This was the moment I realized I’d made a mistake.
The girl called Nowa wasn’t the former king’s daughter with Duchess Excel—she was Princess Rinoa, his daughter with Second Secondary Queen Naden Delal Souma.
If you’ll allow me a brief excuse: I was aware of Princess Rinoa, of course. But the former king’s children who made public appearances were generally Prince—now King—Cian and Princess Kazuha. I hadn’t kept up with how Princess Rinoa looked in recent years.
The fact that everyone referred to her as “Nowa” only added to my confusion.
When I asked more questions, I learned that “Delal” in Lady Naden Delal Souma’s name wasn’t a family name, but part of her given name. That meant Princess Rinoa’s full given name was also “Rinoa Delal.”
Because of that, people often called her Noa or Noir for short. But those names had been hard for her younger siblings to pronounce, and so “Nowa” became a pet name within the family. Her friends picked it up, and eventually, so did the residents of Lagoon City.
The devilish Duchess Walter, of course, had been thoroughly amused by the rumors. When asked about them, she never told outright lies, but she also never gave a straight answer—just enough to lead others into drawing their own false conclusions.
It seemed I’d been dancing to her tune as well.
Still, I took it in stride. I chalked it up as just another experience, one more stepping stone in my growth as a reporter.
I’ll be putting today behind me and turning my focus to the next story: Next week, I’ll be investigating the unidentified mysterious creature known as the Pargon, rumored to dwell beneath the capital, Parnam.
But for today, I plan to feast on Lagoon City’s famous seafood and build up my strength for the days ahead.
—Weekly Parnam Sports Reporter, Bunbun
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“So, that’s a thing that happened a little while ago, Mom.”
“Honestly, what is that person thinking?”
A sea serpent girl stood in front of a broadcast jewel.
This beautiful young woman with long, straight, luscious hair that differed from her mother’s, smaller antlers, and a reptilian tail covered in the same glossy scales was Rinoa Delal Souma, the daughter of Souma and Naden.
Souma had preserved Delal from Naden’s name while giving her a name that, when shortened, resembled Noir, the word for “black” in a language from his old world.
To the public, she was known as Princess Rinoa. But among close friends and family, she was affectionately called Nowa. The person she was currently speaking with over the broadcast was her mother, Naden.
“It sounds like they’ll at least write the truth in the article though.”
“They’d better! If they publish anything that fuels the rumors, I’ll ask Souma to shut their whole operation down.”
Nowa smiled wryly at how angry her mother was.
Naden hadn’t appeared to have aged at all since giving birth to Nowa. When the two stood side by side, Naden often looked like the younger of the pair. Watching her try to play the motherly role in front of Nowa made her seem like a young girl pretending to be an adult—something the entire family found heartwarming. Everyone except Naden, that is.
Nowa peered at her mother through the broadcast.
“Hmm? Is something on your mind?” Naden asked.
“I was starting to think Auntie Excel really might be my mother.”
“Don’t be silly! You and I are like two peas in a pod.”
“But I’m taller than you, Mom.”
“Frustrating as it is, you take after your father when it comes to how fast you grow.”
“Besides, in this family, no one can really keep track of who belongs to whom. You’ve got a ton of siblings yourself... From Dad’s perspective, I’m what—child number how many again?”
“Uh... Yeah. Sorry about that!” Naden let out a sigh. “But have no worries. I’m definitely the one who gave birth to you.”
“Mom...”
“I remember how relieved Souma and I were when you were born a sea serpent. If a dragon had been in that egg, who knows when it would have hatched, maybe not even in our lifetimes. I was so happy to hold you in my arms for the first time... It brought me to tears.”
“Hee hee, you’re kind of embarrassing me.”
Nowa’s shy smile earned her a gentle, motherly one from Naden.
“We’ll all be back in the capital for the end of the year, so you’d better come too. I know we talk like this all the time through a screen, but I want to hug you for real. And I’m sure Souma feels the same way.”
Hearing this, Nowa pumped her fist and replied with her mother’s signature phrase, “Roger that!”
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