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Chapter: 12
The tail that had now grown quite well was helping me keep balance even on uneven ground.
Ugh.
“Piiit.”
“You’re walking well.”
“Pii.”
As I climbed onto his palm, the master lightly tapped my beak.
Every time, I feel like the master really likes my beak.
“I heard you might be able to humanize soon.”
“Pii!”
“I don’t see where you’ve grown.”
He muttered while holding me and looking me over from different angles.
No way. I’m definitely growing well. I can even eat more than before now.
I glared at him with all my feelings.
The master let out a small laugh. It was clearly mocking.
“Or maybe everything you ate just turned into fat?”
“Piiiiiit!”
“Lord Kaid. Lady Irene is growing very well.”
Just as I got angry, Rosaria stepped in and brought out a white wooden board as proof.
It was the board used to measure my height every morning.
There were red marks drawn at short intervals along the edge.
“What is this?”
“This is a record of Lady Irene’s growth.”
Rosaria said proudly as she showed it to everyone.
Everyone in the room looked at the board in her hands.
“She is definitely growing, isn’t she?”
Next to the height marks, my paw prints were stamped by date.
It was small, but I was clearly growing.
When I flapped my wings proudly as if to say “see?”, the master finally accepted it.
“I see.”
“Pii!”
“You are indeed growing. But…”
Still, the question remained in everyone’s mind.
How long will it take for her to grow?
Everyone looked at Hestia.
The most knowledgeable one here, Hestia, looked at the board with shining eyes and coughed.
“You shouldn’t compare Lady Irene with fast-growing species. She is different from us.”
“At this rate, it will take quite a long time.”
“Yes. Unlike young masters who grow day by day, Lady Irene is different. Black mambas become independent quickly. Lady Irene will take longer.”
“I see?”
After hearing Hestia’s explanation, the master actually looked somewhat satisfied.
The master, who was supposed to just stay briefly, ended up staying for quite a long time before leaving.
Because of that, everyone discovered how “smart” I was.
It all started with Rosaria’s box.
“Everyone doesn’t know how smart Lady Irene is, right?”
That one sentence caught the master’s interest, which had been fading.
“What do you mean?”
“She’s been learning about other races recently.”
“You’re doing something troublesome.”
Even while saying that, he gestured for her to continue.
Inside the box were picture cards with animals drawn on them.
They were educational tools Rosaria had recently bought.
Rosaria pulled one out and asked me,
“Lady Irene, what is this?”
“Pii!”
Roar!
I puffed up my body and raised my tail.
This is something very scary.
I remembered it well because I had been told it was scary many times.
“Well done!”
Rosaria clapped happily. Hestia, who had been eating snacks, stared at me with her mouth open.
The master and Baon didn’t react loudly, but I could feel they were paying attention.
They didn’t expect me to be this smart, right?
I happily clapped my wings.
Then the master signaled for another card.
“Then what is this?”
“Pii—.”
Moo.
I mimicked the cow sound, and Rosaria covered her mouth in surprise.
I felt a little embarrassed by her strong reaction.
Rosaria always praised everything I did, so I was getting used to it.
I guess I really am a smart baby bird.
“As expected! She’s a genius!”
Rosaria started praising me even more.
“She hasn’t even seen other races, but she’s amazing!”
Hestia also agreed.
I felt my cheeks get hot and looked away.
Then Hestia showed another card, but something on the table caught my attention.
I want a snack…
I sat down and stared at the cookies on the table.
The master picked one up.
“You want it?”
“Pii.”
“Should I give it to you?”
“Pii.”
“Then what am I?”
“Pii?”
He wanted me to say it.
I hesitated.
You are the master of this house…
But he gave me a name, and even said he would treat me like his daughter.
I already knew that, even if I kept calling him “master” out of habit.
But it felt too embarrassing to say.
Before I could answer, the room got noisy.
“Maybe she doesn’t know who the lord is?”
“No one explained it properly.”
“…She actually knows most things though.”
Hestia whispered with Baon.
The atmosphere became quiet and tense.
Finally, I met the master’s cold eyes.
He frowned slightly.
“…How stupid.”
He pulled the cookie away.
“Ungrateful baby bird. Repeat after me. Kaid.”
“Pii?”
“Kaid.”
“Pii pii pii.”
After I repeated his name, he sighed and gave me the cookie.
Munch, munch.
After living here for a month, I finally learned his name.
“Pii pii pii.”
“Yes.”
“Pii pii pii!”
“Yes.”
The tension slowly eased.
Rosaria quickly tried to fix the situation.
“It seems Lady Irene didn’t know the lord’s name!”
“Yes, it’s good she knows now.”
Kaid smiled dangerously calmly.
Then he looked straight at me.
“Don’t tell me you don’t know I’m your father.”
…I knew, but it didn’t feel real.
I took a deep breath.
If I answered too slowly, he might take back being my father.
I quickly grabbed his finger.
“Pii pii pii.”
“What are you doing?”
“Pii pii pii.”
He nodded.
I gently tapped his finger with my beak.
Rosaria quickly said,
“Oh my! Lady Irene is showing affection!”
Kaid’s expression softened a little.
“I see.”
Relief filled me.
“Pii!”
That was close.
On a sunny afternoon, I had recovered enough to go into the garden.
“Shall we play ball today?”
“Pii!”
Rosaria rolled a large ball onto the grass.
It was almost my size.
It was specially made for me.
Boing.
The ball made a light sound as it bounced.
Rosaria explained the rules.
“You can only play around here, okay?”
“Pii!”
“Don’t go past the fountain. It’s dangerous to go into the forest alone.”
“Pii!”
I pushed the ball with my body and ran after it.
Even though it was grass, I was still clumsy, and my body didn’t move as smoothly as I wanted…
