The Princess in the Chicken Coop - Chapter 1.5
The burrow where she had buried her head was something she had dug for nearly ten years about 60 years ago to escape the palace. She had done such things back then when she hadn’t given up on escaping by herself. She gave up when she realized that the castle walls extended deep into the ground.
However, she didn’t block the tunnel she had already dug. There was no need to go through the trouble of blocking it.
She never imagined that something she had half-forgotten would come back in this way.
Soria despaired at the reality that she couldn’t properly perform magic or conceal her appearance with her own power.
[To get stuck in the middle…! I feel like dying from embarrassment, so don’t say anything and just leave me alone!]
Lenok looked at Soria, who was mumbling with her head bowed low. If the lady in the portrait had been crying, things might have been different.
He wasn’t the kind of ruffian who would grab a crying lady’s shoulders and force her. So he would have let go of Soria’s hand and apologized for his rudeness. If she were human.
However, what was in his hand now was not a human but a chicken. Despite knowing that she was originally human, the visual effect was so strong that it was extremely difficult to equate the chicken with the beauty in the portrait.
In other words, he didn’t even think of letting go of the chicken he was holding.
“What…? Don’t tell me you really thought you could get in there?”
He muttered to himself, looking alternately at the burrow and Soria. He thought she had just buried her head anywhere, but it seemed that wasn’t the case.
As Soria said, where she had buried her head was a burrow.
It was narrow and deep like a rabbit hole. The only problem was that even at a glance, it looked too narrow for Soria to enter.
Lenok tried to suppress a laugh as he continued speaking.
“First of all, even to the naked eye, the entrance to the burrow is small. Be thankful you didn’t get stuck tight. The surrounding soil is soft, no, that’s not what I meant…”
[Stop it! Do you have to say such things out loud?!]
“I apologize for that. But…”
Remove the vines for me. Unable to say this one sentence, Lenok looked at the wailing Soria.
It was an undeniably difficult situation. However, there was no special measure to overcome this situation.
Not only did he lack a solution, but it was also the first time in his life he had seen a chicken cry.
He had just learned for the first time that chickens could cry, so there was no way he would know how to comfort a crying chicken.
‘This is maddening.’
His face was covered with bewilderment, but Soria was not in a state to care about anyone else.
They say sorrow becomes more intense when someone is beside you. That was exactly how she felt right now.
Soria cried bitterly, feeling as if the emotions she had suppressed alone for nearly a hundred years were bursting out all at once.
[I don’t even die, sob! I’m getting fatter, but all I’ve eaten is grass, why am I getting fat?! Sniff, I can’t leave this cursed palace, boo, my magic is, hic, a mess! If a hero is coming, shouldn’t he tell me when? I’ve waited for over a hundred years, and not a single human in sight!! Honestly, don’t you think that if a person has waited for over a hundred years, they should show some sincerity in coming? Don’t you think so?!]
Soria’s lamentations continued endlessly after that, but only the first sentence stuck in Lenok’s ears.
‘She says all she’s eaten is grass?’
Lenok was momentarily silent at the plump flesh he felt in his hands. Then, he quickly convinced himself with the nonsensical reason that even cows are herbivores, and comforted her.
“That must have been… difficult. But…”
[Difficult? Of course, it was difficult! Your Majesty, have you ever been suddenly confessed to by a magician you’ve never seen before?]
“…Well, there are no female magicians in the imperial household to begin with.”
[Then do you think it makes sense to suddenly cast a curse just because someone rejected a confession?]
“Huh? It wasn’t out of jealousy for your magical skills, but because you rejected a confession?”
[What are you talking about? Jealousy?]
For the first time, silence fell between the two who had been either conversing or crying.
In the silence, Soria realized for the first time. The fact that her story might have been known to the outside world.
Come to think of it, it was natural. This emperor, who was holding her tight and not letting go, must have made this arduous journey after hearing some story, whatever it was.
As if her crying just moments ago had been a lie, Soria flapped her wings with all her might. It was so noisy that Lenok frowned and let her go.
Immediately perching on a branch behind her, Soria, just as she had done in the room, raised her head high and asked.
[Surely, you’re not saying that there are rumors going around that I lost to that guy?]
“It’s not just a possibility, it’s a fact. So how about we make a deal? Remove the thorny vines surrounding the Kingdom of Syenn. If you do that, the rumors…”
Soria looked at Lenok, who was furrowing his brow.
It was clear that he was underestimating her because of her chicken appearance. Otherwise, where would you find a person who so blatantly states what they want?
[You said you were the Emperor of the Crotia Empire, right?]
The boiling emotions suddenly subsided. What replaced them was a faint anger towards the Emperor of Crotia who was greatly underestimating her.
[From what I’ve gathered, it seems you’re trying to swallow up my homeland, but people should have some shame.]
After this rebuke, she fluttered up. At this point, she intended to flee within the palace with all her might.
She couldn’t escape the palace, but no one knew Syenn Palace better than her. How long could the emperor last in a place with no food or proper bed?
As she flew up, mocking Lenok…
“…Well, even if you try to run, you’re still a chicken.”
She was caught by Lenok before she could even touch the ground once.
