"I’ll turn you into a feather duster, you overgrown blueberry!"
Emory and I exchanged one last glance before bolting back toward the information room.
When we burst through the door, the scene before us was... suspiciously calm.
Nolan stood perfectly poised, mop in hand, his princely composure intact. Kai perched primly on a bookshelf, preening his feathers with an air of innocence.
A single blue feather drifted lazily through the air.
On Nolan’s forehead, a faint red mark—distinctly beak-shaped—slowly darkened.
My exhausted brain scrambled to reconstruct events:
- Kai witnessed Nolan using his charm ability on Emory.
- The bird, probably immune to Nolan’s ability (since they are both related to the moon), decided to defend his friend. And after we left, he sought out revenge on the villain.
- Nolan, realizing his powers didn’t work on Kai, tried to eliminate the evidence.
That’s... actually plausible.
Damn, my mind is really something else. If it is really true, I must be even smarter than that famous detective!
Then a grudging respect for the little bird warmed my chest. Kai must be even more of a rare species than I thought. Emory’s really lucky to have him.
Just then, Emory stepped forward, his voice uncharacteristically firm.
"W-what happened?" He stared between them. "Y-you’re not hurt, are you? K-Kai is a good bird—he didn’t want to hurt you."
Nolan’s eye twitched. "Good bird?! That menace—"
Kai dive-bombed from the shelf, aiming straight for Nolan’s other eyebrow.
The prince barely dodged, his crimson eyes flashing with something between fury and panic. "YOU—!"
Then his crimson eyes locked onto me for a brief, terrifying moment—and suddenly, the same mental pressure from yesterday slammed into my skull like a hammer.
My exhaustion made the resistance harder this time. The world blurred at the edges, my thoughts turning sluggish as Nolan’s ability slithered through my defenses.
Guess it’s time to act...
I let my posture slacken, eyes glazing over in perfect imitation of the twins’ dazed expressions from before.
Satisfied, Nolan suddenly launched himself at Emory, clinging to his arm with dramatic flair.
"Big Brother," he whined, voice dripping with wounded pride, "look! This stupid bird of yours is hurting me!"
Kai chirped angrily from Emory’s shoulder, feathers puffed up in outrage. The bird’s rapid-fire tweets sounded suspiciously like a warning—one Emory seemed to understand perfectly.
For a heartbeat, Emory’s eyes flickered with conflict. His gaze darted to my "dazed" form, then back to Nolan.
"S-sorry, Mr..." Emory forced a smile, patting Nolan’s arm awkwardly. "I-I’ll scold Kai myself. P-please don’t be mad."
Nolan’s grip tightened. "Y-you promise?"
The pieces clicked together in my foggy mind:
This was why Emory had been so "friendly" with Nolan.
When Nolan’s charm ability failed on them earlier, Kai must have attacked—and Nolan, ever the opportunist, twisted the situation to his advantage. He’d played the victim, clinging to Emory , using Emory’s nature against him.
And Emory? He definitely knew.
That hesitant glance at me just now confirmed it.
He understood Nolan’s ability, knew Kai was trying to protect him, but with his timid personality and no real power to resist, he could only play along, hoping to minimize the damage.
I kept my dazed act up, but my fingers twitched at my sides.
This spoiled prince was good.
I really underestimated him.
I... I must think of a... way...
These were the last words I heard as my consciousness faded, my body collapsing backward into darkness.
Emory moved with surprising speed, catching Amaniel’s limp body just before it hit the floor. His brows furrowed as he pressed a single index finger to Amaniel’s forehead. A soft, moonlight-blue aura enveloped his body instantly.
After a moment, Emory’s tense expression relaxed.
Kai fluttered down to perch on Emory’s shoulder. "What happened to him? Is he okay?"
Nolan scoffed, crossing his arms. "Weak. Can’t even endure this much—"
Emory’s single word, cold and sharp as winter ice, cut through the air. His eyes locked onto his brother with an uncharacteristically stern gaze.
Nolan immediately looked away, gritting his teeth but falling silent. His brother calls him like that only when he was really angry, it was better to look away.
"...He’s fine," Emory said after a measured pause, his voice returning to its usual softness. "It seems he was overworking his body and mind... Your attack just now made it worse, causing his mind to shut down. In short, he fell asleep."
Kai shook his tiny head in disbelief. "This guy is really something else. I wonder how he was enduring it till now."
A small, fond smile touched Emory’s lips as he adjusted Amaniel in his arms. "Yes... He’s a good human. He’s got the brain of a genius and the self-preservation of a rock."
Without looking up, Emory spoke again, his tone leaving no room for argument: "Open the door."
Nolan, who had been peeking at them with poorly concealed curiosity, blinked. "O-oh. Alright."
The prince moved quickly to obey, his earlier arrogance momentarily forgotten. As he held the door open, he watched with unreadable crimson eyes as Emory carried Amaniel out in a careful princess carry, the manager’s head lolling slightly against his shoulder.
Kai flew ahead, scouting the hallway. "Should we take him to his office or—"
"My room is probably better," Emory decided. "It’s closer and comfier."
Nolan trailed behind them, his usual haughty expression replaced by something more thoughtful. His gaze kept returning to Amaniel’s pale face, then to his brother’s careful handling of the human.
"Brother..." Nolan began hesitantly.
"Not now," Emory murmured, not unkindly but firmly. "We’ll talk later."
For once, the proud moon elf prince didn’t argue. He simply nodded and followed quietly as they made their way through the hall, the only sound the soft shuffle of footsteps and the occasional rustle of Kai’s wings.
In Emory’s arms, Amaniel breathed evenly, completely unaware of the unusual procession escorting him to rest—or of the complicated web of relationships and secrets that had begun to tighten around them all.