Episode 14
His bird seemed to find endless amusement in wandering around the mansion, constantly chirping whenever he entered the greenhouse.
‘Beep! Chirp!’
It was a bird that tirelessly chattered in an unintelligible language. Even while blinking its sleepy eyes, it always greeted him without fail whenever he appeared. So, even though he considered confining it to the cage again, he couldn’t bring himself to do it.
As Cesar’s thoughts deepened, Wilhelm’s voice interrupted his train of thought.
“Duke, is something the matter?”
Cesar quietly looked at Wilhelm.
He kept Wilhelm by his side because he liked his serious demeanor and discretion. Wilhelm was currently the acting head of the Opertum Trading Company. He was one of the few people Cesar trusted, always respectfully assisting him.
However, Wilhelm occasionally lacked tact and irritated Cesar, like now.
“Wilhelm. How many times do I have to tell you? You’re not supposed to call me ‘Duke’ here.”
This wasn’t the Duke’s mansion; it was a secret information network disguised as a trading company, secretly run by Cesar. Despite being repeatedly told to be careful with his words, Wilhelm kept grating on his nerves.
“…But we’re the only ones here.”
Cesar narrowed his eyes at Wilhelm, who grumbled as if feeling wronged.
“So what?”
Wilhelm felt aggrieved by the harsh tone but held back his frustration and replied,
“Nothing. Yes, it’s nothing.”
Wilhelm respected Cesar, who had recognized his abilities and hired him, but he always kept a resignation letter tucked away, ready for Cesar’s outbursts.
Of course, if Cesar found it, the letter would be torn to shreds, but it served as a source of comfort for Wilhelm in times like these.
Wilhelm wondered why Cesar, who had seemed to be in a good mood lately, was in such a foul mood again. He seemed to have softened a little after a certain bird arrived at the Dukedom, but what was the problem now?
As the person managing the trading company in Cesar’s absence, Wilhelm felt frustrated.
“This won’t do. I’ll go back to the mansion for a bit.”
“Pardon?”
‘Leaving work early. Increased overtime.’
Wilhelm let out a yelp and tried to stop him, thinking of the implications.
But Cesar turned around and left without hesitation.
“I’ll leave the rest of the paperwork to you, Wilhelm.”
“W-wait a moment!”
By the time Wilhelm blinked, Cesar had disappeared using teleportation magic.
The sound of Wilhelm grinding his teeth filled the room.
Cesar paused, wondering if he had teleported too hastily.
He didn’t use teleportation magic often because it made him slightly nauseous. Furthermore, places like the Imperial Palace or other special locations had magical restrictions in place, making teleportation cumbersome.
Arriving at the Dukedom, he was puzzled by the commotion.
“What’s going on?”
The servants were running around frantically, as if something unusual had happened in the usually quiet Dukedom.
Even after Cesar appeared, they shouted in a panic, as if forgetting to show him proper respect.
“D… Duke! Lily is gone!”
“Lily is gone?”
“Yes, when I went to the greenhouse to bring her food, the cage was empty… and no one in the mansion has seen her…”
Mariette, the maid who was close to Lily, was teary-eyed and anxiously looking around.
“Why didn’t you contact me?”
“You were busy, Duke, and we thought Lily was taking a nap in the annex…”
At her words, Cesar wondered if the uneasy feeling he had earlier was a premonition of this.
‘Where did she disappear to?’
She wouldn’t have disappeared without a reason unless she was incredibly foolish. As Cesar was pondering what to do with this unruly bird, someone shouted,
“I found the jewel Lily was wearing!”
The knights, who should have been training, were running towards him.
Cesar’s gaze fell on Lenny, the Vice-Captain. Lenny also noticed him and greeted him.
“Duke, you’re here.”
“Give me the jewel.”
Lenny, who had expected a reprimand for searching for the bird instead of training, was surprised by Cesar’s unexpected reaction and hesitantly handed him the jewel.
“Here it is.”
Cesar’s face crumpled as he received the jewel.
“Ha. This is the jewel I gave Lily.”
Cesar wondered if Lily had intentionally disappeared. Without the jewel, even he couldn’t quickly locate the bird.
“She took off the jewel and disappeared? Did she go off to enjoy some flower viewing?”
His bird definitely enjoyed driving him crazy. There was no other explanation for her causing him such anxiety.
He thought he should ask his master for a book titled 501 Ways to Catch a Runaway Bird and ordered,
“If Lily returns to the mansion on her own, move her residence from the greenhouse to my bedroom. And the rest of you, just do your work. I’ll find Lily.”
“You’re going to look for her yourself, Duke?”
At their surprised reactions, Cesar replied,
“Yes. Finding a bird that’s prone to flying off is also an owner’s responsibility.”
He planned to deal with anyone who had harmed his bird while she was gone, and if she had just gone out for a bit, he intended to find out who she was with. He was curious to see who had lured away his usually well-behaved bird.
Furthermore…
“I’ve also become curious to see Lily acting as if her owner is beneath her notice.”
Seeing his ominously gleaming purple eyes, Mariette silently prayed for Lily’s safety.
‘…Lily, come back quickly. The Duke is very angry.’
“Beep!”
‘I suddenly have chills!’
I shivered as a cold chill ran down my spine, and Sylvia looked at me with concern.
“What’s wrong? Are you alright?”
“Beep…”
‘I don’t know. I just had a feeling that something really bad happened.’
As I anxiously looked around, Sylvia gently stroked my back. Her soft touch, like pressing piano keys, calmed my trembling.
“Beep…”
I felt at ease. Sylvia should have been my owner.
I looked up at her, thinking that Cesar might be angry if he knew what I was thinking. Sylvia smiled gently, holding me in her lap.
“Lily. Thank you for today.”
“Chirp?”
“The people in the Count’s household are kind and caring towards me, but other noble ladies don’t like me. There are misunderstandings, and we don’t get along, so I’m often disliked. If it weren’t for you, I would have been drenched with that tea.”
“Beep! Beep!”
‘That’s because they don’t know you yet, Sylvia. You’re so kind and gentle!’
As I flapped my wings and protested, Sylvia chuckled.
“It’s strange, isn’t it? I shouldn’t be able to understand you, but it feels like you understand, so I keep talking to you.”
“Beep?”
‘I do understand you.’
“Today was the first time I’ve ever gotten angry at someone. And to think I poured tea on her. I couldn’t have imagined doing such a thing.”
“Chirp?”
‘You did a good job, as if it wasn’t your first time.’
I recalled Sylvia holding the teapot, not just a teacup, and pouring all of its contents without hesitation. I thought she would have suited the role of a villainess just as well, if she wasn’t the heroine.
I raised my little foot, instead of a thumb, to show Sylvia my approval.
“Chirp!”
“Are you praising me, saying I did well?”
“Beep.”
‘Of course.’
As I nodded in response, Sylvia laughed joyfully. Her laughter was clear and bright, like the tinkling of jade beads.
“Haha, Lily. When I’m with you, it really feels like you understand me.”
“Beep!”
‘I do understand! I can’t talk because I’m a bird, but we can communicate.’
“Then Lily, would you listen to me a little more?”
“Chirp?”
Curious about Sylvia’s story, which wasn’t in the novel, I sat on her lap and listened quietly.
“You see, I was very sickly when I was young.”
“Beep…?”
As I looked at her with concern, Sylvia gently cupped me in her hands.
“I’m fine now. But since I grew up without interacting with other noble ladies, I was awkward with social graces and interacting with them.”
“Chirp.”
“My social debut was also late. So I barely have any close noble lady friends. And no good memories of spending time with them.”
“Beep…”
‘Sylvia must have been lonely too.’
The Sylvia in the novel was always depicted as being surrounded by and loved by the male leads.
“Although I have been disliked by some, like today.”
“Chirp.”
Sylvia’s eyes looked somewhat sad.
Not knowing how to comfort her, I hopped around and then climbed onto her shoulder and gently pressed my small wing against her eye, as if wiping away her tears.
Sylvia’s eyes widened in surprise, and then she smiled.
“Lily is always so lovely. You’re so warm, as if sharing love is second nature to you.”
“Beep.”
‘Sylvia is warmer. You saved my life.’
If it wasn’t for her, I would have died on the cold ground as soon as I arrived in this strange world.
As I basked in the warm feeling, Sylvia said something that made my eyes widen.
“I think it’s a good thing I sent you to Cesar.”
“Beep…”
‘Th-that doesn’t sound like a good thing…’
Even if I were to be generous, Cesar, my owner, wasn’t… a good person.
In the original novel, after he completely lost his mind and joined hands with the Second Prince, he committed all sorts of evil deeds.