It definitely sounded like Butler Squawk—no mistaking it. Was this some kind of hidden camera prank?
I circled the unfamiliar bird in disbelief, observing it closely. The baby bird tilted its head at me.
“Is something wrong? Has something happened?”
Even his voice—usually a calm, low baritone—had turned into a soft, chirpy squeak.
What the hell is going on?
Then a memory surfaced—something Butler Squawk had said not too long ago.
“They say drinking that spring water makes your skin so smooth, it’s like you’ve turned ten years younger.”
What if that wasn’t just an exaggeration about the spring’s effects… but the literal truth?
I cautiously asked the little bird, “Butler… did you drink the water?”
“Ah, you caught me. I was too curious, so I ended up taking a sip. They weren’t kidding about it being magical—it tasted truly extraordinary.”
“Ah… I see.”
So the spring really did make him younger. This felt like something straight out of a fairy tale. As if Beauty and the Beast wasn’t wild enough—now there was a fountain of youth? A surreal East-meets-West crossover, and we were living it. What’s next? Kkamang bringing home a peach seed like in that old folktale?
But first—how were we going to fix this?
Butler Squawk must’ve misread the look on my pale face because he suddenly apologized.
“I’m sorry for drinking it without permission. If you’re worried about running out, don’t worry—I won’t take another drop.”
“It’s not that…”
When my expression didn’t change, he tried another tactic—flattery.
“Haha, I know this is sudden, but Briel, your beauty is truly radiant today. You look absolutely glowing—like you’ve shaved off a few years.”
“Wait, I’m not even mad—hold on. Did you just say I look younger?”
No way.
I rushed over to the mirror. And sure enough—I looked younger. Not as dramatically as the butler, but my skin, my hair, even the shape of my eyes—they all looked subtly youthful. I’d even shrunk a little. I looked exactly like I did five years ago, right after I first possessed this body.
Was one sip really enough to cause this?
“Briel, what’s gotten into you all of a—wait, my wings!”
Finally noticing his soft, fluffy wings, Butler Squawk began trembling with shock.
“What is happening to me?!”
“Well… I can’t say for sure, but I think…”
His gaze followed mine toward the spring. His beak dropped.
“You mean… the spring water did this?”
“Looks that way. There’s nothing else it could’ve been.”
“What in the world…”
Seeing the butler’s dumbfounded face made the whole thing feel more real. I mean, if a parrot could be a butler, why couldn’t magical spring water make you younger?
For now, we decided to stay put and avoid alarming the other staff. Until we figured this out, it was best not to cause a scene.
Our conversation went something like this:
“Butler… am I dreaming?”
“Would you like me to check for you?”
“How—wait, okay, I guess I’m not dreaming.”
We tried denial first.
“Well… at least it’s not a spring that makes you older.”
“Indeed. If I have to be flightless anyway, I’d rather it be from missing feathers than losing strength.”
We tried to stay positive.
“What if we could use it to break a curse? Like, drink a whole bunch and go back a hundred years?”
“Considering I’ve looked like an adult bird from the moment I transformed, I doubt drinking more will turn me human again. Unless it turns me into an egg.”
“Yeah… let’s not do that.”
We even tried to come up with practical uses. But none of it changed our situation.
“What do we even do now…”
“Briel, let’s take a short break. You look worn out. Your face was glowing just a moment ago—now you look completely drained.”
“Already? Guess stress really is the enemy of good skin. But hey, the spring water made me younger, so it balances out—wait… hold on.”
Something clicked in my mind. I rushed to the mirror again.
Sure enough—I’d aged. Not old, just… back to normal. My youthful glow was gone.
“Butler! I think it wears off with time! If I count back from when I drank the water… it’s been about six hours.”
“Oh! Now that you mention it, this does look like your usual face. Then if I wait another two hours, I should go back to normal too?”
“Probably.”
Hope returned to the butler’s eyes as he let out a deep sigh of relief.
“Thank goodness. I was dreading the thought of working in this form… I can’t even fly.”
Seriously. I’d nearly been too short to reach the high window earlier. That was the one thing I could do for Mari.
And then—maybe because we’d finally relaxed—our internal clocks reminded us it was time to rest…
Grrrgle—
“Oh, it’s already that late? Briel, you should go have dinner. I’ll stay here and wait.”
“What about your meal, Butler? Should I bring you something?”
“No need. I’m not exactly a body that requires food—missing a meal won’t harm me. Go on and enjoy your dinner.”
“All right. I’ll be back soon, then.”
When I got to the dining hall, Kalz was already there. Funny how the guy who bolts the moment I say anything never misses a meal.
Then again, I knew why. He was worried I might skip dinner. That part of him was… honestly kind of endearing. Still, just for today, I’d really wanted to eat alone.
“Have you seen Butler Squawk around?”
“Why do you ask?”
“He hasn’t shown up today. Thought you might know.”
“Not sure. Haven’t seen him.”
Exactly the kind of conversation I was trying to avoid. Pretending not to notice anything, I focused on chewing as if my life depended on it. Kalz didn’t press. Normally, he’d badger me if I acted this suspicious—but I guess that confession really mellowed him out.
After dinner, I helped Elizabeth with cleanup and prepped breakfast for the next day before hurrying back to my room.
When I opened the door, the baby bird was gone. In its place sat a parrot with sleek, beautiful feathers perched on the desk.
“You’re back! Haaah… thank goodness.”
“I’m relieved, but… I can’t help feeling a little regret. If I’d known I’d return to normal so easily, I would’ve enjoyed being young a bit more instead of worrying the whole time.”
“Haha, fair point.”
Now that I thought about it… that baby version of Butler Squawk had been ridiculously cute.
Wait—hold up.
“Well then, I’ll take my leave. You must be tired, Briel—get some rest.”
“Wait, Butler.”
“Yes? Is something wrong?”
“You said before… that you were cheering for me and Kalz.”
“I meant it.”
“Then… would you be willing to do me one small favor?”
“What kind of favor?”
“Tell me… wouldn’t you like to see a baby lion?”
“Oh ho. Now that’s an intriguing offer.”
We looked at each other and exchanged a sly smile.
Honestly, I hate to admit it… but we looked like a pair of classic villains right then.
