ITMLWKM 13

 Chapter 13

“I… had a bad thought.”

Susan looked at me with a puzzled expression.

So I explained.

“When I had a bad thought, Pirori got sick.”

What I was saying was the absolute truth. Whether it sounded that way to Susan was another matter entirely.

She stared at me for a moment, still looking confused, then gently patted my head.

“Oh, I see. So our young lady had a bad thought?”

“…I’m serious.”

“All right, then. That means you can’t have any bad thoughts from now on. Otherwise, Pirori will get sick every time.”

She clearly didn’t believe me at all, but she seemed to find me incredibly adorable.

Not that I was trying to convince her in the first place.

As Susan continued stroking my hair, I quietly looked over at Pirori.

If he really gets sick whenever I have bad thoughts… then what exactly is he?

Now that I thought about it, he definitely didn’t look like an ordinary bird.

His long, silver-white body was unusual enough, but his fiery red tail feathers made him look downright mystical.

I should ask Celtron to have the Yeriel General Trading Company investigate him. Maybe there were other birds like Pirori. And if there were, perhaps I’d finally learn what he really was.

“Come on, Miss. I’ll keep an eye on Pirori. You should eat your breakfast.”

Susan urged me gently.

I gave Pirori one last curious look before walking over to the breakfast table.

* * *

“My goodness! It suits him perfectly!”

Susan clapped her hands excitedly.

Standing proudly in front of her, Pirori—who had somehow recovered in just half a day—was busy showing himself off.

More specifically, he was showing off his new collar.

Come on! Keep admiring me! Admire me more!

At least, that’s what his expression seemed to be saying.

I looked at Pirori with amusement before turning to Celtron, who was happily applauding beside him.

“Can I really accept this?”

The collar Pirori was wearing had been a gift from Celtron.

Right after breakfast, I’d contacted him to ask whether there were any birds similar to Pirori and to request an investigation through the Yeriel General Trading Company.

Instead of simply agreeing, however, Celtron had responded with obvious curiosity.

“A bird? Miss, are you raising a bird?”

“Huh? Oh… yes. I treated him before and released him back into the wild, but somehow I ended up taking care of him again.”

“My goodness…!”

The next thing I knew, he’d announced that he was coming over to see Pirori in person before abruptly ending the call.

As a result, I was left standing alone in the mansion’s communication room, blinking in confusion.

Not long afterward, Celtron arrived carrying an enormous pile of bird supplies.

“He’s absolutely beautiful. I think he’s the prettiest bird I’ve ever seen in my life!”

Apparently, Celtron was an extremely passionate animal lover.

Then again, that wasn’t exactly surprising.

He was a descendant of the Druid clan.

Druids loved nature and were known for their close relationships with both plants and animals.

“Out of all animals, birds are my favorite. They eat pests, after all.”

He smiled innocently as he said it.

He even told me that once he moved into a nicer house, he planned to turn the backyard into a paradise for wild birds.

“Pirik! Piriri!”

Pirori was clearly thrilled with his new collar.

He even fluttered his wings proudly.

The design itself was simple—a silver ribbon decorated with a sparkling bead.

But Pirori was so naturally striking that it looked surprisingly elegant on him.

“By the way, what’s the pendant in the middle? It doesn’t look like an ordinary bead.”

“Oh, that?”

Celtron started to answer casually before suddenly stopping.

Then he grinned mischievously, like someone hiding a surprise behind his back.

“It’s a secret. But if you become close to Pirori, it’ll definitely help you someday.”

“What do you mean, if I become close to Pirori?”

I looked at him in confusion, but he refused to elaborate.

“Oh, and I’ll make sure to investigate whether there are any birds of the same species as Pirori.”

“Okay. Just add the investigation fee to my salary.”

“With your salary, you’ll pay it off in no time.”

“I’ll work hard.”

I’d officially become Celtron’s advisor.

From now on, I’d be helping with planning, coordination, and management support.

In simpler terms, I’d be the one coming up with ideas.

Because of that, I’d negotiated a salary equal to ten percent of the company’s net profits.

Considering I’d practically handed the Gruan Trading Company its future, I deserved at least that much.

Of course, it was a double-edged sword.

If my ideas succeeded, I’d make a fortune.

If they failed, I’d be completely broke.

I prepared to leave with Susan. I wanted to see Celtron off and deliver the Siren stationery to Karsian.

“Pirik! Ppik!”

Pirori squawked loudly, demanding to come with us.

Unfortunately, that wasn’t an option.

Celtron had been visiting so frequently lately that the servants had already started watching me more carefully.

And then there was Betty, my mother’s personal spy.

If anyone discovered Pirori, they’d immediately accuse me of keeping a pet without permission.

That would only make things more difficult.

Winning Karsian’s favor would become harder, and the money I’d been secretly setting aside under a different name might be exposed.

“You need to stay here and behave. Be quiet, okay?”

I lowered the lid over his basket, leaving it slightly open.

You’re leaving me behind again!

Pirori looked thoroughly offended.

Fortunately, he didn’t seem likely to cause any trouble.

“I’ll bring you something tasty when I get back.”

I smiled at him reassuringly before leaving the room with Susan.

* * *

Not long after Latia left the room…

Creeeak…

Someone carefully opened the door.

Mm… what’s going on…?

Pirori rubbed his sleepy eyes.

The moment the noisy room had become quiet, he’d immediately started drifting off to sleep.

And who could blame him?

Latia’s sudden burst of immoral thoughts earlier that morning had left him completely exhausted.

Thankfully, her dark thoughts hadn’t lasted very long.

Even so, the experience had clearly taken a toll on him.

Yet the suspicious presence in the room was enough to drive away his exhaustion.

Poking his head out through the slightly open lid of the basket, Pirori looked around.

A maid was searching through Latia’s room while muttering to herself.

“The head of the Gruan Trading Company has been coming here an awful lot lately.”

Her dark reddish hair was unsettling enough.

But her vicious green eyes were downright terrifying.

She moved through the room with practiced ease, carefully searching every corner.

She was so meticulous that she barely disturbed anything, as if she’d done this many times before.

She pocketed a few valuables.

She even stole several expensive-looking ribbons.

Then she clicked her tongue in disappointment.

“Tsk. Nothing impressive after all. I thought she’d bought something from the trading company.”

Still grumbling, she yanked open another drawer.

Then she suddenly froze.

“Huh?”

She’d found something unexpected.

Looking puzzled, she pulled out a small bottle.

“This is definitely…”

A sinister expression spread across her face.

Pirori’s red tail feathers trembled.

This is bad. This is really bad…

Smiling in satisfaction, the maid tucked the bottle away and left the room.

I have a terrible feeling something huge is about to happen.

Pirori shuddered as he smoothed down his ruffled feathers.

And, just as he’d feared, a major commotion soon erupted at the Gladellis estate.

* * *

“Take care.”

I had just finished seeing Celtron off and was heading toward the stables to deliver the stationery to Karsian when—

“Latia!”

A sharp voice suddenly rang out.

Startled, I looked up.

“Mother?”

There, standing on the second-floor terrace, was my mother, Raysina.

Her hands were gripping the railing tightly, and her eyes were fixed on me.

What’s going on?

It was rare enough for her to call for me.

But to hear her speaking in such an agitated tone?

A terrible feeling settled in my stomach.

She stared at me for several long seconds before speaking.

“Come to my room immediately!”

Then she spun around and disappeared inside.

The terrace door slammed shut.

The curtains were drawn.

Susan and I froze.

“Ah…”

The woman pulling the curtains closed while smirking at me was none other than Betty.

She’d definitely done something.

“…Miss, what should we do?”

Susan’s hand trembled.

Instinctively, she knew something had gone terribly wrong.

But I didn’t really have a choice.

“What else can I do? Mother is calling for me.”

I clenched my fists to hide the trembling in my hands.

“I have to go.”

Susan swallowed nervously.

“It’ll be fine. We can use this as a chance to figure out how much Betty actually knows.”

What was this about?

The trading company?

My relationship with Karsian?

Or…

Could it be Pirori?

I forced myself to calm down and headed toward my mother’s room.

The moment I entered, she spoke.

“Latia, you know what this is, don’t you?”

Thunk.

Something rolled across the floor and stopped right in front of my knees.

I stared at it in shock.

“Th-that’s… the magical potion used to make Siren stationery.”

It was the Siren potion.

The very same one Celtron had obtained for me through the Yeriel General Trading Company.