The Princess in the Chicken Coop - Chapter 2.4
Soria trembled with anger, not noticing the worried glances directed at her. Some expressions weren’t particularly bright since she had pecked at the Emperor after all.
[I must apologize to the knights. My goodness, what have I done? I should reflect. Soria, let’s reflect. I can’t become someone like the Emperor!]
Though Lenok hadn’t ordered her imprisonment, no one knew when he might change his mind.
Worry permeated among the attendants that this small chicken might be arrested for harming the Emperor’s body.
Of course, even if the Emperor ordered her arrest, Soria had no intention of being caught quietly, determined to fight back with magic if necessary, as she stood firmly on her two feet and resolved.
[Before that… let’s find another man.]
Her yellow eyes sparkled with intensity.
Being shameless was one thing, but a pervert?
Soria didn’t want to accept the reality that such a person was her destined match.
It was impossible to even imagine putting Lenok in the context of destiny or true love.
He was a man she disliked from first impressions. Even as a chicken, who could like a man who tried to behead her for being a cursed chicken?
[My fate can’t be this cruel. No, it’s already cruel, but it can’t get any worse than this!]
What good is it if someone is just handsome? Soria clicked her tongue, claiming that being too handsome was also a problem.
[Instead of a handsome man, I should find a gentle one. Not a man who goes straight for the lips, but one who asks if it’s okay to kiss. I’ll find a man who’ll marry me, have three children, and rebuild the Syenn Kingdom together lovingly!]
And so she took her first grand step toward forging her own destiny.
Unfortunately…
“Oh my. Are you going out, Princess?”
Though she couldn’t open the door by herself.
Soria nodded firmly at the maid’s question. Of course, she pecked at the doorframe repeatedly to hurry them.
[Yes. I’m going out, so open the door quickly! Hurry! This time I’m going to find my true destiny!]
The maid opened the door with an expression like she had a mouth full of sweet chocolate.
Seeming urgent, Soria pushed her body through the narrow opening.
The maid quickly opened the door wide, worried she might get hurt. Then she followed behind Soria, who was marching somewhere with determined steps, suppressing her laughter.
At first, when His Majesty brought in a white chicken and called her a princess, she had been worried.
However, it didn’t take long to realize. That she wasn’t just an ordinary chicken.
Not only that! The maid had completely fallen for Soria.
What an adorable princess!
Having unintentionally gained an ally, Soria spent that day touring the palace, freely showing off her cuteness to numerous people.
***
[In this huge palace! How could it be!]
Yesterday, Soria had wandered around the palace until late at night but gained nothing. She only confirmed again how difficult it was to find someone who could understand her.
They say destiny comes unexpectedly, but even heaven-ordained fate needs communication to begin.
How can one fall in love when they can’t even ask for a name? If she were human she could at least write, but chicken feet can’t hold a pen.
[Isn’t there a single magician!!]
Sorrowful chicken cries filled the room.
[Even if magicians are rare in this era, this is too much! How can I find love when no one can understand me!]
Soria, who had been crying out sadly, suddenly deflated and dipped her beak into the water bowl.
A maid quickly asked, startled, if she would like some tea instead.
At such promptness, Soria shook her head and pretended to drink the water she hadn’t even wanted in the first place.
[Suddenly the treatment gets so good. Makes it hard to leave too.]
As she said, in just half a day, the treatment of Princess Soria had improved considerably.
It was largely due to the carrier pigeon Diowell had sent from the southern region. The small piece of paper the bird brought was filled with content about how well her suggested method had worked.
Naturally, the evaluation of Soria had improved.
Thanks to that, she could drink clean water without having to flap her wings and was constantly asked if she needed anything.
Of course.
[…It’s burdensome.]
Though it was kindness the person in question didn’t particularly want.
It was after another full day had passed that Lenok appeared before such a Soria.
***
The Empire’s Emperor wasn’t one to skimp on rewards when necessary. He hadn’t forgotten to bring a gift to properly thank Soria for providing the magic.
“They say mana and aura are similar in their essence?”
The pervert’s unexpected question was quite random.
Seeing his somehow confident expression, Soria forgot even to tell him to get lost and asked blankly.
[What?]
“I would have preferred to bring a magician since they’d communicate better, but it couldn’t be helped. All the imperial magicians were dragged to the southern region and are busy drawing the formula you suggested, so not one remains.”
[There’s not a single one?]
“Hm?”
[Magicians! Are you saying there isn’t a single magician in the palace right now?]
Though her voice seemed to tremble somehow, Lenok put his curiosity aside and answered faithfully.
“Since they all went to the southern region. You could say there are no magicians left in the palace now. Is that such a big…”
He was about to ask ‘Deal?’ but closed his mouth.
Because Soria was writhing in agony with her whole body.
After twisting with all her might, Soria finally raised her head.
[You should have told me earlier!!]
“What do you mean?”
[About the magicians!!]
Do you know how long I’ve been searching! At Soria’s tragic cry, Lenok felt utterly wronged.
“How could I tell you something you never asked about?”
[Still!]
“Hah.”
Lenok looked at Soria with an expression of disbelief. He was about to retort but stopped. Because he noticed someone beside him who seemed dazed.
“Anyway. I didn’t come to fight today. I came to give you a gift. Since they say mana and aura are similar, I brought someone just in case… What do you think, Dame Megan?”
He didn’t need to hear an answer to know.
The knight’s face, unable to hide her shock while staring at Soria, made her thoughts clear.
He patted the completely frozen knight’s shoulder and continued.
“This works out well. Dame Megan will be in charge of your protection from now on. Why don’t you two greet each other?”
While it was called protection, everyone present knew it was half for interpretation purposes.
Soria suppressed her dejection.
As Lenok said, she couldn’t expect him to tell her everything without being asked. Instead, she looked at Megan with sympathetic eyes.
She wasn’t sure whether to call Lenok generous or thoughtless for assigning her a knight who could use aura.
During her days at the imperial palace, Soria had picked up quite a bit of information. Thanks to that, she could understand just how unprecedented Lenok’s actions were.
