Chapter 33: 33

*Rainelle’s POV

I reflexively answered ‘it’s nothing’ to Karmeut's sudden question, but the feeling of embarrassment did not go away.

---Should, should I just be honest? Uh? Come to think of it, why did I just keep it inside? I should ask!

"I, actually... can I ask you one thing?"

"Ask any questions, Rainelle. What do you want to know?"

Karmeut's face was really handsome enough to make me pass out,

but I can't faint yet!! I have to ask!

"What is Bozcourt? It sounds like it's important after hearing your conversation... It's not dangerous, is it?"

The words ‘there’s no way you could die, right/’ lingered on the tip of my tongue, but I swallowed it. It was because I thought that it might really turn out to be dangerous if I said that.

The big, rough hand that was holding my hand flinched for a moment. Around the time when I thought it was an illusion, Karmeut answered with a voice that carried laughter,

"It’s not."

"...Really?"

"Really."

I shut my mouth when Karmeut nodded his head firmly in response. He would have thought that he was acting as usual, but I knew, that…

Karmeut is lying.

I tried to smile as I felt my heart tighten at that fact.

"Yeah, okay, because Karmeut doesn't lie."

I looked at his faintly trembling golden eyes and returned to the form of a crow. I was sure because of that expression.

Bozcourt is dangerous.

***

 

*Karmeut’s POV

Karmeut looked restlessly at the crow sitting on the perch. Either way, the crow was deftly tidying her feathers with her beak.

"Rainelle...?"

He carefully called out her name, but the crow didn't answer. Rather, she shook her head and turned away. Seeing that action, Karmeut groaned.

It was after he said that Bozcourt wasn't dangerous. Rainelle did not change into human form, nor did she come close to him. That said, she wasn't as hysterical as when the video crystal ball was discovered. She ate well and did not hide in the corner.

However, she did not respond to Karmeut's words. At best, she would just turn her head and stare at him.

...have I done something wrong?

As Karmeut sighed in frustration, violet-colored eyes turned to him. The crow blinked a couple of times, then she flew slightly from the perch and transformed into her human form.

"Rainelle...!!"

Rainelle's face was filled with dissatisfaction as she looked at Karmeut, who jumped from his seat in surprise.

"Karmeut. Can I ask you something?"

"What, what is it?"

Whether or not she knew that Karmeut rarely stuttered, Rainelle stared intently at his face for a while before opening her mouth again,

"Bozcourt, it's not dangerous, is it?"

Hearing that, Karmeut paused. Rainelle’s expression when asking the same question once again was almost expressionless, but her violet-colored eyes seemed to be angry somehow.

"It's not dangerous, is it? Karmeut doesn't lie, so it's not dangerous, right?"

His golden eyes trembled at those words. Rainelle's expression darkened Karmeut’s behavior, which could not answer her immediately and just remained silent. Then, she slowly took a step back and transformed herself into a crow.

The crow flapped her wings for a bit and landed on the perch. Then she turned her body around and showed her back to Karmeut.

‘I hate lies.’

...Karmeut seemed to hear that. After being silent and contemplating for a while, he let out a long sigh and finally opened his mouth,

"...Okay, Rainelle. I'll be honest."

With that, the crow turned and looked at Karmeut. There was hesitation in the golden eyes that were staring at the clear, shining purple pair of eyes, but he quickly erased that and began to speak slowly,

"...Yes, I'll be honest with you."

This time Rainelle blinked her eyes, spread her wings, and flew up. Then, as always, she sat down on Karmeut's thigh. Her eyes were shining brightly.

The prince, who made a short note about her appearance, reached out his hand and stroked the crow's back. As he was enjoying the feel of the smooth feathers for a while, the prince organized the words in his mind.

"Bozcourt is--- If there are two awakened who can transform into wolves in one generation, it will be carried out. Since there can only be one emperor, Bozcourt is the way to decide who will become emperor."

The crow looked into his golden eyes while making a small cry. Gazing at those eyes, Karmeut smiled awkwardly.

"Awakened... so, the princes who can transform into wolves fight a duel, until one of them dies. The one who survives becomes the emperor. Keeping another awakened individual in the Imperial Family alive is a risk, so it's hard for anyone who doesn't become emperor to survive.”

The crow's body trembled after hearing that and she cawed even louder. Rainelle, who had been cawing again and again as if anxious, immediately changed into a human form.

"You mean you could die?"

"Yeah, but I'm not going to die."

Karmeut answered firmly as he grabbed Rainelle's hand, which was trembling. Staring firmly at the quivering purple eyes, the prince once again said,

"I’m not going to die. I won't lose, I won't die. ...That's why I said it wasn't dangerous. Because I will definitely win."

"...it’s not certain a fight."

Rainelle said that while putting strength in her clasped hand. Then her hands slightly trembled.

"No matter how strong you are, if you are careless, you will die. Being strong doesn't mean you’ll survive. Surviving is strong. I mean... just because Karmeut defeated Luwellin before, there's no telling you’ll win in Bozcourt. No matter how strong an animal is, you either get hurt or die in an instant."

Karmeut didn’t say anything. Because Rainelle argued with the laws of the wild from an animal’s perspective, he couldn't deny her words.

The prince hardened his heart as he stared into her quivering purple eyes that were filled with anxiety. Then, while holding her little hands with both hands, he spoke while giving strength to each one of the words,

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"I won’t die. My life is not the only thing at stake in this game."

If Karmeut was defeated and killed, Rainelle will not be spared either. The thought of sending her back to the wild had crossed his mind, but due to Luwellin’s nature, he would give the order to catch and kill all the crows in the Empire.

I don’t want that... and I won’t let that happen.

"...don't worry too much. I'm not as weak as you think."

Saying that he was not weak, Karmeut stood up. Then he gently hugged Rainelle.

The prince patted her on the back and stroked her dark, shiny hair slowly. Rainelle darted her eyes awkwardly while her body was shaking.

"...really, you're not going to die, right?"

Hearing the voice full of anxiety, Karmeut nodded his head while tightening his embrace.

"Yeah, I'm not going to die."

Karmeut continued whispering for her not to worry and not to be anxious as he gently patted her back until the trembling of the small body ceased.

 

*Rainelle’s POV

"You like cookies, don’t you? Here you go."

I flapped my wings for a bit when Karmeut held out the broken cookie in the palm of his hand. I’ve calmed down a little because Karmeut had said that it was okay with such confidence, and now I’ve returned to the form of a crow.

Sitting on his strong arm, I held a piece of a cookie piece in my beak and looked at Karmeut for a moment.

His golden eyes were shining. The glow of his eyes was so beautiful that my gaze was transfixed without me realizing it. I remembered the soothing voice that said it was going to be okay and that he wouldn't die.

Of course, the future may be alright. Because Karmeut was supposed to be the future emperor.

However, it wasn’t so simple that I would be completely relaxed with that thought.

I wouldn’t be worried if all is in line with the original story, but I am here! I don't know if I’m just a passing animal 1, but I'm the animal (?) who gave Karmeut a Crobanlock! It's not a small thing, it's a big one! There's no way something hasn't changed!

There was no guarantee that my actions would not have changed the future.

What if the original storyline is distorted because I gave him a Crobanlock? What if Karmeut’s future as the emperor changes?

Those thoughts kept coming to my mind, and I couldn’t relax at all. Still, I couldn't ignore Karmeut’s efforts to calm me down. He had done his best to do that, so I tried to calm myself...

Ah, just thinking about it again makes my throat choked up.

Gulping, swallowing dry saliva, I was just biting a cookie, and Karmeut's voice reached me when I was just swallowing my saliva and biting the cookie.

"...Rainelle? What’s wrong? Isn’t that your favorite cookie? You want something else?"

Hearing that, I hurriedly shook his head. Then, I quickly swallowed the cookie that I held in his beak. I proceeded to land on Karmeut's lap. As he reflexively caressed my back, I felt my body unconsciously becoming relaxed. My eyes became half-lidded and I let out a long sigh inwardly.

What can I do... I'm just a crow, I can't use magic, and I'm not that strong either. I can't do anything to help Karmeut. I have no choice but to sit still and wait for the Bozcourt to be held.

Have I ever been this stuffy? Of course, at first, I wanted to live comfortably because I’m favored by Karmeut, but… I don't think I can just do nothing like this. Is there something I can do? At least something that could help Karmeut become emperor like the original storyline...

I groaned and shook my head, but nothing came to mind right now. I felt stuffy, so I took a deep breath and let it out slowly, then Karmeut whispered to me,

"Don't worry."

As he said that, I felt a soft touch of his hand scratching my cheek.

Oh, c’mon...!! The situation is serious, but my heart still gets muddled by such a touch--!!”

Not knowing what he had done to my heart, Karmeut hugged me tightly in his arms. Then he spoke in a somewhat pleased voice,

"I’m a little happy since you're so worried about me."

You dare to say that--?!

I cried out and clamped Karmeut's finger in anger, but he was still grinning. No, rather, he petted me with a small grin. My beak involuntarily relaxed under the moderate pressure and the sound of his palm rubbing against the feathers.

"You worry about me so much, but I can't get any worse, can I? So, don't be so anxious. Okay?"

Even though I thought ‘You shouldn't say that in a cheery voice’, without realizing it, I became more relaxed.

...is it really okay? Will Karmeut become the emperor as the original storyline?

***

I glanced around. Karmeut was always away around this time because he had business to deal with as a prince, but after I was kidnapped, he stayed in the room.

"What is it, Rainelle? Are you bored?"

As if noticing my gaze while he himself was reading a book, Karmeut smiled brightly as he looked at me. I clacked my beak and shook my head to say, “What? I’m not bored.”

But then, a burst of laughter can be heard.

I’m serious! I’m not trying to be funny!

His laughter grew a little louder as I jumped and puffed up my feathers.

...Ah, I'm really embarrassed because you’re like this! I'm embarrassed!! Hey! Why don't you go out?!

I moved my head and turned my gaze to see what Karmeut was doing. The way he slowly scanned through the bookshelf while chuckling was elegant. I tried to think about the current situation while holding back the desire to appreciate(?) that scene by turning my eyes away.

...No matter how much I thought about it, there was nothing I could do. If that's what Bozcourt is really like, there's no room for interruption. It is a problem that had to be resolved between the parties who have the right to succession. But still...

The assumption that the future might have changed because I had intervened was so unsettling that I felt like I was going crazy. What if Karmeut dies? If that happens, I will---!!

As my thoughts continued to roll, I suddenly froze.

Rather than wondering if I would be able to live by eating insects after returning to the wild, it was because my heart choked up just by the thought of him dying.

I don't want him to die. Just imagining it made my body tremble.

But why? Why am I thinking like this now?

Maybe, maybe I...

"Rainelle? What's wrong? What is it?"

The touch on my back made me involuntarily scream,

"Kkakkk!!"

Ahhh!!! What! What?!

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