Chapter 12: The Cherished Little Bird (6)

About a week had passed since Sharon had been taken in by Zex.

At last, her wounds had healed, and she was finally freed from her bandages.

“When your wings are folded, they look just like a heart.” After checking the state of her wings, Zex smiled as he said this.

Apparently, when her rose-red wings were closed, they formed a heart-shaped pattern.

‘I wonder what they look like from behind? Ugh, I can’t see them at all!’

Since they were on her back, no matter how hard she tried, she simply couldn’t see them for herself.

Zex watched with amusement as Sharon struggled to check behind her.

Ever since then, Sharon had been sleeping with Zex every night.

Perhaps it was because of his Ice Attribute Magic, but Zex’s body temperature was cool, and he said the warmth of the little bird was just right for him.

From “Good night” to “Good morning,” Zex showered her with affection, making Sharon’s heart pound every single day.

And today, as always, Sharon came with Zex to the office.

‘Alright! Starting today, I’m going to practice flying as hard as I can!’

She wanted to show that she was not just a pretty ornament.

With Zex focusing on his work, Sharon decided to begin her flight practice.

‘First, I’ll try flying to that table…!’

Her target was the reception table right in front of her.

Taking a deep breath to steel herself, Sharon spread her wings.

Then, with all her might, she kicked off from the office desk.

“Pii――――iiiii……”

For a brief moment, she seemed to float, but then she plummeted spectacularly.

Even as she flapped her wings frantically, she couldn’t stabilize her posture.

“Snow, are you alright?”

With a gentle thud, she landed on Zex’s palm.

His deep blue eyes looked at her with concern.

‘I will definitely learn how to fly!’

Her fate depended on it.

Perhaps sensing Sharon’s determination, Zex grew serious as well.

“I see. Since you’re healed, it’s time for some rehabilitation to get you flying again. How about you try taking a running start?”

“Pi! ‘Yes!'”

Before she knew it, the office had turned into a flight training ground.

She practiced taking a running start from the reception table and flying all the way to the sofa.

Even if she fell, the carpet was lined with fluffy cushions, leaving no gaps, so there was nothing to worry about.

She scurried on her thin legs, spread her wings, and fell—over and over again.

“You floated a little bit just now!”

“You might want to try spreading your wings a bit earlier.”

“That’s it, keep going!”

Each time Sharon tried, Zex was right by her side, offering advice and cheering her on.

‘Having someone to work hard together with like this… it’s so reassuring.’

“Clack.”

Just as Sharon and Zex were fully absorbed in their training, the door opened.

“Lord Zex, what in the world are you doing?”

It was Glaque, his expression bitter.

Zex quickly came to his senses, put on a serious face, and hurried back to his desk.

Then, as if nothing had happened, he addressed Glaque.

“What is it?”

“…It seems more Magical Beasts have emerged from the Forest of Evil.”

“Understood. Prepare to head out for subjugation. …Snow, I’m sorry, but could you wait with Ella for a while?”

Sharon nodded obediently at Zex’s words.

Just as they’d discussed earlier, it seemed Zex would be personally going out to subjugate the Magical Beasts.

‘I’m worried… I hope he doesn’t get hurt.’

Sharon saw Zex off as he set out for the subjugation with Ella.

Feeling uneasy, Sharon didn’t notice the gaze on her from behind.

The moment she sensed a sharp, overwhelming presence, she felt a shock on her back.

Ella had buried her face deep into Sharon’s feathers and was taking deep, eager breaths.

‘Eek! I totally let my guard down!’

Now that Sharon had recovered, Ella had dropped all restraint.

“Hau~ You really are irresistible~!”

If Ella kept this up, Sharon was sure she’d run out of strength.

As Sharon screamed internally, there came a knock at the door.

The ones who entered were the servants of the mansion.

When Ella finally lifted her face, Sharon let out a heartfelt sigh of relief.

“Oh, that’s not fair, Lady Ella! We want to look after Snow-sama too!”

“That’s right! We heard you were healed, so we brought you some treats to celebrate!”

“Now’s our chance, with Lord Zex out!”

“I came to guard Snow-sama!”

“Me too!”

“Tch. I thought I’d get to enjoy all the fluff by myself…”

In a voice only Sharon could hear, Ella muttered in frustration.

After that, the other servants also came in one after another, bringing snacks and bird toys, all fussing over the adorable little bird.

Until now, whenever people gathered, all she ever received was malice, so spending time in such a lively, cheerful crowd was a new experience for Sharon… though—

‘Isn’t everyone spoiling me a bit too much just because I’m a little bird…!?’

At first, she’d been frightened, but everyone here was so gentle and kind.

Sharon found herself growing fond of the people of the Halbügen Household.

“Thanks to Snow-sama, even Lord Zex has changed quite a bit.”

“That’s right. He used to have such a stiff face, but lately he often smiles.”

“When Lord Zex is happy, we’re happy too.”

Smiling as they doted on the little bird, everyone spoke these words.

Even Ella nodded in agreement.

“Thank you, Snow-sama.”

With everyone thanking her, Sharon felt humbled.

‘It’s me who should be thanking you all.’

Listening to the servants, Sharon realized just how much Zex was loved by everyone in the mansion.

Spending her days happily with Zex and everyone else, she sometimes felt she could almost forget she was human.

No—that wasn’t it. 

It was just that, after such bitter betrayal and condemnation, she found herself wanting to escape reality.

Being pampered as a little bird was simply so much easier.

‘But… I can’t stay here forever…’

The truth was, she’d found something the other day in Zex’s office.

A wanted poster, reading: “WANTED! Attempted Murderer Sharon” in bold letters.

It listed her rose-red hair, jet-black eyes, and other features, and explained she had escaped during transportation for exile.

Her escape had caused trouble not only for the Margrave Halburgen Domain, which took in exiles, but for the Crusell Kingdom as well.

‘But why did I, someone without magic, transform into a little bird in the first place?’

The catalyst for Sharon’s transformation had been a white bird.

Though the color of their feathers was different, it looked just like Sharon did now.

Right after the bird spoke to her and she replied, she’d transformed.

She couldn’t help but think it was connected to this transformation.

That said, she wasn’t even sure anymore if that moment had truly happened.

She’d been so out of it that it might have just been a hallucination.

If so, there was also the possibility someone had cast a spell on her.

But there had only been an empty carriage, with no signs of anyone nearby.

Besides, what would anyone gain from casting magic on an exile?

She’d hoped she might return to human form once her magic power ran out, but even after a week, nothing had changed.

Could it be that she might remain a little bird forever?

‘…Maybe it’s not magic at all?’

Maybe it was something like a curse.

She had no way of knowing if Zex was truly cursed.

Still, there was definitely something that even the birds feared about him.

If it was a curse affecting Sharon, perhaps it was worth investigating Zex’s curse as well.

Honestly, her concern for him was even greater.

‘Even if it’s a curse, there are so many possibilities…’

Who cast the curse? 

For what purpose?

How did they do it? 

Did it require a medium?

‘In the end, thinking about it on my own won’t get me anywhere.’

She simply didn’t have enough information.

Now that her wounds were healed, it would be better to take action sooner rather than later.

“Snow-sama, please wait just a moment, alright?”

After the servants returned to their duties, Ella too was called away on urgent business.

Suddenly, an opportunity presented itself.

Sharon decided to check outside and made her way to the window.

There, in the mansion’s garden, she spotted a White Tiger.

‘Huh? Why is there a tiger out there?’

She watched, puzzled, and soon noticed something strange.

Its steps were unsteady, and it stumbled repeatedly.

‘Maybe it’s injured…’

There was no one outside at the moment. 

Perhaps everyone was away on the Magical Beast subjugation.

There was still no sign of Ella returning.

It seemed Sharon was the only one who had noticed the tiger’s presence.

Over the past few days, Sharon had secretly been investigating possible escape routes.

She decided to try one now.

It was an air vent in the wall.

With her tiny body, she was sure she could just barely squeeze through.