CH 35

After replenishing her hunger with grain porridge, she glanced at Valhayle’s face. 

He cleared his throat to show his discomfort yet she couldn’t stop staring. 

It was the first time she faced him human to human. 

And the first time he ever looked at her with such politeness.

Zelle couldn’t get used to it. 

“Am I making you uncomfortable, your highness?”

Valhayle asked.

It was the first time he spoke after answering Zelle earlier.

‘Wow. Honorifics. So weird.’

She thought then remembered that now that she was a human she had to answer to other humans. 

Zelle forgot that for a second since even when she was a bird, Valhayle would often talk to her. 

Zelle answered.

“Well… This is our first time meeting after all, right?…”

“…”

Valhayle remained silent for a while until Zelle carefully asked again.

“Right?”

Valhayle paused before he spoke.

“…Yes.”

Zelle sighed in relief.

Now that she was relieved she got thirsty.

“Uh, could you get me some water please?”

Valhayle grabbed the water jug and poured water into a small bowl.

Zelle unconsciously dipped her face to drink like she did as a bird. 

Splash–

“Hieek–!”

Zelle pulled her face out of the bowl. She snorted water. Valhayle hurriedly handed her a towel.

“Are you alright?”

“Ah, I’m al–”

Zelle could feel her face heating up in embarrasment. 

‘I just attempted to drink water like I did as a bird without thinking.’

Valhayle looked at her with a strange expression.

Zelle had seen that face before.

He used to make that face when she tried to communicate with him as a bird.

And used to say that…

‘Its surely not in the right state of mind.’

So right now he is…

Zelle’s eyes widened.

‘Thinking that I’m crazy?!’

As Zelle cried internally, Valhayle asked.

“Do you know where we are?”

Zelle looked around.

It was a tent a little smaller than Valhayle’s.

“Inside… A tent?”

Valhayle raised his brows.

“This is the Roheneim camp. We rescued you from the Granoir camp.”

Zelle blinked.

‘Right.’

Thinking about it, the first thing she should have asked as a human was where she was and why she was here.

Zelle didn’t think of it since she already knew but Valhayle must be thinking it’s odd.

Since according to the women rescued with her, Zelle was unconscious ever since they met her.

Valhayle was certain that Zelle was unaware of what had happened.

“Your Highness, if you could tell us what had happened, it would be of great help to us.”

“…”

Zelle became heavy-hearted.

Do I have to tell him that I was a messenger bird?

‘What happens if I do?’

She tried to imagine but shook her head before she could.

No. He would just think I’ve gone mad from the poison.

If a rumor spreads that the only surviving royal has gone mad, the army would be very dispirited. And most of all…

Zelle thought bitterly.

‘As a human, I can’t do anything.’

Just because she spent a lot of time with Valhayle, it didn’t mean she could trust him completely. 

Since trusting Valhayle as the commander and trusting him as the head of the Lumares Family were two very different things.

Valhayle was the head of the family that supported the 1st and 2nd princess and was practically betrothed to Demiera, the 2nd princess.

And if she told him about the things she accomplished? 

No, if Linbessy is alive to become queen and finds out about what she had told Valhayle, Zelle would not be safe

‘I should… Forget everything I did as a messenger bird.’

No one should know that I served this country as a bird.

“Your Highness.”

Zelle lifted her head.

“…Yes?”

“…Is it difficult to recall?”

She widened her eyes at his question.

This is it. I can just say that I don’t remember anything.

Logically, this body didn’t see or hear anything, right?

Zelle nodded her head immediately.

“Yes.”

Valhayle subtly frowned.

“Not even a little, since you left the palace?”

“No. I have no memory of after I was captured. I remember I was inside a sack before I lost my consciousness… Then I woke up to this.”

“…”

Valhayle nodded with contemplation.

He shortly observed Zelle and parted his lips hesitantly.

“Do you perhaps remember the first thing you said when you woke up?”

When I first woke up…?

Zelle recalled the moment she realized she became human again. 

She only remembered that she was surprised and bewildered and couldn’t remember the details. 

What did I say…

As Zelle tried to recall, Valhayle spoke.

“You talked about a bird…”

Ah, bird! My body!!

Zelle sprang her head up in shock and met eyes with Valhayle. 

‘Right. I’m supposed to know nothing of the bird.’

He looked at Zelle with suspicion.

“Ah, well… I think… There was a bird or something?”

“How do you know–”

Valhayle halted mid-sentence.

“I heard you were unconscious all along.”

Zelle bit her lips in anxiety. 

“…A messenger bird. There are usually messenger birds during war right?”

Zelle rolled her eyes.

To think of a believable reason without seeming like she knows about Roymonde’s military. 

“…A D-Dream!”

“A dream?”

“I dreamt of it. Before I woke… I don’t really remember but…”

Zelle moved her hands. 

“I think a small bird flapped in front of me. Um… I think it was a cavier falcon? Or something similar. You must have something similar in this camp right?”

It was quite believable since she attacked her human body when she was a bird.

Valhayle made a mixed expression.

“The bird is currently in treatment.”

Zelle pulled her body forward.

“Can I go see it?”

The response to that was immediate.

“No.”

Zelle stared at the commander’s face who bluntly said no to a princess.

And noticed. 

The suspicion and wariness on his face. 

Zelle yelled internally.

‘Is it your sickly doubting habit of yours again?!!’

When she was a bird, she was unaware of her human body’s safety and now that she was a human, she couldn’t know her bird body’s safety.

Darn it.

Life really isn’t easy.

*･ﾟ:༻✦༺･ﾟ:*

Sitting along in his tent, Valhayle pressed his temples.

“…”

Strange.

There’s something so strange.

Valhayle thought of the moments where he noticed questionable things from the princess.

The strangest thing was about the bird.

When he mentioned the bird, the princess’s eyes definitely glowed.

Then she proceeded to say, 

‘A D-Dream! I dreamt of it. Before I woke…’

Valhayle shook his head. 

During the 10 years he spent on the battlefield, Valhayle found and planted spies. 

He was experienced in determining truth and falsehood. 

Dreaming before waking up? 

It sounded nothing but like an excuse. 

But then there was no reason for her to look for the bird the moment she woke up. She must know something more than just knowing that a messenger bird exists. 

It seemed like she knew about the special messenger bird of the camp…

She must have heard it from somewhere or someone could have told her about it. 

But who?

Valhayle was most bothered with that.

If she had heard it from someone, she could have just said so. But the princess kept avoiding the question.

‘Is she… Not letting her guard down again.’

Valhayle clenched his fist in bursting anger. He calmed himself and thought. 

Or perhaps…

The princess and the bird’s dream. 

Something supernatural was occurring. 

As soon as he thought that to himself. 

Something struck his mind. 

“…..!”

The bird’s attack, the blood of the royal heir, and the waking of the princess.

These three pieces lead to something. 

‘The legend of the gold-blooded.’

The gold-blooded one who bled one’s golden blood to protect this land. And the royal descendants who carried that blood.

The 8th princess’s blood and her waking. 

Could it be that the 600-year-old legend is actually true? 

He recalled the trail of blood that fell on the ground along his hand. 

Perhaps, the bird knew. 

That the blood of the princess, the golden blood that protects this land, would be brought to power if it hits the ground.

And as a result, the princess had woken. 

If not for this reason, it didn’t make sense that the bird that was clearly proven that it was on Roymonde’s side would attack the princess. 

So it acted that way… Knowing that the princess’s blood would protect this land?

He pressed his aching head. 

Actually, none of it made sense. 

Especially considering the strange behavior the bird exhibited such as the frequent tantrums and out-of-the-blue love bombing. 

There was no chance that that bird was a supernatural being. 

Valhayle recalled all the things he went through with the bird. 

The same went for the princess. 

After carefully observing the princess’s behavior after she had woken, he concluded that the princess is not in her right state of mind. 

The 8th princess in his memories always avoided him. She wasn’t just simply avoiding his contact, she was petrified to even be within his range of sight. 

But that behavior was completely gone. 

The moment she woke up, she recognized his face and called for him.

‘Sir Valhayle!’

*˖:✧ ⑅•.༻♔༺.•⑅ ✧:˖*

TL/N: Sorry everyone! I took a hiatus and basically forgot to announce it… I was a little overwhelmed with the university studies but now I’m getting adjusted and plus I quit the other mangas and novels so I can focus on this one more! Hopefully everything will get back on track.