Chapter 39
The Girls’ First Love and Superstition (2)
Paella jumped up from her seat, taking the lead, and Sophia nodded in agreement.
“That’s right! It’s too sad to give up like this!”
Who? You?
I had to clamp my mouth shut to keep from blurting it out.
Maybe my expression looked too tragic.
Jasmine, sitting next to me, gently took my hand and patted it.
“Every girl deserves to love. Don’t give up so easily.”
It’s not love.
I really wanted to say that proudly.
Especially because of Rozanne, who was sitting there with a mischievous smile like she was enjoying every second of this.
She always looked like she was smiling, but when she tried to hold it in like that, it made her look even more annoyingly smug.
Wait—didn’t she like Ginger too?
She could’ve turned this all into her tragic tale. Was she doing this on purpose? When I turned to look at her suspiciously, Rozanne just shrugged as if she didn’t know anything.
“Lady Selene! Couldn’t you help Lady Odelia like you helped me?” Bella clasped Selene’s hands with an earnest plea.
It seemed Selene was the key to this story.
She pursed her lips like she was torn about something, looking exactly like someone trying hard to keep a secret.
She must’ve heard something from someone.
And I really, really wanted to know what that was today.
Watching her hesitate, I pretended to wipe my mouth and jabbed my finger into my eye.
I wasn’t much of a crier by nature.
And I wasn’t exactly the type to be good at acting, so in these situations, triggering some physically induced tears was the most effective strategy.
Thankfully, a single tear slipped down right away, and seeing that, Selene panicked and covered her mouth.
Now for the finishing touch.
“I… I just…”
I hung my head like a pitiful girl too choked up to continue.
Sure, my acting might not have been top-tier, but—
With Odelia’s face doing most of the heavy lifting, I already had 70% of the audience convinced.
And soon enough, the big catch would bite.
“Lady Odelia, do you happen to know the legend of the Bluebird?”
Sure enough, Selene opened her mouth hesitantly.
Bluebird?
The only bluebird I knew of was from children’s stories or songs.
Doesn’t everyone know something like this?
🎵 I know the bluebird from Chirru Chirru… 🎵
I tilted my head like I didn’t know, and Selene hesitated before shaking her head slowly.
“I can’t tell you the whole story until I get the other ladies’ permission. But I wanted you to hear this before you give up on love.”
“What is—”
“All of us found love thanks to a letter delivered by the Bluebird.”
…Is she sure it wasn’t a heron?
Wait, don’t herons bring babies?
I got lost in these random thoughts while trying to pay attention to her vaguely familiar yet strange story, and Selene sighed deeply like she knew I’d react this way.
“I know it sounds unbelievable, but it’s true.”
Jasmine nodded firmly in agreement with Selene.
Then Selene truly began her story.
“Since the founding of the empire, the symbol of the royal family has always been a bird.”
Her voice was soft, as if telling a long-forgotten tale.
And then—shapes of a white bird and a black bird floated above her hands.
Magic.
It was the first time I saw it in person besides what Rudolf used.
“Royal women are symbolized by white birds. Royal men by black ones. Did you know that?”
“I didn’t.”
I had heard that the emperor uses a raven to send urgent messages.
But I had no idea that the birds themselves symbolized the royal family.
Probably Odelia didn’t know either—so it was never mentioned in the novel.
“And to add on, the two-headed golden bird representing both the emperor and empress is the ultimate symbol of the royal family.”
“That one I’ve seen.”
I’d seen it plenty—dangling like a decorative piece on Ian’s clothes all the time.
And it had been mentioned at least once in the original story too.
“Then what do you think the Bluebird symbolizes?”
Selene asked as if expecting me to guess.
But this was my first time hearing of it, so I simply shook my head.
No shame in admitting you don’t know what you don’t know.
“The Bluebird symbolizes God. The God of Death.”
“The God of Death?”
I tilted my head. That didn’t make any sense.
Wasn’t this story supposed to be about helping with unrequited love?
Why was she suddenly bringing up the god of death?
As if she understood my confusion, Selene brought her hands together and projected a blue light toward the sky.
“The god of death is, in a way, also the god of life. And life only takes its complete form in the presence of love.”
A bluebird formed in her palms, swaying its long tail feathers in slow, strange movements.
It looked like a peacock taking flight… or perhaps a mythical phoenix I’d never seen before.
Despite its strange appearance, the bluebird she showed me felt very real.
“Have you all met this bird?”
Their distant expressions, as if recalling a memory, confirmed my suspicion.
Instead of replying, they all turned quiet gazes toward me.
“A bird symbolizing the royal family. A Bluebird who is the god of death. And…”
As I muttered, piecing Selene’s words together, a thought struck me.
Or rather—why hadn’t I thought of this sooner?
“Can I meet this bird if I go to the imperial palace?”
“……”
None of the ladies answered yes or no to my question.
I figured I’d need permission from someone higher up—maybe even the source of this rumor.
Or maybe you needed qualifications to meet the Bluebird.
So then, what should I do now?
Haha—what do you mean, what should you do?
“Would you give me a chance too?”
Come on. It’s not like I’ve never kissed up to someone before.
My question brought a blush to Selene’s face.
“One day… let’s set a date.”
They wouldn’t expect much from me anyway.
They were just young, pure girls blinded by love.
Which meant they would soon lead me to someone new.
Someone more experienced, more cunning.
Smarter.
“A truly delightful tea party, Lady Odelia,” Rozanne said with a sly smile, like she was asking if I was satisfied.
Oh, I was more than satisfied.
But… I had a bad feeling things were about to get annoying.
“So, Lady Odelia! Tell us more about him!”
Of course—Bella, desperate for more romance like a love-struck schoolgirl, jumped in.
And with that, the five noble ladies burst into excited chatter.
“You said he’s from the Mage Tower—would we know him?”
“The white hair was a pretty big clue, wasn’t it?”
“It’s something that could really happen—please tell us more!”
“You said you see each other often, right?”
“Could it be… that he likes you too?”
Their excited chattering was endearing, like little larks, but honestly… not exactly welcome.
And of all people—it just had to be Rudolf they were talking about.
“White hair… Could it be—”
Sophia started, thinking hard, and my skin crawled.
“Could it be Sir White?”
“Sir White is a famous magic swordsman, but he’s not part of the Mage Tower.”
I sighed in relief at this unfamiliar name.
But their wild theories continued.
Especially Selene, who had strong ties to the Mage Tower, and her guesses were razor sharp.
Eventually, time passed and the tea party was wrapping up.
“Today really was all about Lady Odelia’s story. Well then—”
“Wait, could it be… the Tower Master?”
At Selene’s words, my whole body tensed.
And she didn’t stop there.
“My father said the Master of the Mage Tower is a beautiful man with hair white as snow and eyes red like blood.”
“Oh my gosh! Lady Odelia has feelings for such an incredible man?”
“And maybe… he has feelings for her too!”
Sophia and Bella squealed, holding hands in excitement.
“What kind of person is the Tower Master?”
“He must be amazing, right?”
With those questions flying, Rozanne didn’t even try to end the tea party.
Honestly, she looked curious herself.
But Selene shook her head.
“No, that’s impossible. The Tower Master is known for his violent and cruel nature.”
Selene looked at me with the eyes of a mother saying, I can’t approve this love!
“Lady Odelia, I truly hope I’m wrong.”
With those words, the other ladies began looking at me with concern too.
All except one—Rozanne.
She knew the kind of crazy people I had around me.
Especially Ginger. Ginger, and… Ginger. Ugh.
To be fair, compared to Ginger and Rudolf, Ian and Weizen were just loyal dogs. Big, fluffy, dependable dogs.
I wasn’t worried about Ian or Weizen.
If anyone was a concern, it was Ginger, who might cause a scene at any moment, and Rudolf, who was just completely unpredictable.
And the person they were worried about… was exactly Rudolf.
“Lady Odelia, is what Lady Selene said true?”
Jasmine asked me gently as I stayed silent.
Her tone was worried, but—
The Rudolf I knew wasn’t the Rudolf they feared.
Sure, he was big and intimidating, but he still thought like a child.
In front of me, all he did was flop around like a cat, fly off like a bird, then come back again.
As if that was just his normal routine.
As if being by my side was his rightful place—
“Yes.”
The image of him that popped into my mind just then felt… lovable.
“His name is Rudolf Märchen.”
I couldn’t say if this feeling was love.
Probably not. It was likely just ordinary affection from being a fan.
But even if it wasn’t love, maybe it was okay to call him lovable.
“He’s my cute, adorable little deer.”
As I admitted it, warmth bloomed in my chest.
And it didn’t feel bad—so I held that warmth close.
Then, a familiar white thread fluttered through the air.
“This tea party was truly enjoyable. Well then—”
Before I could even finish my sentence, the scene changed like a page turning.
Even though we hadn’t said all our goodbyes yet…
“Rudolf, how many times have I told you not to teleport people around without warning?”
I sighed and turned around—only for Rudolf to grab my shoulder.
He held me firmly, stopping me from moving.
He stayed silent for a long time.
Wait… is this because I said my crush is you?
That was supposed to be a secret plan! A con!
Oh no.
Unfortunately, Rudolf hadn’t realized that in the slightest.
“Jinah! I promise! I’ll live the rest of my life being cute and lovable!”
…What kind of deranged trailer to a rom-com is that?
