'I knew this would happen.'

It was a thought that took over my head the moment I watched my little world, my family, the Raniero, fall.

Raniero Castle, where I lived, was falling apart. I didn't even have to look outside to find out.

The fact that in less than an hour, there will be no more living things left here. The gate was broken and the walls were torn down by the invaders.

There was no more safe place now.

My father had already been killed.

The same goes for my siblings.

It would have been no different for the servants in the castle. Because those people are also the people from the Raniero family.

I couldn't even move in my room because the commotion was deafening my ears.

I thought I had to go outside to look at the situation , but I couldn't because I was afraid. When I went outside, I felt like I was going to die from a torn limb.

'I'm scared!'

In the end, all I could do was hide in the safest place I could think of. It was in my small room , which they called the disgrace of the family, where no one remembers except for the occasional servants . I hid under the bed there.

Dust came into my mouth and the inside of my throat was rough , but I didn't have time to complain about it.

Only the thought of fear filled my mind. And--

'I knew this would happen.'

And this thought again.

Not long ago , the only heir to the wolf family, Arsene Yeckhart, died.

The heir, who had received the family's concerns due to his illness from birth , eventually ended his short life on the sickbed. The problem is that it turns out that Arsene Yeckhart's death was not due to a chronic disease, but a murder committed by someone else's scheme.

The head of the Eagle family, the head of the entire bird family.

By my father!

When I was seven years old, a courtship letter arrived from the Yeckhart family.

The sender was the head of the wolf family, Kendrick Yeckhart.

The content was simple.

He wants to adopt a daughter from a bird family who has the strongest healing powers as his daughter-in-law.

'The intentions are clear.'

It was a courtship with the purpose of treating Arsene Yeckhart's illness by taking the daughter of a bird family who had healing powers as a daughter-in-law.

A reasonable price was also offered there, so the bird family had no reason to refuse.

My father promised to send one of our direct line family members as a daughter-in-law. The problem is that the child sent by the father was the only mutation in our new family.

“You know what you're going to do,don't you ?"

I remembered the day my father sent my half-sister, Schville, to the Yeckhart family. It was common for all of Raniero's children to be born with healing powers.

But Schville was a mutant.

Schville's ability is to steal an opponent's life force.

So my father sent Schville as Arsene Yeckhart's bride.

In order to absorb all of Arsene Yeckhart's life force and eliminate the successor of the wolf family.

I couldn't help but be crazy.

I was only twelve years old, but I couldn't understand it at all. To kill the heir of the family was no different than turning the entire family into an enemy.

Although the relationship between the bird family and the wolf family has been bad for a long time--. It was an incomprehensible decision.

' If this goes well, we will be able to break the wolf bastards' high nose!'

My father laughed out loud as he said that , but I had a different opinion. From the moment I heard that Schville was going to be sent, I thought this might happen one day.

However, I didn't know that the entire wolf family that lost a successor would also lose their reason as beasts.

The wolves, who lost their senses, moved to fulfill only one powerful desire. They showed up much faster and more brutally than expected for the revenge they would have desired even if they hadn't lost their reason.

'Look at the results.'

My father was strangled by the torn walls after the limbs were torn off. It would have been nice if it had ended there, but the furious wolves didn't know how to stop.

The gates of the city collapsed and all the peaceful land of Raniero was ruined.

Raniero, a prestigious family who had maintained the position of the head of the bird family for six hundred years, was wiped out like that. The only direct line left now is me.

The wolf clan noticed my presence and had been wandering around since before.

'Are all the children of the collateral line dead?'

Since black smoke was rising endlessly from the outside world, the collateral line must not have been able to escape the anger either and I'll be the same if I'm caught. In fact, it was almost easy to live undetected yet.

I've been able to survive undetected all this time because my room was so far away.

' I didn't know it would be so helpful to be treated as a disgrace by the family.'

If it had been before I became a disgrace to my family and was imprisoned in a remote place, if it had been when I had a good room, I would have been caught and preyed upon by wolves.

It's terrible just to imagine.

I held my breath under the bed. There was a faint feeling of a presence outside the door.

I took a deep breath and rolled up my body to hide.

Can I stay alive?

Right now, outside the door, there were wolf families who bit my parents and brothers to death.

Raniero's territory was burning everywhere.

Will I survive?

I wanted to live.

I always dreamed of a wide sky even when I was confined to a place where I was treated as a disgrace to my family and didn't exist. I really didn't want to die.

'If I hide well here , I might have a chance to sneak out.'

It's really not an easy place to find. It's a place where even long-serving maids get lost---.

It was when I was planning to escape from the mansion.

"Cough !"

My throat was hurting and I couldn't breathe. Only then did I notice that it was all a mess.

A strong smoke from somewhere filled the large room in an instant. The same was true under the bed where I was hiding.

"Ugh , cough!"

My eyes were burning with black smoke, and tears flowed down my eyes.

Since they could not find any survivors , it seemed that the mansion was set on fire so that I couldn't escape.

I caught a glimpse of the flames fluttering through the window.

The floor was hot and the air was heavy.

In a sudden situation, the human form was loosened and the wings popped out. I folded my wings quickly and I rolled myself more and more round.

I wanted to run away, but I couldn't.

Because there may still be wolves roaming inside the mansion.

'If I go out now, I'm going to die.'

If I get caught, my whole body will be torn apart like my father's. Even the healing power of the bird family was meaningless at this moment because we can't heal ourselves.

It was because of that reason, that the entire family died without even trying to resist.

Am I going to die like that?

I barely grasped one strand of my mind and threw it away. The feeling of smoke filling my lungs was unpleasant.

Maybe it was because I inhaled smoke, so I couldn't think properly.

Ugh , uggh.

Every time I breathed, black smoke stuck to my throat.

But I could never get out of bed.

It was better in the fire than to tear my whole body. My throat hurt from the smoke, and sweat flowed down from the suddenly heated floor.

The swirling heat engulfed the whole body. To make matters worse, the burnt floor was crumbling down little by little.

'.... if I go out, no, I can't go out.'

I'll be dead if I go out. I didn't want to die.

Tears streamed down from resentment.

The back was hot, even if the wings were protruding on fire.

I don't want to die, I want to live!

I shouted constantly, but nothing changed.

The house was being torn down by the fire. So, trapped in the flames, I slowly closed my eyes, breathing in the thick smoke to the fullest.

I'm only 12 years old.

I was the same age as the heir to the wolf family who died a week ago.

...******...

"Lady, wake up!"

A familiar voice shook me up.

I didn't get up right away and tossed and turned.

This is because my mind was hazy and I couldn't tell whether it was a dream or a reality.

"Lady Linsy!"

A hoarse voice urged me.

Eventually , I opened my closed eyes slightly and I checked the face of the person who was shaking me up.

----Adele?

As soon as I saw her familiar face, I felt as if I had been hit with cold water l.

There's no way Adele is in front of me.

She died about two years ago.

Adele was an unfortunate maid who was falsely killed when I was ten years old, falsely accused of revealing Raniero's secrets. She was also my maid until she was killed.

After Adele's death, Raniero had no one to look after me.

The reason was my hair.

Blood-red hair and feathers are a symbol of curse to all beasts.

'...This is my child.'

When my father saw my hair for the first time, it was the first word he uttered after a long pause.

That word made me a disgrace to the family as a cursed child. The entire bird family changes their hair color after the first molt.

My father, Arthur Raniero, and the other siblings were all fine eagles with brown hair.

So I thought I would have brown hair, too.

I thought I was going to be a great eagle.

'But I wasn't.'

I had red hair when I was ten years old after my first molt.

My father, who cared so much about me, threw me away the moment he saw my hair turn red.

The reason Adele died was actually because of me , because I was a cursed child.

My father dealt with everyone who was close to me.

The reason was that she was close to the cursed person. Thanks to this, I had to live in a room, even though I had one of the best abilities in my family.

No one was interested in me.

–Until the day I die.

So I was very happy to see Adele.

Her face, which I saw only after death, still looked kind.

I hugged poor Adele by the nape of her neck and wrapped my arms around her. Just like when I was alive, I still felt a familiar warmth.

"Adele! I, I missed you so much..."

Adele's shoulder was soaked with my tears and runny nose. I didn't care about myself and wiped the tears away from Adele's clothes.

I died anyway. No one could say anything like this.

Had I been alive, Mrs. Bellin would have scolded me for not being able to protect the dignity of Raniero--.

"What are you doing?"

Then, I heard an unwelcome voice even after I died.

I turned my head slowly.

Then I saw Mrs. Bellin's face, which was frowning at me with her aquiline nose.

"...Mrs?"

It was really Mrs. Bellin.

Speak of the devil , she appeared before my eyes after I thought of being scolded by Mrs. Bellin.

Yeah, come to think of it, Mrs. Bellin is dead, so she's also here. She was in charge of managing the succession of the Raniero family, so she couldn't avoid responsibility.

When I was alive, she was one of those people who I didn't like at all, but when I died, I was even happy to see Mrs. Bellin's face. I ran to her crying and clung to her skinny legs.

"H, hiik, Mrs, Hnngg, I, I didn't want to die..."

Crying.

Tears kept pouring out. As I rubbed my head, Mrs. Bellin's blue dress was soaked with my runny nose.

I never thought I'd be happy to see these people. It was then, my short legs were hanging in the air.

Mrs. Bellin held me in her hands and lifted me into the air. She wrinkled her brow as she watched me wipe away my tears and runny nose.

"Adele, what's wrong with Lady Linsy?"

Mrs. Bellin asked sharply.

Adele replied, lowering her head in a bewildered countenance.

"Looks like the Lady had a nightmare. I'm-"

"Lady is having lunch with the head of the house today. Adele, you didn't forget, did you? But if it was like this—"

She handed me into Adele's arms politel , but coldly and she immediately turned around and walked away.

Mrs. Bellin's elegant shoes gradually faded away.

"...Lunch."

I stopped crying and looked up at Adele.

"Ah, Lady too, there is a lunch scheduled with the head of house today. Come on, change your clothes, Lady."

The last time I was invited to my father's luncheon was before I was ten years old.

But lunch?

"...Am I not dead?"

"Lady Linsy, how long are you going to be like this? Now you have to come to your senses and wash your face."

I turned my eyes slowly. Then, my face was reflected in the fancy mirror standing next to the bed.

In the mirror, a young child with curly milky hair, light green eyes , and two plump milky cheeks was looking at me.

I asked , touching the mirror like I was possessed.

"...Adele, how old am I?"

"You just turned seven yesterday."

I looked slowly around the room with a blank look on my face.

A small but beautiful room with a little white cloth- covered bed, a fluffy fleece rug underneath , and a soft teddy bear on the bed.

This was the room I lived in when I was very young .

Before Adele was kicked out, before my hair turned red, this is the room I got when I was a daughter who was loved by my father....

'Am I back?'

Before I died?

...******...

I'm sure I'm dead.

Adele, who's been busy running around changing my clothes and tying a ribbon around my head, doesn't seem to think so.

"Adele, am I really not dead?"

After repeating the same question six times, Adele put her hands on her waist with a tired expression.

"Until when are you going to talk about your dreams? It's already been thirty minutes since you woke up."

She scolded me with a stern look on her face. Then she untied the blue ribbon tied to my head and said.

"Would pink be better?"

I nodded my head roughly.

At a time when I can't tell whether it's a dream or a reality, the color of the ribbon can't be important.

'Is it a dream?'

However, everything was too vivid to be a dream. Adele's warmth, the warmth of the wash water, and the soft feel of the blanket on my small palm.

In the end, I had to admit it.

I returned. To being seven years old.

'Then will I die in the same way in this life?'

I don't want to.

I closed my eyes tightly.

Still, when I closed my eyes, I remembered the flames that seemed to swallow me. The smoke that clung to my throat.

I didn't want to die.

However, it was clear that I would be killed unfairly, like in my previous life, if I didn't do anything.

What should I do?

'I don't know, but I'm sure of one thing.'

I can't let Arsene Yeckhart die. If so, the wolf family will kill us all.

"–Lady!"

It took me a while to wrap my head around the complicated situation, but I immediately returned to reality when I heard Adele's voice calling out to me.

"Ung?"

Adele sighed deeply when she heard the answer. There were wrinkles on her fine brow.

She asked, holding my hand gently.

"What have you been thinking about since this morning? You have to go now, Lady. You woke up late, and you don't have much time."

If I remember correctly , lunch time with my father was always constant.

Half-past twelve.

I was always scolded if I was a little late for lunch or if I didn't behave properly. Maybe that's why Adele is so nervous.

"You can't go and do this, Lady. If the Master asks you a question, you need to answer right away-"

She held my hand tightly and warned me firmly.

"Eat a small meal with dignity. After you finish your meal, you wait politely for the Master to finish his meal. You didn't forget Mrs. Bellin's words, right?"

"Ung, don't worry, Adele."

"I'll bring you more bread from the kitchen when you get back."

Adele gently brushed off the hem of my dress with a gentle touch. It was a neat dress without a single wrinkle.

...*****...

I think I'm going to get an upset stomach. I thought as they put the pile of food little by little on my plate in front of me.

Just to the right was my father, Arthur Raniero, who was eating calmly, and behind, Mrs. Bellin, with her eyes raised, was watching my actions.

'It's even weirder not to get an upset stomach in this situation-'

With my own two eyes, I clearly saw that his neck was hanging on the wall.

It felt strange to see him alive and eating.

I put the rest of the fish on the plate in my mouth and put the fork and knife neatly down and I watched my father and siblings slowly eat a mountain of food.

Everyone was eating with their eyes down as if they had promised. As taught by Mrs. Bellin.

I turned to the youngest, Schville.

In fact, before lunch, I thought Schville had already left for Duke Yeckhart.

Because, in my memory, Schville went to Duke when I was seven, and she was six.

'So I wondered if I should let Yeckhart know in advance.'

The fact that Schville will kill Arsene.

But surprisingly, the time I returned to was before Schville became the bride of Arsene Yeckhart.

As proof of that, Schville was in front of me, with a fish dish shoved into her mouth .

"Schville."

I heard my father's low voice.

Schville was startled and missed the fork she was bringing to her mouth. My father talked, wiping his mouth with a napkin hanging around his neck.

"Keep your manners while eating."

Schville's face turned red. The little sister bowed her head. The small ears were all red.

Here, the 'manners' my father spoke of were the etiquette of a meal they must observe as a noble of the bird family. When eating, don't bring food to the mouth quickly, and don't eat all of the food on the plate.

We have had Mrs. Bellin's strict education about this 'meal etiquette' since we were very young. But Schville was the youngest.

She was a year younger than me.

'What would a six-year- old kid know?'

I used to get scolded quite a bit at lunchtime in my previous life too. Like Schville.

It was high-quality food for the first time in a while, but the situation was not welcome. Thanks to that, I was able to keep 'manners.'

"You eat well with dignity today, Linsy."

My father's gaze shifted to me.

Cough!

I coughed without realizing it. I quickly closed my mouth with both hands. But it was after everyone who was already at the table focused on me.

"I, I apologize!"

I quickly lowered my head .

There was a long silence, and then I heard the clatter of the tableware again.

'Whoo.'

I lifted my head gently, and my eyes met Mrs. Bellin, who was staring at me.

She seemed to be glaring at me for being sloppy during the meal.

'But I couldn't help it.'

It's been a while since I heard my father's sweet voice.

After red hair started growing on my body, I couldn't even hear his voice, let alone his sweet voice. My father locked me in the room, and the servants treated me like I was completely invisible.

As the thought reached that point, strength entered the hand holding the fork.

'I don't want to be locked up again.'

Of course, being treated as an invisible person as well. But once the molt is over, I will be thrown away again.

In Raniero, I will be completely erased. Just like in my previous life.

In an instant, my expression was distorted.

But fortunately, my father didn't see my distorted face and looked away.

"Tomorrow, the head of the wolf family will visit Raniero."

As soon as I heard my father's words, I lifted my head.

"So everyone, don't leave your room tomorrow. He's not a good person to run into."

The siblings nodded silently. Schville, who had been dazed, also nodded hastily.

'...Did the head of the wolf family directly visit the mansion in my previous life?'

My memory was hazy.

After returning, I couldn't remember very well what happened in my previous life. But it seems that he visited the mansion once before sending the marriage proposal–.

'It's best to ask when you don't know.'

"...Why is the head of the wolf family entering the territory of the bird family?"

I tilted my head and asked as innocently as possible.

Don't let my father be offended.

Fortunately, my father calmly put down his napkin and replied.

"He said he has something to tell."

Just thinking of the wolf family made him angry, and my father seemed quite uncomfortable. Mrs. Bellin, who was watching my father, swallowed her saliva.

I lowered my head and thought to myself.

'I guess he doesn't know yet.'

Kendrick Yeckhart is on his way to proposing a political marriage to the bird family. If so, it meant that my father had not yet planned to send Schville to kill Arsene.

It also meant that the opportunity to change the future was rolling in.

I sat down on the sofa to organize my thoughts.

Maybe it was a side effect of regression, or it was because I was young, I had to wrap my head a few times because my head didn't work well.

First of all, my father doesn't know what Kendrick Yeckhart is up to.

Even in my previous life, after the marriage proposal arrived, it took a month for Schville to go to the Duke's house. My father pondered and eventually decided that he would kill Arsene, and he had been planning to send Schville for a long time.

Thanks to him, my family collapsed, and I died.

I couldn't do that in this life either.

'I must stop that.'

To do that, I have to stop Schville from going to the Yeckhart family.

Since the head of the wolf family proposed a political marriage, the bird family had to marry someone to the wolf family. In addition-.

'....if my memory is correct, my father got a pretty good thing in return for the marriage.'

The Hampton River. A small river between the territory of the bird and the wolf family. Although it was smaller than other rivers, the wolf family and the bird family have been fighting to take over the river for a long time because of its good location.

So my father wouldn't refuse this marriage.

The head of the wolf family also needs a bird family to save his son. And they also can't cancel an arranged marriage.

—If so,

'I'll go.'

I'm going to marry Arsene instead of Schville and treat him .

I clenched my fists.

Then, the wolf family will not lose their mind or invade Raniero.

Furthermore–

'If I go to the territory of the wolf family, I will be protected at least until I reach adulthood.'

Even if I had finished molting and had the cursed feathers, the wolf family wouldn't let me go.

Because I have to treat Arsene.

I fiddled with my hair. The fine, wheat-colored hair slid between my fingers.

'When the molting begins, they'll abandon me again.'

Like in my previous life, I will be locked up in a room where no one comes for the rest of my life.

And I will absolutely refuse it for this life.

I bit my lip and shook my head.

'I will marry him instead of Schville, then heal the heir and ask protection in return.'

It's about getting a promise that they will not abandon me under any circumstances.

'Because I heard the wolf family never forgets kindness.'

Until I became an adult, I would be able to be protected by the wolf family.

Then, when I become an adult, I can divorce and live alone in a moderately quiet country village.

It was a perfect plan.

The problem was that my father couldn't let me go.

Because I have wheat-colored hair now.

Soft wheat hair was the symbol of young Raniero.

It was clear that my father would never hand me over to the wolf family.

'Because I have the strongest ability in the family.'

So I have to go in secret.

However, replacing Schville in the carriage was impossible. Because in my previous life, Schville left for the wolf territory under strict security.

'Then the only chance is tomorrow.'

Tomorrow, the head of the Yeckhart family will visit Raniero's mansion 'directly'. And Kendrick Yeckhart will not refuse and will say yes if I follow him. It must be so because he is in such a hurry that he proposes a political marriage to the bird family that he hates so much now.

The problem is-.

'My father told us not to leave the room, so Mrs. Bellin will be watching us.'

Plus, the maids in charge will ensure the kids can't get out of the room.

However, there's no other chance if it's not tomorrow.

So I had to follow Kendrick Yeckhart tomorrow at any cost.

...*****...

"You can't."

Adele said firmly. She placed her hands on her waist and blocked the front of her door. I stomped my feet and looked up at Adele.

"Adele!"

"Mrs. Belin is walking around outside l. You'll definitely get in trouble again if you go out now."

She was determined. I said I would go to the garden for a while, but she wouldn't even allow it.

'I was thinking of meeting Kendrick secretly by pretending to go to the garden.'

Kendrick Yeckhart was expected to arrive at three o'clock. Thirty minutes later, the conversation will be over, and he will leave Raniero.

Outside the window, I saw a carriage with Kendrick Yeckhart in it. And now it was already 3:20.

I've been arguing with Adele about leaving the room since 02:30.

But Adele was stubborn.

"Absolutely not, Lady. Never."

It seemed like she was determined never to let me go.

Then plan B. I grabbed my stomach quickly and drooped my eyebrows. My stomach was rumbling.

It was only natural because I hadn't eaten properly for breakfast and lunch.

Mrs. Belin said she would take care of it because she didn't feed us on time.

And Adele was weak against my hunger.

Children must eat well no matter what!

Adele, who had that thought, would always bring me cookies, small cakes, or bread whenever I was hungry.

I grabbed my hungry stomach and turned my head to Adele. And after making the most miserable and pitiful expression, I said.

"Adele, I'm so hungry. I'll go out for a minute, okay?"

"... Didn't you say you wanted to go to the garden a while ago?"

"...But suddenly I'm hungry."

I changed my words urgently, and Adele looked at me suspiciously.

Silence passed for a moment.

She quickly sighed and grabbed my shoulder.

"Then I'll bring you some cookies, so you can never leave, okay? Mrs. Bellin's out there. Don't even open the door."

"Yes, I will."

"I'll be back soon, so don't go out!"

"All right."

Adele sighed and left the room.

Adele was seen explaining the situation to Mrs. Bellin through the door. She glared sharply at the crack in the door I was peeping at.

'Gasp!'

I didn't get caught, right?

I'm glad I didn't get caught. Then Mrs. Bellin nodded.

The sound of Adele's footsteps was getting farther away.

I ran back and slipped my hand under the bed. And-

'I found it!'

I pulled out a small note from under the bed and held it in my hand. This was a note I wrote in advance last night when I asked Adele to bring me some paper and a pen.

'It would be great if we could meet without me transforming into a beast.'

It was a note I had written down in case I had to leave the mansion in the state of being a bird. If I become a bird and meet the head of the wolf family, we won't be able to communicate.

Only members of the same family can communicate while transforming into a beast.

Therefore, it was safer to make a note in advance in case we couldn't communicate. I opened the note.

[My name is Linsy Raniero. Please take me to Yeckhart.]

Since I might have to fly with a note in my mouth, I wrote down only the essentials on the paper.

Okay, this is pretty well written. I double-checked the note and folded it up on the window frame.

Sliding.

I opened the window quickly, and the hot wind blew into the room.

'I have to hurry before Adele comes.'

I bit my lips and ran a couple of times in place, and white smoke rose from under my feet.

'Please, please!'

I leave myself to the smoke.

I could feel small wings sticking out from behind my back and raising my gaze.

'Done!'

I succeeded in transforming!

In fact, it was half a gamble. You could usually learn how to transform from the age of ten or older. In my previous life, too, I only learned how to transform at the age of ten.

However, I had past experience with transforming, so even if I only tried it once, I naturally succeeded in transforming since I knew I could do it from the start.

I looked into my wings and tail. It was a clean wheat color since it hadn't yet molted.

"Chirp!"

I shouted loudly and tried to move my wings. It was obviously tough for me to flap my wings while transforming with a seven-year- old body.

But if I can get out of here!

I quickly climbed onto the window frame. I heard whispers outside the door to see if Adele was already coming back.

Then I saw Kendrick Yeckhart walking across the garden.

'No!'