“The canary is just an ordinary bird—”
“Caw! Caw!”
“—the arrow-hit bird I brought—”
“Caaaaaw!”
Leonard held onto the squirming canary tightly.
“Grr, ugh!”
After the canary’s beak was grabbed, the Marquis finally got the full story.
“The raven fell onto the Duke’s carriage…”
The Marquis eyed them suspiciously, rubbing his lips.
“Isn’t that pretty suspicious?”
“What’s suspicious?”
“That, on such a late night, the arrow-hit bird fell exactly onto the Duke’s carriage. It seems almost like it was planned, doesn’t it?”
[What a load of nonsense! It was just a coincidence!]
If you’re going to make that argument, isn’t everything suspicious in this world?
The Karibu Duke is also famous for being suspicious of everything.
That Marquis has the real problem, though. He’s too paranoid!
[Duke! Is it really okay to trust someone like him with the security of the Duchy?]
Isadora asked with genuine concern.
But the Duke remained calm, even in front of the quirky Marquis.
“Was there any secret letter tied to its leg?”
“There was nothing.”
“Then, were there any marks on its wings, body, or legs?”
“I checked everything. It was completely clean.”
When did he have the time to check all that? Isadora gave the Duke a side-eye for his unauthorized body search.
“But some secret organizations hide their identities by not marking their messages.”
The Duke sighed quietly. If it were anyone else, they would’ve noticed the hint and backed off, but the Marquis was still as stubborn as ever.
“What if this bird was sent to spy on the castle? What would you have done?”
So that’s why the Marquis was so cautious around me.
[I’m not a spy!]
Isadora snapped back, but then, a thought crossed her mind.
Was she hiding her true identity from the Duke? Yes. Was she secretly gathering information about him? Also yes. So, maybe she was a spy?
[It’s for the public good! I’m a reporter!]
Isadora quickly added.
“Caw!”
“Ugh! My ears!”
The Marquis couldn’t take it anymore and covered his ears.
“Shh… Be quiet.”
On the other hand, the Duke whispered gently, stroking the canary’s back.
“I’ve already finished investigating the bird. I found out where the arrow came from.”
“Whose arrow was it?”
“It was a hunter’s arrow from around here.”
“A hunter?”
Isadora flinched in surprise.
“He said the bird made him lose an eye.”
“Oh, the raven must’ve really gone after him.”
“He claimed that since he shot it with his arrow, the bird belonged to him.”
The memory of almost being eaten by the hunter came flooding back. The smell of his dirty breath and the dry lips that had been creeping closer still made her shudder.
Suddenly, her right wing ached a little.
“Canary.”
The Duke immediately opened his arms to her when she flinched slightly. He could notice the smallest change in her, and that amazed Isadora.
“I wanted to make that hunter pay for attacking my bird…”
The Duke’s voice turned cold.
“But if that’s how he makes his living, I couldn’t do much about it. I gave him some silver to keep quiet.”
His arms were warm, and his heartbeat was steady and comforting.
The Marquis watched the raven with a complex expression, as it nestled quietly in the Duke’s arms.
“You know, Marquis, there are some things in life that are simply coincidences, no matter how much you try to make them seem like fate.”
“…I suppose so.”
“Do you really think I didn’t consider what you’re thinking?”
Finally, the Duke showed his displeasure. The Marquis let out a small grunt.
“Please forgive me for being rude.”
Was the Marquis finally giving up on his absurd suspicions?
“However, Duke, I do have one piece of advice for you.”
“Advice?”
“Yes.”
“…Go ahead.”
The Duke reluctantly agreed, but the Marquis wasn’t backing down.
“You can’t keep dangerous animals like that.”
“….”
Isadora rolled her eyes. Was he seriously giving this advice? He wasn’t just making excuses; he genuinely believed it.
“A cage won’t do. The canary hates cages.”
“At first, it’ll probably make a lot of noise, but wouldn’t it be better than spreading all kinds of diseases around?”
[Diseases?]
Isadora spread her wings. She always took care to stay clean, both as a human and a bird. Her feathers were as shiny and spotless as ever.
“Especially since crows are filthy birds that eat dead bodies, aren’t they?”
“Dead bodies?”
Isadora could feel the Duke tense up.
His surprised eyes immediately turned to her beak.
[Why would I eat that?]
She didn’t know what wild crows ate, but she wasn’t an ordinary animal.
She was a sentient being, and even if she were starving, she had never once thought about eating dead bodies.
‘This Marquis really doesn’t know what he’s talking about.’
Isadora glared at him with sharp eyes, but the Marquis didn’t even flinch at her silent warning.
Instead, he shook his head in disapproval.
“Doesn’t the raven stink?”
“…It doesn’t, actually.”
“Either way, get rid of it, Duke! It’s probably filled with germs.”
At that, Isadora couldn’t take it anymore. Her temper flared.
[That’s it! I can’t take it any longer!]
“Caw!”
She flapped her wings and dove straight for the Marquis, hitting him right in the stomach.
“Ugh!”
The once proud Marquis let out a pitiful scream as he collapsed to the floor.
Now, Isadora realized that he was actually afraid of birds!
[Don’t care!]
She jumped on top of him and started pecking at his face.
“Get off me, you raven!”
[Stay still. I’m going to test if my beak is covered in germs!]
Isadora’s attack lasted about ten seconds before the Duke finally grabbed her.
“Canary, you’ll get hurt if you dive down like that.”
Leonard’s concern was all for the bird. But the one who ended up battered and bruised was the Marquis, not Isadora.
“Watch your words around my bird. My canary is so smart, it can understand malicious words instantly.”
“Duke, my… my back…”
The Duke looked down at the Marquis, who was lying on the floor, with a complex expression.
Knock knock.
There was a knock at the door.
“Duke, Count Francais has arrived… Should I open the door?”
The servant’s voice was full of hesitation after the earlier commotion.
“Let him in.”
A young man entered, much younger than the Marquis.
“Sorry, I’m late. The carriage broke down… huh?”
He froze when he saw the scene in front of him.
The Marquis was lying on the floor, and the Duke was kneeling in front of him with a black bird in his arms.
The Count gulped nervously as the Duke’s furious eyes glowed.
“…Well, if you kill the Marquis, who will manage the border then?”
“It’s not like that.”
It was Leonard’s turn to explain the situation.
After the meeting.
The Marquis, leaving the Duke’s residence, gave the Count a scornful look.
“Being late to the meeting, your rude attitude never changes!”
“And what about your attitude, Marquis?”
“What do you mean?”
“You were insisting on getting rid of the bird.”
The Count, helping the Marquis up, finally noticed the black bird in the Duke’s arms.
Realizing that this whole mess started because of that bird, he sighed.
“Does this mean the Duke isn’t fit to raise animals?”
“Pfft! You don’t even know where that bird came from! You have no idea how clever they are!”
“Animals can’t be as smart as people.”
The Count gave the Marquis a sharp reply, and the Marquis snorted.
They’ve never gotten along. The Count had sworn loyalty to the Karibu Duke, while the Marquis had sworn loyalty to King Enok.
The bad blood between King Enok and the Karibu Duke had spilled over to their supporters, too.
“Surprisingly, the bird follows him, but that’s not our problem.”
The Count said nonchalantly.
“If this makes the Duke happy, then I guess it’s a good thing.”
“…”
“Why… do you think that?”
But instead of responding like usual, the Marquis stayed quiet. A faint sadness clouded his wrinkled face.
The Count felt a chill in his chest.
“Does that bird really hold some kind of secret?”
“Forget it.”
“Tell me the truth! I get scared when I see you making that face!”
Though they were rivals, the Count knew the Marquis well.
When the Marquis wore a complex expression, it usually meant something big was about to happen.
