“Hmm…?”
[The Duke of Barverota is a dangerous man. You should be careful.]
The bird said it in an incredibly serious voice, then suddenly flew away as if its message was delivered.
Silence settled over the table—but only for a moment, before the birds that had been clinging to Adela began chirping in unison.
[Don’t worry, Adela. We’ll ask the local birds about him.]
[Don’t be too scared, Adela!]
[They’re just being territorial because we came from the capital!]
“Okay… Thank you.”
Adela looked worriedly in the direction the bird had flown off, then cautiously took a bite of her sandwich.
The fresh air, the tasty sandwich. A place where no one yelled or hit her.
She couldn’t even remember the last time she’d eaten in peace like this.
And yet, her expression made it look like she was chewing sand instead of food.
“By the way… Has there been any news from Raddy?”
[Not yet. He’s probably on his way here, though.]
The birds didn’t seem particularly worried, but Adela wasn’t so calm.
Raddy had always been by her side, so his absence felt all the more glaring. And the last time she saw him, he had been facing off against her father’s knights. She couldn’t shake the fear that something might have happened to him.
Eventually, Adela set her half-eaten sandwich back on the plate.
[You’re stopping? You need to eat more!]
[Yeah, Adela! You need strength!]
Despite the birds’ nagging, Adela slowly shook her head.
“I just don’t have an appetite.”
She sighed heavily, and at that moment, some small birds fluttered down and perched in the tree above the table, casting dappled shadows.
Adela looked up absently and smiled faintly.
The new birds watched curiously, seemingly surprised that the others were so comfortable around a human.
“Hello.”
Adela greeted them with a gentle smile.
Hearing her voice, the small birds hesitated, then cautiously moved a little closer.
[She spoke to us.]
[Wow, a human is speaking to us.]
Adela giggled softly at their chatter.
“It’s nice to meet you. I’m Adela.”
[She understands human speech!]
[No, wait—she understands our speech?!]
Normally, humans and animals couldn’t understand each other. But Adela could hear and reply to them.
[Of course she can! Our Adela is special!]
The bird perched on her shoulder puffed up proudly, as if bragging.
[So what if she’s special? She still has to live with that scary Duke!]
“Is the Duke scary? Why?”
The repeated warnings had begun to make Adela anxious, so she asked. But before she could get an answer—
“Lady Adela, I brought some dessert!”
Startled by the sound of Gina’s return, the birds all scattered. The Barverota birds flew into the sky, while the capital birds quickly took their place.
“Ah…”
Adela lowered her head in disappointment, staring at the sandwich on her plate.
‘Will she be mad if she sees I didn’t finish it…?’
And she didn’t think she could eat the dessert either. Her stomach had reacted as if it was surprised by the sudden influx of delicious food.
As Gina set the dessert on the table, she noticed the barely touched sandwich and asked with concern,
“Was it not to your liking?”
“N-No! My stomach’s just… upset…”
Nervous that Gina might get angry, Adela quickly shook her head.
“You’re still not feeling well? Should I call the physician?”
“No, it’s okay. I think I just need a bit of rest…”
Gina let out a small sigh at her timid response.
No one would guess that this conversation was between a duchess and a maid.
There was no need for Adela to be so intimidated by someone like Gina.
“…Would you like to rest instead of touring the estate today?”
“Um…”
After a moment of hesitation, Gina asked kindly. Once again, Adela wavered, glancing around the estate.
[What are you talking about? You need to know the layout!]
[Yeah! If you want to escape, you need to know the place!]
[That’s why we said eat more and gain strength!]
The birds chirped advice from the trees. Adela shook her head and answered Gina.
“W-Walking a bit… might help.”
“Really? Then let’s take a little stroll. I’ll show you around the estate.”
Adela nodded and slowly got to her feet, then followed Gina into the Barverota mansion.
Gina showed her rooms with portraits of former Dukes of Barverota, the library, the ballroom, and more.
It all seemed standard for a noble household, though the ballroom didn’t appear to be used very often.
Still, Adela particularly liked the well-maintained garden she had seen during breakfast.
And no one seemed to stop her from walking there, either.
“Next, I’ll show you the parlor and His Grace’s office!”
Looking around as if deciding where to go next, Gina turned to Adela with a cheerful smile.
“Ah, alright…”
The Duke’s mansion was far larger than the Count’s manor where she used to live. That was expected, considering the difference in title and wealth.
Adela followed Gina down the hallway toward the parlor.
But as they approached it, Gina suddenly spun around and said,
“Oh, why don’t you have some tea with His Grace? He’s in the parlor right now!”
“What? No, I…”
She was going to see him at dinner anyway, so there was no need to meet separately. She might get distracted by his handsome face and make a mistake—or worse, be reminded of that blood-drenched image from before. She had plenty of reasons not to meet him now.
But Gina, clearly excited, didn’t seem to hear her.
“The parlor’s just ahead. Have a look around—I’ll go prepare some refreshments!”
“Wait, hang on—”
Adela tried to stop her, but Gina quickly disappeared, leaving her behind.
If the Duke was in the parlor, didn’t that mean he had a guest?
But if Gina said to enjoy tea with him, then… Adela was confused.
Still, she couldn’t just stand in the hallway forever, so she walked toward the room Gina had indicated.
The door was slightly ajar, and faint voices could be heard from inside.
‘If he has a guest, I should just leave.’
Thinking that, Adela cautiously peered through the gap.
“…So I was thinking this price would be appropriate… What do you think, Your Grace?”
The man sitting across from the Duke said, sliding something across the table. Rio stared silently at the document.
‘A business partner, maybe?’
As she watched quietly, Adela took a step back.
Since it seemed like he was with a guest, she was about to leave—but just then, two small birds flew in through the corridor window.
When she turned to look, one of the birds tapped on the glass.
She opened the window carefully, and one bird landed on her shoulder.
One of them had followed her from the capital, and the other seemed to be a local.
[Adela! This guy says the man inside is bad news!]
“Bad news?”
Adela tilted her head in confusion. The bird by the window flapped its wings and added,
[That guy’s a real scumbag! He scams people, bullies them, and cheats them out of money!]
“Then… why is he with the Duke?”
[Who knows? Maybe he’s trying to scam the Duke too! What guts—it takes nerve to try conning a Duke!]
Adela looked through the crack in the door again, concern growing.
“You’re saying this item is priced as shown here?”
“Yes, of course! I’ve been a regular visitor to the western region, haven’t I? I gave you a discount! Normally I’d charge more, but this is you, Duke Barverota! I had to give you this deal—for protecting the empire from monsters and all!”
The merchant didn’t hesitate to flatter the Duke shamelessly. Curious about what kind of item it was, Adela tiptoed and peeked at the small box on the table.
[That’s it! He’s lying again! That scoundrel!]
Adela turned to the bird at the window.
“Did that man do something to you?”
[He did! He beat up a kid who used to bring us food and kicked him out! He got angry and yelled about bringing him money!]
[One of his friends even got seriously hurt trying to help…]
Hearing this, Adela immediately frowned.
“He’s a terrible person.”
[Let’s go, Adela.]
“Huh? Where?”
[In there, of course! Are you just gonna let that guy trick the Duke?!]
“I… shouldn’t?”
[Isn’t the Duke your husband now?!]
At the bird’s sharp retort, Adela pressed her lips tightly together.
“But I’ve never even properly talked to people before. How can I fix this?”
She lowered her gaze, disheartened.
The bird fluttered from the window to her shoulder, then nestled into her red hair and said,
[It’s okay. I’ll go with you. I’ll tell you exactly what to say.]
[Yeah! Let’s go, let’s go!]
The birds were all fired up—but Adela couldn’t help feeling nervous.
Her fiery red hair, draped on both sides of her face, now puffed out strangely. One bird had perched by each ear.
She looked absolutely ridiculous—and she wasn’t sure if she could really walk into the room looking like this.
“…Are we really doing this…?”
