Something crashed into the window, surprising the maid who stood beside it.
“Wh-what was that?!”
The lady-in-waiting turned her head.
It was a bird.
The bird had crashed into the window and had fallen due to the impact, but it flew up again and sat down on the windowsill.
Then, the bird started pecking the glass, as if asking for attention.
“Wait, isn’t that a carrier pigeon?”
Carrier pigeons were trained to fly to the west tower, so they never came to the main palace.
But this bird was very unusual.
There wasn’t even a note tied to its leg.
‘So this isn’t one of ours.’
The lady-in-waiting tried to shoo the bird away, but the pigeon didn’t budge.
It scratched the glass with its beak, slammed its wings against the windowpane and chirped loudly.
“This crazy bird…!”
“What’s with all the commotion?” a voice suddenly spoke, followed by a fit of raspy coughs.
The voice belonged to Sabina, the Grand Duchess of Valentine.
“Yo-Your Grace! I apologize for the racket!” the maid bowed.
“No need to apologize. What is the bird doing?”
Sabina’s throat seemed to be clogged, making her sound hoarse. Her silhouette could be seen through the gaps of the canopy bed’s drapes.
Her skin tone was ashen, not ghostly like a white person, just subdued and pale. Her once plump hands were now skin and bones. Her fingers now appeared longer, thinner, and frail.
“Well, there’s something wrong with this carrier pigeon. He keeps rapping the window.”
Sabina scoffed, “I’d like to see this brave bird.”
“Oh, you mustn’t! The doctor told Your Grace to rest…”
“I will only rest once I die.”
“Your Grace is saying such things again,” the maid frowned.
The lady-in-waiting’s eyes glimmered with tears, but she gritted her teeth and endured the pain. She couldn’t just cry in front of the Grand Duchess.
“I was lucky to survive yesterday, but today might be my last. So I shall do what I want.”
Sabina knew that her time was running out. Death is a thorny road, but she had already given up, accepted, and was ready to depart.
“Madame…”
The head lady-in-waiting, Diana, would’ve been more strict if she was here, but unfortunately, she was away. She sighed and helped Sabina sit on a chair by the window.
However, the bird immediately flew away.
‘Once I find that pigeon, I’ll turn him into food!’ the lady-in-waiting thought, gnashing her teeth.
Sabina gazed outside the window and spoke, “Those are… cherry blossoms?”
Surprisingly, the cherry blossoms were in full bloom.
“That’s absurd. It’s impossible for them to bloom this fast,” the lady-in-waiting muttered.
But when she opened the curtains, her eyes widened and her eyebrows raised.
The giant cherry trees that lined the palace were clothed in pink and white blossoms, the boughs that used to be so bereft suddenly became beautifully adorned, and their scents were diffused along with the spring breeze.
It was akin to a miracle.
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Aria touched her neck, which was wrapped in a bandage.
‘I thought I could live as long as I hid my abilities as a Siren.’
“I’m afraid I don’t know… I am not able to figure out what’s in His Highness’ mind.”
Diana replied.
“He ordered us to let you try every kind of dessert,” Diana muttered, briefly showing signs of trouble. “Even though such a thing isn’t possible…”