Chapter 85………………….
The three men trailed after me wherever I went.
Even though the students and professors gave us strange looks, they didn’t seem to care at all.
By the time I finally got home, worn out from being followed around by three men and four spirits—a total of seven burdens—I was completely exhausted.
“Duke, are you tired?”
“Yes, I am…”
“Your stamina is a mess. You should exercise more.”
“I’m not a hidden card, so even if I exercise, it won’t change anything.”
“Are you mocking me right now?”
“I’m glad you noticed.”
“…You really do look exhausted. When we arrive, I’ll wake you up, so close your eyes for a bit.”
“Phew, thank you.”
Thinking I’d rest for just a moment, I closed my eyes.
Not long after, a strange vibration spread through my body.
It wasn’t like the carriage—it was softer, steadier.
I forced my eyes open and saw an Adam’s apple above me.
‘What is this?’
As I blinked blankly, Leonhart’s voice suddenly came from above.
“Awake now?”
“…Your Highness?”
To my disbelief, I was being carried in Leonhart’s arms.
The moment I realized it, I saw the maids following behind us.
They were sneaking glances at us, their faces flushed red.
Like cold water splashing into my sleepy head, my mind instantly cleared.
“Why are we doing this?”
“You wouldn’t wake up no matter how I tried, so I had no choice.”
The fact that I had slept so deeply I didn’t even notice being carried was absurd enough, but even more shocking was that enough time had passed for us to already reach the mansion.
‘Didn’t I just close my eyes for a second?’
“I appreciate it, but wouldn’t it have been better to just leave me in the carriage?”
“Have you forgotten? I’m supposed to protect you. If you’re in the carriage, then I have to be there too.”
“…So you just didn’t want to stay in the carriage.”
“Correct.”
I tapped his shoulder lightly.
“Your Highness, please put me down now. I’m getting motion sick.”
“Can you walk?”
“I’m tired, not crippled.”
“In that case.”
Leonhart shrugged and set me down.
“By the way, the butler asked me to tell you—Lady Piace is waiting in the dining room. Who is she?”
“A child I’m sponsoring. You’ll join us for the meal, won’t you?”
“Very well.”
When we entered the dining room, Piace greeted us with a bright smile.
“D-Duke, y-you’re here?”
“Yes.”
Piace came running over to greet me, but when she noticed Leonhart, she immediately clung to my side.
“Uh… wh-who’s that mister?”
Pfft—she just called Leonhart ‘mister’…
Suppressing my laughter, I introduced him.
“Leonhart Genetic Filio, the Third Prince. Give your greetings.”
Piace looked rather intimidated by him.
In her eyes, Leonhart’s tall height, solid build, and stern expression must have seemed frightening.
After glancing at me once, she shut her eyes tight and shouted a greeting.
“H-hello! Th-Third Prince, sir! I’m Piace Eve—Ibrante!”
“Nice to meet you. Since ‘Third Prince’ is a bit hard to pronounce, you can just call me ‘Your Highness.’”
“Y-your Highness?”
“No, just ‘Highness.’”
“Hehe, Highness.”
When Leonhart gave a faint smile, Piace relaxed and giggled too.
“Highness, please have a seat. Piace, you too.”
As we sat down, the food was served.
“Piace, how was the Academy today?”
“Today, I went to watch m-magic with my friends. It was so, so amazing!”
“Nothing else happened?”
“Something else? Ah! I-I couldn’t open my locker, so I used Zanachiel’s with him.”
“Why?”
“B-because I forgot my key.”
“You should have prepared it beforehand.”
“I’ll k-keep it in my bag from now on!”
These days, even when I scolded her a little, Piace no longer shrank back like before.
She answered obediently, but she couldn’t take her eyes off Leonhart.
“Why are you staring at His Highness like that?”
“Yesterday I r-read a fairy tale, and he looks like someone from it.”
A fairy tale with a prince, perhaps?
Leonhart seemed to think the same, because he asked with a faint smile,
“What was it about?”
“It was about a r-rabbit who made a bet with a giant… and won!”
“…Only a rabbit and a giant?”
“Yep! It was really fun!”
No way she thought Leonhart was the rabbit.
[He’s the giant.]
[Definitely the giant.]
[Pfft—hahaha!]
I bit my lip to stop my laughter from bursting out.
Leonhart froze for a moment too, but in the end, he also laughed.
Thanks to Piace, the whole meal passed in a warm, cheerful mood.
I don’t know when I fell asleep.
After dinner and a bath, I sat on my bed… and remembered nothing after that.
‘I must’ve just dozed off.’
Staring up at the dark ceiling, I yawned wide.
Now that I noticed, the room was far too dark.
All the curtains had been drawn tightly, blocking every bit of light.
But when I’d gone to sleep, the curtains had been open.
And the maids never came into my bedroom after I fell asleep.
‘Then who… Don’t tell me, Leonhart?’
I pecked at the dozing Undine beside me to wake her.
[Uuugh, Lian? Why, let me sleep…]
[Lian, do you need me? Shall I help?]
I hopped to the window. When I tapped the curtain with my beak, Sylph flew over.
[Ah, the curtains? Not long after you fell asleep, Lord Leonhart came in and did this.]
A chill ran down my neck.
‘Seriously, why does he just barge into someone else’s room like that?’
Sure, I knew it was for my safety, but still!
What if I’d transformed into a crow before he came in? That would’ve been a disaster!
‘I’ll have to start locking the door from now on.’
Sigh… I just wanted to sleep in peace, but I was dead tired.
I flew back onto the bed to try again.
‘…’
But why is it that whenever I transform into a crow, my sleepiness disappears?
Even though I’d been exhausted, no matter how long I waited, sleep wouldn’t come.
‘I wonder if Piace is sleeping well?’
For some reason tonight, I had the sudden urge to go check on her.
Fine, I could also see if she remembered her locker key.
I unlatched the window with my beak and flew toward Piace’s room. Sylph followed after me.
‘Hm? She’s not asleep?’
Her room was brightly lit.
When I reached the window, I saw a lump under the blanket on her bed instead of her figure.
It looked like she was curled up, hidden under the covers…
Tap, tap tap.
I pecked at the window, and Piace peeked out from under the blanket.
The sight of her startled me—
Her face was drenched with tears.
When she noticed me, she quickly rushed over to open the window.
“Blackie!”
Piace hugged me tightly. She was trembling.
‘Why is she like this? Is she sick?’
Aside from crying, she didn’t look unwell. She didn’t seem feverish either.
Still clutching me, she crawled back under the blanket.
As she stroked me, her trembling gradually eased.
“I had a scary dream.”
‘Ah…’
Thank goodness—it wasn’t an illness, just a nightmare.
I spread my wings wide, covering her chest like a blanket.
“It was such a dark and dirty place. I screamed because I was so scared, but nobody came. So I just cried. Because crying was all I could do.”
‘…’
“I don’t want to dream anymore.”
I couldn’t tell if she was describing her nightmare, talking about her past, or both.
But one thing was clear: when she lived in the Molton estate, she had been locked up.
Not just once, but several times.
It had been so terrifying that it left her stuttering—and now, it haunted her as nightmares.
“The Duke told me… if something scares me, I should think carefully about why it scares me.”
‘Yes, I did say that.’
“Being locked up doesn’t hurt me. Being in the dark doesn’t hurt either. But… I’m still scared. Maybe because I think someone will lock me up again.”
‘Who would do that? That will never happen again!’
I flapped my wings gently, scolding her. She giggled from the tickle.
Then she played with my tail feathers.
“Black, but pretty. Even though black is supposed to be scary…”
Maybe the attic she was locked in had been pitch-dark. That darkness must’ve left a trauma.
“If I get locked up again, I’ll think of you and the Duke. Then I won’t be scared at all.”
‘No, that won’t ever happen.’
“Don’t go, Blackie. Okay?”
‘I won’t. I’ll stay here.’
I tucked my head under my wing and pretended to sleep.
It didn’t take long for her to fall asleep, breathing softly and evenly.
