I Transmigrated as my Bias's Messenger Bird - Chapter 17
“I…” I was about to say that I was an exchange student when I felt a constriction in my throat. Clearing my throat, oddly, no sound came out. Rai, who had slightly raised the corner of their mouth, spoke again.
“Trying to lie again? That won’t work. I’ll ask again. Why are you here?”
‘Oh… Did he cast a spell that makes me tell the truth? Damn, what should I do?’
I needed to be as truthful as possible, but I couldn’t reveal that I was caught by the fairy folk and was acting as a spy. If I disclosed that, it would undoubtedly lead to trouble with their Monarch…
Suppressing my anxiety, I reluctantly spoke, recalling the kindly smile of the Monarch, “I came here… to see you every day.”
After I finished speaking, Rai’s eyes narrowed slightly. It wasn’t a lie, but saying it was to see them every day…
“To see me every day…? Why?” Rai asked.
Damn it. What should I say? Saying it’s to report back is definitely out of the question.
“…To see you every day and to write about you.”
Ha… Bravo, my quick thinking.
Outwardly, I might seem bold and composed, but I could barely catch my breath due to the intense tension I felt.
Rai, upon hearing my response, tilted their head slightly, genuinely puzzled this time. “To write about me…? That’s surprising. Did you really take an interest in me?”
Rai Sherfied. The once stony-faced Tower Lord. There were times when just asking how he was would immediately end the conversation. But today, why was he so persistent? I hadn’t intended for this conversation to go on for so long.
I took a deep breath and started racking my brain once again. It felt like facing a high-stakes interview where I had to tell the truth while concealing the real truth. If only I had possessed this level of interview skills earlier, I might have landed a job at a big corporation.
“There was a time…” My words hung in the air as Rai quietly waited. After a moment of careful consideration, I continued, “There were days when I walked the same path every day, hoping to catch a glimpse of you, even by chance.”
It was true. I used to take the bookstore-to-park route every day.
“Sometimes, on lucky days, I’d run into you and we’d have a conversation. Of course, you probably don’t remember.”
As I continued speaking, Rai’s smile oddly seemed to fade. What, my story isn’t interesting enough? No mercy at all.
“…I had a conversation with you?” Rai spoke, wearing an expression of utter disbelief. His face was filled with skepticism. I stared at Rai for a moment before responding.
“Yes.”
“That can’t be. What conversation could we have possibly had?”
“It wasn’t much of a conversation. You mentioned enjoying the central garden and spending time there alone. Sometimes you’d cover your face with a book at the bookstore and doze off. I remember you even left abruptly once because you had to feed your pigeon…”
I blurted out as many conversations as I could recall. This was a place you frequented alone, and you had wished to be left alone. You had planned to take a nap, and you thought it was time to leave. And, finally, there was that ending.
‘When I think back on it, it suddenly feels a bit sad.’
After successfully finishing the response, feeling pleased, I looked back at Rai, meeting his eyes. His smile disappeared from his face. He looked at me with serene eyes and said somewhat awkwardly, “I can’t remember every trivial conversation.”
“It’s okay. I was the one who bothered you in the first place… And those conversations alone made me… happy.”
Since we’ve come this far in this wistful tone, let’s continue. It’s not a lie after all.
“It seems there’s nothing else to do,” Rai said indifferently, seeming to lose interest in our conversation. He flicked his finger to retrieve the light bead from my neck, then turned and lightly ascended out of the spring. He half-turned his face back towards me, letting out a small sigh before speaking.
“This is my private spring. The place Luke mentioned would probably be at the end of the opposite corridor.”
“Oh! I’m sorry. I must have taken the wrong path, so I’ll just…”
‘Since you’ve already trespassed today, you’re free to stay now. However, if you intrude again without permission next time…”
Rai paused for a moment and turned back to add, “I’ll sentence you to a week in the dungeon.”
“Okay…I’ll be careful.”
Rai had no further response and simply walked away. Only after Rai disappeared from sight could I finally breathe normally.
“Ha… that was close…”
I almost ended up in eternal slumber when I came here for healing. Assistant Luke, what if you just said it was the end of the hallway…and there was a trap like this on the other side…?
Vowing to get revenge later, I languidly stretched out my tired body over the water, listening to the gentle lapping of the warm liquid by my ears.
