Is he very busy? Well, he must have lost a lot of time helping me exercise. Then from now on, will we only exercise together and not be able to have meals? Various thoughts cluttered my mind. My hands diligently carried food to my mouth, but I moved my mouth mechanically, not even knowing what I was eating.

The fork that had been dipping into meat was now poking at an empty bowl. As I absentmindedly repeated this action, the sound of water being poured beside me brought me back to my senses. My personal attendant, who always assisted me, had approached at some point and was filling my empty glass with water.

“Thank you.”

I smiled awkwardly and picked up the cup. As I swallowed a sip of cool water, my mind that had been floating in the air returned.

Right. I can apologize again tomorrow when we exercise. Trying to hide my anxious feelings, I nodded. Thinking about it lightly made me feel a bit unburdened. I put on a smile habitually and returned to my room.

As I got into the soft bed, exhausted from exercising, sleep quickly found me. My eyelids slowly lowered like a theater curtain. As my whole body relaxed, I lost consciousness.

Today, like yesterday, I headed to the training grounds with my dedicated attendant, dressed in workout clothes. I came out earlier than before, so it was more relaxed. As I walked down the corridor, I saw a scene that was different from yesterday but the same as usual. The attendants were busy, and the knights’ shouts were booming.

Arriving at the training grounds, I peeked out and looked for Karhan. I looked around for the familiar silhouette, but couldn’t see him. It was strange that a person with such a striking height and neatly dressed couldn’t be seen.

Thinking I might have arrived too early, I looked up at the clock in the center of the training grounds, but it wasn’t that early.

I stood there blankly, blinking my eyes somewhat anxiously. Suddenly, someone gently gripped my shoulder from behind. He’s finally here.

Unlike Karhan, he was late for the appointment. But the fact that he came didn’t make me angry. I turned around with a sigh of relief mixed with anxiety.

“Kar, han…?”

“Hello. Are you Sir Seol?”

“Yes, that’s right… Who are you?”

“I’ve been ordered to assist with your training. From today, I’ll be your instructor. I look forward to working with you.”

“What?”

Suddenly being told about an exercise instructor. I blinked with a dumbfounded expression at the incomprehensible situation. I stared at the person standing in front of me, not even thinking to close my slightly open mouth.

He was dressed in the training uniform that knights usually wear. He was probably one of the knights belonging to the Duke’s household. Just looking at his body, he seemed flawless to be my personal trainer. But that wasn’t the issue.

“Who? Who said such a thing…?”

“Huh? Oh, Duke Karhan ordered it. He said to assist you well from today.”

“Karhan?”

“Yes. The Duke…”

I was dumbfounded. Karhan, who had first offered to help, changed my instructor without saying a word to me.

“Ha.”

I couldn’t help but let out a dry laugh. How could he be so selfish? He must have gotten angry because of yesterday and didn’t want to see me anymore. Even though I did wrong, there was no need to go this far.

I felt wronged, dumbfounded, and on the other hand, anger was rising. I’ve heard that when a person’s emotions are pushed to the extreme, instead of heating up, their mind becomes clear as if cold water has been poured over them. I felt like I was in exactly that state right now.

I blinked and clenched my fists, then turned around. The knight who had introduced himself as my exercise instructor called out in a bewildered voice. He hurriedly reached out and grabbed my shoulder. Ack, this is where Karhan grabbed me yesterday…! For a moment, a sharp pain flashed through and tears welled up in my eyes. A lump rose to my throat.

“W-wait a moment. The Duke ordered me to-“

“I’m taking a break today.”

I answered, putting force into my voice. There was no way I could exercise feeling like this, and the important thing for me now was to go to Karhan. I needed to go to him and get an explanation for this situation. How could he decide on his own without telling me anything? Even if I was wrong yesterday, Karhan’s attitude of acting like this now wasn’t right either.

I irritably shook off the hand on my shoulder and headed towards his office. My dedicated attendant who had been standing quietly at a distance followed without a word.

I arrived at the familiar door, striding down the corridor. As I glared resolutely at the door, the attendant waiting in front of it blocked my way and asked in a businesslike manner.

“What is your business?”

“I’m here to see Karhan.”

“The Duke is currently in the middle of important work. If you contact us later in advance, we will set an appointment time and guide you.”

I gritted my teeth and bit my innocent lower lip. This wasn’t how they usually treated me. Whenever I came to visit, they would open the door as if it were natural and receive me without showing any signs of discomfort.

Did I do something so wrong?

I felt terribly hurt. Anger surged to the top of my head, but at the same time, a feeling of disappointment followed. I wanted to just lie down here and throw a tantrum like a child. But as a person, there were things I had to keep in check, so I held it in.

I clenched my fists and lowered my head. Then, in a small voice trembling with upset, I mumbled.

“…Please make an appointment. Quickly.”

“Yes. I will inform the Duke. We will send separate guidance through an attendant, so you may return for now.”

It was a clear dismissal. I had become a stranger who couldn’t even visit freely anymore.

Without realizing it, my lips pouted. Should I just turn into a bird again? Should I sit by the window and cry loudly until they open it? Should I curse at them all I want since they won’t understand anyway? As I stood still, not doing anything, the attendant waiting behind me cautiously spoke.

“Sir Seol. It would be best to return to your room now. Don’t worry, an appointment will be made soon…”

The very fact that I had to make an appointment was uncomfortable for me. But since there was no choice, I reluctantly nodded. With reluctant steps, I turned back and returned to my room. One step, two steps away from Karhan’s office, my feet got slower and slower. But in the end, the door never opened.

When I arrived at my room, I leaped towards the bed. I lay face down, burying my face in the pillow, and didn’t move for a while.

All sorts of thoughts floated around in my head. Did I do something so wrong? Does he not even want to talk to me? Even so, isn’t it too much to suddenly treat me like a stranger? When will we be able to talk face to face? What if he says he never wants to see me again?

My mind, full of worry and confusion, couldn’t provide any solutions.

🐤

Karhan, who was working in his office, heard someone rushing to the door. Because of the familiar footsteps, he could tell who it was at once without having to guess. His busy hands stopped naturally. Although he tried not to pay attention, before he knew it, all his senses were directed towards the door.

The sound of a heart beating violently with anger could be heard even without concentrating. Although he couldn’t see directly because of the door blocking the way, the situation outside naturally formed in his mind, and the corners of Karhan’s mouth rose slightly. Then, suddenly coming to his senses, he raised his hand and traced his lips.

Smiling again. Smiling at something like this. He tried to forcefully lower the corners of his mouth that had risen, but only fumbled with his hand awkwardly.

Karhan couldn’t understand why he was swayed by Seol. Emotions that couldn’t be controlled by his own will only gave him discomfort.

On the day he helped with the exercise, up until the middle, there was nothing unpleasant as usual. He liked Seol who had run out of energy from running around the training grounds, Seol who couldn’t lift even light dumbbells, and Seol whose legs gave out after running just five laps.

When he started to massage the finely trembling legs by bending his knees without thinking. That’s when the disturbing things began.

‘I’m fine, so do it for someone else. Like Doel…’

Seol, who had been lying down powerlessly, suddenly startled and rejected his touch, then brought up Doel’s name again. His eyebrows twitched involuntarily. As wrinkles formed between his brows, an unfamiliar discomfort rose from deep within his heart. Why does he keep mentioning that name to him recently? Does he like him that much?

Karhan didn’t understand Seol, who had been mentioning Doel’s name for the past few days, both in the dining room and elsewhere, and it kept bothering him.

He had no relationship with Doel. He was just an acquaintance from the incident in the Sabon region, but that was all. He had only hired him as a knight because he seemed to have a diligent personality, but he had no special feelings. He hadn’t even had a conversation with him since then.

Seol never explained in the end, and just went back to his room after only glancing around. For some reason, that awkward smile, those trudging steps, those shoulders that seemed cowed, kept lingering in his mind. It was he who was irritated by words he couldn’t understand, but he kept feeling like he had left something behind.

Even after returning to his office, Karhan thought of Seol in between his work.

He suddenly realized that he had made too many exceptions for Seol. Thinking about it carefully, he wondered if it was because of the image from when he was a pet bird. So he called Claude and ordered that Seol should make appointments in advance to visit the office like other people, and assigned a separate knight to help with Seol’s exercise.

Perhaps angry at his sudden reorganization, Seol’s irregular heartbeat echoed throughout the mansion all day. Karhan tried not to pay attention to it, but when he came to his senses, he found himself concentrating and listening intently.

It seems the habit had seeped into his body in just a few days. He wondered if this was normal when keeping animals. Every single action caught his attention, and he was curious about what he was doing now, what thoughts he was having.

The thought that he had already come too far to return to his former self flashed through Karhan’s mind, but he deliberately denied it and blocked it out.

Chapter 60

Alright. So this is how you want to play it.

Karhan hadn’t shown his face to me for days. He said he would meet me if I made an appointment, so I barely managed to set a time and went to his office, but he only asked what my business was without even glancing at me. Moreover, he dismissed me, telling me to leave if I had no business. My face turned red and my hands trembled at this.

Now, any feelings of hurt had disappeared, and only anger filled my head. How could he treat me like this? He said we were friends. We’re friends! How could he embarrass me so severely between friends! I gritted my teeth and trembled. The veins on my hands bulged as I gripped the bedcover.

I familiarly returned to my bird form and stood on the bed. I pushed through the soft, sinking blanket and hid my body in the corner of the room. Let’s see who wins. I ground my beak irritably.

As I was holed up in the corner of the room, I heard a knock at the door. Hoping it might be him, I turned around to see my personal attendant’s face peeking through the slightly opened door.

“Sir Seol. It’s mealtime. Are you going to the dining room today as well?”

So it’s already that time. I was hungry. If I skipped this meal, I would surely suffer until the next mealtime. After a moment’s consideration, I spoke.

“Peck peck! Peck!”

“Pardon?”

“Ppi-yak!”

As this attendant was one of the few who knew I was a shapeshifter, I answered without hesitation. But despite my polite response, the attendant seemed not to understand and asked again. Karhan used to understand me just fine.

“Peep!”

I stretched out my neck from the corner of the room and shouted loudly. The attendant remained silent for a moment, then hesitantly opened their mouth.

“Please answer once if you want to eat in your room, twice if you want to eat in the dining room, and three times if you want to skip the meal.”

“Peck!”

“Yes, I understand. I’ll bring your meal shortly.”

Having received a sufficient answer, they closed the door immediately. I plopped down with my bottom against the corner of the room. My small body fit perfectly into the corner. Bad Karhan. I may have made a mistake, but to treat me so coldly. I was a fool for thinking we were friends.

After waiting for a while, huffing and puffing, the food arrived. It was the same amount I usually ate in human form. A large plate with a steak was placed on the floor instead of on the table.

I got up and approached the plate. There was a knife and fork beside it, but they were too large for me to handle in my bird form. After staring blankly at the steak for a moment, I lowered my head and pecked at it.

“Pee-yuk.”

I held the steak with my foot and chewed it slowly with my beak. It wasn’t easy to cut with my beak instead of a knife, but judging by the sound of it tearing bit by bit, it wasn’t impossible. I pecked at it persistently until drool was dripping, and finally, a piece came off.

“Peck peck.”

I repeated this action several times, devouring the food ravenously.

“Pee-keuk.”

There was still a lot of steak left on the plate, but for a bird’s body, this was enough to feel full. As evidence, my chest had puffed up.

Because I ate without using utensils, my feathers were covered in meat juice, but I didn’t care. I was going to become a rogue bird from now on, so such things didn’t matter. I walked towards the door with my eyes shining sharply. Then I shouted loudly.

“Peck! Pee-yak!”

Open the door! I screamed at the top of my lungs, and the door cracked open slightly. I quickly darted out through that opening. The attendant was surprised twice – once by my slipping out like a loach, and again by my body covered in steak sauce. With a somewhat troubled expression, they looked down at me and said.

“…You need to be washed.”

The attendant bent down and slowly reached out their hand. I can’t let that happen. I quickly flapped my wings. Perhaps because of the sauce thickly coating my body, it was harder than usual to take flight, but after vigorously shaking my body, I managed to rise into the air.

I became a free bird and flew away quickly. Glancing back, I saw the attendant hurriedly following. I felt sorry for them, but I, who had already become a wild delinquent in my heart, couldn’t stop myself.

The place I arrived at after flying hard with my sticky wings was in front of Karhan’s office. The attendant who always guarded the office raised an eyebrow at my appearance. But that was the only reaction; they neither blocked me nor let me in, just standing still. I stood proudly in front of them and shouted loudly.

“Pee-yak!”

Karhan!

I shouted loud enough for it to be heard inside the room. Huh, I knew it. Despite my call, the door didn’t budge at all. Let’s see how long you can hold out. While I stood waiting in front of the door for a moment, the attendant who had been chasing me arrived behind me. Ignoring that, I shouted loudly once more.

“Peck! Pee-yak!”

Open the door!

Karhan treated me well when I was in human form, but he took even better care of me when I was a bird. He seemed to favor me a bit more. Even if I got angry or hit his cheek with my wing, he would accept it all without showing any signs of displeasure. Of course, I had never tried hitting his cheek in human form, so I couldn’t compare exactly.

I shouted loudly with an angry face, but still, the door didn’t open. The attendant behind me, who had been quietly observing the situation, gently picked me up. I was lifted as easily as a doll in a claw machine. Thinking this was my last chance, I shouted loudly one more time.

“Pee-yak!”

This can’t be! You can’t do this to me! I struggled desperately while trapped in their hand. Flap flap, I flapped my wings so violently that a few feathers fell out, and shouted loudly, but the tightly closed door didn’t open. Even as I gazed longingly with desolate eyes, not even a single strand of Karhan’s hair was visible.

In the end, I was unceremoniously transported back to my room and thoroughly scrubbed clean.

🐤

Liras, who was inside the office, bent over and covered his mouth. His bright red ears were visible through his long, flowing hair.

Karhan, who had been watching this scene, raised his hand and rubbed his face. His eyebrows were slightly furrowed, but he too had a faint smile playing at the corners of his mouth.

After suppressing his laughter for a long time with his head bowed, Liras cleared his throat. He had come to see Karhan to inquire about a disturbing dream he had recently, only to witness a bird crying desperately outside before being dragged away. The “peck peck” cries were so loud they penetrated the closed office door.

He wanted to laugh out loud, but held back due to the bird’s pitiful cries. It seemed there was something going on between that bird and Karhan. Raising one eyebrow, he asked.

“Did you two have a fight?”

“No.”

“Then why didn’t you open the door?”

At Liras’s question, Karhan’s slightly parted lips closed into a straight line. His sulky expression, so unlike Karhan, was captured in Liras’s mischievous green eyes.

Liras maintained his smile as he observed Karhan. His curved eyes masked his sharp gaze.

Although he pretended to visit the office casually, Liras had actually come to gather information. Perhaps because of the dream, recently reality kept overlapping with his dreams. It wasn’t serious yet, so it was fine, but a strong warning rang out in his mind that he shouldn’t take this lightly now.

Karhan, sitting across from him, sighed. Although he needed to be more alert than usual when meeting Liras alone, the amusing situation outside kept trying to draw a smile on his lips. He tried his best not to laugh. Of course, it wasn’t easy.

To compose himself, he picked up the teacup in front of him. After taking a careful sip, he opened his mouth.

“Anyway, what brings you here?”

“Ah. It’s nothing much… By any chance, is there a man you’re interested in?”

“Pardon?”

Caught off guard by the unexpected question, Karhan uncharacteristically asked for clarification. He furrowed his brows and looked at Liras with questioning eyes, but Liras only smiled with crescent eyes without saying anything. He simply urged for an answer with his silence. Finally, after a moment’s pause, Karhan spoke.

“There isn’t.”

“Is that so? Hmm…”

At Karhan’s answer, Liras nodded and let out a nasal sound. Was it just a simple dream after all? He leaned back in his chair and looked at the teacup. The ornate chandelier was reflected in the lightly rippling surface.

The chances of a dragon’s dream having no meaning were as rare as could be. Even trivial dreams could be helpful later and often contained hidden meanings. Narrowing his eyes, he casually brought up the subject.

“Do you know a man named Doel?”

“…Why are you asking about him, Lord Liras?”

“So he exists.”

Liras’s green eyes instantly narrowed into sharp, needle-like slits. He didn’t take his predatory gaze off Karhan. A sense of elation began to creep up from deep within his heart.

The person he knew nothing about, who had only appeared in his dream, actually existed. Near Karhan, just like in the dream.

Karhan’s eyelids moved rapidly at the sight of Liras suddenly lost in thought. The Liras he knew wasn’t one to fall into deep contemplation to the point of ignoring the person in front of him. First Seol, and now Liras mentioning Doel and reacting like this – the thought flashed through his mind that there might be something hidden about him.

“Is there something about Sir Doel?”

“Sir?”

“Yes. He’s an apprentice knight of our Barthes Duchy.”

“…Are you not in any kind of relationship with him?”

“No, we are not.”

Karhan’s brow furrowed at the somehow familiar repertoire. Liras, sensing something suspicious in Karhan’s response that seemed to express distaste, asked.

“Where did you meet him? Don’t you feel any attraction? Nothing at all?”

Karhan’s eyebrow twitched at the flood of questions. Then he answered in a voice that seemed to be holding back.

“We met in the Sabon region, and I feel no attraction whatsoever. He’s just an employee, nothing more.”

“The Sabon region?”

“Yes.”

At those words, Liras’s green eyes gleamed like glass marbles. Except for the fact that Karhan had no relationship with him, reality matched the dream exactly. There were a few things that bothered him, but that was an issue he could consider after one more confirmation.

He calmly raised his hand and brushed his fine hair once. Then, lowering it slowly, he changed his sharply raised pupils to look exactly like a human’s. With a deep smile, he asked.

“I’d like to meet this human called Doel. Where is he now?”

The green eyes hidden between his narrowly curved eyelids gleamed.