Chapter 6
Damn it.
Had there ever been a time when I felt so much doubt about my very existence?
I wanted to disappear right then and there. If an earthquake suddenly opened up and swallowed only the spot I was standing on, nothing would make me happier.
“Haha, Your Highness truly treasures that little bird.”
Count Monahan looked like he might roast me alive with just his gaze.
And then Clements answered casually,
“Isn’t it adorable?”
He even countered with a rhetorical question, as if completely unaware of the tension.
The Count must have been equally frustrated, forced to agree. To me, my employer was the supreme master, but even he was nothing more than a lowly subordinate in front of the Crown Prince. Now he was practically grinding his teeth as he replied.
“Yes… truly… I’ve never seen such a cute chick before, Your Highness…”
“No matter how pretty it may be, don’t stare at my chick so intently. If it gets startled and chokes because of its tiny body, how heartbroken would I be?”
The Count’s knuckles around his fork had gone white. He probably wanted to skewer me with that fork.
I pictured the torture chamber beneath the Count’s manor. Him, with a wicked grin, driving that fork into me one by one. …Damn it, I’d managed to smuggle the young lady into the forest for eight years without ever getting caught, and now I was about to be tortured just for the crime of becoming a chick for one day?
But Count, believe me, I also wish His Highness would stop paying attention to a nobody like me and focus on your younger sister instead. I assure you, I want it even more desperately than you do. I’m the one about to go insane from frustration!
Even as I jerked my head, silently begging him to look beside him, Clements only gazed at me and smiled that picture-perfect smile.
That smile should have been meant for Bella!
Bella’s black-and-crimson dress highlighted her mysterious blue eyes. Exactly as described in the novel.
Fortunately, she at least was looking at Clements. She opened her mouth.
“This chick resembles one of my maids.”
“Peep!”
Unbelievable—chicks can sneeze? The puff of breath scattered a few crumbs. Clements gently tapped my back with his finger.
Could it be? Did my Bella actually sense something? Did she understand my trouble and frustration? I stamped my feet, but as always, Bella’s indifferent blue eyes gave nothing away.
“Is that so?”
But at those words, Clements finally gave Bella a meaningful glance. Until now, he had paid attention solely to me, and Bella had been nothing more than a breathtaking background.
Now, though, it had happened. Topaz-blue eyes and amethyst eyes had met. Bella was undoubtedly Clements’s destined match. And she was breathtakingly beautiful too. Everything else would flow smoothly after this.
So what if the first step was awkward? Ahead lay an endless flower-strewn path.
One day, this ridiculous episode would just be a funny anecdote. In fact, it might even be an honor as a side character to have brought them together by being the topic of conversation.
“Yes. She’s small and cute, just like this chick. She has bright blonde hair, and her eyes are golden too. Her name is Ophelia.”
Bella, you’re talking so kindly about me…!
“I see.”
“This morning, I sent her on a simple errand, but she hasn’t returned yet.”
“An errand?”
“Yes. Into the forest… to fetch some herbs.”
She had neatly omitted all mention of the Foggy Forest or the root of Habil. It sounded perfectly ordinary. Good job, Bella! Well done!
“Herbs? The Count’s household surely has most herbs stocked in its stores. And yet you sent your maid yourself?”
“She always treats my business as her own. Some things I can only rest easy about if she handles them personally.”
“You must have considerable knowledge of herbs.”
Yes, yes! Finally, a proper conversation!
A quick glance showed even Count Monahan was smiling, satisfied. Though I never had fondness for him—always pressuring Bella as a tool for his own ambition—at this moment, we shared a small joy at achieving a common goal.
Across the table, Marquis Cassis Dupré observed quietly, continuing his meal. Likely he alone was actually eating properly here.
When the marquis gestured at his plate for more food, the pleased Count Monahan picked up his wine glass and made light conversation. A servant soon placed more dishes before the marquis.
At last, I too felt able to eat in peace. I pecked at the water Clements had set down for me six or seven times before burying my beak into the seed dish again.
…How embarrassing, behaving like this in such an elegant setting. Peck, peck. But as a chick, the tiny beak could only grab a minuscule amount at once. To get full, my eating speed naturally quickened. Peck, peck.
Please, let there never be another ridiculous situation like this again…
“It’s gotten rather dark. I hope your maid returns soon.”
Actually, she’s already back.
“I’m sure she’s safe. She probably finished her errand long ago and got distracted at some pastry shop or bookstore.”
“Peep!”
The grain almost lodged in my throat.
It was true—I sometimes picked up snacks or the latest novels while on errands. But for that to be exposed directly to the male lead? Is this what it means to be the heroine’s maid?!
Still, I felt delighted. They were casually talking like this. It was similar to the novel, but richer, more alive. At this rate, they’d grow closer even faster. Hehe!
Bella, her blue eyes glinting, spoke again,
“Still, I can’t help but worry. Your Highness, may I keep this chick with me until my maid returns?”
!!
This was it!
I chirped happily. If Clements handed me over to Bella, many problems would be solved.
Clements would earn points with Bella, I wouldn’t have to worry about escaping him before I transformed back, and Bella would naturally discover her missing maid. She’d face the black panther—me—once I was human again.
Love blossoming through the passing of a chick! Whether intentional or not, Bella was truly clever.
‘Your Highness, thanks to the chick you lent me, I was comforted. My maid has returned as well.’
‘If such a small bird can comfort you, I’ll give you as many as you wish—whatever kind.’
‘Don’t exaggerate so. Such words are far too much for a country girl like me.’
She might answer curtly, but the icy, stone-like heart of Bella, as hard as the mountains of the borderlands, would surely begin to crack.
Inside, sticky, sweet unfamiliar feelings would seep out. Bella would try to push them away, confused by new sensations.
But in time, she’d realize her heart, which she thought was just rock, had melted and crumbled into something like candy, giving off a sweet fragrance.
Ufufufu… Fufufufufu!
Count Monahan, who had been very invested in this matter, looked equally pleased. He laughed in his exaggerated way, his lips trembling—the expression he always wore when he was about to strongly agree or argue something.
But his mouth closed at once.
“…Lady Monahan.”
In an instant, the mood darkened. The marquis, the servants, everyone froze at the chill.
What now?
Even I, lost in hopeful fantasies, couldn’t catch up to the sudden change.
“You overstep.”
…What?
Was Clements truly saying this to Bella? Clements von Lesta Düsingen, the very man destined to love her more than anyone?
I couldn’t believe it. What was happening?
Bella let out a short gasp and rose, bowing her head.
“I beg pardon for my rudeness.”
“M-my lord, did my sister say something offensive to Your Highness?”
The Count flustered, but Clements ignored him.
“Be it person, beast, or object—anything that belongs to me should be respected. If you know who I am.”
“…You are this nation’s sole Crown Prince.”
What was this? Was this really all because she asked to keep the chick for a while? Even Bella’s upward gaze at him carried a sharp edge now.
Crack. Like sparks when gems clash, the collision of their stares radiated hostility that tore my heart to shreds.
What the hell!!
Guys, please! Fall in love! I beg you!
In the ruined atmosphere, the meal looked to end in anticlimax. While everyone sat in uneasy silence…
“I shall take my leave first.”
A pale, elegant hand stretched toward me. Even now, he was set on personally attending to me. Looking up, I saw violet eyes darkened with faint displeasure.
I tried to express as calmly as possible that this wasn’t right. I flapped, kicked, shook my head. Maybe unnatural for an ordinary chick, but I had to protect this once-in-a-lifetime romance.
No, don’t go like this! If you leave now, the novel’s plot is completely derailed.
Even if Bella was wrong, forgive her just this once. She’s your fated match! With just a little more attention, you’ll fall for her. That’s how it’s meant to be.
If you walk away now, you’ll only regret treating her harshly over a mere chick.
Naturally, what came out of my mouth was,
“Peep. Peep. Peep. Peep? Peep. Peeep!”
Aagh! I’m going insane!
Of course, Clements couldn’t possibly understand.
“Do you want more food? We’ll return to the room and I’ll give you plenty.”
He gently, but firmly, lifted me and set me in his palm.
The banquet hall, which should have been filled with warmth and the budding excitement of the heroine and hero’s first meeting, instead sank into suffocating silence.
Ruined. Completely, utterly ruined.
