Episode 23
The puppy that had me in its mouth ran around at a dizzying speed before slowing down as it entered an alley.
Through my blurry vision, I saw the figure of a person. Then, I heard a sigh, as if exasperated.
“What did you pick up this time?”
“Woof woof!”
“I told you not to pick up things outside, didn’t I? You never listen.”
As the man scolded the puppy, I tried to calm my churning stomach.
“Beep…”
‘I feel sick from being shaken around so much. I think I’m going to throw up.’
Hearing my weak moan, the surprised man ran a hand through his hair.
“Where did you even find a live bird? Sigh.”
“Chirp…”
“The bird looks limp.”
The man finally released me from the puppy’s wet mouth. My spinning vision stabilized, and the nausea subsided. I nodded and looked at the puppy, which was barking happily.
‘Phew. Well, who could blame that cute puppy?’
I slowly retraced the path the puppy had taken. It was fortunate that I had desperately memorized the route despite the motion sickness.
“Beep.”
‘I should go back before it’s too late.’
I expressed my gratitude to the man who saved me and flapped my wings, intending to return.
But then, I froze, seeing the Imperial crest on the man’s chest. Only then did I notice his fiery red hair and warm, sunshine-like golden eyes.
“Chirp…”
Arenz Karlas, the Captain of the First Imperial Knights.
He was a character who, despite not being a male lead, was quite popular with the readers due to his upright character and actions befitting a knight.
It was explained that he was scouting with the Crown Prince at the festival to find evidence of the Second Prince secretly gathering funds.
“Beep…”
‘If he’s here, that means the Crown Prince is nearby, too…’
I had already made a terrible impression on the Crown Prince with my earlier actions. And now, neither Cesar, my owner, nor Sylvia, my protector, was by my side.
It would be easy to kill an insignificant, bothersome bird without anyone noticing.
‘I have to get out of here quickly.’
I hurriedly tried to leave. But Arenz, noticing the jewel shining on my chest, stopped me.
“…Wait, whose bird is this?”
“Chirp?”
‘Aren’t you going to let go? I’ll get scolded if I’m late, but… if I stay here any longer, I’ll run into the Crown Prince!’
I struggled to free myself. But being a knight, even his gentle hold was difficult to break free from.
I lamented the fact that the power I used to defeat the monster wasn’t working now.
“Louis, why did you bring a bird that has an owner? It’s clearly cherished.”
It seemed I was mistaken for a beloved pet.
‘Well, the maids scrubbed and polished me this morning. It would be a problem if I was dirty.’
“Sigh. What should I do?”
Arenz let out a deep sigh, looking at the jewel on my chest. But the puppy beside him was excitedly wagging its tail and panting.
‘He must be having a hard time because of his pet, too. Running off and picking up a live bird. Causing trouble for its owner…’
The more I thought about it, the more my own similar mistakes came to mind, so I decided to stop thinking. It felt like I was stabbing myself.
“If it has an owner, how should I find them…?”
“Chirp? Beep!”
‘It’s okay. I can find them. So let go of me first!’
But Arenz seemed to not hear me and was saying something else.
“…Louis. Can you go back to where you brought this bird from?”
“Woof woof!”
“Such a smart dog.”
‘Huh? Go back? To where Cesar and Sylvia are? Absolutely not! I worked so hard to get rid of the Crown Prince!’
I seized the moment when his grip loosened and escaped from Arenz’s hand.
“Wait…!”
“Beep!”
‘You don’t have to find them. Just don’t come! Not coming is helping me. Got it?’
Worried he might follow me, I picked up a random twig and drew a clear X mark on the ground to express my feelings. Arenz’s expression changed subtly.
“…Are you telling me not to follow you? What a peculiar bird.”
Hearing his last words, I felt relieved and flew back to where I had been. Looking back, it didn’t seem like he was following me.
‘He must be busy observing the Second Prince’s movements. But I shouldn’t let my guard down, just in case.’
I quickly approached the plaza and went back into the bushes where I had been. I could hear the music ending and the people finishing their dance.
As if nothing had happened, I emerged from the bushes with a flower in my beak. I saw Sylvia smiling at Cesar. They looked like a scene from a painting, and the people around them glanced at them.
‘Good. The atmosphere is nice.’
The relationship between the Crown Prince and Sylvia would develop rapidly after this day, but fortunately, I seemed to have prevented that. If Cesar and Sylvia’s relationship continued to progress smoothly like today, the things I was worried about wouldn’t happen.
As I felt a tinge of bitterness, recalling Cesar’s ending,
“Where did Lily go?”
I heard Sylvia calling me. As if waiting, I fluttered over to her.
“Beep.”
“Lily, what’s this? Did you pick this for me?”
“Chirp.”
I replied briefly and placed the flower I was holding in my beak in Sylvia’s hand.
“It’s beautiful. The same color as my hair. Thank you.”
I wagged my fluffy tail feathers as she stroked my head. I smiled happily, and Sylvia’s smile widened.
Just then, Cesar called me.
“…Lily. Come here.”
“Chirp?”
‘Why is he calling me?’
With a sense of curiosity, I flew to him and perched on his shoulder. Cesar stroked me.
As I relaxed into his gentle touch as usual, he looked at me with suspicion, as if he had noticed something.
“Your neck is damp. Where did you roll around in such a short time?”
“Beep…?”
I tilted my head, pretending to be clueless. Cesar sighed and looked away. It felt like he was letting it slide because it was the festival, but I breathed a sigh of relief that I hadn’t been caught.
I spent the rest of the time enjoying the festival with Sylvia. Time passed peacefully without any major incidents.
The Crown Prince would have been with us if things had gone according to the original story, but since I had chased him away, he was probably diligently following the Second Prince’s movements.
‘Well, he wouldn’t have found anything anyway, so it would have been more beneficial for him to spend time with Sylvia.’
Since it wasn’t my concern, I enjoyed the festival, my first since becoming a bird. As the night sky darkened, Sylvia pointed at the sky.
“Cesar, look. The fireworks will be lighting up the sky soon.”
I reacted to Sylvia’s words instead of Cesar.
“Beep!”
‘Fireworks!’
I looked up at the sky like an excited child. Soon, with booming sounds, fireworks bloomed like flowers, illuminating the night sky.
‘Beautiful. It’s like colorful stardust scattered across the night sky.’
After admiring the fireworks for a while, I quietly turned my gaze to Sylvia. I saw her profile as she watched the fireworks.
Her flowing blonde hair, as if imbued with starlight, and her clear, innocent eyes. A figure shining brilliantly, even amidst the shower of lights.
‘Cesar must be looking at Sylvia like this, too, finding her incredibly lovely and beautiful.’
With that thought, I turned to Cesar. I expected him to be gazing at Sylvia.
But when I turned, Cesar was looking at me, not Sylvia. His clearly shining purple eyes reflected the image of the pink bird.
“Beep…?”
‘Why is he looking at me, not Sylvia?’
Before my question could linger, Cesar opened his mouth.
“You seem to have enjoyed yourself. My bird likes sparkly things.”
“Beep.”
‘Yes. I enjoyed it very much.’
“I was worried you might cause trouble again. It’s a relief you didn’t jump into the lights.”
“Chirp?”
‘Does he think I’m a moth?’
As I grumbled and looked up again, the beautiful fireworks display was coming to an end.
I blinked, feeling a pang of regret. It was a festival I might not be able to see again.
I didn’t know if I would survive, if I would become human again.
‘You don’t have to worry too much. You’ll soon regain what you desire.’
‘Regain what I desire? I want to become human again. That’s not going to happen so easily.’
I watched the last fireworks explode. And I made a small wish.
“Beep.”
‘Please let me become human again. And…’
I glanced at my owner beside me. He was someone who might kill me, but the image of his lonely face lingered in my mind.
A lonely person consumed by unrequited love. A sub-male lead destined for ruin.
My owner, Cesar.
‘…Please let him find someone to fill the loneliness in his heart.’
I blinked, entrusting my wish to the exploding fireworks. And at that moment, I swayed. Sleepiness washed over me.
“…Lily, are you sleepy?”
At his words, I blinked slowly. I had been getting drowsy at random times, but this was the first time Cesar had pointed it out before I realized it myself.
I felt my eyes closing and was about to fall asleep in his hand. But as sleepiness started to overtake me, my body, which should have been relaxing, reacted differently than usual.
“Beep, Chirp!”
A sudden, sharp pain shot through me, as if something was changing within my body. Like when I defeated the monster, something unknown was happening inside me again.
‘I have to endure. I can’t ruin the mood between Cesar and Sylvia.’
But the more I tried to endure, the weaker my legs felt.
I lost my grip on Cesar’s shoulder and plummeted to the ground.