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Chapter 15
A photograph.
What Dahlia was holding was a faded photograph.
Inside it was a beautiful woman with ash-gray black hair.
It was someone she had never seen before—but for some reason, Dahlia felt like she knew who she was.
“Ennio and Sandio’s mom… maybe…”
Strangely enough, the woman’s face resembled both Ennio and Sandio evenly, as if she had been split between them.
Ennio’s childhood fairy tale book.
And inside it, a printed photo of his mother.
It wasn’t hard to understand what that meant.
She hurriedly placed the photo back and was about to return it to the bookshelf—
“Are you out of your mind? You even failed the second exam!”
Bang!
The door was violently thrown open and shut.
“…I was nervous.”
The voice answering was familiar.
Ennio?!
In the frozen atmosphere, Dahlia held her breath without realizing it.
“Honestly, you should be ashamed. I clearly told you yesterday that this would be on the exam and ordered you to memorize it!”
“I did memorize it! I really did…! I just didn’t expect it to be twisted like that. I—I clearly knew everything—”
“The eldest young master was not like this. He understood everything with just one explanation and never made such excuses. But you, the second young master…”
A heavy sigh followed, making even Dahlia’s shoulders flinch.
“How pathetic.”
“……”
“You’re not only failing to meet expectations, you’re becoming more foolish by the day. Even Third Young Master Sandio excels tremendously in strategy and combat. He has never once lost first place. But you, Ennio?”
Ennio could no longer respond at all.
“Barely scraping second or third place, and yet you dare call yourself the direct heir of the Orcadan family? Truly, you should be ashamed as a member of this household.”
Unknowingly, Dahlia clenched her fists tightly.
Ashamed.
Idiot.
Pathetic.
All of these words were arrows being fired at Ennio.
Poisoned arrows that tore through flesh and pierced the heart.
“You are aware of how much the Clan Head disapproves of you, are you not? But it is not only him. If the madam were still alive, she would also be greatly disappointed.”
…No, that’s not true. That can’t be right.
Say it isn’t so.
“…Yes. Perhaps… that might be true.”
“So I urge you to strive harder, and harder still. That is what will save this declining family, and what will ensure you do not bring shame to the late madam—”
At that moment, something inside Dahlia snapped.
“No! You’re the stupid one!”
Dahlia burst out from between the bookshelves and stepped between them.
The man wearing glasses frowned, and Ennio looked up in shock.
“…What is this brat? Ah, so you’re the rumored sea otter.”
“I’m not a sea otter! I’m a sea otter beastman!”
“Same difference. Both are inferior creatures. Now then… what are you doing here? Sneaking in like a rat to eavesdrop?”
He curled his lips in disdain.
“Ennio is the smartest orca beastman I know! Smarter than you!”
“…Stop. Kid, go back to your room. Sorry, but I can’t teach today.”
Ennio, who had kept his head down until now, finally spoke up to stop her.
The teacher clicked his tongue.
“Lord Ennio, were you seriously wasting valuable time teaching this inferior creature? What kind of absurd thinking is that? No wonder you scored so poorly on the second exam.”
He pressed harder, as if he had found prey.
“E-Ennio isn’t wrong! I begged him to teach me! It’s my fault!”
She had to protect Ennio from further blame.
“Then speak, young master. Did you truly waste your precious study time on this… thing? If so, you must be punished accordingly.”
Dahlia clearly saw it.
At the word punishment, Ennio’s shoulders trembled.
She became even more desperate.
“It’s not like that! Ennio just lent me books! I was bored alone, so I came to borrow a book!”
She stretched out her small arms and held up what she had been carrying.
A book.
The teacher’s eyes sharpened.
“Even so, this kind of fairy tale filled with fantasy…”
Smack!
His hand struck Dahlia’s hand mercilessly.
“Ah—no!”
The book flew from her hands and slammed onto the floor.
Dahlia collapsed, reaching for it.
The back of her small hand was already bright red.
He showed no mercy even to a child.
“Enough. Let her go. I’ll take the punishment. I’ll take it, so send the brat away.”
“Books like this are exactly what ruin lives. One must face reality, not empty dreams and hope. Don’t you agree, Lord Ennio?”
Ennio bit his lip tightly, saying nothing.
“It’s not useless. This is more important than anything to Ennio…”
Dahlia reached toward the fallen book—
But it was crushed under a polished shoe.
Crack.
The old book could not withstand the weight of an adult man.
Between its pages, something peeked out.
A photograph of a noblewoman.
“Tch. You should have thrown away this childish fantasy book long ago, young master. How long do you intend to remain a child? You’re past the age where you should be crying for your mother.”
This isn’t just some childish book.
This is Ennio’s only…
“Ba-da… It’s not just a book.”
Dahlia tugged at it with all her strength.
The teacher smirked and pressed down harder.
“Perhaps being bitten by a shark made you lose your mind. Or is it simply your inferior species?”
“Teacher… looks like I’m stupid, right? Ennio too? But no. You’re the stupidest.”
Dahlia glared up at him.
“Watch your mouth, you little—”
“I’m not just a kid. I know everything. Whether you’re really helping him or just taking out your anger.”
“Ridiculous. Why am I even speaking with something like you? Lord Ennio, look at this. Because you indulge him, he doesn’t know his place—things like this must be crushed so it never—”
He twisted his foot slightly.
The edge of the book—and Dahlia’s hand—were pinned beneath it.
She swallowed her scream.
It hurt terribly.
But she did not make a sound.
Dahlia was used to pain.
What hurt far more than physical pain was something else entirely.
Heartache.
“This… this is important to Ennio. It should become Ennio’s ocean. Children aren’t without memories. When it’s hard, when it hurts, when it’s lonely—”
Or,
“…When you miss someone. It becomes a sea you can return to. Orcas, sea otters—we all live in the sea. We can only survive if there is a sea. That’s why it’s necessary. A sea inside the heart.”
With all her strength, Dahlia finally pulled the book free.
She dusted it off as best she could and carefully fixed what was damaged.
Then she held it out to Ennio.
“Here. Your ocean.”
“……”
Ennio’s eyes wavered violently.
Inside them, emotions churned like a small boat in a storm.
