I’m a Wren, but I’m Going to Charm a Human!

Morning came.

The wind had blown fiercely before dawn, scattering all the leaves I had painstakingly gathered for warmth.

“Ugh….”

It had already been cold enough during the night, and when I woke, a chill seemed to have settled deep into my bones.

‘I can’t believe I’ve actually experienced sleeping outdoors.’

Ever since arriving in the human world, I had gone through more firsts than I could count. If Father and Mother ever learned what I had endured, they would surely burst into tears.

Once I got to my feet, I considered what I needed to do next.

First things first. I would charm Human Servant No. 1.

How? I had no idea.

It wasn’t as though I had ever deliberately tried to charm anyone before. Usually, men fell for me on their own and followed me around.

‘After all, no one could resist my adorableness!’

Naturally, I had little doubt that Human Servant No. 1 would fall for me as well. That much seemed practically inevitable.

Still, if I was going to do this, I wanted to make absolutely certain of my success.

That was when I suddenly remembered a conversation my older sisters had once had.

“I heard Nunel received a courtship proposal recently.”

“A courtship proposal? From whom?”

“A peacock. Apparently, he showed off those extravagant tail feathers of his, just as you’d expect from peacock beastfolk.”

“And Nunel? Did she accept him?”

“She seems rather pleased with him, at least. But they won’t be able to marry unless Father and Mother approve. Marriage is a union between families, after all.”

I had been far too young at the time to understand much about courtship or romance. I had merely wanted to be included with my sisters, so I sat quietly among them, hugging a fluffy wren doll to my chest while listening with wide eyes.

Naturally, the conversation soon shifted to the various ways beastfolk courted one another.

Apparently, in ancient times, fierce dance competitions would often break out in ballrooms as men competed for the affection of the woman they loved. Everyone involved was supposedly so skilled that determining a winner was rarely easy.

Then someone would suddenly perform a flawless backflip, drawing every eye in the ballroom. Even the woman who had been watching with bored indifference would find her gaze heating up as it settled on the man who had given the most spectacular performance.

And so, the two would eventually find love together.

There were plenty of other methods as well. Some beastfolk adorned themselves lavishly with feathers before performing traditional courtship dances, while others captivated the object of their affection with voices so beautiful they seemed almost heavenly.

But none of it had made much sense to me.

“Why do they do all that?”

At my question, my sisters looked at me as though I were unbearably adorable. Among them, my favorite sister, Frizel, kindly explained.

“To make themselves look good to the person they like, of course.”

“Why do they need to do that?”

“Because out of all the beastfolk in the world, it’s only natural to want the most attractive and beautiful one you can find as your mate.”

Was that so?

Come to think of it, Father and Mother were both remarkably handsome and beautiful themselves. Even though the passing years had left their mark, whenever I saw the two of them standing together, they still looked like figures from a painting.

“Then when I grow up and meet a man I like, do I have to court him too?”

“What?”

A brief silence followed.

Then my sisters burst into delighted laughter.

Frizel looked at me with eyes overflowing with affection and gently poked my soft cheek with one finger.

“That’s right. When the time comes, our Meishu will have to show off her charms too.”

“Hmm. I see.”

The memory remained so vivid that it felt as though the conversation had happened only yesterday.

But courtship…

How exactly was I supposed to go about it?

As a princess, I had naturally received all the education and etiquette expected of royalty. However, Father and Mother had been so determined not to marry me off that they had outright forbidden me from receiving any bridal education.

They were convinced that every man hovering around me outside the family was bound to be some shameless cuckoo with ulterior motives. Aside from my personal guard, who had protected me since childhood, and a handful of trusted retainers, no man had been allowed anywhere near me.

No wonder the idea of courting someone felt so hopelessly unfamiliar.

“Maybe I should decorate my hair?”

My white hair cascaded in soft waves all the way to my waist, with streaks of black scattered throughout. It looked magnificent whenever I saw it, of course, but somehow that alone didn’t seem quite enough.

Especially since my clothes were so shabby. Perhaps I could compensate by putting more effort into my accessories.

Fortunately, I was in a forest, and there were plenty of beautifully colored leaves and fallen bird feathers scattered here and there.

Besides, this happened to be one of the routes Human Servant No. 1 often took on his walks, so there was no need to worry about how I would find him.

‘If I wait long enough, he’ll show up.’

Just as I was pondering what to do next, a loud noise erupted from my stomach.

Grrrrrrowl!

I had found a few small berries to eat yesterday, but they clearly hadn’t been enough.

Human Servant No. 1 usually ate lunch before coming out for his walk in the late afternoon anyway. Until then, I could wander around and search for something edible.

Holding my empty stomach with one hand, I began roaming through the mountain. Whenever I came across the lake, I stopped to drink some water and quench my thirst.