News that the baby bird’s beast transformation had been undone spread quickly throughout the mansion.
“Finally, the transformation is undone?”
“Yes. It seems that while being startled by the mansion staff and flying around, the child collided with the young master, and the shock appears to have reversed the transformation.”
Ethan replied calmly.
Kendrick Eckhart crossed his long legs, set down the documents he had been holding, and spoke.
“Then bring them here immediately. I was wondering when it would happen anyway.”
After nodding, Ethan left the room. Kendrick remained alone in his office, reopening the note that the baby bird had delivered.
[My name is Linsi Raniero. Please take me to Eckhart.]
The handwriting, crooked as it was from a child, struck Kendrick as rather endearing, and he found himself smiling several times.
He had been curious all this time why the baby bird had asked to be taken along.
Now, finally, he would get an answer.
He tilted his head in anticipation.
“How old could they be?”
Judging by the uncontrollable beast transformation, the child was certainly not ten.
They were also quite small.
Why on earth would someone so young ask to be taken to the Wolf Mansion?
There had to be a reason.
It didn’t seem like the child was merely following out of boredom. The baby bird had appeared genuinely desperate.
Of course, if Kendrick’s assumption was wrong, he had no problem sending the child back.
“But…”
Now, having come to propose a political marriage with Raniero, could it really be a coincidence that this child wanted to follow him?
Perhaps it was fate’s arrangement for him.
“Hmm.”
He recalled the baby bird scurrying across the wide mansion.
Kendrick slowly closed his eyes.
Tiny wings, a delicate tail, an even more delicate beak, and bright, keen eyes came to mind one by one.
When he opened his eyes again, a faint smile touched his lips.
“Perfect for a daughter-in-law.”
It couldn’t be any better. Moreover…
“They have quite strong abilities.”
The fact that the child could use their abilities even before the first molt indicated exceptional power.
And almost none of it leaked unintentionally.
From a glance, it seemed the child was one of the strongest among the Raniero bloodline.
For the Wolf Clan, this was a golden opportunity.
Normally, he wouldn’t have just taken a baby bird who couldn’t even speak simply because it wanted to follow him.
But the situation was different now.
His only son, Arsen, heir to the Gray Wolf family, was deteriorating day by day.
Although the world believed his illness was unknown, Kendrick and a few of his close aides knew the truth.
Arsen’s condition wasn’t an illness.
“It’s a curse.”
In the north of the Wolf Clan’s Eckhart lands, there had long been a forbidden place.
Known as “Damahl, the Cursed Land.”
The land was cursed in ancient times, inhospitable to life. One wrong step and the curse would take your life.
Thus, the Wolf Clan strictly forbade and monitored access.
The problem was that, for some reason, the curse had manifested in Arsen.
The curse of Damahl.
Black markings, resembling ancient symbols, repeatedly appeared and vanished across his body. Seizures, fever, and difficulty breathing often accompanied it.
No one had ever been affected without stepping foot in Damahl before, so there was no precedent for dealing with it.
Doctors had given up on treatment.
“His condition is poor. Treatment is impossible. Perhaps it would be better to send him to a suitable place for convalescence…”
Kendrick Eckhart recalled the family physician’s words during the last consultation and pressed his temple.
“Convalescence…”
If he could, he would have sent him.
But Arsen was the only heir of the Gray Wolf family. Losing him meant the family line would end.
Arsen was the only direct heir to inherit the Wolf Clan’s strongest abilities.
Moreover, everyone knew the sole heir was frail, and any rival clans would surely try to harm him.
So Kendrick couldn’t separate Arsen from his side.
But he also couldn’t remain idle until Arsen died.
Above all, he was Arsen Eckhart’s father.
The solution he devised was to pressure the enemy Raniero family.
If the Wolf Clan’s abilities were unmatched in power, the Raniero’s were the opposite: healing.
The Raniero head and their direct heirs, particularly those with exceptional abilities, could heal any disease.
Furthermore, the curse of Damahl was said to originate from an ancient lineage’s abilities.
Since both the curse and the Raniero healing abilities stemmed from ancient powers, it was possible they could heal Arsen.
Thus, he proposed a political marriage between Arsen and a Raniero daughter.
The price? The Hampton River, flowing at the border of the new and Wolf territories.
For Raniero, the offer was too good to refuse, while for Eckhart, it was generous.
Naturally, the elders protested.
“Hampton River? We can’t give that to Raniero! It flows through a large part of Wolf territory!”
“No matter how you look at it, it’s still too much. Perhaps a mine would be better…”
But Kendrick had no other choice.
“The Raniero wouldn’t give their daughters willingly.”
The Wolf and Bird clans were enemies, and Raniero was known for not marrying off direct heirs to other families.
So Kendrick had no choice but to offer what Raniero valued most in exchange for a contractual marriage.
In this context, the appearance of the baby bird was nothing short of miraculous.
If the baby bird remained at Eckhart voluntarily, they had come of their own accord, and he wouldn’t need to give up the Hampton River.
Having thought this through, Kendrick ran a hand through his hair and waited for Ethan to return with Linsi.
“My name is Linsi Raniero.”
The child spoke clearly.
Though the child seemed timid, they did not avert their gaze from Kendrick Eckhart.
That intrigued him.
“Quite thin.”
Kendrick slowly appraised Linsi.
The clothes were of good quality, but the frail wrists looked as if they might snap easily.
The child struggled to speak—but that was natural.
Kendrick Eckhart was the head of the Gray Wolf family.
Even adult birds would be intimidated if asked to meet him alone. How much more a child?
So Kendrick didn’t rush the child.
After a moment, the child, having gauged him, finally spoke.
“Actually, I eavesdropped on your conversation with my father.”
The child placed their small hands politely on their lap and looked up.
“Conversation?”
“Yes. That’s why I asked to be taken along.”
Pointing to the note, the child continued,
“I can help you, Kendrick.”
Their clear green eyes met his without wavering.
He examined the child again.
“Almost no power is leaking out.”
The weaker and less controlled one’s abilities, the more they would leak unintentionally.
If the container is small, water overflows.
Yet here, almost none leaked.
Even to the Wolf Clan head, it was barely visible, meaning the child possessed extraordinary abilities.
Sufficient to heal his son, Arsen.
“You said your family is looking for a marriage partner for your son?”
“That’s right.”
“Please let me marry Arsen!”
“…….”
“I will heal Arsen.”
“You?”
“Yes.”
The child’s determination seemed desperate in a way.
Kendrick leaned down to meet their eyes.
“Linsi, I want to ask something.”
“Yes, sir.”
“What do you want in return for healing him?”
It was a natural question.
The child would gain nothing from this deal.
The Wolf Clan alone would benefit.
The Bird Clan, and Linsi in particular, gained nothing. In fact, they would lose—if Linsi married voluntarily, the agreed compensation would be lost.
If the child came purely to heal Arsen with no gain, he might suspect a Raniero spy.
Linsi hesitated, biting their lip, then spoke haltingly.
“Please… don’t abandon me, even if I become ugly.”
“What?”
“When I molt for the first time, I’ll grow very unsightly red feathers. Even then, please don’t abandon me, and protect me until I come of age.”
Linsi raised their head.
They knew what would happen after their first molt: they would have an extremely unsightly red plumage.
Of course, they couldn’t explain everything to Kendrick Eckhart, but it was good to secure this promise.
“I want the Wolf Clan’s protection in return for healing. Protect me in the name of your family.”
The small girl’s voice rang clearly through the office.
