Chapter 3

"......"

The advisor looked back and forth between me and grandmother with a pensive expression.

It seemed as if he was looking at me with pity, as if I were already a dead soul.

I didn’t care at all. I was only thinking about how I wanted to pull out some hair, just to see what it felt like.

Thoughts must be put into action.

Just as my tiny hand stretched out, it was abruptly stopped by a large hand.

Oh, did he block my attempt to pull out hair? Or did he get angry? That was what I was thinking at that moment.

"Ha, hahaha!"

Grandmother was laughing heartily, as if finding the situation extremely amusing.

Her gleaming eyes turned to me, filled with a lazy sense of satisfaction.

"Pierre, you came from that madman who gave up his life, and this is what you turned out to be?"

However, her sharp eyes were constantly examining me, with a look of great interest.

A wrinkled, handsome face suddenly loomed in front of me.

It was so close that I could see the wrinkles clearly.

The Orca family could infuse their eyes with a killing intent.

Her gleaming eyes certainly didn’t contain only goodwill.

"You’re the first grandchild to try to pull out my hair, little one."

"…Huh?"

Grandmother dropped me onto the bed.

It wasn’t a suitable action for a baby, but the bed was soft, so I didn’t get hurt.

"Fine, I’ll put off deciding what to do with you."

The first thing that happened when I regressed was being sent to the farthest building in the main house.

"Send him to the educational institution this summer."

"…Yes, Head of the Family."

Her long, slanted eyes turned to me.

Under her smooth, orca-like hair, her eyes, filled with killing intent, curved.

"Listen, little pancake, if you don’t show results at the educational institution, you’ll be exiled to a remote village. Understand?"

Because I was weak and couldn’t awaken the power of water. That was always my fate.

'Alright, we’ll see. I’ll grow up quickly and leave this family.'

Before that, I need to see that old woman’s face contort.

'I’ll become so strong that I’ll make her drool, and then disappear as a dragon’s bride.'

I’ll be the best. I’ll definitely be the best.

That’s how I changed the start of this life.

* * *

A girl can be sold as a dragon’s bride at the age of 10.

However, I was sold to other families repeatedly before that.

I tried to rebel, throw tantrums, and even attempted to escape several times.

Despite having the memories of the original story, my weak body made it impossible to do anything here.

'The only reason I could escape in the previous cycle was because I risked my life.'

But now, thanks to finally mastering the skill to speak clearly, I managed to buy some time.

Now, I had only one thing to do.

'My goal is to survive until I’m 10.'

And before that, I need to avoid being sold to a family related to the original story.

Even though I already seemed to have exceptional intelligence, it wasn’t enough.

'I need a guardian before I turn 10.'

While my abilities can be developed gradually, I need a solid guardian to support me until then.

'My physical abilities are too weak. I inherited this from my father, but there’s nothing I can do about it.'

My three older brothers, who were above me, were either under the protection of deities or were extraordinary individuals who didn’t need any protection, but I wasn’t like them.

'If I still had the power of water, it would have been better.'

Who could help me grow until then?

Most adults wouldn’t want to be my guardian.

No matter how smart I am, this family prefers overwhelming physical strength over intelligence.

'I need an adult with unique tastes who can also be indifferent.'

And I knew one such person.

'My father, Pierre Aquasiadel.'

My father was a peculiar figure in the Orca family.

Grandmother had three sons, and the first two were rivals from a young age, each displaying remarkable abilities. However, the third, Pierre, was different from birth.

He was very frail.

Unlike me, who was ignored because of my frailty, my father wasn’t ignored or looked down upon because he possessed an incredible 'power of water.'

'The problem was that his frail body imposed restrictions on using that power.'

To describe my father:

He had firepower that everyone feared, but it had a usage limit.

Even grandmother treated him as a useless but regrettable person, and my father secluded himself.

During this time, he did have a child through a political marriage, but he didn’t take care of his child like his older brothers.

Even my older brothers didn’t pay any attention to my father.

'But I need that indifference now.'

I was currently being carried back to where I lived by the servant who had brought me.

Surprisingly, the hands holding me were more careful than when we started.

'It’s probably because I caught grandmother’s eye.'

When we arrived at the room, the servant hesitated before speaking.

"Miss, in a week, we’ll move you to a new residence. I’ll come back then."

The place I was currently staying was a shabby room at the far end of the west.

The servant mentioned that I would be moved to the end of the main building and then left.

'Power is truly a wonderful thing. Just catching grandmother’s eye, and I’m getting a new room. Anyway, this old room was too dilapidated and dangerous, so it’s for the best.'

As soon as I was left alone, I wobbled and moved.

In this old building, there was a nanny who took care of babies like me.

Someone who only gave us enough food to keep us alive.

Babies of the Orca family started in this building and could leave only when they showed their potential.

Babies born with the power of water didn’t need to come here and lived in the main building from the start.

I moved briskly.

* * *

After a long walk, baby Calypso finally arrived at the place she wanted.

Calypso, with her chubby cheeks, looked around the area.

'It should be around here… Ah!'

Soon, Calypso’s face lit up.

She had found the person she was looking for.

In Calypso’s large eyes, a man sitting listlessly near the fountain came into view.

The fountain was old and cracked, looking like it belonged in a ruin.

The man sitting there was very tall and had a large frame, but he gave an impression of being somewhat thin.

His collarbone was visible through his round-necked shirt, and his loosely worn cardigan exuded a lazy atmosphere.

His face, which added a mature touch to the lazy atmosphere, had a somewhat decadent and restless appearance.

His skin, as white as if he had never seen the light of day, further enhanced this atmosphere.

'Hmm, he’s handsome, as if to prove he’s not just a strong orca.'

Calypso gave a simple evaluation.

The man in front of her was her father, 'Pierre Aquasiadel.'

Surprisingly, Calypso had seen her father alive and moving only a few times in her three lives.

The reason was simple.

Before she was sold in previous cycles, he rarely showed up, and after she was sold, he died of illness not long after.

He had the strongest power but died because his frail body couldn’t handle it.

'In the previous cycle, I only saw his portrait after becoming the head of the family.'

In this cycle, she hadn’t seen him at all.

She had heard that he wasn’t even present when she was born.

Calypso ran over.

Pierre didn’t turn his head until Calypso was very close, still staring blankly at something.

"Uncle!"

Only when Calypso reached right in front of him did he slowly turn his head.

"……"

Calypso carefully examined her father’s face.

Indeed, seeing Pierre alive and moving was quite a novelty.

'Currently, he’s not as strong as grandmother, but his power has significant limitations.'

Moreover, he had a death sentence.

Whether he knew his own situation or not, he exuded a strange atmosphere, like a night under a neon sign that wasn’t there.

"Hello, Uncle."

Calypso smiled as if she didn’t recognize him.

"Do you know where the educational institution is? I need to go there."

Of course, this was just an excuse to start a conversation, a complete lie.

Pierre looked at Calypso for a long time.

Strangely, it felt more like he was just turning his gaze rather than actually looking.

It was as if he didn’t sense her presence, and his gaze passed right through her, making her feel transparent.

His eyes were filled only with indifference and sluggishness.

Calypso’s round eyebrows shot up.

Calypso had the roundest eyes in the family, which was always a source of insecurity for her.

While everyone else in the orca family had sharp features, she was the only one with round, soft features.

But at this moment, she wanted to raise her eyebrows. Hey, I’m upset!

'Why isn’t he answering?'

After a long pause, a slow response finally came.

"You’ve taken the wrong path for quite a while."

Pierre’s voice was low and hoarse, as if he hadn’t used it in a long time.