NOVEL NEXT Chapter 394: She Was Supposed To Be An Omlette
Cassius's question hung in the air, his tone dark but his gaze unwavering. The room felt a little heavier, the crackle of the tavern's hearth seeming distant as everyone waited for Wanda's reply.
But to his surprise, the old woman didn't hesitate or falter, she scoffed loudly, waving her hand dismissively.
"Rumors?" She said with a dry laugh. "Who cares about those stupid rumors?"
The trio blinked, taken aback by how casually she dismissed them.
Wanda leaned on her cane and went on, her tone surprisingly conversational.
"When I was a young girl, there was a girl I knew, jealous of my looks. She spread a rumor about me, said that if any boy called me behind the pine tree near the river, I'd...well…" She gave them all a mischievous grin. "That I'd blow their wieners and give them a good time."
Julie nearly spat out her drink, coughing as Skadi slapped her back, while Aisha's ears twitched furiously in embarrassment. Cassius just sat there stunned.
"Of course." Wanda continued with a shrug. "I never did anything like that. But that girl kept spreading her lies. So one day I grabbed her by the hair, beat her up until she begged for forgiveness, and threw her straight into the lake. She didn't spread a single word about me after that."
Seeing their speechless expressions, Wanda chuckled and added, "What I'm trying to say is that rumors are still just rumors. No matter how loud or how many people repeat them, you can never be sure they're true."
Then she turned her sharp, knowing eyes toward Cassius.
"So when I hear all these things about you being some womanizing scoundrel who uses women and throws them away, I don't buy it. Not for a second."
That made Cassius blink, his guarded expression softening as a small smile crept onto his lips. "Oh? And how did you come to that conclusion?" He asked, curious.
"It's not really my conclusion." Wanda said, her tone calm but proud. "It's my granddaughter's."
Cassius's brows rose, interested now.
"You see..." Wanda continued. "...my Nala is a survivalist through and through. That girl can survive anywhere you throw her."
"Put her in a den of wolves and she'll charm her way out. Toss her into a dungeon and she'll escape with the key in her teeth. She's clever, resilient, and more cautious than most people twice her age. She can sniff out danger better than any guard dog."
Cassius chuckled softly at that, recalling just how Nala wanted to negotiate with the Leviathan.
"She even once made a journey all the way to the western deserts all by herself if you can believe it." Wanda went on, shaking her head in a mix of pride and exasperation.
That made Aisha's ears perk up in shock.
"Wait, she went alone? That's a three-month journey! There are bandits, poachers, worse things on that road. And she went all by herself?"
"Yes." Wanda confirmed with a nod. "She traveled alone, through hostile lands and barren deserts, and came back without so much as a scratch. Do you know why?...Because she can read people."
"She can tell what kind of person someone is just by looking at them. It's a skill she had to learn early because of what she is. Being a Lamia, she's always had to deal with stares, some fearful, some lustful, some murderous. She knows who to avoid and who she can trust. That's why she survived."
Then Wanda fixed Cassius with a piercing stare.
"And that's why I know you're not dangerous. Because if you were, if even a hint of those rumors were true, my granddaughter would have vanished the moment she met you."
"But instead, she stayed by your side. She blushes every time your name comes up. She even lets me tease her about you, which she never allows for anyone else. That tells me everything I need to know."
Julie, Aisha, and Skadi all exchanged glances at that, each realizing Wanda had a point.
"And besides..." Wanda added with a sly grin, glancing at Aisha. "...even the noble and righteous Holy Guard seem perfectly fine with you. They look like one big happy family with you. Especially this kitten over here..." She tilted her chin toward Aisha "...who clearly doesn't mind him enough to stop him from sliding his hand under her underwear at dinner."
Aisha turned bright red and looked away, ears twitching wildly, while Cassius just laughed, shaking his head.
"I really can't keep any secrets today, can I? Everything's getting exposed one by one. You're a sharp old lady."
Then he leaned forward with a playful grin.
"Tell me, Grandma Wanda, would you be willing to become my advisor? I could use someone with eyes as sharp as yours to help me sort out who's genuine and who's a snake in disguise."
But Wanda only chuckled and shook her head. "No need for that, young man. I'm too old to be running around in politics. I'd rather stay here in my village, drink my beer, and die happy."
Her tone softened, though, and her eyes grew serious.
"But my granddaughter is a different story. She's young, strong, and restless. She doesn't belong stuck in a little fishing village like this. So if you're really serious about her, if you really mean to take her with you, then do it. Take her away. Give her the life she deserves."
Cassius nodded, a fierce gleam in his eyes. "Now that I've got your blessing, I'm even more determined to drag her away with me."
Then his expression turned more curious.
"But...there's something I've been wondering since I met you." He said, glancing at Wanda's legs. "I've been trying to figure out if you have a tail hidden somewhere, but it looks like you don't."
"...So tell me, how exactly are you related to Nala if she's Lamia and you're human?"
"And while we're at it." He added, leaning forward slightly. "I'd like to know what business took you all the way to the western deserts. That's where most of the Lamia tribes live, isn't it? I want to know more about Nala, about my future fiancée, since she won't tell me anything herself."
The entire table went quiet at that, waiting eagerly for Wanda's answer.
And to this, Wanda only chuckled softly, resting her elbows on the table as if settling in for a long story.
"Of course, of course." She said, her voice warm. "It's only natural that my future son-in-law would want to know more about my granddaughter." She sighed and stretched her legs under the table. "But first, let me sit properly. If I keep standing any longer, all the bones in my legs will give out and I'll be forced to slither around like Nala!"
That earned a small laugh from the group as she lowered herself into a chair with practiced ease. She tapped her cane against the floor once, then looked straight at Cassius.
"Honestly, when I first met that girl, she wasn't supposed to be my granddaughter at all. She was supposed to be...an omelette."
Cassius blinked, baffled. "An...omelette?"
"Yes." Wanda said, deadpan, before cracking a sly grin. "I mean that quite literally. About twenty-five years ago, I found Nala—well, not Nala exactly, but an egg, while I was out fishing near the lakeside forest...A great big thing, white as snow."
"At first, I thought it must've been a monster egg, maybe a serpent's or some strange beast's. I figured I'd have myself a feast. Took it home, chopped up some fresh fish, stoked the fire, got my pan hot…" She laughed to herself, shaking her head. "And wouldn't you know it, just as I was about to crack it open, the blasted thing hatched right there on my kitchen table!"
The trio leaned forward, wide-eyed, and Cassius couldn't help but grin. Wanda spread her hands dramatically.
"Out comes this tiny little lamia hatchling, tail no longer than my arm, looking at me with these big wide eyes and hissing like a baby snake. One moment I was expecting breakfast, the next moment I had a crying newborn on my hands."
"...Nearly gave me a heart attack!"
She then went on, her voice softening.
"But unfortunately, no lamia clans live anywhere near this lake. They're all far away, out west. And even after weeks passed, no one came looking for her. There were no tracks, no word, no signs of parents at all. It became painfully clear that she had been abandoned...left behind."
The table fell quiet for a moment, the mood turning somber. Cassius's expression darkened slightly, the thought of Nala being abandoned as nothing more than an egg struck him deeper than he expected.
But Wanda just waved a hand dismissively.
"Oh, don't make those faces. It's not a sad story, not to me. The very moment I saw her, even though she wasn't my blood, I fell in love with her. She was so small, so adorable, with that little white tail coiling up for warmth. I decided right then she was my child."
"...I raised her as my own, and she's been my pride and joy ever since."
Her smile softened with a hint of nostalgia.
"She grew up here, among us, and everyone in this village loves her dearly. Even if she's cheeky and causes trouble sometimes, the whole place lights up when she passes by. She became part of the family, not just mine, but everyone's."
Julie and Aisha exchanged warm smiles, and even Skadi nodded approvingly while sipping her drink.
But then Wanda's tone grew more serious, her expression wistful.
"That said...no matter how much we love her, Nala was always restless. Every year she grew more aware of the difference between herself and everyone else. She was a lamia in a village of humans. And every traveler's frightened stare, every insult, every look of disgust she got from outsiders, it only reminded her she didn't belong."
Her hand tightened slightly on her cane.
"And finally, one day she came to me, head held high, and told me she wanted to find her real family, to seek out her origins. I knew from the determination in her eyes there was nothing I could do to stop her. So I let her go."
Skadi's ears twitched. "So she traveled all the way to the western deserts?"
"Yes." Wanda nodded gravely. "Alone. A three-month journey through bandit country, scorching deserts, and lands where even seasoned adventurers hesitate to travel. Yet she returned without a single scratch."
That made Cassius grin faintly, remembering how sharp and stubborn Nala could be.
"But..." Wanda said, her voice dipping lower. "When she came back...she wasn't the same. Not only did she fail to find her parents, she was cast out by her own kin."
Julie frowned. "Cast out? Why? She seems like such a sweet girl."
"They called her cursed." Wanda said bitterly. "Her white tail is what doomed her. Among the lamia, that color is seen as a bad omen, the color of the Leviathan, the creature from their myths that nearly wiped out entire tribes generations ago."
"To them, Nala was a walking reminder of that tragedy. So when she approached them, they threw stones at her, screaming for her to leave."
Aisha's face darkened with anger. "That's horrible…"
"Yes." Wanda agreed, though she gave a small, wry smile. "But my granddaughter is no pitiful victim. She's prideful, headstrong, and doesn't take humiliation lying down. She was fuming, and decided she wouldn't leave things like that."
"And in the end she got her revenge, and from what I hear, she humiliated that entire clan so thoroughly they still don't dare speak her name without gritting their teeth."
Cassius raised a brow, clearly intrigued.
"Revenge, you say? What exactly did she do?"