Chapter 4
‘No way…! No way, no way!’
“…The name of this forest, ‘Fog,’ refers to mist imbued with magical power. I heard even the passageways to the Demon Realm are thick with it.”
“How far does it stretch?”
“The records vary…”
Oh my god, it was Clements! That silver hair and those violet eyes. And on the white horse’s tack—the crest of the Clatia Empire, a winged diamond shape. No mistake about it. The man beside him was none other than his confidant, Marquis Cassis Dupré.
The year Bella turned twenty, Clements made an inspection tour to the western Honwood. No wonder the manor had been unusually busy with preparations for guests. So that was it. That’s today. Of all days—today! Damn it!
I had been waiting eight years for this day. And in this touching, fateful moment, I… I was a chick. Everything was ruined in an instant. I felt like crying out in grief.
Then Clements turned his head this way. Did he sense me? I instinctively took a step back.
“Your Highness, where are you going?”
“Just stepping away for a moment.”
“Ah, yes.”
And then—he started walking straight toward me.
No. Here? Here?! Wait! Wait!
Sure, I wanted to see the male lead of the novel with my own eyes, but not like this! Not that! Clements, I may know you, but this is our first meeting. Sob…
I cursed the fact that chicks didn’t know how to cover their ears. I spread both wings tight around my head, trying desperately to block out the sound.
Heavy footsteps came closer and closer. But the sound I dreaded didn’t follow.
“…”
Right nearby, I heard his breath. Slowly, I lowered my wings and looked up—Clements was staring straight down at me.
Normally, when you look up at someone from below, they look at least a little less attractive. But Clements had no unflattering angle. Even from the perspective of a tiny chick, staring up at a man towering over me, his face was pure, flawless, without a blemish.
‘Wow.’
I had only intended to observe him from a distance, as Bella’s maid. I never imagined I’d get to admire him up close in such ridiculous high definition.
His violet eyes, as deep as amethysts, softened. His moist-looking lips parted slightly. He didn’t take his gaze off me. And then he reached out his hand.
The next moment, I was in the palm of his hand.
“Peep, peep…”
As Clements straightened up, my view rose high above the ground. But I wasn’t afraid—he cupped me gently in both hands. He studied me once more and murmured,
“…What’s this cute little thing?”
Did he just call me cute?
Carrying me, he walked back to where Cassis was waiting by the spring.
“Cassis, look at this.”
Perched in the crown prince of the Clatia Empire’s palm, I brazenly glared at Cassis Dupré, heir of one of the empire’s three great houses and the leader of the Crown Prince’s faction—without even the courtesy of a bow.
His red hair swayed in the wind. Compared to the delicately handsome Clements, his features were sharper, cooler. Still, he stared at me for a long while before saying,
“What is this adorable little thing?”
“I found it. My chick.”
My chick?
Clements spoke in a matter-of-fact tone, as if stating today’s date.
“I’ll raise it myself.”
Shocked, I plopped down—right onto his palm, butt-first. Amused, he stroked my head with his finger a few times, as if I looked even cuter.
“See? Isn’t it adorable?”
“Of course it is… but won’t its mother come looking for it?”
“Doesn’t matter. I’ll raise it better.”
…What the hell.
What happens to my life now?
Becoming the male lead’s pet chick… hmm. It almost sounds like a pet name. But no, I was literally a baby bird now.
Eight years had passed since I possessed this body. During that time, I had tried to instill in Bella more trust in the world and stronger bonds with people. I couldn’t read her mind anymore, so I didn’t know how much it had worked. But I had done nearly everything I could.
Even as the male lead’s pet, I’d still get to watch his romance with the heroine unfold. Maybe I could even help bring them closer together.
Something like this—
‘Let me introduce you. This is my pet bird, Ophelia.’
‘That’s the same name as my maid. …She’s cute. A little.’
‘Not nearly as cute as you.’
‘Hmph, that’s nonsense.’
Bella would surely say that while secretly delighted.
But from here on out, things were critical for Clements’s romance!
At the Imperial Palace, he’d have to face that terrifying villainess, Camille de Baylis. Only I, who had come from the “future,” knew her schemes.
And when Bella began recalling the Great Witch’s memories and grew confused, I had to be by her side. I’d told her countless times already that the past and present were different, that she could live however she wanted—but I needed to remind her again at the right moment, to comfort her.
Besides, my own family, House Leora, had nearly collapsed. In this chick body I couldn’t possibly work, and if I lost my wages as Bella’s maid, our already failing finances would plunge even faster.
And that wasn’t the only problem.
If I became the crown prince’s pet, I might enjoy fresh grain in a golden cage—but what about at night, when I surely returned to my human form? Clements, cold and distrustful toward everyone but Bella, would never just leave me be.
No… I absolutely couldn’t allow Clements to keep me. This was nothing more than a passing curiosity, a fleeting interest of a highborn man toward some tiny creature.
At least they’d take me back to the Monahan estate, which was a small mercy. Once there, I’d slip away from him before nightfall. And somehow, I had to break this curse.
While I mulled over my serious dilemma, the two men reached their own decision.
“Then let me carry it. I’ll put it in a small pouch instead of the traveling case.”
“No. I’ll keep it with me.”
Clements deftly avoided Cassis’s reaching hand.
“Stay in here for a while.”
He slipped me into his shirt pocket. Through the thin white cloth, I could feel the gentle rise and fall of his chest and the warmth of his body.
“…!”
Wasn’t this too close? This was bad. Sir, you’re going to be engaged soon!
I felt heat rush to my down-covered face. The strange sensation made me flutter. He chuckled softly.
“Bear with it a little.”
Well… right.
To him, I wasn’t another woman. Just a baby bird he wanted to carry himself. He was showing responsibility toward a pet. If I made a big deal of it, he’d only be baffled.
Clements mounted his horse with practiced ease. Soon, the pounding of hooves filled the air as a strong wind swept past.
“Peep…!”
Kindly, he lifted his cloak to cover the pocket where I rested. Shielded from the wind, my tiny body was warmed by his heat through the fabric. Exhausted, sleep washed over me.
I shouldn’t fall asleep now. There were too many problems to solve…
But there were no answers anyway. I drifted into sweet slumber.
When I awoke, the horse had slowed significantly.
“We’ve reached the Monahan estate,” said Cassis.
“Though it lies at the edge of the empire, its view is spectacular.”
I rubbed my eyes with a wingtip. Hooking both wings on the pocket’s edge, I stretched out and peeked outside. Clements’s light chuckle rumbled above me—apparently, I’d tickled him.
At that sound, Cassis turned his head our way. For an instant, surprise flashed across his face.
What’s his problem? Never seen a chick stuffed in someone’s pocket?
…Right, of course not.
True to his loyal nature, Marquis Dupré quickly hid his reaction and faced forward again.
We’d left the oppressive forest behind. Roads, buildings, and well-kept greenery appeared in the distance. Ahead rose a mansion more familiar than my own home—the Monahan estate, where I’d worked every day since possession.
“…!”
And suddenly, I realized.
In the original story, the first person to meet Clements when he visited the Monahan estate in Honwood… was Bella. Which meant their historic first meeting was about to happen.
‘Bella!’
Sure enough, there she was ahead, lingering outside. Even from afar, in her simple white-and-navy dress, she radiated elegance. Clements’s horse carried him toward her. My heart thudded wildly as I slipped back inside the pocket.
That first meeting—the way their gazes locked, the atmosphere—it had been described in the novel as fateful, devastatingly romantic. Just remembering it still made me flutter.
I didn’t want to spoil that perfect moment with the ridiculous sight of a chick poking out of the male lead’s pocket. At least for now, I wanted my presence to fade into the background. I held my breath.
‘Excuse me, may I ask you something?’
“Excuse me, may I ask you something?”
Kyaaah! Was that His Highness the Crown Prince?!
“…Are you, perchance, His Highness the Crown Prince?”
Kyaaah!!
“Yes. I’ll be staying at Count Monahan’s residence. You seem to be connected to that house as well?”
“The count is my older brother. …He did warn us an important guest was coming, but our preparations fell short.”
“No matter. I arrived earlier than planned. Please tell him not to worry.”
Bella promised she would, then walked back toward the house. She rarely left her room—had she come out waiting for me? The thought made me oddly guilty, yet proud that I had helped bring about their destined encounter.
‘They met. At last, they finally met!’
I stayed curled quietly in the pocket. I didn’t want to interrupt Clements if he was savoring the afterglow of their fateful first meeting.
