The Princess in the Chicken Coop - Chapter 2.9
And the maid holding the bottle of alcohol turned her head away, trying desperately to control her breathing as she couldn’t laugh openly right in front of them.
At least their reactions were normal.
However, the extraordinary Head Maid…
“This is Princess Syenn Brianne V. Soria of the Syenn Kingdom. It seems she’s here to see His Majesty, so relay the message to him.”
She alone remained composed.
The guard looked back and forth between Soria and the Head Maid with astonishment.
‘But it’s a chicken.’
Being a very ordinary citizen, he seriously wondered if the Head Maid might actually be crazy for calling a chicken a princess.
However, he couldn’t ignore the Head Maid’s words either.
Finally, with a rather reluctant expression, the guard told them to wait and entered the office to relay the message to Lenok.
Perhaps because he was in the middle of work, the solemn atmosphere was broken by the guard’s footsteps.
Trying not to waste the emperor’s time unnecessarily, he immediately blurted out the point.
“Your Majesty. Someone requests an audience…”
‘Requests?’
Lenok’s brows furrowed.
He knew this guard well. While it was impossible to know every soldier given their numbers, it was natural to remember those he saw frequently.
And as far as he knew, this guard wasn’t one to hesitate while speaking. Unlike now.
“It’s not a person… but an animal…”
The guard was so confused that he was even breaking out in a cold sweat.
Lenok raised his hand to stop an aide who was about to yell at the guard.
“Enough. Tell me exactly who requested to see me?”
This was Lenok showing maximum consideration for the guard. However, someone’s consideration isn’t always welcome.
Such was the case for the guard. Desperately wishing to escape the emperor’s crimson gaze directed at him, he shouted.
“A-a chicken has come to see Your Majesty!!”
The guard’s voice was so desperate as he shouted with all his might that the aide unconsciously drew in a sharp breath.
This was the emperor’s office. Such impropriety here of all places.
The aide glanced at Lenok, thinking the guard would surely be punished. However, contrary to his concerns, Lenok’s attention had long since moved away from the guard.
‘This is worrying.’
Soria came to see him? Without any prior notice? What trouble could she have caused? It’s quite a talent to make people this anxious just by showing up.
Thinking this, Lenok responded.
“Let her in.”
“Y-yes, yes!”
Despite his loud response, the guard’s face was filled with shock.
Let her in!
‘No matter how you look at it, it’s just a chicken!’
Why wasn’t his emperor ordering him to chase away the chicken!
The guard was startled by this unexpected situation. After closing the door while trying his best not to show his surprise, he was shocked again to see Soria still standing guard at the door.
The empire had been at peace for about ten years now. The guard, long accustomed to peace, clutched his heart and crouched down before Soria.
“Uh, well… His Majesty says to enter.”
[Thank you.]
Soria didn’t spare her praise for the guard’s efforts.
However, the guard could only watch with a troubled expression as Soria spoke with her head held high.
“Cluck, cluck cluck!”
Because he couldn’t understand a word she was saying.
Unaware of his predicament, Soria majestically walked past the guard.
Her figure, lightly flying up as she crossed the respectfully opened threshold, couldn’t have been more dignified.
Lenok, who had been processing the mountain of documents on his desk, looked up.
As soon as their eyes met in mid-air, Soria called out in a grave voice.
[Your Majesty, care for some alcohol!]
“Soria, can you not… see these documents before your eyes?”
How could this white chicken, who would likely be charged with treason against the crown if anyone knew her thoughts, maintain such brazen confidence at all times? She was truly an incomprehensible chicken. Lenok shook his head.
Only after Lenok’s pointed comment did Soria notice the documents.
‘There’s really so much!’
Soria barely recalled Megan calling Lenok a wise ruler. She hadn’t taken it to heart since his actions seemed far from those of a wise ruler, but it seemed he truly was one.
[…Oh dear.]
“What is it now?”
[I’m reflecting on my actions.]
This time, a question mark appeared on Lenok’s face. She looked somewhat serious.
After staring at her for a while, Lenok put down his pen.
He roughly wiped the ink on his hands on the edge of a cloth while dismissing everyone. Soon, only one emperor and one chicken princess remained in the office.
With no need for unnecessary formality, Lenok leaned back comfortably in his chair and asked.
“Alright. Let’s take this slowly. First, I’d appreciate it if you could explain in detail what exactly you’re reflecting on.”
Since he was being casual, she decided to throw away formalities too. Thinking this, Soria leaned against the bottle of alcohol the maid had left and replied.
[I think I may have been too harsh in my judgment of Your Majesty.]
“…Aren’t you being too brazen? You just insulted royalty. Again.”
[It’s not like you’re going to call the guards and have me arrested.]
That’s true. However, watching the subject in question speak so boldly made his stomach turn. Calling the guards didn’t seem like such a bad idea.
‘Should I call them? Or not?’
Unaware of Lenok’s serious internal conflict, Soria shrugged and continued.
[Besides, it would be strange to start putting on airs with each other after coming all this way. Anyway, let’s end that discussion here. The Crotia Empire seems larger than I thought.]
As she spoke, her gaze was fixed on the mountain of documents.
Lenok wasn’t the type to postpone work. This could be seen from how he, as emperor, personally took action for a drought that had lasted merely six months.
That wasn’t all. All his actions – from first establishing rapport to immediately sending precious magicians to the southern region once he found a solution – showed his true nature.
So these documents must have accumulated in just a day or two.
Soria made this assumption as she rose, but Lenok instead frowned at her words.
“You didn’t know until now?”
[Know what?]
“The extent of the empire’s territory.”
[How could I know when no one told me?]
“Well now.”
Clicking his tongue, Lenok stood up and began searching through a bookcase with doors. Finding what he needed wasn’t difficult. However, his desk was already in disarray with documents.
After a moment’s consideration, Lenok sat down on the floor rather unceremoniously, holding a map in one hand and Soria in the other. If the servants found out, they would make a fuss about dignity and such, but since he had dismissed everyone, there was nothing to worry about.
Suddenly picked up, Soria muttered that she might get used to this too as she quietly entrusted herself to Lenok’s hands.
“Here.”
Lenok spread the large map on the floor and placed Soria right in the center of the Crotia Empire.
His voice was calm as he explained to her, who now had the entire continent beneath her feet.
“Currently, the Muo Continent is divided between the Crotia Empire, which occupies the largest territory, three fairly large kingdoms, and six much smaller kingdoms. While the Syenn River is undoubtedly the empire’s largest river, since its middle course is bound, we practically consider it nonexistent. The most useful river now is the Kings River, which runs from the east through the center.”
Soria was momentarily speechless. She had expected the continent’s landscape to have changed. After all, until 147 years ago, things like ’empire’ and ’emperor’ had only existed in theory.
Nevertheless.
‘To think it changed this much.’
Reality always exceeded her imagination.
