I opened my eyes to see the ceiling above me, and for a moment I couldn’t understand why I was lying down. My gaze remained fixed upwards and no other thoughts entered my head.

  Except there was something very terrible……

  I shut my eyes shut again. I was tired, my eyes hurt so much, and the back of my head was sore. Someone grabbed my hand, and I turned my head to see who it was.

  It was Sovieshu. His eyes were widened in worry, and when our gazes met, he tightened his grip painfully.

  “Are you all right?”


  The sound of his voice caused the events of earlier to rush back into my head.

  A blue bird, the one that Heinley held, the one that delivered letters to me, the one that read the letters beside me, the one that dipped its head to drink a bowl of water……

  And then the body of a roast bird, golden crisp skin that was seasoned and sauced, red blood beneath the window!

  My stomach roiled and I wanted to retch again. Sovieshu hastily laid his hand on my mouth and shouted out loud.

  “Get the palace doctor!”


  I shoved his hand away and glared at him as icily as possible.

  “I don’t need one.”


  “You suddenly fainted. You were standing in a daze and you collapsed!”


  After listening to Sovieshu recount the events, I now understand why my head was sore. There was a pressure on my forehead, and I lifted my fingertips to find a bandage wrapped around it. Sovieshu tried to touch me again, but I pushed him away.

  “Empress. Navier.”


  “Leave, and don’t call me by my name.”


  “Empress, I—”


  “Get out.”


  I turned my head away.

  He had warned me that he would kill any birds. But for him to go as far as to roast it and send it to me?

  Goosebumps crawled on my flesh. It wasn’t that I didn’t eat meat. It was different, in the same way it was different when a person you didn’t know died versus a person you did know.

  A bird was the same. I had no words for the horrible fate of that adorable bird that ended up as roast.

  “I’m sorry. You were in such shock—”


  “Wasn’t that your purpose?”


  Sovieshu pressed his lips together and finally confessed.

  “It was a different bird. It was not the one that flew to your room.”


  “Don’t lie.”


  “It’s true!”


  Lie! What about the blue feathers on the sill or the blood under the window!

  “What about the feathers around the roast? Are those the feathers of another bird?”


  Blue birds were conspicuous and a symbol of danger, so they were not raised here in the Imperial Palace. How could it be another bird?

  “It was true that a blue bird was shot. Its feathers were picked up and used. But the meat sent to you was not that bird.”


  “Tell me a lie that makes more sense.”


  I ordered him to get out again, and Sovieshu arose. He didn’t leave, however, and he kept looking back at me. The look in his eyes only made me even angrier. The bird was dead from an arrow, I collapsed in shock, and Heinley had lost a bird. So why was Sovieshu the one that looked at me as if he were in pain?

  His apology and lies were all deception. If he were sorry in the first place, he wouldn’t have tried to psychologically terrorize me! No matter how much he hated me exchanging letters with Heinley, if he had once ounce of care for me, he would have done no such thing. He would have been content with just killing the bird at the very least!

  I clenched my blanket between my fists to stop myself from beating him with my pillow.

  “Get out.”


  Sovieshu finally turned away and left the room. I turned over to my side and pulled the blanket over my head. Hot tears filled my eyes and I sobbed into the sheets.

  After several hours like this, I decided I needed to tell Heinley about this. I couldn’t tell him that Sovieshu had turned the bird into roast, but……but I had to let him know his bird was dead.

  ‘But without the bird, there’s no way to contact Heinley.’


  After a moment of consideration, I decided to go see Duke Elgy first. We always had unusual conversations, but it wasn’t like we didn’t look at each other. He was Heinley’s friend as well, so he would know about to contact him. I didn’t know if I could divulge to him every single detail, but I at least had to inform him of the circumstances.

  I crawled out of bed and stepped into the parlor room. The ladies-in-waiting gathered there all turned their heads towards my entrance.

  “Your Majesty!”


  Laura started crying in relief, and I felt guilty for making everyone around me worry.

  “Did you all worry?”


  “You suddenly fainted……It was such a fright……”


  “I’m sorry. Don’t cry, Lady Laura.”


  I assured the ladies-in-waiting that my condition wasn’t serious and that I had simply been tired, and then went in search for a cloak. The ladies tried to follow me outside, unwilling to leave me unattended, but I told them I was fine and took Sir Artina with me.

  “I was worried, Your Majesty.”


  “I hadn’t held myself the best way in front of everyone.”


  “I hope you will pay attention to your health, Your Majesty. You have been looking pale lately.”


  “Don’t worry. I had just felt……off.”


  Sir Artina, usually so silent, was concerned about how I fainted and nagged me all the way in the journey to the southern palace. I smiled continuously to appease him, and we finally arrived at Duke Elgy’s room.

  “Can you wait here for a moment?”


  “Will you meet with Duke Elgy alone?”


  Sir Artina looked quite anxious about it, but the words I had to say to the duke were private. I repeated my order to Sir Artina, and then came up to the door. I heard a faint groan as I stood in front of the room.

  ‘Is the Duke injured?’


  It was a voice full of pain. As I was about to knock on the door, I spotted a blue feather on the nearby grass. I stared at it for a moment, then slowly walked away from the door towards the window. The curtain was drawn, but there was a slight gap so I could see inside. I leaned forward and looked towards where the sound was coming from.

  To my shock, Heinley’s assistant, McKenna, lay naked in the room.