Odette almost shrieked out of fear. The duckling just popped out of thin air and started chattering like some worried mother.
'D-did I accidentally prick myself with the thorn? Is this the hallucinating effect of the poison?' Odette wondered. Panic started to creep in as the duckling continued speaking.
'Ah, those thorns might've scratched the marble at this point. How are they supposed to clean it?' the duckling complained.
"I must be hallucinating," Odette told herself. She got up, but her eyes were still glued to the duckling. She rubbed her eyes a few times to make sure, and the duckling was still there. "Oh, this is some kind of serious hallucination!"
'Hm?' the duckling turned her head and stared at Odette. They were staring at each other for a while before the duckling gasped as well. 'W-wait, Sweetheart, you can see me?'
"This is a hallucination. This is definitely a hallucination! How come there's a talking duckling in front of me!?" Odette muttered in panic. She knew that hallucination was dangerous, and she might hurt herself soon enough.
'Hey, I'm supposed to be a cygnet or baby swan. Ugh, I don't know why I am a duckling right now,' the duckling complained again. 'Anyway, sweetheart, you can see and hear me, right?'
"I-I can't!" Odette denied.
'Relax, you're not hallucinating. Here, stretch your hand and let me show you,' the duckling said.
Odette was hesitant at first, but she slowly stretched her hand and opened her palm, just like what the duckling instructed.
The duckling hopped into her palm and said, 'See? You can feel my body, right? I'm not a hallucination.'
The duckling was right. Odette could feel the weight of the small duckling in her palm.
"T-then, what are you?"
'I'm an angel, of course!' the duckling claimed.
…
"An angel for ducks?"
'I'm a cygnet—okay, forget that,' the duckling sighed. She pointed at the statue of the swan and wolf and said, 'I am the swan in that statue, along with the wolf, we're uhm… we're the Masked Alpha King's guardian angels!'
"Guardian… angel?" Odette frowned. "Like the spirit of the ancestors?"
'You can say that,' the duckling nodded. 'I am His Majesty's guardian angel who has been staying inside this kingdom for a long time.'
"I-Is that so?" Odette curled her lips while staring at the cute duckling. Her fear gradually subsided after she found the duckling cute.
'You don't believe me, do you?'
"Well... I've never seen a talking duckling before," Odette admitted. "I still don't know if this is just a hallucination. Maybe it'll clear up once I leave the garden."
'Hmph! You sweet little girl shouldn't make fun of your elder!' the duckling complained, and Odette couldn't help but giggle.
"Okay, I am very sorry, Elder Duckling."
The duckling sighed, and asked, 'Anyway, this is the first time I meet someone who can see me. Do you happen to have any affinity with holy magic?'
"Holy magic? What's that?" Odette asked innocently as she truly had no idea.
'Hmm… I can see that nobody knows about holy magic after thousands of years. But it's alright. Once you meet with Ymir, the palace wizard, you should ask him about holy magic, got it?' the duckling commanded as if she were the queen of this castle. 'And I will be tagging along with you for the time being. Since you're the only one who can see me, it's better to stick around you, so I won't get bored.'
The duckling vanished from Odette's palm, and reappeared on top of her head, nestling comfortably up there.
'Your name is Odette, right?'
"Mhm~."
'Then, sweet Odette, you shall be my student from now on! Don't worry, this guardian angel will teach you how to be a Saintess—no, an angel in the future!' the duckling said determinedly.
Odette was in a much better mood after talking to the duckling. She was still unable to discern whether she was seeing an illusion right now, but she could get the answer once she left the garden of thorns.
"Elder Duckling, about that statue," Odette pointed at the swan and wolf statue. "Should I clean it for you?"
'Can you?'
"Well, I can probably scrub the marble until it's pearly white again," Odette said.
'But you haven't been marked by His Majesty, right?' the duckling asked. 'One prick from the thorn, and you'll die within thirty seconds. It's too dangerous! You can only clean it after His Majesty marks you!'
"His Majesty? Mark me?" Odette's brows creased. "But isn't that only doable by your fated mate? Elder Duckling, I… I don't think I am His Majesty's fated mate. Besides, I want to find my own mate in the future."
The chatty duckling suddenly turned silent, so Odette called her, "Elder Duckling?"
'Then, you shouldn't enter this garden of thorns anymore. I don't want my only friend to die because of a man's carelessness, hmph!' the elder duckling chided.
Right when Odette was about to continue her conversation with the duckling, Zircon walked into the center of the maze and bowed, "Milady, it is time to go back. Staying inside the garden for too long is dangerous."
Odette was stunned when Zircon changed the way he addressed her, from 'Your Grace' to 'Milady'.
It was obvious that His Majesty must've told him something.
'I guess I'll have to return to my roots sooner or later. I'm just a commoner in the first place anyway,' Odette convinced herself, so she wouldn't be too saddened knowing that she had fallen out of favor. 'This is the right thing to do. I'd be burdened if I kept being treated like royalty!'
Odette smiled kindly to Sir Zircon and responded, "Yes, thank you for escorting me, Sir. I wouldn't know how to leave the garden without your help."
Zircon looked straight at her, and he almost let the sadness in his heart spill out.
Truly, he wanted to beat himself to death for addressing Odette as 'Milady' instead of 'Your Grace.'
But he swallowed the sadness and offered to piggyback her again, "Let's go, Milady. I'll carry you just like before."