It was the person who had just gotten off the carriage.
It was someone who had deeply pulled down their robe. People around glanced at them, as if they found it strange.
As if the person thought wearing something reversed was even more suspicious, they quickly flipped the hood back.
Carol, who had been about to pass by without paying attention, quickly turned her head to check.
‘That person is…’
She was certainly the servant who had always been by Margaret Chesworth’s side.
Although she hadn’t seen her many times, she certainly remembered her because she had left a strong impression when she encountered him on her way back from meeting Noah.
Why is this person here?
A servant who was a noble’s closest aide would always wait nearby unless there was a significant reason.
Carol followed Margaret’s servant.
Soon, the place she entered was a general store.
‘There should be almost everything at the Duke’s Mansion, so what did she come to buy?’
If something was needed, it would have been possible to ask a servant of the Duke’s Mansion.
She wanted to peek inside, but unfortunately, boxes were stacked right in front of the window, blocking the view.
Flap flap.
She tried to see inside by flapping her wings, but failed.
“-can secretly — if-”
What she could hear left out the important parts.
A suspicious smell wafted out. Since there was no way her identity would be exposed anyway, she planned to keep watching where the servant would go next.
If she didn’t sleep until tonight, it would become troublesome, but she couldn’t just return like this.
Carol perched on a tree with a good view of the door and watched it intently.
‘She’s really not coming out.’
As Carol was getting impatient, a familiar name caught her ear.
“If the Young Viscount Walden escorts my daughter to her debut in the capital, I will become a sturdy arm for the Young Viscount.”
No, why are you here again?
Louis was with a handsome gentleman sweating profusely despite the cold weather.
It was a bustling area, so Louis being here wasn’t strange.
However, of all times, it had to be now.
‘It seems like she’ll come out soon.’
Carol alternated between looking at the general store and Louis, swinging her small legs back and forth.
Oblivious to Carol’s yearning heart, Louis slowed his pace and leisurely looked around the shops next to him, appearing bored.
“That’s not something I can decide on my own.”
“I can wait as long as it takes. There’s still quite some time left until the debutante season, right?”
The conversation seemed too ominous to interrupt.
Carol wished the two would quickly pass by.
‘This is maddening.’
Of all timings, Louis had to show up too.
Carol anxiously watched the door of the general store.
Click.
The door opened. Carol nervously clicked her beak, expressing her unease.
“Just a moment.”
Fortunately, the servant opened the door but paused for a bit when someone called out from behind.
She had a bad feeling. An animalistic intuition warned Carol that the servant must not discover Louis here.
There was no choice.
Carol swiftly flew towards Louis.
She charged straight into the back of his neck.
Peck.
The moment her beak hit the tender flesh of his neck, Louis trembled like he had been electrocuted before leaping up.
“Ouch!”
Rubbing his neck, Louis looked at the small bird perched on his shoulder.
“…Carol?”
“What’s the matter?” the man with him asked Louis in a confused voice.
Louis waved his hand dismissively. “May I be excused for a bit?”
“Ah, yes. Of course.”
“There’s a tea shop I took over just three blocks away, where I recently imported some new tea leaves.”
“I’ll be leisurely waiting there over some tea.”
Carol frantically pecked Louis’ neck a few more times. Taking the hint, Louis stepped into the alley while his companion clicked his tongue in annoyance.
“Really wanting me to go. Sheesh.”
“Chirp chirp chirp!” (Hurry up and move!)
Leaning against the alley wall, Louis carefully cupped the frantic Carol in his hands.
Holding Carol in his palms, Louis said to her with a regretful tone.
“Yeah. I can’t understand a word you’re saying.”
“…..”
“Why did you come out? Your siblings will worry.”
“…..”
“Don’t tell me you came looking for me?”
Carol shook her head vigorously. She kicked Louis’s palm holding her with her tiny feet, but to little effect.
She wanted to speak, but her inability to form words was frustrating.
“Chirp!” (Keep your voice down.)
“What?”
The servant had already come out and was walking in a different direction. She needed to follow, but flying off now would render her efforts to lead Louis here pointless.
Her throat felt constricted.
Her siblings could take beastmen form and speak well. The Duke also speaks properly in his beast form, isn’t it?
When she asked her siblings how, all she got was that it came naturally to them.
As the servant’s figure grew more distant, Carol grew increasingly anxious.
Why am I the only one who can’t do it?!
She felt a hot sensation spreading from inside her throat.
“Why were you there?”
“For now, just stay here quietly.”
An eerie human voice flowed out from the tiny sparrow.
“…Carol?”
Louis looked at Carol in disbelief.
Carol herself froze momentarily at the sudden voice that came out.
But soon, more important than rejoicing that she could now speak in human form, another thought arose.
“I’m going.”
“Wait a second.”
“Why?”
At Carol’s urging, Louis, concealed in the alley, gazed at her with eyes asking for an explanation.
“Since when could you…no, you can do it even during the day when transformed?”
“No, it’s not that. I’ll explain later, later.”
Carol pushed off Louis’s hand and took flight.
Fortunately, she managed to follow the servant, but couldn’t pinpoint anything that could clearly be called suspicious.
Feeling dejected, she weakly returned home.
“Carol.”
“…Louis.”
Louis got to her home first and was waiting. That’s right, she had said she’d explain later.
“Why do you look so drained?”
“I’m tired.”
She trudged over and plopped down in front of Louis.
As the tension left her, fatigue washed over her.
“What was all that about earlier?”
But Louis seemed eager to hear about what had happened right away.
“I saw Margaret Chesworth’s servant.”
“…Margaret Chesworth?”
“No, it looked like she came alone.”
“So you followed her?”
“Yes. But it seems she went back soon after.”
“Did you see where she went?”
“A general store. It seemed she bought something there. Can you find out what she bought?”
“Yeah, I’ll look into it.”
“Thanks. I’m so tired, so I’ll just sleep for a bit…”
Unable to fight the crashing wave of sleepiness, Carol instantly fell into slumber.
After watching the snoozing sparrow for a while, Louis stood up.
“It certainly is strange.”
If she had changed carriages multiple times, it was obvious without asking.
‘It’s probably better not to get more involved, but it won’t hurt to be informed.’
****
Mrs. Wells usually slept from late morning until early afternoon, but lately the Duke’s Mansion had been so busy that she could barely spare even that sleep.
First was because of the guest Margaret Chesworth, and second was due to the constant arrivals of tribute goods.
With an exceptionally large batch arriving today, Mrs. Wells had to give up on sleep and came out from late morning.
“Please sort and store the items in the warehouse according to how I’ve categorized them.”
One person among those who brought the tribute goods approached Mrs. Wells.
“Ma’am, what I’ve brought isn’t a tribute, but an item separately purchased by the Duke’s Mansion.”
“Ah, give me the order form and the item together.”
“Yes.”
If it was an item ordered by the Duke’s Mansion, it could only be what the Duke had specially requested not too long ago.
Not wanting to appear too watchful, she didn’t verify what exactly was ordered. She would find out when it was delivered anyway.
But Mrs. Wells was surprised by how light the item was, and was taken aback when told the price.
“I’ll just need your signature here.”
“Ah, yes.”
After signing, Mrs. Wells carefully carried the item towards where the Duke was.
She had been pleased when the Duke first gave her the letter containing the order form.
As the Duke had not spent any personal money since confining himself to the mansion, she thought it was a positive change.
Knock knock.
“Come in. You’ve come earlier than usual today.”
“The item you had separately entrusted to me has arrived.”
“Ah yes.”
The Duke wiped the languid expression off his face and rose from the bed.
Receiving the blue velvet box, the Duke opened it and lifted the item to examine it. Tracing it with his fingertips, the shape of a bottle was roughly outlined.
“A good product has been made.”
What the Duke ordered was perfume. Not an off-the-shelf product, but one specially commissioned, with every aspect from the bottle to the fragrance following the Duke’s instructions.
“Shall I deliver this directly to Lady Margaret Chesworth?”
Mrs. Wells naturally extended her hand to receive it, but the item did not come to her.
“No, it’s alright.”
“Pardon? Then how will you give it to her?”
Uncharacteristic of her usual ability to read the Duke’s intentions, her question made the Duke let out a small laugh.
“This isn’t for her.”
“Pardon?”
“It seems you’ve been harboring romantic notions since I didn’t drive her away.”
“Then that gift is…?”
Until the Duke returned to the bedside and placed the item in a nearby drawer, Mrs. Wells stood dumbfounded, unable to complete her sentence.
“Don’t tell me… it’s a gift for Teacher Carol?”
