The birds slowly opened their eyes. Perhaps they had lost consciousness for a moment; as soon as they opened their eyes, the attendants were visible.

“Has your Highness awakened?”

“…Yes.”

The head felt groggy. Perhaps it was because of suddenly dreaming of the past, but the reality of the present didn’t feel tangible.

It still felt like a dream.

With an uneasy expression, the attendants asked the birds, “Your Highness, are you okay? Shall I fetch a calming remedy?”

They were afraid of a seizure. If the birds had a seizure, they could freeze everything around them, so it was natural to be tense.

The birds shook their heads. Thanks to the dream of Marianne after a long time, they didn’t feel bad. Instead, they wanted to savor the lingering feelings of her that remained.

“No, I’m fine. I’ll sit for a moment.”

After reaching out their hand to the attendants, the birds leaned against the bed and recalled Marianne, whom they had met in the dream.

‘Marianne.’

The fluttering pink hair.

She was a woman who refused to wear a skirt, claiming it was bothersome, but she often let her hair down. When her hair fluttered in the wind, the birds sighed with regret.

‘If only I had called her before parting so miserably.’

Many guys dared to mention her name.

But the birds couldn’t. They were afraid that calling her name would harbor unnecessary hope.

In the end, they didn’t know back then that she would die so easily. The birds murmured her name in a small voice, filled with regret.

“Marian…”

The only reason she kept coming to mind these days was that they had met her at the Grand Duke.

‘I just went to check if her heart was in good condition. It was an unexpected harvest.’

The birds didn’t like Hadel. There was no specific reason. The mere fact that Marianne’s heart beat in another man’s body was an unbearable discomfort.

With anger, the temperature in the room dropped instantly.

‘Damn it, because the man with the appropriate heart is him!’

Why did they have an ice attribute? If they had a flame attribute like Marianne, they could have been one with her forever.

But they ended up meeting her unexpectedly when they went to check Hadel’s condition. The woman they had only seen in dreams.

“Marian.”

Just calling her name felt like eroding and disappearing emotions. The birds, who had called Marianne with a poignant voice, soon glared at the empty space with a stern gaze.

‘But there was no woman with pink hair in the Grand Duke’s report.’

The birds had been monitoring Hadel by implanting people in the Grand Duke for a long time. It was to prevent a sudden seizure or rampage that could damage the precious heart.

They didn’t expect to ask if the woman they saw was the real Marianne, but the reports that came up were all the same. There was no such woman. It seemed like a groundless rumor.
The moment they saw that report, it felt like their mind was collapsing. The despair was indescribable.

The birds covered their faces with their hands. As they took a deep breath, the temperature, which had been slowly dropping, rose. They had embraced the cold.

“Did I really see something false?”

As Ylunisia’s mind deteriorated and she eventually changed like a doll, the birds, too, had not been in their right minds for a long time. There was no reason to be surprised when Marianne in the illusion spoke to him suddenly.

They had already met her countless times in the illusion and desired her.

“Still, Marianne, even in the illusion, being able to meet you…”

The more the birds thought about Marianne, the more their sinking heart surged. It would have been dangerous if they had more time to think.

At that moment, timely, the court physician knocked on the door.

“Your Highness, it’s breakfast time.”

The court physician, who had been trembling beside the birds, breathed a sigh of relief. The birds, who had been blinking their eyes like a doll for a while, stood up from their seat.

After arranging their attire and neatly combing their hair, they walked down the corridor and arrived at the dining hall.

“I’m late.”

Everyone in the dining hall had already gathered. The king sat at the highest position, and the queen was seated next to him.

However, no one looked at the birds. They just sat there with blank eyes.

The birds twisted their lips. It felt like waking up from Marianne’s illusion. They were forcibly dragged back to reality.

“Yes, this is a tomb for the living.”

As they took their seat, the king and queen started their meal. Since it was a meal just for appearance, there was no need for any conversation.

While the birds were having their meal, their attendant approached and reported to them.

“Ylunisia has passed away.”

It was an important matter. The faces of the birds stiffened. The birds, who had been silent for a while, questioned with a shivering voice.

“…Is it Hadel’s doing?”

The ice that froze Ylunisia’s heart was not ordinary ice. Currently, only Hadel could generate enough flames to melt it. The attendant also answered cautiously.

“The Grand Duke has moved to Nerys.”

“Hmm.”