Episode 49
I was reading the book I brought while waiting for Sylvia.
Divine Power, You Can Use It Too! A Beginner’s Guide
Contrary to its flashy cover, the contents were easy to read, as if tailored for children. The only problem was that it didn’t apply to me.
It said that to use divine power granted from birth, one needed deep faith. But I didn’t have a shred of faith.
Besides, I didn’t even have a god I worshipped, so how could I pray, call upon their name, and live a devout life?
I was confident I would run away without looking back if I was told to fast or participate in rituals. Maybe that’s why I was reincarnated as a bird that escaped the Holy Kingdom?
‘Still, I’m glad I’ve gotten a sense of how to use it, even if it’s just theoretical…’
As I touched the rattling necklace and wondered if there was any more information,
Warm, sunshine-like blonde hair swayed before my eyes. A gentle voice reached my ears.
“Valerie. It’s been a while.”
“Miss Sylvia.”
As I called her name, I saw her eyes crinkle at the corners. Sylvia naturally stroked my head.
“Do you like cookies, Valerie?”
“Cookies?”
“Yes. Or cute accessories…”
Sylvia’s earlobes were red, and her cheeks were flushed. She seemed shy, like she was interacting with a new friend.
‘Come to think of it, Sylvia didn’t have any friends her age.’
Thanks to Sylvia’s friendly personality, she was close to the servants at the County’s mansion, but she was a noble, someone they served, so there was a line they couldn’t cross.
‘…A friend.’
My heart fluttered. I saw what Sylvia was hiding in her hand and chuckled.
“Yes. I like both cookies and cute accessories.”
Her face brightened.
“Then, shall we eat these together? And I brought this, thinking it would suit you.”
I heard her excited voice.
‘Oh my. She’s so lovely.’
I couldn’t help but think that. I could understand why the male leads were so smitten with her.
I still wondered why Cesar had looked at me, not her, on the night of the Spring Festival…
Crunch. I took a bite of the cookie Sylvia brought. A sweet taste filled my mouth.
“Delicious…”
“You like it?”
“Yes!”
As I replied cheerfully, Sylvia smiled. I was captivated by her beautiful smile.
Cesar must have had something in his eyes that night.
“Valerie, you’re wearing a necklace.”
Sylvia showed interest in my necklace. I panicked for a moment and subtly stepped back, touching the artifact.
“Oh, yes.”
Sylvia, momentarily puzzled by my reaction, slowly approached me.
“Just a moment.”
‘What? Did Sylvia notice something strange?’
It was around the time Sylvia was learning Spirit Arts from Heron. But even if she was learning Spirit Arts, she wouldn’t suddenly be able to sense the flow of mana.
I felt Sylvia’s delicate fingers gently touch my hair. Her clear eyes, like a transparent lake, were close.
My long hair was neatly arranged and pinned up.
“Your hair was falling down. I brought this, thinking it would suit you, cute Valerie. It goes well with your necklace.”
I touched the hairpin.
Being with her felt like being with a close friend, and it made my heart flutter.
Sylvia was the first person I met after entering the world of this novel. She saved my life, treated me kindly, and always smiled gently. She was just as kind to me, now a human.
Touching the hairpin Sylvia gave me, I replied,
“…I’m happy.”
The words “I’m happy” came out before “thank you.”
“I’ll treasure it, Miss Sylvia.”
Sylvia, looking at me with a thoughtful expression, stroked my hair.
“It’s strange. When I look at you, Valerie, I’m reminded of the cute bird my friend has. That’s why I want to give you things, and I enjoy talking to you like this.”
I flinched, but Sylvia didn’t seem to notice. Then, she spoke as if sharing a secret,
“It’s funny, but I feel like I can confide in you, Valerie. That cute bird my friend has sometimes acts as if it understands human language. So I often felt like I was having a conversation with the bird, and it was comforting.”
“I-is that so?”
“Yes. So I thought that if that bird became human, I would want to be close friends with it. Do you think I’m strange, Valerie?”
She had said it playfully, but it was enough to touch a small bird’s heart. So I spoke to her, a little earlier than planned,
“Miss Sylvia.”
“Yes?”
“I want to work at your mansion!”
Actually, the story in the novel would escalate into a “crisis” starting with the hunting competition, but there was another incident before that. A kidnapping incident, a common trope for heroines.
The cause was, of course, a jealous villainess scheming to separate the heroine and the Crown Prince.
I had no intention of preventing this incident. I had already received the Crown Prince’s promise not to kill Cesar, even if he sided with the Second Prince.
‘And Sylvia’s abilities will grow stronger because of this incident.’
The novel clearly had the “capable heroine” tag, so there was no way she would just be a damsel in distress.
This incident was essential to deepen the relationship between the heroine and the male lead and to provide satisfying revenge against the villainess.
So I decided to use this incident to my advantage.
The Second Prince wouldn’t be pleased with me sticking to the Crown Prince’s side while stalling for time.
He had threatened to kill me if I refused him. I was scared of what he might do, thinking I had completely sided with the Crown Prince.
‘Even if I disappear from the Imperial Palace for a while, the Second Prince won’t find it strange. He knows my personality. He’ll think I ran away out of fear.’
That was the conclusion I reached after much deliberation. I was worried because I had refused him before, but I thought I could persuade Sylvia.
But Sylvia agreed much more readily than I expected.
No, she was ecstatic.
“Yes! Oh my, when should we start preparing? Now? Or tomorrow?”
Sylvia, holding my hand tightly, her eyes sparkling, continued excitedly, oblivious to the cookie that had fallen on the floor,
“You just have to stay by my side, Valerie. I asked you to come, after all. You can help me with simple tasks. Ah! It would be nice to go places together, too.”
“M-Miss Sylvia?”
‘Sylvia is more excited than I expected. I didn’t think she would agree to go right away.’
At this rate, it wouldn’t be strange if I packed my bags and went to Sylvia’s mansion right now. I had nothing else to do here, and the Crown Prince could continue observing the Second Prince’s movements until the hunting competition.
As I reached out to calm her down,
“I’m so happy, Valerie.”
Her bright smile, like she had made a new friend, resembled blooming flowers. Seeing Sylvia’s pure joy made me feel guilty about my calculated intentions.
So I couldn’t help but ask,
“Miss Sylvia, did you really want to be friends with a small, cute bird?”
Sylvia blushed and covered her cheeks.
“Was that strange?”
“No! Not at all. I just thought that bird must have felt the same way, seeing you like this. Is it strange for me to say that?”
As I fidgeted and spoke, Sylvia hugged me.
“Of course not. Actually, it’s been a while since I last saw that bird. My friend said he took her to a distant villa and wouldn’t let me see her. So I regretted it a little. I wondered if I should have kept her, even though my father objected.”
‘So Cesar made up a story about me being at a villa. And he was searching for a woman with similar hair color to my original feathers…’
It seemed Cesar knew I had become human. I didn’t know how he found out, but I doubted there was anything the villain of the novel couldn’t do.
Still, it was fortunate that he didn’t recognize me when we met face-to-face. It seemed unlikely that he would find out.
‘I was wondering why he was looking for me so desperately… He’s possessive, but he was also looking for her because Sylvia missed her.’
The thought of Sylvia’s sad face made my heart ache.
‘But Sylvia will miss her less as time passes. Then Cesar will gradually lose interest in the runaway bird, and even if things follow the original story, he’ll avoid death.’
Everything was going smoothly, yet I felt a strange churning in my stomach. My heart ached, as if pricked by needles, and I felt confused.
It seemed like there was another reason, not just Sylvia’s sad face.
‘Is this an arrhythmia…? But that doesn’t explain the pain.’
As I focused on the familiar yet unfamiliar sensation, Sylvia suddenly interrupted my thoughts.
“And I was jealous.”
‘Jealous? Is the heroine jealous of the sub-male lead?’
“Jealous, you said?”
“Yes. Lily was originally my bird, but she flew to my friend and wouldn’t come back to me.”
‘Hmm… Hmm?’
I had an absurd thought that perhaps Cesar’s real rival wasn’t the Crown Prince, but a small, fluffy bird.