Episode 20
“Don’t… want to?”
My father looked extremely flustered.
“Don’t want to?”
When I asked dejectedly, his eyes glistened with unshed tears. Then, with his fingertips trembling slightly, he reached out toward me.
“Don’t want to? Come here.”
His strong arms lifted me effortlessly, like I was a small, fragile animal.
His palms, stiff from tension, awkwardly brushed my back.
It was an awkward moment where my limbs felt like they might creak, but I pressed my lips together.
*‘Even if it’s embarrassing, hold it in. I have to save Yan.’*
I squeezed my eyes shut and made my request.
“Dad, read me a book.”
“A book?”
This time, even my father looked puzzled.
I pointed to the thick book neatly placed by the bedside.
Seeing the book, my father smiled softly.
“‘War of the Gods,’ huh? That’s quite a difficult book… where did you get it?”
“Miss Sylvia lent it to me. Yan is in it here.”
“Yan…?”
Yan, nearby, chirped as if cheering me on.
“Yeah, that’s Mari. I renamed him.”
“Hmm…”
Apparently, my father hadn’t heard about the bird from my mother.
Without a word, he flipped through the pages, looking for Yan’s picture.
“Where would Yan appear…?”
Then his hand paused over the illustration of a red bird.
He chuckled softly and ruffled my hair.
“Ah, Shamash’s bird is as red as that one.”
“Yeah, and look at this.”
I flipped a few more pages to find a picture of the bird as a chick.
My father’s gaze shifted between the picture and Yan, filled with curiosity.
“Exactly? Miss Sylvia said it looks completely the same.”
“…Yeah, it does look a bit similar.”
Wait? It shouldn’t just look a little like it.
*‘To go against Mother’s orders, that’s not enough of an assessment.’*
In my panic, I added spontaneously,
“And he’s really smart. He understands what I say.”
—Cheep!
Yan chirped as if telling me to stop, but I had no choice.
*‘Even if he’s a talking bird, he can’t survive outdoors with a body that can’t fly properly.’*
There wasn’t anyone else who could persuade Mother besides my father.
“Yan, come here.”
When I called him apologetically, Yan hesitated but then flew over reluctantly.
“This is my dad. You’ve seen him before, right? Say hello.”
—Cheep! Cheep!
Yan seemed full of resentment, but I was doing my best.
“Quickly now.”
Only after I urged him did Yan spread his wings with a flutter. Then, theatrically, he nodded his head.
My father’s brow furrowed slightly.
“He’s… greeting you?”
“He’s greeting you, right, Yan?”
When Yan nodded again, my father’s expression grew even more bewildered.
Unexpectedly, my father decided to test Yan.
“Shamash is the sky god who protects Leela. Right, Yan?”
—Cheep!
Yan shook his head as if to say, “Don’t talk nonsense.”
“…Or maybe the god of water?”
—Cheeep!
Yan shook his head again, and my father, looking slightly dazed, asked,
“…Or the sun god?”
Then Yan, as if truly embodying the sun god, spread his wings and nodded solemnly.
My father quietly asked me,
“Rostel, where did you say you found Yan?”
“Umm… in the greenhouse over there. The cat brought him to me.”
“I see…”
My father looked back and forth between me and Yan, deep in thought, before finally speaking.
“Darling, is there anyone else who knows how smart Yan is?”
I quickly shook my head.
Even when I thought he was just an incredibly intelligent bird, I had kept his abilities a secret.
*‘Just… somehow felt like I should.’*
My father tenderly ruffled my hair and checked once more.
“No one? Not even Beatrice?”
I nodded.
“Yeah, no one knows. Even Trits doesn’t know well.”
His violet eyes, filled with emotion, looked down at me.
“My child is truly clever.”
After praising me, my father added,
“Rostel. Until I learn more about Yan… don’t tell anyone else about him. Can you do that?”
“Umm, but…”
Finally, I could tell my father about Mother’s order.
“Mom said… to release him back into the garden.”
My father’s violet eyes darkened, then he shook his head at me.
“No, Yan will stay with us for now. I’ll talk to your mother again.”
After my father left the room, I quickly explained to Yan.
“I have no choice. If it weren’t for Dad, no one could convince Mom.”
Luckily, Beatrice returned, so Yan couldn’t fuss at me.
—Cheeep!
He flew noisily around the room and ruffled some feathers, but in the end, it only hurt him.
—
“Tonight, you’ll have to eat dinner in your room.”
Beatrice said as she stood.
*‘She’s probably going to tell the kitchen.’*
The red sunset darkened outside the window.
As I watched Beatrice leave, a large shadow flickered briefly in the doorway.
*‘Who’s that?’*
A sudden thought came to me, and cautiously, I called softly,
“…Icarus?”
The shadow stepped forward and revealed itself.
He entered the room and knelt on one knee under my bed.
“My apologies, Your Highness. Even though I was nearby, I failed to protect you.”
I blinked at him.
*‘Icarus usually guards the palace from when we sleep until morning…?’*
Seeing him at sunset was unusual.
“Icarus, you didn’t go to sleep…?”
Flustered, I asked, but he couldn’t lift his bowed head.
“Your Highness fainted. The responsibility is entirely mine…”
I stared at him in disbelief.
“Icarus Taneli. I’m asking if you slept or not.”
Icarus insisted,
“I have a duty to ensure Your Highness fully recovers.”
“I feel fine. I’m more awake than you, Icarus.”
I was frustrated, but the kneeling figure stayed firm like a statue.
“And if you collapse too, who will watch over me? Icarus, like me…”
I looked around and muttered quietly.
“We’re not two people.”
Icarus shivered at my words.
“…Your Highness.”
“Go to sleep. If you don’t, I’ll raise my voice.”
“Your Highness, but…”
“Trits…!”
Beatrice, who had been waiting outside, rushed in, startled.
“Yes, Your Highness!”
Icarus didn’t know what to do, glancing between Beatrice and me.
Of course, I had no intention of telling Beatrice the truth.
I could already imagine what Icarus would do if he knew, and I wasn’t going to risk that.
*‘But Icarus doesn’t know.’*
Because I had called out loudly, Beatrice looked at us in confusion.
“Your Highness, did you call me?”
I explained casually.
“Yes, Trits. Icarus hasn’t left the palace yet. Mother told me to make sure everyone leaves on time. Right?”
Technically, it didn’t apply to Icarus, who knew the secret, but it was enough to get Beatrice’s cooperation.
She looked at Icarus with wide eyes.
“Really? Sir Taneli, you’re still in the palace? Your Highness would be troubled if he knew.”
“I was only concerned for Your Highness…”
Icarus muttered stiffly, but Beatrice, lowering her voice, didn’t relent.
“Of course everyone worries about Your Highness! But the stricter the rules are, the more important it is to follow them. That’s why the other ladies-in-waiting returned immediately after finishing their duties.”
“If you don’t go now, I’ll tell everything.”
I whispered to Icarus in a way only he could understand.
*‘Beatrice probably just thought I meant I’d tell Mom.’*
She argued with Icarus diligently in her own way.
“Your Highness would never praise you if he knew. I’ve stayed behind before for something else and was scolded terribly.”
“The sun will set soon. Once night falls, duty resumes…”
Icarus continued to justify himself, but Beatrice didn’t yield.
“The knights’ quarters aren’t far, right? If you return now, you can still get a few hours of sleep. Go on, quickly.”
Eventually, Icarus sighed and backed away. Then, he knelt under the bed again and looked up at me.
“If Your Highness collapses again, or falls ill, I could never forgive myself for leaving my post.”
