TREQ Ch 3

With its face and half its body tucked inside the sleeve and its tail sticking out, the quail looked utterly ridiculous. Killian’s wrist, due to the quail burrowing inside, bulged as if he had stuffed a roll of bread in there.

The knight’s expression darkened at the sight. But the quail, its face hidden in Killian’s sleeve, couldn’t see his expression. It only felt the warmth of his arm.

“You insolent…!”

“Leave it.”

The knight looked ready to yank the quail out of the sleeve and throw it on the floor. But Killian’s single word stopped him.

Looking down at his sleeve, Killian pondered the unresolved question. Keeping it alive was a bother, but its foolish behavior wasn’t entirely without amusement. And it did have those captivating eyes.

“I’ll take you if you can properly fulfill your role as an ornament.”

Killian set a condition for the quail, which was desperately clinging to him as if begging to be taken along.

“Peep?”

“You can live as long as you perform your role well.”

“Peep-! Peep!”

The newly hatched quail didn’t understand what he meant. But since he seemed to be attempting conversation, it simply chirped in response. The quail was so pleased that Killian was talking to it that it nuzzled its beak, which it couldn’t yet control properly, against his wrist.

The tall knight standing next to the tight-lipped knight urged Killian.

“Your Highness, we must leave quickly.”

“…”

Killian, his amusement interrupted, turned and fixed the knight with a calm gaze. Though only seven, the boy, born to be emperor, exuded an inexplicable aura of authority. The knight, who had just been urging him, bowed.

“I apologize.”

“Forget it.”

Killian walked past them toward the banquet hall, his wrist bulging slightly with the quail tucked inside, looking somewhat comical.

🕊️⊹ ࣪ ˖️

The banquet ended past midnight. It had unfolded exactly as he had expected: tedious, annoying, and irritating enough to make him curse.

Having turned seven this year, and being the Empire’s first prince, he had been learning the art of ruling since he began to walk. Thus, he knew better than anyone that attending the banquet was his duty. However, he wasn’t yet mature enough to endure it all with composure.

“Phew…”

Stretching his stiff neck after dealing with people all day, Killian turned his gaze to the nightstand.

The quail had chirped and frantically tried to follow him when he left for the banquet hall. But he couldn’t take the quail with him, so he had placed a small box on the nightstand and put it inside.

The quail had continued to cry, wanting to be with Killian, but it couldn’t possibly climb out of the box, wobbling as it could barely walk.

“Is it sleeping?”

The quail, which had been crying so hard earlier, was now fast asleep in the box. It slept soundly, oblivious to Killian’s return. For some reason, the sight displeased him.

While most people would be asleep at midnight, Killian occupied a position where others’ circumstances were of no concern to him.

“Hey.”

Killian called out to the quail and tapped lightly on the side of the box.

“Peep…”

But the quail only stirred slightly, making a faint sound, showing no signs of waking up. Killian raised an eyebrow.

“Hans!”

He called out towards the door, and Hans, his personal attendant, hurried into the bedroom.

Hans, fifteen years old this year, was the youngest son of the Klips family, who had served the royal family for generations. He, too, was an owl shapeshifter, a bird of prey.

Serving the future emperor was a great joy and honor for Hans. Therefore, he strived to carry out any of Killian’s commands perfectly.

“You called, Your Highness?”

“What did this thing do while I was at the banquet hall?”

Before going to the banquet hall, Killian had instructed Hans to keep a close watch on the quail. Following his orders, Hans had checked on the bedroom periodically. Each time, the quail had been asleep, without even changing its position.

“It was asleep the entire time.”

“The whole time?”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“And it’s still sleeping now?”

Killian scowled. So it had done nothing but sleep since hatching. And it didn’t even wake up when the owner of the room returned. What was this?

“With all due respect, Your Highness, I heard it just hatched today.”

Hans cautiously spoke, seeing Killian’s increasingly irritated expression.

“So?”

“Newly hatched chicks usually sleep a lot.”

“…”

Killian was hardly unaware of such common knowledge. But this creature wasn’t an ordinary animal; it was one of those supposedly superior shapeshifters.

Moreover, avian shapeshifters had keen senses, easily detecting anyone approaching their territory or any change in the air currents. It should have woken up at the slightest sound. Killian shook his head and looked at Hans.

“Did you find out anything about the quail clan?”

“Yes, I inquired, but there is no quail clan in this area.”

“I figured as much.”

The Imperial Palace, the capital, and the surrounding areas were all occupied by birds of prey. Small bird shapeshifters usually lived in flocks in the outer regions or near forests.

Among them, the quail shapeshifters were so few in number that little was known about them. The more populous small birds were sparrows and shrikes. The Penia Empire, Killian’s empire, had no quail shapeshifters, as far as he knew.

“Perhaps another bird was carrying the egg and dropped it?”

“It would have broken then.”

“That’s true. Then where did this little thing come from? This is the first time I’ve seen a quail.”

Hans peered curiously into the box containing the quail. Having grown up among birds of prey, he, too, found the small quail fascinating. Such a tiny bird breathing and sleeping.

“Could it have been brought as a birthday gift for Your Highness and then dropped?”

“Is there a noble foolish enough to offer such a thing as a gift to me?”

“Ah, I suppose not. My apologies.”

Hans broke out in a cold sweat at Killian’s annoyed tone. Though frequently engaged in wars, the Penia Empire was a great empire without equal. Even though Killian was out of favor with the Emperor, as a prince of the empire, he received all sorts of rare and precious gifts.

The funds allocated to the Lunar Palace, where Killian resided, were far less than those of other palaces. Therefore, Hans often used the gifts received at banquets to manage the palace.

“Hmm.”

Killian tapped the box a few times and stopped. The more he thought about it, the stranger it seemed. He had heard of kingdoms where quail shapeshifters lived, but they were quite far from the Penia Empire.

“Alright, you may leave.”

“Yes, Your Highness. Please rest well.”

Hans left the bedroom, his face showing relief. Only the soft purring breaths of the small bird echoed rhythmically in the silent room. The breaths, like its owner’s, were so faint they seemed about to cease.

“Hey, it’s proper to greet the owner of the room when they return. This is my territory, and the place where you sleep is also mine.”

Killian murmured, looking down at the quail. It seemed like it would wake up if he shook it. But after a moment of contemplation, he lay down on the bed.

Wasn’t magnanimity a princely virtue? Killian decided to show his generosity to this insignificant quail. He would collect this insubordination with interest later.

🕊️⊹ ࣪ ˖️

However, Killian’s generosity was met with the quail’s continued audacity the following morning. It dared not to wake up even after Killian had risen.

“…”

This was unbearable. Where in the world was there a subject who woke up later than their lord? To Prince Killian, everyone except the royal family was his subject.

Besides, all this creature had done since being brought into the room was sleep. It needed to be awake to fulfill its role as an ornament. He had brought it in because he liked its eyes, but it was useless if it was just sleeping. Killian lightly tapped the quail’s forehead with his index finger.

“Hey.”

“Peep…”

The quail slowly opened its eyes. Its movements were sluggish, like a caterpillar. Birds, especially small birds, were supposed to be alert and quick. That was how they survived. But this quail barely woke up even when roused, so it seemed destined for a short life.

“Peep?”

After blinking a few times, the quail turned its head this way and that before finally spotting Killian looking down at it.

“So lazy. I picked up a completely useless thing.”

Killian took the quail out of the box, clicking his tongue. He placed it on the nightstand, and the quail, true to its bird nature, ruffled its wings. The wings, too, were pathetically small. What use were they? Except for its eyes, there was nothing redeeming about this creature.

“Peep- Peep-.”

As soon as the quail regained its senses, it tried to cling to Killian. It struggled to stand up, whimpering, but repeatedly tumbled back down with a thud.