Chapter 04
Calypso was startled by the voice, which resonated like an echo in a cave.
‘Oh, a voice that doesn’t match his face at all.’
His eyes drooped slightly, and with dark circles, he even seemed sensitive, but his voice was nothing like that.
Well, that had nothing to do with Calypso herself.
‘He’s the kind of person who wouldn’t even glance my way if I showed up and bothered him as his daughter from the start.’
She hadn’t met Pierre many times, but she had a grasp of his personality.
To be precise, she had heard stories from her retainers in the previous round.
“The late Pierre? Ugh, he really hated troublesome and annoying things. Especially children, I’d say! That’s why he didn’t even spare a glance for his own child, the young lady!”
“You ignorant, brainless bastard, is that something to cheerfully say in front of the young lady? Anyway, flounders have no brains, like noodles. Ah, young lady, that reminds me, I heard that even when he was sick, he was extremely fond of cleanliness.”
Surprisingly, the retainers were quite interested in Pierre.
‘Given that they remembered him well even after he had already died.’
Well, in this family that worships power and physical strength, he was a peculiar existence—his power alone could have been the strongest in history, yet his body was frail.
Anyway, since he disliked children, she felt the need to speak even more clearly than when dealing with Grandmother.
“That’s the opposite direction.”
“Hmm, which direction?”
“It’s quite a distance away.”
“Really? That’s a problem.”
Calypso brought her tiny hand to her chin and hummed.
The sight was actually very cute and adorable, but Pierre only stared at her as if she were an inanimate object.
“How about you take me there, Mister? I absolutely have to go.”
It was a shrill voice. Pierre stared at Calypso blankly and tilted his head slightly.
“I don’t want to.”
A hint of intense annoyance flickered across his face.
‘As expected, he seems to hate annoying things.’
That face clearly said, “Why should I?”
“Really? Well, I guess there’s no choice then.”
Calypso shrugged without a trace of regret, reached her arms up to the edge of the fountain, grunted as she climbed up, and sat down.
“I guess education can wait. I’ll just eat first.”
Pierre silently watched her until she had settled in.
Whether Pierre looked at her or not, Calypso opened the pouch she had brought.
What she pulled out with a grunt from her worn-out dolphin-shaped bag was dried fruit.
She had been saving them up steadily ever since she learned to walk.
‘I packed food in case of any situation.’
The building Calypso was in was only for babies who had to survive on their own for a year or two, so the meals were poor.
As soon as she turned two, Calypso had stashed away things that could last a long time.
Calypso stopped eating and turned her head.
“What are you looking at, Mister?”
Even at Calypso’s blunt question, Pierre gave no answer.
Does he only have that one expression?
“If you have nothing to say, don’t stare. You’ll scare away my luck.”
“…”
You think you’re the only prickly one? I’m prickly too. Dad.
Calypso grumbled inwardly and continued chewing on the dried fruit.
Then, because her cheek itched, she rubbed it.
Calypso didn’t know, but when she had struggled to climb onto the fountain, soot from the dirty fountain had gotten on her hands, and that had rubbed onto her cheek.
Oblivious to the black smudge that had appeared on her face, Calypso ate diligently.
‘Since all the meals come out as terrible excuses for baby food, this sweetness is heaven, absolute heaven.’
Before she knew it, she had forgotten the very purpose of coming to see her father and was wholly absorbed in admiring the taste.
“Mister, why do you keep looking at me? Are you hungry?”
“…”
“Want one?”
Calypso held out her pouch as if showing mercy.
Then, recalling her purpose, she thought, ‘Oh no.’
“…”
But receiving no answer, she had to take it back.
‘Hmm, he’s annoyingly taciturn.’
Calypso was busy trying to recall her own charm, which she herself had forgotten.
How could she make an impression on him without being bothersome?
But thinking there was no immediate answer, she got up from her spot without hesitation.
“Thanks for showing me the way, Mister. It’s really quiet here. Do you always play here alone?”
“…”
“Mister, are you an outcast too? Like me, does no one pay attention to you?”
Pierre lived in one of the shabby buildings at the western end.
Although he was sickly, he wasn’t completely cast out, so there was no need for him to live in such a remote and shabby place, yet he did.
This was something Calypso was also curious about.
‘Has he given up on life early?’
His resigned appearance somehow made her think that might be the right answer.
If that were the case, he was someone completely incomprehensible to Calypso, whose attachment to life was incredibly strong.
Calypso tilted her head.
“If that’s the case, you must be lonely too, just like me.”
It wasn’t exactly that she was lonely, but Calypso made an effort to speak like a child.
It wasn’t a wrong statement.
In the building Calypso was in, there were only orcas who couldn’t speak or would die young, and whale beast-person babies who were retainers.
And then there were the nannies and attendants who had no interest in the babies.
‘Even passing ants wouldn’t be treated like this.’
Seeing a face that showed no reaction no matter what she said somehow made her feel irritated, and she clicked her tongue inwardly.
It seemed he had absolutely no interest in me.
Oh well, oh well.
Calypso decided to give up and leave.
‘Anyway, the retainers’ words from the previous round about me coming here often seem to be true.’
“Mm, I should go home now. Goodbye, Mister.”
Calypso knew when to come and when to leave.
Now was the time to retreat.
“See you later.”
He probably wouldn’t even pretend to hear that either, so Calypso didn’t even look back.
Because her attachment to life was strong, she was used to looking only forward.
“…”
And so, Calypso didn’t notice the intense gaze boring into her back.
After Calypso left, Pierre stared blankly for a long time like a stone statue, then suddenly reached out his hand.
On the hand that rubbed the spot where Calypso had been, black soot was smeared.
Drops of water bubbled up and instantly cleaned Pierre’s hand.
‘Come to think of it…’
For the first time in a long while, he had a thought.
‘That, I think she’s my daughter.’
Pierre looked at his hand, where only clear water remained, and slowly licked it with his tongue.
At the same time, he languidly swept his hair back.
“Mmm.”
His languid voice cut through the air. His thought was brief.
‘That little one doesn’t seem to know I’m her father.’
* * *
…Or so he might be thinking, right?
I ran along with quick steps, thinking.
‘As if.’
Looking at my father Pierre, I thought there was no way he wouldn’t recognize me.
The Orca family is divided into the direct line and the collateral line.
The ‘power of water’ they possess appears almost exclusively in the direct line, but very occasionally, there are those in the collateral line who also awaken this power.
In such cases, the collateral members finally gain the qualification to enter the succession competition for the Head of the Family.
‘I’m in the direct line, so just by bloodline, I have the qualification to enter the succession competition.’
But why would I bother? In this life, after I become strong, I’ll make a showy exit.
Anyway, back to the main point, the appearances of the direct and collateral lines are slightly different.
The direct line has black and white mixed hair, as if wearing the skin of a real orca.
The collateral line has gray hair.
‘Besides, even among the direct line, the kids are all pretty similar, so there’s no way it would be hard to recognize me.’
What would he think upon seeing a little brat with a personality just like his?
If he didn’t know, he’d be an idiot. At least he doesn’t seem to be an idiot, so he must be pretending not to know.
‘I was told he hates troublesome and annoying things, and that includes children.’
I’ll need to think more carefully about how to approach him from now on.
‘Anyway, before moving and going to the educational institute, I need to at least get a little acquainted with Dad.’
The educational institute, which starts from age three. This applies to all whale-type beast-people, and it’s a building located within this vast Orca estate.
As for what they learn, it’s like a kindergarten…
But in reality, it’s a ruthless place where whale babies are thrown in and told to survive.
Especially for the aggressive orcas, regardless of direct or collateral line, if they fail to show promise in the three areas of brain, body, and the power of water at this institute, they are thoroughly discarded.
‘Other whales are desperate to nurture their young. This damn family.’
It will be quite tough from the moment I enter the educational institute.
Because I need to show progress that satisfies that old hag to avoid being banished to the cold region.
If I’m banished to the cold region, just like in the previous life, the route of being sold off to another family is confirmed.
‘If that happens, I won’t be able to become the Dragon’s Bride as planned.’
I have no choice. I’ll just have to somehow reveal this body’s genius.
Fortunately, I was confident.
