Bluebird Lady and The White Lion Family Chapter 41

 

A cold sweat broke out, but Sophina pretended not to notice.

 

“Did you recognize the gift?”

 

“I don’t know what’s inside, though,” Ririela said, trying to sound mature.

 

In response, Sophina smirked and poked at the question she’d been dying to ask.

 

“We’ll find out tomorrow, but I thought you were the kind of person who doesn’t celebrate birthdays, and it’s been a while since you’ve spent one at the manor.”

 

Sophina glanced at Ririela’s face.

 

She didn’t look happy, as if she was thinking about something.

 

‘I should have known better.’

 

Sophina hastily tried to make amends, “I’m sorry if I was rude, big sister, you don’t have to tell me!”

 

But Ririela’s expression remained rigid.

 

Something about it made her look both pensive and anxious.

 

With those unblinking, distant stares, Ririela spoke as if in confession.

 

“Because I’m always miserable on my birthday, and if I stay in the mansion, so will everyone else.”

 

“What?”

 

The words didn’t sound like she was hoping for a response.

 

Without answering Sophina’s question, Ririela rose to leave.

 

Another flash of fear had struck her.

 

Despite returning to the manor full of excitement, eager to see the newest bluebird in the family, she was afraid.

 

She was afraid that if she spent her birthday in this house, it would make Sophina unhappy.

 

‘I thought I’d gotten over it after all these years of traveling.’

 

Well, I guess not.

 

Ririela frowned.

 

“Alright, I’ll be leaving. Sophina.”

 

Ririela pressed her lips together in a self-conscious smile.

 

Then she waved goodbye. She didn’t want to hurt Sophina’s feelings with her abrupt change of demeanor.

 

Then, with a slam of the door, Ririela left.

 

Unaware of Ririela’s gesture, Sophina blamed herself.

 

“I must have made a big mistake…”

 

— That was a murderous grin, sis.

 

Canus fanned the burning mess without a care in the world.

 

Ririela’s last laugh bothered her.

 

“I’m running after her. Canus should just go play.”

 

Sophina quickly followed Ririela.

 

‘I’m pretty sure she went here.’

 

She was so fast, I couldn’t find her.

 

After asking the servants for directions, she realized that Ririela must have headed for their mother’s office.

 

‘Huh? The door is open?’

 

The door to the usually tightly closed office was ajar.

 

I felt strangely certain. That sister Ririela would be here.

 

And it was the right guess.

 

“I must leave, Mother.”

 

Leave?

 

Sophina’s eyes narrowed as she pressed her ear to the crack in the open door.

 

Sophina continued to listen.

 

Apparently, Ririela was planning to move out of the house, just like she used to.

 

“I guess it’s not appropriate for me to have a birthday after all.”

 

“What?”

 

Khan interrupted Ririela with a rare look of bewilderment. But she couldn’t finish the sentence.

 

For Ririela had fled the office and disappeared down the hall,

 

‘Did she not see me?’

 

Sophina, who had been clinging to the side of the wall, ruffled a strand of hair in disbelief.

 

“Ririela!”

 

Just then, Khan, who had come out of the room after Ririela, spotted Sophina.

 

“Oh, sweetheart.”

 

Mother said, holding her forefinger to her forehead as if in pain.

 

“I had something for you at tea today, but it can wait.”

 

Khan leaned in the doorway at an inclined angle, waiting for Sophina to agree.

 

“Are you sure that’s okay?”

 

“What? Yes,” Sophina replied hesitantly.

 

Hearing the affirmation, Khan glanced in the direction of Ririela’s disappearance.

 

A shiver ran down Khan’s spine and her fingertips curled into fists. With a deep sigh, she walked back into the office.

 

“You should get some rest, too, my dear.”

 

Khan spoke softly to Sophina and slammed the door behind her.

 

Left alone, Sophina stood frozen in place, rolling her eyes and wondering.

 

‘What am I going to do? I feel like this is my fault.’

 

It seemed like Mother had given up and didn’t even bother to stop her.

 

The situation was bizarre.

 

Still, she couldn’t leave it like this.

 

Feeling remorseful, Sophina went back to the servants to find out where Ririela was.

 

She found Ririela in her room. Sophina knocked softly on the large, bronze-colored wooden door.

 

“May I come in?”

 

This was supposed to be Ririela’s room.

 

There was no response.

 

Sophina took a deep breath, then simply grabbed the doorknob and spun it.

 

“I’m coming in…!”

 

As soon as she opened the door, she saw a clean and deserted-looking chamber.

 

A spacious room that was well-maintained but didn’t smell strangely inhabited.

 

Probably because the owner hadn’t been around much.

 

Sophina’s gaze shifted to Ririela, her face buried in her knees at the end of the bed.

 

Sophina crouched down beside Ririela and said, “Sis, what are you doing sitting on the ground like that?”

 

“Sorry. I’ll take your gift with me.”

 

Sophina spoke softly, and Ririela shrugged.

 

With her eyes downcast, Ririela’s face looked more ferocious than ever.

 

‘…Like a wounded beast.’

 

Sophina shuddered.

 

After shaking her head furiously, she mustered up the courage to speak.

 

“Did I say something wrong back there?”

 

Despite the way she looked, Ririela had never actually gotten angry or used force.

 

Slowly, Sophina was getting to know the woman beneath the surface.

 

Ririela gave a short, scowling denial, “No.”

 

Then she timidly glanced at Sophina.

 

‘I wondered if my tone had frightened her.’ Ririela thought.

 

Slowly, Ririela patted Sophina on the back and shook her head.

 

“It’s not your fault, it’s not.”

 

With that, Sophina closed the distance between them, sitting even closer.

 

They were close enough to see each other’s eyes flutter open.

 

Sophina whispered, her eyes pleading, “Can you tell me why you feel so bad? I’d like to help you as much as I can…”

 

Sophina’s round eyes shone mournfully.

 

Ririela was torn, looking into the innocent, pitiful eyes of a kitten in boots.

 

‘I can’t, she’s too cute.’ (Ririela)

 

What if I don’t tell her, and she gets tears in those adorable eyes?

 

Shaking her head, Ririela mumbled, and only after a while did she stop.

 

“Well…”

 

A tiny, unfinished voice escaped from her gaping lips.

 

As if that were a sign that she was opening up, Sophina curled her hands into tight fists.

 

“So, it’s…”

 

Ririela began to tell her story slowly.

 

Some time passed.

 

What came out of her lips was quite shocking.

 

“On my birthday, my father died.”

 

Come to think of it, I had never heard of Ricardo’s father.

 

The Chadwick family history and the original novel only mentioned ‘widowed’.

 

I thought there must be some kind of heartbreaking past, something to do with his father.

 

Sophina’s face turned pensive.

 

‘But there’s another mark in his place on the family tree that has been erased.’

 

A sense of wonder washed over me.

 

The mystery was quickly resolved.

 

“And then, on my next birthday, my new dad… ended up dead eventually.”

 

So her mother remarried. I wondered if she was traumatized by all these bad things happening on my sister’s birthday.

 

But there was a subtle difference.

 

‘Father died and step-dad ended up dead….’

 

Father and Dad.

 

Died and ended up dead.

 

It seemed like a mismatched pairing of words. Did she have a good or bad relationship with her two fathers?

 

As Sophina pondered, Ririela continued to speak, her voice a low, sinking growl like a damp bass.

 

“Maybe it was because of me.”

 

Hearing this self-reproach, Sophina hesitated, unable to do anything.

 

‘Because of you, why?’

 

It’s a strange coincidence, but I don’t think it’s Ririela’s fault.

 

Why had she been punishing herself for thinking it was?

 

That’s a strange sentiment. But that wasn’t the important thing right now.

 

Sophina paused as if to reach out and touch Ririela.

 

‘I don’t know what to say, how to comfort her, especially when it involves her family.’

 

Sophina’s fingertips curled in the air, then straightened and extended toward Ririela.

 

Resolve set in.

 

‘I wonder if the reason Ririela came here was because she wanted to make sure her birthday was safe.’

 

Well, if that’s the case.

 

Perhaps a problem they could overcome by giving Ririela the most joyous birthday in the world.

 

First, Sophina wrapped her arms around Ririela.

 

“That must have been hard.”

 

Ririela whispered, her voice barely audible to Sophina.

 

“More than me, for the rest of the family, especially Ricardo.”

 

“It won’t be like that this time.”

 

‘Not this time,’ Sophina declared, her tone firm, almost like an oath.

 

‘I usually get in trouble for this sort of thing.’

 

Despite her worries, she couldn’t stop the promise from escaping her lips.

 

Sophina locked eyes with Ririela with an earnest look.

 

“I’ll make your birthday the happiest day in the world.”

 

There was no way I was going to play ignorant in front of the person who had just told me a secret that was hurting her so much.

 

So I decided to intervene appropriately.

 

‘Just for your birthday tomorrow, really.’

 

‘Only until tomorrow,’ Sophina promised Ririela, holding up her pinky finger.

 

“So please pretend and stay until tomorrow morning.”

 

Just then, she had an idea.