I’ll be able to go back to the daycare after sleeping just one night, right?
That’s what I thought, but no matter how many nights passed, I was still here.
The Pashayen Mansion.
My current situation had been explained to me in detail by my teacher from the Carrot Class herself.
‘You see, Chuu, you have been chosen by the Ancestor Whale. You are a special child, which is why you are living here.’
I knew plenty about the Ancestor Whale.
After all, every day before eating, we pray, ‘Ancestor Whale, thank you for protecting the Pashayen seas again today.’
‘Diegon-nim will be your dad from now on. You always said you wished you had a dad, didn’t you?’
Dad.
Standing in front of the Dining Hall, I puffed out my round tummy and braced myself.
Then, I whispered, “Dad,” very softly, just inside my mouth.
It still felt awkward.
If words like ‘carrot,’ ‘grape,’ or ‘bread’ were as sweet as sugar cubes, ‘dad’ felt like broccoli or spinach. The kind that wasn’t blanched properly—all bluish-green and bitter. The kind that would make me go *blegh* if I swallowed it.
“Lady Shu is eating now.”
“Helwo.”
There was an incredibly long table in the Dining Hall. The Mister was sitting at the very end of it.
Just as I’d learned over the past few days, I walked bravely and sat down in my own chair. The seat with the crab-shaped bowl was mine.
“……”
The Mister didn’t say a word during the meal. He just watched everything I put into my mouth with a stern expression. A normal kid might get indigestion, but a glutton like me wouldn’t!
I was busy eating, and just as my stomach was about half full, he spoke.
“It might be considered a bit fast, but since you are an Awakener, you should have no trouble with your studies. Starting today, you will receive instruction alongside the other children of Pashayen.”
“Yes!”
I answered energetically.
The teacher from the Carrot Class had already told me that I would be studying with new friends in a different classroom!
“In the Pashayen Education Hall, three roles are selected: the successor of the House, the Resonator of the Ancestor Whale, and the Admiral who will lead the Navy.”
I gulped down the piece of roasted chicken I had been chewing and nodded. I wanted to show him that I was listening very carefully.
But in truth—
‘I want to be a cool chef, or a cool candy shop owner. Or maybe a cool bakery owner.’
However, the teacher from the Carrot Class had given me strict instructions before she left.
‘Chuu, you aren’t afraid of anything. It’s innate… I think it’s been that way since you were born. Aside from being hungry, you don’t really feel pain, do you? Is that right?’
‘Yes.’
‘So you have to be careful. The Pashayens… they are terrifying people. They are good people among the nobles, but you must not offend them. I’m so worried about you, Chuu. You awakened too early…….’
I didn’t understand even half of it, but one thing was certain: If I messed up, the Carrot Class teacher would worry.
So, I would do my very best to be well-behaved.
“While most in the Education Hall are of Pashayen blood, there are a few like you whom the Ancestor Whale has personally chosen and granted a destiny. All of them are treated the same as those of Pashayen blood.”
“Then, is there a class president there, too?”
At my question, the Mister paused and frowned.
“That… I wouldn’t know. My sons couldn’t even get near the position of class president. Perhaps it doesn’t exist.”
“I am a class president.”
*Ahem.*
I proudly puffed out my chest. All eyes were drawn to the name tag I had stubbornly pinned onto the pretty dress the maids had put on me.
“Lord, the class president system does exist. There is a vice president as well.”
At that moment, Carmine, who had been standing behind him like a shadow, whispered. Carmine was the second-favorite person I had in this mansion. The first was the Grandfather who gave me lots of delicious things.
“It exists, and those boys have never once held the position?”
“Regrettably, that is so. Cecilia-nim’s children have been the class president every time. The vice president changes every three months, so that rotates often. For your information, the election for vice president is in about a fortnight.”
“Ha.”
My ears perked up at the unfamiliar name. Who is Cecilia-nim? That’s a pretty name!
“Since the Lord is out at sea for long periods, you likely didn’t attend the family gatherings and didn’t know. I’ve heard that Cecilia-nim boasts quite a bit about it at every gathering.”
Now, the Mister looked very upset.
*Tap. Tap-tap.*
The Mister, who had been tapping his fingertips on the table, looked sharply at me.
“If you even become the vice president, I promise to provide additional support to that daycare. How about that?”
Additional support! It was what the teachers had always wanted.
“Reawy?”
“Not only that, I will select those with talent and send them to the Academy. I will also order them to send over several boxes of sweets.”
That was a very good offer. I just had to be the vice president!
I was about to nod inadvertently when I hesitated. Behind the Mister, Carmine was desperately making an ‘X’ with his arms. Then, he moved his mouth, and I was able to read the shape of his lips.
‘More?’
‘You want me to demand more?’
‘But there’s nothing else I can ask for.’
Even if I asked to be sent back to the Carrot Class, they wouldn’t let me. I had begged for days, but it hadn’t worked, so I had already given up on that.
“Umm…”
I put down my fork and held my head with my two small hands. Then, suddenly, something flashed in my mind.
“Mister.”
“What is it?”
“Pwease come with me.”
“Where?”
I read it in a book. Kids who have moms and dads have them come with them to school. I had been just a tiny bit envious of that. I lived in a daycare, so I didn’t need that. Even though I told myself that, I would secretly feel envious sometimes.
“I know I’m not your weal daughter. But……”
Would he find me bothersome if I said this? I wasn’t supposed to offend him. After worrying for a moment, I looked up at the Mister and gave him a silly smile.
The Mister, making eye contact, frowned again.
“The Young Lady is still in need of adjustment. Why don’t you personally take her to the Education Hall for the time being, Lord?”
“Me?”
“Yes. She might get lost. Besides, the Young Lady is surely very afraid inside.”
“She is?”
The Mister asked, then gave up and rubbed his face with his hand. I didn’t miss the chance and quickly opened my mouth.
“Then, will you come pick Chuu up later?”
“…If I have time, I will.”
It was a promise spoken in a tone as plain as a half-slice of bread without any jam.
* * *
But the Mister did come to pick me up.
I was wearing a cute dress like a jellyfish, and Lina had even put a dolphin pin in my hair. Lina was the Macaron-Auntie I met a while ago!
“*Sniff*. Young Lady, you must be careful. Do you understand?”
“Yeah!”
“Don’t get pushed around! If someone bullies you, scold them!”
Lina had become my personal maid. I didn’t know what ‘personal’ meant… but she said it meant we could be together all the time. So, I lived happily with Lina in a room as big as the daycare.
“So I just have to drop you off right in front?”
“Yes, Mister.”
“Mister?”
“Mister, did you change your cwothes?”
Why was I asking? Because he looked much cooler than he did this morning! The Mister was actually the most handsome adult I had ever seen.
Deep, sea-colored navy hair. Magenta eyes with a reddish glow deep in the pupils. Even the frightening aura of a man-eating shark! When such a Mister wore a form-fitting white uniform, he looked incredibly cool in my eyes, too.
The Mister looked like he had a lot to say, but he answered only my question.
“Yes, I changed.”
“Whyy?”
“…You talk too much. We’re here, so go on in.”
They called it an Education Hall, but it wasn’t a school. It was just that one of the rooms inside this vast mansion was used as a classroom. I stared at the gigantic door with a whale embossed on it, mouth agape.
*Creeeeak.*
Soon the door opened, and I came face-to-face with dozens of pairs of eyes staring at me.
At the same time, my two feet came to a halt.
Ppeokkeum-Ppeokkeum Daycare. I had vaguely assumed it would be similar to home, but…….
‘I don’t think so.’
Just then, the Mister placed his hand lightly on my shoulder.
“If anyone hits you, bite them.”
“……?!”
“Always face your opponent with everything you’ve got. If you don’t, you’ll be eaten alive in a single bite.”
The corners of the Mister’s mouth, as he looked down at me, curled up crookedly.
‘Ugh, I take it back! I take it back that you’re handsome!’
…Mommy, I think I’ve become a clownfish stuck in a shark’s teeth!