Episode 73
A cool breeze brushed against my cheek. It was so refreshing that it could even dispel the midday heat, and I closed my eyes.
—Heron, I should be going now. I’m starting to feel your fatigue. I enjoyed our time together.
“Me too. Safe travels.”
Heron politely bid farewell to the spirit. His gently closing eyes lingered on me for a moment.
—See you again, little bird.
A strong gust of wind blew as the spirit disappeared.
I squeezed my eyes shut, worried about getting sand in them. After a few seconds, I opened my eyes and saw the swaying leaves slowly settle.
And red eyes, observing me, filled my vision.
“What are you…”
“Here.”
His soft breath made my eyelids flutter, and a single grain of sand, dislodged by his breath, mixed with a tear and rolled down my cheek.
“I saw you had something in your eye. Are you alright now?”
His actions, until he moved away from me, were slow and natural. I blinked and thanked him.
“Yes, I’m fine. Thank you.”
His fingertips brushed against my eyelids. I was about to tell him it tickled when he withdrew his hand.
“You must get things in your eyes often since they’re so big. Valerie.”
His tone was playfully teasing, as usual. I did have something in my eye, and he had gently blown it away.
‘But this feels strange. Am I just being sensitive to his subtle touch?’
Whenever I tried to pull away, he would withdraw his hand first. And when I drew a line, he would approach again, within a different, ambiguous boundary.
“Do you have something to say to me?”
There was no way this man, who was so calm and collected, not showing any signs of nervousness or impatience, could have feelings for me. If it were me, I wouldn’t be able to act so nonchalantly in front of someone I liked.
“No. It’s just that… Heron is kind.”
“That’s a good thing, right? You can drop the honorifics.”
“I prefer it this way.”
As I smiled and replied, the corners of his eyes crinkled slightly, like a butterfly flapping its wings.
His low murmur, like the whisper of the wind, didn’t reach my ears.
“…I see. That’s you, alright.”
A slightly disappointed voice drifted away.
Several days had passed since I secretly met Prea.
I had been carefully managing my expressions, so Sylvia wouldn’t notice. Sylvia was perceptive when it came to the people around her.
There were several close calls. Just yesterday, she had stopped me, saying I was acting suspicious.
‘Lily, you’re acting strange lately.’
‘Huh? Strange? What do you mean, Sylvia?’
‘It’s like you’re hiding something. Is something wrong?’
I desperately denied it and tried to change the subject, but even today, Sylvia’s gaze was strange.
“Is there something going on between you and Cesar? You told me he found out you were a bird.”
“No… He just asked me to visit the Dukedom, nothing special.”
“He asked you to visit the Dukedom? Does Cesar want to take you back?”
Sylvia held me tightly, like a child unwilling to let go of a favorite doll.
‘What heroine gets jealous of the sub-male lead…?’
And she had also had a subtle power struggle with Heron over me. I seemed to have drastically altered the original story.
‘There’s clearly progress in her relationship with the Crown Prince, so why… why is there a competition with other sub-male leads over me?’
“But you’ll stay at our mansion, won’t you?”
“Yes. I think I’ll stay for the time being.”
“Good. Oh, Lady Seirthe sent me two tickets to an exhibition.”
“Two?”
“The postscript said it was alright to bring my cute little maid.”
Sylvia blinked a few times. It had only been a few days since I met Prea; she was quick.
Perhaps it was because of her personality, which didn’t tolerate anything that might cause trouble. Her drive was admirable.
‘In the original story, she spent more time getting close to Sylvia before betraying her. But this time, everything is happening so fast.’
It was midsummer, and the day the Crown Prince would officially announce his engagement was still far off. So I was certain that nothing major would happen yet, but the increasingly diverging plot made me uneasy.
“It’s an exhibition in the capital. Lady Seirthe said she has an appointment in the afternoon, so she asked if we could go in the evening. It’s open late, so it’ll be fine.”
The evening? That was an interesting time.
It could just be a friendly invitation, but I couldn’t shake off the image of Prea entering that suspicious general store.
“Do you think it’s a bad idea, Lily? I heard the jewels on display are beautiful, especially at night, when they shimmer with even more vibrant colors.”
‘I want to go.’
I snapped back to reality. This exhibition invitation was clearly a trap. Everything about it was designed to lure me in.
“Lily, your eyes are sparkling. Let’s go! It would be a waste not to go when she invited us.”
But I still felt uneasy.
‘I wish I could hear what they talked about inside.’
Then, I remembered the being who had heard the conversation inside.
“Wait, before we go…! Give me a moment.”
Sylvia, tilting her head with a relaxed expression, readily agreed.
“Okay.”
And now.
I was waiting for Heron at the mansion.
“He should be here soon. I wonder if he’s not coming today?”
Heron usually appeared around this time, languidly teaching Sylvia Spirit Arts. If he was feeling lazy, he would send a spirit with a message or disappear for days without a sense of responsibility.
‘He’s so carefree, almost lazy.’
During that time, Sylvia would occasionally summon the spirit she had contracted with and practice. It seemed like he was teaching her properly.
After waiting for a few more minutes, I saw the trees sway in the wind, and long, night-black hair fluttered.
Heron, appearing out of nowhere, took my hand.
“Valerie, were you waiting for me?”
It was a voice that would make anyone think I was waiting for a lover. The misunderstandings probably arose because of his indifferent personality, oblivious to such things.
“Yes, I was.”
He smiled at my answer.
“I’m glad I came. I wasn’t planning on coming today.”
“I have something to ask the spirit that was with you before.”
“Unfortunately, that spirit isn’t one I can easily summon.”
“…Oh.”
I hadn’t expected that, and I fell into thought.
If that was the case, I either had to refuse the invitation or risk visiting that suspicious general store again.
“What do you want to know?”
“When I met Lady Seirthe at the general store, she went to a secret area inside. I’m curious about what they talked about there.”
“Why do you need to know that?”
“…Sylvia has many enemies. Everyone who approaches her has ulterior motives. Lady Seirthe is no different. So I’m worried she might be in danger.”
“If I said I didn’t know, would you go back there and try to find out yourself?”
“If I could, I would.”
“You seem to be good at worrying about others, but not about your own safety.”
‘There’s no one more concerned about my safety than me.’
Heron clearly didn’t know me.
I wasn’t the type to sacrifice myself for others. I always calculated and escaped to a safe place whenever danger approached.
“I value my safety and my life more than you think.”
“You don’t seem like it… You jump into dangerous situations, worried about others getting hurt.”
“It’s better for me to step up if it can’t be helped.”
I knew what would happen in the original novel, and I had the power to protect myself. So I would be fine.
But Heron didn’t seem to think so.
“That’s not good. You’re just a maid. You don’t have a strong background like Lady Veronica, and you’re so frail.”
He held my thin wrist. His long fingers traced my wrist a few times, and then he sighed.
“Lady Veronica isn’t as soft and weak as you think. So you just have to worry about your own safety, Valerie.”
“…But…”
I knew. I knew Sylvia was strong and capable of overcoming any hardship.
But I couldn’t help but worry. I didn’t want to see my loved ones get hurt. I wanted to do what I could, within my knowledge, to protect her.
“Valerie, do you think Lady Veronica wants you to do that?”
My eyes wavered at his question.
The secrets I was keeping were piling up. I knew she wouldn’t want this. If it was the Sylvia I knew, she would tell me to stop immediately.
“I know she doesn’t.”
Seeing my dejected expression, Heron summoned spirits. A gentle breeze tickled my nose, and cold water droplets fell on my cheeks, making me lift my head.
“Valerie, you need to realize that people around you care about you. I’m worried you might get into trouble.”
His eyes, which had always seemed indifferent or simply amused, now held a hint of concern.
I chuckled, remembering our first encounter.
“Worry? That doesn’t suit you. You just stood by and watched when I almost got eaten by a snake, saying it was the law of nature.”