TREQ Ch 2

The creature, freshly hatched from the egg, couldn’t even control its own body and simply cried in Killian’s palm. Not even half the size of his hand, it insisted on chirping, peep, peep, as if asserting its existence as a living being. The cries were weak and pitiful.

Having just hatched, its damp body was so light it was almost weightless. Killian could feel the tiny bird’s heart beating rapidly against his palm.

“A shapeshifter.”

Judging by the already present feathers and the twitching wings, it wasn’t an ordinary animal, but a shapeshifter. Shapeshifters grew rapidly in their early stages, requiring little care. This was one of the factors that contributed to their dominance over the world.

“Your, Your Highness…!”

“Your Highness…! You shouldn’t be sitting on the ground like this!”

The knights who had been searching for Killian approached him and urged him to get up. Normally, he would have snapped at them for bothering him, but his attention was elsewhere.

“You must return to the banquet hall. His Majesty is…”

“What is this?”

Killian interrupted, raising his palm slightly. The two knights lowered themselves to examine the creature in his hand. One of them, whose face was particularly dotted with moles, thought for a moment before speaking.

“Well, with its round body and plump belly, perhaps a sparrow?”

Its round shape did resemble a sparrow. But the bright color of its beak and the white feathers on its cheeks indicated it wasn’t a sparrow. More importantly, this bird was plumper than a sparrow.

“Look closely.”

“I apologize.”

The knight bowed his head and stepped back as Killian frowned at him. The other knight snapped his fingers.

“Ah! Isn’t this a quail? Judging by its size, it seems like a quail.”

“A quail…?”

Killian murmured in wonder. He knew what a quail was, but the entire Imperial Palace was the territory of the eagle clan. All the nobles, merchants, and anyone with a position within the Empire were birds of prey.

Such small birds couldn’t even become low-ranking servants. So why was such a small quail inside the Imperial Palace? Killian placed the unidentified creature on the ground.

“Was there a quail clan among those invited today?”

“No, Your Highness. There wasn’t.”

“Peep… Peep-.”

Left alone on the bare ground, the quail wriggled, trying to find its balance. But despite its efforts, it immediately toppled over.

Killian watched it fall but didn’t bother to help it up. The quail trembled and stood up again, wobbling precariously. However, it didn’t go far before tumbling over once more.

“Peep…”

The quail, collapsing onto the grass, finally opened its eyes, which had been closed until now. Light streamed in between its eyelids, making its eyes sting. After blinking for a while, the quail finally opened its eyes to the world.

“Peep…?”

Something sparkling in front of it swayed gently in the breeze. The sparkle captivated the newly hatched quail. It took a moment to realize that it was Killian’s golden hair, illuminated by the sunlight.

[My little one, when you awaken, I’ll show you so many things. I’ll show you the warm sunlight and the cool breeze first.]

While asleep in the egg, it had heard the voice of someone called “Mother” every day. The gentle voice had promised to show it the warm sunlight first.

Ah. That’s the sunlight. The quail thought, looking at Killian’s hair. Its heart filled with a golden glow.

“Peep…!”

The quail strained with all its might to stand up. It couldn’t fly yet, but it puffed out its chest and moved its wing joints to maintain its balance. Its newly hatched body shivered in the spring breeze. It wanted to get closer to the warm sunlight.

“Ho.”

Killian watched with amusement. Shapeshifters were different from ordinary animals. They were extraordinary and superior. This didn’t just refer to their physical prowess. Avian shapeshifters developed a sense of self from within the egg. They could think, and their rapid early growth allowed them to quickly fend for themselves.

This quail, having just hatched, could already open its eyes and walk. It would probably be able to fly within a week.

“Blue eyes.”

Killian murmured, meeting the gaze that looked up at him. The small eyes shone, reflecting his image.

The imperial descendants were traditionally born with blonde hair and blue eyes. It was a mark of the royal bloodline. But for some reason, Killian was born with blonde hair and amber eyes.

And that was one of the many reasons why his father, the Emperor, disliked him. Until a few days before her death, his mother had lamented while looking into Killian’s amber eyes. Her lament turned into resentment when she learned that his half-brother, born to the Emperor’s mistress, had blonde hair and blue eyes.

“Of all the colors, blue eyes.”

Killian didn’t like the deep blue color. His greedy father’s bright blue eyes were always darting around, searching for Killian’s flaws. His half-brother Rayner’s eyes, which were identical to his father’s, were also repulsive. Eyes filled with avarice. To Killian, that was the deep blue color.

Yet, at the same time, he loathed his own golden eyes, so different from blue. He hated his father’s blue eyes, yet he yearned for the blue he lacked. It was a contradictory feeling.

“Peep?”

The quail, having approached closer, looked at Killian with expectant eyes, as if hoping to be held. It was an instinctive act of seeking a protector.

The quail’s blue eyes were different from the blue eyes traditionally bestowed upon the imperial bloodline. They were blue, but with a hint of gray, light and clear.

And Killian coveted the quail’s eyes. They were pale compared to his father’s deep blue eyes, but that’s why he desired them. Blue eyes, yet unlike his father’s, untainted by greed. Killian wanted them so much he felt like plucking them out and keeping them.

“Peep.”

The quail, oblivious to Killian’s cruel thoughts, chirped faintly, as if wanting to make its presence known.

Tap.

Killian gently nudged the quail with his index finger. The quail, which had just managed to stand, collapsed again. Its damp feathers were gradually drying in the spring sun.

“Peep?”

The quail tilted its head as if wondering why it had been pushed, then stood up again, its legs trembling. Like a newly hatched chick following its mother, it tried to approach Killian. Killian chuckled in disbelief.

“Should I kill it?”

If he killed it, he could have those eyes right away. It wouldn’t be bad to put them in a beautifully curved, small glass bottle and place it on his nightstand. But he wondered if they would retain their current brilliance after death.

“Peep? Peep-! Peep!”

The quail, not understanding his words, ruffled its wings and promptly hopped onto Killian’s lap. Unable to fly yet, it struggled, hopping and flapping, until it finally settled down.

“Your Highness, you really must go.”

The knight pleaded almost desperately. Killian looked down at the quail clinging to his clothes with its tiny feet. Its legs were still weak and lacking talons, so they trembled. The quail’s slender legs looked like they would break at the slightest touch.

“Alright.”

“Pardon?”

“Do I have to say it twice? I said alright.”

Killian removed the quail, which clung to his lap as if holding onto a lifeline, and stood up. The quail, anxious that he might leave it behind, perched on Killian’s shoe. But it immediately slipped and tumbled backward.

“Peep-!”

After falling, it spread its wings and chirped demandingly, as if asking to be taken along. It seemed to have recognized Killian as its protector. It was a surprisingly brazen creature.

“…”

Killian hesitated for a moment before picking up the creature rolling on the ground. The quail nuzzled its face against Killian’s hand, seeking warmth.

“Hmm.”

He narrowed his eyes in thought. If left alone, it would die. The chances of a bird smaller than his palm surviving in the territory of birds of prey were close to zero.

But the death of a mere quail was of no concern to him.

Unaware of Killian’s thoughts, the quail nestled in his hand, entrusting its entire body to him. As if drying its wings in the warm sun, it rubbed its whole body against him. The tail feathers on its rump wiggled pleasantly.

“Insolent! How dare you rub yourself against His Highness’s hand! Get off his hand at once!”

One of the knights shouted thunderously upon seeing this. But the newly hatched quail couldn’t possibly understand words like “insolent.”

“Peep… Peep…”

Startled by the loud voice, the quail’s best defense was to bury its small face in Killian’s sleeve. Fear instinctively drove it to seek a narrow, cozy space. The cozy space it saw was the sleeve of his shirt.

“Peep…”

The quail wriggled and squeezed itself into the cuff of Killian’s shirt, its feathers getting ruffled in the process.