Of All
Things, I Became a Crow: Chapter #136
Translators: Nyx and Ririi Rain
*Rainelle’s POV
I blinked blankly.
Are the golden eyes looking at me an illusion?
I rubbed my eyes.
"...I have been
sleeping too long, haven’t I?"
Karmeut, who softly
whispered, raised his upper body. He hugged me tightly before I could be mad at
the hard-earned posture.
"Sorry for making you
worry."
It was only then that I was
really aware of the warmth and familiar arms.
Ah, this is real, not a dream or fantasy. Karmeut
is really awake…
Tears flowed when I
realized that. These were not tears of sadness or worry. It was just, it was
just tears.
"...ughuu---!!"
"I'm sorry, Rainelle."
Karmeut patted me on the
back while saying he was sorry. It was no different from usual, so I was
relieved, but also because of that, more tears came out.
"I thought you were
going to die----!! No, you are indeed dying!! Why did you receive that blow,
why!! You've seen it before! That I can eat magic! But, but why take it on with
your body! Your body was charred!!"
“Because you were in
danger.”
I raised my head and met
his gaze at his action of answering without a moment’s hesitation. Karmeut
continued, reaching out and caressing my cheek carefully,
"My mate is in
danger, so there's no one I can stay still."
"I was fine!"
"No. Even if you
thought you were okay, I couldn't allow you to get hurt in the slightest."
"Then what about you?
You don't think I also feel like that?"
Karmeut went quiet. I was
angry and relieved at the same time.
I felt the realness that
Karmeut was really alive.
I wiped away the tears
with the back of my hand and escaped from his arms.
"Wait a minute, I'll
call the others. You woke up after a week, so we need to check your body
condition and you need to eat."
"---a week? That long?"
His eyes drooped as he
murmured in disbelief. It was clearly visible that he was really, really feeling
sorry.
When I informed the others
that Karmeut had awakened, I had the illusion that the Imperial Palace became
energized in an instant.
Healers and physicians
were busy checking his condition, while the Imperial chefs cooked porridge,
which was good for the body and easy to digest, for him.
His physical condition was
fine, but since he had been lying down for a week, it seemed that he couldn't
eat a regular meal right away.
When the servants brought the
porridge, I received the bowl myself. Then, after scooping it up and cooling it
down, I put it near Karmeut's mouth.
"Open up, Karmeut."
Karmeut opened his eyes
wide in surprise. But soon he accepted it with a small smile.
"Is the temperature
okay?"
"Yes, it’s
fine."
"That’s a relief..."
"You want to continue feeding me
like this, Rainelle?"
"Of course. ---by any
chance, you don't like it?"
"There’s no way I
wouldn't like it."
Karmeut's behavior of saying
such a thing with a satisfied smile was sly, but even that was a welcome sight
to me.
...Of course, it's not like I'm used to feeding
others like this! Still! It's been a while since Karmeut woke up, and I want to
do at least this much---!!
First of all, it's a
little cute. The way he eats by opening his mouth and accepting each spoon of
porridge was different from his usual appearance. ---Ah, of course the slick expression
is familiar.
"I'm happy to be with
Rainelle as soon as I wake up."
"...Me too."
"---Huh?"
"I was very, very
scared that Karmeut would never open his eyes again."
My hands trembled
involuntarily, and the sound of the spoon and bowl colliding with each other
disturbed my ears.
"Your fur is all
charred and brittle, your wounds are all burnt and not a drop of blood comes
out, you were barely breathing... so, so..."
Just thinking about that time
made my chest feel tight and it was difficult to breathe.
There was never been anything as terrible.
I started to raise my head
at the touch on my cheek. As soon as I lifted my head, something soft touched and
then fell on my lips.
"Rainelle, I'm
alive."
He lightly kissed me and
put our foreheads together. The golden eyes were shining warmly.
"I'm alive thanks to
you. If it wasn't for your strength, I wouldn't be here."
I was taken aback by the remark.
"...You know?"
He said "Yeah," while running
his hand through my hair. Sweeping down gently as if
soothing, he continued,
"...it smelled like you."
I stared at his softly curved eyes as
if bewitched. Karmeut kissed me lightly once again before opening his mouth
once more,
"That's why
I know. --I'm asking just in case, but it's not too much, is it?"
He immediately looked at
me with concern. And I scrunched my brows at his behavior of asking that
question.
"---Who should say
that? The one who did too much was Karmeut."
"---Haha. That's
right."
"It's going to get
cold at this rate, so let's finish your meal and then talk."
Saying that, I hurriedly
scooped up the porridge and held it to his mouth.
A peaceful silence filled the
room until we finished the bowl of porridge.
"---Karmeut, do you
want me to tell you what happened? Or after you have had a good rest...?"
"Tell me now, Rainelle."
"---Are you alright?"
"Except for being a
little drowsy, I'm in excellent condition. The physician and healer said that
too, right? It's also because I slept too much that I'm drowsy."
Looking at him saying “So now I have
to move slowly,’ while smiling, I sighed briefly.
"---You aren’t overdoing
it?"
“This… It seems that our position has
changed?”
“Karmeut is the reason why.”
As I pouted and grunted, Karmeut
laughed lowly. Then he kissed me on the lips.
"Karmeut!!"
"If you pout your
lips like that, it looks like you're asking for a kiss, you know?"
"Ah,
really---!!"
"Sorry, sorry. Please
understand how my heart fluttered when I woke up and the first one I saw was
you."
---I really can't beat Karmeut.
As I looked at him with
that thought in mind, Karmeut smiled and held my hand.
"So, what happened? From
how you said it, Rainelle seems to know."
I was close to saying “In
fact, since this is a world of a game, I know the future,” and I swallowed the
words.
This, it will be metafiction1, so pass! Even if
I tried to explain it, I don't think he will understand anyway!
In order to let Karmeut understand, I
conveyed it like this:
The sudden attack was caused by Namuel
who ate Crobanlock, awakened as a wolf, and ran out of control. And the Imperial Knights were seriously injured as a
result of his rampage. When I said that Namuel was detained in the Imperial Palace
after all that happened, Karmeut nodded his head.
"...I see. Is that what Rainelle
ordered?"
"...I didn't take the empress
lessons for fun."
"That’s impressive."
I scratched my cheek at the word ‘impressive’.
It was embarrassing to receive praise from Karmeut.
"...By the way, what
are you going to do with Namuel? The decision was
left for you to be made after you woke up,"
“How is Marquis Namuel doing now?”
"He’s locked in a room where he
can't escape and can’t use magic, and he’s recuperating. They said that his
body was overworked while he was running rampant."
I thought of Namuel lying
on the bed. And the image of Adriana who begged to
let her meet Namuel at least once also surfaced.
"...Honestly, because he tried to
kill you, I want to end him almost every time I see him, but I know it was
unintentional. ...so I can't decide. Karmeut is the biggest victim. I want Karmeut
to decide."
At that, he was silent. Then he
reached out his hand and stroked my hair.
“Rainelle, did the Marquis
regret it?”
"...He said that a
prison would be more suitable than such a comfortable place."
"I see."
He stroked my hair without
saying a word. I was used to the gentle touch, so my heart got calmer without
my knowledge.
Finally, Karmeut, who
lightly tousled my hair as if tickling my
feathers, speak:
"I shouldn't decide rashly.
But... you did well, Rainelle."
"---By treating and confining him
in a comfortable room?"
"It wasn't a prison. And if you haven’t
locked him up, you'd get opposed by others. What you did was the best."
Karmeut, who responded with a soft
smile, continued,
“By the way, what about the nobles? Since the emperor is inactive, they must
have made a fuss by coming to visit.”
"...I kicked out all
the nobles who didn't even show themselves
during the incident without hesitation. What makes them worthy of visiting Karmeut?"
Hearing that, he burst into laughter.
"I see, I see. Of course it
happened suddenly, but even if it's so, nobles are mostly like that. Loyalty is
based on a calculation to some extent, so it's
natural that they won't show up."
Nobles who behaved like
that were disgusting, but I nodded my head as if I understood. ---Looking at
Karmeut, these words came out of nowhere:
"---The emperor's
position is also difficult."
"It's a position
where you shouldn't trust anyone easily. That's why it's lonely and
solitary."
His hand stretched out. Grabbing
my arm and pulling it gently, Karmeut whispered,
"Except for my one
and only companion. I can trust you as much as I can."
The shining eyes filled
with strong emotions were so pretty. Faced with the beautiful eyes that I couldn't take my eyes off, I said something I didn't mean
to say,
"---When I read human history
books, I learn that even the empress fights for power? The power of the king is
diminished when the power of the queen is stronger."
At those words, Karmeut laughed
lightly.
"Sure, but it doesn't
matter."
"Why?"
"Even if you want my heart, I'm
willing to give it to you. Can't I give that one heart for my one and only
companion?"
Karmeut bowed his head and kissed the
back of my hand. His soft lips tickled the back of my hand, then the lips parted slightly and his tongue touched the back of my
hand.
I flinched at the touch
and tried to pull my hand, but I couldn't get my hand out of his grasp.
"I'll do anything you
want, my beloved one, my crow."
I avoided his hungry gaze
without even realizing it. However, I couldn't get rid of the warmth on his
hand, so I quietly held hands with him.
"---Even crows don't
look for another partner until their mate dies. You know what I mean, right?"
"Then all the more reason for me not to die, because I don't
want anyone to take you away."
“If you died that time, I would have
been taken away.”
"Is there another man?"
"Hmm, well? I don't
have one, but..."
There is no way. Several crows move on with others,
but… if Karmeut died at that time... Uhm, it's useless to imagine because it
didn't happen, but honestly, I don't know what would happen.
For a moment, I was under
the illusion that the air had frozen. It was Karmeut who broke the awkward
silence.
"...Ugh..."
"Karmeut?!"
He suddenly groaned and tightened
his hold, and I reflexively looked at him in
surprise. My heart sank at the sight of him suddenly clutching his stomach and slouching.
"Ka, Karmeut?! Where does it
hurt? Your stomach? Your stomach hurts?"
"Ra- Rainelle..."
"Uh, yeah! I'll call
a physician right away! No. Healer, call a healer!!"
My mind went blank at his
sudden appearance. Stuttering, Karmeut pulled my arm as I searched for the
bell.
"Come this way…"
"Uh, okay."
Carefully, I sat down on
the bed. Then Karmeut hugged me tightly.
"Hm?!"
"...Haaaa... I think
I'll live a little longer now."
“Ka, Karmeut?”
"Will you stay like
this for a while, Rainelle?"
Bewildered at Karmeut's behavior,
hugging me as if he was a child, I nodded my head.
...Don’t tell me, are you thinking that I might get taken
away?
Questions popped into my head, but I
couldn't continue thinking.
"Oh!"
It was because Karmeut, after
biting my earlobe, buried his face in my shoulder while taking a long inhale.
"Please don't say
that. Even if you don't have one, I'm jealous."
It was a very low voice,
but I wasn't afraid. On the contrary, I even laughed at the thought that he was
really jealous.
When I let out a small
giggle, I flinched as he ran his lips around the nape of my neck.
"Ah, Karmeut..."
"I get angry just
imagining that my only precious mate is taken away, you know?"
Suddenly, my body was laid
on the bed. Karmeut's eyes above me were dark yet gleaming dangerously.
"Crow symbolizing
disease and death, the black bird flying high toward the sun, the queen of all
birds, --that's you. But even if you were an ordinary crow, I would have loved
you."
"---Even if I can't
transform into a human?"
“But I can cherish and
give affection as a family.”
He smiled softly and
kissed me on the lips. His tongue, which was licking my lips as if expressing
affection, came into my mouth.
Like Karmeut, I felt drunk
on the gentle sucking of my tongue in a soft, careful way. His lips, which
kissed me deeply, slowly came down and reached the back of my neck. It was a
little itchy, but there was a moist texture, which made me laugh.
The hand that had been
gently stroking my waist paused for a moment at the sound of my laughter.
Then he felt a stinging
sensation on my neck.
"Eup---!!"
Heat rose at Karmeut's act
of gently licking the sore spot.
---Will it leave a mark on my neck?
"---I can't stand it
anymore."
A low, growling voice sent
chills down my spine. The eyes looking at me were dark. Dark with desire.
"Let me taste you.
From head to toe."
***
Notes:
1 Metafiction is a self-conscious literary style in which the narrator or characters are aware that they are part of a work of fiction.↩
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