Chapter 13
Perhaps she hadn’t expected me to be awake, because she entered holding a tray in both hands, then froze in confusion when she saw me beside Raven.
I immediately brought my index finger to my lips and glanced toward the sleeping Raven.
“Shh, your voice is too loud. You’ll wake the child sleeping so deeply.”
Anna’s eyes rolled toward where my gaze was directed.
Soon, when she realized that the ‘child’ I had spoken of was none other than the crow, her gaze shook sharply.
A look crossed her face, as if she couldn’t understand why I was calling a bird I had picked up only a few hours ago so affectionately. But only for a moment. As if half resigned, Anna quietly lowered her voice and answered as usual.
“I’m sorry, Miss. I thought you were still asleep…”
“I just woke up. By the way, what are you holding?”
“Ah, I thought the bird would need to be given medicine. I brought the medicine the doctor left behind and water to mix it with. I didn’t know what would be good to give it as food, so I prepared some fruit cut into small pieces, but I’m not sure if that will be alright.”
“Hmm…”
Since this must also be the first crow guest she had ever received in her life, it was only natural that she wouldn’t know how best to treat him.
But I wasn’t exactly rich in knowledge about crows either. I couldn’t know whether he would like the fruit she had prepared, or whether it was fine to feed it to him.
“…For now, let him sleep deeply first, and let’s feed him and give him medicine later. I think forcing him awake would be worse. Set it on that table. Once he comes to his senses later, I’ll feed him myself.”
“…Understood.”
As Anna answered, a strange expression rose on her face, mixed with hesitation over whether it was truly alright to make a finely raised young lady of the Vellasi family do such a thing, and relief that she could avoid having to personally feed a bird that looked terrifying at a glance.
She moved her steps and quietly placed the tray on the table in front of the sofa that I had indicated with my eyes. Then she brought up a very cautious question.
“By the way, Miss. May I ask you one thing?”
“What is it? Is something troubling you?”
“No, it’s not that…”
Anna trailed off for a moment, as if gauging my mood, then soon squeezed out her courage and spoke.
“Do you perhaps intend to keep that crow in the mansion from now on?”
It seemed that seeing me not only bring that large, pitch-black bird into the mansion, but also pay such close attention to it, had made her afraid that she, too, might end up taking care of the bird.
Instead of answering, I quietly looked at her. Then, startled on her own, she hurriedly added,
“Ah, it’s not that I don’t want to care for the bird you personally rescued, Miss. It’s badly injured and was even shot, so of course it should be looked after. But…”
Anna stopped in the middle of speaking and watched my expression again. Judging by her face, she seemed to be choosing the proper words.
I waited for her to continue.
“I know it’s not really my place to say this, but the more I look at it, the more I should say it feels unpleasant, or perhaps a little ominous… In any case, it doesn’t give me a very good feeling. Besides, it’s much bigger than I expected.”
“……”
At her point, I had nothing to say.
Putting aside the part about it feeling ominous, he was certainly large for a crow. So much that a cushion meant for a person looked small beneath him.
If a large, pitch-black living creature were sitting in the middle of a room, it was only natural that anyone would be frightened.
After a short silence, Anna carefully continued.
“Of course, I know that you think fondly of the… child, Miss, but keeping it in the mansion indefinitely is… I thought perhaps you might think it over once more.”
“……”
“I’m sorry, Miss. Please just think of it as my needless meddling.”
As if worried that her words might have offended me, she deliberately smiled foolishly and blurred the conversation.
But her words didn’t offend me in the slightest. I slowly opened my mouth. With my gaze fixed on Raven Barietsch.
“Don’t worry too much. I’m not going to keep him in the mansion. Once his injuries are fully healed, I should send him back to the forest.”
Only then would the crow who returned to his territory bring me good news.
“It will only be for a very short while, so even if this child frightens you, please endure it just a little, Anna. This time will pass quickly.”
“…If that’s the case, then I’m relieved.”
At the answer that finally came back, Anna murmured in a voice that was barely reassured.
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