Episode 18
My mother clasped my hands and kissed the back of them.
“Don’t be sorry. *I’m* the one who should be sorry.”
“Hic….”
I looked back and forth between Squeak and my mother and eventually burst into tears, but Mother only wiped them without saying another word or giving me any room to object.
When my crying finally subsided, she rose from her seat.
“Don’t be too sad, my dear. Since the cats are gone, the baby bird should be fine in the garden now. If so, you’ll probably meet it outside from time to time.”
Instead of answering, I lifted Squeak with both hands.
— *Squeak…*
The little thing let out a tiny, hesitant chirp, but Mother had already drawn a firm line.
“Today is your last day together. When you move to the annex tomorrow, you’ll leave the bird in the garden.”
Mother waited at the door for my answer, so I had no choice but to nod.
“…Okay, Mama.”
After she left, Beatrice entered the room, looking even more heartbroken than I was, her eyes glistening.
“It’s all right, Your Highness. Squeak is almost fully healed now… And just like Her Majesty said, you’ll be able to meet it in the garden.”
But she knew better than anyone that such words weren’t likely to come true.
*That must be why she looks so devastated.*
I stroked Squeak, sniffled again, and eventually fell asleep with one cheek pressed against my pillow.
—
“Are you going to abandon me?”
Half-asleep, I blinked at the faint sound of an unfamiliar voice.
But only Squeak was nearby.
*Where did Beatrice go…?*
While I was looking around the room, the voice came again—this time from very close.
“I said, are you going to abandon me?”
I looked in the direction of the sound, rubbed my eyes, and wondered if I was still dreaming.
Then Squeak shrieked loudly.
“Hey!”
I frowned instinctively.
*Was that… the bird talking?*
How? Suddenly?
Could this be some kind of hidden ability that Rosa mentioned?
*Does cross-species communication even exist?*
While I stared in disbelief, Squeak snapped impatiently.
“I’m still hurt! I can barely fly! And you’re just going to toss me out like this?!”
Its attitude was so bold that my shock receded, replaced by sheer bewilderment.
“N-no…”
Squeak spread his wings wide and gave a smug little shrug.
“Right? You won’t throw me out?”
“Well… I *want* to stay with you but…”
My eyes darted toward the closed door.
If Beatrice walked in, this absurd dream would surely shatter.
But Squeak spoke again.
“Hey!”
The second time I heard it, it felt even more ridiculous.
*‘Hey!’? To me?*
I was a princess.
Our kingdom hadn’t fallen; legally speaking, I was still the princess of a perfectly legitimate realm.
Only someone like Rosa—locked away in a distant palace—could get away with calling me “hey.”
Yet Squeak ignored my indignation and sighed heavily before continuing.
“I hope you’re not some idiot kid who’ll scream for help because a bird is talking. You *could*, of course.”
I wanted nothing more than for him to shut his beak, but he wasn’t wrong.
*Today has already been long enough…*
If I caused a scene and the bird suddenly stopped talking, I’d be the only one who suffered.
*They’d just think I’m hearing things because I’m sick…*
The thought of Father’s anger alone sent a chill down my spine.
So I lowered my voice.
“…You can talk? Since when?”
Squeak looked up at me with round, black eyes full of judgment.
“When did *you* start talking?”
A shameless rebuttal, as if it were obvious.
I asked again, dumbfounded.
“…Then all that time—did you actually understand what I was saying and nod on purpose?”
Squeak gave a lazy, annoyed nod.
“Then why did you—why did the cat—”
I meant: if he could talk, why had he gotten attacked by a cat in the first place?
But before I could finish, Squeak exploded.
“Don’t you *dare* bring up the cat! Just keep that thing away from me, like you’re doing now!”
Why in the world did something the size of my palm have such a rotten temper?
I stared at him and asked,
“Squeak… how old are you? Aren’t you just a baby?”
“Baby?! I am *not* a baby!”
He flapped wildly in outrage.
“Hey, keep it down…”
Thinking of Beatrice nearby, I hushed him. He calmed down enough to settle on the edge of the bed, then grumbled:
“…Yan.”
“What?”
“My name. It’s Yan. I’m not answering to some disrespectful two-syllable onomatopoeia anymore.”
What on earth was he talking about?
I stared blankly at the little lunatic claiming his name was Yan.
*Maybe I really am sick. Maybe I’m delirious.*
Thinking that made my head throb.
“Hey!”
Squeak—no, *Yan*—called again.
“Your tutor, Sylvia Pavel, gave you plenty of hints! Show that book to your father, the Vicar-General!”
Did he just call my father—King Nigel and High Priest of Ruella—“the Vicar-General”?
*And how does he even know that? Or Sylvia’s name?*
I had countless questions, but Yan continued shrieking in that genderless little voice:
“Your father is the Vicar-General! He can’t just ignore me—I might be the Sun God Shamadí’s bird!”
At this point, I had to ask.
“Are you seriously… the Sun God’s bird?”
Yan screeched again.
“Watch your tongue! How dare you call Shamadí by name!”
But *he* had just said “Shamash.”
And earlier, he’d reduced my father, the king, to a mere title without batting an eye.
I felt wronged but swallowed it.
“I mean… are you *really* the Sun God Shamadí’s bird…?”
Yan extended his wings majestically, then neatly folded them before replying:
“Who said that? I never said that. But I *look* like one, so use that as an excuse until I’m healed! Unless you’re planning to dump a weak, helpless, adorable creature like me out there? In the cat-infested garden?”
…For the record, our garden is *not* cat-infested.
*We already drove all of them out.*
And for someone calling himself weak, helpless, and adorable, Yan had the nastiest mouth imaginable.
*Still… I can’t just throw him out.*
I nodded again, and Yan added shamelessly:
“And don’t talk to me too much. I might accidentally answer you.”
“…Okay.”
“One more thing. I like sleeping in your hands. The bed is uncomfortable.”
Impossible.
Ridiculous. But I needed this conversation over *now*.
*Beatrice will be back any minute.*
If someone else came in, he would clam up again.
“F-fine…”
Yan made one last demand.
“And finally—protect me from your twins. Until I’m healed, you *must* keep me safe. Promise.”
This time, I nodded sincerely.
“I already promised. I’ll… protect you.”
Yan let out a tiny sigh and fluttered into my palm.
His weight was suddenly immense.
Just then, a soft knock sounded.
I quickly shut my eyes and tried to calm my pounding heart.
*Show the book to Father…?*
If only he would take our side, as Yan claimed.
—
“Your Highness…”
Before long, Beatrice’s voice reached me.
I wanted to pretend to sleep longer, but the delicious smell drifting through the air made that impossible.
*I fainted this morning and never finished breakfast…*
I peeked my eyes open. Her olive eyes looked down at me with concern.
“Your Highness, are you feeling unwell? You barely ate this morning, so I thought you should at least have something.”
A tray with a bowl of soup rested on her lap.
I nodded and gently stroked Yan inside my hands.
Beatrice spoke softly, comfortingly:
“Squeak will be all right, Your Highness.”
