Chapter 10
***
After finishing our lesson and playing energetically around the room, the young master finally drifted off to sleep in my arms, breathing softly.
“It never feels right to leave you alone, you know.”
Carefully, I lifted him up and carried him to his bedroom, laying him gently on the wide sofa. Even as I moved, he just kept snoring lightly, fast asleep.
“So lovely….”
They say children are at their most beautiful when they’re asleep — and it’s true.
I brushed aside the strands of hair that had fallen over his eyes. His nose was sharp for his age, his skin pale and smooth, and the long shape of his eyes gave his face a soft, noble air.
“You really are your father’s mirror image.”
Curled up like a tiny kitten, the young master was impossibly endearing. I stared for a while before letting out a quiet sigh. It was already late into the night.
It was time to go back to my own room and rest, but I felt strangely uneasy.
Even if he’d always done fine sleeping alone….
“Well… I can’t stay here all night.”
He’d promised he would never eat me — but at this age, everything about him was still unsteady and unpredictable. What if, in his sleep, he instinctively bit or chewed on my feathers?
As a prey species, I couldn’t afford to take that risk.
So, in the end, I simply tucked the thick blanket around his small body.
“I’ll come early tomorrow. Sleep well, young master.”
That was all I could do. I wasn’t his nanny — just a humble sparrow tutor. There was a limit to what I could offer.
Turning away, I quietly left the room.
“You’re up late.”
“Ah! You startled me!”
I nearly dropped my heart right there. Someone was waiting outside the door — a tall man.
It was Lucas, the house’s bodyguard and the black panther that the master had assigned to protect me.
“Apologies. I was waiting to escort you back to your room, but I didn’t mean to startle you.”
“I didn’t expect anyone to be here. I mean— well, I suppose that’s normal.”
Now that I thought about it, that dog beastman who usually stood guard wasn’t around tonight. Normally, he was stationed right outside the young master’s room.
“Are you looking for someone? If you’re looking for the master, he just—”
“No, no one. I just thought it was unusually quiet outside the heir’s room, so I decided to check.”
I smiled awkwardly and started walking toward my room. But—
“Um, Miss Sparrow. The other way.”
“Oh.”
Right.
Most beastmen have certain natural traits.
For bird beastmen, one of those is supposed to be excellent direction sense.
…But mine is garbage. Always has been.
I had managed to walk confidently — in the completely opposite direction.
“Haha… I knew that.”
“After escorting you for several days, I’ve realized something. Miss Sparrow, you really are quite… directionally challenged.”
“I— I just got momentarily confused because I’m tired. A bird getting lost? Ridiculous, right? Haha… I’m not that dumb.”
Except I was.
Even among sparrows, I was known as a weakling — born without any real abilities.
A useless sparrow who couldn’t do much of anything. And now, apparently, even a bird who couldn’t navigate.
“Don’t call yourself that,” Lucas said gently. “You’re not a weakling.”
“Is this the right way, then?”
I’d been called that word all my life — weakling. It had lost its sting long ago. Seeing the faint sadness in Lucas’s expression didn’t move me much; I just wanted to change the subject.
“Yes, this way,” he said softly.
“Thank you. For always walking me back.”
“The master said you’re someone valuable. I was told to treat you with care.”
Lucas flashed a bright smile — so wide I could see his fangs.
And that was exactly the problem.
Every time I saw those sharp teeth, the feathers on my neck bristled instinctively.
I knew he was a good man — polite, trustworthy, and absolutely not the type to eat me. But that didn’t stop my prey instincts from reacting.
Just then, as if sensing my nervousness, Lucas smiled even more kindly.
“I heard you really gave Lady Enneia a taste of her own medicine.”
“‘Gave her a taste’…? I just, uh… stood up for myself, a little.”
Would he disapprove? After all, she was the young master’s aunt.
I forced a nervous smile, but he just said calmly—
“You did well.”
“…Huh?”
“I’ve never been fond of that woman. She acts as if she owns the house. But since the young master is so attached to her, no one in the family can openly go against her. Not even the master.”
“Oh….”
“But you, Miss Sparrow — you stood up to her. You’re the first person to ever do that. It was… incredibly satisfying to see.”
I looked up at him. He was genuinely pleased — his smile wasn’t faked.
“‘Defeated her,’ you say… I didn’t really mean to.”
Somehow, his words made me blush.
“Still,” he said, “don’t ever back down again.”
“But… about the young master’s aunt—”
“Ah, she’s the lady’s younger sister. The mistress of the house is away on long-term convalescence. Lady Enneia is filling in for her, acting as the stand-in mistress.”
“I see… the lady of the house.”
“Of course, you won’t ever meet her.”
“Why not?”
“Because she won’t be coming back.”
The way he said it was… strange.
Before I could ask what he meant, we’d already reached my room.
“Well then, rest well tonight. I’ll be here again tomorrow.”
With a polite bow, Lucas opened the door for me. Once I was inside, he gently closed it behind me.
“Comfy and safe,” I murmured.
If only this house weren’t filled with carnivores, it’d be perfect.
Even so, I couldn’t complain. The young master was sweet, and teaching him every day brought me joy.
“I hope every day can be like this.
Mom, wait for me — I’ll come get you soon. I promise.”
I offered a silent prayer to a god I didn’t even believe in, hoping tomorrow would be as peaceful as today.
But peace never lasts long.
Because Enneia came back.
It happened exactly one week later.
After what had happened, I thought she’d stay away for a while, but she was back — stubborn as ever, like one of those dolls that always pop back up no matter how many times you knock them down.
***
A few days earlier—
I’d suddenly been seized with a desire to get the young master new books, teaching tools, and toys.
So I stayed up all night preparing a report for the master — a neat list of what the child needed and why. I’d fallen asleep halfway through and woke up earlier than usual.
Since I was up, I decided to go deliver it to the master in person.
But as luck would have it, the master was away that morning. So I handed the report to one of the servants outside his office — and somehow, my feet carried me toward Louis’s room.
I must have been walking fast, because even after getting lost a few times as usual, I arrived at his door much earlier than I expected.
Since Lucas didn’t escort me in the mornings, the one standing guard today was that dog beastman again — the same one I’d seen before. We were familiar enough now that I gave him a little nod.
“Better to be early than late, right?” I said lightly, reaching for the door.
“Are you going in?” he asked.
“Yes.”
But then—
his hand suddenly came down on my arm.
“Ah… what are you doing?”
“I— it’s nothing.”
He stepped back awkwardly, his jaw twitching like he wanted to say something but decided not to.
‘Weird.’
There was always something odd about him. I’d felt it before but never cared enough to dwell on it.
Still, today… something about him was even stranger. I couldn’t help but notice.
But what did it matter? He was just another one of the master’s men — not someone I needed to concern myself with.
So I shook off the feeling and pushed the door open.
And the moment I stepped inside, I realized—
‘Ah. So that’s why.’
