Lana’s eyelashes fluttered, and she groggily rubbed her eyes before slowly sitting up.
"I am coming, Lucy." Her voice came much softer than she had intended; however, Lana didn’t think much of it.
"Alright." This time, Lucy’s voice sounded restrained, but Lana didn’t pay much attention and went for a quick shower.
After 5 minutes, the door was pushed open, and Lucy suspiciously looked at the crow still sleeping on the bed.
Seeing no other living being in the room, her suspicion was confirmed.
The voice she had heard just now didn’t belong to Lana at all!
Other than a slight rustling sound from the bathroom, which Lucy dismissed as the sound of a gentle breeze, there was no other proof of a human living in the room.
"You bastard! Tell me where Miss Lana is!" Lucy shouted, her voice edged with protectiveness hidden beneath her professional mask.
However, her roar right then resembled that of a shrew.
Mr. Crow blinked twice, his feathers fluffing up defensively as his beady eyes focused on the furious maid.
"What in the name of black feathers are you screeching for early in the morning?!" he grumbled, clearly still half-asleep.
However, Lucy couldn’t understand his words; she only saw his irritated expression and innocent face.
Lucy’s expression darkened further.
"Don’t act innocent, you conniving bird! Miss Lana has vanished, hasn’t she? Where did you hide her?"
Mr. Crow tilted his head before pointing at the shower door with his wing.
"Don’t lie to me!" Lucy took a threatening step closer, pointing her finger right at him. "There is no one in the shower! Yesterday, you assured me that she was outside, but I didn’t see anyone enter the mansion. This morning, I heard a voice resembling Miss Lana’s, but it was clearly way softer than her real voice! Where is she?"
The next second, the door of the bathroom was opened, and Lana emerged in a white floral dress with spaghetti straps. She had wrapped her hair in a hair towel.
Seeing Lucy in her room, Lana quickly put the towel on her shoulder and the hair towel on in case a strand of silver hair was visible due to her negligence.
"Lucy? What are you doing here?" Lana asked in a slightly displeased tone; due to the bathroom’s wall proofing, she didn’t hear the argument between Lucy and Mr. Crow at all.
Mr. Crow flapped his wing and landed proudly on Lana’s shoulder while glaring at Lucy.
"See? Told you she was here!" he cawed triumphantly. "But nooo...you had to accuse me of birdnapping!"
Lucy froze, her finger still midair, the fury on her face melting into disbelief. "M-Miss Lana..." she stammered, eyes wide as if she had seen a ghost. "I...I thought... You didn’t come... for dinner yesterday... and only Mr. Crow was there... so I thought..."
Lana arched a brow, her tone cool. "You thought what, Lucy? That I evaporated overnight?"
Color rushed to Lucy’s cheeks. "Forgive me, Miss Lana. I just... the room was locked, and when I came in, I didn’t see you. I assumed something had happened."
Mr. Crow snorted and hopped closer to Lana’s shoulder, muttering, "Humans and their wild imaginations..."
Lana arched a brow and turned her face toward Mr. Crow. "Did something happen last night?"
Before Mr. Crow could answer, Lucy explained the details of last night, and Lana’s brows furrowed.
At the end of her explanation, Lucy looked at Lana with a sheepish expression and said, "You know, Miss Lana... how notoriously infamous crows are since they are often referred to as harbingers of death, and I..."
"Lucy." Lana interrupted Lucy before she could continue; her face held a cheerful smile. "Thank you so much for your concern, and I am touched by your protectiveness for me."
Lucy blushed because of Lana’s words and waved her hand. "No need. That’s what I should do."
Lana continued, though her voice this time was laced with a teasing glint.
"However, next time, don’t suspect my Mr. Crow. You see, he is very close to my heart. I would hate to push away a protective person like you just because of your biasness."
"Biasness? No, Miss Lana, you are misunderstanding. Crows are notoriously ominous creatures," Lucy finished carefully, her tone hesitant as she tried to justify herself.
"It’s not bias, Miss Lana. It’s just... I’ve read too many reports lately...odd incidents, strange occurrences, and somehow, there’s always a crow nearby. You might not believe it, but people say they attract misfortune."
"That’s because people are blind." Lana’s tone was nonchalant. "Crows are the most loyal and compassionate animals. Try to raise one, and you will realize the beauty hidden due to the lack of humans’ stupid beauty standards."
Lucy bit her lips, realizing Lana might have been offended, and immediately bowed. "I am sorry I..."
"No need." Lana interrupted, causing Lucy to heave a sigh of relief.
’Maybe Miss Lana just wanted to vent anger on the crow’s behalf.’
"Mr. Crow had suffered due to your constant suspicion. Apologize to him." Lana beamed, not looking furious or unreasonable at all.
Meanwhile, Mr. Crow was stunned.
Through the connection, he could sense the rage shimmering in Lana’s heart. Orıginal content can be found at novel✦fire.net
Rage? Because of him? Did she... care for him so much?
His heart skipped a beat, and his lips started to curl into a smile.
And Lana’s words about crows touched his heart too...
So the carefree and troublesome Lana... has such a protective side to herself too?
"I am sorry, Mr. Crow. I was biased and didn’t see the good in you. There will be no next time. And I will also accept any punishment you give me." Hearing the apology filled with remorse and guilt, Mr. Crow felt the grievance from yesterday disappear like thin air.
Before he didn’t care about the uncomfortable feeling in his heart, but now...
He understood a core concept.
Earlier it didn’t matter because he thought no one cared... but now he knew... someone cared enough to get justice for him!