Chapter 19
‘Uh… first of all, that’s Angela.’
Angela, who was sitting diagonally across from me, glared at me before sharply turning her head away.
It seemed she still hated that I was wearing twin braids… but there was nothing I could do about that.
I would apologize for my mistakes, but I didn’t want to give in to unreasonable demands.
Next to Angela sat someone so beautiful that it was almost intimidating.
Like the Admiral, she had dark blue hair. Her eyes slanted upward slightly, making her look a little…
‘A marlin…’
The moment I muttered that in my head, the Spirit Kings burst out laughing.
‘They’re really delicious when grilled over charcoal.’
I was already eating delicious food, yet I was thinking about other delicious food. What should I do?
“You said Rina taught you the family tree yesterday.”
“Yes.”
At that moment, the Admiral placed a piece of steak onto my plate and spoke.
“The person sitting next to Angela is your aunt, Chesilia. The empty seat beside her belongs to Leviwood.”
“Class president!”
“So I’ve heard. Originally, that seat should have belonged to Chesilia, but she deliberately changed places because she didn’t want to sit near Lady Violet.”
Teacher from the Carrot Class, it looks like adults fight often too.
‘Adults are supposed to be able to do things they don’t like, though.’
Aunt Chesilia didn’t even glance at me.
So I immediately shifted my gaze elsewhere.
Right beside the family head sat the successor, Aunt Violet.
‘Wow.’
Her blue-violet eyes quietly looked at me.
Her pale water-colored hair was loosely tied up, and the silver dress she wore suited her perfectly.
Aunt Violet gave off an atmosphere that was both gentle and strong.
More than anyone I had met so far, she seemed…
Cool.
I couldn’t explain it, but the feeling I got from her was really cool.
‘And she looks like an azure-winged magpie.’
I really like azure-winged magpies!
At that moment—
[The Water Spirit King “■■■■” explains.]
[Chesilia inherited Medusa’s bloodline completely. She may resemble a marlin, but she’s actually closer to a water serpent.]
‘I see.’
[The Water Spirit King “■■■■” recommends the book Sea Monsters, Abilities, and Rare Species.]
[If you trace the Pasayen family tree back far enough, you’ll find Medusa. The bloodline skipped several generations, and Chesilia inherited that power.]
I see.
I finished my steak completely and reached for some bread.
Now I was going to spread lots of butter and honey on it and take a huge bite!
Perhaps Angela was jealous of how happily I was eating, because her eyes widened.
Feeling awkward under her stare, I held out my bread toward her.
“Want some…?”
“What? Something you’ve already bitten? I-I don’t want it.”
“Okay.”
Then I’ll eat it myself.
[The Water Spirit King “■■■■” watches you fondly, saying his little one eats well.]
[Actually, Violet’s raw ability is weaker than Chesilia’s. However, the position of family head is not decided by strength alone.]
‘Oh! So Aunt Marlin… no, Aunt Chesilia is upset because of that!’
If I were stronger but still couldn’t become vice class president, I would probably be disappointed too.
[The Water Spirit King “■■■■” teaches you.]
[Whether it’s a class president or a family head, it’s the same. The one who sees farther, thinks more wisely, and does not lose their temper easily. A person with both a cool mind and a warm heart. Above all… someone who loves the Pasayen family and everyone who lives within it.]
To be honest, I was too distracted by the sweet apple pie to read every glowing letter.
But I definitely saw the last part.
‘Someone who loves everyone.’
‘Yes, I want to become someone who loves everyone too.’
I couldn’t become the family head since I wasn’t a biological daughter.
Still, I could become someone who loved everyone.
Feeling happy, I swung my feet back and forth.
“I’ve only just met her today… but daughters really are adorable…”
The Admiral was wiping pie crumbs from around my mouth.
The person sitting beside me suddenly spoke.
“…!”
I jumped in surprise.
His presence had been so faint that I had completely forgotten someone was sitting next to me.
‘Long brown hair and green eyes. He looks like a willow tree.’
Hmm, so that’s—
“Uncle Nein!”
“Sniff… Are daughters normally this adorable just by existing?”
Uncle Nein looked extremely exhausted.
I felt like he needed some Orca Sugar.
Somehow, even I felt sorry for how lifeless he looked.
So I quietly held out the cream puff I had just picked up.
“Here, Uncle.”
“Sniff… You’re giving me food…? Are you an angel?”
“Umm, that’s…”
Uncle Nein accepted the cream puff with a deeply moved expression.
Then the Admiral cleared his throat beside me.
“You call my older brother ‘uncle’ very easily.”
“Hm?”
“I thought you simply couldn’t pronounce ‘Dad.’”
Ah.
The Admiral was sulking!
As I rolled my eyes, wondering what to do, Uncle Nein spoke first.
“When she opens her heart, she’ll call you herself. Don’t rush her, Diegon.”
“Yes, Brother.”
“To suddenly gain such an adorable daughter… sniff.”
“Are things still difficult these days?”
The Admiral asked awkwardly.
Uncle Nein simply nibbled on the cream puff without answering.
“Dad, are you tired? Should I massage your shoulders?”
“Stay still, Iliad. If you massage them, I’ll die.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yeah.”
Someone’s voice came from behind Uncle Nein.
Curious, I leaned far to the left.
And there—
There were twins!
I’d never seen them in class before, so this was our first meeting, but I already knew their names.
“Iliad, Naiad oppas…?”
“Oh, Ned. The little one knows our names?”
The boy, whose plate had been cleaned completely, grinned.
Like Uncle Nein, he had brown hair and green eyes.
At first glance, he looked friendly enough that I wanted to become friends with him.
“You’re both ten.”
“That’s right. I’m already ten years old. My name is Iliad.”
“I’m Shuperty.”
So the Iliad-Naiad twins were ten years old.
Angela was eight.
I was four.
While counting everyone’s ages in my head, I turned toward the Admiral.
“What about Elgen oppa?”
“Elgen is eleven. Micard is thirteen.”
“Wow. My oppas are older!”
For some reason, I felt proud.
I proudly looked at Iliad and Naiad.
Naiad had beautiful light-green hair like fresh grass and green eyes.
Their faces were identical because they were twins, but their hair colors made them easy to tell apart.
“Hey, little one. Do you like flowers?”
“I do.”
Iliad suddenly asked.
I nodded enthusiastically.
Then Naiad curled one finger.
“Here. This is for you.”
“Wow!”
What was this?
How did he do that?!
Rustle.
A blue vine slipped out from Naiad’s sleeve.
The vine crawled across the dining table until it reached me.
Then, with a pop, a pure white flower bloomed.
The vine gently tucked the flower behind my ear before sliding back toward Naiad.
“Little one, you know I’m adopted too, right?”
While I was smiling happily, Uncle Nein began explaining.
“I possess a plant-type ability, specifically one related to crops. Later, I met and married a woman with flower-related abilities.”
“Yes.”
“Naiad inherited both our bloodlines and was born with plant-type abilities.”
“That’s amazing!”
I had learned this in Cedric’s class.
Plant-type abilities were extremely important in Pasayen.
Because of the nature of the land, the soil contained a lot of salt, making it difficult for crops to grow.
[The Earth Spirit King “■” sends an affectionate kiss toward Nein and Naiad.]
“Then… what about Iliad oppa?”
“Ah, Iliad…”
Uncle Nein paused for a moment.
Then he looked at Iliad and spoke.
“Hm. It would be better to show you than explain it. Would you like to hear it?”
“Yes, Dad!”
But hear what?
