The Youngest Daughter of the Snake Family - Chapter 38

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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 38
Ever since her cover had been blown, she showed no hesitation in appearing before me.
Messis walked over to her side and peered curiously around, as if fascinated by the swing.
“Did you deliver the letter safely?”
“Oh, that. Of course. Everyone loved it so much.”
“Really?”
“Yes. We’ve all submitted our Reflection Essays now. It’s because you encouraged us, Miss.”
I was relieved to hear that all the essays had been turned in.
So could we meet now?
As Messis spoke, something seemed to occur to him—his lips trembled with barely contained emotion.
When I looked at him with curiosity, Messis broke into a radiant smile.
“I’ve never seen anything quite so spectacular. Thank you. Thanks to you, Miss, I got to see such a sight.”
“What did you see?”
“Ask him directly later. Ask him what he did.”
I was curious, but I nodded for now.
For the moment, riding the swing felt more urgent.
I settled onto the seat, gripping the rope firmly with both hands.
“Aileen, push me, Messis.”
“Hmm?”
“I need to move my legs back and forth, but it’s hard.”
When I made a show of struggling while kicking my legs, Messis, who had been standing at a distance, stepped forward.
“How hard should I push?”
“Gently. Nice and easy.”
“Easy? ……It shouldn’t be difficult, yet it feels strange somehow.”
Messis murmured to himself.
Unlike his ready acceptance of my request, Messis seemed to pause in thought.
He appeared to be deliberating over exactly how gently to push.
I looked ahead and waited eagerly for him to begin.
Soon the swing started to move slowly.
With a satisfying momentum, I pumped my legs back and forth with vigor.
“Wheee!”
A cool breeze swept through my hair.
Each time I soared closer to the sky, I let out delighted cries, and I heard Messis chuckle softly behind me.
“Push harder!”
“What?”
“Just a little harder!”
I cried out, brimming with delight. It seemed I could go a bit higher still.
I had the thought that if anything went wrong, Messis would rescue me immediately.
I’d ride just a little longer, then head off to do my homework.
As the swing descended from its high arc, my back felt a sudden poke.
“Huh?”
I tilted my head in puzzlement.
What was that?
The sensation felt altogether different from Messis’s pushes.
Rather than the leisurely, gentle thrust I’d felt before, this touch was remarkably cautious.
“Messis?”
“Yes.”
When I called his name with a note of question, his voice came from beside me rather than behind, where it should have been.
I turned in alarm to look to the side.
Messis was leaning against the tree that held the swing, watching with obvious delight.
Then who was pushing the swing right now?
As confusion spread through me, Messis laughed aloud.
“Faimon. You’re caught, so stop now. You’ve startled Miss.”
“……Ah.”
A regretful voice emerged from behind me—one I’d never heard before.
The careful hands that had been pushing the swing withdrew.
Faimon?
It was a name I’d never heard before. I realized at once that he must be one of my guards.
When had he switched in?
I waited eagerly for the swing to come to a halt.
“I received your letter, Aileen. Thank you.”
His voice was warm and genuine, filled with affection.
“Did you see the letter Aileen sent?”
“I did. I was struggling with how to write the Reflection Essay, but after reading your letter, I felt encouraged enough to come see you earlier.”
“And how did you write the Reflection Essay?”
“I thought the idea was to show some reflection and then get revenge and move on.”
It was quite a refreshing approach to a Reflection Essay.
That must have been why it took him so many days to submit it.
I’d been curious about the delay, and now the mystery was finally solved.
I waited until she came to a complete stop, then hopped down from the carriage. I turned around to get a look at Faimon.
Our eyes met—his dark brown hair framed a face with mysterious green eyes.
“Finally, I get to greet you properly.”
“You’re Faimon?”
“Yes.”
I looked down at his finger, which he was holding awkwardly suspended in the air.
Bewildered by why he was doing that, I stared blankly until Faimon laughed self-consciously.
“Ah, this is… I heard I should push gently, but I wasn’t sure how much force to use.”
“So what did you do?”
“One finger seemed to be about right.”
That must have been the finger that poked me earlier.
…He’d made me fly that high with just one finger.
I’d gone incredibly high.
I smiled warmly at Faimon, whom I was meeting for only the second time.
“You wanted to see Aileen too?”
“Of course—why would you even ask?”
“Aileen wanted to see you so much!”
Suddenly,
I wrapped my arms around Faimon’s legs.
He’d started to step back in surprise, but when he saw me clinging to his calves, he froze in place.
Messis suddenly cried out in alarm and began speaking urgently.
“Wait, Faimon. Remember—the young lady has her arms around your legs right now.”
“I know. I’m being careful.”
“…Huh?”
Crunch.
In that same moment, I sank straight down into the ground.
I stared at the sunken grass beneath me.
If this were my first time experiencing something like this, I would have been shocked. But given everything I’d seen and been through, it barely fazed me.
Pat. Pat.
I lifted one foot and clumps of dirt fell from the top of my sandal with a soft thud.
I calmly extracted my buried foot.
“…Young lady, are you alright? You’re not hurt, are you?”
Messis seemed to be the one who was actually shocked. He’d gone pale and hurried over to me.
“Mm. It’s fine. Nothing’s hurt.”
When I nodded to reassure him, Messis relaxed.
Yet he still couldn’t fully settle, and examined my legs from different angles.
I looked up at Faimon, who was standing motionless.
He must have been quite startled by my sudden embrace. The ground had actually given way.
“Faimon.”
“Ah… yes?”
“I’m sorry for scaring you.”
As I apologized, Faimon, who had been silent, suddenly covered both eyes with his hands.
He stepped back, stole another quick glance at me, then let out a long sigh.
His eyes—troubled and conflicted—wandered through the air. Soon Faimon called out quietly to Messis.
“Messis. This is impossible.”
“No. You can manage it.”
“Did you see? Did you see how incredibly cute she looked walking over just now?”
“You promised you wouldn’t destroy everything like you did at the Border.”
It was a conversation that revealed much about Faimon’s usual conduct.
I took a moment to study Faimon again.
His chocolate-brown hair and deep green eyes exuded an endlessly gentle atmosphere.
But I later found out he went around violently destroying his surroundings. I found it difficult to imagine.
“I’m sorry, Aileen. I’ll be more careful from now on.”
“It’s fine. Don’t worry about it. It’s not like he does it all the time.”
“Well…….”
Faimon, crouched down and patting holes in the grass, trailed off.
His brow furrowed slightly.
He seemed to be recalling his past.
“At the Border, there’s no need to control my strength, so it’s hard to give a clear answer. ……Not every day, maybe sometimes? When I’m in a good mood or a bad mood, or when I’m startled.”
When I added up each situation he listed, it sounded like it happened almost every day.
I decided to keep my distance from him.
Messis clicked his tongue and shook his head.
“This is exactly why we can’t all come together.”
“……Yeah. I get it.”
“Thank you for understanding.”
If the situation from earlier happened repeatedly, it would be problematic.
I figured enough time had passed, so I walked toward where the mat was.
Messis and Faimon followed naturally.
I neatly removed my sandals and plopped down. It seemed like it was time to start my homework.
When I retrieved my bag from one side and took out my notebook and pencil case, the two of them looked at my bag with interest.
Messis asked.
“What are you doing? Aren’t you going to swing anymore?”
“Yeah. Aileen’s going to study now.”
“……Study?”
“Kasa gave me homework today, so I have to finish it all. If I don’t, Kasa will be upset.”
I opened my notebook and began copying words one by one.
Messis and Faimon sat quietly beside me while I finished my homework.
“All done!”
“Oh, you’re already learning vocabulary?”
“Yeah.”
“That’s impressive.”
“Since I finished, Aileen wants a snack now.”
I’d concentrated so hard that I got hungry. Though it didn’t actually feel like I’d worked that long.
I fumbled around in my bag and pulled out the snack container.
Faimon pointed at the container and asked.
“Is that really a snack?”
“Yes. This is Aileen’s snack.”
“……That’s it?”
“She can’t eat much. You saw last time.”
“True, but…….”
When I opened the snack container, a sweet fragrance wafted up.
Delicate fruit-topped crackers came into view. I picked up crackers the size of my palm one by one and handed them over.
After all, you’re supposed to share things like this!
“I’ll give you each one. Here, eat.”

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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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