~Chapter 32~
“The door won’t open.”
Bahala’s words left me speechless.
It seemed like a landslide had happened, as the snow piled up in front of the door, preventing it from moving.
“What about the knights outside? Aren’t there people who are training?”
“Even if there are, they’re located outside the estate walls. It would be hard for them to reach here. Besides, the training ground is at a lower elevation than the mansion, so it will take longer for them to get out.”
“Something must have happened.”
I was sure of it. I had expected Isabel wouldn’t stay quiet after what she went through, but I hadn’t thought she would do something this reckless.
I went up to the second floor of the estate and looked out the window. All I could see was a blanket of white snow covering everything.
“Has this much snow ever fallen in the North before?”
“No, it hasn’t. And Lindel is far from the mountains, so we’ve always been safe from landslides.”
The Grand Duke’s estate was located in Lindel, the central region of the North.
Thanks to the Codran Forest, snow from the mountains couldn’t reach here.
So, this landslide couldn’t have happened naturally.
Someone must have deliberately caused it.
I placed a hand on my forehead and fell deep into thought.
“I need to check if Isabel is in the palace.”
If my father were there, he wouldn’t let her act so freely.
She was definitely trying to avoid her marriage to the King of Narkas, but this won’t help her achieve what she wants.
“Are the animals in the garden okay?”
I immediately headed to the back of the estate, where I could see the garden. I stepped out onto the terrace and looked outside.
Thankfully, the magical stones protected the garden, so no snow had piled up.
“Tweet!”
Since sending a message was difficult, I had to rely on the animals for help. I knew they’d probably complain about being used, but I couldn’t just sit like this.
“Tweet.” (It’s a disaster! A disaster!)
“Are the other animals okay?”
“Tweet tweet.” (Everyone’s fine, but we haven’t seen Cedric.)
The birds flew over, chirping as they reported the situation to me. It seemed like things weren’t going well outside either.
“Please find His Grace, Cedric, and Zeno. If there are any animals that can help, ask them too, okay?”
“Tweet tweet!” (Leave it to us!)
A few birds flew off right away. Before they all left, I quickly made another request.
“The front door is blocked with snow, and we can’t get out. Is there any way to deal with it?”
The birds chirped quietly amongst themselves, flying up to the sky and back to the railing, repeating this several times. After some time, they flapped their wings excitedly as if they had a good idea.
“Tweet tweet!” (Ah, I know! There’s a really strong one! that could dig through the snow in no time!)
“Tweet!” (But it will take a lot of effort.)
Since I had taught them that nothing in life comes for free, I quickly promised to give them what they wanted.
“If you help me, I’ll give you rice from the southern region. Plus, plump worms and grains as a treat once a week!”
The birds’ eyes lit up. It seemed the grains that grew under the warm southern sun were irresistible. With energetic flaps of their wings, they quickly disappeared toward the forest.
“They’ll be okay, right?”
I was worried, but there was no one else I could rely on.
After watching the birds fly off, I headed back downstairs.
The butler and maids were still stuck at the blocked door, unable to do anything but pace back and forth anxiously.
Since I had done all I could, all I could do now was wait.
Bahala, unable to stand the situation, rolled up his sleeves.
The attendants also seemed to have made up their minds, as they brought digging tools from the storage and began moving hurriedly.
“Butler, what’s going on? Why does everyone look so busy?”
“Your Grace, the attendants are going to climb out of the windows on the first floor and start digging the snow.”
“They are going to dig snow by climbing out the window?”
They nodded calmly. I glanced at the first-floor windows.
It seemed they were planning to climb up the ladders, tie themselves with ropes, and lower themselves down…
“That’s way too dangerous!”
But they were serious. Judging by their determined expressions, they were ready to give their all to free the Grand Duke’s estate.
“No, everyone, calm down! There’s no need to do that.”
I raised my hand to stop them.
If I didn’t, they’d be climbing the ladders any minute now.
“But if we don’t open the door right away, we won’t know what’s happened to His Grace. We’re fine! As long as we can find a way to save His Grace, we’ll do anything!”
The loyalty of the people of the North was admirable, but this was too dangerous.
I shook my head and grabbed the ladder.
“I have a good idea, so please just wait a little!”
At my desperate plea, everyone paused.
Bahala’s eyes sparkled as he asked, “Your Grace, do you have a plan?”
I nodded at him.
Should I tell them that I asked the birds for help? I already told Cedric, so maybe it’s okay if the people of the estate know?
I was torn. But asking them to wait without explaining my plan would seem irresponsible.
Even if I did tell them, would they believe me?
“I asked my friends for help.”
“…Your Grace has friends?”
Oh, right. I don’t have any friends.
“I know it doesn’t seem like it, but I do have friends. Quite a few, actually.”
“How surprising…!”
Bahala looked shocked.
Since I hadn’t left the estate, it was strange to claim I had many friends.
He was probably wondering if I’d found out some secret exit.
“…My sparrow friends said they’d help.”
“Your Grace, what did you just say…?”
He trailed off awkwardly, as if he thought he had misheard me.
Clearing my throat, I spoke clearly.
“The sparrows said they’d help, so if we wait a little, everything will be fine.”
It was embarrassing, but I had to push through.
Friends don’t have to be human, right? I lifted my head proudly.
“Ah… Sparrows, you say?”
Bahala, still in disbelief, flapped his arms like wings.
Everyone else kept their mouths shut, unsure of how to react.
After a moment of silence, a heavy thudding sound began outside the door.
One of the servants, who had been staring out the window, shouted in disbelief.
“A flock of sparrows! They’re approaching the mansion with northern white bears at full speed!”
The people in the mansion stared in shock at the sight of the white bears furiously digging through the snow.
“Northern white bears are supposed to be very wild and hard to tame… Are they really digging the snow in sync with the birds’ commands?”
“I’m seeing it too. I think this is the first time I’ve ever seen bears move like that.”
“And it’s not just one. Several bears are digging the snow in front of the door.”
The servants were dumbfounded by the scene outside the window.
Bahala, who had lived in the north all his life, said this was something that needed to be recorded, and he quickly began writing down the details in a notebook.
It wasn’t just him.
The knights, who had been ready to use the ladder, quietly put it away.
Butler Bahala, still writing in his notes, approached me and asked in a quiet voice,
“Your Grace, it seems your friends have really come to help. But it’s not sparrows, it’s bears—how did this happen?”
“I told you, my friends would come to help.”
“Now that I think about it, the sparrows did help Your Grace once before, stopping you from falling. I can’t believe this is really happening…!”
At the butler’s admiration, I gave an awkward smile.
It was only possible because of my special ability, but I decided to explain that later.
“For some reason, the animals seem to follow me well. I guess they remember the kindness I’ve shown them.”
“Of course…! I could tell from how you care for the animals every day.”
“It looks like the snow in front of the door will be cleared soon. Once it is, start the search right away.”
“Understood.”
Bahala couldn’t take his eyes off me.
His eyes seemed to sparkle with admiration, though it might have just been my imagination.
Before long, I could see the knights in the distance.
They were coming with digging tools but stopped in their tracks when they saw the white bears digging furiously through the snow.
I guess it would be intimidating to approach when five bears are digging at the same time.
“Butler! I can see the knights too!”
Disney~ princess~.