TBOBS 02

Chapter: 02

“So this is that?”

The tone was the same as ever—speaking about a person as though they were an object.

The aide standing beside her bowed respectfully.

“Yes, that’s correct, Head of the House.”

“And the Power of Water?”

“Well… about that…”

The aide hesitated, watching her expression before slowly shaking his head.

The Power of Water.

It was the special power that had been passed down through the Orca Clan for generations.

Those who possessed it could unleash one hundred percent of their strength on land, despite being aquatic beastfolk.

For aquatic beastfolk, whose strength weakened the farther they were from the sea, it was an indispensable gift.

The stronger that power became, the more it allowed nearby aquatic beastfolk to fight at their full potential as well.

And if someone reached its absolute pinnacle…

They could grant that blessing to every aquatic beastfolk in existence.

I reached that level.

In my previous life, I obtained the treasure from the original novel.

Using that treasure, I awakened the Power of Water and pushed it to its ultimate limit.

I seized the position of family head, united every aquatic beastfolk under my command, and even started a war.

Those bastards were the ones who started it by calling us stinking fish.

Back when I only read the novel, I also thought every aquatic beastfolk was an irredeemable villain.

They tried to kidnap the adorable squirrel heroine.

They forced medicine on her to make her use her healing powers.

Later, they even tried to kill her.

The Orca Clan, the story’s final villain family, was no different.

But after actually entering this world…

The real thugs were the land animals.

It wasn’t enough that they had already claimed all the fertile land on the continent.

They drove the aquatic beastfolk onto salty, barren soil where farming was nearly impossible, then mocked them for it.

“Let the fish eat nothing but salty fish like themselves,” they sneered.

As if they didn’t stink themselves…!

Our true forms might be sea creatures, but in human form we still had to eat ordinary food like everyone else.

Living on barren islands and inhospitable land…

The aquatic beastfolk had truly fought tooth and nail just to survive.

No wonder they became so ruthless.

Though I can’t exactly deny I also wanted revenge for my previous life.

Every single time, before I even turned ten, I was sold off to another family.

The first time, it was to the Black Panther Clan.

The second time, after one disaster after another, I became entangled with the Imperial Family where the novel’s male lead lived.

Either way…

I was nothing more than merchandise to be sold.

After dying over and over, I finally snapped and ran away in my previous life.

I built up my strength, returned, beat my older brothers into submission, and became the family head.

Damn it. What was the point of becoming that strong?!

I nearly won the war against the land beastfolk families who looked down on us aquatic beastfolk…

Who would’ve thought that lunatic male lead would provoke the Dragon Duke, who had been peacefully minding his own business, and drag everyone into mutual destruction?

The cheat code of this world.

The Dragon Duke, whose original role was to mediate between land and aquatic beastfolk.

Except once every ten years… he inevitably went berserk.

The current Dragon Duke wanted nothing more than a peaceful life.

Even in the original story, he barely interacted with the heroine.

At most, he’d occasionally offer a wise piece of advice.

But…

When it looked like they were about to lose, the male lead provoked the quietly living duke into rampaging…

And everyone ended up slaughtered together.

That was when I made my decision in my last life.

This time…

I’m definitely going home.

No matter what, I’ll become the Dragon’s Bride.

That resolution was all well and good.

But the first obstacle was glaring right at me.

Hmm… how do I stop that old woman from immediately deciding she hates me?

“Tch. They brought back something useless.”

Grandmother clicked her tongue before speaking in an icy voice.

“Head of the House, the child’s name is—”

“Calypso. She shall be called Calypso Aquasiadel.”

“Yes. I’ll record it accordingly.”

Looks like even this part stays the same.

Calypso.

A name that meant a water spirit.

She threw me away in every lifetime, yet she always gave me such a precious name.

What’s that supposed to be? The tiniest shred of conscience? Hah.

I had hated my grandmother with every fiber of my being.

Strangely enough…

Now I could only stare at her without feeling much of anything.

That was because of something one of my retainers had said as he lay dying in my previous life.

“…Lady Calypso… the former Head of the House… regretted it… until the day she died.”

“Huh? What kind of nonsense is that? Did she lose her mind before dying?”

The family that had served the Orca Clan for generations wasn’t the type to speak nonsense.

“Haha… She said… she should have gone to see you… at least once… She should have… brought you home…”

Of course, hearing that didn’t make me forgive everything Grandmother had done.

But it did make me wonder.

Why had she always been so desperate to cast me out?

There were too many unanswered questions.

Not that I particularly cared anymore.

In this life…

None of that mattered.

As long as I survived and got sold off as the Dragon’s Bride, that would be enough.

In the Orca Clan…

Strength ruled over everything.

“…Grandma.”

I reached out toward her.

My hand had become smaller than a steamed bun once again.

Damn it. I have to be at least ten years old before I can be sold as the Dragon’s Bride.

How long was I supposed to wait?

Grabbing the railing with my tiny chubby hand, I stood on tiptoe with all my strength.

“Wait!”

At the sound of my little voice coming from my plump cheeks and tiny lips, Grandmother paused just as she was turning away.

Her handsome face turned toward me.

“What did you say?”

“Grandma!”

She frowned sharply in disbelief before turning to her aide.

“Could she always speak? Who taught her?”

No wonder she was surprised.

Whale beastfolk were born with enormous bodies and tremendous strength.

In exchange, their brains developed much more slowly.

It was simply a racial trait.

In other words, no matter how intelligent a whale was, they spent years as what people basically called “blockheads” who couldn’t even speak properly.

Even once they learned to talk, their pronunciation was clumsy.

“Y-Yes? Well… Your Grace… around the age of two, children can usually say simple words…”

“Who asked about ordinary beastfolk? Whale children develop speech late! Isn’t it common knowledge they still talk like toddlers until they’re five? Don’t go around calling anyone else a fish-brain. Anchovy.”

“…”

Ah, Grandmother’s venomous tongue.

Hearing it again after so long was oddly refreshing.

She wasn’t insulting him by calling him “Anchovy.”

The aide literally was an anchovy beastman.

“You. Say that again.”

I stared at Grandmother…

Then smiled brightly.

Go ahead. Be surprised.

I can speak perfectly.

As much as I want.

You old hag.

“Grandma!”

“Hoh. It’s not just speaking. She seems to understand what she’s hearing too. What exactly is going on?”

“Well… neither the maids nor the nanny ever reported anything unusual…”

Of course they didn’t.

I’d pretended otherwise whenever they were around.

Even after being reborn, there wasn’t much I could do as a newborn.

No matter how many times I reincarnated, I couldn’t easily overcome the natural limitations of a whale beastfolk.

Slow childhood development.

A tongue that simply wouldn’t cooperate.

Only now had I finally figured out how to work around those instincts.

Would’ve been nice if I’d been able to speak clearly sooner.

Well, what’s done is done.

I was satisfied knowing I could begin this life more intelligently.

Besides…

One reason whale children often died suddenly at one or two years old was because their immune systems were weaker than other beastfolk.

I’d only learned that from reading the novel.

Whales became incredibly powerful as adults…

But they were unbelievably fragile as children.

Of course, even as kids they were still physically stronger than ordinary beastfolk.

Strong, but surprisingly delicate.

“So a genius was born among a bunch of fish-brains?”

“Fish-brain! Grandma! Fish-brain!”

“…”

Grandmother’s expression became rather strange.

It looked as though she was wondering…

Did this brat just insult me?

“You… did you just call me a fish-brain?”

Yep.

That’s right, you old hag.

I may be smiling now, but that doesn’t mean all my resentment disappeared.

Pretending to be innocent, I shouted it once more.

“Fish-brain!”

Grandmother grabbed my clothes and lifted me into the air.

“What a mischievous little thing.”

Was this what a kitten felt like when its mother carried it by the scruff?

Her grip was unbelievably rough.

“You dare call me a fish-brain?”

If my clothes tore, I’d probably end up with a concussion.

Instead of struggling, I simply relaxed.

“You look exactly like that fool Pierre, yet you’re so pathetically small. Physically, you’re practically defective.”

“Y-Yes… Normally, by the age of three, children are much larger than this…”

“You don’t possess the Power of Water either. So you’re a cripple with only an unusually developed brain.”

She looked straight into my eyes.

“Brat. You understand everything I’m saying, don’t you?”

“Can you prove you’re useful?”

What the hell is wrong with this old hag?

Who says something like that to a three-year-old?

I let out a tiny choking cough.

She looked at me with open disappointment.

“What an absurdly small and fragile body. At this rate, will there even be room for sharp teeth to grow?”

She had undoubtedly put my three older brothers through the exact same ordeal.

Probably my father as well, the youngest of her sons.

And all of my cousins too.

She was the strongest of them all.

A tyrant who couldn’t understand the weak because she’d never been weak herself.

“Hmph. Our family has no need for intelligence if the body can’t keep up—”

“Grandma! I’ll prove it!”

Pretending it was an accident, I reached out and grabbed something.

“I’ll prove it!”

Riiip.

Something came loose in my hand.

A lock of Grandmother’s snow-white hair from beside her ear.

I beamed innocently.

“Grandma! Me good! Talk good!”

Hahaha.

I’d always wanted to do that at least once.

You told me to prove myself…

There you go, you old hag!