Episode 54
“It doesn’t matter to me whether you have that mark or not. My reaction will be the same.”
So, I unknowingly confessed my worries about the secret I was keeping.
“You said I shouldn’t try to find out, but what if they find me? I know I was a bird from the Holy Kingdom. And if I was a bird raised by the temple, I can guess what kind of punishment I’ll receive if I’m discovered.”
The voice I had heard earlier came to mind again.
‘…Then the kingdom will be safe.’
I felt like a piece of the puzzle was missing.
“Find you? Well, they’re not in a hurry.”
His eyes softened as they met my anxious ones.
“Don’t worry. What you’re worried about won’t happen yet.”
It was a somewhat lukewarm response, but I knew he had no reason to lie to me.
Though it felt like he was subtly avoiding the question.
“…Alright.”
It seemed like it was better not to think about that for now. Since I didn’t ask any further, Heron didn’t elaborate.
The noise from the mansion seemed to have quieted down. I felt a hand pulling me closer.
My gaze, which had been wandering, naturally shifted to Heron.
“Valerie, don’t forget our promise.”
“I wouldn’t forget.”
“Then I’ll see you later. I’ll send a spirit in a few days, so come to me then, like before.”
His words reminded me of the time when I was led by a spirit and left the Dukedom. Back then, I hadn’t imagined I would return as a human.
So I added,
“As a human?”
“Coming as a bird would be fine, but I prefer your current form, Valerie.”
It was a voice so gentle that anyone listening would think Heron had fallen for me.
Pitter-patter.
I poked my head out at the sound of rain hitting the window.
“Miss Sylvia, it seems the rainy season has arrived.”
It had felt humid and muggy for the past few days, so I had expected rain, but the downpour was heavier than I anticipated, and I instinctively cringed.
Perhaps it was a lingering effect from my time as a bird, but I didn’t like getting drenched.
“Yes. The Spirit Summoner said he couldn’t come because of the rain.”
Sylvia’s voice was unusually cheerful. Her bright smile seemed to indicate she was quite happy about Heron not coming.
‘I should definitely not tell her that I’m supposed to meet Heron.’
I poured tea for Sylvia, my movements now practiced.
As I had noticed during my time at the Imperial Palace, this body had excellent learning abilities. I had only observed and imitated a few times, yet I moved as naturally as an experienced maid who had worked for years.
My memory and memorization skills were also excellent, except for when I was getting used to my human body.
“Miss Sylvia, would you like to check the invitations that arrived?”
Sylvia’s eyes sparkled at the word “invitations.”
“Invitations arrived?”
“Yes. The butler sorted them and brought them, and I believe there was a tea party invitation among them.”
Saying those words, I felt like the moment I had been waiting for had finally arrived. It was the reason I had decided to work at Sylvia’s mansion.
“A tea party? Oh my! Is it really for me?”
Sylvia’s reaction resembled a squirrel presented with an acorn. I chuckled at her cuteness.
“Yes. Please take a look.”
As I handed her the invitation, Sylvia slowly read it.
I racked my brain, thinking about what to do. This tea party was important. It was where Sylvia would meet the villainess of this novel, Prea Seirthe.
‘She won’t be able to cause any real harm to Sylvia. But I have to watch Sylvia trust and follow Prea, who will eventually betray her…’
For the first time, I felt troubled by knowing the plot of the novel.
“Should I accept the invitation?”
“Wouldn’t it be good to go, if you want to, Miss?”
Sylvia pondered for a moment and then smiled brightly at me.
“You’ll come with me, won’t you, Valerie?”
I had been planning on asking her to take me before she even asked. It was fortunate that she brought it up first.
“Of course.”
“Then I’ll send a reply accepting the invitation.”
Seeing Sylvia excitedly writing her reply, I felt a pang of sadness.
‘Betrayed by a trusted friend and then kidnapped…’
It was a crisis the heroine had to face, but I didn’t want to see her hurt and sad.
As I looked out the window, trying to distract myself, I saw a carriage stop in front of the Veronica mansion, braving the heavy rain and thunderstorms.
‘Who is that?’
I narrowed my eyes, thinking that whoever was visiting in this weather must be someone important. Then, I saw the crest on the carriage and shuddered.
A deer in the center, crossed by two swords.
It was the Clovis family crest.
‘He’s visiting Sylvia in this weather, despite being rejected?’
My owner’s obsession was truly something else.
I suppressed my urge to scream and called out to Sylvia, who was humming happily as she wrote her letter,
“Miss Sylvia.”
“Yes?”
“Were you expecting any guests today?”
I had asked Sylvia not to tell Cesar about meeting me before. He shouldn’t know that I was connected to Sylvia or that I was here. But I couldn’t shake off my anxiety.
Furthermore, I didn’t understand why he would visit in this weather, with thunder, lightning, and torrential rain.
Sylvia replied to my question,
“No. I wasn’t expecting any guests today.”
“There’s someone outside…”
As I pointed outside, Sylvia stood up and looked out the window. And she exclaimed in surprise, seeing the carriage with the Clovis family crest,
“Cesar? What is he doing here in this weather?”
It seemed Sylvia was just as surprised.
She was about to hurry down to greet Cesar but stopped and looked at me.
“Valerie, will you be alright? I think it’s Duke Clovis who came to the mansion in this weather.”
‘I’m also feeling a bit awkward, Sylvia.’
He was a foolish owner who didn’t recognize me when we met before.
Still, I didn’t want to see him again. Being near him made my heart race and filled me with confusing emotions.
“If you don’t mind, could I rest for a while?”
Sylvia nodded understandingly. Sensing my discomfort, she told me I could stay in my room until he left and then hurried downstairs.
I breathed a sigh of relief and looked out the window where I had seen the carriage. I figured it would be okay to watch from this distance.
But at that moment, Cesar, who had been looking around, stopped his gaze at one point. Right where I was standing.
Our eyes met.
His purple eyes gleamed sharply in the dark, rainy weather, making me forget how to breathe. I froze like a prey before a predator.
He looked away after a moment, and I finally exhaled, the breath I had been holding.
‘What was that?’
My hesitant steps to escape quickened. My mind was in turmoil.
‘Cesar doesn’t know me. He doesn’t know, so… why was he looking at me like he wanted to kill me?’
I felt like he would call out “Lily” in his chillingly cold voice at any moment.
I had to get out of here.
Consumed by that thought, I hurried back to the maids’ quarters, opened the door to my assigned room, and firmly shut it, as if to prevent even air from escaping.
I slid down the door, my back against it. I slowly caught my breath, trying to calm my racing heart.
Only then did I feel like I had escaped.
“He really didn’t recognize me… Sigh.”
I had anticipated that Cesar would visit Sylvia’s mansion at some point. But I hadn’t expected it to be today, in this terrible weather.
And that gaze…
“I shouldn’t go out today. He’s not staying the night anyway…”
Both Sylvia and Cesar, being nobles, knew what it meant for an unmarried Duke to stay overnight at a County’s mansion. And with Sylvia’s heart leaning towards the Crown Prince, Cesar wouldn’t want to cause any unnecessary rumors.
I was just a little worried about the pouring rain and the loud thunder and lightning.
My uneasy premonition was spot on.
Knock, knock, knock!
Someone knocked urgently, and Yazel, a maid who had worked here for years, burst through the door.
“Valerie, sorry to bother you while you’re resting. Could you help me with something?”
“What can I do for you?”
“You know Duke Clovis, who’s close to Miss Sylvia, right?”
‘Why is his name coming up now?’
I had a very bad feeling. I forced a smile and nodded.
“Could you attend to him? The other maids are busy taking care of the knights.”
‘Attend to who? And the knights?’
“He said he found some monsters from the Estero Mountains hiding near the Veronica County. So Duke Clovis came to exterminate them, but as you can see, his clothes are a mess because of the rain…”
I tried to recall the novel’s plot. I had no memory of such an episode. I was confused.
‘Monsters suddenly appeared? It doesn’t seem like a lie, considering he mobilized the knights.’