Chapter 03
“…”
The aide’s face turned pale as he looked back and forth between me and the old lady.
It was as if he was looking at me with pity, as though I was already a dead soul.
I didn’t care at all. I was just thinking that since I was at it, I wanted to pull out a strand of her hair too.
Thoughts should be put into action.
Just as my tiny hand shot out, it was blocked by a large hand.
Oh, did she block my attempt at her hair? Or is she angry? That’s what I thought at that moment.
“Ha, Hahahahaha!”
The old lady was laughing heartily, as if she found it incredibly amusing.
At the end of her laughter, her gleaming eyes turned to me. A gaze filled with lazy satisfaction.
“Pierre, this came from that madman who gave up on life?”
But her sharp eyes continued to scrutinize me. As if she found me quite interesting.
Her wrinkled yet handsome face suddenly came close to mine.
So close that I could clearly see her wrinkles.
The Orca family could infuse killing intent into their gaze.
Her gleaming eyes clearly held more than just goodwill.
“You’re the first grandchild to pull out my hair, you little dumpling.”
“…Ung?”
The old lady dropped me onto the bed with a thud.
It wasn’t exactly something you’d do to a baby, but the bed was soft so it didn’t hurt.
“Fine, I’ll postpone deciding what to do with this one.”
In the previous rounds, the very first thing that happened to me after regressing was being banished to the farthest building from the main house.
“Send her to the educational institute this summer.”
“…Yes, Head of the Family.”
Her long, slit-like eyes turned to me.
Beneath her hair, which gleamed like the skin of an orca, her fierce eyes curved.
“Listen here, you rice-cake-sized thing. If you don’t show results at the educational institute, you’ll be immediately banished to the cold region. Understood?”
For the reason that I was weak and hadn’t awakened the power of water. I had always been cast out.
‘Fine, just you wait. I’ll grow up quickly and get out of this family.’
Before that, I’ll get to see that old hag’s face scrunch up.
‘I’ll become strong enough to make her drool, then disappear as the Dragon’s Bride.’
I will become the best. I will definitely become the best.
And so, I changed the start of this life.
* * *
The age at which I could be sold off as the Dragon’s Bride was ten.
But before that, I was always sold off to other families time and again.
I tried resisting, throwing tantrums, and running away several times.
Despite having memories of the original work, with a powerless body, there was absolutely nothing I could do here.
‘I was only able to run away in the previous round because I risked my life.’
But now, thanks to finally figuring out how to speak clearly, I had bought myself some time.
Now there was only one thing I had to do.
‘First goal: survive safely until age ten.’
And until then, avoid being sold to a family related to the original work.
I already appeared to have an unusually sharp mind, but that alone wasn’t enough.
‘I need a guardian until I turn ten.’
I can develop my abilities gradually, but until then, I needed at least one guardian to firmly support me.
‘My physical abilities are too lacking. I can’t help it since I take after my father in that regard.’
My three older brothers, who had outstanding abilities, either had the protection of retainers or were remarkable enough not to need any, but I was not like that.
‘If only I still had the power of water.’
Then who could help me until I grew up?
Most adults wouldn’t want to become my guardian.
No matter how smart I was, this was a family that preferred overwhelming physical force over intellect.
‘I need an adult with unique tastes who would also stand by and watch.’
And I knew one such person.
‘My father. Pierre Aquacielo.’
My father was a man in a peculiar position within this Orca family.
The Head of the Family, my grandmother, had three sons. The first and second had competed as rivals since childhood, boasting formidable abilities… but the third, Pierre, was different from birth.
He had a very frail body.
However, unlike me, who was looked down upon for being weak, my father was not ignored or slighted because he possessed tremendous ‘power of water.’
‘The problem was that his weak body limited his ability to use that power.’
To describe my father, it was like this:
A weapon with enough firepower to frighten everyone, but with a limited number of uses.
My grandmother also treated my father as a regrettable but useless person, and so he secluded himself and stayed hidden.
In the midst of this, he did have children through a political marriage, but unlike my older brothers, he didn’t care for them.
My older brothers also paid no attention to my father.
‘But right now, that indifference is exactly what I need.’
Currently, I was being carried in the arms of the attendant who had brought me, on my way back to my residence.
Strangely, the hands carrying me had become more careful than when we left.
‘It must be because she saw that I caught Grandmother’s eye.’
When we arrived at the room, the attendant glanced at me and cautiously opened her mouth.
“Miss, we plan to move your quarters in a week. I will come back then.”
The place I was currently staying in was a shabby room at the western end.
The attendant said I would be moved to the end of the main building and then withdrew.
‘Power really is something. As soon as I caught Grandmother’s eye, they’re moving my room. Well, this room was too old and dangerous anyway, so it’s for the best.’
As soon as I was alone, I waddled around.
In this old building, there was a nanny who looked after babies like me all at once.
Someone who gave just enough food to keep us alive.
Babies of the Orca family started in this building and could leave the moment they showed promise.
Babies born with the power of water, of course, lived in the main building without ever needing to come here.
I diligently moved my feet.
* * *
After walking for quite a while, baby Calypso was able to reach the place she had wanted.
Calypso turned her chubby face this way and that, surveying the area.
‘It should be around here… Ah!’
Soon Calypso’s face brightened.
She had found the person she was looking for.
In Calypso’s large eyes, she saw a man sitting blankly near a fountain.
The fountain here was old and cracked, looking as shabby as if it lay in a ruin.
The man sitting there was very tall and large-framed, but somehow gave the impression of being gaunt.
His collarbone was visible above the round-necked shirt, and a loosely draped cardigan exuded a languid atmosphere.
His face made that languid atmosphere even more mature, and he had a gaunt appearance that gave off a somewhat decadent impression.
His pale white skin, as if he had never seen a ray of light in his life, amplified this atmosphere.
‘Hmm, as expected of a powerful orca, he is handsome.’
Calypso made a simple assessment.
The man before her was her own father, ‘Pierre Aquacielo.’
Surprisingly, Calypso had barely seen her living, breathing father during her three lives.
The reason was simple.
In the previous rounds, he had almost never shown himself before Calypso was sold off, and after she was sold, he died soon after from illness.
He possessed power worthy of being called the strongest, but his weak body couldn’t hold out.
‘In the previous round, after becoming Head of the Family, I only saw him in portraits, right?’
In this round, she hadn’t seen him even once.
She had heard that her father hadn’t even been by her side when she was born.
Calypso ran over with a pat-pat.
Pierre didn’t turn his head even when Calypso got very close, just slowly gazing at something.
“Mister!”
Only when Calypso finally arrived right in front of him did he slowly turn his head.
“…”
Calypso looked closely at her father’s face.
As expected, seeing Pierre alive and moving was fascinating.
‘A person who is currently as strong as Grandmother, but whose power is greatly restricted.’
Moreover, he has a limited time to live, dying early.
Whether he knows his own situation or not, he had a peculiar atmosphere, reminiscent of nights under neon signs that aren’t here.
“Hello, Mister.”
Calypso pretended not to know and smiled brightly.
“Do you know where that educational institute is? I have to go there.”
Of course, this was just an excuse to start a conversation and a blatant lie.
Pierre looked at Calypso for a long time.
Strangely, it would be more accurate to say that he merely turned his gaze rather than looked at her.
His gaze seemed to pass right through Calypso, as if he didn’t perceive her existence.
It was a gaze filled only with indifference and languor.
Calypso’s round eyebrows shot up.
Calypso had the roundest features among her family. This was always a complex for her.
Given the common image of orcas, everyone was sharp-featured, but she alone was round and soft.
But at this moment, she wanted to sharply raise the corners of her eyes. Hey, I’m offended!
‘Why isn’t he answering?’
After thinking this, it was only after a long while that a slow reply came.
“You’re quite a ways off on the direction.”
Pierre’s voice was low and husky.
Like someone who hadn’t made a sound in a long time.
