Chapter 5
But… but something felt a little off.
Was that scene just now the same as I remembered?
The lines were definitely correct. But what was this strange sense of unease gnawing at me? I was so caught up in the thought that I almost forgot to breathe. Clements even tapped me lightly over my clothes, worried.
As soon as Bella saw Clements, she was so shocked that she forgot how to speak, shaking her head. That’s why her first words came out a little late.
“…Are you, perhaps, His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince?”
And her feelings toward Clements, a man she was seeing for the first time, were not pleasant either. A sense of hostility she couldn’t explain. A fear. The uncanny dissonance of him being an undeniably attractive man probably only sharpened her discomfort.
So of course Bella’s tone was cold. But what about Clements?
Did he really speak so dryly in this scene?
Sure, the novel’s descriptions weren’t sugary-sweet and warm from the beginning. But still! Shouldn’t there have been some kind of hint—something—that conveyed their unchanging, fated love?
And did Clements really leave so quickly? I was certain there had been at least one line about him gazing at Bella’s retreating figure for a while.
“I see you’re hungry.”
“Dinner will be prepared soon once we arrive at the manor.”
…It’s probably nothing. There’s no way for me to read their hearts right now anyway. Maybe I’m just worrying for no reason. Perhaps there was something I missed because I was stuck inside a pocket, only able to hear voices.
Yes. Just being unexpectedly present at their first meeting was already a stroke of luck, wasn’t it? These two were destined, so no matter what, they would end up together.
For now, I should focus on how to manage my own situation.
Ah, damn it.
Even as a chick, I had enough sense to realize it. I was in deep trouble.
The place was the hall of the Monahan estate, lit beautifully by dozens of candles. Only family members and honored guests were allowed to dine here.
The “people” invited to this meal were just four: Clements, Marquis Dupré, Bella, and Count Monahan.
As a maid, my usual seat was far behind the guest table, close enough to serve my master whenever needed, yet far enough not to intrude on the nobles’ conversation.
But now, I was being served my own table right next to the Crown Prince. On a small table covered with the same white cloth as the main banquet table, a pile of grains sat in a luxurious silver dish. Instead of a chair, there was a pile of warm, heated stones, keeping my chick body—so sensitive to temperature—nice and warm.
Warm? More like burning. But what really had me sweating wasn’t the stones. It was the gaze.
The burning glare came from the man seated at the head of the table, dressed ostentatiously—the master of the house, my employer, Bella’s elder brother. Count Monahan, who was glaring at me with eyes ablaze.
And of course, the reason was anger.
According to custom, the Crown Prince of the Clatia Empire was required to inspect the border regions once before ascending the throne. As the lord of the western frontier, the Count had the honor of hosting him. It wasn’t hard to imagine the picture he had in mind—introducing his lovely younger sister to the Crown Prince and winning his favor. He had fully intended to succeed.
But, because he had been too obsessed with ambition and neglected whether his sister had grown up properly, all of that was ruined.
“Treat your sister better, you idiot.”
Either way, a random chick stealing the Crown Prince’s attention? That certainly hadn’t been part of the Count’s plan.
“Why aren’t you eating?”
Regardless of whether the Count wanted to incinerate me with his eyes, His Highness the Crown Prince was gazing at me with utmost kindness and gentleness. Not at Bella, seated across from me—but at me.
Damn, damn, damn! I didn’t want to be part of this either!
Why did he have to care whether or not I pecked at these stupid grains? Just clear this chick table away already and look at Bella sitting next to you!
“Perhaps these aren’t the right grains. Count, do you have other varieties stored in your manor?”
“A-ahaha… of course, of course we do, Your Highness…”
…Sigh.
At this point, I had no choice but to eat. Until I stuffed these into my beak, Clements would keep worrying, sending people to fetch other grains.
Peck.
‘…!’
Tears welled up in my eyes as I ate. And it was… delicious. They said hunger made the best seasoning, right? The problem was it was too delicious.
I suddenly remembered I’d been wandering the woods all day without food. Who knew Honewood’s new wheat could taste this good?
“Don’t eat so quickly. Drink some water too.”
When I came back to my senses, Clements had kindly taken his finger bowl and set it beside me. Ahhh! I was doomed. More attention again!
Once more, Count Monahan’s fiery gaze bore into me…
This was how it all happened.
Not long after parting with Bella, the Count had rushed out with his retainers to greet the Crown Prince with florid words.
“Your Imperial Highness! To think I could meet you like this—it is the greatest honor of my lowly life. How arduous must your long journey from the capital have been? Please, allow me the joy of offering you rest and a banquet at my humble home.”
At the time, I had still been hopeful. Even if I was stuck in this body, soon the destined pair would meet and fall in love. The work I had devoted my second life to would finally bear fruit.
At least, until Clements said this:
“I would like a separate dish of chick feed prepared beside my seat at dinner.”
“…A chick, Your Highness? Pardon, but what do you mean?”
Flustered, the Count stammered. Clements, however, simply drew me out of his pocket, stroking me gently.
“I picked it up on the way here. I intend to raise it befitting a companion of royalty. So I would prefer it not be treated carelessly as a mere creature.”
What? What was that supposed to mean?
A bad feeling crept up on me. Was this talk of raising me not just a passing fancy after all?
The Count’s expression was worth seeing as he struggled not to grimace in front of the Crown Prince. He had prepared and anticipated this day for so long. Of course he wouldn’t want an unforeseen distraction barging in.
Reject it, reject it now!
“Your Highness! Of course, even if it is a mere creature, Monahan will wholeheartedly care for anything dear to you. Please entrust it to us and enjoy your dinner free of any burdens. Haha!”
Good! Perfect! I had no reason to be there.
It was enough that I’d accidentally been present at their first meeting. I didn’t want to get in the way of Bella and Clements.
But Clements was firm.
“Such a small and fragile animal cannot be left unwatched. If something were to happen to it outside my sight, I doubt I could forgive those responsible.”
“W-well… Your Highness…”
The Count hesitated. With the Crown Prince speaking so resolutely, no one had grounds to refuse.
That was when Marquis Dupré, who had been silent until then, spoke up.
“Bringing it to the banquet may actually cause the chick distress.”
“…Is that so.”
The Count’s expression brightened.
“In that case, why don’t I keep it safe during dinner instead?”
The Count’s expression darkened again.
Because yes, while he had looked forward to dining with the Crown Prince, he had equally anticipated dining with the head of the Dupré Marquisate, one of the Empire’s three great families. Losing the chance to converse with such a powerful figure—over a mere chick—was unbearable. From that moment on, his gaze toward me had been nothing but hostile.
“Um…”
Seeing his master’s face turning red and blue, a servant finally stepped forward. It was Alfin, a boy from a farming village in the Count’s territory.
“My family raised many chicks. Maintaining their body temperature is most important. If we make a nest with warm stones, the Crown Prince’s chick—er, Chick-nim—can rest comfortably even at the banquet.”
…Did he just use honorifics for me? Because I was the Crown Prince’s chick, a human was showing respect to an animal? Chick life really was the best life, huh?
Either way, everyone seemed satisfied with Alfin’s words. This was the moment a peasant-born servant shone.
Finally, in the hall, a small wooden table was covered with a tablecloth, and a meal fit for a chick was prepared on it.
The stones were heated and cooled to the perfect warmth, chosen to be round and pleasing to the eye.
A banquet seat for a chick. Ridiculous, but Honewood folk rarely ever saw people from the capital in a year.
And this time, it was the Crown Prince himself. They were too overwhelmed to even realize how absurd it was.
“To treat even a mere animal so preciously…”
“As expected, His Highness the Crown Prince truly is different!”
Well, to them, Clements must have felt less like a human and more like a unicorn.
The stones were neatly arranged into a cozy little nest, decorated with branches and leaves thanks to Alfin’s extra effort.
The result was this. Dinner had already begun long ago, yet all attention in the hall was still drawn to me.
Normally, Clements should have been speaking with Bella by now, exchanging countless glances. But so far, the only words he had given her were a few polite greetings.
Disastrously, my seat had wedged itself right between them. The Count, as host, sat at the head; the Crown Prince and Marquis Dupré sat on either side across from each other; and of course, Bella sat beside Clements.
The problem was me. As Clements’ pet, I had to be beside him. But a pet couldn’t be seated higher than its master. And so, in the end, I was placed directly between Clements and Bella.
