CHAPTER 93………………………..
“Why is he here?! Why didn’t anyone tell me!”
It was obvious.
They’d been so distracted playing among themselves they didn’t notice Leonhart’s presence. If a Sword Master made a point of hiding his presence, even spirits had trouble sensing him.
“You useless lot! Now’s not the time to be playing!”
“Caw! Caw! Gah!”
“Shh, be quiet. You’ll wake everyone.”
Leonhart gently tapped my beak.
I wasn’t planning to cry for long anyway. By now the spirits would have heard the commotion and understood what was going on. Maybe I should fly off into the forest? I’d already chased off the owls, so it shouldn’t be dangerous.
At that moment Leonhart wrapped one huge hand around my torso and held me tight. Then he stroked the crown of my head over and over until it was being caressed.
His affectionate behavior made my anger flare for no reason. If you treated a human like you treat this crow, I’d carry you on my back.
“You always scowl whenever you see me.”
There was a time I was grateful that Leonhart didn’t kill me. Compared to back then, our relationship had improved a great deal.
“Still, I’m not satisfied…”
There was no helping it. I’d seen how Leonhart behaved toward the person he totally trusted and loved.
“Heh, that’s funny.”
“Adel, what’s so funny?”
“Undine said earlier she’d still recognize me even if I put on a fiend’s hide.”
“You find that funny?”
“If I turned into a fiend and showed up, she’d attack first, right? She’d be like, ‘What stinky fiends are you bringing here?’”
“I’d never attack.”
“Really? If I go crazy and charge in to kill everything, you’d just stand there?”
“Yeah. I’d just let you kill me.”
‘She used to be that way…’ I felt a sting in my chest. No matter what I tried, they wouldn’t treat me the way they treated Adella.
‘I’m starting to get jealous of myself.’
People should know when to be satisfied. That’s why hearts are fickle, I suppose. Still, annoyance is annoyance.
I jerked my head and dodged Leonhart’s hand.
“Della, why are you sulking? You’re the one who left the house.”
‘Why is that your house? My home is here!’
“What’s your relationship with the owner of this bedroom?”
When I didn’t answer, Leonhart muttered.
“Back then when I tried to catch Della in my bedroom… hmm, maybe I let her go?”
‘What the—?’
“Come to think of it, the duke was there the first day I met you. After the briefing she wasn’t in a good state, so I lent her my bedroom.”
‘Make whatever assumptions you want… could you at least stop messing with me?’
I was bored to the point of sleepiness. I yawned, opened my beak wide, and wiped the small tear at the corner of my eye on my wing feathers.
Leonhart, unconcerned, methodically continued his deductions.
“Also, when you escaped the cage and met the duke, his manner was strange. He seemed to wish you wouldn’t be found. Yes—he wanted me to give you up.”
He peered at me with the satisfaction of someone fitting puzzle pieces together alone.
“So the duke is your master. Why didn’t you tell me? Were you afraid I’d be too disappointed?”
It was the most reasonable explanation from his point of view.
“I didn’t think you’d have a master. There was no mark.”
He turned me over, searching for any possible mark.
‘How rude! Don’t be poking around!’
Finding nothing, Leonhart sighed deeply.
“This is a problem. Even knowing you have an owner, I can’t just let go.”
He glanced into the dim bedroom, then leaned close to whisper in my ear.
“Della, come live with me. I’ll take good care of you, okay?”
‘Don’t flirt! Ugh! Don’t rub my face! Is he crazy? Who said you could kiss me?’
I pushed Leonhart’s face away with my wing. Still, he didn’t budge. He seemed more possessive than before. Frustrated, I flapped my wings hard.
But Leonhart only smiled low and amused, as if watching a child’s antics.
“We’ve been too loud. Just a moment.”
He moved to the terrace window and peered inside through the half-open door.
‘Hey… what are you doing? Don’t spy on someone’s bedroom!’
If he leaned just a little further, he could see all the way to my bed. What would happen if he discovered I wasn’t in the bedroom?
‘What do you mean, what would happen? There’d be a huge mess!’
No matter how much I flapped, I couldn’t divert his gaze. He held me with one hand and inspected the room.
‘Is he checking if I’m sleeping soundly?’
There was nothing to be done—at this moment the spirits were useless. While I was in crow form, the spirits couldn’t draw on magic.
‘Please, please… he won’t go in, will he?’
It was a moonless night; the bedroom was fairly dark. Leonhart, however, was a Sword Master. Darkness was no obstacle for him.
“Hm?”
He frowned briefly, then stepped inside. He had finally noticed the empty bed.
‘He’s found out? He found out? I’m doomed!’
My small body’s heartbeat thundered so loudly it seemed to reverberate through me. I could imagine Leonhart shouting that I’d vanished. The thought of him changing into Adrian before his eyes at dawn made my feathers rise in alarm. I squeezed my eyes shut so I wouldn’t have to watch.
“Ah… no. I thought it was empty, but it’s not.”
‘Huh?’
There’s someone? But I’m here! Baffled, I poked my head out, and saw a figure lying on its side under the covers on the bed.
“Someone who pulls the covers all the way over their head when they sleep. Like a child.”
Leonhart slipped silently back onto the terrace. After checking carefully for hidden assassins, he looked at me and grinned.
“Your little heart is racing. Did you see something scary?”
I rolled my eyes and pretended not to care. He stroked me a few times.
“Della, your owner isn’t as bad as he seems.”
‘As he seems?’
The remark was both insulting and oddly pleasing all at once—a strange mix of emotions. Leonhart whispered in my ear.
“Tell your owner—don’t get engaged to just any man.”
‘Why? Wouldn’t you feel better if I got engaged quickly?’
“If you rush and then break off the engagement, then—”
‘Then what?’
Leonhart stared into the dark air. For a moment his face looked troubled, then returned to an even expression.
“Della, sleep in my bedroom tonight.”
I jerked my head in surprise. He smiled with some strange expression.
“Sometimes I think you understand me.”
‘…’
“Go on inside and sleep. See you tomorrow.”
He pushed me into the bedroom and silently closed the terrace window. I stood on the floor for a long moment, tilting my head.
‘Why is he acting like that? He looked really troubled…’
Was it because I might not be able to get engaged? It made sense—honestly, I was anxious too. Of the ten final candidates for engagement, only four had come for interviews.
‘One was an assassin, so only three actually came.’
Rumors were spreading that Leonhart and I were having a public romance. On top of that, there was some weird prophetic painting from Piace… remembering it, I shook my head hard.
‘No, don’t think unlucky thoughts. I’m getting engaged to a mama’s boy. Nothing will happen.’
I forced the thought away and fluttered up onto the bed. I used my beak to yank the covers off, and what I saw made my eyes widen.
Heads were made of Undine and Sylph, the torso a pillow, thighs elongated gnome limbs, calves a salamander. The spirits were pretending to be me—and the sight was just too… too much.
“Caw-caw-caw-caw-caw!”
I rolled on the bed laughing loudly.
—“Rian! You’re laughing right now! You’re mocking us, aren’t you?”
—“Lord Rian… do you find our forms so amusing? Fine, if Lord Rian laughs, that’s good enough…”
—“Darn it! We went through all that trouble for who knows what, and I’m the only one laughing? Come here. I’ll give you one smack… Ah, fine, gnome! I won’t hit you! I won’t!”
We finally fell asleep long after.
And in the new morning—
I was dumped by the mama’s boy.
