Previously
Irenia and Caesar witness the egg hatching into a small yellow chick amidst a mysterious bright light. Caesar joyfully labels the creature their 'Fruit of Love,' while Irenia struggles with the practicalities of caring for a newborn bird.
“Abraxas.”
“Huh?”
The word spilled unexpectedly from Caesar's lips.
“His name is Abraxas.”
“Abraxas?”
It was far too solemn a name for such an adorable little chick. Surely something sweeter would have suited him better.
Then Caesar added:
“…The name of a ruler.”
“A ruler?”
Wondering if I had misheard, I asked again, only for the chick—no, Abraxas—to hop up and let out a chirp.
“Pyak!”
At that moment, an inscrutable glint flickered in Caesar's eyes. For some reason, I could only nod as if spellbound.
And just like that, our little chick was given a magnificent name: Abraxas.
“Abraxas… It's quite long, so let’s call him Abr.”
“All right.”
“Pyak!”
Both of them nodded in unison. It was not so unusual coming from Caesar, but seeing Abr bob his little head as if he understood every word brought a faint laugh to my lips.
The sky was clear, dotted with drifting white clouds. Spring was in full bloom, and the gentle breeze carried the crisp fragrance of flowers.
With the social season underway, the Imperial Palace bustled with guests. The Debutante Ball had arrived, inviting young ladies making their society debut to be presented to the Empress.
Fresh faces appeared throughout the palace grounds, and because outsiders were permitted entry during this time, security had been tightened considerably.
The Emerald Wing was no exception. Even so, the watchful eyes trained on us had lessened somewhat since Caesar’s earlier clash with the Knights of the White Rose Cross.
Whether that was truly a blessing, I could not say, but they seemed preoccupied with adjusting to the sudden changes sweeping the palace. Perhaps avoiding unnecessary conflict was for the best.
Above all, we had been blessed with our Fruit of Love… the chick, Abraxas. And no one knew of his existence save for Delfina.
Since the weather was pleasant today, I stepped out with Caesar and Abr into the overgrown garden of our wing to soak up a little sunshine.
There was nothing grand about it—just a blanket spread over the grass while we dug into the soil with fallen twigs.
Before long, earthworms began squirming up through the dirt.
“Pyak!”
It had become Abr's morning routine to peck them up with his tiny beak. Perhaps his astonishing growth came from this very feast of worms.
“Abr really seems quite clever, doesn't he?”
“Clever?”
Caesar asked, smoothing out the dirt with his claw.
Yes, I could not help singing the praises of this endearing little chick.
Delfina’s greatest worry had been that the tiny creature would soil everything in sight. To our utter astonishment, he relieved himself only in one designated spot, leaving Delfina speechless with wonder.
At times, he even seemed to comprehend human speech. Even now, hearing my compliment, he puffed out the feathers on his neck with pride, showing off.
“Here's another.”
The moment I turned over a bit of dirt, he scurried over and snapped up the worm. It was rather unsightly, but I had grown used to far worse during my years on the streets.
“Pyak!”
Abr never left our side. Delfina had said that a chick regards the first being it sees after hatching as its parent. Perhaps that was why he trailed after us wherever we went.
Once his belly was full, he spun in a happy circle and gently pecked my finger. I began stroking him lightly.
“Are you full now?”
“Pyak! Pyak.”
“Still, if anyone comes by, you must hide. No one can know you're here.”
“Pyak.”
Clever as Abr was, raising a chick inside the palace was a constant source of worry. He was small now, but what would we do when he grew into a massive rooster?
“What if they mistake him for kitchen poultry and toss him outside?”
I had tied a blue thread around his leg so I could tell him apart, but I had no idea whether I would still recognize him if that thread were ever lost.
Tossing down more food while turning these thoughts over, a quiet melancholy crept over me.
“Pyak.”
As if sensing my mood, he tapped my finger softly, offering comfort.
“Here.”
Caesar reached out, offering me a writhing worm. In his bare hand.
“Thank you.”
I scooped it up using a stick from the ground, only to feel an abrupt, eerie chill run down my spine.
“What is it?”
Caesar asked.
“I don't know… Just a strange feeling.”
At that, he scanned our surroundings, then suddenly froze, fixing his gaze on a single point.
“What's wrong?”
I asked, noticing that his eyes were locked onto the third-floor corridor of the palace.
“That's the servants' quarters…”
Could Delfina be watching us? Curiously, I followed his gaze. Behind the windowpane, a dark shadow seemed to flicker into view, then vanish.
Thinking it was only my imagination, I was startled when a voice called out to us from afar.
It was Delfina, hurrying toward us with quickened steps.
Then whose shadow had that been?
“What is the matter?”
I asked, and she answered that a visitor had arrived for us at the Emerald Wing.
“For me?”
I could not imagine a single soul who would come to see me.
Then, in the distance, an all too familiar figure came into view.
“Giovinetta…?”
I could hardly believe my eyes.
It truly was Giovinetta, my half-sister. She was chatting cordially with the Knights of the White Rose Cross.
“Giovinetta… Why is she here?”
My heart clenched tight, as though I had swallowed a burning ember.
The bitter grievances of the past had never truly settled.
A throb flared in my ankle, in the very place where she had left me maimed, and I gritted my teeth.
Catching sight of me, Giovinetta waved with a radiant smile.
Beneath that artificial grin, a fury flared inside me.
Her escort cleared a path for her, just as they always had.
That was who Giovinetta was—always winning people over with her tilted smile, her gentleness, her coquettish charm, and her breathtaking beauty.
Men in particular were powerless against her allure. Hair golden as honey, eyes blue as the sky, skin white as powdered flour, flushed cheeks, an upturned nose, and a delicate, dainty face…
She was like a living, breathing cherub.
Yet anyone blind to the thorns concealed behind that smile was a fool.
She drew near with poised steps, lifting the hem of her skirt to gracefully acknowledge the guards before walking up to me.
“Irenia, I’ve been so worried about you.”
She spoke with a beaming smile.
“You haven't sent a single word. What happened to you?”
Despite the frost in my gaze, her expression did not waver in the slightest.
“We are sisters, after all. How could you be so distant? When you didn't reach out, we grew concerned, so Mother sent me.”
At those words, something trembled deep within me.
‘We,’ and ‘Mother’… To Giovinetta, those words formed an unbreachable wall between us.
From the very beginning, there had been no place for me in her world.
Had they not sent me to this place to die in the first place? Naturally, a bride was expected to keep in touch with her family after marriage. But when had they ever been my family? The only person who had ever deserved to be called my family was Annalisa—no one else. It had never once crossed my mind to reach out to them.
I remained seated, staring quietly up at her from where I sat. When I refused to utter a single word, Giovinetta produced a fan and began waving it in front of her face.
“You… haven't changed at all, have you?”
I felt her gaze rake over me, then over Caesar, taking us in from head to toe. Fortunately—or perhaps unfortunately—we were sitting on the ground digging through the dirt for Abr's worms, thoroughly smudged with mud and looking as far from elegant or refined as one could get.
Why had she chosen to arrive at such a time? I bit down silently on the inside of my lip.
Just then, Giovinetta spoke in a chiding tone:
“How long do you intend to leave your guest standing out here? You, there.”
She pointed a finger straight at Caesar. Realizing he was the one she meant, he lifted his head and pointed a finger at himself in question.
“Yes, you. Come now, help your lady up and escort us to the drawing room.”
I stared at her in stunned disbelief. Had Giovinetta truly just mistaken Caesar for a servant?!
FADE OUT