Theo urgently pulled me into his arms as I stood there blankly, growling as if chewing on something.
"Orca, turn around right now."
Orca, I'm sorry…. After confirming that Orca had turned his back, Theo carefully wrapped the naked me in a blanket so that not even a fingertip was visible.
"Go and make the artifact first."
"Yes, I understand…."
Orca left the room, suppressing a sigh that was about to burst out, and I, wrapped tightly in the blanket like a mummy in Theo's arms, laughed awkwardly.
"Sorry…."
"You don't need to be sorry for anything. As long as you don't leave me."
Even though Theo always said this, it somehow sounded more sinister, so I subtly watched his expression. The hand that laid me down on the bed was as gentle as usual. It must be my imagination…?
"Rest for a bit. I'll bring you some comfortable clothes."
Is it okay to use the prince as an errand boy…? My worries were overshadowed by the coziness of the blanket, and my eyelids soon grew heavy. Now that summer was approaching, it was warm even with just a blanket wrapped around my naked body. Ah, is it because the blanket is so good?
If I fall asleep like this, Theo will change my clothes for me. Showing my naked body again was embarrassing, so I transformed into an eagle and settled on my favorite cushion.
Perhaps because my original form was an eagle, transforming into an eagle was very easy, and maintaining human form wasn't that difficult either. However, since I returned to eagle form as soon as I sneezed, my form might fall apart if I let my guard down. That would get better as I got used to it.
As I leaned my head against the cushion, sleep began to pour in. At the same time, the door opened and the now-familiar footsteps approached, but I surrendered myself to slumber.
"Sweet dreams."
Truly, it felt like I would have sweet dreams.
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When I finally opened my eyes, dawn was faintly breaking. I glanced to the side and saw that Theo, who always fell asleep late at night, was still not awake. Even in his deep sleep, he held me tightly as if worried I would run away.
Carefully getting out of bed so as not to wake him, I squeezed my eyes shut. Human! I want to be human!! After muttering this several times in my mind, I felt the sensation of my body changing. Turning into a human isn't as difficult as I thought!
First, I put on the clothes Theo had brought yesterday and headed back to the mirror. Walking carefully so as not to fall, I was able to walk on my own quite well.
Standing in front of the mirror, I unintentionally exclaimed in admiration.
"...Pretty."
Yes, the figure in the mirror was pretty. It wasn't a androgynous appearance, so anyone would call it a handsome face, but the sparkling here and there made the word "pretty" fit very well.
I lightly stroked my skin and hair with my fingertips. It was as soft as my favorite cushion. Unlike the twenty-six-year-old me, whose life had been quite difficult, my hands were smooth without calluses or scars.
Approaching the bed again, I knelt on the floor and quietly looked down at the sleeping Theo. Did Theo look down at me like this every day when I was asleep? What did he think as he looked at me? Unable to resist a sudden impulse, would he reach out even while worrying about waking me up? Would he wonder how soft my feathers were and try to touch them?
I tentatively reached out and gently touched Theo's hair. I always thought it was shiny and pretty like silk, and when I actually touched it, it was as soft as it looked. Next, I poked his cheek. It was also very soft, just like mine. He does a lot of outdoor activities and doesn't seem to take care of it, so how is it so soft? Is it something you're born with?
Suddenly, Theo slowly opened his eyes. The corners of his eyes, which were always sharply raised, looked more docile than usual due to the sleepiness.
"Shuian? You woke up early. Did you sleep…."
I hurriedly covered Theo's mouth as he smiled gently and tried to ask if I slept well. I can't let him get the first word! There's something I have to do!
"Did, you, sleep well?"
Theo tilted his head, surprised by my sudden action.
"Every time Theo asks if I slept well, if I'm hungry, if I need anything, I wanted to ask too, but I couldn't. So, today, I'll ask first. Theo, did you sleep well?"
My tongue still wasn't working properly, and the longer I spoke, the more twisted it felt, but I conveyed what I wanted to say as concisely and clumsily as possible. It was a childish tone, but I was happy enough just to be able to speak like this. The reason I wanted to become human was ultimately just one.
Theo froze for a long time, then laughed like a sigh, as if he hadn't realized he wasn't breathing. Then he jumped up and hugged me tightly.
"Ugh…! Why suddenly…!"
"Is there anything else you wanted to ask?"
No, why don't you answer any of the questions I'm asking! Still, I was happy that he seemed happy, so I answered obediently. There were always many things I was curious about.
"Um, I wanted to ask if you had any difficulties, if you're not busy today, what your favorite food is, what you do when you rest… Oh, and how many of my favorite red cushions are there? It changes every day."
Theo, who patiently listened to me stuttering and speaking slowly, burst into laughter. My sudden questions seemed funny. But I'm really curious. It's not like you can wash them and they dry in a day.
"First of all, I slept well. I haven't had any difficulties since I met you, and I'm going to be very busy today because I have to spend time with you. When I rest, I'm always working hard to go for a walk with you. And the cushions… I don't really know either. I'll check and tell you. If you have any other questions, feel free to ask."
I nodded with a proud face.
After breakfast, Orca brought the cloak. It was the cloak decorated with white fox fur that Theo had been waiting for so eagerly. As he said, the glossy silver fabric had black embroidery and white fox fur, so it looked like an object symbolizing me. Uh… isn't this too much?
Theo stared at the cloak, then clenched and unclenched the fabric tightly. The fabric was perfect without even a slight wrinkle. Seeing that it withstood his grip, which was said to bend even steel in the original setting, the magic must have worked well. Theo also nodded in satisfaction.
"What about the artifact you mentioned yesterday?"
"I've commissioned it, but it will take some time. The mages are sick in bed after making this cloak."
"Expedite it as much as possible."
"They're begging to be spared."
"Roll them until they beg to be killed instead."
This cruel…. Ignoring Orca's muttering, I quietly looked out the window. It was very strange that it was hard to open my eyes straight because of the sunlight. Come to think of it, I had forgotten what it felt like to be dazzled for a while.
"Shuian, what are you looking at so intently?"
"Outside. It's dazzling."
He looked at my face, which was squinting because of the sunlight, as if it were cute, and said apologetically.
"It seems like we'll have to go for a walk after the artifact is made. I'm making an artifact that materializes clothes with mana so you can comfortably transform into an eagle or a human whenever you want. Please bear with it for a little while."
Ah, is that what you were talking about earlier? Then I don't have to worry about being naked anymore? If it's such a useful item, I can wait as long as it takes. When I nodded casually, Theo smiled as if relieved.
"Lord Shuian, did you have any problems after eating?"
"No."
"Hmm, then it seems like you can continue eating regular food. Still, I'll prepare something that avoids spicy food for a while. If there are any problems, please tell me immediately."
"Yeah."
"Is there anything else you need?"
"No."
Orca, who had been asking me this and that with my short answers, was flustered but pretended not to notice by feigning ignorance. I gave short answers because I seemed lacking in speaking clumsily and stuttering, but in fact, I had to concentrate like I was sewing every time I spoke, so it was a bit annoying.
"Um… I'm thinking of preparing a salad for lunch today. Even though you were a carnivore when you were an eagle, now that you're human, I thought it would be good to eat a balanced diet…."
"No."
"...Instead, I'll prepare salmon ice cream for dessert."
"……."
Salmon became my favorite fruit after the first time I ate it, and salmon ice cream was especially delicious. However, I could only eat it about once a week because I might get a stomachache if I ate too much when I was an eagle. Can I eat it more often now that I'm human? If so, then a salad is….
"...Okay."
Looking out the window again, I suddenly turned my head towards Theo. I remembered that I could ask him anything I was curious about. I just happened to have something I was curious about!
"Theo, are you dazzled too?"
"Dazzled?"
"I, I looked out the window earlier, and it was dazzling. But when I was a bird, I was never dazzled even when I was flying. To what extent…"
Theo, who had been quietly listening to my still baby-like speech, suddenly hugged me tightly and started kissing my cheeks and forehead. Why is he doing this again! My feathers… no, my skin is getting wet!
"Ah, really…! Stop it and listen!"
"What am I going to do with you, being so lovely? You're doing this because you don't know how adorable you are."
Whether I was annoyed or not, Theo just smiled like a fool. No matter what I do, he says it's cute. Is this a love filter in real life?
"I can't kill you both, so I just want to die…."
In the meantime, I decided to pretend not to hear Orca's muttering, which was close to insubordination.
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