Chapter 37
37
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“Oh, really?”
Following Gray’s gaze, I saw Yan flapping his wings proudly, a small note in his beak.
“Yaann, you’re so amazing!”
Victory clapped her hands in surprise.
I didn’t miss the opportunity Yan had created.
“Actually, Yan is incredibly smart.”
Gray readily admired him.
“I guess so. It’s so amazing, Your Highness.”
While Victory was excitedly playing with Yan, I spoke to Gray in a low voice.
“This is a secret….”
Gray perked up his ears at the word ‘secret.’
“This time, it’s a really, really big secret, can you keep it?”
I glanced at Victory and held out my pinky finger to Gray.
Gray swallowed hard and hooked his finger with mine.
“I swear, Your Highness. I will be Your Highness’s vassal. A vassal must take their lord’s secrets to the grave.”
Someone taught him well.
I felt satisfied and stealthily hid behind a large tree, and Gray quickly followed me.
“Actually, Gray. My daddy said.”
“Yes, Grand Duke…?”
“Yan might be a Magical creature. Nigel is going to find out about it this time.”
Gray’s round blue eyes widened even more.
“A Magical creature? Like the winged horses in Nigel?”
Yan hated being compared to the Celestial Steed, but….
Still, I nodded appropriately.
“Yeah, Yan might be smarter than them. He answers well when you ask him something you don’t know.”
“Really?”
“Try it out later.”
I winked playfully, but Gray had a serious expression.
“But… if Yan is a Magical creature, is it okay for me to test him? I heard that only the High priest can handle the Celestial Steeds in Nigel….”
“Hmm….”
After some deliberation, I found a solution.
“So, before Daddy comes back, test him when you don’t know if Yan is a Magical creature or not.”
It was a somewhat sneaky solution, but Gray readily smiled along with me.
“I will definitely keep the secret, Your Highness.”
Yan is going to follow you to your mansion.
Take good care of him, Gray.
‘Please ask Yan about anything you don’t know.’
I smiled back at Gray, reciting the request I couldn’t say out loud in my mind.
* * *
Finally, it was time to part ways.
As I exchanged farewell greetings with the Hestia siblings, Yan fluttered over to Victory.
“Yaann, see you again.”
Victory greeted him warmly, but Yan simply settled on her shoulder and didn’t budge.
“Hmm, Yan must want to see them off.”
I said that so the children could move, and led the way to the Hestia family’s carriage, which was waiting.
“Yan, come here now.”
I reached out to Yan in front of the carriage, but Yan turned his head away as we had planned.
“Yan…?”
I called out as if anxious, and Beatrice interjected fussily.
“Yan, come here! The young master and lady are going back now!”
Yan, of course, remained unmoved.
“Oh… what should we do, Your Highness?”
Gray seemed to be contemplating whether to forcibly remove Yan and hand him to me.
I approached Yan and asked.
“Yan, why are you doing this? Do you want to follow Victory and Gray?”
—Bbi.
Yan didn’t nod, perhaps conscious of Beatrice, but he answered in a way that sounded affirmative enough.
“Oh, what to do?”
I looked at Gray and whispered, standing on tiptoes.
“Daddy said that if Yan is a Magical creature, he should be able to go wherever he wants.”
Gray looked down at me with worried eyes.
“Really? What should we do? Then, can we take him to our mansion?”
I held Gray’s hand tightly.
“Gray, you know Yan is my precious friend, right?”
“Of course, Your Highness.”
“You’ll take good care of him even when I’m not there, right?”
Gray answered in surprise.
“If you entrust him to me, I will take care of him to the best of my ability. Then… shall I bring him back tomorrow?”
“Hmm….”
It would be troublesome to run into Rosa if he came tomorrow.
I stroked Yan on Victory’s shoulder once and answered.
“Ask Yan about that. I told you? Yan is a smart bird, so ask him anything.”
Then Yan would choose a day when Rosa was in the Separate Palace and return to the palace.
‘If not, I can send someone.’
Gray asked calmly, unlike a child.
“Um, what kind of food should I give him?”
“Ah, give him cooked egg yolk, crushed with your hands.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Victory asked with wide eyes.
“Yan, are you going to our house?”
“Yeah, Victory.”
I made a promise to Victory as well.
“You have to take good care of him. Yan is my friend.”
“Yes, Your Highness!”
Victory grinned, her mouth wide open.
As the children boarded the carriage, Beatrice approached in a fluster.
“Your Highness, what about Yan?”
I answered casually on purpose.
“He must want to go with Hestia.”
Beatrice fidgeted and peered into the carriage, then spoke again.
“Your Highness, I think we should ask His Majesty about this first….”
“But Daddy said to let Yan wander around wherever he wants.”
That was, of course, limited to within the palace, as Beatrice said.
Hestia’s attendant knelt before me, looking troubled.
“Princess, is it really alright to entrust your beloved bird to our young lady and master?”
“He’ll come back, so it’s okay.”
My answer was unwavering and confident.
“What should we do about this….”
While Beatrice was at a loss, the carriage window opened and Victory and Yan appeared.
“Your Highness!”
Yan was happily singing by Victory’s side, who was beaming.
Hestia’s attendant said to Beatrice as if there was nothing else he could do.
“Maid, please send a messenger whenever the Princess or His Majesty the King looks for the bird. We will return him immediately, even if it is late at night.”
Beatrice reluctantly bowed her head.
“Please do so.”
* * *
After sending off the Hestia siblings, Beatrice spoke without following me into my room.
“I will go see His Majesty for a moment, Your Highness.”
She was going to talk about Yan alone.
‘If she does that, she’ll surely be scolded.’
I grabbed the hem of Beatrice’s skirt.
“Me too, I want to go too.”
Mother happened to be alone in her office, and she seemed a little surprised by our visit.
It was rare for me to seek out Mother first in the evening.
“Hello, dear. Did you have fun with your friends?”
I looked up at Mother, who asked kindly, with a clear conscience.
“Yeah, Mom. But Yan wants to go to the Hestia mansion with Gray and Victory.”
“Really?”
Mother glanced at Beatrice.
Beatrice lowered her head, looking guilty.
‘So Mother must have noticed that Yan isn’t in the palace right now.’
I continued to speak as if nothing was wrong.
“So I sent him. Daddy told me to let Yan wander around as he pleases.”
That was, of course, limited to within the palace, as Beatrice said.
When Mother looked at Beatrice again, she whispered something with her lips.
‘She must be saying that she tried to stop me, but it was no use… right?’
Mother looked at Beatrice with a cool face, then sent her out of the office.
Then she picked me up and sat me on her lap.
“Dear.”
“Yeah, Mom?”
“What do you think is the difference between Yan and a stuffed rabbit, dear?”
The stuffed rabbit was something I used to sleep with when I was younger, but recently, neither Rosa nor I played with it, and it had become a decoration in a corner of the room.
I answered, watching Mother’s serious expression.
“Um… Yan is alive. I have to give him food too.”
“That’s right….”
Mother continued slowly.
“Even if you are friends, you shouldn’t lend living animals, dear. If you lose Yan or if Yan gets hurt, you can’t blame your friends then. Because you sent Yan.”
If Yan was just a living animal, I wouldn’t have sent him to Hestia.
But I couldn’t say that Yan had ‘said’ he would follow Hestia to check on the cat.
“But Mom.”
I whispered softly.
“Yan answers well, right? I asked him several times, and he really wanted to go. Really. I couldn’t help it either… Actually, I didn’t want to send him either….”
When I made a disappointed expression to try to gain sympathy, Mother’s expression finally softened.
“…I see. But Daddy won’t be happy if he finds out. Daddy is very excited about the fact that Yan might be a Magical creature like the Celestial Steed.”
I looked at Mother and answered firmly.
“Yan will come back, Mom. Don’t worry.”
