the surrounding families hostage.
Because of that, the entire region was devastated, and most of the territories fell under his heel.
Exhausted from prolonged territorial disputes, the clansmen cheered the family head’s ruthless moves, but…
Elvin could not simply rejoice.
“Then I shall take my leave, Diel-nim.”
“Go ahead.”
Elvin stepped backward. Soon after, the large double doors slid open to either side.
The doors slid open with a rumble.
A soft click followed.
Having finished his report safely, Elvin let out a breath he had been holding.
Is it really all right like this?
Walking down the deathly silent hallway, he closed his eyes tightly.
If only someone could put a stop to the family head’s actions.
If only they could do that, he didn’t care who it was.
“……Where was the Roisar heir staying again?”
Right now, the Roisar heir was probably tasting humiliation trapped inside a birdcage.
It was all by the family head’s orders.
As Elvin moved to carry out the command, he could not hide his heavy heart.
Urrgh. Urrrgh.
The second day of lessons in the forest.
I was straining with all my might, trying to concentrate and move the stubborn pheromones.
“You are doing well. Try to focus just a little more.”
It’s so hard!
I tried spreading the pheromones throughout my body just as Arvan had taught me, but it was easier said than done.
When I actually tried, they wouldn’t budge an inch.
Unable to be controlled properly, the pheromones were leaking out of my body in little puffs.
Maybe rushing it was making it even harder. This isn’t working. I need to take a break first.
“Casa. I wanna rest a lil’ bit.”
“Understood. Let us take a short break.”
“Fank you.”
I took out the water bottle from my bag and drank. It was refreshing, as the ice hadn’t completely melted yet.
As I leaned against the tree for a moment, Casana looked at me with concern.
“Why?”
“If it is too difficult, how about we stop for today?”
“No, it’s not hawd at all. I can keep goin’.”
I couldn’t give up like this. I was only just taking my first steps as a beastman, so I didn’t want to make a fuss.
I sprang to my feet. All right. Now that I’ve rested, time to start fresh.
Just like Casana explained a moment ago, feeling the pheromones slowly circulate through my entire body… I’ll imagine transforming one part at a time, slowly.
Hrngh.
I clenched my fists tight. More than anything, I desperately wanted at least one part of me to change.
Because they said once you transform a single part of your body, you get the hang of the sensation, and it becomes easy after that.
As I was focusing earnestly on moving the pheromones little by little inside my body, Casana’s eyes suddenly went wide as she noticed something.
“……Lady Irene.”
“Hm?”
“You have succeeded in transforming a part of your body.”
“Huh? Weally?! Where? Where?”
So that’s why Casana made such a surprised face!
Bubbling over with joy, I bounced up and down on the spot.
But where had it changed? No matter how much I looked over my body, I couldn’t see any difference.
Touching my face, it didn’t feel like it had changed. The arms and legs I could see were also the same.
Casana wouldn’t have lied to me just because she thought I was pushing myself too hard, right?
I whipped around to look at Casana suspiciously.
“Where did Iwing change? Nothin’ changed at all?!”
“Well……”
“Nothin’ changed anywhere!”
“A tail has appeared.”
Casana pointed behind me.
……A tail? Of all things, a tail?
Pouting, I turned around to look behind me. I saw the pointed shape of a tail sticking out. I had really hoped for wings if anything.
Still, since I had managed to transform part of my body, it wasn’t all bad.
“But Casa.”
“Yes, my lady.”
“How do I make dis go away?”
“You can make it disappear by focusing on drawing the pheromones back in.”
Draw them back in?
Urrrrgh.
I squeezed as hard as I could, focusing all my strength on the tail. I felt the tail twitch and move.
I couldn’t walk around like this, so I really wanted it to vanish before the lesson was over.
How long had I been wrestling with my tail?
With no more pheromones left to squeeze out, I flopped onto the ground with a tearful face.
“What… what do I do……”
The tail hadn’t disappeared at all.
Suddenly, what Seth had said flashed through my mind.
“You must never lose your focus when shifting into your true form. If you do… only part of your body might transform, and you could end up having to live like that for the rest of your life.”
Oh no. What if that’s actually coming true!
A wave of anxiety washed over me. I frantically grabbed Casana’s arm.
“Casa!”
“Yes, Lady Irene.”
“What do I do…… Does Iwing have to live like dis forever?”
When I asked in distress, Casana smiled gently and comforted me.
“It is all right, my lady. This sort of thing happens all the time. It will resolve naturally with time.”
“But Seth oppa said he succeeded on his very first twy?”
“That is…… true.”
“Then what about Arvan oppa?”
Casana fell silent. It seemed Arvan had succeeded on his first try, too.
And she said it was a very common occurrence! It’s not common at all!
For now, I decided to hide my tail with my bag and head back.
If I slung it over my shoulder and let it hang low, I thought I could manage to cover it somehow.
“Lady Irene. Please do not be too disheartened. You have accomplished partial beast transformation, after all.”
“Casa is wight.”
She was right, but… I couldn’t cheer up at all. Besides, having only a tail sticking out felt somehow embarrassing.
I left the forest with the bag hanging down low.
I must never let anyone catch me. Especially from Arvan, I have to hide it completely.
“Iwing can go by myself from here.”
“Is that so? Then I hope you make it back safely without getting caught, Lady Irene.”
“Mm!”
With Casana’s encouragement, I nodded my head and headed toward the entrance leading into the garden.
However, my resolve was short-lived.
I was confronted with a tremendous obstacle. That was none other than……
“Hello, Irene-nim.”
“……Pay, Paymon?”
“I brought snacks in advance in case you were hungry. But why is your bag hanging so low?”
“Huh……?”
“If it’s because it’s heavy, please give it to me. I’ll carry it for you.”
Because I had run into Paymon, who was waiting at the entrance.
Watching Paymon reach out his hand asking for the bag, I hesitated and stepped backward.
“No. It’s not heavy at all. I can carry it all by myself.”
“Then you should sling it properly over your shoulder. Carrying it like that will make your arm hurt, you know?”
Paymon nodded in understanding, yet he wore a puzzled expression.
Phew. This is bad.
How can I get back to my room without getting caught?
As I stood frozen and looked around, I suddenly felt a massive presence beside me.
A terrifyingly huge, fierce-looking man was staring down at me.
“It seems the young lady is quite fond of bags.”
“I doubt that’s it.”
“Why?”
“Rather than that, it looks more like she’s trying to hide something.”