Episode 14
Early dawn.
A huge bird swooped down toward a cabin in the Sertio estate.
It was a Velox—a messenger bird that could cross the empire from end to end in just ten hours.
“Piiiik!”
The bird circled the little house in confusion, since it had no mailbox.
After spinning around for a while, it gave up and shoved the letter through a crack in the window.
Then, like the fastest bird in the world it was, it flapped its wings a couple of times and vanished beyond the horizon.
Before long, a pale hand picked up the letter.
“To Isadora McDorr, Editor-in-Chief of the Black Bird Daily…”
**<Hello. I’m Lania Caribou.
I’ve been a loyal reader of the Black Bird Daily for a long time.
I think the very first article I read was the one about the mysteries of the Mirov coast.
That place became one of my “must-see before I die” spots.
The truth is, I once took the wrong medicine, and ever since, I can’t walk well.
I don’t meet people, and I can’t travel anywhere.
Your newspaper is my only window to the world.
I suppose the reason there hasn’t been a new issue is because there hasn’t been any special news, right?
By the way, my half-brother recently started keeping a crow.
Normally, animals are terrified of him, but this noisy bird refuses to get off his shoulder.
Funny, isn’t it?
If it’s you, you’re welcome to visit the castle anytime.
I’ll be waiting for your reply.>}
The man holding the letter let out a thin sigh.
He had a hunch who that noisy crow was.
“Isadora… so that’s where you were.”
Edgar, having confirmed his sister was safe, dragged a hand down his face in relief.
“Caw! Caw!”
Isadora flapped her wings threateningly in front of the Duke.
If she wanted to sneak away and turn back into a human, she needed an alibi.
So, these past few days, she had been visiting Lania’s annex room.
Whenever she did, she forced the Duke to stay outside.
“Canary… what’s wrong with you?”
The Duke, barred from entering the annex, looked flustered.
“…Have you grown tired of me again?”
His face fell, hurt so deeply that even Isadora felt a tiny twinge of guilt.
“Caaawk!”
But she cried out even louder.
[Seriously! I just need some time alone!]
At first, the Duke would just hover restlessly outside the annex, not understanding.
But after being pushed away over and over, he finally learned.
He would drop her off at the annex, then trudge back to the main castle.
“…I’ll come back in two hours,” he muttered, face dripping with regret as he left.
[Perfect!] Isadora cheered inside.
“Eeek!”
A maid stumbled back on her butt the moment she entered the storage room.
A strange woman had popped out of the shadows.
She was so tall that, without the maid’s uniform, one might mistake her for a man.
On top of that, her refined, striking features looked more like those of a noble lady than a servant.
“Who are you?!” the maid shouted.
The woman’s pale eyes gleamed, far from ordinary.
“If you don’t explain yourself right now, I’ll call the guards!”
The stranger’s lips curved into a grin.
“Oh my, I’m so sorry for startling you!”
“…Huh?”
She grabbed the maid’s hands and beamed, her smile blooming like a flower and lighting up the whole room.
When she bowed her head, glossy dark-gray hair slipped forward like silk.
“Nice to meet you! Starting today, I’ll be working here at the castle.”
“Starting today? Nobody said a new servant was coming.”
Suspicious, the maid narrowed her eyes.
“What’s your name?”
“Dora. Just call me Dora.”
What kind of name is that? The maid thought, biting back her urge to sneer.
But Dora’s bright, sparkling eyes threw her off.
Meanwhile, the so-called “new maid” let out a deep sigh of relief inside.
Whew, that was close!
After sneaking into the storage room, she had struggled for ages to transform back into a human.
She realized with a chill that she barely remembered how she’d done it before.
I can’t spend the rest of my life as a crow!
By mentally reversing the process—tracing back how she became a crow—she finally managed to turn into a person again.
“…The head maid really hired someone like you?” the maid asked, still skeptical.
Isadora (as Dora) just laughed it off.
“Ah, yes, Mistress Mary, the head maid! She picked me based on my paperwork alone.”
“What? Just from documents? Which castle did you work at before this?”
Time to shine.
Six years as a reporter had taught Isadora how to spin a convincing story in seconds.
She explained how she’d been born to a poor family, ended up working for the famously obsessive Count Berkeley, and then got thrown out because the old man developed an inappropriate interest in her.
“…And that’s when Lady Mary just happened to notice me and gave me this chance.”
“The count with the cleanliness obsession? Good grief. You’ve really had it rough.”
The maid found herself nodding along, buying every word.
“But wait—this is the annex. Why are you here instead of the main castle?”
Isadora gave her most pitiful look.
“Lady Mary said my face wasn’t suited for working in the main castle, so she sent me here instead.”
At that, the maid’s eyes went ice-cold.
“What?! How dare she treat the annex like garbage duty!”
Her cheeks flared red with anger. Huffing and puffing, she stomped into the storage room and came back with a pile of cleaning supplies.
Thud!
She shoved them into Isadora’s arms.
“Follow me. You’ve got a ton of work to do.”
“…Oh. I start working right away?”
“Did you think your first day would be a holiday?”
“…Wasn’t it?”
“Don’t be ridiculous! Move it!”
The maid was just venting her own frustrations on the “newcomer.”
But Isadora’s lips curved slyly upward.
Heh. Hook, line, and sinker.
The maid was so busy bossing her around that she never even thought to confirm Dora’s story with the head maid.
As expected, the maid ran Isadora ragged.
“First, sweep the hallway and polish all the decorations.”
She left, only to return moments later.
“Not done yet? Then oil the floor! No? Go clean the windows! Fix the bedding! Restock the firewood!”
Every order was unrealistic, but Isadora diligently played along.
“…This is awful! You did everything wrong!”
The maid fumed while Isadora only smiled sweetly.
Of course it’s awful. I’m terrible at cleaning.
There was only one reason she put up with this game:
“So, how long have you been working here?” Isadora asked innocently.
“Six years. Basically, I’m a senior around here.”
“Oh, really? But I heard the average maid doesn’t last very long here. Why is that?”
“…Why?”
“What’s the Duke like? Has he ever mistreated the staff? I heard there was an assassination attempt recently—are those common?”
“…Wait. Are you… Here to investigate? Stop asking questions and just clean!”
“So… that means you’re refusing to answer?”
The maid’s ears practically rang from this chatterbox.
Uneasy, she finally snapped and pointed out the window.
“That’s it. Go outside and pull up every single plant you see in front of the annex!”
“…Why?”
“Don’t ask! If the Duke sees even one sprout, it’ll be trouble!”
With that, she stormed off.
“…She ran away,” Isadora muttered, propping the broom against the wall.
No more “source,” no more need to keep up the maid act.
The annex really is deserted, she thought.
The only person she’d met today was that one bully of a maid.
Thanks to her, Isadora now knew a few places where she could hide without being found.
From now on, I’ll use those spots. I only need two hours each day, no more. Slowly and safely…
“Hah!”
Isadora froze, slapping a hand over her mouth as she ducked under the window.
Why is the Duke here?!
She had been sure he’d gone back to the main castle… but there he was, standing right outside the annex.
