The Duke looked down at the crouching bird.
“…Peep, peep.”
The canary was crying softly. It sounded like a baby bird calling for its mother.
“Canary.”
Leonard whispered as he placed his hand on the bird’s back. Just a moment ago, the bird was burning with fever. But now, it felt as cold as ice.
Remembering the first time he found the bird freezing, Leonard’s blood ran cold.
Clunk!
He threw a bunch of firewood into the fireplace. The flames grew red-hot, almost reaching outside the hearth.
“Canary! Stay with me.”
Leonard gently shook the canary, trying to rouse it. The bird, unable to open its eyes, started crawling towards him, seeking warmth.
Leonard hurriedly scooped the canary into his arms. Even though the bird kept burrowing deeper into his chest, his heart ached.
“You can’t die… just hang on, okay?”
The canary’s cries didn’t stop until late into the night. Leonard continued to softly soothe the bird, whispering to it over and over.
Suddenly, the unpleasant fever seemed to subside.
Isadora slowly opened her eyes. The room was dimly lit, so it must have been early morning. She found herself in the Duke’s arms.
‘You really didn’t expect to be taking care of a sick bird, huh?’
On the first day, he’d wake up the moment the bird flapped its wings. But now, he was holding the bird, sleeping soundly with a furrowed brow.
‘Why’s he frowning while he sleeps?’ Was he sick?
She remembered she was the one who had been sick.
“…”
Even in the nightmare where she was searching for her parents, she could hear the Duke’s low voice. He said the vet would arrive soon.
‘Just hang on a little longer. Please don’t die,’ he had whispered.
Isadora nestled deeper into his arms, inhaling the pleasant scent from his clothes. The warmth felt comforting, and she slowly closed her eyes.
‘Come to think of it, didn’t I use to sleep at the edge of the bed?’ When did it become more comfortable by his side?
Isadora drifted back to sleep.
It turned out she only had a stomachache from eating the wrong paper. After throwing up the paper, the bird was fine again, no further treatment needed.
“Caw, caw!”
The bird regained its loud, cheerful voice.
The Duke finally relaxed when Cliff, the vet, arrived.
“Didn’t I tell you to hurry up?” The vet asked nervously as he bowed low in front of the Duke.
The raven looked perfectly healthy, so no medication was needed.
“Thanks to Your Grace’s care, it looks completely healed.”
Cliff kept praising the Duke for taking care of the bird all night, but Leonard simply stared with a cold expression, his lips pressed together.
Cliff swallowed nervously and got ready to leave.
“I have something I’d like to ask you.”
“Oh? What do you want to know?”
Cliff’s mind went to a dark place, imagining the Duke pulling out a knife and asking about his screams.
“Is my canary a male or female?”
The Duke’s question was surprisingly ordinary.
“It’s a female.”
Cliff answered quickly, not even a second later.
Leonard was surprised. He had been following the canaries behind every day, and he had never noticed before.
“How did you tell just from looking at its face?”
“It’s a bit bigger than most female ravens, but see this gray feather?” The vet pointed to the bird’s cheek and belly, where the feathers were lighter gray than its back. “Females usually have slightly lighter feathers than males.”
“I see…”
“You can also tell the bird’s age by looking at its cheek and belly. Younger birds have darker feathers. This one is definitely an adult.”
Leonard nodded, feeling relieved. The curiosity that had been bothering him for so long was finally answered. The canary was a female.
“That’s why your cries were so pretty,” Leonard murmured.
“…What?”
Cliff was in disbelief, too stunned to speak. The Duke was softly rubbing the bird’s cheek, and now he was even pressing his face against it.
Cliff was seriously questioning his own eyes. What’s going on? Why is the Duke looking at the raven like it’s his lover?
Then Cliff realized something he had missed before. The Duke was calling the raven “Canary,” even though it was a crow!
“Oh no! It’s not the bird that needs urgent treatment. It’s the Duke!”
Cliff quickly gave a signal to one of the servants.
‘Call the doctor! Now!’
But the servants just looked at him blankly, not moving. They had gotten used to the Duke’s strange behavior by now.
It had already been a month and a half since they moved to the Duke’s residence.
These days, the Duke had become a little more laid-back. He used to start his work at exactly six in the morning, but now he would leisurely stay in bed, holding Isadora, and often wake up ten minutes later than usual.
“Jelkeros, a busy harbor town. Canary, do you want to go there someday?”
The Duke would talk to the bird every time he read a line of paperwork.
“It’s a place with a lot of trade, so there’s a lot to see.”
“Caw.”
“Alright. We’ll go when the weather gets better.”
Today, the Duke seemed especially distracted. He even threw the paper down, frustrated.
“I don’t want to read it anymore.”
[Oh my goodness.]
The great Karibu Duke is complaining about work!
[Could you pick up the paper again? I was just about to get interested.]
Isadora asked politely.
The Duke, lying on the desk, looked straight at her with eyes that were softer than usual. Isadora felt a little uneasy. Based on experience, this was when the Duke would start petting her until she couldn’t take it anymore.
“Isn’t it boring?”
[Isn’t your boredom the problem?]
“Let me see… Do I have a button for you…”
In his drawer, there were around a dozen shiny buttons, all of which Isadora had pulled off. As one rolled off the desk, Isadora clicked her tongue in frustration.
[Ugh, forget it! I’m not interested in that anymore.]
But she couldn’t help herself. She dove after the button, already losing focus.
She was sometimes turning into a human, but she still didn’t have enough time for it.
Just then, there was a knock on the door.
“Your Grace, Lord Slid is here to see you.”
What? Lord Slid?
Isadora dropped the button she was holding.
“Let him in.”
At the Duke’s command, a white-haired old man walked in.
‘Lowell Slid. The Duke’s cavalry commander and the one who governs the western border with the North Rick Kingdom.’
What mattered most was that Lord Slid had sworn loyalty to the late King Enok, the Duke’s father, and was the only servant who had survived with the Duke after the king’s death.
‘How did he survive alone? Maybe he’s hiding something big!’
Isadora observed him with sparkling eyes.
Despite his old age, with deep wrinkles, a thin body, and a white beard, he exuded an aura just as strong as the Duke’s.
“Your Grace, I have come to…” Lord Slid began but stopped when he saw the black bird sitting on the Duke’s shoulder.
His eyes blinked rapidly, clearly unsure of what he was seeing.
“That bird… What is it?”
“It’s my canary.”
“A canary? But that’s a raven, isn’t it?”
“It’s the name of my raven. It’s called ‘Canary.’”
It took a moment for Lord Slid to process the information.
“…Your Grace!”
Suddenly, his face turned bright red as he pointed at the bird.
“You brought a wild beast into the castle?!”
Why was he so angry?
Despite the rude finger pointing, Isadora just stared at him in confusion.
Her bold attitude only made Lord Slid more uncomfortable.
“Look at that disgusting gaze! It’s like fish eyes. It’s so suspicious!”
Isadora’s eyes narrowed into slits.
[What’s that supposed to mean?]
Fish eyes. That was the nickname given to her by her enemy, Sabne Harris, at the Golden Scales News!
Hearing it again made her stomach churn.
[Ugh, ravens’ eyes are naturally white! What do you mean by fish eyes?!]
“Caw! Caw!”
Isadora screeched loudly.
So he survived by being good at tightrope walking, but now she saw he was just a suspicious, socially awkward old man!
Lord Slid wasn’t done yet. He firmly bowed to the Duke and spoke.
“Your Grace, I sincerely request that you remove that bird from the castle immediately!”
