Of All Things, I Became a Crow: Chapter #45
Translators: Nyx and Ririi Rain
*Rainelle’s POV
Seeing Karmeut's expression brighten up at those words, I
scratched my cheek with my index finger awkwardly.
Well,
since Karmeut made such a face... I think it's a good thing that I made this
decision... right?
***
3rd person POV
Walking
in the hallway of the palace with a relaxed walk was the First Prince who
became a rightful heir through Bozcourt. A crow was sitting on his
shoulder as he was walking leisurely without an accompanying escort knight,
attendant, or servant.
A shining sapphire necklace
was hanging on the neck of the crow, who was looking around with her purple
eyes.
As if not to worry the crow
sitting on his shoulder, the prince reached out his hand and stroked her wing
softly. The crow responded by gently rubbing her beak against his finger.
His steps stopped. It was a
place where two fully armed knights were guarding a gorgeous, large door. To
the knights who gazed at him, he opened his mouth,
"I have come to see His
Majesty the Emperor."
At that, the knight on the
right nodded his head slightly and knocked on the door. Then he opened his
mouth and raised his voice,
"Your Majesty, His
Highness the Crown Prince has visited."
"-Come in."
When permission was heard
from inside, the prince was allowed to enter the room. Leaving behind the door
that gently closed behind him, Karmeut slowly moved his steps towards the bed.
"Here you are, the next
emperor."
The Emperor was sitting on
the bed with a face that looked more sickly than when he was seen in Bozcourt
last time.
Was it because the existence
that had always been strong showed such an appearance? Karmeut’s footsteps
stopped momentarily.
"Don't look at me so
strangely like this. Because it's only a given."
Seeing the Emperor
maintaining a calm attitude and saying that it was a given, the prince
continued to approach him. Karmeut felt a strange sensation in his chest, but
he didn't reveal it.
...but could the Emperor
notice that? Because the Emperor laughed and changed the topic,
"Hum, there must be a
reason why you brought your beloved pet crow."
Hearing that, Karmeut
realized that the Emperor knew everything. Of course, he had guessed it to some
extent since Myrdin came to him, so Karmeut answered with a smile on his face,
"Yes, wouldn't it be
better to introduce her to you directly?"
Saying that, he patted the
crow on the back and softly called out "Rainelle."
The crow let out a small cry
and gently fly off his shoulder. The crow soon changed her appearance.
Even though he saw the crow
transformed into the form of a young lady in a black feather dress, it was hard
to find any surprised emotion on the Emperor's face. Rather, he looked at her,
his eyes slightly glimmered with intrigue, and then he opened his mouth with a
smile,
"Oh, what a beautiful
girl. So, is your name Rainelle?"
"Yes, that’s right...
No, yes, it is."
The emperor laughed at her
who was awkwardly speaking formally and bending her waist while grabbing the
hem of her skirt. Then he waved his hand and said,
"I've heard that human
etiquette is awkward, so take it easy. But it will be helpful to learn it from
now on. That's what my son meant by introducing me to a young lady."
Saying that, the Emperor's
expression as he looked at Karmeut with a meaningful gaze was mischievous. Then
he spoke as if he had never known before,
"I thought it was
surprising that he came to Luwellin just for one pet, no matter how much he
cherished it. I didn’t know there’s such a wonderful reason."
"Didn't you
guess?"
Karmeut's eyes were fixed on
Rainelle as he responded calmly to the emperor's words. His gaze was soft and
sweet while Rainelle was busy wiggling her joined fingers as she was still
awkward.
The Emperor watched the two,
but his gaze was not like an emperor’s. As he looked at Rainelle and Karmeut
with sharp eyes that it was unbelievable that he was in his bed, he opened his
mouth with a smirk in his voice.
"Yeah, that's right.
Anyway, seeing you come here to tell me this puts my heart at ease. Now I can
relax and leave."
"You are leaving?"
The Emperor responded calmly
to Rainelle's question.
"It's a trip to my
wife's side. A trip everyone will take at least once."
Rainelle's expression
clouded as if she understood the meaning of those words. Seeing this, the
Emperor shook his head and said,
"You don't have to make
such a face. It's a natural thing. A reliable successor has been decided, there
is no disturbing movement inside or outside the Empire, and there is a young
girl who has been brought in by the successor to be introduced. There is
nothing to worry about, so why afraid of leaving? "
The Emperor, who had spoken
up to that point, coughed. He coughed and coughed for a while, so he took a
moment to catch his breath, then, unlike his completely ill face, he spoke with
a calm expression on his face.
"It's
only natural for wolves to find their mates."
Rainelle kept her mouth
shut. Then, abruptly, she returned to her original form. The crow flapped her
wings lightly and landed on the bed. Then she politely bowed her head and
lightly rubbed her beak against the Emperor's dry fingers.
The Emperor, who blinked
slowly at her action, smiled and stroked the crow's head lightly.
The crow, who had been
quietly receiving the touch of his hand, spread her wings when he had retracted
his hand. Then she flew over to Karmeut and landed on his shoulder. The
Emperor, who watched that, turned his head towards his son.
"I understand why you
introduced her. You want her to be officially acknowledged by me?"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Seeing the prince nodding
his head firmly, the Emperor shut his mouth. The Emperor was silent for a
while, then he spoke slowly, but in a voice full of power,
"It is not human beings
who can stand by the emperor. Of course, if you are a woman from a noble
family, the best choice would be from a noble family because you will gain
support. However, which wolf chose its companion while
looking at the surroundings? If it's worth defending, protect it with your own
strength. Aren't you already a wolf?"
The
prince's body flinched and shook at those words.
"You don't need my
approval. You're going to be the ruler of this empire from now on, so what's
the point if a dying man approves it? If it's yours, if it's worth protecting,
risk your life for it."
The prince turned his head
and looked at the crow sitting on his shoulder. She looked back at him with
blinking purple clear eyes. The prince, who watched the crow tilting her head
while making a small cry, turned his gaze back to the Emperor.
The emperor, his father, was
looking at him. He suddenly realized from the eyes of his old father looking at
his younger, stronger, and more alive child.
He thought that the
Emperor's approval would allow him to keep Rainelle safer. ...but it wasn't.
He no longer needed the
Emperor's permission or approval. ...because he didn't need the power of others
to protect his precious things, and he had enough power.
"...it was a stupid
act."
"I'm glad you realized
it now."
It was a
reproachful remark, but the voice was soft. Is that why? The prince plucked up
his courage and spoke,
"...Father."
"It's
been a long time since you called me that."
The
emperor’s eyes narrowed and his murmur of "It's been a while," felt
somewhat distant as if he was recalling the past.
"I will protect them
with all my might. What Father has protected, and what I want to protect.”
"It won't be easy. It's
unreasonable to defend a huge empire on your own. That's why there are
nobles."
"To make them believe
in me, isn't it something I have to do on my own?"
"Yes, yes. Then how are
you going to protect what you want to protect?"
"...I will do
everything I can to protect it."
At those words, the Emperor
looked into Karmeut's eyes. A satisfied smile spread across the Emperor's lips
as he stared at the firm, shining golden eyes.
"---Any wolf should be
like that."
The Emperor, who was smiling
satisfactorily, turned his gaze to the
crow. Then he beckoned to the crow.
The bird that symbolized
death flew gently and landed on the emperor's hand. The emperor said as he stroked
her incredibly smooth feathers with his other hand,
"Among my sons, he's
the first to introduce a woman to me. So I want you to feel proud and hold my
son firmly."
Hearing those words, the
crow momentarily lost her center and stumbled.
"Kkak"
The emperor
grinned and laughed mischievously at the crow's action of flapping her wings
while making a strange sound.
"It's just a routine
that our family is weak against their mates. Karmeut will be happy to listen to
you, so feel free to play around with him. He will be more than happy."
Perhaps
quite embarrassed, the crow's purple eyes shook like there was an earthquake.
The emperor, who laughed pleasantly at the sight, waved lightly.
The
emperor then said in a soft voice while looking at the prince and the crow, who
had flown up with her wings reflexively to Karmeut’s shoulder,
“There is nothing I can do
for you, but I will bless your future.”
Having said that, the
Emperor leaned his back on the head of the bed as if he was tired, so the
prince bowed his head. Then, quietly, he left the room with the crow on his
shoulder.
The Emperor, watching his
son to the end, closed his eyes and let out a long sigh.
---Now
it seemed that there’s nothing left for me to worry about. A successor was
decided, and I met someone who would become my successor's companion.
...and
if it's Karmeut, he'll take good care of his sister Sepia.
Now,
I can go see her.
Feeling the calm sinking of
his heart, the Emperor laid himself on the bed. ---His end was coming, but he
wasn't afraid at all. Beyond the end, the person he had been longing for so
long will be waiting.
***
*Rainelle’s POV
"Karmeut...euu!"
I couldn't pretend I didn't
see his action of avoiding my gaze slowly.
I
can’t believe it! I didn't hate it, but still!!
"Why did I become like
Karmeut's mate..."
Hah,
my head hurts so much that my head is pounding.
As I puckered my lips while
massaging my temples, Karmeut scratched his cheek and asked,
"...you don’t like
it?"
"Rather than dislike,
it’s too sudden. I wasn't prepared mentally, and..."
"...and?"
I was going to answer, but I
stopped.
Obviously, it wasn't that I hated Karmeut. But do I like
it? To be introduced as his future companion?
…I couldn't say yes without worrying about
that part.
Yeah, of course Karmeut is a really cool guy. He is
handsome, of high status, and has a lot of money because he is the next emperor
of the empire. And he's nice to me too, has a good personality, and he's got a
mountain of ability. But...
...is it okay if I like him?
Of
course he's so cool, so kind, so capable, and even so handsome that it's
strange not to fall in love with him. He's perfect.
...but
what if the original heroine appears after this? And, what if the original
heroine chose Karmeut as her target?
If
so, what will happen to me? As a crow, will I not appear as the background
character 1?
The idea
kept me speechless. What did Karmeut think when he saw me like
this? His golden eyes seemed to shake.
"...am I the only one
who thought so?"
I raised
my head at the trembling voice. I felt sorry for the golden eyes that shook so
much. For
some reason, my heart pounded when I saw him so anxious, which I could say, it
was the first time I saw him like that. It wasn’t a pleasant pounding. Rather,
it was heavy and made me nervous-
"No, no. It's
absolutely not the case."
My heart ached at the sight,
and I hurriedly denied it. I took a small deep breath as I placed my hand on my
beating chest.
...I
like him.
However, because of the
existence of the original heroine who will appear in the future, I was afraid
to reveal my heart.
In
the worst case, I might disappear just like that.
That worry made my body
tremble.
Still, still...
Just
a little bit, can I tell him? Just a little bit so that things don't deviate
too much from the original.
"I don't hate Karmeut.
You’ve done so many things for me. You risked your life, didn’t you? It'll be
strange that I don't like you. Me too, I also think Karmeut is precious."
"Then...!"
"But... I don't know if
I love you. I’m sure you’re precious, but... but whether you’re precious as a
member of the opposite sex or as a family... Honestly, I don't know. I'm
sorry."
I was nervous. Karmeut might
leave me in disappointment. But... still, when I think of the things he did for
me, even if I can't reveal everything, it was the right thing to be honest to
some extent. That was the least I could do. But, nonetheless...
I
couldn't bear to face Karmeut's eyes, so I lowered my head. The silence between
us was very uncomfortable, but I didn't have the courage to break it first.
"Rainelle."
***
Previous chapter | Novel page | Next chapter
Feel free to help us keep our spirit
up by buying us Coffee
