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Chapter 71
Even though our lips had only met, I could feel his body tense through the hand that pressed against my chest.
At the same time, my heart was racing like it could burst out of my chest.
This wasn’t something I could simply brush off as an illusion, so I stepped back a little and laughed aloud.
“Liri…”
“You passed.”
“Huh?”
“You passed. Did you forget?”
“Passed or failed… I wanted to watch a little longer before making a judgment. Is that okay?”
“Of course. You can tell me anytime.”
Ah.
Lionel’s expression suddenly shifted, as if something had just occurred to him. Watching him, I couldn’t help but feel a little annoyed.
‘Confident enough to say you passed the test without hesitation, huh.’
Memories of the first time I met Lionel flashed through my mind.
In truth, comparing the Lionel of back then with the one before me now, not much had changed. His face still rarely revealed his emotions, still expressionless.
But now I knew he smiled sometimes, that he could be gentle and considerate, and even that his normally steady heartbeat could quicken.
What I had discovered was likely just the tip of the iceberg. We’d only known each other for a few months.
I wanted to know more of him—not to prevent him from turning dark, not to avoid kidnappings or imprisonment…
“Tweet!”
At that moment, the bluebird hiding among the roses soared into the sky.
I wondered what it was up to, only to notice a fully bloomed red rose clutched in its beak.
“My goodness, is it okay? Are you hurt?”
As if understanding my concern, the bluebird flitted around us energetically.
Lionel seemed concerned too, reaching out his hand, and the bluebird gently placed the rose there.
“Tweet!”
Then, hopping step by step, it moved closer to his face, nuzzling his cheek affectionately.
It was unmistakably a display of affection—or at this point, surely a courtship gesture.
“Here you go.”
“Huh? …Why are you giving this to me?”
Lionel looked at the bluebird in response to my question.
“Wasn’t it brought to give to Liri?”
“Tweet!”
“If it wanted to give it to me, it would have done so from the start!”
“Tweet! Tweet-tweet!”
The bluebird, clearly feeling a little slighted, bumped its body against Lionel’s shoulder.
Catching it in his hands, Lionel finally seemed to realize the situation, glancing between me and the bird with an “Ah…” of understanding.
“So, it’s basically returning a flower that Liri gave to her back to Liri.”
“Exactly! Me and this little one are one and the same…!”
…Wait. Of course. This bluebird was my spirit familiar, created from a fragment of my soul—it was essentially another version of me.
So that flower was as if I had given it to Lionel myself.
“A red rose…”
Wait a moment. The red rose’s meaning…!
“Oh! And I finally named the bluebird!”
“Tweet? Tweet!”
Curious, the bluebird circled around me. Seeing it like this made it clear: it was like me, yet also its own being.
“What did you name it?”
Lionel tore his gaze away from the rose and looked at me.
Relieved, I quickly spoke before his attention returned to the flower.
“Luda. Its name is Luda.”
“Luda? What does that mean?”
“Well, it doesn’t really mean anything….”
I glanced at the bluebird, whose feathers matched the color of my hair, and then at the earrings hanging from Lionel’s ears—two blue diamonds I had given him before.
The name came from that gem, the same color as this little bird.
“Luda of the Blue Diamond. The color is nearly identical, right?”
“Tweet!”
Before Lionel could respond, Luda floated in the air and nodded, as if agreeing.
When our eyes met, I finally felt our connection—me and Luda, truly one.
‘Ah… It really is my spirit familiar.’
Another me. My other self. My eternal ally, my friend, my family. My other half.
I smiled brightly and stretched my hands toward Luda.
“Take care of me from now on!”
“Tweet!”
Feeling the same emotions I felt, Luda flew straight into my arms.
As I embraced Luda tightly, just like before, I lost consciousness as if the world had powered down.
The bluebird flew into Cecilia’s arms as she fainted.
The bird, too, slumped limply, unconscious.
Having experienced this before, Lionel wasn’t surprised. He retrieved the bird as it slid onto Cecilia’s lap and tucked it into his own pocket.
‘As expected, this happens again.’
Whenever Cecilia and the bluebird touched, both would lose consciousness.
He hadn’t told Cecilia during the observation phase, but this was precisely why Lionel kept the bird close.
The exact reason remained unclear.
Lionel only suspected that when Cecilia was young, the death of “Liri” had left lingering effects on both of them.
Visiting a spirit familiar expert might provide clearer answers, but Cecilia had been hiding the existence of her spirit familiar, making it difficult.
‘If she insists on hiding Luda’s existence, it’s better I keep it with me.’
However, since they were heading to the dangerous northern lands, he couldn’t take Luda along.
If just touching each other caused fainting like this, what if Luda died? Cecilia might be gravely injured, or lose her memory again.
‘That cannot happen.’
Even if it meant occasional fainting, it was safer to leave Luda here.
Having resolved this, Lionel carefully carried Cecilia’s limp body and prepared to lay her somewhere safe.
Soft and warm, her steady breathing was soothing.
Though he wished to stay like this, he knew it was better to place her in a proper resting spot.
Lionel quietly returned to her bedroom. Thanks to his physical training, he could enter through the third-floor window without anyone noticing.
Cecilia’s room reflected her presence—warm and lively, unlike his own barren quarters.
Trying not to snoop too much without her permission, Lionel’s eyes caught one of the potted plants he had gifted her.
Even a month later, it was still fresh. Cecilia had clearly cared for it.
“Mm…”
Cecilia furrowed her brows and let out a soft groan of discomfort.
Lionel quickly laid her down on the bed, then retrieved the bluebird from his pocket, placing it gently at her bedside.
“Tweet…”
As if aware it was being left behind, Luda twitched its legs even unconscious.
Lionel straightened it for comfort and covered Cecilia with a blanket.
“Mm….”
“Tweet…”
Seeing them react simultaneously, it was clear—they were truly one.
Smiling, Lionel reached into his pocket and pulled out two items.
“May these protect you while I’m away.”
One was a claw from a massive wolf, and the other a delicate whistle to wear around the neck.
He also kept the rose Cecilia had given him.
‘A red rose.’
Its meaning… love.
Staring quietly at it, Lionel plucked a petal and placed it in his mouth.
The texture was unpleasant, the taste nonexistent, yet he consumed it all.
He remembered when Cecilia first gave him cookies: if he took them all in, nothing could be lost or taken from him—they would remain entirely his.
Holding only the stem, Lionel gazed down at Cecilia.
“…Someday, definitely.”
With a promise she could not hear, Lionel leapt out the window.
