It was something that made no logical sense.
Furrowing my brows, I struggled to find a reason when I suddenly recalled the mission to escort the war prisoners.
‘Did he refuse the task because he simply didn’t want to do it?’
But why?
Wouldn’t accepting an important mission and visiting the main estate be a much better opportunity for a knight’s career advancement than staying in a separate residence with our dad, who had fallen out of our grandfather’s favor?
If there was a reason he absolutely had to stay in our house…
‘That conversation with the kitchen servant seemed suspicious.’
It would be safest to be wary of anyone with ties to the main estate’s employees.
As I carefully mulled it over, a good idea came to mind.
Since I had reported the messenger bird to our dad today, security around the mansion would soon be tightened, and the birds would be removed as well.
In that case, there was an appropriate method I could use.
“Dietrich, this is my salmon. I’ll give it to you.”
First, I needed to appease Dietrich. Displaying my goodwill, I placed my portion of smoked salmon on his salad.
However, he still seemed quite shaken by today’s events. Even as we finished our meal, his mood showed no signs of improving.
***
On the day the war prisoners were to be transported in a carriage reinforced with special alloy bars made by Walter, torrential rain poured down from the morning.
Only the knights recovering from injuries, including Steve, remained at the mansion, while the rest formed a victory procession heading toward the duke’s estate. As a result, the normally quiet garden was bustling with people.
“Baby, let’s go take a closer look over there.”
Dietrich seemed quite fascinated by the war prisoners locked behind the bars.
‘They’re still people, even if they’re infidels.’
I wasn’t particularly interested in observing the prisoners, but Dietrich persistently tugged at my arm, urging me.
Seeing him so lively, as if he had already forgotten how he sulked after injuring Steve, softened my heart a little.
Everything seemed securely locked up, so there shouldn’t be any issues, right?
Following Dietrich’s lead, I approached the bars. But before I could even get a good look at the prisoners’ faces, a revolting stench assaulted my nose.
Even when I instinctively covered my nose, the almost violent odor clung to my sinuses, refusing to dissipate.
“Ugh, what is that smell?!”
I wasn’t the only one affected.
Dietrich, covering his nose in the same manner, pretended to gag.
The prisoners’ appearances were indeed horrific. They were filthy from being unable to wash properly, and their bodies were covered in wounds.
However, the stench we smelled wasn’t something that should come from a human.
It was a heavy, damp, and rotten stench—like something left to decay for far too long. It was so overwhelming that it made my head spin.
Even when Dietrich dropped his umbrella, I was too disoriented to pick it up.
‘My vision…’
My eyesight flickered white, alternating between clear and blurry.
“Ah, both of you, step away from the bars. You might be suffering from magic poisoning.”
Noticing our distress, the knights hurriedly lifted us away from the carriage and placed us at a safe distance.
As the fresh air replaced the stench, I felt slightly more composed.
Dietrich and I nearly collapsed onto the ground.
It took me a while to realize that the knights had picked up the umbrella that had fallen over our heads and were now holding it over us.
Only then did I finally have the energy to ask about the unfamiliar term I had heard earlier.
“Magic poison? What is that?”
“Some magical beasts use powerful toxins. Unlike regular poisons, magic poison is especially dangerous to those of noble blood.”
Noble blood—this likely referred to the imperial family and the four great ducal houses, as I had been told before.
Since protective blessings are lethal to magical beasts, magic poison must be particularly deadly to those who possess or can manifest such blessings.
Unlike Dietrich and me, who had nearly fainted just from getting close to the carriage, the knights surrounding it seemed completely unaffected.
It appeared that for ordinary people without blessings, magic poison wasn’t as harmful.
But how was magic poison being used here when there weren’t any magical beasts around?
“But there are no magical beasts here.”
“These prisoners have implanted parts of magical beasts into their bodies to control them. They’re practically half-magical beasts themselves.”
How horrifying.
As I made eye contact with the war prisoners staring at us with venomous gazes from inside the carriage, chills ran down my spine.
One of them had an abnormally large eye, with the whites and pupils reversed in color.
‘That must be the magical beast’s eye they implanted.’
Dietrich, looking slightly scared, pulled my hand and hid behind me.
“Well then, we’ll be off now.”
“We’ll see you again soon, young miss!”
“Until next time, don’t slack off on your sword training, young master! Don’t forget!”
That reminder wasn’t even necessary.
Dietrich knew better than anyone how important it was to train consistently.
The knights, who waved goodbye as they rode off, soon disappeared beyond the estate gates.
Above their heads, the rain continued to pour heavily.
‘Time to head inside, I suppose.’
Though it wasn’t a particularly cold season, the rain made the air feel chilly.
As Dietrich and I turned toward the entrance, my eyes caught sight of our dad standing outside with Steve by his side.
There was no way I could just walk past without paying attention to someone as suspicious as him standing next to our dad.
Without caring about the water splashing everywhere, I ran toward them. Our dad gave me a slight nod in acknowledgment.
The raindrops falling toward me suddenly changed direction—and in an instant, I was lifted into the air.
“Whoa!”
The lingering headache from the magic poison vanished the moment I was enveloped in our dad’s protective blessing.
It would’ve been nice if Dietrich could experience the same thing.
I quickly turned my head left and right to find him, but he had already run far away, hiding among the servants.
Normally, whenever he saw our dad, he would get excited and jump around.
‘He must still feel uncomfortable around Steve.’
If that’s the case, I need to fix it quickly.
Floating midair and laughing gleefully, I caught Steve trying to suppress his amusement before he finally spoke.
“You’re very brave, young miss. Most children would be terrified of floating in the air and start crying.”
“My daughter wants to be a pigeon.”
“What? A pigeon…?”
Oh no, that’s not what I meant!
I turned my head, ready to deny it and explain that it wasn’t my dream, but before I could speak, my dad brought up an important topic, making me hold my tongue.
“For the time being, I’m entrusting the mansion’s security to you.”
“Yes, I will do my best.”
“First, replace all the guards patrolling the garden. Only those who have served in this house for a long time should remain.”
“…Excuse me?”
“Make sure no birds fly in or out. Capture every single one. Also, remove all the messenger birds inside the mansion.”
Yes!
It was definitely the right decision to report this to my dad.
With all the messenger birds gone and even the patrol guards replaced, there would be no way for anyone to send or receive information from our house.
‘If Dad is handling things this way, it’ll make my own plans much easier.’
Pretending not to have heard anything, I continued playing in the air, catching raindrops.
Even as I played, my dad gave Steve a few more instructions. When he was done, Steve, looking slightly uncomfortable, raised his right hand.
It was his right hand.
I made sure to take note of which wrist he claimed was injured.
“The physician in the mansion told me to come for medicine. May I take my leave now?”
With my dad’s permission, Steve turned and walked away.
I waited until he disappeared from sight before quietly descending from the raindrops.
“What’s wrong? Tired of playing?”
“Yes. My clothes are all wet. It’s cold.”
“You’ll catch a cold if you stay like this. I’ll take you to your room.”
If it weren’t for more pressing matters, I could have played on the raindrops for hours.
But priorities came first.
Holding back my disappointment, I wrung the water from my sleeves and followed my dad into the mansion.
I had briefly forgotten just how slippery wet marble floors could be.
The moment I stepped forward, my foot landed on the water I had just wrung out, and suddenly, I was airborne.
‘I’m going to fall!’
I should’ve waited before wringing out my clothes!
