Chapter 4

Translated by Tam

Edited by Kio

Serwin’s room was the best room in the mansion. It was the size of an apartment.

As soon as Serwin entered the room, he carefully laid Amelie down on the table.

Amelie folded her wings. She checked her body by opening up and flapping her wings. Her wings and legs trembled because of how nervous she was that her heart was about to explode. Still, she can’t miss this opportunity.

‘Let’s try running away!’

Amelie drew all her remaining strength and quickly flew high. She flapped her wings with all her might and flew in the air at a speed that was incomparable to the previous one. Just go through the open window and…!

Then something grabbed Amelie’s leg and pulled it down quickly.

“Pyaak!!”

The bird’s screams sharply cut through the air. Her body lost its balance and fell on the table. Even people don’t know what will happen if you fall to this height with your body.

‘I-I’m dying…!’

Amelie closed her eyes tightly. But she settled down on a warm floor.

“Pyak?”

Amelie looked around with her head.

When she opened her eyes, she was in the hands of the Emperor. The dark red thread around her leg was connected to the Emperor’s hand. This was obviously the Emperor’s aura. Not to mention that in the novel, the Emperor is known for his level of swordsmanship with aura, in other words he is known for someone who handles things freely with his aura. She didn’t know that she would be dragging her feet in such a person’s way.

Amelie looked up at Serwin with dissatisfied eyes. He closed the window using his aura.

“It’s dangerous out there.”

“Pyak, Pyak.”

You’re more dangerous. Amelie protested fiercely, but Serwin only looked at her as a cute being.

“Stay calm.”

He stroked Amelie’s forehead with his thumb and disappeared into the room.

“…Pyak?”

Amelie was dazed by the unexpected affectionate touch.

‘What is it, now? Did Serwin stroke me? He didn’t hit me and patted me? He’s not looking at me like he’s going to kill me? Huh? Huh?’

Amelie sat down on the ground. Serwin’s unusual behavior confused her. Come to think of it, there were more than one or two strange things. Ever since Amelie pretended to be dead, his grip became less powerful, and a while ago he even supported her with his hands.

“Pyak…”

Only when Serwin was completely invisible, Amelie sighed heavily.

‘What the hell is going on?..’

But it’s too early to be surprised. Serwin brought a wet towel after washing his hands. Out of energy, Amelie put herself in Serwin’s hands.

“Good.”

Serwin wiped Amelie’s body with a wet towel. The hands moving along the hairline were so delicate. His eyes on Amelie were also quite friendly.

‘He’s like a different person.’

Amelie thought blankly. She can’t believe that he didn’t change his clothes and brought it to the birds first. This was not the emperor she knew. Serwin wiped Amelie to make her dry again with a towel.

Then, Serwin put her in a box where he put the candles. It was a box with a tight iron window on the front and back so that the candle could burn well. When the latch was locked, the box became a great cage.

Serwin went to his room to go wash. And Amelie collapsed in relief as he left.

“Pyak..”

Although she was tightly locked in the cage, it was more comfortable than in Serwin’s palm. Her body was drooping.

‘I’m not supposed to sleep…’

But the body, which was in a state of extreme fear and tension, quickly fell asleep.

****************************

Amelie, who fell asleep like she fainted because she used up all her energy, felt a touch of someone patting herself in her sleep. The hand tickled Amelie’s forehead carefully, and swept her long from her head.

‘Who is it?…’

Amelie suddenly recalled her situation. She was captured by the Emperor and locked in a cage…

‘Oh my! The Emperor!’

Amelie opened her eyes. That’s right. Her eyes met with his golden eyes. It was softer than when they first met, but it was still sharp.

‘Crazy. Where am I sleeping?’

It was warm in Serwin’s hand. It was also Serwin who stroked Amelie. Amelie rolled down from Serwin’s palm.

“Be careful.”

Serwin swept Amelie’s forehead with his index finger.

“Pya!!”

Amelie screamed. His touch was friendly but so big that it was threatening just to be close. Besides, isn’t it Serwin, not anyone else? Amelie was anxious that he might suddenly turn and strangle her neck. And her small heart thumped like it was about to burst.

‘I need to run away!’

Amelie ran off and hid in the cage.

She doesn’t know, but Serwin seems quite pleased with Sooyeon, the bird. He observed Amelie, as if he were the owner of the new pet.

‘You don’t… you don’t mean to take and raise me, do you?’

Like going to the Palace like this. Such anxiety flowed in like a tide.

‘It’s all right. Everything will be alright..’

Amelie grasped the slightly shaken mind. Fortunately, she had a way out. Magic! When Serwin leaves the room, she just needs to use magic to open the window and leave.

‘Calmly, I will look for a chance.’

Amelie took a deep breath to calm down.

Then someone knocked on the door.

Knock, knock.

“Your Majesty, this is Ethan.”

“Come in.”

A man came into the room when he was given permission. The man named Ethan was wearing a black uniform, different than what the other knights wore. He seems to hold the highest rank of Knights.

“The Knights have been ordered to standby in their respective rooms.”

“Alright.”

Serwin sat in a chair and listened to Ethan’s report. The cage was on the table, so Amelie had no choice but to listen to their conversation.

“I have also ordered Lord Chad to return. Are you going to leave after hearing his report?”

Serwin raised his head.

“Because of his report, I didn’t go straight to the forest. We’ll wait.”

“I understand.”

Listening carefully to their conversation, Amelie was lost in thought.

‘Did you send someone to investigate Delahaim?’

As Amelie knows, Serwin’s reason for coming here was “hunting”. But do you usually send an investigator to do a hunt? Of course, he could have done it just because he’s Emperor, but she didn’t feel that his reasons would be that simple.

The ominous feeling that she felt while coming to the Count was revived.

“How was the Count?”

“He’s doubting that we’re here to hunt, but he doesn’t know exactly what we’re here for.”

Serwin nodded.

“The Count should continue to be left in the dark. Do you understand?”

“Yes.”

No matter how carefully she overheard their conversation, she couldn’t understand what they were saying.

‘The Emperor came to Delahaim for a different reason, not hunting.’

It’s different from the original.

‘The original is from Renee’s point of view. So she might not know why the Emperor really came here.’

It’s like a common narrative trick.

‘It was weird, though. It’s a long way to get here with all these frozen hunting grounds around the Capital….’

Delahaim is far from the Capital. It is enough to make a horse tired after traveling to and from Delahaim, using the magic circle. There is also no creature in the Fidelian Forest enough to come hunting here.

‘So what’s the real purpose of the Emperor?’

Come to think of it, that wasn’t the only strange thing.

In the novel, Renee enters Serwin’s territory to avenge her family. Renee and Serwin’s first meeting was at the Knighting Ceremony.

‘If the Emperor had stayed at the mansion, Renee wouldn’t be meeting the Emperor for the first time at the ceremony, would she? Didn’t Renee remember?’

It was a year ago. Renee, who cares about Amelie very much, will never forget the Emperor’s visit at this time of year. Is it because Amelie met the Emperor instead?

‘Then the story is different from the original. Why?’

She couldn’t imagine even if she held on to her small head and whine. What can Serwin get in this quiet country town?

“Pyak….”

What do you do when you see something weird? I don’t know why it’s weird. Amelie scratched her wings with her beak in frustration.

“…..”

“Pya…?”

Amelie raised her head, which had been buried in her wings. Serwin was staring at her. In the eyes of the beast, she stepped back reflexively.

Boom!

The cage shook violently. Serwin stared at Amelie quietly and he opened his mouth.

“You seem scared of me, don’t you?”n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

“Yes.”

“Why?”

Ethan looked at Serwin with the expression, ‘Don’t you know that?’ Serwin couldn’t see the face because he was tormenting Amelie by putting his finger through the bars. Amelie flapped her wings to avoid Serwin’s fingers.

Whether Amelie was desperate or not, Serwin continued to play.

“Pyaaak!!”

“Are you going to raise it? It’ll be dead in any minute.”

Ethan said. Serwin furrowed his brows.

“It looks fine. See, it looks healthy.”

Inside the narrow cage, Amelie was dumbfounded and dodged Serwin’s fingers. Eventually, Serwin put his hand in and took Amelie out. The warm feeling in his hands was as satisfying as she expected.

“Pyaak pyaak!”

Amelie poured out a very harsh curse. She knew Serwin wouldn’t understand, so she had no hesitation to do that. Either way, Serwin swept Amelie’s forehead with his thumb. The corners of his mouth were slightly upward. Even his eyes softened a little.

Amelie, who watched the change from the front, lost her nerve.

“Oh, my God, what’s wrong with you, my heart is shaking-“

Amelie closed her beak tightly.

“What can I do to not scare you?”

The voice sounded so sweet that it gave her goosebumps. Ethan sighed silently.

“You like animals, but don’t you know how to tame them?”

“They’re all dead, so you should have raised them properly.”

“…animals are tame with food.”

“Feed her, then go get her something to eat.”

“…I understand.”

Ethan looked at Serwin and the bird with a confused face then left the room.