Chapter 4 : The Tyrant’s Tranquilizer
Translated by Tam
Edited by Kio
Serwin’s room was the best room in the mansion. It was the size of an apartnt.
As soon as Serwin entered the room, he carefully laid Alie down on the table.
Alie 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!’
Alie 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 sothing grabbed Alie’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…!’
Alie closed her eyes tightly. But she settled down on a warm floor.
“Pyak?”
Alie 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 ntion that in the novel, the Emperor is known for his level of swordsmanship with aura, in other words he is known for soone who handles things freely with his aura. She didn’t know that she would be dragging her feet in such a person’s way.
Alie 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. Alie protested fiercely, but Serwin only looked at her as a cute being.
“Stay calm.”
He stroked Alie’s forehead with his thumb and disappeared into the room.
“…Pyak?”
Alie was dazed by the unexpected affectionate touch.
‘What is it, now? Did Serwin stroke ? He didn’t hit and patted ? He’s not looking at like he’s going to kill ? Huh? Huh?’
Alie sat down on the ground. Serwin’s unusual behavior confused her. Co to think of it, there were more than one or two strange things. Ever since Alie pretended to be dead, his grip beca less powerful, and a while ago he even supported her with his hands.
“Pyak…”
Only when Serwin was completely invisible, Alie 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, Alie put herself in Serwin’s hands.
“Good.”
Serwin wiped Alie’s body with a wet towel. The hands moving along the hairline were so delicate. His eyes on Alie were also quite friendly.
‘He’s like a different person.’
Alie 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 Alie 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 beca a great cage.
Serwin went to his room to go wash. And Alie 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 extre fear and tension, quickly fell asleep.
****************************
Alie, who fell asleep like she fainted because she used up all her energy, felt a touch of soone patting herself in her sleep. The hand tickled Alie’s forehead carefully, and swept her long from her head.
‘Who is it?…’
Alie suddenly recalled her situation. She was captured by the Emperor and locked in a cage…
‘Oh my! The Emperor!’
Alie opened her eyes. That’s right. Her eyes t with his golden eyes. It was softer than when they first t, but it was still sharp.
‘Crazy. Where am I sleeping?’
It was warm in Serwin’s hand. It was also Serwin who stroked Alie. Alie rolled down from Serwin’s palm.
“Be careful.”
Serwin swept Alie’s forehead with his index finger.
“Pya!!”
Alie scread. His touch was friendly but so big that it was threatening just to be close. Besides, isn’t it Serwin, not anyone else? Alie 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!’
Alie ran off and hid in the cage.
She doesn’t know, but Serwin seems quite pleased with Sooyeon, the bird. He observed Alie, as if he were the owner of the new pet.
‘You don’t… you don’t an to take and raise , do you?’
Like going to the Palace like this. Such anxiety flowed in like a tide.
‘It’s all right. Everything will be alright..’
Alie 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.’
Alie took a deep breath to calm down.
Then soone knocked on the door.
Knock, knock.
“Your Majesty, this is Ethan.”
“Co in.”
A man ca into the room when he was given permission. The man nad 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 Alie 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, Alie was lost in thought.
‘Did you send soone to investigate Delahaim?’
As Alie 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 ca 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 ca 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 co hunting here.
‘So what’s the real purpose of the Emperor?’
Co 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 eting was at the Knighting Ceremony.
‘If the Emperor had stayed at the mansion, Renee wouldn’t be eting the Emperor for the first ti at the ceremony, would she? Didn’t Renee rember?’
It was a year ago. Renee, who cares about Alie very much, will never forget the Emperor’s visit at this ti of year. Is it because Alie t 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 sothing weird? I don’t know why it’s weird. Alie scratched her wings with her beak in frustration.
“…..”
“Pya…?”
Alie 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 Alie quietly and he opened his mouth.
“You seem scared of , don’t you?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Ethan looked at Serwin with the expression, ‘Don’t you know that?’ Serwin couldn’t see the face because he was tornting Alie by putting his finger through the bars. Alie flapped her wings to avoid Serwin’s fingers.
Whether Alie 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, Alie was dumbfounded and dodged Serwin’s fingers. Eventually, Serwin put his hand in and took Alie out. The warm feeling in his hands was as satisfying as she expected.
“Pyaak pyaak!”
Alie poured out a very harsh curse. She knew Serwin wouldn’t understand, so she had no hesitation to do that. Either way, Serwin swept Alie’s forehead with his thumb. The corners of his mouth were slightly upward. Even his eyes softened a little.
Alie, who watched the change from the front, lost her nerve.
“Oh, my God, what’s wrong with you, my heart is shaking-“
Alie 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 ta them?”
“They’re all dead, so you should have raised them properly.”
“…animals are ta with food.”
“Feed her, then go get her sothing to eat.”
“…I understand.”
Ethan looked at Serwin and the bird with a confused face then left the room.
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