The Youngest Daughter of the Snake Family - Chapter 8

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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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Episode 8
“Can’t even eat properly.”
The Household Master clicked his tongue at the snack I’d spit out.
Somehow I’d become a baby bird that couldn’t even manage to eat right.
But that’s not it!
“Chirp! Chirp-chirp!”
Furious, I stamped my feet hard and shook my head, and the Household Master laughed with a chilling smile.
“Or did you spit that at me, perhaps?”
“Chirp, chirp…….”
“No manners at all.”
The Household Master snatched me up in one swift motion. I felt my body suspended in midair.
I flailed in surprise, but I couldn’t move an inch.
“So small.”
He laughed arrogantly. My body went rigid as his face drew near, suddenly close enough to touch.
It was an extraordinarily beautiful face.
His gaze, looking down so slowly, was frightening—yet his appearance was beautiful enough to overwhelm even that fear.
But I couldn’t let myself be seduced by those looks. The Household Master’s personality was absolutely repugnant!
I glared at him boldly, and he let out a derisive snort as his eyes swept over me.
“Glaring, are we?”
“Chirp!”
“You’re worse than a rabbit.”
Crack.
It was a shocking thing to say. Worse than a rabbit?
That’s not true. If anyone’s ever seen a baby bird this cute and beautiful, let them come compare!
It was downright insulting to say such a thing to me while I was still growing.
“Chirp!”
“After I fed you, sheltered you, and raised you. You ungrateful little bird.”
The Household Master began to complain as though making sure I’d hear.
I flinched.
After all, I knew that every comfort I now enjoyed would be impossible without his permission.
I slowly lowered my eyes from the glare I’d been directing at him.
When I stilled my thrashing legs and composed myself, the Household Master looked me over with an expression of curiosity.
It was the look of someone discovering a creature like this existed in the world.
“Small.”
“…….”
“You have grown a little, though?”
“……Chirp.”
I nodded timidly.
“I heard you haven’t achieved Humanization yet. What’s lacking?”
Snap.
It’s because I’m still a baby!
I flailed my legs in protest, and the Household Master settled into a leisurely observing posture, as though encouraging me to try harder.
Holding me with one hand all the while.
Exhausted, I turned my head away with a dull expression.
Then I felt a finger poking my cheek.
“Chirp-chirp!”
“Such a small thing, and you throw tantrums too.”
“Chirp!”
Growing irritable, I mustered my strength in both wings to try to break free from his grip.
Strain.
Strain!
Ah…… I’m running out of strength.
“Chirp!”
Let me go!
I pecked his hand sharply with my beak, and he chuckled, setting me down.
I backed away warily and scurried behind the cushion. Then I poked just my head out to peek.
Why won’t you leave? Go on, get out.
“This is my house.”
The Household Master, having read the message in my eyes, tilted his chin and smiled.
Right. This place was his. This room was his too. The cushion, the snacks—all his.
When reality dawned on me and my shoulders sagged, the Household Master, who had been watching quietly, finally spoke.
“Come to think of it, having a daughter wouldn’t be so bad. For a while, at least.”
“……Chirp?”
“So I’ve been thinking about a name.”
What was he saying?
My eyes went wide at words I couldn’t quite believe.
Something I hadn’t dared hope for was actually reaching my ears.
“Aileen.”
“……Chirp?”
“From now on, that’s your name. Aileen Astropel.”
In that moment, an indescribable feeling flooded through me.
Was he really giving me that name?
Before this, I had no name, so no one had ever called me by one.
Was that why?
Being called by a name felt utterly unreal.
Aileen Astropel. It seemed like that was my name now.
I forgot to breathe, staring blankly at the Household Master.
“What, don’t you like the name?”
“Chirp!”
I quickly shook my head—that wasn’t it at all. I was simply startled.
“Chirp-chirp-chirp……”
I loved it so much. Testing the name over and over in whispers, I noticed the man’s crimson eyes flicker toward the door.
At the same moment, it swung open.
“Young Miss! I apologize for being late—Master?”
“Ah, you’ve arrived, Rozaria.”
“Chirp-chirp-chirp!”
I greeted Rozaria warmly, stretching my wings wide.
Spotting me hiding behind the cushion, Rozaria quickened her pace toward me.
“Young Miss!”
How I’d missed you!
I tumbled into her arms and rubbed my cheek against hers; Rozaria let out a soft laugh. Held in those familiar arms, I felt a deep sense of peace.
“Were you terribly lonely without me?”
“Chirp!”
I hugged Rozaria tightly and nodded firmly.
Once I’d calmed a little, I peeked over her shoulder to look at the Household Master.
He stood with his weight cocked to one side, watching us both.
There was something displeased in his expression.
“Our young miss, surely you’re not hungry?”
“Chirp.”
I shook my head. My belly was still full from the snack I’d eaten earlier.
“And how have you been with the Master?”
Was it good, I wondered?
I found myself thinking it over. After all, the Household Master had given me a snack, and… he’d also given me a name.
Now that I thought about it, the hands that had held me at first seemed to have been very careful.
“Chirp.”
I nodded to say I’d been well, and Rozaria’s expression shifted to one of surprise.
The Household Master’s lips curved up with satisfaction.
“I see.”
He rose from his seat. With Rozaria here now, he seemed ready to leave.
The Household Master grasped the door handle and paused mid-step.
“Ah.”
“……?”
“From now on, she is no longer ‘Young Miss’—she is Aileen.”
* * *
A warm afternoon.
I was on a picnic with Rozaria in the Garden. Lying on a mat spread beside a fountain, I savored the sunlight.
Curled around the yellow cushion Rozaria had brought, I was enveloped in warm rays of sun.
Ah, this was wonderful.
“Aileen.”
“Chirp.”
Ever since the Household Master gave me a name, the way Rozaria referred to me had changed.
From “little miss” to Aileen.
It felt a bit strange, but I liked it immensely. Such a wonderful name!
If I could, I’d go around calling myself by it all day long—but I couldn’t, not yet.
I had no idea what sudden whim had moved the Household Master to give me a name, but there was no use complaining about good fortune.
Wasn’t this a sign he was letting me stay in this household?
He’d said he’d acknowledge me as his daughter for the time being, so it probably meant as much.
I had to make a deliberate effort to keep my mouth from curving upward into an uncontrollable grin.
I had a name now, and a place to stay for a while!
Soft rustling sounds filled the air.
The ticklish sensation of fingers brushing through my smooth fur made my body go languid.
When I rolled onto my other side to ask for the same treatment, I heard a small, unfamiliar laugh coming from nearby.
“Heh heh. It seems you’ve taken Rozaria out for a walk, along with young Aileen.”
“Chirp?”
“Are you enjoying your walk?”
“…Chirp chirp.”
I nodded awkwardly and studied the unfamiliar old man before me.
For reasons I couldn’t quite explain, more and more members of the Household had been approaching me recently as if we were acquainted.
At the appearance of this grandfather I’d never seen before, I reflexively scrambled to my feet.
“How well-mannered of you.”
“Chirp.”
“Heh heh. Wherever did such a fine daughter come rolling in from?”
Remarkably, the people here were quite open-minded.
Even though I was a bird, they seemed to accept me naturally as the Household Master’s daughter.
In another place, I likely would have been cast out long ago.
Half-bloods with mixed blood were often abandoned by their clans without hesitation.
“Does it feel inconvenient for you to stay with the Household after such a long time away, Rozaria?”
“It’s fine for me. Don’t worry about it, Jeras.”
“I see.”
One new thing I’d discovered was that Rozaria’s standing was far higher than I’d imagined.
Most people spoke to her with formal politeness.
Impressive, truly impressive!
“Your expression seems brighter—it looks as though whatever was troubling you has been resolved?”
“Ah, that matter. Thanks to the Household Master’s personal intervention, it was settled easily.”
“The Household Master himself?”
That couldn’t possibly be true.
Rozaria’s face showed doubt—clear disbelief.
At that, Jeras chuckled softly.
“It is fact. The Household Master swept through them entirely—across the Aneade Grasslands, all the way to the Benea River.”
“Goodness. That’s nearly all the way to the Neutral Territory?”
“Indeed. A shelter has been established in the south as well.”
“Goodness.”
Rozaria covered her mouth. I felt the same way.

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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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