Chapter 2
…Was that permission?
Could it be that Baon is actually pretty clueless?
Well, it worked out in my favor in the end, so I guess it didn’t matter.
I stood on my toes, hanging onto the tied handle of the basket, and looked around the room.
I couldn’t see everything clearly, but just from the ceiling and walls alone, I could tell it was a very luxurious room.
I recalled the man Baon had just called “Head of the House.”
Being addressed like that meant he led an entire family, and this house belonged to him.
Wait a second.
A realization hit me belatedly, and my body froze.
…The owner of this house doesn’t like me.
It was obvious just from the conversation he had with Baon.
That man—the Head—clearly wasn’t pleased about me staying here.
It was only a matter of time before I got kicked out.
What should I do?
“…Peep.”
I covered my eyes. My wings felt damp.
“You’re crying.”
Baon asked, sounding puzzled.
“Are you hungry?”
“…Peep.”
I tilted my head, then nodded. That might be it.
I had just hatched from an egg and hadn’t eaten anything yet.
The moment I realized that, my stomach growled.
Baon, unexpectedly, looked flustered.
“Hm. Now that I think about it, what do birds eat?”
Wait, hold on.
“Do they eat meat? No, that’s probably birds of prey…”
Muttering to himself, Baon looked at me thoughtfully.
This didn’t feel right. Not with that look in his eyes.
A creeping sense of dread rose within me, and I clamped my beak shut.
No. I absolutely cannot open my beak.
Just as my anxiety reached its peak and I was about to imagine something horrifying—
Baon suddenly spoke, as if he had an idea.
“Ah. Do they eat bugs? Like insects?”
“Peep! Peep peeeep!!”
No! Absolutely not!
I shook my head violently in refusal.
Seeing my intense reaction, the corners of Baon’s lips curved upward in a slightly mischievous smile.
He clearly looked like he was teasing me.
“I’ll go get some right away.”
“Peep! Peep! Peep!”
No! Don’t go! Baon!
Watching his back as he left the room, I called out to him desperately.
What if he actually brings some?
I dropped to my knees—no, stretched out my wings. My tiny, pitiful wings trembled helplessly.
One problem after another.
The future of my bird life felt incredibly bleak.
Fortunately, what Baon brought back was a small fruit.
The red fruit gave off a sweet aroma.
“There weren’t any living creatures to be found within the family estate.”
What kind of place was this that had no living creatures? Still, it was a huge relief.
I had been seriously worried he’d make me eat bugs.
“Go on, eat.”
“Peep!”
I began devouring the fruits one by one from the small container filled to the brim.
At first, I thought it would be difficult, but once I actually tried using my beak, it wasn’t that hard.
As I kept eating, I even developed a bit of technique and could eat them faster.
“Peep peep.”
I’m full.
I tapped my round, bulging belly. With food in my stomach and sunlight streaming in through the window, drowsiness washed over me.
After all, nothing beats a nap after eating.
How long had it been since I last had a proper nap?
Being able to sleep peacefully without having to stay on guard felt like a dream.
“You must be sleepy.”
“Peep.”
I nodded and plopped down onto the blanket.
A huge yawn escaped me.
As I rubbed my body and nodded off, I suddenly noticed fruit juice smeared on my soft white fur.
“Peep?”
When did that get there?
I looked around, then casually wiped it off on the blanket.
It only made things worse, spreading the stain further.
“…Peep!”
After wiping several times with no improvement, I kicked the blanket in frustration.
“Oh dear, you mustn’t do that.”
Baon scolded me sternly. Was he going to punish me for being ill-mannered?
I glanced at him cautiously, and he leaned down. When our eyes met, he spoke very seriously.
“What if you break your leg?”
“…”
“So you mustn’t kick things.”
I couldn’t just ignore that, so I quietly checked my legs.
Wiggle, wiggle.
“…Peep.”
See? They’re fine.
I showed him my legs. They were perfectly intact.
Still, I should be more careful from now on.
When I smoothed out the blanket, Baon made a strange expression—like he was holding back laughter…
Must be my imagination.
I looked down at the blanket gloomily.
To think I now had to classify even a blanket—once filled with soft cotton—as a potential hazard.
I always thought the safest place in the world was under a blanket.
“Starting tomorrow, someone new will be coming.”
“…?”
“Rosaria will help you with many things, so you must behave and listen well.”
I nodded obediently. If someone was coming to help, there was no reason to dislike it. In fact, it was welcome news.
My goal was to grow up safely in this house.
And if possible, I wanted to stay long enough to learn how to transform into a human.
In my previous life, I died without ever achieving human transformation.
If I were lucky, maybe I could even learn that from Rosaria.
“Hello, little one. You’re much cuter than I heard! My name is Rosaria.”
Early in the morning, Rosaria arrived much sooner than expected.
“Peep… peep.”
I greeted her awkwardly.
I hadn’t expected her to approach me so kindly.
It was obvious at a glance—she was treating me warmly.
I looked at her awkwardly, feeling a bit bashful.
Even the elders of my own kind hadn’t helped me, so the idea that someone not even of my kind would take care of me felt strange.
“Oh my, how polite. You just greeted me, didn’t you?”
Rosaria, with her thick wavy red hair and violet eyes, covered her mouth in delight over such a simple greeting.
Why was she so happy about this?
She looked like someone who had never received such a greeting before.
I didn’t know what she’d been through, but this…
This might be too easy.
Riding this momentum, I decided to show her the ultimate move I had been practicing all night.
It was my survival strategy—something I had trained to win over the people of this household.
“Peeep! Peep!”
The one move only allowed to little children.
Aka: “Pick me up.”
As I toddled toward her with both arms stretched out, Rosaria clutched her chest.
“My dear… To think someone like you is the Head’s daughter. I can’t believe it.”
“Peep peep.”
“Oh? You’ve got something on you. Shall we get you washed first?”
Composing herself, Rosaria pointed to the stains I had made while eating yesterday.
I quickly climbed carefully onto her palm.
It was time to return to my soft, fluffy self.
Holding me securely with one hand so I wouldn’t fall, Rosaria’s hand trembled slightly.
“How could they even think of sending someone like you outside the territory… It’s been so long, I might not be able to control my strength.”
…Did I just hear something wrong?
Or not?
I turned my head back nervously, and Rosaria smiled brightly.
“Don’t worry, little one. I’m quite good at controlling my strength. I’m not like those who swing their swords before they speak.”
“That’s why Sir Baon called me here.”
She said proudly.
Meanwhile, my body stiffened.
From tail to head, my feathers felt like they were standing on end.
I felt like I had just heard something very life-threatening.
Rosaria carried me into the bathroom and began filling it with warm water.
“You’re still young, so the water should be slightly warmer than your body temperature.”
She looked like she was recalling something she had just read.
A wave of unease washed over me.
Seeing me like that, Rosaria smiled brightly with her beautiful face.
One defining trait of this family seemed to be their stunning looks—they made you forget reality for a moment.
I was staring at her blankly when her next words snapped me back to my senses.
“Alright, shall we get in now, little one?”
Oh dear. I’ll be okay… right?
At that moment, I suddenly missed Baon desperately.
