How The Sub-Male Lead’s Stepmother Teaches Love

“Do you understand me…?” 

 

“Peep.”

 

The small bird nodded its head as if it was obvious. Noah, as well as I, seemed very surprised to see that, and his mouth opened wide. 

 

“A monster who understands what people say…I’ve never heard of it.” 

 

“Peep!”

 

At that time, the small bird stamped its feet once again. Although it was a soft cushion, it was so weak that it did not press at all. I bit my lip without realizing it.

 

‘Cute!’

 

‘Ah, no, don’t be fooled by cuteness.’ 

 

I shook my head and tried to interpret what the bird was trying to convey to us.

 

“You mean you are not a monster?” 

 

“Peep.”

 

The little bird nodded its head as if that was it.

 

Perhaps because he shook his head, which was half of his body, so loudly, the bird’s body, which was standing on the cushion, suddenly lost its balance and fell over.

 

Since it was on a cushion, it didn’t look like there were any injuries at all, and I shouted ‘cute’ to myself again.

 

‘If only it looked a little more hideous.…!’

 

Its small, chubby body and long, pointed tail feathers resembled those of a concave-eyed eagle. The difference was that, unlike the snow-white furry bird, the tip of the bird’s fur was light blue.

 

Like the Snow Fox doll Rebecca had made me.

 

“Peep!”

 

At that time, a small bird spread its wings and flew up from the cushion.

 

Because its body was small, its wings were naturally also small. 

 

Thinking that the bird was somehow able to fly with those wings, I inadvertently clenched my fists and cheered on the bird.

 

‘Come on! You can do it!’

 

But the place where the bird soared and landed was right above my head. 

 

“Uh?”

 

“mother! It’s dangerous!”

 

“Beep, beep!”

 

Noah tried to reach over my head, but it was too much for his short frame.

 

I wondered if I should bend my knees so I could reach Noah’s hand, but It seemed like there was no need for that.

 

The bird that had landed on my head was chirping so happily.

 

“Uh, uhh…”

 

Noah looked back and forth between my eyes and the top of my head.

 

‘I’m not sure if he heard it or not.’

 

After thinking for a moment, I raised my hands above my head and opened my mouth.

 

“Do you want to come down here?”

 

As if answering my words, I heard a crying sound and felt a small weight on my palm.

 

As I carefully lowered my hand, the bird was sitting comfortably on my palm as if it had built a nest, picking at its own feathers with its short beak.

 

It has no intention of harming me, and doesn’t think we pose a threat. I was speechless for a moment, wondering how it could be so relaxed.

 

“I thought it was a monster….. I thought it was a monster.”

 

Noah repeated those words several times with a confused look on his face. 

 

Unlike the first time he stood in front of me calling it a monster, there was no conviction in his face now.

 

I squatted down, bending my knees so he could see the bird more comfortably, and asked,

 

“Noah. Why did you think this bird was a monster earlier?”

 

“By absorbing magical power. What this bird was pecking at was probably a magic stone. I heard that monsters absorb magic power by eating magic stones.” 

 

“But I can’t see any magic stones on this bird’s body?”

 

Noah answered my question with a serious expression. 

 

“Maybe he’s a higher level?”

 

“Such a small and cute bird?”

 

“Peep, Peep!”

 

I’m not a monster!

 

It cried as if to say so. I stared intently at the bird in the palm of my hand, but my legs tingle, so I stood up once.

 

“We’ll find out when we get outside. My escorts will probably recognize this bird if it is a monster.”

 

Did he interpret those words as saying I would take him outside?

 

The bird on my hand spread its wings and flew over my head again. I felt a small foot pressing down on my head. Eventually, the round shape that landed was so soft that I thought a warm snowball had landed on my head.

 

“What, that tickles hahah.”

 

The sound of my laughter was mixed with the chirping sound of a bird.

 

Somehow I felt better, so I stretched out my hand to Noah with a smiling face.

 

“Now, let’s go out. It’s been too long.”

 

“Ah yes.”

 

“There’s a lot I haven’t seen yet, so let’s come see it again later. At that time, Father was there too.”

 

“Yes, mother.”

 

When we opened the heavy stone door using the magic of the matriarch’s ring, Ethan and Leona looked at us with relieved faces.

 

“Marquise, young master, you are safe.”

 

“huh? Safe?”

 

“It’s been three hours, and we were wondering if something had happened inside.” 

 

“It’s been that long? Sorry, I didn’t realize the time had passed.” 

 

“I’m glad nothing happened.…But what is that bird above your head?”

 

“Oh, bird?”

 

When I raised my hand above my head, the small bird moved its position on the palm of my hand like it did before.

 

I moved my hand forward and Ethan and Leona lowered their heads side by side and looked down at the squirming bird with light blue fur.

 

“how is it?”

 

“Yes? What do you mean?”

 

“That bird…”

 

Noah was about to ask something, but hesitated and closed his mouth.

 

Leona, who was tilting her head in confusion as she looked at Noah, seems to have noticed something!

 

She shouted.

 

“It’s so cute!”

 

“Anything else besides that?”

 

“hmm…Is it cute? Is it small? Aren’t the bright blue tail feathers very beautiful?”

 

Leona tilted her head and poured out all sorts of compliments towards the bird, as if she had no idea what we were thinking of asking such a question. Then she turned her head to Ethan, and Ethan made eye contact with me, looked hesitant for a moment, and then he said that.

 

“Is it cute?”

 

“Hmm, this bird looks cute even to my eyes.” 

 

“yes…It looks cute to me too.” 

 

Noah, who had a confused look on his face, quickly nodded his head. 

 

If the bird was a monster, there’s no way the two people wouldn’t have recognized it.

 

Noah, who knew this well, seemed to have concluded that he had made a mistake.

 

“But where did you pick this bird up? From the treasure room?” 

 

“Yeah. It must have flown in when the door opened earlier.”

 

“What? But Ajas’s treasure room is located at—”

 

At that moment, when Leona was tilting her head, the bird on my palm suddenly spread its wings, took off, and landed on the pendant around Noah’s neck. This was possible because of its small size.

 

“Oh, now that I think about it, I need to fill that pendant with magical power.”

 

“Can you call Sage now?”

 

“Yes, just a moment.”

 

Leona used the ring on her little finger to call Sage and Sage ran over to us and filled Noah’s pendant with magical power.

 

“Uh….wait a minute. I don’t think I can do this alone.” 

 

“You can’t do it alone?”

 

“Three or four people… No, I think there should be six. If you give me the pendant for a moment, I will go to the wizard’s dormitory and receive magic power from the wizards there.”

 

But instead of handing Sage the pendant, Noah shook his head.

 

“That’s not necessary. I’ll go there myself.”

 

“Yes? Why?”

 

“I can’t release this pendant. I promised my mother I wouldn’t do that.’

 

‘My Noah was going to keep his promise to me..!’

 

So we headed directly to the wizard’s dormitory. 

 

There was a brief commotion at my arrival, but the wizards soon became more interested in the magical tools that had absorbed all the magic power of six wizards.

 

“A magic tool that was in Ajas’s treasure room?” 

 

“Do you have any idea about this?”

 

“No, I don’t know.…It looks like a magic circle.” 

 

“What a magic circle! Young master, could you please lend me your pendant for a moment?”

 

“I can’t.”

 

“Ugh, come on, just for a day, no, a day, no, just an hour!”

 

“No.”

 

Judging by the desperate looks on the wizards’ faces, it was probably a good idea to come in person.

 

The pendant I’d brought with me was about to be disassembled by mice and birds.

 

After being resolutely rejected by Noah, the wizards gave me earnest and sad looks, as if they had been kicked out of the house overnight, but I pretended not to notice.

 

I’d ask Leonhard later, and maybe he’d give me one of his spare magical tools.

 

“But how far are you going to follow me?” 

 

“Peep?”

 

The bird did not leave my head until I walked Noah to my guest room and returned to my bedroom.

 

Maybe it was because it was cold outside, but he’d been chirping all the way from the treasure room to the wizard’s dormitory and back to the main palace.

 

“My escorts and so many of those wizards didn’t say much, so I’m sure it’s not a monster…”

 

“Peep, Peep?”

 

“Do you want to be my pet bird?” 

 

“Peep!”

 

The bird that was constantly tilting its head, nodded its head vigorously as if that was it.

 

Then it lost its balance again and fell down on my head, but I caught it with my reflexes.

 

“peep…”

 

After landing headfirst on my palm, the bird ruffled its feathers, flapped its wings, and looked up at me.

 

“Peep, Peep?”

 

“Hmm…Okay. If this is fate, then it must be fate.” 

 

I don’t know if I was the younger daughter of Howard, but I was rich now. I was able to harvest at least one small bird the size of my fist.

 

“Then we should start by giving it a name. What name would be good?…” 

 

After combing my hair, I climbed onto the bed, got under the blanket, gave one of the cushions to the bird, and thought about it for a while.

 

Finally, I was able to name the bird before my eyelids closed.

 

“You’re Rake, starting today. Okay, Rake?”

 

The small bird seemed to like it and let out a squeak. I used that sound as a lullaby and fell into a deep sleep.

 

Now that I think about it, I remember thinking that I didn’t get to see the dragon egg after all.

 

* * * 

 

‘Read this book. It will help you.’ 

 

‘book?’ 

 

‘Yes. I wrote it myself. If it’s in this form, I can show it to you too. A lot of things will probably change because of you, but I guess I can tolerate it.’

 

‘What is written in this book that’s going to help me? What’s going to change?’

 

‘You’ll know when you read it. The contents of the book are….’

 

* * * 

 

The next morning. Amy, who came in to wake me up, stood outside the bed and called out to me, then screamed softly.

 

The sound didn’t startle me, because the emotion behind the scream wasn’t panic or fear, and a squeak was also heard.

 

“Madam, what is that cotton flower-like bird by your bed?”

 

“Ugh, I picked it up yesterday. Hoamm…The name is Rake. I’m going start taking care of it from today.”

 

“Oh my god, I’ve never seen such a cute bird.”

 

While I was pouring the water Amy had brought onto my sleepy face, the sound of Rake crying and Amy laughing happily continued.

 

‘Rather than that…I think I had a weird dream.’ 

 

As I poured warm water on my face, even the vague remnants of my dream were completely washed away.

 

I completely forgot about the dream as I wiped the water off my face with a soft towel.

 * * *