He continued reading the letter.
[Your ability seems unstable, and you appear unable to properly control your beastification and return to human form. Forgive me for asking such a question, but… did you perhaps send Lady Linsi to Eckhart? It’s different from what I heard before, so I must ask. And about my younger brother…]
Impossible!
There was no way he would ever send Linsi.
Among all the daughters of Raniero, Linsi was the one with the most exceptional power.
The one meant to be sent to Eckhart was Shuvel.
A mutation, born with a twisted power.
A child who was utterly incompetent in every way—but in Eckhart, she would fulfill her purpose perfectly.
“She’s the only card that can sever the exalted wolf clan’s bloodline.”
For Shuvel’s ability was not the healing power that symbolized Raniero, but one that drained the very life force of others.
If Shuvel went and carried out her role, the bloodline of the wolf chieftain’s family would be cut off.
Then Raniero, who had long prepared his assault, would finally be able to bring down his old enemy, Eckhart.
So of course, Linsi had never even been considered.
Whatever Arsen Eckhart’s illness was, there was little that Raniero’s healing power could not cure.
If Linsi were the one sent, Arsen Eckhart’s disease would surely be healed.
And furthermore—
Once Linsi surpassed the age of ten and manifested as an eagle, she would be an invaluable asset, able to assist her elder brother, who was to inherit the clan headship, and lead Raniero with brilliance.
“As long as she manifests as an eagle.”
Children of Raniero gained the ability to beastify from the age of ten, when molting began.
At first, their beast form appeared as a small, fawn-colored bird, but as molting progressed and their bodies grew, they transformed into eagles.
Occasionally, “failures” would emerge—children who could never become eagles.
But judging by Linsi’s strong abilities, there was little chance of that.
And yet, Linsi was sent to Eckhart?
Then it struck him—the time of Linsi’s disappearance overlapped perfectly with when Kendrick Eckhart had left the manor by carriage.
She had vanished two days ago.
And Kendrick had departed two days ago as well.
At that realization, Arthur Raniero’s face twisted in rage.
There was no doubt about it—Kendrick had kidnapped Linsi.
The true purpose of Kendrick’s visit was to threaten them into handing over a daughter of Raniero.
Having reached that conclusion, Arthur Raniero tore the letter to shreds and slammed his fist on the oak desk.
“Contact the temple immediately!”
Why are my ears so itchy?
As if someone were talking about me.
I tried to scratch my ear with my wing.
But my clumsy wings couldn’t even reach, so I rubbed my cheek against the corner of the bed instead.
Ah, that feels good.
Once I’d scratched enough to be satisfied, I flopped down onto the little bed made to fit my size.
The pink bed had been specially crafted at the request of the maids, who had gone to the most famous toymaker in wolf territory.
Fortunately, it fit my beastified body perfectly.
There were also tiny handmade quilts and little pillows scattered across it.
I lay down on a pillow and pulled the blanket up to my head.
Suddenly, drowsiness crept over me.
As my eyelids drooped, an all-too-familiar face floated up in my mind.
I wonder how Adel is doing.
There was nothing I missed from the mansion I’d left behind, save for Adel.
I should have told him to run away too, since I was planning to escape.
But if I had told him my plan honestly, he would surely have called it madness and tried to stop me.
And if I had stayed in that mansion…
Just like in my previous life, I would have been abandoned after my first molt, and Adel would have been killed.
No—this was the best choice for both of us.
Not for Father, of course.
Now I really should sleep.
Just as I was tugging the blanket higher, bright moonlight spilled across my bed.
And in the light, I saw a single red feather poking up from my belly.
…Huh?
Was I seeing things?
I quickly flung off the blanket.
Fluttering over to the moonlit window, I inspected the feathers on my belly.
They were all the usual soft fawn color—except for one, faintly tinged with red.
Why is this happening?
Molting only began at age ten.
It was the same for all clans’ children.
In my previous life too, I had begun molting right at ten—no exceptions.
But for a red feather to appear this early?
Even if I’d started using my powers faster than others, the timing of the first molt never changed…
I stared and stared at the feather in horror.
No matter how I looked at it, it was red.
I’d been in Eckhart for barely a day, and already I bore a cursed feather.
If they find out, I might be abandoned.
The wolves of Eckhart seemed to like me well enough, but that was different. Being discovered with a cursed feather this soon would be dangerous.
At the very least, it had to be after Arsen was healed—after they owed me a debt.
Carefully, I grasped the tiny feather with my beak.
Then—
Eek!
With my eyes squeezed shut, I yanked it out with all my strength.
Pop.
The reddish feather dropped onto the windowsill, discarded.
The spot where it had been throbbed painfully. Tears welled up.
Quickly, I tossed the feather out the window, then fluttered back to my bed.
It was just a mistake.
There’s no way molting had already begun.
Yes, yes.
It must just be a dream.
A bad dream.
Shaking off the dark thoughts as best I could, I closed my eyes and tried to sleep.
Strange.
Even after resting soundly for three days as Doctor Hern instructed, my beast form had not lifted.
Still stuck as a bird.
In this wolf manor, it was much easier to live in human form than as a bird.
How much longer will it last?
I twisted this way and that, inspecting myself.
Nothing seemed particularly wrong.
Being in beast form wasn’t exactly uncomfortable…
But the biggest problem was communication—I couldn’t speak with the wolves.
“Tweet, chirp!”
No matter how hard I tried, the only sounds I could make were tiny bird calls.
And beyond that—
If I stay like this, I can’t properly use my powers either.
Here in the wolf manor, my position was precarious.
To marry, I need Raniero’s approval.
But Father would never let me go so easily.
He’d find some way to drag me back and send Shuvel in my place.
From the wolves’ perspective, it didn’t matter whether it was me or Shuvel.
To them, we were both Raniros with healing powers.
If Father kept pressing them, they might just decide to send me back.
I clamped my beak shut.
Never!
I had to stay here no matter what.
It was true that since I had come to wolf territory of my own will, Father couldn’t drag me back by force…
But if the wolves decided to send me away, I would have no choice but to return to Raniero.
That thought made my chest heavy.
My tail drooped, dragging along the floor.
If only I could get married soon.
Then I would truly be protected under the wolves’ name.
Just then, the sound of many footsteps rushed in.
Huh?
I lifted my head.
Several maids appeared, looking deeply worried.
“Young Lady! Are you alright?”
“Your tail is drooping…”
“You must be tired—maybe because you haven’t had your snacks?”
One of them picked up the cushion I was sitting on, leaving me perched awkwardly while enduring all their concerned gazes.
Why are they paying so much attention to me?
The Eckhart maids were oddly interested in me.
During every break, they would rush to my room just to look at me.
Some made tiny flower crowns and set them on my head; others embroidered handkerchiefs and gifted them to me.
The gifts were nice, but…
I shot Betty, standing off to the side, a pleading look for help.
But she only smiled sweetly.
This is too much…
The wolf maids, with their sharp fangs and gleaming eyes of every color, all stared at me.
“Please try these almonds, they’ll cheer you up!”
“Shall I bring you some hot chocolate?”
“Young Lady, don’t you like fruit? We have piles of it!”
Like a chorus of songbirds, they chirped endlessly while thrusting snacks toward me.
Among them, one caught my eye above all—almonds.
“Chirp!”
The moment I saw them, my tail perked right back up.
I flitted onto the table and pecked an almond from the dish, crunching it with delight.
The sweet chocolate coating melted in my mouth, followed by the nutty flavor filling every corner. The taste of chocolate-covered almonds was pure bliss.
So blissful that I forgot my worries for a moment.
Munching happily, I looked up at the maids.
Their cheeks were flushed bright red.
At first, I thought they were glaring at me because they wanted to eat me.
After all, the wolf clan and bird clan had been enemies for ages.
I had assumed the servants here would dislike me.
But my guess had been wrong.
Every wolf in the manor treated me with kindness.
The maids especially so.
They handled me as if I were a delicate bundle of fluff, always bringing me mountains of sweet treats.
And thanks to them, I’d grown plump in just three days.
I glanced down at my round belly.
And then—
Plump…?
Come to think of it, hadn’t Adel once read me a story like this?
A lion that fattened up a little bird before swallowing it whole.
Gasp!
At that memory, a shiver of dread crawled over my skin.
