Second Female Leads' Playbook

I didn't understand what Master Carlisle was planning. After arriving in Jade Garden, we were led to a room and Master Carlisle pulled me down to eat with him. I was planning to stand at the corner like any guard did, but he asked me to eat with him. I thought he was meeting with someone in the restaurant. Furthermore, what did he mean by saying I would be able to show him my bird form later today?

A slice of red bean cake was placed into my bowl.

"Jade Garden was famous for its red bean cake. Only limited batches will be made each day. Try it." He acted like a truly nice person entertaining his guest, but I did not trust him. No matter how he smiled, he looked like a sly fox waiting for a dumb bird to jump into his trap.

"Thank you, Master." I took a small bite of the cake. This was the cake he fed me when I was a dumb bird. Would rich people really waste such an expensive cake on a bird?

"Have you ever tried this before? You looked like you have tasted this before."

Now the fishing started again.

"No, Master. Thank you for treating me to this, it's the most delicious red bean cake I have eaten in my life."

"Eat as much as you want." He had a gentle smile on his face the whole time.

We continued to eat in silence. He was planning something, but what?

After the last plate of food had been cleared away by the waiter, Master Carlisle looked out of the huge window of the room. The window looked out at the main street. People were buzzing around. Hawkers were selling off food, handkerchiefs, cosmetics... anything you could imagined. Carriages rode past once in awhile.

Just then someone on a horse rode by while shouting, "Get out of our way! Master Ralph of Orion Manor is passing by!"

All the hawkers packed up their things and shifted back. The pedestrians all stayed as far away from the road as possible. They all hung down their head in reverence or fright? Then a huge carriage made of the best wood passed by. The ensign on the carriage indicating who that carriage belonged to, Master Ralph of Orion Manor, half brother of Master Carlisle.

"He seems like he wishes the whole world to know where he is going, doesn't he?" Master Carlisle smiled and then his lips twisted into a cynical smile,"But I know my brother, he enjoys secrecy like anyone else. What an interesting brother, isn't it?"

Master Ralph of Orion Manor and Master Carlisle of Ivory Manor were enemies, just like their mothers. Everyone knew that. We're treading on very dangerous ground. I nodded gingerly.

Master Carlisle continued smiling, "My brother disappeared every time his carriage enters downtown. And all my men who were following him ended up dead. That does make one even more curious about what he is hiding, doesn't it?"

I nodded again. What's he planning? He wasn't...

"Arina, so understanding." Master Carlisle smiled brightly. "I know my little bird can find out what my brother is up to. You must be full after eating, go and exercise. I await for your return."

He was really a devil. The carriage holding his brother was already on the road downtown, if I missed him who knew what would happen to me. But if everyone who had ever followed his brother turned up dead, what would happen to me?

"I'd walk around for a bit, Master."

"Don't worry about me. Go."

I shifted into a gray finch and before I flew out of the window, I saw a flash of doubt and interest gleamed in Carlisle's eyes. That was enough, as long as he didn't find out I was that dumb blue bird listening onto all his secrets.

I quickly tracked that carriage before it entered downtown. I followed as closely as I could, even though no one would usually put particular attention on a random bird in the sky, I could not be too apparent. Lady Atherton's family hid our family pretty well. We're like the hidden card in their sleeves. We're not allowed to expose our shape-shifting power, so that their enemies wouldn't know they're expecting us.

The carriage finally rounded a corner into a deserted alleyway. Two guard of Orion Manor stepped out of the carriage first. One of them closed his eyes and after awhile he knocked once on the roof of the carriage. Master Ralph stepped out of the carriage. He did not look like Master Carlisle at all. He was not a particularly handsome man. He was on a more bulgy side.

"That wimp from Ivory Manor was not following us this time?" Ralph asked. He was not regarding Master Carlisle as a wimp right? Granted I had never seen Carlisle fighting skills, but his sword skills was approved by Master Fu.

"No, Master Ralph. No one was around."

That guard had the power to check if anyone was around? Maybe able to listen to sound within a certain radius of him? No wonder not one of Carlisle's men returned alive. Their breathing sound exposed them. Luckily there were quite a lot of birds around this area, there were already two on the branch I was staying at. So I would not stand out.

"Seems like he finally gave up. He should know his place. When I became Duke, I will drive Ivory Manor to ashes." His laughter boomed out in the empty alley. "Let's not let Sir Rossi wait."

Sir Rossi? Wasn't he the government official responsible for the sales of salt?

Ralph then pushed onto a brick on the wall behind him and a hidden door swung open. He and his guard entered the courtyard through this door.

After they disappeared from the alley, I flew into the courtyard. They were led into a room. I landed on the roof of that room and joined the group of birds resting on the roof. I listened in.

When I knew I have learned enough, I flew away, back to the Jade Garden. Master Carlisle was still inside that chamber, hot tea on the table and a book in hand. When I flew back in, he didn't even look up and said, "That's a pretty long walk you had. I am sure you get something useful." He looked at me with his usual smile, "Grandmother was right, you really have a beautiful bird form." He flicked his finger at my forehead, before he could touch me, I hopped back.

A soft chuckle raised from his throat while I shifted back into human. A cup of hot tea was placed in front of me. I held back the dėsɨrė to peck at the water in front of me with my beak. I knew I had stayed too long in my gray finch form. The repercussion was messing with my brain. Focus, Arina. I placed my palms around the cup. The heat from the cup slowly drew me back to my normal self.

"So what did you get?" Carlisle asked while holding the cup of hot tea to his smiling mouth. The steam from the tea drifting up, masking his eyes a bit. Through the steam, his eyes were as sharp as a falcon.. A falcon on his hunt.