Back in the VIP room.
The moment the door closed behind them, the merchant couple let out the breath they’d been holding.
“Whew! Huff! I thought I was going to suffocate!”
“Me too, darling! I was so nervous we might get caught!”
They collapsed onto the sofa, looking ten years older than when they had first entered the room.
Only Sonya, who had returned after enjoying a hearty meal, looked cheerful and carefree.
“Do you think everything really went according to plan, dear?”
“No, it’s too early to let our guard down. Until we retrieve the stashed goods without getting caught, it’s not over.”
“I hope the items are still where we left them. Some of those were pricey food ingredients and luxury goods—we already tracked down where they were purchased, remember?”
“Don’t worry. We hid them strategically. Everything should be fine. Still, I can’t stop my hands from shaking. Those Northerners are so uncouth and rough!”
“Exactly! Did you hear what that huge knight said earlier? He looked ready to punch someone!”
“Tsk. Why did Grandfather even sign a contract with the North in the first place?”
“Let’s really end this after this year, dear. There’s no reason for us to keep dealing with these awful trades and being treated like this. It’s not like the imperial family and the North are as close as they used to be anyway!”
“Of course. I’ve already been planning the best time to cut ties, so don’t worry, my dear.”
“Yes, that’s a great decision!”
A brief silence followed.
The couple, who had been in sync as they grumbled, suddenly grew cautious again.
“…Still, it’s kind of unsettling how easily the Grand Duchess let things slide.”
“You feel that way too? Honestly, so do I.”
“…But she still has to keep up appearances for the imperial family, so she won’t be able to accuse or harm us without any proof. We are the officially designated trade group, after all.”
“That’s true, right?”
“Daddy, Mommy! Sonya’s sleepy! I want to go to bed!”
Sonya’s whining snapped the couple out of their unease.
“Let’s finalize the contract first thing in the morning and leave this place.”
“Yes, dear.”
Even then, the couple couldn’t completely shake off their anxiety as they drifted off to sleep.
Night fell.
Once I confirmed that everything around me was dark and quiet, I began slipping out slowly from Sonya’s coat.
‘Ugh, my legs are cramping. I almost died in there.’
The loud snores of the merchant couple, now fast asleep, filled the room.
Quickly, I made my way to the window.
It was clear that my original goal of shopping had failed… But more importantly, I needed to get out of here unnoticed and return to Sion safely.
And above all, the conversation I had overheard earlier weighed heavily on my mind.
‘They definitely said they’d been siphoning off supplies.’
My mind was racing.
“Alright, time to make my exit.”
I pushed the window open with all my strength.
“Heave-ho~!”
But I ended up slipping from the window frame and smacked my head against the glass.
Thud…!
“Ow…!”
A dull sound echoed through the room.
Moments later, the merchant head stirred from the bed with a groggy groan.
“Hmm? Perdicaius? You’re back already?”
With sleep still clinging to his face, the merchant shuffled over to the window.
I quickly flattened myself between the curtains.
A beat passed.
Creeeak—.
The merchant opened the window and looked around outside.
“Perdicaius?”
“……”
“Chuchu? Are you coming to Daddy?”
“……”
“Hmph… must’ve imagined it…”
Still half-asleep, the merchant head turned around and stumbled back to bed, forgetting to close the window.
I seized the opportunity and slipped out from behind the curtain.
And I soared off toward freedom—
—or at least, I tried to.
Snatch—.
“…???”
Something clamped down on my body.
Looking down, I saw soft, chubby little fingers wrapped around me.
‘Oh, crap.’
“Heehee! Sonya caught you!”
Turning my head with a creak, I saw little Sonya staring right at me.
“Wow~! A shiny, pretty fairy!”
“……”
Still clutching me tightly, Sonya dashed off somewhere.
She stopped in front of a birdcage—Perdicaius’s, the merchant head’s carrier pigeon.
Creeeak—. Clang.
“Heehee, you’re mine now! I’m gonna raise you!”
“……”
“Let’s live together forever and ever, pretty fairy!”
“……”
‘Um, no. Absolutely not.’
Wearing the flattest expression I could muster, I stared at Sonya. At this point, I was seriously wondering what words I could say to make this kid let go of me quietly—when a voice called out from deeper within the bedroom.
“Sonya, you rascal! We’re leaving early tomorrow, so get to bed!”
“Okaaay!”
Sonya glanced at me once more before disappearing into the bedroom.
And just like that, I was left all alone inside the birdcage.
“…Unbelievable. This is just absurd.”
I shook my head in disbelief.
I walked up to the cage door. Just in case, I gave it a firm push—but it was tightly locked and didn’t budge an inch.
‘…Guess there’s no choice.’
At this point, the only option was to break out using my fangirl powers. The window was still open, so if I smashed the cage and bolted, there’d be no way they’d catch me.
“Alright. Let’s do this.”
I raised my hand and aimed at the cage door.
“<Unstoppable Devot…>!”
But at that exact moment—
Rustle, rustle—.
Something shifted in the dark.
“…….?”
I stared closely—and locked eyes with several pairs of glowing yellow ones. A giant centipede, as big as my entire body, was crawling toward me.
Sshhriiik— sshhriiik—.
“……!!!???”
Panicked, I started firing off skills wildly at the crawling monstrosity.
“AAAGGHHH!!! <UNSTOPPABLE DEVOTION>!!!!!!”
Zap! Zap! Zapzapzap!
Several pink heart-shaped projectiles flew from my hands.
After missing a few times, one of the hearts finally hit the centipede square in the face.
Smack!
SQUUEEEKK!
The centipede screamed and died instantly.
“Hahh… hahh… hahh…”
I gasped for breath.
“W-What the heck! Where did that thing come from!?”
Looking closer, I saw it must have escaped from the bird’s feed dish nearby.
“Holy crap. That scared me to death.”
Trying to calm my pounding heart, I steadied my breathing.
Once I’d composed myself, I focused again on the cage door, ready to cast another skill. Or so I thought.
But… for some reason, I couldn’t muster up any strength.
‘…? …What’s going on?’
I forced myself to try again.
“…<Unstoppable Devotion>!”
But nothing happened.
Right as I sensed something was seriously off—
Ding—
[Event Host: Due to your earlier reckless spamming of skills, your Fangirl Energy has been completely depleted! Please recharge your Fangirl Energy to use more skills! ^0^/]
“…What.”
I stared blankly with my mouth agape.
“Fangirl Energy? If that was a thing, someone should’ve explained it ahead of time!!”
I shouted in exasperation.
Then, completely drained, I collapsed onto the cage floor with a thud.
Ridiculously enough, I was now truly, hopelessly trapped inside this shabby little birdcage.
“…I’m screwed.”
I murmured helplessly.
***
I had stayed up all night, unable to sleep.
Just as the sun began to rise and birds started chirping, the face I least wanted to see popped up in front of me again.
“Hehe, it’s Sonya’s!”
Sonya squirmed with excitement and hugged the birdcage I was trapped in with both arms.
Then she draped the coat she had worn yesterday over the top of the cage.
“It’s cold, so Sonya will keep you warm!”
“……”
Just then, the merchant head’s wife, who had been busy packing since early morning, called out.
“Sonya! What are you doing over there? Did you pack your dolls and storybooks?”
“Uh-uh, nope!”
“Don’t come crying later saying you left them behind! We’re not coming back for them!”
“Nuh-uh, I don’t need them.”
Sonya rubbed her cheek against the cage and smiled like the happiest child in the world.
“All I need is this one!”
“What is she even talking about?”
Footsteps approached irritably from the back of the bedroom.
I held my breath.
No. Please. Don’t find me!
“Look at this kid. Why are you hugging that smelly birdcage?”
“Mom! There’s a fairy inside!”
“What?”
“Sonya caught a fairy yesterday and put it in here! Sonya’s going to raise it!”
“…Haah.”
The woman sighed as if the ground were collapsing under her.
Then the merchant head called out in a hurry from inside.
“Honey! Everything’s ready! Let’s go!”
“…! Got it!”
The woman quickly went back to packing. Meanwhile, Sonya happily hummed while hugging the cage tightly.
“…What do I do now.”
Caught in rising panic, I racked my brain.
I had to find a way to escape this cage while no one was paying attention.
If I wasn’t careful, I’d end up stuck as this kid’s toy forever—totally off-script from the original plot.
No way. I haven’t even properly dressed Sion in a decent outfit yet! I can’t leave things like this!
No matter what, I had to return to Sion.
But…
“Thank you once again for your warm hospitality in the North, Your Grace. We’ll be off now.”
Clatter clatter—
Despite all my hopes, the merchant head’s carriage sped out of the Grand Duke’s castle like the wind.
Stuck inside the cage, I watched the distant Grand Duke’s castle disappear through the window of the rocking carriage and muttered.
“What the hell!”
💗 Hello! If you’d like to read chapters 10, 11, 12, 13 of the novel ‘I Became the Devoted Fairy of the Second Male Lead!’
I’m currently providing additional chapters of the novel here [IBDFSML].
The link will remain available until the next updates. Thank you!
