I’m the Youngest Daughter of the Serpent Family
Chapter 8
“You can’t even eat properly.”
Watching the spit-out snack, the owner of the house clicked his tongue.
All of a sudden, I had turned into a baby bird who couldn’t even manage to eat right.
That wasn’t it at all!
“Peep! Pee-peep!”
Angry, I stamped my feet as hard as I could and shook my head, which made the owner of the house smirk coldly.
“If that’s not it, don’t tell me you spit it at me on purpose?”
“Peep, peeep…”
“How insolent.”
The owner of the house snatched me up in one grab. I felt my body float into the air.
Startled, I flailed my legs, but I couldn’t budge an inch.
“Such a tiny thing.”
The owner of the house chuckled arrogantly. My body stiffened as he drew me right up to his face in an instant.
His face was breathtakingly handsome.
The languid gaze looking down at me was terrifying, but his sheer beauty was enough to offset even that fear.
Still, I couldn’t let myself be swayed by good looks. The owner of the house had a downright filthy temper!
When I glared right back at him, he looked me up and down and snorted.
“You even know how to glare, do you?”
“Pee-eet!”
“When you aren’t even as big as a rabbit.”
Boom.
What a shocking thing to say. I’m lesser than a rabbit?
No way. If anyone has ever seen a baby bird as cute and pretty as me, step right up and show yourselves!
It was an incredibly rude remark to make to someone who was still growing.
“Pee-eet!”
“After I fed you, gave you a place to sleep, and raised you. What an ungrateful little bird.”
The owner of the house began airing his grievances as if making sure I heard every word.
I flinched.
Because no matter what, I knew that the life I was currently enjoying was impossible without his permission.
I quietly lowered the gaze that had been stubbornly glaring at him.
When I demurely tucked in my flailing legs, the owner of the house examined me with curious eyes.
It was a look that seemed to say, To think such a creature exists in this world.
“Tiny.”
“…”
“Though, have you grown a little?”
“…Peep.”
I gave a timid nod.
“I heard you can’t even shapeshift into a human yet. Are you lacking somewhere?”
Snap.
That’s just because I’m still a baby!
When I flailed my legs in protest, the owner of the house settled into a relaxed posture to watch, as if daring me to keep trying.
All while holding me up with one hand.
Exhausted, I sullenly snapped my head away.
Then, I felt a finger poke me in the cheek.
“Pee-peep!”
“Tiny as you are, you’ve got a temper too.”
“Peep!”
Gradually growing annoyed, I put all the strength I had into both wings to wrench myself free from his grasp.
Urf.
Uuuuurf!
Ah… I’m out of energy.
“Peep!”
Let go of me!
When I gave the owner’s hand a sharp peck with my beak, he chuckled and set me down.
On high alert, I scurried behind the cushion to hide. Then, I peeked just my head out.
Why aren’t you leaving? Hurry up and go.
“This is my house.”
Reading the look in my eyes, the owner of the house tilted his chin up with a grin.
Right. This place belonged to him. This room belonged to him too. This cushion, those snacks, everything.
As reality sank in and my shoulders slumped, the owner of the house, who had been watching me quietly, spoke up.
“Come to think of it, having a daughter wouldn’t be so bad. For the time being, that is.”
“…Peep?”
“So I thought of a name.”
What on earth was he talking about right now?
My eyes widened at the unbelievable words.
Words I hadn’t dared to expect in the slightest were reaching my ears.
“Irene.”
“…Peep?”
“That’s your name from now on. Irene Astrophel.”
In that moment, an inexplicable rush of emotion swept over me.
Are you really giving me that name?
Because I never had a name before, no one had ever called me by one.
Was that why?
I simply couldn’t believe that someone had addressed me by a name.
Irene Astrophel. It felt as though that was truly my name now.
Forgetting even to breathe, I stared blankly at the owner of the house.
“What, you don’t like the name?”
“Pee-ee!”
I quickly shook my head to tell him that wasn’t it at all. I had just been a little surprised.
“Pee-pee-peep…”
What should I do? I love it so much. As I softly chirped my name over and over, the man’s red eyes glanced toward the door.
At that exact moment, the door burst open.
“Baby! I’m so sorry I’m la— Head of the family?”
“You’re here, Rosaria.”
“Pee-pee-pee-peep!”
I greeted Rosaria with delight, stretching my wings out wide.
Spotting me hiding behind the cushion, Rosaria quickened her pace and rushed over.
“Baby!”
I missed you!
When I threw myself into her arms and rubbed my cheek against hers, Rosaria let out a soft laugh. Being held in her familiar embrace brought a sense of peace.
“Were you very frightened because I wasn’t here?”
“Peep!”
Clinging tightly to Rosaria, I nodded.
Once I calmed down a bit, I peeked over her shoulder to look at the owner of the house.
He was watching Rosaria and me with a crooked posture.
With an expression that looked somewhat displeased.
“Our baby, are you hungry?”
“Pee-ee.”
I shook my head. I was already full from the snack I ate earlier.
“Did you get along well with the Head of the family?”
Hmm. Did we get along well?
I fell into deep thought. Still, the owner of the house gave me snacks, and… he even gave me a name.
Come to think of it, his touch when he held me at first had seemed awfully gentle too.
“Peep.”
When I nodded to say we got along fine, Rosaria’s face filled with surprise.
The corners of the owner’s mouth curled up in satisfaction.
“So she says.”
The owner of the house rose from his seat. Since Rosaria had arrived, it seemed he was getting ready to leave.
Taking hold of the doorknob to step out, he paused for a moment.
“Ah.”
“…?”
“It’s not ‘Baby’ anymore. It’s Irene.”
* * *
A warm, sunny afternoon.
I was having a picnic in the garden with Rosaria. Lying down on a mat spread out beside the fountain, I basked in the sunlight.
Snuggling against the yellow cushion Rosaria had brought along, the warm sunshine enveloped my entire body.
Ah, this is wonderful.
“Lady Irene.”
“Peep.”
Ever since the owner of the house gave me a name, the way Rosaria addressed me had changed.
From Baby to Irene.
Though it was a little unfamiliar, I loved it immensely. I love having a name so much!
If I could, I’d run around saying it all day long, but right now I couldn’t.
I didn’t know what kind of sudden whim had possessed the owner of the house to name me, but good things were good things.
For now, didn’t this mean it was okay for me to stay in this house?
Since he said he’d acknowledge me as his daughter for the time being, that was probably right.
I had to try very hard to pull down the corners of my beak, which kept twitching upward.
I have a name now, and I have a place to stay for a while!
Rustle, rustle.
The ticklish strokes smoothing down my soft feathers made my body grow drowsy.
Just as I rolled onto my side asking for the other half to be stroked too, I heard an unfamiliar voice chuckle nearby.
“Haha, Lady Rosaria. It seems you’ve come out for a walk with Lady Irene.”
“Peep?”
“Are you enjoying your walk?”
“…Pee-peep.”
Nodding awkwardly, I examined the unfamiliar grandfather.
For some reason, more and more members of the family had been striking up conversations with me lately.
With the appearance of a grandfather I’d never seen before, I reflexively sat bolt upright.
“You have very good manners.”
“Peep.”
“Haha. From where could such a fine daughter have rolled into our midst?”
Surprisingly, the people here were remarkably open-minded.
Even though I was a bird, they seemed to accept me as the owner’s daughter without batting an eye.
Had it been anywhere else, I might have been cast out long ago.
Even half-bloods with shared bloodlines were often discarded easily by their clans.
“Lady Rosaria, is it not uncomfortable for you, staying with the family after such a long time?”
“I am quite all right. You needn’t worry, Zeras.”
“Is that so.”
If there was one more new fact I had learned, it was that Rosaria’s status was far higher than I had thought.
Most people spoke to Rosaria with polite, deferential speech.
Amazing, so cool!
“Seeing your face brighten up, it seems the matter you were worried about has been resolved smoothly?”
“Ah, that matter? Thanks to the Head of the family stepping in personally, it was resolved with ease.”
“The Head of the family did?”
There’s no way that’s true, is there?
Rosaria wore an expression of sheer disbelief.
At that, Zeras gave a hearty chuckle.
“It is the truth. The Head of the family swept them all away. Beyond the Anead Grassland, all the way to the Benea River.”
“Goodness. Then that’s almost up to the neutral territory, isn’t it?”
“Indeed. A resting ground has been established in the South as well.”
“Heavens.”
Rosaria covered her mouth. I did the exact same thing.
