Episode 78
“I just found it amusing how the little bird I thought was insignificant would hop around. But now that you’re human, it’s both irritating and tempting to see you blush and nervously look around, thinking of running away.”
His hand, gripping my pale wrist where my pulse throbbed, was hotter than the summer heat.
“The way you touch me with your soft hands and then spout blatant lies makes me want to tease you. You’re intriguing and amusing, and the fact that you’re still similar to a bird, yet unfamiliar, makes me want to know you more.”
‘Ah.’
His fingers, tracing my hand, moved up and gently stroked my hair. It felt like a veil had been lifted.
His purple eyes, like a tranquil lake, reflected my image. My eyelashes fluttered. His fingertips brushed against my eyelids, and my vision cleared.
I felt the magic the Tower Master had cast on me disappear. My true hair and eye color were revealed to him.
“And you’re lovely. Is this what familial affection feels like?”
I couldn’t answer his question. I clutched my hair and desperately tried to hide my face.
“Th-this is… I hid it for a reason…”
“Weren’t you trying to hide from me? If not, why would you hide such a beautiful color?”
“…Did you just call it beautiful?”
“It’s a beautiful pink, like flowers blooming in spring. And your eyes are the color of the night sky. Eyes that make me no longer hate the darkness.”
I wondered if my owner had always been so good at saying such sweet things. Even if he was, they were always directed at Sylvia, filled with flattery, and I would just scoff at his two-faced nature.
I must be a slow learner. His words, directed at me, made my heart race. I had nowhere to run.
His seductive voice, like a siren’s song, whispered,
“Stay at the Dukedom. I’m tired of spending the nights alone.”
I had no choice but to nod at his invitation, spoken as if he already knew I would agree.
Like a moth drawn to a flame, I was helplessly drawn to his sweet scent, my vision blurring.
“Beep.”
‘Bad owner.’
The elegant dress was gone, replaced by fluffy wings and a small, sharp beak, and a sullen expression.
As I puffed up my feathers, Cesar chuckled.
“I didn’t want to be seen as a lecher or a shameless person.”
“Chirp.”
‘He’s using my own words against me. He planned this.’
I had mindlessly agreed, captivated by his words, but it was nighttime.
I didn’t really care if my owner was seen as a lecherous man bringing a maid from another household to his bedroom. I was just concerned about the attention I would receive.
Black eyes weren’t common, but they weren’t rare either. If only my eye color had changed, I could have gone with him and then flown away as a bird at daybreak.
The problem was my hair color, which had also reverted.
Light pink, fading to white at the tips, a two-toned color.
Even though I hadn’t met everyone in this world, I knew it was an unusual hair color, even in a romance fantasy setting.
I couldn’t complain to the Tower Master because I had no way to contact him, and I doubted Cesar would be kind enough to cast the magic again.
I shuddered, imagining what would happen if rumors spread.
Sylvia had already attracted the attention of some strange noble ladies just because she was close to Cesar. And I was just a maid; if I was seen with the esteemed Duke, I would surely be targeted by assassins.
And the Second Prince, who believed I was under the Tower Master’s protection, wouldn’t be pleased to see me, a maid at Sylvia’s mansion, getting involved with the Clovis family, whom he was trying to recruit.
‘A kind owner? He’s selfish and stubborn! That damn villain!’
I was a fool to be so easily swayed by my emotions.
“Chirp.”
‘Sigh.’
“Why that dissatisfied expression? Come down from my shoulder. I know you’re deliberately digging your claws in.”
I released my claws, which had been digging into his shoulder. He had noticed, yet he let it slide.
Flutter. I carefully climbed down and perched on the headboard. I saw my familiar cage.
‘He didn’t put it away. And it’s clean, so he must be taking care of it.’
“Beep.”
‘Hey, Cesar.’
Since he couldn’t understand bird language, I spoke informally.
“What is it, Lily?”
His finger poked my beak. He seemed like a giant mountain from my bird’s perspective.
I patted the bedsheet with my wings.
The reason I came here today was to make Cesar sleep.
They say lack of sleep shortens your lifespan. I had begged the Crown Prince and even made Cesar promise not to side with the Second Prince to extend his life, so I didn’t want him to die from something like this.
“That brazen behavior hasn’t changed. It feels like it’s been a long time since you left the cage and came back.”
“Beep?”
‘Lily doesn’t remember such things.’
I shamelessly tilted my head and feigned ignorance, then closed my eyes, pretending to sleep.
I felt sleepy in my familiar nest. And perhaps because I was relieved that everything had been resolved, I even chuckled in my sleep.
I blinked my black eyes drowsily at the gentle hand stroking my head.
I hadn’t been able to sleep well every night either. Because I kept thinking of Cesar.
I was worried about whether he was sleeping well after I left. I couldn’t forget the childlike vulnerability he showed when he said he hated the night.
So I felt incredibly sleepy now that he was beside me. They say pets resemble their owners; it seemed like I had also developed insomnia because of him.
But not tonight.
Because Cesar was by my side.
Cesar looked at the sleeping bird. As always, she was both incredibly wary and incredibly careless.
“You prefer being human, yet you willingly came back as a bird…”
He had pretended to be offended by her calling him a lecher, but he didn’t really care. Controlling the servants’ gossip was easy for him.
And he had cast a small spell around them before entering the carriage. So no one had seen the small woman getting in the carriage with him.
“And you were all dressed up.”
Cesar smiled faintly, recalling Lily’s appearance today.
It was a cute dress that suited her lovely face. The ribbons decorating the hem were also adorable.
Lovely. Cute. He didn’t usually think such things, but he kept having those thoughts when he looked at the small woman.
That’s why his anger at her audacious message, saying she might not be able to return, had quickly subsided.
She had worried him and comforted him as a bird, and now, as a human, she was evoking unfamiliar emotions within him.
He felt a petty jealousy when she was with someone else. The more he touched her, the closer he wanted to be. When tears welled up in her innocent eyes, he wanted to comfort her, and at the same time, a strange urge to make her cry even more arose within him.
He knew she would run away again if she realized his feelings, so he just quietly comforted her.
“…Will these feelings subside if I keep you close? Or will they deepen?”
Cesar gently pressed down on the sleeping bird’s head feather and heard a soft, almost inaudible chirp.
“Beeeep…”
“I wish it were just a possessive obsession.”
He knew, deep down, that these feelings wouldn’t fade so easily. He hoped his feelings, growing stronger with each passing day, weren’t romantic, for Lily’s sake, now a human, free to live as she pleased.
“If these feelings are truly romantic, it’s better for you to stay as a bird now, Lily.”
Because he wasn’t confident he could control himself. He wouldn’t be able to resist the urge to steal her breath, to make her cry.
The bird, sleeping soundly, oblivious to the dangerous night and his intense gaze, seemed at peace.
‘The sun is shining brightly…’
I blinked, my vision blurry. I felt ruffled feathers as I touched my head and body with my wings. I wanted to stay nestled in the soft, dented bed.
“Beep.”
‘I’m really back. Even if it’s just for a while.’
With my black eyes, I looked around Cesar’s familiar bedroom. The only thing that stood out in the stark room was the golden birdcage.
“Chirp. Beep.”
‘It’s been a while. I don’t want to go back inside, though.’
Even though the cage door was left open, I disliked the feeling of confinement. And I didn’t like being a bird, not truly free.
I wanted to laze around a little longer, but I had to return to the County mansion.
“Chirp!”
‘Cesar! Where are you!’
I called out for my owner, raising my tail feathers. But the room was silent; he must have left for work.
Just as I was thinking of leaving a note and returning to the County on my own, the bedroom door burst open.
Startled, I quickly hid under a soft pillow. My small bird body made it easy to hide anywhere.
I heard several voices and cautiously peeked out. The voices sounded familiar.
“Oh my, Lily is back.”
“I was worried about whether she was eating well at the villa.”
‘Those are the voices of the maids from the Dukedom!’
I saw Mariette, whom I had been particularly close to, among them.
“They say small birds don’t live long if they get sick… Sniff. What should we do, our Lily?”
“Beep!”
‘Who’s dying?! I’m going to live a long life!’
I emerged from my hiding place and flapped my wings in protest. Seeing me, they rushed over.
“Oh my! Lily, did you have a good rest? Goodness, you’ve lost so much weight.”
“You must have had a hard time. You’re like a deflated ball.”
They hurriedly offered me food.
Honestly, I had eaten everything I wanted after becoming human, so I wasn’t particularly hungry now.
But seeing their concerned expressions, I pecked at the ripe fruit to meet their expectations.
‘I missed this.’
In the human world, everyone was busy picking sides and scheming, so there was no one who genuinely cared for me.
Things were better at Sylvia’s mansion, but I only felt this warm, fuzzy feeling from the people at the Dukedom, who cherished Lily, the little bird.
“Chirp.”
‘How have you all been?’
As I hopped onto the nearest maid’s lap and tilted my head, their faces flushed bright red.