Chapter 3

I trembled all over, unable to bring myself to get into the water.

What if it was unbearably hot? Or terribly cold?

I cautiously lifted one of my front paws and poked at the water.

But it was warmer than I had expected.

“Pii! Pii!”

Relieved, I plunged straight into the water and flapped my wings.

I couldn’t remember the last time I’d had a bath.

My wing-flapping made it look as though I was splashing around, but I was in the best mood imaginable.

Rosaria smiled fondly and gently poured water over my little body.

“Shall we go out and play once your bath is over?”

“Pii!”

“I think our little baby will absolutely love it. The flowers are in full bloom.”

A flower-viewing outing!

My heart filled with anticipation, and I eagerly kicked my feet.

Splash, splash.

Tiny bubbles formed with every movement, and water splattered all around me.

Even the droplets that couldn’t make it over the edge of the bathtub bounced around nearby.

“Oh my?”

Rosaria’s eyes widened at the sight, and she clutched her chest again.

“This is dangerous… At this rate, you might end up destroying everything.”

Hearing her mutter darkly with her head bowed, I immediately stopped what I was doing.

I had a feeling something terrible might actually happen.

In the end, my bath concluded with me sitting quietly and behaving myself.

Unfortunately, she said I was still too young to use soap bubbles. What a shame. It would have been so much fun.

I was wrapped in a soft, fluffy towel.

The careful hands gently wiping the water from my body felt wonderful.

“Piii. Piiiiii.”

Little chirps slipped out of me of their own accord.

“Does that feel refreshing?”

“Pii.”

“By the way, what should our little baby have for lunch? Have you been eating fruit?”

Rosaria frowned as she looked at the fruit still remaining in the basket.

“This won’t be enough to nourish you properly.”

She was right. Eating nothing but fruit for too long would probably put a strain on my little body.

Without an adequate amount of protein, my growth would undoubtedly be stunted.

Rosaria let out a deep sigh.

“I’ll have to prepare some nutritious baby food. And toys for you, and a bed… I suppose I’ll have to submit a separate budget request.”

“Pii?”

“What good is giving you a room if that’s all you have? You need everything necessary to live comfortably, too. Just trust me, little baby.”

…What if I got kicked out for making them spend money on me?

Shouldn’t I stop her?

I looked at Rosaria worriedly, but she picked me up and smiled reassuringly.

“I may not look it, but I have quite a bit of influence in this household.”

Before leaving the room, Rosaria carried me over to a mirror.

In the reflection, a tiny, pure-white baby bird sat there adorably.

I tentatively raised one wing.

Then I tried moving my feet.

“Pipi!”

That’s me!

When I pointed at the mirror and chirped excitedly, Rosaria nodded and took something out of her pocket.

It was a very small pink ribbon.

“This is a gift to commemorate the day we first met, little baby.”

Rosaria tied the ribbon loosely around my neck so it wouldn’t be too tight, then asked me how it looked.

Awkwardly fiddling with the end of the ribbon, I cupped my cheeks.

“Pii!”

“You seem to like it.”

“Pii!”

“Now that you’re all dressed up, shall we go out?”

When we stepped outside the room, I saw a hallway paved with marble.

Sunlight streamed in through the enormous windows, making everything dazzlingly bright.

Wow! It really feels like I’ve come to a castle!

As I looked around, my attention constantly drawn to one thing after another, I heard a soft chuckle from above.

Whenever I spotted an unfamiliar and fascinating decoration, my body instinctively bounced with excitement.

Rosaria slowed her pace so I could look around as much as I wanted.

Since we were already outside, I stretched my wings as far as I could toward the place in the estate I most wanted to see.

“Pii!”

“Shall we go over there?”

A garden with a gigantic fountain came into view.

We could have our flower-viewing outing there! When the petals fell, they’d look just like snowflakes.

Right foot. Left foot. Right foot. Left foot.

I was kicking my feet as though I were walking when, all of a sudden, I sensed something familiar yet chilling.

I turned my head toward the place my gaze had instinctively drifted.

There stood a man with black hair and red eyes, staring at me expressionlessly.

He let out a hollow, incredulous laugh, as though he couldn’t believe he was seeing me here.

Soon, his tightly closed lips parted, and a cold voice rang out.

“I told you to do as you pleased, but I didn’t expect you to actually wander around my house.”

The owner of the house.

I hastily pulled back the wing I’d been boldly stretching forward.

Of all the times to run into the master of the house, why did it have to be now?

Could my luck get any worse?

“Pii, piiii.”

“You’re frightening the little baby, my lord.”

“Ridiculous.”

“Are you all right, little baby?”

Rosaria patted me gently and asked with concern.

At least I had someone I could rely on in this situation.

I nestled into Rosaria’s arms, seeking the comfort of her embrace.

I could feel the master’s scorching gaze following me. I curled up as tightly as I could and tried to hide myself.

Rosaria soothed me.

“Don’t worry, little baby. I’m right here.”

“Pii…”

“Your ribbon has gotten crooked. Let me fix it for you.”

It seemed the knot had come loose while I was moving around in her arms.

Sniffling, I stayed still and let Rosaria do as she pleased.

The soft ribbon tightened gently once more, settling neatly on my head.

“There! All done!”

“Pii.”

“Our little baby is just too adorable! Don’t you think so, my lord?”

Rosaria asked the master.

With the ribbon still tied on my head, I cautiously peeked at him.

Did the master really think so, too?

At that very moment, our eyes met.

I hadn’t expected him to be looking at me.

I flinched.

“Piiit…”

My whole body visibly jolted in surprise, and the master’s brows drew together.

His eyes were fixed on the pink ribbon sitting atop my head.

I fidgeted awkwardly and swallowed nervously.

At last, after what felt like an eternity, the master gave an answer I had thought I’d never hear.

“You’re making a fuss over nothing just because you put on a ribbon.”

The master seemed to dislike me far more than I had expected.

If he continued to hate me like this, I might really get kicked out.

“Don’t be too sad, little baby.”

“Piii… Piiii.”

“Look at this! They’re flower petals.”

Rosaria tossed the petals she’d prepared earlier high into the air.

Petals of various colors fluttered gently down from the sky.

I gazed upward, then plopped down and waved my wings around.

A thick layer of petals had settled on the grass.

“Pii! Piii!”

“Pretty, aren’t they?”

“Piiit!”

“When you grow a little bigger, you’ll be able to look down at everything from the sky.”

Woooow. Really?

Seeing my sparkling eyes, Rosaria nodded.

“Of course. You’re still just a baby, but…”

However, her expression gradually became strange before turning serious.

Confused, I approached her.

“Piii?”

“Oh, dear. What should we do, little baby?”

“…?”

“I can’t teach you how to fly. I don’t have wings!”

Rosaria seemed utterly devastated.

Well, of course you don’t. You’re not a bird!

I hadn’t expected her to want to teach me that, too.

When I patted her reassuringly to tell her it was all right, she shook her head.

“There were so many things I wanted to teach you.”

“……”

“Since things have turned out this way, I’ll at least teach you how to hunt perfectly.”

She was going to teach me how to hunt?

I stared at Rosaria in surprise.

Until now, no one had ever taught me anything like that.

Rosaria was absolutely delighted at the thought that there was something she could teach me.

“Our clan’s hunting techniques are so perfect that everyone wants to learn them.”

I really did want to learn…

But could I, someone who had only been born a few days ago, already learn how to hunt?

I fell into deep thought.

“The young masters knew how to hunt from the moment they were born, but you don’t, little baby. So I’ll teach you with all my heart.”

“…Pii?”

I tilted my head, unable to believe what I was hearing.

How could anyone know how to hunt from the moment they were born?

The young masters who lived here must be incredibly amazing.

That’s something you can only learn if your guardian teaches you, isn’t it?

As though answering my unspoken question, Rosaria continued.

“We know it instinctively from birth.”

“Pii, piiit?”

“If we create the right environment, I’m sure you’ll be able to do it wonderfully, too.”

Could that really be possible?

Judging by the look on Rosaria’s face, her determination was already burning fiercely.