Black Killer Whale Baby [EN]: Chapter 236

236

My Father Returned

“……Why is the atmosphere like this?”

I laughed awkwardly at the words that burst out in my office.

Father had gone around the mansion, the training grounds, and even the basement, which was being prepared for the Imperial Family, as soon as he arrived.

“Ahahaha…….”

Actually, that’s what I wanted to ask.

I didn’t know why everyone was so tense these days.

“Huh…….”

Father looked at Levi, Duke Yong, and Hauser around me and seemed lost in thought.

I wanted to ask Father about Mom.

Did things go well with her?

However, judging from Father’s mood, it wasn’t a good time to ask, so I decided to wait.

“Since when have you been walking around with so many escorts?”

“Well……. Strictly speaking, Levi isn’t an escort but a strategist, Father.”

“I’m not talking about that bastard.”

“……It’s common for Duke Yong to be by my side.”

“I’m saying it’s unsightly to see them looking around as if they’re surrounded by enemies.”

“…….”

“All of them.”

Soon after, Hauser and Duke Yong were dismissed by Father. I could feel their presence outside the door.

Levi kept his seat with a brazen face.

“Why aren’t you leaving?”

“……? I have to work.”

He wasn’t wrong, so I reluctantly accepted the documents he handed me.

I started paying attention to Levi after he revealed that he had recovered his memories.

He acted no differently than before.

It felt strange to even care.

Rather, Hauser, Duke Yong, and surprisingly Whale, had become somewhat strange.

“Master, do you know that experience is important in any job?”

“Well, I guess so. Why are you suddenly saying that?”

“In most situations, experienced people do better than newbies.”

“……?”

What was he saying?

I frowned, made a small water droplet, and flicked it on his forehead.

Levi rubbed his reddened forehead and handed me the documents again.

Then, as if conscious of Father, he bowed his head and voluntarily left the office.

“Even if I released dozens of sharks here, it wouldn’t be such a mess.”

“Huh?”

“I’m saying it’s a mess.”

As soon as Levi went outside, Father gave his assessment.

For Father to use a land animal analogy, he must be quite upset.

“What the hell happened?”

“What happened? Nothing special……?”

Father was with me when I brought Hauser.

And even after returning, nothing much……. Ah, I did receive an invitation from the Imperial Family.

Other than that, Levi confessed that he had his memories, but this is just my business.

“Nothing special, but why do all the guys around you have crazy eyes?”

“……Huh?”

I put down the documents and turned my head.

I couldn’t help but notice since he said it like this.

I tilted my head.

“……Is it obvious?”

“Obvious? Anyone who can’t recognize that must be someone who has never been close to romance or marriage in their life.”

Ouch.

I suddenly felt like I had been hit.

“Father, I’m sorry, but not being able to date or marry isn’t a sin.”

“Of course, nothing you do is a sin.”

Blood is thicker than water.

Father’s blood was so thick that it dug into the Earth’s core. I felt a little proud.

“What are you going to do? You’re surrounded by dark-hearted guys.”

“Well…….”

“Is it okay to kill them?”

“No, of course not……. One of the guys you mentioned isn’t from our family. One is a slave who will work for the family, no, a worker?”

Knowing it was a joke, I lightly 받아쳤다 [countered].

Levi and Hauser have both directly revealed their feelings, so it’s strange not to know now.

But I didn’t think that alone could explain this subtle atmosphere surrounding me.

But it seemed simple from a third person’s point of view.

The second guy told me it was my fault. That I was reaping what I sowed?

“So what do you think?”

“Huh? Ah. I’m not really into dating or marriage right now.”

“Then should I try assassination…….”

“Father, if you do it, it sounds like a serious matter, not a joke? Stop it.”

After a moment of silence, I said again.

“I don’t have enough time to think about one thing in this busy time. But I’m curious.”

My gaze turned to Father. He seemed upset because of me, or rather, because of the atmosphere surrounding me.

Aside from that, Father seemed subtly upset from the moment he arrived.

“What’s it like from the perspective of someone who has experienced dating or marriage? Do you have any advice from an experienced person?”

“……I’ve never been in a relationship.”

“Really? I thought Father liked Mom.”

I recalled my childhood memories. The neatly folded handkerchief. The things I couldn’t touch while cleaning.

“You cherished it. The handkerchief. I felt affection from Father for the first time. And it was towards someone.”

Father stared at me and sighed slightly.

“I’m not in a position to give advice. Certainly…….”

“…….”

“I still don’t know what love is at this moment.”

Father’s 모습은 신기하게도 갓 풋풋한 감정을 깨달은 청년 같아 보이기도 했다 [Father looked strangely like a young man who had just realized a fresh emotion].

“At least it’s clear that it made someone live. There were days when I endured thinking of her.”

“Wow…….”

How romantic. I never thought I would hear these words from Father.

“But according to her, love comes in all shapes and sizes. The love you will have may be different from mine.”

“Well, that was quite romantic. Father. Does Mom love Father less?”

“…….”

Father’s expression turned sullen. I held back my laughter.

‘Let’s hold back. If I laugh here, I’m screwed…….’

Sad thoughts, sad thoughts.

I tried hard to hold back my laughter, and suddenly I remembered the day I listened to a subordinate’s love counseling in the 3rd timeline.

At that time, this office was full of subordinates sprawled out or standing.

The laughter didn’t stop.

Eventually, everyone died…….

I felt strange.

For a moment, I felt awkward that this office wasn’t bustling.

It was quite a big awkwardness. And a sense of alienation as well.

“Calypso.”

“Huh, uh?”

“What are you thinking about? You didn’t answer when I called you.”

“Ah, sorry, Father. Well…….”

Just as I was about to answer, someone knocked on the door.

The door opened and a servant came in.

“Master, a guest has arrived.”

……A guest?

* * *

“……Greetings, Master.”

Heh, what’s going on again.

I sat in my chair, feeling half-amazed, and looked at the man bowing in front of me.

I didn’t think this would ever happen in my life.

It’s not just anyone, but a black panther bowing to me.

The face that slowly raised his head was truly handsome.

But he had a slightly 날티 [flashy/playboyish] feeling, in other words, a 바람기가 [womanizer] face.

The second son of the Black Panther family, Palaya.

Because he went to the Snake family with Lily, the clothes he wore were the Snake family’s uniform.

As time passed, he was completely an adult. I was more familiar with this side of him.

“You greet me well.”

“……The fact that you have become the head of the family is already widely known.”

“No, not that.”

I shook my legs leisurely while sitting and laughed.

“A black panther bowing to me? Aren’t I just an insignificant Orca to you?”

At the provocative words, Palaya’s face faltered for a moment. Soon, he returned to a polite expression.

“Maybe my older brother, younger brother, or father would think so. But I am here as the representative of the Snake family. And you are a benefactor to me.”

“Ah, so you won’t treat other Orcas well except for me?”

“……I misspoke. Our Snake family does not look down on or despise aquatic animal beastmen.”

I straightened my back. It was an interesting story.

“Of course, I have used hateful expressions many times when I was in the Black Panther family, and I have no intention of ignoring my childhood mistakes. However, my mother, the head of the Snake family, has never despised aquatic animal families. Nor have the snake beastmen.”

My finger tapped the chair.

This was something I knew too.

Because of this, the head of the Snake family was ostracized by the land animal beastmen as strange, and she even broke up with her husband, the head of the Black Panther family.

“My mother, the head of the family, always said, ‘Snakes are animals that live in both water and land from the beginning.'”

“Hmm, I like that saying.”

As Palaya continued to speak, I felt the gazes of the subordinates who had been hostile to Palaya relax a little.

“So what’s the main point? There must be a reason why you came here.”

“…….”

Palaya was momentarily flustered.

He seemed to think that there would be more ceremonial conversations, as the land animal families do.

“We like efficiency. Main point, conclusion. So what is it?”

“……I came to tell you about Lily.”

“It’s not fun to lie when it’s obvious.”

I could always receive a letter about Lily’s news as usual.

He cherished Lily so much that he even abandoned the Black Panther family.

Palaya seemed to realize that he was being pushed back, and he closed his eyes for a moment.

Soon, he revealed the main point on his face. The composure to explain was gone, and I could see his urgency.

“Master, please, would you please help us?”