Episode 1
Sparkling silver hair and swaying, light purple eyes came into view. My handsome owner, Cesar, was frowning, as always.
Tilting my head, I wondered what was wrong.
“Something unpleasant happened today.”
“Beep?”
‘What bad thing happened today?’
I hopped over to Cesar, who was sitting languidly.
“I was about to escort Sylvia, but someone else beat me to it.”
“Beep…”
“How can I catch Sylvia’s eye? Would killing the other guys solve the problem?”
Cesar’s eyes shone with a fierce, bluish light.
‘Oh no, he’s losing it again!’
I flapped my wings with all my might.
‘If I give him something I cherish, Cesar’s mood will surely improve.’
“Beep! Beep!”
I brought a carefully hidden gem and dropped it in front of Cesar. He looked at me silently.
I gave a small nod.
‘Doesn’t he like this one?’
So this time, I brought a blue gem.
“…I don’t think this small gem will calm me down.”
His words made me pale, so I struggled to pull out a large gem. I poked the gem, which was as big as my body, with my small beak and somehow managed to grasp it with my beast-like claws.
As soon as I placed it in front of Cesar, he said,
“Are you telling me to calm down?”
“Beep.”
“As you say, I’ll calm down. Come here, Lily.”
Flutter. Trembling slightly, I approached Cesar’s hand and rubbed my head against it affectionately.
“Beep…”
As I blinked my jet-black eyes, the corners of Cesar’s eyes curved into crescents.
“Lily, I have a present for you. Open it.”
Cesar pulled out a white box tied with a red ribbon from his pocket. Wondering what it could be, I poked the gift box curiously with my beak. And then I pulled the end of the ribbon.
Swoosh. The smoothly untied ribbon quickly wrapped around my fidgeting body.
“Beep! Chirp!”
Hearing my cries for help, Cesar snapped his fingers.
“You’re so dumb.”
Despite his sharp words, the ribbon that had entangled my body disappeared with a single gesture from Cesar.
“Beep…!”
Having regained my freedom, I checked to see if my small, fluffy wings were alright. Fortunately, they were unharmed, not a single feather out of place.
I approached the gift box again. Inside was a black gem that shimmered brilliantly. But I didn’t know the value of this gem.
I tapped Cesar’s hand lightly with my beak, and he said with a smile,
“It’s a rare gem from another country. You could buy a mansion with just this one.”
‘A mansion…! Gems are the best after all!’
I flapped my wings with joy and flew around Cesar’s head.
“Chirp. Beep, Beep!”
High-pitched, beautiful chirps filled the air. Cesar chuckled, as if letting out air. He didn’t seem to understand me, who particularly loved gems.
In a way, it was natural. Because I was a bird.
“Come down now. Even pleasant sounds become tiresome if you hear them too much.”
At his words, I stopped flapping my wings and landed on Cesar’s palm. Quickly sensing his mood and not going against it was one of my survival rules.
“So, do you like it?”
“Beep!”
Cesar stroked my head as I answered vigorously.
“If something good happens, I’ll prepare another one. Since you like them.”
“Beep!”
My long tail feathers swayed naturally up and down. Soon, Cesar smiled as beautifully as a painting.
“At first, I thought about throwing you to some low-level monster as food. But strangely, I like you.”
“……Beep, Beep?”
As I puffed myself up warily, Cesar flicked my head lightly and said,
“Just kidding.”
However, contrary to his words, his gleaming eyes seemed to tell me that he was telling the truth. Several times a day, I felt like my life was in danger, like a candle in the wind.
Just then, someone knocked on the door and called Cesar.
“Duke, it’s time to leave.”
Cesar answered as if annoyed and rose from his seat.
I rubbed my head against him as a farewell gesture and returned to my cage. And I stared at the door for a long time until Cesar left.
As soon as he was completely gone, I picked up the sparkling gem and pushed it into my secret hiding place.
Various gems, worth enough to allow me to live a life of leisure without ever working, shone in the deepest part, where even Cesar didn’t know.
‘Hee hee. I need to collect gems quickly and escape!’
After looking at the gems with satisfaction, I preened my feathers. I patted my shoulders, which were stiff from appeasing Cesar today.
‘At first, I thought about throwing you to some low-level monster as food.’
“Chirp…”
A long, sigh-like chirp escaped me.
‘How did I end up becoming the pet bird of the villainous sub-male lead…?’
I recalled the time I had just possessed this body.
The first thing I perceived was pitch-black darkness.
I was clearly on my way back after a refreshing shower. A dull pain shot through the back of my head, my mind became hazy, and then my vision went black.
Everything was dark. I shivered as if I had been abandoned in a strange place.
‘I need to go somewhere safe…’
Following my instincts, I moved around and finally settled somewhere. It was when I rested my face against a hard surface.
Crack. Pop!
As if breaking through something, my vision brightened.
‘Huh? Where am I?’
I saw an eggshell, and on either side, small birds were sleeping and chirping. When I tried to raise my arm, it was covered in downy fluff, and when I opened my mouth, a hard beak greeted me.
“Beep?”
‘Huh. Why am I making bird noises?’
“Beep!”
‘Wait a minute, that was me?’
As I looked around in bewilderment, the baby birds, who had woken up, tilted their heads.
‘What is this, where am I?’
While I blinked, still unable to adjust, the baby birds suddenly stretched out their necks. Wondering what was going on, I turned my gaze. A mother bird that had flown to the edge of the nest opened its mouth and regurgitated food.
“Beep. Beep!”
I saw baby birds scrambling to get the food. But looking at the food the mother bird regurgitated, I kept my mouth shut.
‘How can I eat that! Even if I’m hungry, I won’t eat chewed-up bugs like that.’
I turned my head and examined the current situation.
The branches touching my feet were rough. I was clearly a human, but I didn’t understand how I had become a bird. I was confused.
“Beep! Beep! Beep…”
Even when I tried to speak, only bird chirps came out.
That day, confused all day long, I huddled in the corner of the nest without eating anything.
Growl. My empty stomach rumbled.
“Beep…”
I was hungry. I wanted to eat something.
‘I wish I could at least get food from a human.’
I looked at my wings, which had become fluffy in a short time. It was fascinating how they moved according to my will. Wondering if I could fly like ordinary birds, I flapped my small wings.
At that moment, the mother bird flew back into the nest.
“Beep! Beep!”
The birds, all at once, got up to receive food, opening their mouths busily and pushing each other. Meanwhile, my body, awkwardly moving its wings, tilted.
“Beep…?”
‘Huh? Why is my body floating in the air instead of in the nest?’
I realized something was wrong too late, but my small body had already left the nest.
Then I plummeted to the ground. A dull thud echoed in my ears. The impact on my body made me feel like I was going to lose consciousness.
“Beep…”
The ground was cold. My body wouldn’t move from the shock.
‘If I faint like this, will I be able to wake up?’
I could feel my body temperature dropping rapidly. I felt like I was going to stop breathing. I didn’t want to die. I didn’t want to die as a bird on the cold ground.
Just when I desperately wished for someone to save me, I heard footsteps.
A long shadow fell over me. I could vaguely see flowing golden hair.
“Nanny. There’s a baby bird.”
“It seems to have fallen from its nest.”
“Poor thing.”
The person who said “poor thing” wrapped their hands around me. Feeling the warmth against my body, I opened my mouth to survive.
“Beep…”
‘Save me. I think I’m dying.’
After barely making a sound, I passed out.
‘Hmm. Was the sunlight this bright?’
“Beep…?”
“Are you awake?”
When I opened my eyes, a blonde woman with silky hair was looking at me. She was a very beautiful person, with gently folded eyes and well-defined features.
‘Where am I?’
As I looked around, the woman stroked my head.
“Beep?”
“I brought you in because I thought you might have hurt your wings when you fell. You seem disoriented.”
I looked at my tiny wings. They were bandaged where the fluffy down had been. The shock and pain from the fall seemed to have subsided a bit.
But I was still hungry.
“Oh, you must be hungry. Wait a moment.”
“Beep!”
As if she had read my mind, I chirped happily at her words about giving me food.
“Nanny, do you have the fruit the chef prepared?”
“Yes. Miss Sylvia.”
‘Sylvia? Somehow, it’s similar to the name of the female lead in the novel I was reading. The female lead in that novel was also described as having brilliant blonde hair.’
I had a strange feeling.
“Here, have some fruit. Are you okay?”
“Beep…!”
But right now, satisfying my hunger was more urgent, so I pushed the thought aside.
I pecked at the offered fruit with my beak. After eating a certain amount and patting my full belly, Sylvia stroked me.
I was scared of being a bird, but I was glad to have met such a kind person.
After that, Sylvia took good care of me. My injured wings healed, and even though only a short time had passed, I felt like I had grown enough to flap my wings naturally. I wondered if birds normally grew this fast.
After my wings were fully healed, I would hop over and act cute whenever Sylvia came. Sylvia adored me, and I got used to life as a bird.
Knowing that I wouldn’t leave even if she left the cage open, Sylvia often left the cage door open. I would often go back and forth to the garden visible below the window, and I gained strength in my wings. It was quite fun.
“Beep. Beep.”
‘Sylvia, do you like this?’
I put down the flower I had been holding in my beak, and Sylvia smiled.
“How cute. Did you pick that for me?”
“Beep.”
As I gently rubbed my head against Sylvia’s hand, she stroked me.
Just like that, I didn’t doubt that Sylvia would become my owner. If it weren’t for the appearance of that man…
“Sylvia, what’s that bird?”
“…Cesar?”
On a languid afternoon, a man’s voice, laced with a slight complaint, appeared between Sylvia and me.
“Have you been neglecting me to take care of that bird?”