Of All Things, I Became a Crow: Chapter #81
Translators: Nyx and Ririi Rain
*Rainelle’s POV
As I couldn’t come up with anything while sitting on the
roof after long thinking, I flew back to my room.
Haaah...
I'm really incompetent... No matter how much I think about it, I can't think of
a solution, huhuhu...
I went inside through the open window. There, Karmeut was
waiting.
"Are you okay, Rainelle? I heard you ran away while
meeting Young Lady Gwynell?"
My heart melted when I saw Karmeut looking at me with
worried eyes.
---Ouch!
How can I pass on such a man just because the heroine came out?! How hard did I
go through to get Karmeut?!!
I was so moved that I rushed into Karmeut's arms. His
body faltered for a moment at the same time as a thud sound, but then it was
followed by a comforting hand that embraced me.
A strange sound, which may be a croak or a cackle,
squeezed out through my beak.
Huhuhu!
I know you're worried, but I can't say it because there's nothing I can say!
Sorry!! If I say it, the world might be a mess! Like, 'You’re talking about the
future! I will send you to Valhalla1!!' ---I don't know if the Will of the World
or God will cut my soul!
Karmeut silently hugged me and stroked my feathers. The
hand that gently touched my back and wings was really comforting, and so my
heart, which had been pounding with anxiety, slowly calmed down.
"...are you feeling better now?"
How long had I been in Karmeut's arms? As he continued to
gently rub my head and cheek with his index finger, he asked if I was feeling
better.
His golden eyes as he asked that were full of worry,
making me feel sorry even more.
---It's
not settled, but it's okay, so let's nod.
When I nodded my head slightly, Karmeut sighed in relief.
Then his eyes curved and he opened his mouth,
"Do you want cookies? Or fruits? You want to take a
sand bath?"
Karmeut didn’t ask me to change into a human form. He
also didn't ask what happened.
I had feelings that were difficult to express in words
right now. He was just smiling while petting me as if he was just relieved.
The feelings that filled me were of being thankful, happy,
and feeling sorry for not being able to tell him the problem.
I did not have the confidence to express these feelings
in words, and I was ashamed. So, I, in the form of a crow, gently rubbed my
beak on Karmeut's fingers and let out a small cry.
Even if I said thank you, he shouldn't be able to
understand, but Karmeut's eyes softly curved.
"You're welcome."
My heart got tickled by his action of tapping the tip of
my beak lightly with his finger.
Oh
really. This is so good!
Looking at him, it seemed like a halo was surrounding his
handsome figure which made me think again that it was a kind of cheat.
OMG!
So dazzling! His golden hair and golden eyes shine so brightly!
I dug into his arms. It was so reassuring to lean in his warm and solid arms. My
worry about the heroine... didn't go away completely, but this was enough to
make me forget about it for a while.
Seeing my behavior, Karmeut gently stroked my feathers
again. Then he went to the sofa
with me in his arms, picked up a dried fruit, and offered it to me by placing it
in front of my beak.
...to be honest, it wasn't a situation where I want to
eat, but I couldn't refuse Karmeut, so I took it and ate it.
No!
I didn't eat it because I like it! It's not something I wanted to eat because
it is sweet, sour, and chewy! ---Ah, come to think of it, a dog or a cat would
find it chewy, but crows don't.
I received fruits and cookies offered by Karmeut. No
words were exchanged, so it was a more comfortable moment.
"Rainelle."
Me, who was lying comfortably on his lap, flinched.
---Is
he going to ask about the heroine? Maybe, the heroine has moved his heart?
No,
that can’t be. If you don't start the route and build a certain level of favor,
you won't be approached first... so I don’t think that’s the case…?
There
may be variables, so I can't say for sure. What if because of me, this place
isn't an otome game? What if things no longer flow according to the game?
Then
I can't lower my guard---! I don't want to lose Karmeut, but what if there's
something like an instinctive attraction because she’s the heroine?
Anxiety enveloped my body. ---Does Karmeut know what I
was feeling? He suddenly picked me up and hugged me to his chest.
His pulse was transmitted through my body. While I was dumbfounded
for a moment by his beating heartbeat that had a constant rhythm, his voice
reached my ear.
"Rainelle, shall we ban Young Lady Gwynell from
entering the Imperial Palace?"
Startled, I looked up at Karmeut. His golden eyes looked
serious.
"There must be a reason why you acted like that. No
matter how hard it was, you never behave like that at the banquet."
Ah...
that’s true. ---But at that time, I was afraid I would be scolded by Madame
Fangxia. Fortunately, he didn't seem to realize my thoughts. Karmeut
continued saying while stroking my back repeatedly.
"I understand that if
you fly and run away in your original form, it means you feel threatened. …and
the only suspicious person you've met today is Young Lady Gwynell."
...Karmeut's words that came close to the truth made me
appalled. And, do you use the interest method?
Does
he have some kind of power? No, of course not. But I didn’t expect that he
would have such good insight. An emperor is not just anyone after all!
…This
is not the time to admire---! An answer… how do I answer it? It is true that
the heroine is a problem, and it is also true that I don’t want to meet her.
...But
I don't know what will happen if I blindly block her entrance here... No, if
she’s banned from the Imperial Palace, then Karmeut’a route won’t be able to be
taken, right...?
Karmeut smiled reassuringly as I hesitated in confusion
and couldn't answer easily. Then he said as he gently rubbed my cheek,
"For now, I'll block her way in. ...when you make up
your mind, tell me then. Okay?"
After hearing that, I nodded my head silently while
seeing Karmeut’s smiling face. Then he stroked my head as if to soothe me and
hugged me tightly.
Although it was a little cramped, my heart felt lighter
from the reassurance.
Karmeut
is like this, so am I worrying for nothing?
When I thought about it, I was ashamed and thankful.
No,
no. It’s too early. Karmeut has never met the heroine alone. Who knows if
meeting her will make him think differently?
No matter how many times I thought about it, there was
only one conclusion:
Never!
I absolutely, absolutely can’t allow anything connects the heroine and Karmeut!
I'll stop it!
*Karmeut’s POV
Karmeut bowed his head and looked down at his arms. Rainelle,
who had been trembling with anxiety, had suddenly fallen asleep.
Her sleeping posture which was more like lying down made
Karmeut wonder if it was okay for a bird to do this, but the sight of her
sleeping so well made him smile. He carefully tapped the tip of the drooping
wing, but the crow did not wake up.
"...you were so anxious."
Rainelle
herself may not have realized, but she preferred the look of her crow. Maybe it
is because she is a crow in nature, but she seemed to think that if she
returned to the form of a crow, she could always escape and protect herself.
Rainelle
would return to her true form when she felt like she is in danger unless she
wanted to be comfortable.
So
far, she has gone back to being a crow to be comfortable... Although she is in
the Palace, today for the first time she was back in her crow form and ran away
because of Young Lady Gwynell.
And
as soon as she returned… I don’t know what made her so anxious, but she rushed
into my arms without controlling her strength, and she made the kind of cry
that I’ve never heard before...
There is nothing from that woman that stood out
except for her suicide attempt...
What bothers me is that she asked Rainelle who
she is…
She
dares to speak nonsense to a being who is the Emperor's partner and the next
empress. It was hard to forgive, but it could have been said that she had been
mentally confused for a while after her suicide attempt—it was an
understandable excuse.
Or...
The figure of the black crow was captured in the golden
eyes. She was so comfortable and her beak was slightly open. He couldn't help
but laugh at the sight of her sleeping figure.
...Is
there something that only the two of you know?
Rainelle's appearance was heart-warming every time he saw
her, but his worries did not go away.
No,
I had to think so. I don't think there's anything between the two without a
single point of contact before, but...
The Emperor stroked the
crow's smooth feathers without hiding a sigh that flowed out of his mouth. The texture
on his fingertips was still smooth and soft, but it did not soothe the Emperor's
complex heart and mind.
***
*3rd person POV
"...what should I do..."
When the Emperor was in the midst of his troubles, someone
on the other side was also troubled.
The woman who sighed was Young Lady Gwynwll. She
nervously shook her head. Due to her actions, her thick and shiny honey-like blonde
hair fluttered in the air.
The maid swallowed her saliva while looking at the Lady’s
actions, then she moved her gaze.
After her suicide attempt, the Young Lady, who opened her
eyes, was very different from before, so the maid didn't know when and where
the sparks would fall if she didn't take care of her.
Whether or not the Lady knew the mind of her maid, Young
Lady Gwynell murmured softly,
" 'Rainelle' didn't exist before... that means..."
The blue eyes flashed as she mumbled. Then she stood up from her seat with her
fist clenched. It was unknown what she was thinking.
"Please bring a blank letter paper and a
quill."
"Understood, Young Lady."
Young Lady Gwynell’s eyes gleamed strangely as she
quickly wrote down a letter with the paper and pen that the maid brought.
***
*Rainelle’s POV
For
the time being, let's not be a human and take it easy as a crow. If that's the
case, I can fly and run away when I’m in a hurry! Humans can't fly! Long live
the birds! I can run away to the sky ah ah ah ah!!
I rolled around on the bed in the form of a crow, then I
dug into the blanket. It was so soft! As I dug in and enjoyed the sensation, I became
the happiest in the world.
After
all, the heroine cannot enter the Imperial Palace.
As long as Karmeut had said that he won't let her in, she
won't be able to come in. That fact couldn't be more reassuring.
If
she can't come in, we won't even meet. She can't put a flag on! It’s like that!
Ahh, I can put my mind at ease now!!
"Rainelle-nim, a letter has arrived."
---As soon as I thought about being at ease, the maid
told me that a letter had arrived, which made my heart stir.
...no!
Why did something like this arrive when I just become relieved?! Can't you give
me some slack?! Who's the letter
from this time!!
In anger, I puffed my feathers and swished over the
maid's shoulder. The maid, who visibly flinched at my actions, carefully turned
her head and opened her mouth,
"Uh... Shall I open the letter, Rainelle-nim?"
Yes!
Do it!
When I nodded my head with that meaning, the maid’s eyes trembled.
Then she carefully opened the envelope and unfolded the letter.
"Caaw? (It is the heroine again?)"
No,
what trick are you trying to do?!
As I thought this, my heart pounded with anxiety. The
letter said that she wanted to meet me because she wanted to apologize for the
rudeness she had done before.
I remembered at that moment that most of the girls in the
original game were cancer-inducing women.
Of
course, there was a lot that wasn’t like that, but you always have to be
prepared for the worst to make your lifeline longer!
I
just wish that the heroine would target other people rather than Karmeut, but
there's a possibility that she won't, so I have to be prepared! But why is she
trying to meet me like this?
Meeting itself was not difficult. If I say I wanted to
meet her, Karmeut will arrange it right away.
...the
problem is that I didn't even know what to do after we met.
...so
not yet, for the time being! I won't meet the heroine until I come up with a
plan!
As I hardened my heart, I snatched the letter from the
maid’s hand. Then I flew to the fireplace and dropped the letter inside.
"Rai, Rainelle-nim?!"
Watching the paper burn down from the fire elevated my
mood.
Good!
The evidence that the letter came is gone with this! So there’s no need to reply!
Of
course, it's just blindfolding myself, but what can I do if I don't want to see
her?! I haven't come up with a solution yet. There’s a chance that she could
snatch Karmeut! And will I let that happen? Of course not!
Recalling the fact that I
am the only one who can protect Karmeut from the original heroine's magic(?), I
vowed:
Take
down the heroine! I won't let Karmeut be taken away! I'm not going to let her!
***
Notes:
1 Valhalla: Afterlife in Norse mythology↩
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