The Princess in the Chicken Coop - Chapter 1.12

***

Even moonlight was hidden by clouds, darkness settling over the whole world. At this hour when both inside and outside the palace slept, only the Hawk Knights’ building remained taut with tension.

Even Soria, who as always had crammed herself into the thin gap between the desk drawer and wall, could feel things were different from usual.

She held her breath tightly as she slowly pulled her feet out. A soft ‘pop’ briefly broke the silence. Having narrowly escaped the danger of her plump lower belly getting stuck midway, Soria suppressed her instinct to shake herself off and grumbled internally.

‘Maybe it’s because security has become stricter. Feels like even the air could cut.’

Two yellow eyes shone alone in the darkness, keenly surveying the surroundings.

Today’s target was just one. Chen, who used the bottom bunk of the bunk bed.

His were the lips she would steal today.

‘Sir Chen, I don’t know which number kiss this is, but I’m sorry. I’ll try to make it as quick and decisive as possible.’

She carefully approached Chen, with whom she had never even had a conversation while offering her deep apologies.

Soria’s two feet, which had always powerfully dug through the earth to find prey, slowly approached the bedside.

The wingbeats that lifted her silently upward while gripping the wooden bed frame made her look more like a swan than a chicken.

‘Wait for me, Sir Chen!’

And when she landed on the edge of the bed.

“It’s been a while, Princess Soria.”

Lenok, who had been lying on the bed, opened his closed eyes and smiled menacingly.

‘Oh, heavens!’

Her wingbeats were frantic as she tried to stop immediately. However, the momentum of her forward charge remained, and she crashed head-first into Lenok’s chest. Before she could even think about her aching head, the thought of escape came first, and she tried flapping her wings, but she was already like a mouse caught in a trap.

She glared at Lenok, who was gripping her leg with all his might.

[Let go of this immediately!]

To her protest about how dare he grab a lady’s leg, Lenok responded with an exasperated expression.

“No matter how you look at it, it’s a chicken leg, so put aside such concerns. More importantly, we should have a serious conversation- ah, would you stay still already!!”

[How can you say that now? What fool would stay still!! Let go of this hand right now- kyaaak!!]

Lenok, faced with an impossible dialogue situation, grimly pulled out his last resort.

He grabbed the sack he had prepared at his bedside and shoved Soria inside. Though she might be confused by the sudden situation now, it was clear that soon enough, a series of clumsy spells would rain down upon him.

Lenok really didn’t want to end up soaked like a drowned rat again, like the first time he met her.

Only after tightly securing the sack did Lenok wipe his sweat-drenched forehead. He looked with a strained expression at Soria, who, far from staying quiet even after being put in the sack, was struggling with all her might.

[If you don’t let me out right now, I’ll burn this sack with me in it!]

Though the voice from inside the sack was terrifying, Lenok wasn’t intimidated. He sat on the edge of the bed and replied.

“Look here, Princess Soria. I advise you to think about where you are before setting anything on fire.”

The noisy sack went quiet. She must have realized that if she burned the sack, she would burn along with it.

Lenok was surprised she gave up so easily but didn’t say anything.

What they both needed was time. Time to calm this excitement and have a rational conversation.

Though Owell, standing guard at the door, knocked impatiently as if tired of waiting, Lenok merely frowned and gave no response for this very reason.

Silence fell in the room. It was so late that everyone else was asleep, making their breathing audible to each other.

How much time had passed?

[Are you… that greedy for such a small kingdom?]

Soria whispered, leaning her head against the sack. Through the rough cloth, Lenok’s clicking tongue was clear.

“Ah, since things have come to this, there’s no point in hiding anymore. To be honest, I was honest a few days ago too, but anyway, to be even more honest, that much land could be considered equivalent to separating a small duchy.”

The sack began to squirm. Lenok pressed it down with one hand while continuing.

“Please, trust me. The Crotia Empire already occupies one-third of the continent; the emperor isn’t so idle as to cause such a commotion just to acquire that much land. What I desire is something else. Princess Soria, do you remember what I said before?”

[You said so many things, I don’t know which you’re referring to.]

“…I swear, in all my life I’ve never met a chicken like you. I’m talking about the river.”

Though the Kingdom of Syenn didn’t possess vast territory, it was recorded as the most prosperous nation in continental history. While this was partly due to the solid foundation built by producing many excellent magicians in an era rich with magic, the main reason was the river.

The Syenn River that crossed through the middle of the Kingdom of Syenn.

The fertile land where crops would grow on their own just by sowing seeds – that led to Syenn’s prosperity.

However, how could a river belong to just one country?

Even though the Kingdom of Syenn occupied the middle course of the Syenn River, rivers naturally have upper and lower courses.

Soria pecked with all her might at where she thought Lenok might be inside the sack. She must have hit his thigh, as an irritated groan of pain was heard.

When Lenok asked what that was for, Soria glared and answered.

[You call that an explanation? Asking for the river? Do you know that the river crosses through the center of the Kingdom of Syenn? How is that any different from asking for Syenn itself?]

‘Huh?’

Lenok tilted his head at Soria’s sharp response. He sat pondering beside the clucking sack.

‘What’s this about now.’

Everything related to Soria had been completely outside his expectations from start to finish.

There was no princess who was born with lucky mana and praised as a genius, but who was supposed to be cursed and sleeping for over a hundred years.

In her place was a chicken.

And not just any chicken, but one who had dug tunnels to escape while swallowing nearly a hundred years of piercing loneliness without a single person to talk to.

That wasn’t all. Nothing about her had gone according to his thoughts. At this point, it might be better to stop trying to predict and measure her.

The Emperor of the Crotia Empire made up his mind thus. He crossed his legs and untied the sack’s knot. As the tightly bound sack loosened, a seemingly disgruntled Soria appeared.

He lowered himself to her eye level and asked.

“I’m asking just in case, but do you know the current state of the Syenn River that crosses through the Kingdom of Syenn?”

[The river must be flowing well as always.]

As expected. Lenok swallowed and shook his head.

“That would be nice, but Princess Soria, the Syenn River has been blocked and hasn’t flowed in the middle course for over fifty years now.”

[…What did you say?]

“The river isn’t flowing.”

[Could it be… the thorny vines…]

“We can’t know the exact reason, but we’ve been suspecting the same thing. Anyway, until half a year ago, it wasn’t a big problem. Water…”

Lenok’s finger pointed upward. As Soria followed his hand with her gaze, he continued.

“Doesn’t just come from the ground, it also falls from the sky.”

[So you’re saying a problem has arisen.]