Second Female Leads' Playbook

"Do you know I hate people lying to me?" he asked while stroking the feather on my head. The smile on his face was icy and frightening. 

So in the end he still discovered? Maybe if I pretended like I didn't understand what he said...

"Stop struggling." He pointed his finger at my forehead. "I doubt you'd find a second bird with the same pattern here." 

What pattern? He held me above a cup of tea, I looked at my reflection in the tea. Surely enough there was a crown shaped pattern in light blue feathers amid the dark blue feathers on my forehead. 

I was too accustomed to my bird form, I had no idea this would give me away. I wanted to cry at my stupidity. 

"Still denying?" he asked with a sarcastic smile.

I shook my tiny head and chirped. I didn't dare. 

"Good. You must be hungry after flying all the way here from the manor." The gentle smile was back on his face while he pushed the plate with a slice of red bean cake to me. "Eat." 

He wouldn't poison me, would he?

"Don't worry, you're not my brother, so I won't poison you." The smile still hanged on his face and then it twisted into something more cynical, "As for if my brother will poison me, I am not sure. You tell me."

So I acted as a poison tester? Whatever the master said, you had to do. And considering he seemed to be angry with me lying to him, let's just follow his command for now.

I leaned forward and pecked at the cake in front of me. As expected, the plate slid backward just as I was about to peck at it. Childish much? Since he wanted to toy with me, go ahead! As long as I was not further punished. 

In the end, it took me more than half an hour to finish eating that slice of cake. 

"I guess it's not poisoned. Lucky you." He smirked. 

I shifted back to my human form and bowed. "Thank you for the cake, Master Carlisle." 

"You're welcome." He smiled like a gracious lord. "Next time you lie to me, you won't be so lucky."

"I will keep that in mind, Master Carlisle."

But I lied to him about the strength of my powers. Let's keep this hidden for now. 

Just then Janus entered the room after a knock on the door. He took out a bird cage out of thin air. Guess Janus had the power to store and take out things from his personal space. When I saw the cage, I had a sense of foreboding. The cage was beautiful, made with expensive wood with intricate engravings. But still, why did Janus bring in an empty bird cage with him?

"Master." Janus nodded and placed the bird cage on the table. He then walked out of the room.

"It's a beautiful cage, isn't it?"

"Indeed, Master Carlisle."

"A beautiful cage for a beautiful bird." He looked at me with a half smile on his face. 

I knelt down immediately. "Master Carlisle, I shouldn't have lied to you. I apologize. Don't lock me in a cage." 

He pulled me up from the kneeling position and said with a gentle smile, "People would misunderstand. I am not such a harsh boss, am I?"

His fingers ran over the cage and at last he clicked open the door of the cage. "Who said I was locking you in a cage? I am inviting you to stay in a beautiful cage for awhile."

Then what's the difference? I was not an animal. Even if I could shift into a bird, that didn't mean I enjoyed being locked inside a cage like a primitive animal. I was human! I could handle being toyed with as a dumb bird for awhile to ease his anger. I could shift into a bird to spy for him, that's my duty. But locking me inside a cage? Where was my remaining pride as human?

"Don't look so reluctant. How can I present you to the Duke if you act like a dejected about to die bird?" 

He was planning to give me away as a gift too? 

"Master Carlisle, I am human. I couldn't stay in my bird form for more than a day. That's the limit of my power."

"Who's the master in this room? That's how you treat the master your family serves for generation?"

I hung my head down. I was just a tool in his hand. If he wanted to give me away as a bird in a cage, then that's my duty to pretend as a bird in a cage. Who was I to talk back to him? Was my mind jumbled from reading too many fairy tales? Or did I get the misconception that he was not that bad from the way he treated my injuries when I injured my wing? Stop dreaming, Arina. That's not like you. 

"Tonight, Duke is hosting a birthday party at his place. And my mother and I have such an honor to be invited," he drawls sarcastically. "Of course, my mother is too ill to attend. As courtesy, she has chosen a beautiful finch as a gift for our reverend Duke and ordered me to bring it to him in her stead. As you know, our Duke is a bird lover. He adores beautiful birds. It has been said that he loved to have a bird or two in his study. And our Duke is a very busy man, even on his birthday party! He will be receiving honorable guests from the tribe as well as my dear brother. You must know what to do." He smiled. 

Basically it's just spying. Then did I have to go in a cage? I could just stay outside and listen!

"Ambassadors from the grassland tribe is going to bring in a letter from their tribe leader and a proposed treaty. You're going to take a look at that. I doubt even with your enhanced vision, you could see through the closed window?" 

"Master Carlisle, I really could not stay in my bird form more than one day. If I was locked inside the cage as a gift for the Duke..." who knew what kind of repercussion I would suffer. I might as well lost my mind. 

"I know your power as a blue finch is not as strong as a gray finch." I nearly winced, it's the other way round. 

He continued, "Who said you're being locked in? The lock for this cage is really interesting. And if you're being locked in, who is going to tell me your findings? Your ghost? I am sorry I don't have the power to see ghosts." 

So the lock was tampered with.

"So does that mean I sneak out after the party?"

"As long as you get everything I want." Without noticing, he was standing quite close to me.. He stroked my hair liked he would when I was a blue finch and said with a gentle smile, "I look forward to your return, little finch."