When I was in the middle of a conversation with Duncan in the garden, a familiar man came looking for him.

“Your Highness!”

It was Evans, whom I hadn’t seen in a long time.

He must also be from the imperial palace, like Duncan.

Evans was startled when he saw me, as if he had committed some sin against me.

“Mr. Evans, it’s been a while!”

“……Ah. It’s been a while….. Yes, Ms. Yerena. I’m glad to see you’re doing well.”

“Yes, thank you for your concern. I see you’ve returned to the imperial palace with Duncan?”

“Yes, yes. I’m his assistant. Haha. I’m always by his side.”

“It must be hard work managing a man with so many secrets.”

“That’s……right? Hmm, I actually have something to confess to you, Ms. Yerena, but first I’ll take the prince away.”

Duncan, who had been quietly listening to our conversation, looked up at Evans.

“What now? I’m in an important moment right now. This is a once-in-a-lifetime moment of asking my darling for forgiveness….. If it’s something trivial, I’ll ignore it.”

My darling. What a long time it had been since I heard that term.

I stared at him, speaking like a guildmaster with Duncan’s face.

It seemed like it would take a few more days to fully accept that the two were the same person.

“It’s not something you can ignore, which is why I came down to the garden personally.”

“……Don’t tell me Mother is looking for me?”

“Yes.”

“Sigh.”

Duncan’s mother would be Empress Patricia, the most talkative figure in the imperial palace.

I remembered the letter she had sent to Duncan.

That letter demanding he return to the palace and succeed the throne.

“Yerena, I’m sorry. I have to go.”

“It’s okay. Although you haven’t fully earned my forgiveness yet, you should go since it seems urgent.”

“……”

“I can see your determination to be forgiven isn’t that strong.”

Of course, it was a joke.

But not entirely a joke—it was half sincere.

I had been deceived by him for several months, so I thought this much teasing would be acceptable.

“……”

Duncan’s face visibly deflated.

With the corners of his eyes drooping downward, he looked just like a rain-soaked puppy.

‘How cute…..’

Without thinking, I stroked his golden hair that sparkled in the sunlight.

Duncan’s hair felt much softer under my fingertips than I had imagined. So soft that I couldn’t easily withdraw my hand.

“Go quickly and come back to ask for forgiveness again. I’ll allow that much.”

Duncan’s eyes widened slightly at being unexpectedly petted.

He seemed like this kind of physical contact was new to him.

‘So cute again…..’

It was a problem that I found him only cute, completely forgetting that he had deceived me.

“……Thank you. Let’s go up together. I’ll escort you.”

Duncan straightened his knees that had been kneeling for a long time, seeking forgiveness.

His face wore a faint smile as he naturally took hold of my hand that was on his head.

I couldn’t take my eyes off that smile that matched so well with the sunlight.

***

After sending Duncan away, I returned to the room where I had first awakened and saw Bless wandering around.

An air of anxiety emanated strongly from him.

“Bless, I’m sorry. Did you wait long?”

Instead of answering, Bless rushed toward me as soon as I opened the door and entered.

What happened next occurred in an instant.

“……Oh!”

He embraced me tightly.

The problem was that he thought he was still in his monster bird form.

He didn’t seem to realize that hugging me with his small body before was completely different from hugging me now with his grown body.

“B-Bless!”

My body began to fall backward, unable to withstand the weight of an adult man.

“M-Master!”

I felt Bless hugging me even tighter. We were pressed against each other so closely that I could barely breathe.

Soon, a loud thud echoed.

Thanks to Bless wrapping around my entire body like a snare, I didn’t hit the floor at all.

“Bless, are you okay?”

“Mmm….. I’m fine.”

The arms embracing me had loosened a little.

I tried to lift my head to examine his face.

I tried to, but…..

“……!”

His face was… extremely close.

It was because Bless had lowered his head to check on me.

I gasped at the awkward proximity.

If I moved my lips even slightly to breathe, our lips would touch.

His mouth, which had been a small, pointed beak, was now red and plump like a ripe fruit.

His silver pupils, which wouldn’t leave my gaze, were excessively transparent. My reflection was clearly visible in them.

Bless seemed as flustered as I was; his pupils were trembling finely.

His fingertips holding my back were also shaking.

It was somehow a strange atmosphere.

It felt like we were facing each other not as pet and owner, but as man and woman.

Just as I was about to push against his chest, thinking this couldn’t continue…

As naturally as breathing, Bless’s lips lightly touched the tip of my nose.

Touch. That soft sensation of his lips made the tip of my nose burn.

“Master. Now that I’m human, I can do this too.”

He spoke innocently, like a child unaware of desire.

That kiss seemed to contain only feelings of reverence.

Even more flustered, I pushed hard against Bless’s chest.

Bless released me willingly. He seemed certain no further danger would come to me.

“Y-you shouldn’t do things like this.”

No matter how innocent the kiss was, it felt wrong to kiss Bless when he was in the form of an adult man.

“Why not? We kissed often before.”

“Because now you’re not a bird but a human. Kisses should be shared between people who like each other.”

“But we do like each other. Do you dislike me? Because I couldn’t protect you properly?”

He looked like he was about to cry again.

I stroked the cheek of Bless, who was sitting down pitifully and whimpering.

“No, that’s not what I meant. I like you, Bless. But when you’re human, you shouldn’t kiss or have physical contact carelessly. That’s something people who love each other do.”

“Then who does Master kiss? That man you were with earlier?”

“T-that’s unknown, isn’t it?”

“But Master loves that man.”

Was it that obvious?

I smiled awkwardly.

Just as the atmosphere was becoming somewhat heavy, several birds flew in through the open window in a line.

They were the monster birds that had helped me throughout my imprisonment by Benjamin.

“Everyone!”

I called out to them happily. They nestled into my arms as if they had been waiting for this.

‘I’m glad you’re safe!’

‘Human woman, I was really worried!’

‘I, who never trust humans, the only human I want to trust! Don’t get hurt.’

Despite having spent just a few days together, they seemed to feel a strong bond with me.

It must be because I had treated them sincerely, and they recognized my sincerity. Just as Bless had with me.

Thinking to change the subject, I brought up Bless.

“By the way, do you all… know that Bless has become human? What do you think about that?”

At that, the round eyes of all the monster birds turned toward Bless at once.

The monster birds, who had been chirping noisily, suddenly fell silent.

Among the dozen or so monster birds, one that seemed to hold power second only to Bless stepped forward meaningfully on legs like a trident.

—Kyuuuu. Kuu.

‘Human Yerena. Do you also know about our final plan?’

Final plan?

I can declare that this was the first time I had heard of it.

I looked at Bless, as if to ask what this meant.

Bless had a troubled expression on his face.