The Princess in the Chicken Coop - Chapter 2.10
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Soria moved her gaze, searching for the kingdoms she knew. While some familiar names were visible, most countries had vanished.
That time when small kingdoms were clustered together now remained only as ‘traces.’
Feeling somewhat melancholic, it took her quite a while before she could speak.
[The work must be endless. With such vast territory.]
“Ah, yes. That’s why the lords have strong autonomy.”
Soria nodded. She could understand why the Empress’s authority was so strong too.
Setting everything else aside, with so much work to be done, it would have been wasteful to limit her to just managing the palace. Naturally, the standards for selecting an empress must have risen over time.
In any case, Lenok had work piled up.
While the drought in the southern region was the most urgent and important matter, requiring considerable time allocation, countless other regions also needed his signature.
It meant he couldn’t stay focused on just one issue indefinitely.
[I thought there would be none, but that’s not the case.]
Soria quietly observed Lenok, who seemed pleased either because of the brief rest or because he enjoyed talking about his country, before casually remarking.
[I just found one.]
“Hm? Found what?”
[I quite like diligent people, you see.]
“…Princess Soria. That’s all well and good, but I really can’t understand what you’re talking about.”
[Just talking to myself. Anyway, care for some alcohol? I feel we might make some progress if we have an open conversation.]
He wondered. Was he the problem, or was she? Or was he alone failing to understand this situation?
But even if he asked Soria, he doubted he’d get a proper answer.
Lenok swallowed a sigh and reached out.
Checking the bottle of alcohol Soria had brought, he unconsciously frowned.
“…Princess, this is from my private wine cellar…”
[Yes. When I asked Dame Megan, she said you ordered everything I needed to be provided? I’m truly grateful. The Head Maid mentioned this was the most precious wine.]
Precious indeed. Just how precious.
“…Yes, precious indeed. So precious that you were given one of only ten remaining bottles.”
It was something even he hadn’t dared to drink, only look at.
Hearing its value, Soria fluttered up in surprise.
For something she had accepted without much thought when the Head Maid, with an unchanging expression, had said ‘His Majesty ordered to provide whatever you want regardless of value or importance,’ it was extremely expensive.
Moreover, it was something difficult to obtain even at that price. She stared at the wine bottle with an uneasy gaze.
[…Let’s drink something else.]
“It’s fine. We’ll have to drink it sometime anyway.”
[No, something this expensive should be saved for a meaningful day!]
Despite Soria’s protest, who had only intended to get drunk, Lenok paid no mind. He shrugged and unhesitatingly opened the cork, filling the wine glass to the brim.
“As someone said, I work so much I can’t even have a first love, so I deserve to drink this much at least.”
Soria glanced at the wine glass before her while subtly avoiding Lenok’s gaze.
She felt she had made quite a blunder. It was a mistake born from complete ignorance of the Crotia Empire’s circumstances.
Today was the same. Soria truly hadn’t imagined Lenok would have this much work.
‘I feel somewhat sorry.’
In the Syenn Kingdom, Soria’s role had been set. Whether drawing magic circles here and there, attending parties, or honing her studies for the day she would lead the future Syenn Kingdom.
Since she hadn’t yet inherited the throne, she had never formally taken on official duties. It was natural that her view of Lenok had changed.
Watching Lenok, who seemed to be glaring at the pile of documents, Soria felt sympathy and extended her wing to pat his knee.
[The current citizens of the Crotia Empire are blessed.]
Lenok tilted his head as he raised his half-empty glass.
[To have such a hardworking emperor.]
“…That sounds like I’ll have to keep working forever.”
[Of course. You are the Emperor after all.]
How could an emperor not work? Soria’s words carried that clear implication.
“Ah.”
Lenok glanced around subtly.
The windows and doors were closed. The aides who usually lingered around had all been dismissed.
The only one present was a chicken with no connections to the Crotia Empire. Perhaps that’s why he spoke these words.
“I…”
Referring to himself as ‘I’ rather than ‘We,’ Lenok raised his glass and held it up to the still-bright window.
The clear liquor without any floating particles seemed worth its high price, pleasing to look at.
“I’ll bring in an excellent empress to take on a third of my current work, have her bear a crown prince to take another third, and then I’ll live easy.”
Of course, it was quite hard to believe such words came from his mouth.
Soria’s eyes, which had held a faint fondness for Lenok until just now, filled with bewilderment.
She thought: What fresh nonsense is this?
[…Pardon?]
“That’s what the previous emperor did. Good grief. He worked me so hard since childhood that I could barely go outside. My father was the type to sit his only son on his knee and say ‘let’s work together.'”
This was quite different from Megan’s story.
‘Didn’t she say he was preciously raised and protected as an only child?’
Soria blankly watched Lenok grinding his teeth.
As he spoke, his emotions seemed to well up, and his voice grew louder.
“No one knows I learned to calculate tax rates while being coddled! Ha! Then when I grew a bit, he sent me to the battlefield, saying an emperor needs to know how to wield a sword. That wasn’t the end. You know what he said when I managed to return alive? He said I was ready, that it was time for my generation to shine, then handed over the throne and now he’s traveling everywhere!”
He’s probably at the eastern coast now. His father wasn’t even fifty yet.
How annoying it was when his father occasionally visited the empire, laughing heartily with his tanned face, asking if he was still single.
Lenok shuddered and downed his drink.
Soria looked at him with sympathetic eyes.
[Ah. I understand. The previous king would also push his magic circles onto me.]
“They say it’s for gaining experience, but they don’t know! How much work an emperor has!”
[Why do magic circles break so often!]
“The south has drought, the north whines about using all the waterway’s water, and the west is carefree saying it’s not their problem!”
[The magicians push all their work onto me! Do they think flattering me by calling me a genius is enough? Help with the work, the work!]
The genius magician and the empire’s emperor turned their heads to face each other. Their gazes met in mid-air. They were both surprised at finding their first common ground, neither moving first.
As Lenok was about to speak, feeling a newfound connection…
[Great! What’s so hard about that!]
“…Huh?”
[Let’s do it!! Titles and whatnot, hah, fine, fine.]
He realized then. Soria was drunk.
Lenok watched the stumbling Soria with worried eyes. The white chicken lifted her head from where it had been half-buried in the wine glass. Her bright yellow eyes had already lost focus, indicating how drunk she was.
