Episode 7
They used to call Leonard Caribou “Ice” or “Stone.”
But right now, that cold man looked… flustered.
Even Isadora was confused.
“Wait… is this guy really the Black Duke? Could he secretly have a twin brother? Or maybe… he’s a doppelgänger monster pretending to be him?”
While her imagination ran wild, the Duke quickly returned to his usual calm face and carefully placed her on the desk.
Luckily, nothing was broken.
“Whew… I nearly lost ten years of my life just now.”
She peeked up at him. The Duke was staring at her like he was analyzing an official document.
His blue eyes focused on the same spot as before—her right bird leg.
His finger reached for her.
[Ugh, no! Please don’t touch me!]
Isadora flinched away.
But the hand came again.
[I said nooo!]
And so it began—his hand chasing, her pulling away.
Again and again.
After a long game of tag, Isadora finally flopped down on her belly.
[There! Now you can’t reach me!]
She tucked her legs tightly under herself, looking proud.
At last, the Duke pulled his hand back.
“You’re injured.”
“……”
At those words, her round bird eyes instantly turned sharp.
“Not broken. Just twisted, perhaps?”
“……”
“Where did you hurt yourself?”
The crow stayed silent.
Normally, she never shut up, so this was unusual.
Leonard opened a drawer and pulled out some bandages. He beckoned her with a hand.
“Come here. I’ll treat it.”
Isadora watched curiously as her skinny leg was wrapped.
He even used paper as a splint and bound it so thick it looked swollen.
“What were you doing to end up like this? Did you fall? Or bump into someone?”
She didn’t answer.
In the wild, wounded animals are the first to be hunted.
Same in the human world.
So she always hid her weaknesses.
“All done.”
The Duke quietly set her down.
She tested her bandaged leg, hopping up and down.
[Wow! You’re amazing at this!]
Strangely, she felt no pain at all. Excited, she bounced around—until his brows furrowed.
“Don’t run.”
He picked her up again, tucking her against his side.
Weirdly enough, it felt… safe.
Like fitting perfectly into a hollow in a tree.
[Thank you for treating me, Duke.]
She finally said politely.
[But, uh…]
She glared up at him as he walked out of the office with her still stuck under his arm.
[Can’t I just walk on my own legs?!]
Everyone in the hallway was staring at her. So embarrassing.
The next day.
Sitting on the Duke’s shoulder, Isadora spotted something.
“Wait… that red hair—!”
[There! That’s him!]
“CAW! CAWW!”
The sudden crow scream made the servants jump.
[That’s the thief I told you about! The one who stole the watch!]
She flapped her still-healing wing furiously.
The red-haired servant just exchanged “innocent” glances with others, then even bowed politely to the Duke.
[Look at him acting all nice! He even swung a broom at me before!]
As the Duke walked past, the thief slyly rolled his eyes toward her.
[Ugh! So annoying! Duke, order the guards to search his room right now!]
She even pecked in the thief’s direction, but…
Instead of scolding the thief, the Duke stopped her instead.
“Enough. Sit still.”
[What?! Why only me?!]
She fumed, feeling wronged.
“The thief’s right there! But I’m the one getting treated like a naughty pet?”
Her eyes sharpened like an eagle’s, and she started pecking at his shoulder in protest.
By the time they got back to the office, she hopped off his shoulder angrily.
[What’s your problem now?]
But even he looked a little upset for some reason.
After sulking for a while, she sidled up again as he worked. She peeked at his papers.
[Hmm… nothing suspicious. No scoops here.]
She sighed.
“Guess I’ll have to dig into that thief’s secrets instead.”
Determined, she scampered to the edge of the desk.
She hopped down toward the door—just as the Duke stood up, arms folded, watching.
“This explains why your leg was injured.”
[Huh?]
Her right leg was still wrapped in the bandage he’d put on.
[Oh, but if I spread my wings while jumping, it slows the fall, so it’s not that dangerous—aaah!!]
She yelped as the Duke grabbed her mid-sentence.
[W-What are you doing?!]
The Duke shouted toward the door:
“Bring me a birdcage.”
[Gasp!!]
Her eyes went wide.
[Wait, what?! You’ve never used a cage before—why now?!]
She shrieked and flailed, but for once, the Duke’s will was unshakable.
Normally, her loud voice won. But not this time.
Locked inside, she screeched like crazy.
[Why are you locking me up like a criminal?!]
“CAW! CAAW!”
“Stay there until your leg heals.”
[What?! Just for that?!]
Fuming, she glanced down at herself. Bandages on her wings, bandages on her leg.
…Okay, maybe she did look pitiful.
She plopped onto the cold floor with a sigh.
[Guess I’m stuck behind bars for a while.]
But since the cage was on the desk, she couldn’t see the documents properly.
She eyed the latch.
“If I use my beak, I can probably open it… But with him watching me, I’ll just get caught again. And next time, the cage won’t be this flimsy.”
She frowned.
“What do I do…?”
Then an idea hit her. Her eyes lit up.
― CLANG! CLANG!
She started stomping around, claws tapping noisily against the metal floor.
The Duke winced.
[How’s that? Annoying, right? Distracting, huh?!]
“CAW-CAW-CAW!”
She laughed loudly, proud of herself.
The Duke quietly called a servant.
She thought: “Yes! Finally, he’ll order them to take me out!”
“Bring a cushion for the cage.”
[WHAT?!]
He continued calmly.
“She seems uncomfortable on the hard floor.”
Her plan totally backfired.
Soon, a servant shoved a soft cushion inside.
[Waaahh!!]
She scrambled to the side, but the cushion filled the space anyway.
“Think, think! I need another plan!”
As she panicked, her eyes met the Duke’s calm blue gaze right outside the bars.
One word flashed in her mind.
“Head-on escape.”
“CAAW!”
She gave a war cry and leapt—using the servant’s hand as a springboard.
She burst out of the cage!
“Damn!” The servant tried to catch her, but she darted away, rushing past a mountain of paperwork—straight toward the Duke.
― THUMP!
It was a tiny crash, but even his stone-like body shook.
The startled Duke looked down.
There, snuggled right against his chest, the little black crow blinked up at him with wide eyes.
