Black Killer Whale Baby - Chapter 52

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 52
“…What on earth made you believe in me enough to make such a choice? You could have deliberated longer before making any public announcement.”
“Ah, I was waiting for that question.”
Illia simply laughed.
“My child nearly lost his life. We beastkin don’t mate frequently, so if we lost our children, there would be no next generation.”
“What are you talking about? Roba said there was no danger to his life.”
“Ah, that. Roba told a well-intentioned lie out of consideration for you, Noble Lady. My apologies.”
What Illia meant was this:
When Ruga was first brought back, he suffered a delayed panic attack and truly came close to losing his life.
“Now he has recovered considerably, so there is no danger to his life.”
“Why didn’t you tell me beforehand? If you had…”
I clenched my fists tightly.
“I would never have let that bastard’s punishment end so lightly.”
“…”
Satisfaction gleamed in Illia’s laughing eyes and upturned lips.
“What can we do? The next Matriarch of Bellu insists it must be the successor who risked their life to protect her.”
“…”
“Shouldn’t we support our son’s first love? Ah, I’m only joking.”
Illia shrugged playfully, her expression growing distant for a moment.
“Truth be told, even after being given this special choice, we weren’t optimistic. We know there are many excellent successors in this generation.”
“…”
“But who else would think of orcas—not just killer whales—and even the weaker individuals among them? And what of the even more vulnerable aquatic creatures?”
Killer whales are ferocious. Some don’t hesitate to treat the weak as playthings.
“Cautiously speaking, we don’t believe killer whales possess awareness of morality and goodness. Or more precisely, they find such things bothersome and unimportant. Everyone knows this.”
Wait, you’re not being cautious about this at all.
‘I’m glad we came to a quiet place.’
If a militant killer whale had heard this, they wouldn’t have stayed silent.
“Being a mother myself, I can’t help but grow soft toward my children.”
“…”
“Just as Pierre, who had secluded himself for so long, set aside his convictions for his daughter and appeared here today—that is why you are the Noble Lady.”
She added this last part as if joking, but her eyes remained serious.
“Hey, you do know I’m only three years old, right?”
“Would we lack such information? You needn’t worry. We beastkin are those whose minds work better than anyone else’s.”
“But that’s exactly why you should calculate that a young successor is at a disadvantage.”
“Wasn’t it you, Noble Lady, who broke through those very limits?”
Though unintended, as someone who debuted so brilliantly, I had nothing to say.
It was the truth, after all.
Illia smiled broadly.
“As I said, the next Matriarchs of Bellu say it must be you, so what can we do? My children are already recognized as the next Matriarch by all Bellu beastkin.”
“…Please don’t say things like that while smiling. You’re asking too much of a three-year-old who’s only just been recognized.”
Even at my pointed rebuke, she tilted her head with a smile playing at her lips.
“Whether I took a gamble or recognized the raw gem beforehand, time will tell. In any case, I shall do my utmost to support you going forward.”
“No, it’s fine!”
“Should you need assistance, please do not hesitate to ask.”
“No, I said it’s fine?”
Illia clapped her hands.
“Ah, I cannot reveal where the other seven families are located. But I can offer you hints. Such trivial matters are well within my grasp.”
…But I said it’s fine?
Yet no matter what I said, it seemed my adorable mother with her resolute expression simply did not hear me.
As I watched the departing figures of the couple, I found myself contemplating.
‘Should I establish Agenor as the Matriarch?’
As I pondered, my body swayed slightly.
Father was walking quietly.
“….”
At the sudden silence that descended, I pressed my lips firmly shut.
I had wanted to avoid this, yet the moment had arrived.
‘There’s no helping it.’
“Where are we going?”
Father glanced sideways at me while holding me.
“Back home.”
Home. My feelings grew complicated at those words.
When he said it like that….
It felt just like our home.
It did not take long to return to Father’s residence.
It would have taken me quite some time on my own feet.
‘If only I could grow faster.’
Father set me down. Instinctively, I felt this was where things truly began.
“You and I have matters to discuss.”
As expected.
Father broached the subject first.
‘Sigh, there’s no escaping this now.’
It was inevitable.
I nodded my head.
“What is it?”
“Well, I suppose we should start with the matter of how you address me.”
I was somewhat taken aback.
I had naturally expected him to express anger or interrogate me first about why I had deceived him.
Father’s expression remained as impassive as always. Neither anger nor fury was visible anywhere.
…This was even stranger.
‘Why?’
That’s why I chose to be forthright and lay everything bare.
“What do you mean by ‘how I address you’? Are you saying I pretended not to know you were my father? Or are you talking about how I secretly spread all sorts of rumors?”
I deliberately emphasized the word “pretended,” but Father’s expression remained unmoved.
“You’re pointing out that I deceived and manipulated you, aren’t you?”
“….”
Even when I spoke forcefully once more, it made no difference.
Instead of answering my question, Father stared at me intently and blurted out something else entirely.
“Did you know from the beginning that I was your father?”
“…Yes. I knew from the start.”
Saying this amounted to admitting it was an intentional approach on my part.
But what could I do? Now was the time to be honest rather than clumsily deceive.
“…How?”
“How wouldn’t I know? You’re my father.”
Pierre’s expression became subtle.
I had already accepted that my relationship with Father would change because of today.
In the worst case, I might never see his face again.
‘Then who should I choose as my guardian until I turn ten?’
I had revealed my face far too much today.
‘I’ll surely face countless assassination threats.’
I anticipated that the Orca Family Older Brother and Younger Uncle would seize the opportunity and come at me.
Perhaps even Bellus might step forward.
The one fortunate thing was what I learned from this brawl today.
‘I won’t be beaten down wherever I go!’
It was all thanks to Father’s training.
Yet on the other hand, there was another problem.
Namely, that I was still only three years old.
What I mean is this.
‘My stamina has limits.’
That’s right. No matter how much I struggled and persevered, could I truly face multiple adults? It was impossible.
‘If I can’t see Father anymore, I might have to move my residence to the Home Territory for survival.’
Even as I thought this far, Father remained silent.
Until cold sweat beaded on my back.
…In truth, though I pretended to be unaffected, I was desperately curious about Father’s answer and anxious about what reaction might come.
Perhaps nothing would happen.
I hated myself for harboring such hope.
‘But he was like that in the meeting.’
He took my side when I appeared before the disciplinary committee.
He protected me during the meeting.
Why did he do that?
After living three lives, some sixty years in total, I had long since abandoned the habit of hoping for anything.
Yet I despise this creeping sense of anticipation that refuses to fade.
But one thing is clear—I remain poised to withdraw at any moment.
If he proves harmful to me, I know myself well enough to dodge without hesitation or stand and fight with every blade I possess.
“I have one question.”
“…What is it?”
“The rumors you deliberately spread.”
I swallowed hard in silence.
“Beyond that, you’ve always told me about your father—how he is this way, that way.”
“….”
“In the end, was this ‘father’ you described merely an ideal you yearned for?”
It was a question I had never anticipated.
My mouth went dry.
Was I simply imagining the father I desired and speaking of him?
I had to make a choice here.
And that choice would not take long.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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