OMLOW 20

Chapter 20

But that was impossible.

It was probably just the same species as Lily.
He didn’t know the exact kind.

The blue birds in the bird encyclopedia
had darker blue feathers than this…

Both Lily’s feathers and this bird’s feathers
had a beautiful color
like Cecilia’s watery blue eyes and hair.

“….”

Why did she suddenly come to mind?

Is it because of this fountain pen?

Lionel stopped writing in his notebook
and looked at the blue diamond
embedded in the pen clip.

At that moment,
perhaps curious about what he was looking at,
the bird—who had been calmly tilting its head
and fixing its tail feathers from a distance—
came a little closer.

“Beep?”

“What are you curious about?”

As soon as he spoke,
the blue bird flapped its wings
and returned to the top of the wardrobe.

Lionel thought it was a mistake.
He shouldn’t have spoken yet.

It had taken three months
before he could speak to Lily
and receive a response.
So it would take that long
to become close to this bird too.

…No.
That wasn’t right.

“Lily?
…Ah, that noisy and dirty bird?
Why did it die?
How would I know?
Maybe a stray cat bit it.”

“The body?
Why ask me for something so filthy?
If you’re curious, search the trash.
A servant must have thrown it away already.”

“I’m sorry, Your Highness.
This is the only thing I could bring you.”

Becoming close to him
would only bring harm to the bird.

Before it got used to human hands—
before something terrible happened—
it would be better to return it to the wild.

Lionel stood up,
walked to the window,
and opened the one he had closed.

Then he looked toward the wardrobe
to send the bird outside—

“Beep!”

The blue bird
was already back on his desk.

It tilted its head
while looking at what he had written.

Lionel felt déjà vu.

Lily had done the same thing—
looking at books
as if she could read letters.

Is it a highly intelligent species?

Standing by the window,
Lionel quietly observed the bird.

Because he didn’t approach,
the bird didn’t run away
even when their eyes met.

Instead,
it tilted its head
and tapped the notebook with its feet.

In the past,
Lily did that
when she was curious about something.

From far away,
Lionel checked what word
the bird was stepping on
and spoke.

“Do you see the encyclopedia open beside it?
It’s the name of the flower drawn there.”

“Beep!”

Maybe it wasn’t asking
about the meaning of the word.
The bird tapped its feet again,
then spread one wing sideways
and drew a line across.

Lionel understood
what the bird meant.

[Forget-me-not]

It was wondering
why the flower name
was crossed out.

Lily used to do that too.

Because it was the same species—
and just as smart—
Lionel answered softly.

“Its color is similar
to my fiancée’s eyes,
so it caught my attention.
But I don’t think
I will ever give it to her.”

“Beep?”

The bird tilted its head again.
It seemed to want more explanation.

“Flowers have meanings.
Humans decided them,
so you wouldn’t know.”

After Lily began eating the fruit he left,
she sometimes brought him
a single flower in her beak
as a gift.

He only remembered one thing—
the flower had a color
similar to Lily’s feathers.

“I never needed to choose flowers before,
so I didn’t know.
But when giving flowers,
you must consider their meaning.
I cannot send my fiancée
a flower meaning resentment or hatred.
So I was studying.”

“Beep-beep!”

The bird nodded.
Maybe it was imagination,
but it looked satisfied,
as if praising him.

“Beep!”

The bird tapped its feet again.

Lionel noticed
its feet pointing
to the flower meaning
written beside the name.

[Forget-me-not: Please don’t forget me]

Was it asking
why he wouldn’t give
a flower with that meaning?

“I don’t think
I will ever need
to give that flower
to my fiancée.”

“Beep?”

“If we don’t break the engagement
and get married,
we will live together forever.
She would never forget me.”

“…Beep?”

The bird tilted its head sharply,
as if wanting to deny it
but unable to.

Suddenly,
Cecilia’s face
appeared in Lionel’s mind.

Lily is one thing,
but why her again…?

Was it because
of the feather color?

While Lionel covered his mouth
and fell into thought,
the blue bird walked freely
across the notebook.

Then suddenly,
it spread one wing
and pointed to another flower name.

From where Lionel stood,
he couldn’t see it clearly.

So he stepped closer to the desk—
and the bird suddenly flew up.

“Ah…”

He thought it would return
to the wardrobe.

But instead,
the blue bird flew completely
out the open window.

Lionel briefly regretted
opening the window,
but soon decided
it was better for the bird.

Flying freely outside
was happier
than being trapped in a cage.

Fortunately,
he was very used
to letting go cleanly
before regret could grow.

After closing the window
so the bird wouldn’t return,
he sat at the desk
and checked the flower
the bird had pointed to.

[Cattleya: You are beautiful.]

“…Me?”

The blue bird
was already flying home,
so Cecilia
had no way of knowing
about that misunderstanding.

* * *

Another peaceful day.

My music teacher
praised my harp performance endlessly,
and thanks to my magic glasses,
I successfully memorized
the genealogy of the 13th Emperor’s family.

Then I arrived
at the Second Prince’s palace.

Today as well,
Lionel silently chewed
the cookies I baked—
leaving just one.

“Huh?
You left one today.
Was it not tasty?”

“No.
It was delicious.”

As usual,
his face was expressionless,
but his deep, steady voice
made the praise sound sincere.

Still,
it would be nice
if he spoke more sweetly.

Like saying
a raspberry flower field spreads in his eyes
and walnuts dance on his tongue…

Ah, forget it.
What am I even expecting from this man?

I glanced at Lionel
and asked,

“If it was tasty,
why did you leave one?”

“Because I want
to take it with me.”

“Hm?”

“Is that not allowed?”

Strange.
His expression looked the same as always,
yet his eyes felt
oddly pleading.

I almost answered
“Yes, of course.”
After a light cough,
I lifted my chin slightly and said,

“I told you
what you should say
in moments like this.”

“…Ah.”

Lionel let out
a small realization,
picked up the case
with the last cookie,
and placed it on his lap.

“Please give this to me.
I ask for your favor.”

Yes, yes.

Truly a man
who learns one thing
and understands ten.