TYDF 18

Chapter: 18

By the time the meal was nearing its end, Rosaria entered the dining room.

“Rosaria?”

“Lady Irene, I’ve come to escort you. Did you enjoy your meal?”

“Mm! I met Baharun too!”

I climbed down from Kaid’s lap without hesitation and ran toward Rosaria.

“You met Lord Baharun? Did you greet him properly?”

“Mm. Like this.”

I showed her the bow I had made with my hands over my stomach, and Rosaria smiled warmly.

“Shall we go wash up now that you’re done eating?”

“Mm.”

I nodded and took Rosaria’s hand.

Just as I was about to head back to my room, I stopped and turned around.

Arban didn’t seem like he was coming back, so I decided to at least say goodbye to the remaining two.

“I had fun today. …Set oppa, bye.”

I wiggled my fingers and waved. I doubted they would respond, but I tried anyway.

If I kept acting friendly like this, maybe someday he would respond?

Set frowned after receiving my greeting.

Even though he kept showing that he disliked it, I kept talking to him, so maybe he was just flustered.

Next was Kaid.

“…Bye, dad too.”

I muttered the unfamiliar word that didn’t sit naturally in my mouth.

My ears felt hot, so I covered my face with both hands.

Embarrassing! What if he didn’t like being called dad?

Peek.

I slowly spread my fingers and peeked toward Kaid.

If he looked uncomfortable, I’d just call him by name from now on.

Just as I tried to calm my racing heart with a deep breath, a pleasant voice slipped into my ears.

“Alright. See you next time, Irene.”

“…Mm-hm.”

Relief washed over me. He didn’t hate it.

A small smile spread across my face. It felt oddly ticklish.

After Irene left,

the two Black Mamba father and son, who valued their personal space so much they worried even being alone together might make them bristle like porcupines, still remained seated.

They were both still recovering from Irene’s sudden verbal attack of calling them.

It had been said in a very small voice, but Kaid, with his monstrous physical senses, had heard it clearly.

“…Bye, dad too.”

Did Irene even realize what kind of impact that one sentence had caused?

It was astonishing that such a creature could even exist.

“You seem in a good mood, Father.”

“You looked startled.”

“Me?”

Set rubbed his face.

He glanced at the door where Irene had disappeared, then frowned and looked away.

He had expected her to be frightened, especially after his warning during their first meeting, but today she hadn’t shown even the slightest sign of fear.

In fact, she kept crossing the line without any hesitation.

And today she even smiled while saying goodbye before leaving.

Set didn’t like Irene’s lack of sense of danger.

“…Isn’t she a bit lacking in common sense? She’s a strange kid.”

“That’s a harsh assessment. I heard she even gave you a gift?”

“That thing wasn’t a gift. It was just paper. I don’t even know what she folded.”

Set recalled the yellow paper he had received from Irene.

No one would call such a crumpled piece of paper a gift.

He couldn’t even remember where he had thrown it.

…Where did I put it?

Did I leave it on the desk? Or… maybe I just tossed it on the floor?

Probably that.

“I don’t even remember it.”

“I see.”

“…Aren’t you angry?”

“About what?”

Set carefully asked if he wasn’t angry, and Kaid responded with a question.

“You saw how I treated Irene earlier.”

“I did.”

Kaid’s reaction was unusually plain.

So calm that Set’s red eyes flickered with confusion.

He had expected Kaid to reprimand him, so he looked at him somewhat dumbfounded.

But Kaid’s expression suggested there was nothing particularly wrong with it.

“Everything takes time to adjust to.”

“…I don’t think I’ll ever get close to that kid.”

Kaid let out a short laugh.

A brief silence fell. With nothing more to say, Set stood up.

“I’ve finished my meal, so I’ll take my leave.”

“Do so.”

As soon as permission was given, Set left the dining room.

Watching his back, Kaid gave a quiet laugh.

“Doesn’t know, huh.”

If he truly disliked someone, he could simply ignore them from the start.

And yet he had personally warned Irene himself.

So he was already paying attention to her far more than he admitted.

Saying he “didn’t know” was absurd.

Irene’s existence was having a greater impact than expected.

To the point it was almost becoming dangerous.

Kaid thought about the upcoming banquet. A gathering of rulers from each territory.

He had planned to reveal Irene’s existence there…

“Show her, or don’t?”

Two conflicting desires clashed inside him.

He wanted to show her off, but also wanted to hide her away completely.

If only he had just said there were three from the beginning.

The thought left a bitter taste in his mouth. It felt like he had shot himself in the foot.

In the end, he remained lost in thought until Baon came to call him to the dining room.

I was currently in Hestia’s clinic, here for a simple physical examination.

She said it was something all children who successfully transform into human form must undergo.

Everyone has to do it, so I should be able to do it too.

Even though Rosaria had explained everything thoroughly the night before, I still felt nervous.

While waiting for Hestia, I curiously looked around the clinic.

I hadn’t noticed before since she always came to my room, but Hestia really looked like a real doctor.

“Lady Irene, you’re free to look around if you want.”

“No.”

“You can relax comfortably.”

“I-Irene is relaxed.”

I swallowed nervously while holding the baby snake doll I had been sleeping with recently.

I had many other dolls, but I chose this one without hesitation.

As the appointed time with Hestia approached, I hugged the snake doll tightly.

I’m definitely not scared.

I stared intently at the large brown door, which somehow looked bigger than usual today.

Soon, the door opened and Hestia entered wearing a white coat.

“Lady Irene, you’ve been waiting long, right?”

Too fast!

Watching how perfectly punctual Hestia was, I made a teary face.

“Why do you look so upset?”

“I think she’s intimidated by the clinic atmosphere.”

“You don’t need to be scared, Lady Irene. We’re not going to do anything painful today.”

“Rosaria told me. She said nothing hurts.”

Hestia flinched while taking out a chart and muttered softly.

“Nothing painful… the best.”

I nervously glanced around, unsettled by Hestia muttering to herself.

The clinic atmosphere felt much stricter than outside, so even though I knew there would be no injections, I was still worried.

Noticing me, Hestia smiled gently and leaned down.

I looked at her now that we were eye level.

“Today we’re going to do an eyesight test, check for cavities, and measure your height and weight.”

“Then it’s over?”

“Yes! When we’re done, I’ll give you my favorite chocolate as a reward.”

Chocolate!

Seeing my interest, Hestia pointed to the back.

“Shall we go stand over there?”

“Yeah!”

I’m going to finish quickly and get my chocolate!

Following Hestia’s guidance, I stepped onto the height-measuring machine.

I pressed my heels back and took a deep breath, and I heard the device above me move.

How far is it coming down?

I forced my wandering gaze to stay forward.

Tap.

The measuring device lightly touched the top of my head and lifted again.

As Hestia wrote something on the chart, her expression shifted slightly, and then her lips trembled.

“…Pfft, ahem. Shall we go do the eyesight test next?”

“Yeah!”