There, six people were staring at the gazebo where the two of them were.
“…Let’s go.”
The small-framed woman with brown hair, who had been gazing at the Duke, spoke and turned away.
“Do you know her?”
Elisha regretted asking this question. Before she could even finish, the Duke was already heading towards the woman.
But before the Duke could reach Carol, Dylan stood in front of him.
Dylan unfastened the scabbard at his waist and thrust it towards the Duke. The scabbard, unblemished as if never used, was forcibly handed to the Duke.
“I’m returning this sword to you.”
Behind him, Kevin muttered, “I left mine behind.”
“What do you mean?”
The Duke spoke in a chilling tone. Although Dylan was confident in his skills, the Duke’s sharp gaze sent a chill down his spine.
“Do I need to explain the meaning with my own mouth?”
“What?”
“We heard all of your conversation just now.”
The Duke recalled the conversation that had taken place just before he noticed Carol’s group, prompted by Dylan’s fierce tone.
“You’re jumping to conclusions over just that?”
While the conversation could have been misunderstood, it wasn’t something to be condemned outright.
“…We were on duty here yesterday as well.”
Kevin added a word from behind.
“What does that have to do with…Oh.”
Only then did the Duke realize what misunderstanding they might have.
Even Noah looked at the Duke with disbelief, tightly holding Carol’s hand.
The old saying that daytime words are heard by birds and nighttime words by mice flashed through his mind.
“Teacher.”
The Duke stepped forward. As long as Carol didn’t misunderstand, it would be fine.
Hesitation.
Only after Carol took a step back did the Duke notice that her face had turned pale.
He was at a loss for words.
“I just…”
He felt the stares of those around him as he tried to choose where to begin explaining.
“Let’s talk, just the two of us.”
The Duke sighed lightly, running his hand through his hair.
It was when the Duke naturally reached out his hand to escort Carol.
Thud-thud-thud.
Carol started running.
“…Teacher?”
“Sis?”
Momentarily surprised by Carol’s unexpected action, the three men soon chased after her side by side. Kevin guessed why Carol was running and took a sharp breath. It seemed Carol was more stressed by this situation than expected.
Just as the Duke, who was at the front, was about to grab Carol’s hand.
Plop.
Carol’s clothes fell to the ground.
“Sis!”
Dylan’s eyes widened as he looked at the clothes on the ground.
Rustle.
A small bird slowly emerged from between the clothes.
“Chirp.” (Sorry.)
Carol said, drooping her wings dejectedly.
Only Kevin and Dylan could understand Carol’s words, but the Duke seemed to know what Carol was thinking.
The Duke was the first to regain his composure.
He quickly extended his hand downward. Carol seemed to hesitate for a moment, but soon perched on the Duke’s hand.
Dylan came to his senses belatedly.
“Sis!”
“…Chirp.” (Yes.)
“Can’t you speak? How’s your body?”
It was probably a temporary situation. There was no anxiety about not being able to turn back into a human like before.
“Chirp.” (I’ll be fine soon.)
“What if you’re not fine soon?”
Kevin and Dylan looked determined, as if they would snatch Carol from the Duke’s hand at any moment if she wished.
The risk of being discovered was high if they stayed here. The Duke picked up Carol’s clothes from the ground, draping them over one arm as he stood up.
“I’ll return to the carriage for now. Go back to the rest of the group and handle the situation.”
“Chirp.” (I’m sorry.)
“What do you have to be sorry for, Sis? Yes, I’ll go back and handle it. As for the companions you were with…”
“Just tell them she went back.”
“Yes.”
Kevin, who was about to follow the Duke’s natural instructions, bit his lower lip as if frustrated.
But there was no choice. Even Kevin thought this was the best course of action.
“Hey! Kevin!”
Dylan called out to Kevin with a raised voice, but Kevin was already heading back to where their companions were.
Kevin shouted towards Dylan, who was trying to follow the Duke.
“You come too.”
“You’re just going like this? After what we just saw?”
Dylan was fuming. It wasn’t that Kevin didn’t want to go either.
“We said we’d guide them, remember?”
“We can follow them right away!”
Dylan raised his voice at Kevin. Only then did Dylan realize he had no weapon, having handed over the sword he brought to the Duke.
The Duke got into the carriage. The destination was the Duke’s townhouse. Carol buried her head in his palm. She couldn’t bear to lift her face out of embarrassment.
‘Turning into a bird, of all things.’
And outdoors, no less.
For Carol, who had been able to freely control her human transformation since leaving the North, it was a shocking event.
And that wasn’t all. She had pretended she couldn’t speak, causing her siblings to worry even more.
‘Showing anxiety over such a small thing.’
While Carol was mentally digging herself into a hole, the Duke looked at the round back of her head and whispered softly.
“If you felt even a little uneasy, it must be because I didn’t give you enough trust.”
Carol was afraid of how the Duke would think of her for jumping to hasty conclusions.
But what came from the Duke’s mouth wasn’t reproach.
“…..”
If a problem arose between the two of them, it couldn’t be blamed on just one person.
The Duke had been thinking about this ever since Carol stepped back from him.
The issues he had been inadvertently overlooking came to mind quickly. In fact, he had known them subconsciously.
The problem was that they had been too cautious. Wanting to savor the joy of their reunion, not wanting to appear too hasty, being considerate of each other.
“I’d like to talk while looking into your eyes.”
At the Duke’s words, Carol slightly raised her head. His fingers gently stroked Carol’s head.
“Chirp-!”
Would it be strange if she suddenly started speaking again here? She had pretended she couldn’t speak out of embarrassment for turning into a bird.
“Alright.”
The Duke raised his hand to meet Carol’s eyes. His neat forehead touched Carol’s wing.
“To be honest, I was a bit envious of Teacher Bianca.”
“…!”
An unexpected statement suddenly came out.
At the same time, the carriage jolted as if it had hit a bump. So Carol couldn’t tell if her heart had sunk in surprise, or if it just felt that way because of the carriage.
She immediately realized when the Duke was talking about.
‘When I transformed into a bird at Teacher Bianca’s request.’
Carol’s tail feathers trembled slightly. She had only felt embarrassed about showing such a form, she never dreamed the Duke would be envious.
“I’ll just speak as thoughts come to me.”
The Duke wrinkled his nose, perhaps feeling shy. Carol nodded vigorously, waiting for his next words.
“I was thinking of taking you to a nearby lake as a surprise gift for your birthday.”
The Duke slowly shared stories Carol didn’t know. Some were about the past, and some were about the future he wanted to share with Carol.
“And you said your cough hasn’t completely stopped.”
“…!”
The Duke took out a small bottle from his pocket. It was a shape Carol recognized.
“I was planning to give this as a birthday gift.”
It was perfume. A perfume with the scent of lily of the valley. Even with sparing use, it had almost run out.
“They say her divine power is so excellent that there are rumors she might become the next High Priestess.”
The Duke explained plainly that he had made a special request, and that was all there was to it.
‘So it was because of me.’
Now she understood why he hadn’t mentioned meeting her.
Carol climbed onto his thigh. Then she moved up his arm and settled on his shoulder. The Duke smiled slightly as Carol nuzzled her body against his cheek.
“…You can actually speak, can’t you?”
Carol was startled by the Duke’s sharp question. His tone was filled with certainty, not just speculation.
“…Since when did you know?”
Carol, who had been wondering when to admit she could speak, had no choice but to confess the truth.
“Since we entered the carriage.”
“…You noticed quickly.”
“So what else are you curious about?”
“…What was that about the party?”
“Ah. His Highness the Crown Prince has been insisting I bring a partner. But you’re busy, aren’t you?”
“If it was troubling you, I would have gone.”
Carol surprised herself as she said these words.
The Duke hadn’t forcibly fit Carol into his schedule. Rather, he met her according to Carol’s time.
Although she already knew this, she newly felt how much the Duke was accommodating her.
“I also hid some things because I was afraid you might run away if you felt burdened by adjusting to my lifestyle.”
“…I won’t run away.”
“Actually, I wanted to give you an even nicer gift.”
Although the perfume was already worth more than a commoner’s annual salary, the Duke’s real birthday gift for Carol was a villa he had purchased by a nearby lake.
They might not visit often if they returned to the North, but he wanted a place where they could occasionally come alone together in the future.
“…This perfume, did you infuse it with divine power when you gave it to me before?”
“At that time, I only had time to make it with divine water.”
