Episode 14
During the lesson, Pip-pip miraculously stayed quiet. Ms. Silvia seemed extremely impressed and kept sneaking glances at him.
“Well then, shall we stop here for today?”
Finally, class ended. The teacher struggled to carry the thick book as she headed out first.
As if he had been waiting, Pip-pip suddenly fluttered up into the air.
He nearly hit the chandelier with his frantic wings, and I yelled, appalled,
“Hey— careful!”
So calm in front of the teacher, yet now a total split personality.
*No, not personality,* I corrected myself with a snort.
When I picked him up again, the picture from earlier flashed through my mind.
I giggled and whispered to him,
“Are you a *good bird* or something? Gonna bring me a nice seed as a gift?”
To my shock, Pip-pip nodded.
*…No way.*
I glanced around the empty study just in case, then decided to test him again.
“You’re lying, right? The seed will sprout something weird and you’re gonna prank me, huh?”
This time, he shook his head violently.
*Oh my god. He really understands?*
The revelation startled me so much that I almost dropped him, but I barely stopped myself.
*Whether he understands or is bluffing, he’s injured. I can’t drop him…*
I stared at Pip-pip again, but the sight still made no sense.
*A knife wound turns me into a child, and some random greenhouse bird understands speech…?*
Am I… dreaming a really long dream?
For the first time in a while, I grew curious.
—
“We greet Princess Rostel.”
In the afternoon, the Hestia siblings arrived as promised.
Gray knelt on one knee, addressing me with the middle name both Rosa and I share. Victory awkwardly imitated him.
“Hello.”
I offered my hand. Gray kissed the back of it first.
Victory copied him, making me smile—until Pip-pip screeched loudly from my shoulder.
— **BEEEP! PIP-PIP!**
The children’s attention immediately fixed on the bird.
Gray looked like he wanted to ask about him but forced himself to finish the greeting he practiced.
“I wanted to visit sooner, but… Father took me along on the royal hunting trip.”
“Okay. Thanks foh da chocoret.”
Before I could reply further, Victory pointed at Pip-pip.
“Wuzzat?”
Suppressing a laugh, I moved Pip-pip from my shoulder to my finger.
“Not *wuzzat*. A *bird*. Name is Pip-pip.”
“Woooow!”
— **Pip, pip, pip!**
When Pip-pip chirped, Victory copied excitedly.
“Pip, pip, pip!”
— **PIIIIIIP!**
The two escalated until I had to cover my ears.
When Victory held out a hand, Pip-pip quietly hopped over.
He had fiercely avoided anyone else’s touch until now—unexpected.
*Maybe because he’s a baby like me…*
Gray asked, smiling,
“You must really love animals, Your Highness. The cat we saw last time was quite impressive, too.”
“Oh, the kitty…”
I didn’t know they’d seen the cat.
As I hesitated, Gray continued,
“Yes, you named him Joy, right?”
“Uh, yes… Joy…”
But hearing that name from Gray’s voice triggered something.
*Joy Terraev!*
How had I forgotten?
Rosa used to drag Gray, Victory, **and Joy Terraev** around everywhere.
Especially Joy—he lived practically in the palace, supposedly because he helped Rosa use her divine powers. A temple-born boy.
*So Rosa lost the cat, then met a friend with the same name?*
Knowing Rosa’s personality… she must have liked him instantly.
*Terraev…*
While I sifted through hazy memories, Gray called to me.
“…Your Highness?”
I snapped back.
“Um. Joy scratched me…”
“Yes?”
Gray’s reaction was so sharp that I flinched.
“M-my dress got torn… and stuff…”
“And then what happened? Were you hurt? Where?”
He was much more startled than expected.
I rarely got hurt, and even if I did, Mother would heal me. No big deal.
I hesitated, rubbing my wrist.
“Here… but um, only the clothes tore. I didn’t get hurt.”
“Really? That wicked cat—what happened to it? His Majesty didn’t forgive it, right?”
“He… chased all the cats from the garden.”
I nodded, and Gray finally relaxed with a sigh.
“I guess it was unpredictable. It seemed very clever and very fond of you that day.”
Really?
I had no idea if that cat was clever or not, so I just nodded to end the topic.
*If we keep talking about the cat, Gray might notice I’m not the same as Rosa.*
Gray asked carefully,
“Could you… show me where you were hurt, Your Highness?”
“I said I wasn’t hurt.”
But Gray refused to look away from my wrist.
*Was he always this persistent…?*
Well, nothing wrong with showing an uninjured wrist.
I rolled up my sleeve. Gray examined the smooth skin seriously.
“It does look fine. But animal bites or scratches can get infected. I was bitten by a dog once, so…”
I looked up at him, surprised.
*Six years old and this thoughtful?*
He continued,
“May I ask my father? I know the royal palace has good physicians and medicines, but our trading company also—”
He just wants to help. Why all the excuses.
I cut him off with a small laugh.
“Thanks, Gway.”
Gray looked down shyly.
“You don’t have to thank me. As your subject, I simply—”
“Still. Thanks.”
His pale cheeks flushed pink.
I squeezed my eyes shut.
*…He’s adorable.*
Completely different from the tragic unrequited love I remembered.
Rosa… you really caused too much.
— **BEEP! PIP PIP PIP!**
Suddenly Pip-pip shrieked.
Victory had touched his injured belly.
“Don’t! He’s hurt!”
I rushed over to take Pip-pip back. Victory burst into loud tears.
“WaaAAAH!”
The garden became chaos instantly.
The marquis’ attendant and Beatrice came running.
*I thought she was crying because I took the bird away but…*
Victory wanted to apologize to Pip-pip.
“S-sowwy…”
Pip-pip raised his head haughtily and nodded.
— **Pip pip!**
I shook my head in disbelief. Gray apologized repeatedly.
“I’m so sorry, Your Highness. Next time, I’ll just leave Victory behind—”
Of course, that only made things worse.
“Bittoh gotsa come too!”
Victory cried harder.
*Oh lord…*
Do I have to be friends with this kid?
*Be patient. She’ll become the flower of the Léella social scene someday…*
Beatrice just watched and burst out laughing.
—
After the Hestia siblings left, I picked a pretty bluish-purple flower in the garden.
Beatrice smiled.
“You like that one? His Majesty’s flowers are still fresh, though.”
“Yeah. I wanna give him a present too.”
“To His Majesty?”
Beatrice sounded delighted, lifting me playfully as if *she* had received a gift.
We were laughing when a tall tree with pink blossoms caught my eye.
“Huh, that one…”
“You like that, too?”
Beatrice set me down and reached for a low branch, standing on tiptoe.
But she couldn’t reach.
“Goodness!”
She laughed, short of breath.
“I need to eat more and grow taller. My hands won’t reach, Your Highness.”
Just as she was about to give up, we spotted a gardener placing a ladder near a rose bush.
Beatrice approached and spoke to him.
The elderly gardener hurried toward me.
“Greetings once more, Your Highness.”
I stiffened. I had never seen this man before.
*He must have met Rosa.*
He didn’t mind that I didn’t acknowledge him. He turned to Beatrice.
“Shall I pick a flower for you from that tree?”
