CH 46

“Really? Are you sure you’re okay? Lady, you are a very strong person….”

Ancia muttered. I blinked quietly at Ancia’s words. 

“You know, I actually want to be close to Lady…I’ve never met any other clan….” Ancia whispered as if it was a great secret. “…And, as you can see, the wolf clan kids are a bit stupid….” 

Ancia’s gaze at the other children who were chattering was cold and salty. 

‘You want to be friends with me?’

I blinked my eyes for a moment. After coming to Yeckhart, I have made quite a few friends.

The elders who healed me when I was sick, and even Arsene and Chef Akim. However, most of them were people I approached because I wanted to be friends first. And Ancia was the first girl to tell me she wanted to be a friend.

It’s my first time making friends, and I would be lying if I said I’m not happy when Ancia says something like this.

One side of my heart tickled as I listened to Ancia. 

“Ung, I want to be friends with Ancia too.”

“Really? Then can you come to the tea party at my mansion? I will send you an invitation with pretty flowers. I’ll do it around next month. The invitation with Linsy— and only a few kids. Um, except for Evelyn, of course.”

Ancia continued. 

“Tea party? Ung. Okay, I’ll go.” 

“Really?”

Ancia asked again in disbelief. 

I nodded. 

“I have to get permission from Kendrick-nim, but— if I can go—” 

“Okay! If you can come, you must come, right?”

Ancia gave me a big smile, grabbed my hand, and shook it wildly. I was slightly surprised by the sudden touch, but I held her hands without showing it. 

“And speak comfortably, Lady. You are now a member of Yeckhart!” 

Ancia said with her eyes twinkling. 

She becomes a member of Yeckhart. Being a head family member was like being in the second highest position after the head. 

‘Then it would be a disgrace to Yeckhart if I continue using honorifics—’

At first, I used honorifics because it was unfamiliar. However, after listening to Ancia, I nodded because I thought I shouldn’t.

“Ung, I will.” 

“Okay! Then shall we go for a walk together? I think they keep looking at us—” 

“Walking?” 

“Yes, I want to see the garden of Yeckhart’s mansion. They said it was incredibly pretty!” 

Ancia, with her arms open, said. The girl walked around excitedly while her knee-high dress fluttered.

“All right, I’ll show you around. But Ancia, what about your friends?”

I glanced at Evelyn and the other wolf children, who were still staring at us. 

At this rate, Ancia might be hated by those kids. But she shrugged her shoulders as if she didn’t care.

“It’s okay. I must have been crazy looking at Evelyn—let it be.” 

Evelyn seemed to be the leader of that group of children.

I glanced at Ancia.

‘Ancia… you’re a great kid.’

If Evelyn talks like that, it’s easy to get swept away by the atmosphere. However, Ancia was tenacious.

I took Ancia and headed to the mansion’s garden.

A place where Arsene and I used to come and go hundreds of times a day. In the garden, blue hyacinths that closely resembled Arsene’s eyes were in full bloom. 

“Wow…it’s pretty!” 

When Ancia saw the hyacinth, she ran straight up and squatted down. I tried to get Ancia up, but she said it was okay, and she patted the seat next to me. 

“It’s okay, it’s okay. I love the scent of flowers. Lady Linsy, do you want to smell it, too?” 

Aside from that, Ancia looked around the garden and uttered exclamations. 

She also said that she wouldn’t want anything else if she came here often. 

When I forgot about the banquet hall for a long time and was taking a walk, it was then.

Kwang–! 

A black wolf popped out of the bushes and blocked my way. 

“Whoaa!”

The wolf opened its big mouth as if it was going to eat me, and I could see its sharp fangs. 

I gasped in shock at what had happened so suddenly. At the same time, light green smoke rose up and wrapped around me. As soon as I saw the wolf, my eyes went blank, and I couldn’t think of anything.

I just thought I should get out of this place.

“Evelyn—!” 

I couldn’t even hear Ancia screaming loudly.

I wandered around and backed away from the approaching wolf. And—.

Pong—!

I turned into a small bird and flew away to escape from the wolf. 

It had been a while since I had used my bird form, so the fly was unsteady. 

It kept staggering. However, I regained my composure and quickly flew away.

‘Run, I must run.’

It’s almost the first time I’ve seen a wolf in this form since I first came to the mansion.

Because none of the servants in Yeckhart’s mansion turned into wolves out of consideration for me, so this situation was more unbelievable and frightening. 

Tears welled up in my eyes as I flew away. I heard a shout from behind, but I couldn’t listen to it. Then I snuck into the mansion through the window.

But—.

‘T, there are too many people.’

Perhaps because of the banquet, all the servants in the mansion were busy moving.

Most of the doors were open and closed. 

There seemed to be no place to hide. 

I rushed down to the basement to avoid the wolves. 

The problem is.

‘It’s so dark.’ 

When I came to a dark place, it seemed that the trauma of my previous life would suddenly come back to me. Then—.

A faint light could be seen leaking through the crack in the open door. 

‘There!’

I flew hard.

Then I slipped through the gap in the open door and hid behind the boxes. Then I took a deep breath, buried my face in the curtain, and made a crying sound.

The problem is.

I was sobbing and didn’t notice the door closing.

* * *

Ancia could hardly believe the sight in front of her.

“Evelyn—!!!” 

The same clan could tell right away who was who even though they had transformed.

So, Ancia immediately recognized that the wolf in front of her was a figure of Evelyn’s wolf form.

The problem was Linsy. Linsy took a deep breath and moved backward as if she was in a panic.

Pong–!

She flew away somewhere with the sound of transformation. 

Ancia tried to chase Linsy, but it was not easy to chase the small bird that flew quickly.

In the end, Ancia asked Evelyn with a bewildered expression.

“Why the hell did you do that?”

Ancia couldn’t understand Evelyn.

She knew that the wolf clan and the bird clan were enemies, but—.

Still, Linsy Raniero was a child who Kendrick Yeckhart, the head of the wolves, introduced as a member of Yeckhart. This means that Linsy Raniero will later become Yeckhart’s hostess. 

Moreover, this banquet was held to bless Linsy and Arsene. 

But she’s doing this? 

Ancia couldn’t understand.

At that time—.

Pong–! 

Evelyn goes back to her human form in front of Ancia. The black wolf disappeared out of nowhere, and a girl with a sharp impression appeared.

“Hey, look at how she flies in a hurry. It serves her right.” 

“Why did you do that, Evelyn!”

Ancia pushed Evelyn.

The girl’s eyes were now filled with tears and stained with absurdity. 

“Ha, you really don’t know anything. My dad said it. Lord Kendrick had no choice but to adopt a bird clan as a daughter-in-law.” 

Evelyn continued triumphantly. 

“He said that it was clear that banquets were unavoidable. Kendrick hates that kid. Would he have left that child in the banquet hall if he liked her?

At Evelyn’s words, Ancia narrowed her brows.

Kendrick’s actions were hard to understand, leaving only Linsy and Arsene, his two children. 

However. 

“You.. don’t really know anything, do you?” 

Ancia laughs bitterly. 

Ancia’s grandfather was Tristan, one of the nine Grand Elders. Ancia had heard from Tristan how much Kendrick and Yeckhart’s servants loved the ‘baby bird.’ 

She quickly turned her head away, as if she didn’t want to talk anymore. 

“Okay, I’m going to tell my grandfather and Lord Kendrick everything. You were rude to Lady  Linsy, no, you threatened Lady Linsy!”

“Oh my, Ancia. Do you think I’m going to be discouraged?”

Evelyn laughed at Ancia. Evelyn was sure. She was sure that if this was found out, there would be no punishment. 

Evelyn was only ten years old. In addition, Evelyn’s family, Elijah, was a deep-rooted noble family.

Furthermore—.

“A girl from the bird clan? Rumor has it that Lord Kendrick hates her very much. Somehow, during the meeting, when he heard the name of the girl, his face hardened—”

Evelyn chuckled as she recalled what her own father had said.

Even if they found out about this, it didn’t seem like she would be punished for it. 

So Evelyn laughed at Ancia, who looked very tired, and then she left. She didn’t know what would happen because of it. 

* * *

“Lady Linsy! Lady Linsy is gone!” 

Ancia ran straight to the banquet hall and shouted loudly.

The nobles who heard Ancia’s voice narrowed their brows.

“Did she disappears? Ha…at a banquet where she’s the main character…” 

“After all, the vulgar blood of the bird clan doesn’t go anywhere.tsk—” 

The nobles quickly lost interest in what Ancia said and turned their backs on her.

Ancia looked at them with a puzzled expression.

“No, she’s gone! She was startled and flew away—!” 

Then, she heard a familiar voice.

“Ancia, what’s going on?”

Ancia turned her head straight away and shouted loudly.

“Grandpa!”