The Youngest Daughter of the Snake Family - Chapter 30

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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 30
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We stepped back into the Banquet Hall.
By now, surely Kaid had returned?
After parting ways with Seiji, I turned to head back to my seat when an irritated voice erupted from beside me.
“Acting like the clan’s doing so well! As if giving up one passage is such a hardship! They want fifty Gold Coins as a toll!”
“Please, calm down. Opening the Border Passage is a sensitive matter. There’s nothing to gain by letting emotions take the lead.”
“You’re right. Why don’t we bring it up again next time?”
Letra—he was the one who’d come to speak with Kaid earlier.
I caught a glimpse of him as I passed. His face was flushed, his jaw clenched.
“Fifty Gold Coins isn’t unreasonable, is it? They proposed to escort you through the passage as a condition, didn’t they?”
“For them, it’s nothing! They’re just trying to exploit a weak clan like ours and line their pockets.”
The heavy atmosphere made me tread as carefully as I could.
I hated this. It scared me.
With tears brimming in my eyes, I hurried toward Kaid when my gaze collided with Letra’s.
Realizing I’d been listening, he gave a sharp laugh.
“Of course, the Black Mamba are naturally cruel and greedy creatures, aren’t they? And the Clan Lord of Astropel is their master, so it’s all perfectly predictable.”
My mind went blank.
Letra wore the expression of someone expecting me to cry and run away.
The others, only now noticing my presence in the face of his inflammatory words, froze in shock.
“Oh, what’s the child doing here…?”
That’s not right.
“…isn’t.”
Kaid and these people aren’t bad people.
“No, that’s not true!!”
I screamed. The Banquet Hall fell silent all at once. I felt everyone’s eyes snap toward me.
Letra’s face filled with shock—clearly he hadn’t expected a child to shout back.
“You—what are you doing, child, raising your voice like that?”
“Kaid is kind! Kaid is always always kind! Even though he doesn’t know anything!”
Rosaria always takes care of me, and everyone else smiles whenever they see me!
Arban pretends he doesn’t, but he listens to what I have to say. …I haven’t gotten close to Set yet, but he doesn’t seem like a bad person either!
I poured everything I had into my words.
“My dad is the best!!! Airin knows better than anyone!”
The murmuring around us grew louder. Letra flinched, then reached out to cover my mouth.
As his large hand drew near, I squeezed my eyes shut.
“That’s enough.”
“…!”
“Don’t lay a hand on the young lady.”
A man with deep blue hair tied up in one long braid stepped into view. I gasped and looked up at him.
I was staring blankly at his broad back when a familiar low voice reached me from behind.
“Yes, I heard it all, Airin.”
“…Dad…”
“Come here.”
“Waaah!”
The tears I’d been holding back came pouring down.
I fell into his arms, and Kaid gently patted my back as he held me.
“My daughter—I’ve never once made her cry before.”
His single sentence chilled the atmosphere to ice.
“So who dared bring tears to my carefully raised child?”
With each gaze Kaid directed at them, people averted their eyes.
Set, who had followed him in, finally spoke.
“Airin, stop. There’s no need to say more. We’ll simply erase it all. One of them will do.”
Arban, unusually cold-faced, replied flatly.
“That won’t work. He has a weak stomach. Better to handle it quietly afterward.”
I sniffled and quickly wiped my tears away.
No, that’s not what I want at all.
Seized by a terrible premonition, I hurried to point out who was responsible.
“It was that man over there.”
Three pairs of crimson eyes turned toward Letra.
“Ah, so you’re talking about that rat?”
Kaid twisted his lips into a smile.
“I was preparing to teach you a lesson someday, but I’m grateful you’ve laid out the stage for me, Letra.”
That’s when I realized this man called Letra was the protagonist of “These brats keep begging for help with empty mouths—I should just crush them.”
As the situation took a serious turn, Letra jumped to his feet.
“That’s not it. Children that age don’t usually cry so easily, do they? I didn’t make her cry.”
But Kaid didn’t seem to be listening.
“You’ve hurt my daughter’s heart. There’s a price to pay for that.”
Letra’s face drained of color. Kaid looked furious.
Had things spiraled more out of control than I’d expected?
I felt a moment of worry, but then I remembered what Letra had said just before, and my anger flared up again.
I leaned close to Kaid’s ear and whispered.
“That man said Papa was just my father. Airin heard everything.”
“So your feelings are hurt?”
“Yeah. That’s why Airin is sad.”
He’s my father, after all.
My lips naturally curved down, and my face scrunched up miserably. Sniff. When I buried my face against his shoulder in renewed sadness, Kaid coaxed me gently. “How should I punish him?”
“How should I punish him?”
There was an unmistakably delighted ring to his voice. I found myself at a loss from his sudden question.
Punish him how?
I’d never thought that far ahead. I shook my head, uncertain.
“Papa should know. Airin doesn’t know.”
“I see.”
Kaid let out a small laugh. Then his voice turned cold as he addressed Letra.
“We can consider our alliance null and void, Letra.”
“What—! You’re breaking the alliance unilaterally like this? That’s not a decision to make based on a child’s words alone! Aren’t you going to hear my side of the story?”
“I don’t think it’s necessary.”
“Children that age lie all the time. Of course you should hear what I have to say—!”
“Letra.”
Kaid cut off Letra’s agitated words. I clenched my fists in indignation.
I’m not a liar……
“You don’t think I’d be unaware of what’s being said in my own territory, do you?”
“That is……”
“I’ve been overlooking things, and now you’ve finally overstepped. And to think—why did you even do it.”
His tone was measured and admonishing, yet somehow it sent chills down my spine.
“You should have read the room better. If you’d grasped your station properly, this would never have happened. Isn’t that right?”
“Clan Lord! No matter what, this is too harsh.”
What would happen if an alliance was broken?
Looking at the faces of the people gathered around us, it seemed like a shockingly bold statement indeed.
Letra was trying desperately to smooth things over, while the crowd around us watched with keen interest.
Kaid announced the end of their relationship coldly.
“I’d prefer not to see the Letra Family set foot on my land again.”
“Our house has maintained exchanges with the Southern Region for a long time. We’ve kept good relations with every successive Clan Lord of Astropel!”
“That’s regrettable. But I, the current Clan Lord, have no such intention.”
Letra seemed not to have realized how much Kaid cared for me.
Truth be told, I was shocked by this outcome too. I’d never imagined Kaid would act this way.
I’d thought he merely found me somewhat endearing.
Now, realizing I was being cherished this deeply made me feel strange and ticklish inside.
I fidgeted with my fingers for no reason.
Kaid called over to Baon, who stood nearby.
“Baon.”
“Yes, Clan Lord.”
“From this moment forward, should any member of the Letra Family be spotted on my land, you’re free to hunt them down. Make sure everyone knows it.”
“I will see it done.”
It was a complete severing of the alliance. The whispers around us grew louder. From now on, not a trace of the Letra Family would remain in the Southern Region.
Because Kaid would not tolerate it.
Everyone held their breath at his command.
“If it were up to me, I’d have his head hung on display.”
His brilliant crimson gaze touched Letra’s throat for a moment, then withdrew.
“But that wouldn’t be good for the child’s education, so I’ll let it pass.”
Kaid smiled broadly.
Letra stood frozen, his mouth gaping soundlessly. In a single morning, he had lost the right to set foot in the Southern Region ever again.
It meant everything.
“No, wait. Clan Lord, please give us a moment—!”
“Hmm. We should reconsider our arrangement with the Letra Family.”
“We’ll give it careful thought as well.”
The families who valued their ties to the Southern Region would turn their backs on Letra.
I looked up at Kaid in the heavy silence that settled over the hall.
He was clearly angry, and yet he seemed almost elated since a moment ago.
“Dad, are you happy?”
“No.”
“Then why are you smiling?”
I glanced at Set, Arban, and Baon standing in a line beside him, one after another.
Their faces were impassive, yet they seemed subtly pleased by the turn of events.
Why?
A small confusion bloomed in my chest.
“Karma.”
“Yes, sir.”
Kaid called to the man with deep blue hair.
“Write a reflection on what you’ve done.”
“My apologies.”
“The rest of you, as well.”
“Yes, sir.”
I watched Karma with curiosity as he materialized from thin air.
How long had he been watching from the shadows?
Judging by his mention of “the rest of you,” there were likely several others hidden nearby.

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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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