Chapter 80

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Translator: Harry Potta
Chapter: 80
Chapter Title: A Grave for Alex
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#80

“That's right. Dopein is currently stretched thin, using its small military to watch the border with Antevasila.”

Lucy crossed her arms and tapped her side with her index finger.

“For their Founding Festival, they'll concentrate most of their available forces in the capital. That means the defenses on the Antevasila side will be relatively lax.”

“But I heard Imperial soldiers are also mixed in, causing disputes.”

“No matter how shameless the Empire is, they won't stir up trouble on a national holiday. There are diplomatic eyes on them. They'll surely lower their guard during the invitation period.”

Whatever was in that refrigerant stone mine, the Imperial and Dopein forces were maintaining an ironclad defense, constantly locked in a battle of wills.

She had ordered Geronimo to closely monitor the situation at the border, but observing from a distance wasn't enough to figure out what they were planning.

It didn't make sense for them to be fighting this hard over mere mining rights.

She would have to go there herself to find out why they were bickering so much...

Just as her suspicions were mounting, a letter arrived from Dopein. The moment she received it, any thought of it being a trap vanished; she inwardly rejoiced at the opportunity to satisfy her curiosity.

“While I attend the celebration, the Grand General will go to the mine and investigate the cause of the dispute. There's no need to go deep inside the mine, so if it seems like nothing special, retreat without hesitation.”

Walter expressed his reluctance with silence.

The idea that his absence would guarantee his sovereign's safety seemed plausible, yet an unsettling feeling clung to his mind and wouldn't let go.

“Walter.”

“...”

“There's no need to worry. You are overly concerned for my safety.”

“But... will you truly be alright?”

Walter asked again, a rare look of concern on his face.

Lucy gestured with her chin toward Whees, who was standing by a garden pillar, and replied.

“Do I not have the ultimate escort, one who makes the sky his path? Should anything happen, Whees will protect me. And I'll be taking Zen with me, so don't worry too much.”

Whees, unable to believe such a grand description referred to him, couldn't hide his embarrassment and let out a choked cough.

Despite her confident tone, Walter remained unmoved. In response, Lucy straightened her chest and gave him a look that said everything was fine.

Black eyes and golden eyes stared at each other without blinking, and the black eyes, which could never win against her in their master-vassal relationship, looked away, admitting defeat.

“If that is your will, then I have no choice. I will select capable soldiers from the troops to form a royal guard.”

With a sigh, Walter added.

“Please, never forget that to your subjects, Your Majesty's safety is of the utmost importance.”

⚜ ⚜ ⚜

As soon as the decision was made, Kill and Walter disappeared into the inner palace, saying they needed to adjust the schedule.

And so, only Lucy and Whees remained in the garden.

“I was just feeling idle. I think I'll tend to the garden for a bit before I go.”

Lucy, with no intention of leaving, stayed in the garden for a long while, fiddling with the soil.

She took the shovel Kill had left her and dug here and there until, seemingly exhausted, she collapsed to the ground, panting. No matter how one looked at her, there wasn't a speck of dignity to be found.

Whees, who had remained by her side, had a feeling her eccentric behavior would continue for a while, so he picked a random spot and plopped down on the ground.

And as expected, the queen rolled up her sleeves again and began to dig with gusto.

The damp grass and black soil stained her white pants and military boots. Whees thought it was a relief she wasn't wearing a dress and plucked a young foxtail to hold in his beak.

“What are you digging so earnestly for?”

Unable to bear the boredom, he spoke up. Lucy rubbed the bridge of her nose and turned to look at Whees.

“I started digging and got curious about how deep I could go. And I just had a great idea.”

“What idea?”

“Doesn't this look like the perfect pit to bury someone in?”

Pointing to the hole she'd dug, she chuckled, seeming genuinely amused.

Lucy, who had been pacing around the pit, picked up the shovel again and slowly pushed the excavated dirt back into the hole.

“I have to fill it in gently so it doesn't get too hard. I'm going to throw that bastard's corpse in here later.”

“...Whose corpse are you talking about?”

“Alex.”

“Alex?”

Whees never expected the Imperial Crown Prince's name—and a nickname, at that—to pop up at this moment. He could only wonder who in the world this Alex was.

*Who was that again...?* he thought, tilting his head. "There's a guy," Lucy continued.

“The grapevines Kill planted will absorb his corpse for nutrients. Then, I'll make wine from the grapes that sucked him up, and I'll drink that wine while stomping on this grave.”

"Don't you think it's the perfect revenge?" she added, her shoulders shaking with a grim laugh. Having no idea what she was talking about, Whees simply scratched his beak in response.

The mounds of earth went back into the pit. After grunting and straining to restore the hole to its original state, Lucy put away all the gardening tools and approached Whees with a look of relief.

The steady crunch of her footsteps soon became a sporadic patter.

Noticing the strange rhythm, Whees, who had been sitting with his back to her and looking at the sky, sensed her presence and lifted his head.

Whether it was from being drenched in sweat, Lucy was hugging herself, her shoulders trembling.

“It's cold...”

*I knew this would happen.*

Whees muttered to himself, raising his arms and lifting his wings high.

“Of course you're cold, sweating like that in such thin clothes. Come here.”

“Thanks!”

Lucy, who had been shivering with her lips pressed tightly together, quickly buried herself against Whees's side.

It was a move befitting a shameless queen.

“I thought it had gotten a bit warmer, but it's still cold.”

“The temperature fluctuates greatly in spring and autumn. Even if it's warm during the day, it drops quickly around sunset, so you must be careful.”

Saying so, he spread his wing feathers to envelop Lucy's body. For a human, the queen was quite tall, but compared to the large frame of a Raphi, she was no different from a baby bird.

Lucy nestled into his downy feathers and waited quietly to warm up.

Warmth returned to her cold fingertips, and she soon began to wiggle her fingers, fiddling with a stray feather as she spoke.

“Raphi are so lucky. Covered in such warm feathers, you must never catch a cold.”

“That's not necessarily true. Young Raphi have plenty of down, but they lack the outer feathers that actually protect from the cold, so they're prone to catching colds.”

“I did think their feathers were especially fluffy. So that was all down.”

“It's not just the young ones. Adults lose a lot of feathers if their health is poor... and more importantly, the feathers grow slower as they age. That's why the elderly sometimes wear clothes made of wool.”

“Ah, that's right. I've seen all the old Raphi wearing clothes.”

Most Raphi take pride in their feathers and therefore wear nothing that covers them, aside from simple accessories.

As soldiers, Whees and his Raphi squad members wore something similar to a vest, but even that wasn't mandatory.

However, young and old Raphi wore elaborately embroidered coats. Lucy had just assumed it was for warding off evil or a species-specific trait; she never knew there was such a reason.

“Did you wear clothes when you were young?”

“Well... yes.”

“Little Raphi kids are so cute with their small beaks and feet. Since your feathers are white, you must have been even cuter.”

Covered in dense white feathers, he must have looked just like a snowman.

A young Raphi, with its short, fluffy down, looked less like a person and more like a chick, as if to prove they were bird-people.

The sight of Raphi children running through the alleys, flapping wings they couldn't properly fly with, had a comforting quality that transferred a sense of peace just by watching.

Cuteness must transcend species, because Lucy, who had always loved children, had a huge soft spot for Raphi kids too.

It was that very adorable appearance that had convinced Lucy's mother to settle in Pomnos.

...Ah, Mother.

“I wonder if Mother is doing well.”

She had expected her to come to the coronation, but her mother had asked for Lucy's understanding, saying she couldn't leave a motherless Raphi behind.

Well, she wasn't a child anymore, and she was content just knowing her mother was alive and well, so she wasn't particularly disappointed.

Still... hmm.

Once things settle down, I should bring Mother to the royal palace. Or maybe I'll go back to Pomnos.

It was cold and inconvenient, but Pomnos wasn't such a bad place to live. While most Raphi were arrogant, it ultimately depended on the individual, and there were plenty of good Raphi too.

With its snowy mountains and ice fields, the scenery was spectacular everywhere you looked, and she even found herself missing that strange-tasting mushroom tea from time to time.

Mmm. Right.

After I take Alex's head, maybe I'll just hand the throne over to Walter and go back to Pomnos.

Mumbling her thoughts, she burrowed deeper into the feathers. Then she suddenly realized she was absentmindedly fiddling with the flesh of Whees's armpit and jerked her head up in surprise.

“Ack, sorry...”

She stopped her apology mid-sentence and looked up at Whees.

His eyelids were half-lowered, and he was clicking his beak, a clear sign that he was very displeased.

“The sun is already setting. You should return to the inner palace.”

Surprisingly, Whees didn't get angry and slowly got to his feet.

His low, subdued voice seemed to betray his displeasure, but his voice was always so deep it was hard to tell.

“Uh... Whees? Are you mad? It was so warm, I didn't even realize.”

“I am not mad.”

“C'mon, why the long face then? I'm sorryyy.”

“I told you it was fine. Let's just hurry back.”

Whees cut her off as if telling her not to speak to him, tucked Lucy under his arm, and strode away. After depositing Lucy in her room, Whees handed over escort duty to another Raphi soldier and slowly walked out of the palace.

Whees walked down the corridor with a stoic expression, but upon realizing no one was around, he let out a huge sigh.

“Agh!”

When the garden where he had exchanged trivial words with her came into view, his brow furrowed unconsciously.

He kicked off the ground hard for a running start, then spread his wings and soared as high as he could, very high.

“Ah, honestly...”

He squeezed his eyes shut and blurted out the true feelings he had been holding back.

“What an infuriating woman!”

His shout spread out, barely audible over the rushing noise.

Using the fierce sound of the wind as a shield, Whees continued to mutter insults about her.