So the next day, I followed Hadel, who set out to inspect if there were any places on the walls that needed repair. It was my own remarkable determination-filled companionship.

‘I will find a business that suits the North perfectly!’

However, such aspirations didn’t last long. As soon as we left the castle, I had to scream and crawl into Hadel’s shirt because of the piercing cold.

‘Oh, but why is it so cold!’

The chilly wind brushing against my nose prevented me from sticking my head outside the shirt. Tears seemed to freeze in the meantime, making a crispy sound on my eyelashes.

People who saw me entering in surprise burst into laughter.

“Haha, it seems like the bird is surprised by the cold.”

Are you kidding me? Is it funny?

‘You’re all so mean. Laughing at me, who’s here naked while wearing all sorts of thick clothes.’

I shivered inside the shirt. One of Hadel’s subordinates, who had been eyeing me with curious eyes, stroked his chin and said,

“The more you look, the more unusual it seems. Usually, birds don’t care about the cold.”

Unrelated to my characteristics as a bird, Hadel tilted his head.

“Is that so?”

“Yes. Doesn’t it have fur covering its whole body? It’s natural for it to be resistant to the cold. And the fact that its fur is white means it’s a bird that lives in snowy areas.”

“Hmm.”

Hadel touched my back as if asking, “Did you hear that?” I curled up inside the shirt, digging in like a mole.

‘There’s no use poking me. I’m weak against the cold.’

Whether I was just wandering around, or if it was because I felt ticklish, Hadel’s chest vibrated. I could feel warm mana rising from his chest. For no reason, I lightly tapped Hadel’s chest with the palm of my hand. It reminded me of my old sturdy heart.

‘Ah, it’s sad. Back in the days when my heart was strong, I lived without knowing what cold was.’

What is cold? Even in winter, I always wore short clothes. It’s like Hadel can’t control the heat now.

‘But Hadel’s condition is too much.’

Can his own heart be this burdensome? I’ve never seen such a case.

‘Is there no way to solve this?’

While thinking about that, I was staring fixedly at Hadel’s chest.

Whether he thought I crawled towards the heart area because I was cold, or for some other reason, Hadel asked me.

“Can I have a kiss?”

“Kyu?”

A kiss? It’s a bit awkward. What surprised me was that at that moment, my heart shook as if it had been shocked.

‘Oops, it’s the devil’s temptation.’

It’s not like Hadel was suggesting a genuine human kiss; it was more like he wanted to infuse mana enough to make my body warm. But even that made my heart beat fiercely.

‘Really, just doing a little bit of kissing would be incredibly warm. It would be so nice and warm.’
While shedding my lingering reluctance, I didn’t stick my head out. There was no other reason, and there were too many people around. No matter how strong my identity as a jokjebi (bird) became, I couldn’t be shameless enough to kiss Hadel in front of ten people staring at us.

As I slid into Hadel’s body like a snake, Hadel sighed through his nose. One of the subordinates who overheard our conversation approached Hadel with a blossoming smile.

“It seems you find the jokjebi very cute.”

When he left, other subordinates joined in.

“When His Highness first mentioned raising animals, I was very surprised, but now I’ve gotten used to it. It feels empty if we don’t see it.”

“That jokjebi, it looks ordinary, but is it very clever?”

“I heard even the maids find it cute.”

At the mention of being clever, I squirmed happily inside Hadel’s embrace. Hadel nodded without denying their words.

“I didn’t expect to take care of it for so long.”

It feels like just yesterday when he said he would raise me until he could make a scarf out of me!

I shed tears of great progress. Our relationship has come to this. We can now openly introduce each other as companions, even in front of others.

Although Hadel didn’t say it very affectionately, just saying that much about his personality meant he cared immensely for me. One of the subordinates, who seemed to be looking at Hadel surprisingly, nodded his head and replied.

“It seems that even the future Grand Duchess should like animals.”

‘Grand Duchess.’

That was a presence I had never thought about before.

‘Come to think of it, even though I vowed to live by Hadel’s side for a thousand years, I never thought about Hadel getting married.’

Of course, Hadel will get married. It’s the duty of royalty.

‘I vaguely heard about this last time. He said there is no engagement yet.’

As I was recalling, the subordinates, as if waiting, added to this topic.

“Your Highness should get married now. It’s already late.”

“I want to see the children running around the Grand Duchy soon.”

“I heard that the Birds Prince will bring up the Grand Duchess candidates this time…”

After hearing that, I remembered. Birds suddenly coming to the capital must be related to the Grand Duchess.

A presence that I hadn’t thought about at all was now standing next to me. I shivered, imagining her face.