Chapter 9
I was shocked.
That place was a region every beastfolk desired.
Especially in the ruined eastern lands, there were many rumors that it was like paradise.
It was famous for being beautiful and peaceful.
But I had heard that many powerful families wanted it, so no one could easily take control of it.
And now… they were saying it had been taken?
Thinking about when the master came to my room, it hadn’t even been a week.
I blinked in disbelief.
“Hoho, with the lord stepping in himself, it felt very reassuring.”
“…Why did he suddenly take interest in that land? He wasn’t interested in it before.”
“That’s true.”
Even as he said he didn’t know, Jeras looked at me like he knew something.
Why is he looking at me?
I tilted my head—and suddenly my stomach growled.
I was getting hungry.
As I glanced toward the lunchbox, Rosaria quickly came to me.
“Shall we have lunch now, Irene?”
“Pii.”
“I’ll feed you.”
“It seems you’re about to eat. I still have things to do, so I’ll take my leave. Enjoy your time.”
“Pipipii.”
As Jeras greeted us and left, I waved goodbye.
Now that he was gone, I could finally eat comfortably.
After putting on a small triangular cloth around my neck, I was ready.
Rosaria placed food into my mouth.
As I ate, I suddenly became curious.
When will I be able to transform into a human?
“Open your mouth.”
“Pii.”
I wish I could grow up quickly.
Then Rosaria wouldn’t have to feed me or take care of everything for me.
Feeling a little sorry, I looked at her.
“What’s wrong, Irene?”
“Pipipipi… pii.”
I wanted to say thank you, but I had no way to express it.
Now I had one more reason to learn human transformation quickly.
Rosaria smiled gently and blew on the food to cool it.
As I happily ate—
Crunch.
I heard footsteps on the grass.
“So this is where you were.”
“Pii?”
“You’ve returned, my lord.”
Rosaria adjusted her posture and greeted him.
I followed her and tried to bow—
But I tilted forward.
Ah… I still can’t bow properly.
As I awkwardly leaned forward, my body suddenly lifted into the air.
“Pii?”
“It seems she still doesn’t know how to use her body.”
“She’s still young.”
“I heard it’s been quite some time since she was born.”
“She is only three weeks old.”
That’s right! I’m only three weeks old!
I nodded quickly in agreement.
The master let out a small laugh.
“Then you still have a long way to grow.”
“…Pii.”
“It’ll take even longer before we can go boating.”
Boating?
I lifted my head in surprise.
Did he just say boating?
“Ah, it’s almost summer, isn’t it?”
“Yes.”
“So that’s why you cleared everything up to the Benea River! That place is famous for its beautiful scenery. But didn’t you say expanding territory was troublesome?”
“Having one or two more areas isn’t a bad thing.”
It seemed I hadn’t misheard.
So… the master had conquered that entire region and was now saying we could go there to play later?
Was that really something so easy to do?
As I stared at him blankly, he lightly tapped my beak.
“I’ll give it to you.”
“…Pii?”
Give what?
I felt like I had just heard something unbelievable.
Rosaria clapped her hands happily.
“That’s wonderful! Irene loves playing in the water.”
“Good.”
“Irene, are you happy?”
Wait, Rosaria. I need time to understand this.
If what I understood is right…
“You have a new playground now. We can go visit it soon.”
I froze, my beak slightly open.
He… gave me that huge place as a playground?
“Pii… pii…”
For the first time in my life, I was overwhelmed by a gift so big I couldn’t even understand it.
News spread quickly through the Astrophel family.
There was now a youngest young lady.
It had been almost a month since rumors started about a problem with the third egg.
It was already widely known that the third egg was not a Black Mamba.
After a meeting ended that afternoon, the retainers gathered and whispered among themselves.
“Wasn’t it said to be a baby bird?”
“I heard her eyes are red, just like the lord’s.”
“Really?”
The group fell silent.
None of them had actually seen the baby bird.
Where could they even see her?
Since no one had an answer, disappointment showed on their faces.
“Has no one seen her in person?”
“Hoho. I saw her playing in the garden before. She was incredibly cute.”
An old man appeared, and everyone’s attention turned to him.
Jeras smiled warmly, remembering the polite baby bird.
“…Are her eyes really red, Lord Jeras?”
“Yes.”
The old man, who was usually strict and cold, now looked gentle.
Everyone was amazed.
A young lady who could soften even Jeras?
They all became more curious.
Then someone raised a hand and asked,
“But… she isn’t from our clan. How was she allowed into the family?”
Everyone turned toward him.
That question still had no answer.
They were all curious how Irene had become part of the family.
Since Kaid had said nothing, it made things even more frustrating.
“If the lord acknowledged her as his daughter, doesn’t that make her the youngest lady of the Astrophel family?”
“That’s true, but… if it becomes known that we are raising a child from another clan, wouldn’t that cause problems?”
Everyone’s expressions hardened.
It was forbidden by law to raise a young beastfolk without a guardian.
It could seriously affect their growth.
Normally, someone from the same clan would raise them.
Also, it was rare for a young beastfolk to leave their territory on their own.
So this could become a very serious issue.
If her original clan objected, they would have no choice but to send her back.
Because of that, Kaid acknowledging Irene as his daughter was both unusual and dangerous.
The excitement about having a young lady quickly faded.
The Black Mambas grew gloomy.
“Does that mean she can’t stay here?”
“If things go badly… yes. …After all, no one even knows how she came here.”
That was true.
Irene’s existence itself was suspicious.
She was a species that shouldn’t have been born in this family.
Maybe she had been caught up in something even before she was born.
No one knew how she came here, but it probably wasn’t for a good reason.
“This is troubling… her position is unclear.”
“Even so, the lord gave her a name. What could he be thinking?”
“How would we know what he’s thinking?”
Everyone had been shocked when they first heard the news.
They thought the baby bird would disappear soon—
But now she even had the name Irene Astrophel.
And now, she was freely walking around the mansion.
Rumors about Irene spread everywhere.
Then someone quietly said,
“At this point, does it even matter what kind of person she is?”
Everyone turned to look.
The Black Mamba who spoke shrugged.
“After all… I heard he already gave her everything from Aenead to Benea.”
That story was already known by everyone.
