🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter 10
“B-Bean-shaped? My head’s not round like a bean!”
Then Ankous grabbed my arm and guided my hand to feel my own head.
I had planned to argue a bit more, but as soon as I touched the perfectly round back of my head, I was honestly shocked.
“It is… round?”
Seeing my reaction, Ankous burst into laughter, clutching his stomach.
“So, um, why did you call for me?”
“I didn’t call you. I read you.”
I pointed to his name written on the family tree.
“…? Read it again.”
“Angkoot.”
“Angkoo—Hahaha!”
Ankous laughed again.
I scowled at him with all my might.
He’d stood like a statue in front of the patriarch—so that was all an act!
Ankous laughed until he cried, but when our eyes met, he said, “Sorry, sorry,” and reached out to smooth my frowning forehead.
“But miss, what’s ‘Dyo-dang’?”
“What does that kid mean when she says ‘Dyo-dang’?”
“Probably a made-up word. Kids do that.”
Back then, he’d spoken so casually about it, I thought he didn’t care. But it seemed Ankous had been curious too.
“Don’t know. Eyebrows hurt. Hands off.”
“There, hands off. Now, can you answer?”
Rubbing my barely-recovered forehead, I replied,
“Dyo-dang is just Dyo-dang.”
“Huh?”
“Can’t tell you, so stop asking.”
“Aw, come on. It’s how you call someone, so it must mean something.”
He didn’t look like he’d back down without an answer, so I came up with a vague excuse.
“Dyo-dang means cool and strong. Right?”
Ankous looked startled, then suddenly shouted while glancing around.
“Did you all hear that? She said I’m cool and strong! This little one said it!”
I can’t believe that worked. Ankous is kind of… a dummy.
I smiled to myself.
“Then what about these guys? What do you think of them, miss?”
Ankous, still excited, pointed at the other aides nearby.
The other three weren’t of Ignitus, so I wasn’t supposed to call them ancestors.
“They are cool.”
“Are they Dyo-dangs too?”
“Nope.”
I firmly shook my head.
If that word had really been a compliment, I would’ve used it for everyone—but ancestors were different.
How could I call someone who isn’t my ancestor an ancestor?
The aides’ faces showed subtle signs of disappointment.
The most noticeably dejected one was the older servant I saw in the office earlier—Gordio.
Seeing that, Ankous began to tease him.
“Sir Gordio, looks like you’re not a Dyo-dang! Hahaha!”
Ankous teased him so much that I actually felt a bit guilty.
“Grampa, sowwy. But grampa not Dyo-dang. Just cool grampa.”
“…Heh. That’s fine.”
Gordio gave a bittersweet smile.
“Then I’m the only Dyo-dang here!”
Ignoring Ankous, who looked deeply moved, Gordio bowed to me.
“By the way, I don’t recall seeing you here before.”
“Right, first time.”
“What brought you here?”
“Followed Abelnoot-nim!”
I didn’t have permission to be here, so I was probably in trouble, right?
Bracing myself, I watched his reaction, but Gordio simply nodded quietly.
“I see.”
The one who made a fuss was Ankous.
“This is your first time in the annex? My goodness. What have you even been doing in this house? All the fun stuff is here.”
Grinning, he suddenly picked me up.
“Whoa?!”
“Alright then, let’s go explore with Dyo-dang Ankkoo!”
“Let go! I’m not done looking yet!”
I flailed, but Ankous just grinned and informed the others without hesitation.
“I’ll be back shortly!”
Just as he was about to dash across the hall, I glanced once more at the spot where the current patriarch’s name should be.
‘Still no name for Lady Kalidora.’
Ankous, completely unaware of my complicated thoughts, cheerfully carried me deeper into the annex.
Well, I had planned to explore anyway, so I guess this works out.
If he kindly carried me around to show the place, that’d actually be easier for me.
But when we finally left the hall and entered the corridor, I realized I was completely mistaken.
Ankous had zero intention of giving me a tour of the annex.
“Miss, is that person a Dyo-dang too?”
He just wanted to see if I would call others in the house Dyo-dangs as well.
“Th-that person?”
The poor gatekeeper he suddenly pointed at stammered in surprise.
‘Looks like a servant.’
“Nope.”
As I answered, Ankous happily whistled.
I looked up at him with disbelief as he carried me into another room.
The large room, set up as a communal space, was full of people.
Ankous pointed at the person closest to us.
“Alright, miss, is this one a Dyo-dang too?”
Here we go again.
“Don’t know.”
I was starting to feel this wasn’t even worth answering, so I just gave a half-hearted response and looked around.
Most of the people I’d seen during the meeting at the main building were here.
No wonder the main hall felt so empty despite me not seeing anyone leave.
“…Huh?”
Then I spotted a familiar figure among the crowd and smiled.
‘So he was here?’
Abelus-nim was leaning against the wall, reading a parchment book.
“Angkoo! Put me down!”
“Hmm?”
Before Ankous could even register what I said, I squirmed free from his arms and ran to Abelus-nim.
“Abelnoot-nim!”
He looked up slightly from his book and, with a slightly confused expression, asked just one thing:
“What is it?”
He had many questions, but asking them all must’ve seemed tiresome, so he went with the short version.
“You’re quicker on your feet than you look. Good morning, young master.”
Ankous, who had followed me, greeted him.
Abelus-nim said nothing, just stared back and forth between us, and then said one more thing:
“…Why?”
“Can’t you be a little friendlier? You’ve got a little kid right in front of you and you’re not even smiling. Look, she’s sad now because you’re being like this.”
Ankous pulled down my eyebrows to make a sad face, but Abelus-nim showed no emotion—in fact, he looked annoyed.
“There are too many eyes watching.”
“So what? I’m here. Who cares if someone sees?”
“If there’s trouble, you’ll take responsibility.”
“If something happens, I’ll gladly die, young master.”
Ankous replied shamelessly.
It was such an odd sight.
Ankous looked about six or seven years older than Abelus-nim, but Abelus-nim acted like a grown-up scolding a childish younger brother.
As the two powerful members of the Fire Clan stood close, the surrounding magical aura began to noticeably fluctuate.
I focused for a moment to compare their powers.
Ankous had a gentle and stable magical wave, whereas Abelus-nim…
‘He’s on another level.’
His power felt like it could swallow everything around him—deep and vast.
“Dyo-dang-mi… he’s the best, huh?”
“Haha, yeah, I—wait, what?”
Ankous turned to me proudly, thinking I was talking about him, but then saw where my eyes were directed and froze.
“You were talking about the young master? Not me?”
“Yup!”
“You mean… the young master is a Dyo-dang too?”
“Yup!”
“…Haha.”
Ankous gave a hollow laugh, stunned, and when Abelus-nim resumed reading, he picked me up again.
“Well, let’s go check out somewhere else, shall we?”
Once again, I was dangling in Ankous’s arms, headed to another location.
