Chapter 56

“Gulp.”

How did you know? I was surprised and hardened my body. Cade’s expression distorted at my reaction.

“And you answered very proudly just now. I almost fell for it.”

“…I didn’t lie.”

I was just saying that I knew my own name, what do you mean I tricked you? That is unfair.

“What’s my name?”

“Cade Astrophel.”

“Then who am I?”

What are you doing all of a sudden? I was curious about what he meant to ask these questions, but I decided to answer them steadily.

“Daddy is the Head in here.”

“What kind of clan am I the Head of?”

“Black Mamba.”

“Then what kind of clan do you, who received my last name, come from?”

Ah.

I felt like I had been hit hard in the back of the head. I couldn’t say a word and slowly blinked my eyes.

So am I also a member of the Black Mamba clan? Even if I am a bird, that is how things work? If people ask me what kind of clan I belong to from now on, is it okay to say Black Mamba?

“If I have to go out, am I still a Black Mamba?”

“…What else does that mean?”

Cade’s face hardened terribly. His red eyes flashed, telling me to speak immediately.

“I have to get out in the future.”

“Are you declaring that you’re going to run away from home in front of me right now? You have big guts.”

That’s not it. It seemed that Cade had completely forgotten the words, ‘I will accept you as my daughter for the time being.’

Cade looked at me with a complex and subtle expression.

“I don’t know what you’re thinking. But, wherever you go, don’t forget that you’re an Astrophel, Irene.”

“Yes.”

I haven’t completely solved my worries yet, but I was somewhat relieved when Cade said this. 

Towards the end of the conversation, a small noise was heard outside. Kasana came, and it seemed that Rosaria was explaining the situation.

I thought this was the right time, so I quickly raised my hand.

“Daddy!”

“What is it?”

“I want to have classes in the forest today.”

I couldn’t stay with this tail until tomorrow. When I eagerly looked at him with a desperate face, Cade grinned with a hopeless expression.

Oh… he won’t listen. Then I’ll have to walk like this until tomorrow.

Cade got up from his seat and opened the door. I don’t know when they came, but Kasana and Rosaria were waiting in front of my room.

At that moment, I heard something unbelievable.

“Let’s replace today’s class with a pheromone class, Kasana.”

“……What?”

“She can’t stay like this forever.”

“Yes, I will.”

Wow. What’s happening? At first, he reacted as if he wouldn’t listen. I shouted at Cade, who has already gone far away.

“Daddy is the best!”

* * *

Right after the morning meeting.

While checking the correspondence from each family, Baon hardened his expression when he found a seal from an unwelcomed family.

A seal with pure white feathers.

It belonged to the Loisard Clan.

“Oh my…… A family I don’t want to see has appeared.”

Baon frowned as he looked at the letter. Correspondence to and from the Loisar family was a matter of about once a year and there was never a letter contacting from their side first.

No. There was one thing he could guess. 

And that was what Baon was most concerned about.

* * *

A very nice thing happened.

In this class, not only my tail was put in, but my hands were also changed for a while. I even succeeded in returning them to their original state.

What is going on?!

Is all of this what I did today?

Once I succeeded in removing my tail, it went smoothly from then on. After I got the hang of moving my pheromones, I could easily do it again with a little focus.

He said that as soon as I get used to it, it becomes easier.

“When I get back, I’m bragging to Daddy.”

Thanks to Cade’s request to replace the class, I was able to make progress. 

“The Lord must be very pleased.”

“Right? Will he praise me for doing a good job?”

“Of course.”

The pheromones were almost done for, but I was never tired.

I was walking hard with the feeling that I was about to fly away, but I saw Arban walking out from the other side.

“Huh? Arban!”

“…What? Are you in class today?”

“Yes. Oh, Orka is here too?”

“Today I am the one in charge of Young Master Arban’s class.”

Orka is also in charge of giving classes? I thought Kasana was in charge of everything.

“Now that the masters have started martial arts training, I couldn’t give all the classes by myself, so we shared the work.” (Kasana)

“Really? Awesome. Can you blow leaves on trees now?”

“Why am I blowing leaves on trees?” (Arban)

“Isn’t martial arts training something like that?”

It was awesome when Kasa did it. Arban doesn’t learn such things?

Orka explained with a faint smile whether he understood what I meant.

“The Young Master is taking classes mainly on physical skills. It seems that the young lady is intensively learning how to use pheromone.” 

“That’s right. The Miss’ current body is not suitable for physical skills, so I’ve decided to move on to pheromone control.” (Kasana)

I see. I guess it’s not yet time for me to learn physical skills with my body. Can I learn something when I grow up to the size of Arban?

“You’ve been taking a difficult class, miss.”

Orka was slightly surprised.

It seems that the pheromone control class was more difficult than I guessed. I thought it was learning the easy part of the basics.

Seeing that Arban was also glancing at me with interest, it seemed that he had not yet learned how to use pheromones.

“Then I’ll be on my way. Get back safely, everyone.” 

At a crossroads in the forest, Orka stopped his steps and gave a farewell first. He always seemed to break up with Arban at this point.

I waved my hand saying goodbye to Kasana first.

Usually, we would have gone to the entrance together, but now that we have been to the forest several times, I knew the way from here and it was okay because I was together with Arban.

“Hmmm. Today I’m also saying goodbye to Kasa now! Brother Arban is here.”

“…Then I’ll go back.”

Kasana nodded and disappeared with Orka.

If you turn left at the fork in the road, there is an annex that was given to the people who live and work in the Clan, and if you turn to the right, you will find the main building.

I headed to the right alongside Arban.

“Brother. I succeeded in getting wings today.”

“……Really?”

“Yes. After wings, it’s almost done!”

Since I was able to change one of the most central parts of the body, the other places would follow soon.

I felt better again, and as I walked skipping around, Arban smiled.

We went straight into the mansion. However, as soon as we went inside, an unusual atmosphere hit us.

……What is it?

Today’s meeting must have already ended, but why is everyone gathered in front of the conference room?

“Why is everyone there?”

“I guess something urgent happened. It’s like that sometimes.”

Unlike me, who was curious, Arban didn’t show much interest.

Did they happen to have another meeting again so soon?

I walked into the lobby with Arban.

That was the moment. The noisy lobby became quiet in an instant. It was as if everyone was silent when they saw us come in.

I had a strange feeling.

I looked around to see if I was the only one and saw that Arban seemed uninterested. Just before I left the lobby completely, Arban called me in a whisper.

“Hey.”

“Huh?”

“From now on, stop talking and follow me. Don’t act so obvious. All right?”

“Yes. I got it.”

I replied with an eager voice.

After completely leaving the office, Arban glanced around. Then he grabbed my hand and started dragging me somewhere.

We arrived at a flowerbed with high marble columns, a place right in front of the lobby.

It was a perfect place for a small child to hide. I realized what Arban was doing and hid inside the flowerbed together with him. We snuggled together as if we had promised and peered into the lobby through a visible crack between the bushes.

“If you stay here, you can hear most things they say.”

“Wow. How do you know about this place?”

“I just happened to find out. No one really cares about this place.”

I see. But what did Arban hear secretly while hiding here?

As I stared, Arban frowned and said, ‘What?’ only using his mouth.

Just as I was about to shake my head saying it was nothing, vassals who tried to pass in front of the pillar appeared.

I covered my mouth and slightly lowered myself.

“Is it true that a letter requesting the return came from the Loisard family?”

“That’s why the mansion is upside down now.”

“If it’s an official request from the Loisard family, what will happen? …Isn’t the young lady supposed to go East?”

“In principle, yes.”

In the conversation they were having, I was being mentioned. The dubious atmosphere I felt in the lobby was not wrong.

But what is the Loisard family and what do they mean I have to go east?

What the hell are they asking for a return…? 

At that moment, I stiffened at the sudden thought that flashed by.