Episode 4
Whether the Tower Master sighed or not, Cesar thought of Sylvia.
‘Sylvia Veronica.’
From the first time they met, she had caught his eye. Clear blue eyes that rippled like gentle waves. The upturned corners of her lips. Radiant blonde hair that shimmered like scattered starlight… Beautiful…
‘Beep. Beep.’
Just then, he seemed to hear the chirping of a small bird from somewhere.
‘Beep.’
A yellow rose lying on the dirt-covered ground came to mind.
Jet-black eyes resembling the night sky. Beautiful pink feathers like blooming flowers.
‘…Strange. Why am I suddenly thinking of an insignificant bird?’
Soon, his train of thought flowed towards the small bird.
The warmth he had felt a while ago was comforting. He could faintly hear the rapid beating of its heart. Despite being only the size of his palm, it hopped around well with its short legs.
Seeing him off. It was strange to be seen off by a bird, something he had never experienced before. Strange and insignificant, but it was the bird Sylvia had entrusted to him. Perhaps that’s why he was lost in such thoughts.
Just then, the Tower Master, with an even more worried look, called him.
“Disciple.”
“Yes, Master.”
“If, by any chance, you get dumped by that Sylvia girl later…”
“Shut up.”
Cesar sighed, feeling his irritation grow with each passing moment. Then, his thoughts drifted back to the bird from earlier.
Hesitating whether to ask or not, he stammered,
“By the way, Master. Do birds get motion sickness?”
He had heard Sylvia’s explanation, but this was his first time raising a bird. Normally, he would have left it all to the maids, but…
‘Perhaps the bird is trying to see you off, Duke?’
A presence waiting for him in a place he hadn’t given much thought to. That fact strangely lingered in his mind. Perhaps that’s why he was acting strangely.
Arriving at the greenhouse, I was greeted by lush green plants. A sense of peace washed over me, and the cloud-like warmth made me sleepy.
“Beep…”
Feeling drowsy, I unknowingly drifted off to sleep.
I don’t know how long I slept, but I heard the murmuring voices of people. The surroundings seemed to have darkened.
“Beep…?”
I blinked awake.
“…Cute.”
“I know. Look at it blinking.”
“Beep?”
‘Who is it?’
Heads with unfamiliar, colorful hair were huddled together, looking at me.
“Kyaa. It’s awake.”
“What was its name again?”
“Lily.”
“Are we allowed to be in here?”
“I don’t know. But Mariette kept bragging about it.”
‘Mariette is the name of the maid who brought me here, right?’
As I tilted my head in confusion, I heard small gasps. Finally understanding the situation, I tilted my head slightly.
“Beep.”
The maids blushed.
“So tiny.”
“It’s not even winter yet, but it looks like it’s gained weight. So fluffy.”
“…I want to touch it.”
“Beep.”
‘I am pretty and cute.’
Had my mind also become that of a bird? My heart fluttered at the small compliments, like a whale dancing.
As I was about to rub my head against the maids’ hands and act cute, my bird senses sent me a warning signal. If I acted like an indifferent bird here, I could avoid a big problem.
“Beep!”
As I instinctively flapped my wings and fluttered, the maids backed away in surprise.
“Oh no. I think we startled it by getting too close.”
“That’s why I said we shouldn’t come. Let’s go back quickly. We’ll be in big trouble if the Duke comes.”
Watching the maids hurriedly disappear, I felt the quietness of my surroundings.
The sudden silence made me feel bored. And the cage felt confining…
“…Beep.”
‘Sylvia used to open the cage door. There’s no sign of Cesar coming yet. Should I just go out for a bit and come back in?’
Thinking nothing of it, I sharpened my claws, which were as sharp as a raptor’s. And I tried to unlock the latch using my claws and beak.
‘Ugh. They changed the cage, so it’s not working well.’
“Why are you trying to get out?”
“Beep.”
“If you get out at the wrong time, you’ll be roasted alive.”
Huh? Roasted alive?
And that familiar voice…
“Beep…”
I calmly withdrew my claws and beak, which had been poised to attack the cage.
Cesar Clovis. My future murderer was looking down at me with a displeased expression.
“Lily, did you enjoy being pampered by the maids?”
‘N… No.’
“It hasn’t been long since I left.”
“Beep…”
Every time Cesar spoke, I felt as if the surrounding temperature was plummeting.
“Seeing you approach the maids of my mansion so casually, do you not even recognize your owner?”
For a moment, I felt a little wronged by his words.
“Beep…!”
‘That’s not true. I rejected them when they approached me earlier!’
As I sulked and avoided his gaze, he tapped the cage.
“You seem angry.”
“Beep. Beeeep.”
‘Of course, I am. That’s not true.’
I tried to glare at him, widening my eyes as if throwing a tantrum. He stared back, as if challenging me.
His gaze, as if waiting to see how far I would go with my impudence, was frightening. His calm purple eyes were like the peace before a storm.
I folded up my defiance and put it away.
“Beep. Beep.”
‘How could that be? I’m your loyal bird, Lily. I don’t know why you’re upset, but as a pet bird, I have to obey my owner.’
“So you’re saying you’re not angry?”
“Beep.”
“Good. I don’t need a bird that gets angry without even recognizing its owner.”
My body stiffened at Cesar’s grinning face.
‘…He’s joking, right?’
I looked at him with that thought, but there wasn’t a shred of falsehood in his expression.
“Come here.”
“Beep…”
I was scared, but I hopped closer, not wanting to provoke Cesar any further. However, the cage door remained firmly shut. I felt a little dejected.
Perhaps seeing me like that, Cesar muttered to himself,
“Do you want to come out?”
“Beep?”
‘Why would he be considerate of me?’
In the original novel, there was no mention of Cesar showing any interest in a bird. Unsure whether it was good or bad interest, I just fluttered my head feathers.
Then I remembered getting caught trying to open the cage door earlier. Cesar’s chilling gaze naturally came to mind.
Shake. Shake.
‘There’s no way Cesar would be considerate of me. At most, he’d be thinking of roasting me alive.’
As I bristled my feathers in full alert, he seemed to have finished his thoughts and opened his mouth.
“My master also said you shouldn’t be confined to a cage all the time. I’ll take you to the Emperor’s birthday celebration soon, to let Sylvia know you’re doing well.”
‘Huh? What did he just say?’
“I hope this stupid bird doesn’t act recklessly…”
Even though I knew that “stupid bird” referred to me, I was preoccupied with something else.
‘The Emperor’s birthday.’
The Emperor’s birthday celebration here was no different from an event that marked the beginning of a full-fledged romance. The time I possessed this body was the very beginning of the novel. Naturally, not all the male leads had appeared yet.
My goal was to survive Cesar’s grasp, become human again, and live happily. To do that, I had to meet the newly appearing male lead at this Emperor’s birthday celebration.
In the original novel, Cesar sent the bird he killed to Sylvia as a gift, and she cried in shock. But he rejoiced, mistaking even those tears as interest directed towards him.
‘Ugh, crazy bastard. No matter how I think about it, he’s not right in the head.’
Anyway, that wasn’t the important part.
It was the male lead, whom Sylvia met at the Emperor’s birthday celebration, who comforted her. The male lead, who examined the dead bird, saying he would bury it, quietly said,
‘…The Duke is crazy. He probably didn’t know, but to kill such a special bird…’
I was fixated on the phrase “special bird.” There must be a reason why a man, known for his indifferent personality, referred to it as a special bird.
Having read the novel, I knew where Sylvia and that man would meet. The problem was that Cesar was likely to leave me in the cage. Fortunately, it seemed he was planning to take me there.
‘Alright. I’ll sneak out during the birthday banquet and go meet him.’
As I was excitedly devising my survival plan, I felt a warm touch along with a light tap.
“Beep?”
‘It’s suddenly warm?’
Glancing over, I saw him putting his finger inside the cage and stroking my head.
I froze for a moment, but I obediently submitted to his touch. Becoming human was important, but surviving him was my top priority.
However, after stroking me for a while, he suddenly pressed down on my fluttering head feathers and said,
“You’re filthy.”
“Beep?”
‘…Filthy?’
After stroking me so nicely, he now calls me filthy. My charmingly extended tail feathers and soft, cotton candy-like pink, adorable fluff…
Even if I do say so myself, I’m the epitome of an adorable bird.
“…Beep.”
‘Am I really filthy?’
I tilted my head, looking at Cesar. There was no reply, as he couldn’t understand bird language.
He just continued talking and moved away from me.
“I’ll have to ask the maids to groom you.”
I listened to Cesar’s words, thinking of it as someone else’s business.
“Beep?”
‘Grooming? I guess even birds get groomed.’
Thinking they would probably just tie a pretty ribbon on me, I watched Cesar’s cold and indifferent back as he disappeared without a word.
Once he was gone, the greenhouse was silent. I felt bored, confined, completely like a bird in a cage.
‘Well, that is my current situation.’
Thinking about what to do at the upcoming birthday banquet, I felt my consistently fluffy wings and hard beak.
‘Sigh. Possessing a bird in a romance fantasy novel. Will I be able to survive and become human again?’
I chirped softly, asking a question no one could answer.
“Beep.”
Only the cute bird chirps echoed softly. Still, I thought it was fortunate that nothing bad had happened yet, and I went to sleep.
Completely unaware of the first trial that would soon come my way.
Bro he is like the male lead of Falcon Princess who thinks he can understand the female lead 😭