Chapter 19
A new day dawned once again, but the routine went on just the same as yesterday.
After waking early, drawing water, and eating breakfast, I went out to the backyard and waited in silence, barely breathing, for a bird to appear.
“…The weather’s nice.”
The sun peeked out from behind the clouds drifting by, and a gentle breeze brushed lightly through the low-growing wild grass.
There was probably no one left in the Empire who could afford to feel such a tranquil breeze.
Everyone was fighting desperately—just to survive.
I could only guess what things were like outside, but one thing was certain: in this fortress, I was the most idle person here.
Idorian and Heresdon had gone to fix a leaky roof, while Lilia was busy sewing curtains identical to the ones I’d made for Lumi, so others could have them too.
Lumi, for his part, was helping Uben with the laundry and dishes, moving about busily.
That meant I was the only one doing absolutely nothing.
“I really should catch something soon.”
This was already the third day of sitting here doing nothing but waiting for birds.
And I still hadn’t caught a single one.
Yesterday, I’d barely managed to snare two tiny sparrows, but Uben had released them, saying they were too small to bother eating.
So today, I was desperately hoping a wild pigeon might fly over the wall.
“What are you staring at?”
When a voice sounded nearby, I looked up to see Lumi sitting down beside me.
He frowned slightly and glanced toward the same spot beyond the fortress wall where my eyes had been fixed.
“I’m watching to see if a bird comes by.”
“Hmm, you sound rather desperate. For this, I mean.”
He tapped the string I was holding.
“If I catch one, we’ll have something decent to eat.”
“Then I’ll help too.”
Saying that, Lumi stood, picked up a few sticks from nearby, and came back to sit beside me.
“…Are you sleeping well?”
As he toyed with the sticks in his hands, Lumi glanced up briefly.
“I just wondered if you were uncomfortable. With food or sleeping or… anything.”
“…I’m fine.”
He blinked slowly, as if weighing his words, then shook his head.
The fact that he had to think so long made it clear—this place wasn’t exactly comfortable for him either.
Is it too hard on him?
He did say he was physically weak. Maybe following Uben around all day doing chores was too much.
It would be better if Lumi handled the bird traps instead. All he had to do was sit and wait.
And if I took over the washing or the dishes, that would be easier for him… if Uben allowed it.
“By the way, I heard Penelope once survived alone in the forest for a while.”
“Ah…”
I nodded faintly, and he continued.
“I heard a zombie grabbed your ankle back then.”
His gaze had already fallen to my ankle, revealed by how I was sitting.
“Is that the bruise from back then?”
“…Yes.”
The mark from that day had faded into a mix of yellow and pale brown.
I’d been worried it might never go away, but seeing it lighten little by little was a relief.
Still, I didn’t want him staring too closely, so I started to tuck my foot back under my skirt—
“Lumi?”
He caught my ankle.
“What are you doing?”
I struggled to pull away as he turned my bruised ankle this way and that, studying it.
“Just a second.”
But no matter how much I pushed, he wouldn’t let go. He seemed to have spotted something unusual and kept staring.
“I said stop! What are you doing?”
“…I’m sorry.”
Only after I raised my voice did he finally release me.
“I thought the bruise looked bad, so I wanted to check….”
“Even so, you should’ve asked first.”
I stood up quickly.
“Don’t just touch people like that without warning.”
“…You’re right. I’m sorry.”
His eyes flicked past me then, over my shoulder.
When I turned, I saw Idorian standing a short distance away, perfectly still.
He must have stopped mid-step on his way here.
Remembering his warning to get along with the others and not cause trouble, I sat back down. A moment later, I heard his footsteps retreat.
“I’m sorry, Penelope.”
“Don’t do that again.”
“I won’t. I understand.”
Lumi nodded, though his eyes still flicked briefly toward my ankle.
“If you ever feel pain or discomfort, please tell me. I’ll take another look then.”
“…I’m fine. It doesn’t hurt at all.”
“Still… no, never mind. Alright.”
With that, he lowered his head again, focusing on assembling his trap.
“Hey, Penelope.”
After a while, he spoke again.
“The part where the zombie touched you… it was only your ankle, right?”
His pale eyes drooped faintly under the weight of his lashes.
There was no emotion in his voice, no tension in his face—yet something about it felt oddly heavy, suffocating.
“Yes. It was just that once.”
My heartbeat tangled with unease, as if searching for the reason behind his question.
“That’s good.”
“Why… why is that good?”
“…Because that must have been scary.”
Lumi frowned slightly, and the answer—so unexpected—made the stiffness leave my body all at once.
“I was scared too,” he added softly. “Even though I’ve never actually been caught.”
“I see…”
The conversation ended, and silence fell again.
“So, Lumi—what about your family?”
It wasn’t a question with any deep meaning. I’d just wanted to break the quiet.
“My parents… and an older brother.”
He blinked slowly, then gave that short answer.
As I watched his expression closely—unable to shake my unease—I saw his lips twist faintly.
He was worried about them.
“I guess your family must be worried, too. We’re all trapped here, but technically speaking, you’re trapped in the Empire. You probably can’t even hear news from your kingdom—”
“I wonder.”
His eyes narrowed slightly, as if he were thinking it over.
“…What do you mean?”
“I was wondering if things are the same outside the Empire. Idorian said the zombies started in the Imperial capital first. I think he’s right.”
“Ah… yes.”
“So maybe other nations aren’t as bad off. My family’s probably safe.”
He nodded to himself, as if convincing himself of it.
“They’re probably worried about me too, huh?”
This time, he didn’t look as sure.
When our eyes met, he gave a small shrug, then looked back down at the sticks in his hands.
“Anyway, we really should catch something today.”
He had already lost interest in our previous conversation.
“That way, you can eat more. I think you’re eating too little, Penelope.”
He was still focused on tying the sticks together as he spoke.
“Even if we don’t catch a bird, try to eat more tonight. I know that soup isn’t what you’re used to, but we don’t have much choice.”
“…Huh?”
“Let’s just do our best to catch one first, though.”
He finally looked up, giving me a small, encouraging smile.
He’s been watching me eat?
I thought I’d been careful to make it look like I was eating normally.
He must have assumed I was being picky, that I wanted bird meat instead—when in truth, I was just trying to secure more food for the fortress.
He didn’t seem to realize how little we had left.
“Oh! Look!”
Just as I was about to explain, Lumi pointed toward the sky.
“There—it’s coming! A bird!”
There were plenty of birds flying overhead; the problem was that they always passed right over the wall.
“See? It looks big, doesn’t it?”
I followed his gaze—and sure enough, a large shadow cut sharply through the sky.
“I think it’s flying this way.”
Just as he said, it seemed to be heading straight for us.
“Huh?”
“With a bird that big, we could eat well for days.”
“…But doesn’t it look too big for a trap?”
The bird was lowering its altitude fast—far too large to be caught in our snare.
“It’s fine, I made a slingshot.”
So that’s what he’d been building with those sticks.
“I’ll hit it—”
“It’s an eagle!”
“…What?”
Lumi froze, staring up.
The great white bird glided through the wind, its wide wings spread magnificently as it crossed the outer wall—
A violet ribbon was tied around its leg.
It was unmistakable.
It was the Emperor’s eagle.
