TBVDCW 61

Chapter 61

Elena’s condition was still not very good, so the tearful reunion had to end quickly.

Half regret, half relief, Flora left her room and immediately thought of her next stop.

“Oppa, Basil!”

“Yes, yes. I was going there even if you hadn’t said it.”

The moment she stepped out of the room, she urged Venio, who just chuckled and nodded.

Just in case, they first stopped by the infirmary within the castle, but Basilian was nowhere to be seen.

Determined not to keep missing him again, Flora eagerly went straight to his room, her face alight with anticipation.

But once again, there was no response from inside.

In the end, unable to keep waiting, Flora wriggled out of Venio’s arms, landed on the ground, and began banging on the door frantically.

“Basil, Basil! I’m here!”

Even after repeated knocks, there was no reply. She pushed the door open, but unfortunately, the room was completely empty.

Venio, who had been watching silently from behind, quietly studied her expression before saying,

“Well, it seems like meeting him today will be difficult.”

“Don’t you know where he went?”

She asked in disappointment, but of course Venio had no way of knowing Basilian’s whereabouts.

When Venio shook his head, Flora shut the wide-open door.

“Can’t be helped then. He must be busy.”

‘That’s a milder reaction than I expected.’

Her surprisingly calm response made Venio hide his surprise.

He had been ready to grab her in case she threw a tantrum and bolted down the hall to look for Basilian, so he felt a quiet relief as he lowered his hand.

‘Has she grown in just that short time?’

But then another thought struck him — what if this change was only because of the trauma from her kidnapping? His brow furrowed.

Just then, Flora trudged ahead, leading the way back to her own room.

As Venio wondered what he should say, he noticed her slumped shoulders.

‘…Oh.’

So she had only been pretending to be fine.

‘Of course. She’s still got a long way to go before she’s grown.’

Smoothing his frown away, Venio quickly caught up to her and effortlessly scooped her back into his arms.

“What are you doing? I can walk by myself.”

Her voice sounded gloomier than usual. Realizing it himself, Flora’s words grew quieter toward the end.

“I just want to carry you.”

‘What’s this about? Why is he acting like this?’

Suspicious at first, Flora stared at him for a moment before leaning into his chest comfortably.

“Phew, fine, fine.”

Not being able to see Basilian had dampened her mood, but feeling someone’s warmth improved it a little.

‘What on earth is he doing that he hasn’t shown his face even after hearing I was back?’

He had cried so desperately when calling for her before, but now they kept missing each other.

‘I even came to see him first because I was worried…’

Maybe because she had already confirmed Elena was safe, but now she couldn’t stop picturing Basilian’s battered and nearly collapsed state.

She wouldn’t feel at ease until she saw with her own eyes that he was fine. But where was that fool wandering around?

She regretted not coming to him sooner.

“Oppa, Basil was really hurt badly, right?”

“…It’s not like he wasn’t hurt.”

True to his nature as a Lucipher, Venio wasn’t good at lying.

“Right, if he was hurt so badly, then where could he have gone?”

“…Hmm, maybe he wanted to see you and went to look for you? And you just kept missing each other.”

But he was still a good older brother who knew how to comfort his gloomy little sister.

“If you rest in your room, he’ll hear and come find you. So for today, let’s go back. You need to eat too. How about some warm potato soup?”

“…Mhm.”

Consoled by his gentle words, Flora reluctantly nodded.

Since she had gone to see him twice, it was now Basilian’s turn to come.

She was tired anyway, so it was a good time for a break. Snuggling into Venio’s arms, Flora allowed herself to relax.

‘…Why isn’t he coming?’

Yesterday, she had assumed he was too tired and had let it slide.

But even the next day, Basilian still didn’t show up.

Worried that maybe he was angry and didn’t want to see her, she went to his room one last time with determination — but once again, it was empty.

In the end, Flora had to return to her own room with nothing gained.

‘Is this right?’

Where had Basilian gone, and why couldn’t she meet him no matter how much she wanted to?

‘Even when I ask people in the castle, everyone says they don’t know.’

Thinking maybe someone else might know, she asked around, but all the answers were the same.

Some even said it was strange, wondering aloud why he hadn’t been seen at all. It was beyond frustrating.

‘Don’t tell me… he left without saying anything?’

It couldn’t be, but the thought still surfaced.

What if he had seen her using demonic energy during that fight and left, disappointed in her?

‘Right before Janet appeared, I did lose control for a moment… it’s possible he could’ve seen.’

But she couldn’t even ask him directly. Without Basilian here, there was nothing she could do.

All she could do was wait. And wait some more.

‘…So this is what it feels like.’

Only half a day, at most a day.

Waiting without knowing where someone was or how to reach them turned out to be far harder than she imagined.

‘And maybe…’

Maybe Basilian had waited for her with even greater desperation than what she was feeling now.

Realizing that, she felt too sheepish to get angry.

“…I’ll just wait a little longer.”

Telling herself she was being generous, Flora flopped onto her bed.

She had even sent Daphne, now her temporary maid again, out of the room. Deciding to rest somewhere quiet, she closed her eyes.

「My lord.」

A familiar voice rang in her ears. Her eyes snapped open, and she saw a small magic circle glowing just beneath the ceiling.

Something small and light fell from it, shimmering.

Startled, Flora sat up and caught the fluffy white thing in her hands.

‘A sparrow?’

Recognizing it from an animal encyclopedia she once saw at the orphanage, Flora blinked in surprise.

「As expected of my lord, your reflexes are extraordinary.」

That familiar way of addressing her, that familiar voice, the flattering tone that felt both polished and sincere —

Even in the form of a tiny white fluff ball, it was unmistakably Janet.

“What’s with this form?”

「It seemed I could no longer remain here in the form of a cat.」

Spreading her wings proudly, Janet revealed her new body. But they were too small. If not for the dark gray tail feathers that matched her original hair color, it would’ve been hard to recognize her.

‘If she got buried in snow, no one would ever find her. At this size, maybe she could hide without even using magic.’

Small and white, she looked like she’d disappear into a snowfield completely.

「Apparently a cute appearance is useful for lowering human suspicion, so I chose this form. Does it suit me?」

“Yeah, I guess it does.”

Even Flora had to admit it.

Even knowing this tiny sparrow was really Janet, she still wanted to pet and play with her.

‘So soft.’

When she stroked the round little head, the feathers felt silky and smooth beneath her fingers.

「I may be lacking, but from now on, I will serve you with all my heart in this form.」

Whether she realized Flora’s thoughts or not, Janet dipped her head solemnly.

“Okay, let’s do that.”

After patting her head a few more times, Flora lost interest and flopped back down again.

But unlike her, Janet was bursting with energy.

She flitted around the room, wings fluttering, checking every corner before returning to Flora’s side.

「This room is too small.」

“For a child like me, it’s not bad.”

「And the wallpaper, furniture, decorations, even the rug on the floor — all of them are cheap and unworthy! How can such things match your stature, my lord?!」

Her despairing voice carried such outrage, but Flora stayed calm.

After all, she’d experienced this exact thing on her first day at the castle. She was used to it now.

“This place is just poor, that’s all.”

「…Damn that Lucipher family! You sacrificed yourself, and yet they couldn’t even prosper enough to give you a luxurious life!」

The little sparrow was furious.

She hopped around angrily, feathers puffed up, until Flora lightly tapped her tiny head with a finger to calm her down.

“It’s fine. Thanks to you, Janet, we’ll be rich soon. So…”

She was about to finish her sentence when —

Tap, tap. Something tapped against the window.

“…What’s that?”

Thinking maybe it was just a branch hitting the glass, she turned her head, but the sound stopped.

“Must be a tree.”