Chapter 45
“Ta-da! Surprised, right? I’m sorry. I told a little lie because I really wanted to give this to you in person, Lady Elena.”
“……”
Standing at the door was a young maid with dark brown hair—someone Elena had never seen before. She was holding a plate of savory-smelling grilled chicken pieces.
She lied just to give me food? Why?
It was suspicious, but she didn’t seem to mean any harm. Since the door was already open, Elena figured she might as well ask who she was.
“You could have just said so.”
“But when I came by yesterday, you didn’t open the door.”
“Ah… That’s because I wasn’t fully dressed…”
“It’s fine. That can happen.”
The woman gave a smile. Her appearance was quite plain—no distinct features, just a soft expression.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t remember the names of all the staff in the castle. Could you tell me your name? Was it Mina?”
“Yes! My name is Mina Herbert. I heard the other maids have become close to you, Lady Elena, and I’ve always wanted to get to know you as well.”
“I see.”
“But since I work in the kitchen, I haven’t had the chance to run into you. So I finally built up the courage! I hope you enjoy this. I really want you to like it!”
“…Thank you. I’ll enjoy it.”
“Great! Then I’ll be off! I’ll bring you something even tastier next time! I hope we can chat more then!”
With a cheerful wave, Mina handed over the grilled chicken and left.
The scent of roasted meat still lingered in the air.
“She said she works in the kitchen?”
As Elena walked back into her room, she thought to herself. Had she ever seen someone like that in the kitchen before? Maybe she hadn’t paid close enough attention. After all, who really takes note of the people serving food when you’re focused on eating?
“Chirp?”
Just then, the Duke Calix—currently in sparrow form—flew onto the table and tilted his head at the plate of chicken.
“She said she wanted to get close to me. Judging from her voice, she’s probably the same one who left the cookies yesterday too. But why lie about it?”
The more she thought about it, the more suspicious it seemed. She was relieved there didn’t seem to be any immediate danger, but still wary.
Reaching out to examine the chicken more closely, she was interrupted by Duke Calix slamming his little body into her wrist.
“Chirp! Chirp chirp! Chiiirp!”
“Ouch! Duke! What are you doing?”
“Chirp chirp! Chirp chirp chirp!”
The duke was making a fuss, flapping around and even hopping onto her hand—as if telling her to put the food down immediately.
“Don’t worry, I wasn’t going to eat it. I just wanted to take a closer look.”
“Chirp, chirp chirp?”
“Wait… are you saying you don’t trust me?”
“Chirp.”
At her words, the duke calmed down and flew back to the table. It looked like he was sulking, as if to say, “Well, it’s not like that…”
Since she hadn’t intended to eat it anyway due to her suspicions, Elena gently set the plate down. The duke fluttered his wings contentedly, seemingly satisfied.
The chicken ended up sitting there, growing cold, wafting only its delicious aroma.
Honestly, it’s a shame to waste grilled chicken.
She couldn’t help but feel a little regret. It’s not like it was common fare for the staff.
Looking at it only makes me hungrier. I should just sleep it off.
“Well, I’m going to bed now. Good night, Duke. And you three too.”
She gave her goodnights to Duke Calix and the three dogs, then headed into the secret room. That night, for some reason, her hunger felt sharper than usual.
* * *
Duke Calix, trapped in his sparrow form, felt like he was going to lose his mind. It was frustrating enough that the transformation wasn’t under his control—now he couldn’t even properly communicate with Elena.
‘She looked like she wanted to eat it…’
Even if she said she only wanted a closer look, her eyes had definitely sparkled at the sight of the grilled chicken. Maybe she hadn’t really intended to eat it, but the craving was obvious. Still, something more important than the chicken stood out.
As far as Calix remembered, there really was a maid named Mina Herbert. But she was older—not the young voice he had heard outside the door.
And why now, of all times, would someone approach Elena when he was officially absent?
It was suspicious—enough to make anyone wary.
Currently, Elena’s meals were prepared directly by the head chef, under strict orders from Calix before he left for his recuperation. Even in his absence, the chef was to serve Elena’s meals personally.
But this—food from a maid Elena didn’t even know? Late at night? With a lie? Just to “get closer”? It made no sense.
Calix knew that several staff members harbored feelings for Elena. But the fact that this “Mina” chose to approach her while he was away was deeply suspect.
‘What if I have to keep living like this even after we catch the real culprit?’
That was the worst part: not being able to clearly warn her about danger.
He was growing more anxious by the moment. Even if the current danger passed, Elena was popular without even realizing it—so he couldn’t relax.
‘It’s only the first day, and already this much trouble…’
The time spent in sparrow form had never felt longer.
* * *
The next morning, after breakfast, a different maid entered the room to clear the table.
“Lady Elena? What’s this? I don’t recall grilled chicken being on the menu today.”
As she collected the dishes, she pointed at the plate with the chicken.
“Ah, Mina brought that last night. She said she wanted to be friends and gave it to me as a late-night snack.”
“Mina?”
“Yes.”
The maid looked puzzled, as if thinking it over, then spoke again after a moment.
“She must really want to be close with you, Lady Elena. Would you like me to take this away, since you didn’t eat it?”
“Yes, please. I’m… trying to be careful with what I eat right now.”
“Oh, are you dieting? Not that you need to—you look perfect as is.”
“Ahaha, something like that.”
Elena gave an awkward laugh, and the maid smiled as she placed the plate on the tray.
At least she took it in stride.
She was relieved—otherwise she might’ve come off as someone too arrogant to even touch a gift from another.
Still, as the grilled chicken disappeared from view, she felt a twinge of regret. But there was no helping it. The duke had made such a fuss, and even after sleeping on it, her instincts still screamed suspicious.
“Well then, shall we all go out for a walk?”
“Woof! (Yay!)”
“Bark bark! (Walk time!)”
“Chirp!”
“……”
Luka and Tofu jumped for joy, while Calix flew up to perch on her shoulder. Black silently walked over to stand beside Luka.
This moment of walking together with everyone was pure peace.
Within just a day, the other staff had grown used to the sparrow on her shoulder. Unlike the previous day, no one was sneaking glances anymore. Some still looked at her with mild curiosity, but the reactions were definitely more subdued.
They were on their way back from their long, exhausting walk when she spotted Dr. Scott stepping out of the annex. Their eyes met.
Strange. I could’ve sworn he looked straight at me.
Dr. Scott, uncharacteristically, quickly averted his gaze and turned around, walking the other way.
“…He definitely avoided me on purpose, right?”
“Chirp!”
No matter how much time she spent in the duke’s quarters, that wasn’t reason enough for Dr. Scott to avoid her. If anything, given his cautious nature, he’d want to find out exactly what kind of relationship she had with the duke.
This time, I’m going to find out for sure.
Reaffirming her resolve, Elena returned to her room, where Becca handed her a letter.
“Okay! Message delivered. I’m off!”
“Ah, wait! Becca!”
“Yes, Lady Elena?”
“There’s something I wanted to ask you.”
“Ask away! Anything!”
Becca was the only one Elena felt comfortable questioning. They saw each other often, and Becca had no signs of harboring personal feelings for her.
“Do you know a maid named Mina?”
“Mina ajumma? Sure, I know her!”
“Ajumma?” (= older lady)
“Yep! I heard she’s been working here for over 10 years!”
Ajumma? The woman Elena had seen last night was young—maybe around Becca’s or her own age.
She decided to ask more.
“What kind of person is Mina?”
“Hmm… She’s kind of like a warm neighborhood auntie! Really sweet, and takes care of everyone in the kitchen.”
“I see. Thanks for letting me know.”
“No problem! Just call me if you need anything else!”
After Becca left, Elena looked down at the letter. The handwriting was now familiar.
It was from Inspector Jerry.
