Storm and Bird
The imperial palace gardens housed a massive aviary. It soared high enough to touch the sky and was spacious enough to comfortably hold dozens of people.
This silver aviary was home to a variety of birds offered as tribute from across the empire. From small, adorable canaries to large, magnificent peacocks.
The late empress had been particularly fond of birds. This enormous aviary had been under her personal care. Whenever she had the time, she would bring me here as a child.
“Ishtel. This bird is a lark that arrived recently from the western provinces. Isn’t it truly beautiful?”
The empress would always make sure to show me any new bird that arrived.
“But you know… as beautiful as they are, they are equally pitiful. It feels like I’m looking at myself…”
“What do you mean…?”
“Ah, it must still be difficult for you to understand. Ishtel, live as freely as you wish until you become the crown princess and enter the palace. Becoming a woman of the imperial family… is no different from becoming a small bird inside a giant cage…”
As a young girl, I couldn’t grasp the meaning behind her words. Back then, the imperial palace was a joyful playground for me, a thrilling place where I could meet the crown prince and Hellion.
‘Now I understand what you meant, Your Majesty.’
The peacock the empress had cherished approached me and rubbed its head against me, begging for food. I held out a handful of feed, and it spread its brilliant feathers wide in satisfaction, letting out a cry.
“Ouch!”
The sudden prick on my shoulder made me spin around in surprise. A large hawk perched on a tree branch was pecking at me with its beak.
“Khan!”
When I reached out happily, the hawk abruptly turned its head away.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. You’ve been upset because I haven’t taken you hunting lately, haven’t you?”
Only after I stroked its head several times did Khan finally calm down. I extended my arm, still wearing the protective gauntlet, and Khan promptly hopped onto it.
“Now that I think about it, I should introduce you to the archdukes. I’ve been so distracted I completely forgot.”
Unlike the birds gifted from various provinces, Khan had come from my family, the Regentera ducal house. When one of the family’s hawks laid eggs, my grandfather had given me one as a gift.
The two archdukes would surely find this magnificent hawk quite fascinating.
I gazed quietly at Khan as he preened his feathers. Then, from the opposite side of the aviary, a raspy voice called out.
“Love me too, Ishtel! Love me too!”
“Alright, May. Come here.”
A pure white parrot skillfully opened the aviary door and flew over to me. With a flutter of wings that brushed past Khan, May pecked at the feed in my hand.
“Jealous little thing. Fine, I’ll introduce you to the archdukes too.”
“Thank you, Ishtel! I love you, Ishtel!”
The talkative parrot May loved to tease me. Because of her lively personality, she often bothered the much larger Khan and the peacock, but to me she was an incredibly precious child.
May was a bird the late Crown Prince Primos had given me. Having grown up together since childhood, Primos and I had shared every story without hesitation. But there was one thing he could never quite say.
The words ‘I love you.’ He had been terribly embarrassed to say them. In the end, Primos had found someone to convey his feelings in his stead. That someone was May.
He had taught the phrase to the cleverest species of parrot native to the empire before gifting her to me. Though Primos was no longer by my side, May remained a precious friend who shared those memories with me.
“Um… Duchess…”
While I was lost in memories of Primos, Abigail approached.
“His Majesty is looking for you.”
***
“Duchess!”
When I arrived at the emperor’s residence, the head maid Sophie came running toward me with a terrified expression.
“His Majesty is searching for Karina.”
Sophie’s voice trembled as she spoke in a hushed, tearful tone.
“I have served His Majesty for over ten years, but I have never seen him this angry. We insisted we didn’t know anything, but he simply wouldn’t calm down…”
Not only Sophie, but all the other maids standing behind her wore expressions of pure terror. They huddled together, trembling, a good distance away from the golden doors of the emperor’s residence. Abigail, who had followed me, let out a heavy sigh at the sight.
“There’s nothing to worry about. I’ll take care of everything.”
I spoke to ease the anxious hearts of the head maids. Even so, dark clouds still lingered on both their faces.
“Please inform him I have arrived.”
I straightened my clothes as I spoke. Sophie steadied her trembling voice and called out loudly.
“Y-Your Majesty. The Duchess of Wintera has arrived.”
The emperor’s voice from beyond the door was far more agitated than usual. I patted the still-rigid shoulders of Abigail and Sophie once each before stepping into the emperor’s residence.
‘What on earth…’
The emperor’s residence… was in complete chaos.
Shattered porcelain fragments littered the floor, important documents were scattered so haphazardly their order was impossible to discern, and today’s unread newspaper lay soaked in spilled ink, turned completely black.
“Your Majesty…!”
I deliberately put on a deeply shocked expression as I looked around.
“What in the world happened here?”
“Ishtel.”
His Majesty called my name in a voice strained with suppressed rage.
“Karina has disappeared!”
“Pardon? What do you…?”
“I said Karina has vanished from the palace!”
His furious voice echoed throughout the emperor’s residence. I shook my head with a look of utter confusion.
“That can’t be. Couldn’t she simply be oversleeping? Don’t the maids sometimes sleep in? I’ll have people search the entire palace thoroughly.”
“She’s not here. I already had the servants search the entire palace, but she’s nowhere to be found!”
I had expected a storm, but His Majesty’s reaction was far more severe than I had imagined. The sight of him sent a strange pang through a corner of my heart.
“Ishtel, do you know anything about this?”
“What do you mean?”
“I asked if you know where Karina went or where she is now.”
This was a situation I had anticipated and imagined countless times. I had vowed not to show any emotion, yet the words that left my mouth were impossibly curt.
“Why are you asking me? Didn’t you see Karina far more often than I did?”
“However—”
“After she transferred from the central palace to your residence, I barely saw her. Ah, the last time was probably when I saw her wearing my dress at the Founding Festival ball.”
For a moment, His Majesty’s expression darkened sharply.
In truth, the mention of the dress had slipped out unintentionally. But I didn’t regret it. If His Majesty had only given me a proper explanation about that matter… I wouldn’t have reacted this way.
“Sophie!”
Still staring at me with that dark expression, His Majesty called for the head maid.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Summon the knight commander.”
His gaze remained fixed on me. I stood motionless, maintaining my silence.
‘Even back then, such a long silence had fallen between His Majesty and me.’
The recent confrontation over the red dress came to mind. How had things between us come to this…?
“You called for me, Your Majesty.”
The long silence was finally broken by the knight commander’s arrival. He didn’t spare a glance at the devastated state of the emperor’s residence, waiting solely for the emperor’s command.
“Marquis Lilche. There is someone I need you to find urgently.”
“Who might that be?”
“A maid named Karina. She worked in my residence but has not been seen all day.”
At that moment, Marquis Lilche’s eyebrows twitched.
He was a man who rarely showed any change in expression. For him, this reaction was enough to reveal his bewilderment. To mobilize the entire knight order to find a single maid—it was utterly absurd.
“Understood, Your Majesty.”
Yet the steadfast Marquis Lilche set aside any further questions and accepted the emperor’s command. After he withdrew, I too offered my farewell to His Majesty.
“I shall take my leave as well.”
“……”
Leaving behind the silent emperor, I exited the residence.
Abigail and Sophie, their faces pale with anxiety and restlessness, called out to me, but I told them to wait a moment before hurrying after someone else.
“Yulian!”
The knight commander stopped and turned around. I grabbed his hand and pulled him into the shadow between two massive pillars.
“What’s going on all of a sudden, Ishtel?”
Yulian blinked his green eyes as he looked down at me.
“Don’t look for her.”
“For who?”
“That maid. Don’t look for her.”
Yulian’s eyebrows twitched once more.
“Are you telling me to disobey His Majesty’s command right now?”
“That sounds too direct. Just… don’t go to Pleco Square. Nowhere near there.”
“So that’s where the maid is.”
“Yes. So under no circumstances should you search that area. And even if you find her, do not bring her back to the palace.”
“Why?”
“Just do this for me.”
“If you want me to ignore His Majesty’s orders, you should at least give me a proper reason. Don’t you think, Ishtel?”
Yulian’s voice as he spoke my name was rigid and resolute.
Yulian Lilche was the eldest grandson of the Marchioness of Lilche. As my relative, he was also Karina’s relative. I could not possibly reveal the truth about Karina to him.
“Ishtel. You need to tell me the reason.”
Yulian pressed me again. Anxiety made my palms sweat.
What could I say to sway the strict Yulian? I racked my brain, but no suitable excuse came to mind.
If I gave a flimsy reason, it might backfire. But I certainly couldn’t tell him that Karina was Fabiel Regentera’s granddaughter…
“I just… I just don’t like it…”
In the end, what came out of my mouth was nothing but childish whining with no logic whatsoever.
“You saw it too. How His Majesty turned the emperor’s residence into a wreck just because that maid disappeared… He has never once shown such behavior before…”
“……”
“His Majesty… is like a father to me… and I hate how he keeps that maid by his side and cherishes her so much…”
‘I’m done for.’
Even as I spoke, I knew I had ruined everything. As I desperately tried to think of how to salvage the situation—
“I’ll do as you say.”
An unexpected answer came from Yulian’s lips.
“I just need to avoid Pleco Square, right?”
Even though I had received the answer I wanted, I couldn’t hide my astonished expression.
“Are you serious? You’ll really do as I asked?”
Yulian gave a short nod.
“Th-thank you.”
I expressed my gratitude in a daze. He asked no further questions. He simply reached out with his large hand and gently patted my shoulder.