CH 81

“You found red hair?”

“Yes, red hairs were found in the Lady’s room.”

Betty showed Kendrick a strand of red hair wrapped in a handkerchief. 

Kendrick accepted it and looked at it for a long time, squinting his eyes. 

“It was found in a mirror and in a trash can.”

Betty thought it might be an intruder’s hair and brought it.

However, seeing that the hair was thin, it seemed like a young child’s hair.

He is also sensitive about Akim, but this doesn’t seem to be hair from an intruder. 

Kendrick took out a possibility.

“Could it be Leon’s hair?”

“Lady Leon’s hair? But… Lady Leon has orange curly hair.”

After listening to Betty, Kendrick looked into the hair once more.

Certainly, the hair Betty brought was too bright red to be called orange.

“…Then.” 

At that moment, a thought passed through Kendrick’s mind.

Linsy did transform into her bird form three years faster than her peers.

While most children do their first transform and molt at the age of ten, Linsy does it at the age of seven. 

So maybe the molting started just as quickly.

Kendrick asked Betty.

“Is there anything strange about Linsy?”

“There was nothing unusual…ah!” 

Betty opened her mouth slightly as if she had just remembered something.

And she spoke carefully.

“When I brushed her hair, she always glanced at me, as if she was anxious. I thought it was because she didn’t trust me enough to let me take care of her hair….” 

Occasionally, when young beastmen shed their hair, their scalps became sensitive. 

If that was the case with Linsy, it was understandable that she was anxious when she was brushing her hair. 

“Looks like Lynsey is molting.”

Kendrick looked down at her red hair.

But there was something strange.

‘Raniero’s children must be eagles.’

It was known that eagles that are molting usually have brown feathers. 

Of course, not all those born into the family are born with the characteristics of the family. 

It was like that when he saw Leona Fernando right away. The Fernando family is a family of black lions with black hair and golden eyes, but Leona was born with orange hair. 

Like Leona, it was often possible to find cases where a child wasn’t born with full family characteristics. 

However. 

‘If it’s a red feather, it must be a symbol of a curse in the bird clan.’

The same myth exists among several clans, as well as the bird clan. 

Kendrick murmured quietly as he looked at the red hair in his hand.

Of course, it didn’t matter whether Linsy’s hair was red or brown in the wolf clan. 

But…

“Even if I become ugly later, don’t throw me away and protect me until I reach adulthood.”

Why does it suddenly make him think of when he first met Linsy?

She is a smart, wise, and brave child. She is like a child who knows something will happen to her. She asks to be protected and not abandoned.

‘If that word was referring to molting….’

She might have been worried beforehand, thinking that having red hair was a curse not only to the bird clan but to “all beastmen,” as she did when the wings came out.

But—.

How does a child know the color of her future hair and say such a thing? Kendrick shook his head as if it were impossible.

No matter how much Linsy acts like a kid who knows everything out of age,

She wouldn’t have any way of knowing what color she’d be molting.

Kendrick said, wrapping the hair in a handkerchief and putting it in his drawer.

“First, take a good look at Linsy. I think it’s Linsy’s hair.”

“Yes, my Lord. But… since she’s still seven years old, is it possible to molting?” 

“Since she can transform into bird form at the age of seven, it is possible to molting. Take a good look at it for now, and report it again if it’s not Linsy. I’ll tell them to tighten our guard for now.”

Betty nodded slowly and left the study.

‘Molting…’

Very occasionally, some rare children were molted before the age of ten.

And most of them, like Linsy, succeeded in transforming before the age of ten. 

Kendrick raised himself, thinking that he should also look carefully at Linsy’s hair from now on.

Because he had to prepare to send a gift to Raniero.

***

“Chirp!” 

I sat on Arsene’s belly in my bird form and picked out the feathers.

And.

“C, chirp.” 

When I noticed that there was one red feather, I looked it up and buried it among the other feathers.

“Why? Is something wrong?”

Arsene asked.

I tried to pretend to be calm and shook my head.

“Now the festival is two days away.”

Arsene muttered, staring blankly out the window.

“Chirp…?” 

(Do you want to go to the festival?) 

I looked up at Arsene and tilted my head. Arsene shut his mouth and shook his head. 

“It seems too dangerous outside. I won’t be leaving for a while.”

“Chirp?” 

What’s going on with him?

Arsene grew up only inside the mansion, so she always wanted to go outside.

But he says he won’t go out for a while because it’s dangerous outside?

I flew up and landed on Arsene’s forehead.

“Aww, Linsy!”

Then I spread my wings wide and touched Arsene’s forehead.

‘He doesn’t have a fever….’

If it were someone else, I would have injected my powers and checked whether he was sick or not.

Because it was Arsene, I couldn’t use my powers to see if he was sick.

“Chirp!” 

Arsene picked me up. Suddenly, I ended up hanging in the air.

“Don’t come up recklessly.”

“Chirp!”

I clench my beak and stomp my feet in the air.

And.

Pong–! 

Light green smoke quickly rose and filled the room. However, it was soon scattered into the air without a trace.

I fell on Arsene’s body, half lying on the sofa.

“But you’re really weird. Aren’t you sick? You must be hiding that you’re sick, right?” 

I glared at Arsene with an unfair expression and shot at him.

“No, I don’t really feel sick, so what more do I need to say? It doesn’t hurt.”

“Why do you keep saying weird things?”

“…Weird things?” 

“No I mean, you said you don’t want to go outside. There’s no way you will be like that—” 

At least, that’s how Arsene I’ve seen so far.

Arsene tapped my skirt as if telling me to come down.

“What if you transform there…” 

“But you lifted it up in the air.”

I jumped down from Arsene’s stomach with a sharp shot.

“Anyway, you’ve been really weird lately.”

“Me?” 

“Yeah, Betty said you looked a little weird too.”

I put my hand on my waist and said confidently.

These days, he always asks me to transform into my bird form.

When I transform, he didn’t even let me go around and put me in his pocket. 

There were many times when he was absent-minded and fell into other thoughts, and conclusively—.

“So… You’re doing this just because I said I won’t go outside, right?”

Arsen raised his right eyebrow and asked in a speechless manner.

“Yes, of course!”

I nodded proudly.

Arsene isn’t going outside? That’s impossible.

“It’s just that I don’t go out… It’s dangerous outside.”

Arsene murmured. I stared at Arsene.

“Did something happen outside?”

“…What?” 

“No, that’s right. Truth be told, the inside of the mansion was more dangerous for you and me. Oh, not you, but to me.” 

Hehe, I said with a smile.

In fact, Arsen has never experienced anything dangerous outside.

Because I was the only one who saw anything dangerous outside.

“…You can’t go outside though. It’s safer inside the mansion than outside, so…” 

“Arsene, what’s wrong? I’m already asking for the third time.”

“Nothing happened, fool.”

Eventually, Arsene tapped my forehead.

I rubbed my forehead where Arsene’s hand had touched and glanced at Arsene.

“You have to tell me if you’re hurt, okay? No, let’s hold hands now.”

I quickly grabbed Arsene’s small hand before Arsene refused.

“Hey–! I didn’t say I will hold you yet!”

“You, won’t you hold hands with me?”

“No, of course it’s not like that…” 

“That’s it, what is it? Think of it as treatment.”

I grabbed Arsene’s hand and sat on the sofa, shaking my leg.

Arsene wriggled his fingers as if he wanted to remove his hand, but then calmed down.

“And since we’re married soon, it’s okay.”

“Marrieg… when is it?” 

“It’s not a marrieg, it’s a marriage.”

“That’s it.” 

Arsene pouts his lips. I looked straight at Arsene and then tilted my head.

“I don’t know either. They said that the ceremony will be held as the temple handles it… Is the processing delayed?”

“It could be because of the festival… Chloe said that the temple is very busy during the festival.”

Well, to organize a week-long festival, even ten bodies would not be enough.

So, will Arsene and I get married after the festival?

Then I will really be given the last name Yeckhart.

‘Of course, I was officially recognized as a member of Yeckhart even now.’

But I was still Linsy Raniero. 

Since I haven’t gotten married to Arsene.

But. 

‘If I have a wedding… I’m going to be Linsy Yeckhart.’

When I murmured the name aloud, I felt a strange sense of freedom.

I smiled broadly.