chapter 68
Now that I think about it, when my master’s consciousness entered Snowy, her eye color changed too.
I was curious about what the blue bird would look like with different eyes, but this wasn’t the time to sit around chatting.
Without thinking, I rubbed my head against Lionel’s fingers as he wiped near my eyes. Then I suddenly came to my senses and asked him,
“Is the meeting over? I heard the imperial palace is holding emergency meetings almost ten times a day.”
“I need to go to the knights’ order soon to check their training.”
“The North… are you really going?”
“Yes. I received the order.”
So he was going simply because he had been ordered to. Yet there was not even a hint of complaint on Lionel’s face.
That made me even more curious.
If he’s told to get engaged, he gets engaged. If he’s told to do volunteer work, he quietly does it, no matter how unpleasant. And now he’s being sent somewhere life-threatening, yet he shows no resistance.
Is this really the man who will start a rebellion in the future and kill his own family?
“…There has to be something.”
I needed to remember the novel from my past life more clearly.
How did this man end up rebelling? It couldn’t have been just because he lost the crown prince position or his fiancée. There must have been a more decisive reason.
Especially that line:
[You will rise to a noble position regardless of your own will.]
Regardless of his will.
“I’m fine.”
“…Who said you weren’t? I didn’t say anything.”
I huffed and turned my head away. He laughed quietly.
I looked back at him, wondering what was so funny, and his hand once again rested on my head.
As he gently rubbed my hair in circles, I moved along with his touch and asked,
“Do you like touching me that much?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“I can feel warmth.”
…He really knows how to leave someone speechless.
Fine. Go ahead. Touch all you want.
It doesn’t cost anything. I can share some warmth.
I was even considering rolling around in his palm when he called me softly.
“Lili.”
“What?”
“Can you return home in this state?”
“Huh?”
This state? Home?
“Are you telling me to fly back home like this?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
He hesitated before answering.
“The North is dangerous. I can’t take a blue bird there.”
“You can just put me in your pocket.”
“It would be inside my armor, not just a pocket. And if we’re facing monsters, that wouldn’t be safe.”
He wasn’t wrong, but still…
“Then how are we supposed to talk in the North?”
“Do we have to talk?”
Oh, this man again.
“Of course we do! How else am I supposed to help you fight monsters?”
“Help? How?”
“I’ll figure that out.”
If I just sit back and do nothing, Lionel won’t be able to stop the monster wave like he did in the novel.
Maybe I won’t be much help, but I’m the youngest daughter of the Rohaim family.
If I actively step forward and use my family’s support, maybe I can find a way to change the future.
“Anyway, don’t even think about leaving my blue bird behind. Even if you try, I’ll chase you!”
“Lili…”
“Disconnect!”
I shut my eyes as if ending a phone call, and suddenly I felt my consciousness being pulled away.
My head spun like I had turned in circles ten times. When the dizziness faded and I opened my eyes, I was back in my room.
“I’m back in my human body…”
I flexed my fingers again and again. Everything that had just happened felt like a dream.
But it couldn’t have been. The memory was too vivid. I touched my head, which still seemed warm, and clenched my fist.
“What? ‘Do we have to talk?’ I’m the only one getting worked up!”
Just wait and see.
I’ll make you desperate to talk to me.
Do you know how many romance novels I’ve read in both my past and present lives? I’m a master at push and pull!
Unfortunately, I didn’t get the chance to show Lionel my skills.
That very night, someone knocked on my window.
When I looked outside, I was shocked to see Lionel standing there.
“Disconnect!”
The moment Cecilia shouted that, the blue bird’s eyes turned black again.
“Cheep?”
As if nothing had happened, the bird tilted its tiny head.
With a long sigh of regret, Lionel held out his hand.
“Come here.”
“Cheep.”
The bird hurried onto his palm without hesitation.
He noticed some cream still stuck to its fluffy white belly.
“Wait.”
He gently held the bird and wiped its belly with a damp cloth.
The bird struggled in protest.
“Cheep! Cheep!”
“Stay still. I’m almost done.”
“Cheeep!”
Lionel laughed without realizing it. After cleaning the cream off, he released the bird.
Immediately, it began pecking at his palm in protest.
A childhood memory came to him. He slightly pulled back his hand.
“Ow.”
The bird jumped in surprise and blinked at him, checking his face.
Lionel knew that unlike when he was young, his face now looked as hard as stone. So instead of pretending to cry, he covered his face with his hand.
Did the bird think he was crying?
It flopped down on his palm and gently rubbed the spot it had pecked with its wing.
“Cheep, cheep…”
It truly was born from Cecilia’s soul. Its reaction was exactly like Lili’s when she was little.
If Cecilia had been conscious, she probably would have reacted the same way.
Though now, she would have quickly realized he was pretending and scolded him angrily.
“What? Did you just trick me?”
Like that.
“…Cheep?”
Maybe it sensed something was strange. The bird stopped moving.
Before it could get angry, Lionel gently covered its round head.
“What do you think?”
“Cheep?”
“Your master seems to want you by my side.”
“Cheeep!”
As if saying, My master’s wish is my wish, the bird spread its wings and lay flat on his palm.
It looked like it was declaring, You can’t go without me! Step on me if you must!
But it was so small it barely covered his palm.
Lionel stroked the bird, then heard a knock on the door and slipped it into his inner pocket.
“Your Highness, it’s time to go to the knights’ order.”
“Very well.”
He headed to the training grounds.
The 3rd and 5th Knight Orders, who had been assigned to the North, were already practicing monster combat in groups.
They would depart in one week. It was a tight schedule to prepare for monsters.
But doing something was better than nothing.
Lionel toured the grounds with the knight commander. After that, he was scheduled to meet a mage sent from the Tower of Trees.
The mage spoke clearly.
“For each mage, we require this amount of mana stones per month. If you cannot meet this condition, we cannot offer our assistance.”
The demand was unreasonable, and there was no room for negotiation. They had clearly come intending to refuse.
The negotiation ended with nothing gained. After the mage left, the Minister of Finance exploded in anger.
“They live on imperial land and enjoy all the empire’s benefits, yet when crisis comes, they only think of themselves! We should drive the magic towers out of the empire!”
“Calm down. There are still four towers left.”
After a moment of thought, Lionel added,
“Next, contact the Frost Tower.”
“The Frost Tower? Do you know someone there?”
“Not personally, but…”
Cecilia’s master was the Lord of the Frost Tower.
He didn’t know what kind of person they were, but since Cecilia had chosen them as her master, he felt it would be a more meaningful discussion than today’s.
“Your Highness, I’ll report this to His Majesty.”
“Very well. Good work.”
With that, his official duties for the day ended. After a simple dinner, Lionel returned to the Second Prince’s Palace to read a monster encyclopedia.
But the moment he stepped into his study—
“So you’re finally back.”
Kaien was sitting in a chair as if he owned the place, casually flipping through a book, greeting him with a bright smile.