Of All Things, I Became a Crow

*Rainelle’s POV

"How did that happen?"

I pondered for a moment over Karmeut’s question as he gently patted my back.

Can I say that I have met another crow and went to places with it?

---Well, it will be okay, right? I don't think he’d be jealous of that. Would an Emperor be jealous of a crow in the first place?

"Umm, a crow said there was something delicious, so I went with it..."

Ughh, I still remember that gigantic larvae wriggling in the heap of compost!

"Oh, I won’t go again. It said there was something delicious, so I went with it. Then I saw larvae the size of a human palm... Ugh, I really hate it!!"

My body trembled spontaneously.

Ugh! Just thinking about it is destructive! I don't want to think about it anymore!

"I don't want to talk about this anymore! I've never, and never will, eat bugs! So I don't want to talk about it! Argh! It's disgusting just thinking about it!!"

When I shook my head desperately while saying that, Karmeut laughed.

"Okay, okay. Aren't you hungry?"

"Oh! It's okay, I've been eating a lot of snacks at Aria's house."

"You mean Count Gwynell's daughter?"

"Yeah!!"

"Um... Rainelle, can we have some tea?"

I blinked when Karmeut asked that with blurry words at the end.

...you want to drink tea together?

I quickly nodded my head.

"Yeah! As much as you want!"

"Really? Okay."

As his complexion grew brighter, Karmeut called a servant to bring in the tea. He slowly poured the prepared tea into our respective cups.

As I sipped mine calmly, Karmeut’s voice reached my ears,

"Rainelle, can I ask you something?"

"Huh? What do you want to ask?"

"It's about Young Lady Gwynell."

...Aria? Why is Karmeut suddenly asking about Aria...?

Anxiety for an unknown reason crept into my chest.

Perhaps Karmeut is interested in Aria?

Suppressing my nervousness, I asked back,

"What about Aria?"

"It’s just... I wonder why you go to her house so often."

When Karmeut said that, he couldn't hide his uneasiness. I was a little dazed at the sight.

...no way... is he jealous?

?? Aria is a woman. She’s of the same gender as me. Besides, we’re different species in the first place, aren’t we? I’m a crow and she’s a human…? -Ah, if I look at it that way, I’m also different from Karmeut.

I closed my eyes slowly at such a bewildering reaction, and I asked a question unconsciously,

"...does it bother you?"

"Of course."

Karmeut's action in answering without a single moment of doubt was so full of sureness that I couldn’t say anything.

And then, somehow, a laugh burst out of me,

"Puu---"

"Rai, Rainelle?"

"Aria is a girl! We’re just hanging out as friends. Does that bother you?"

Karmeut's cheeks glowed red faintly at those words. Then he coughed and took a sip of tea.

•...Hmm, hmm. ---a little bit."

"A little?"

"...No, a lot."

The appearance of Karmeut who turned his head while speaking frankly was…

Aaah! That’s so cute I'm dying! Because of his attitude that’s different from usual, he's even cuter! It's not because I have a filter in my eyes! Anyone who sees it would think so!!

As I burst into laughter again, his earlobes went red. He looked cute and pitiful, so I hurriedly stopped laughing and said,

"Well, don't worry! Aria is just a friend! I’m able to visit places other than the Imperial Palace, so it’s fun to go see her."

“You mean the Capital City?”

"Yeah. Of course, the glamor, prettiness, and decoration can't match the Imperial Palace, but... there are a lot of people chattering. And they freely moved around, choosing, buying, and selling many things."

It's rare to see something like that in the Imperial Palace.

As I shrugged my shoulders, Karmeut nodded his head.

"I see."

"...it's probably hard to go out together, isn't it? You have a lot of work these days..."

"No, no. I can spare as much time as you want."

I shook my head at Karmeut's action of answering in a voice mixed with urgency.

---Of course, he'll do whatever I want him to do if I ask, but... then I’ll be just bothering him, won’t I? Then I can’t do that.

"It's okay! Karmeut should focus on work."

"---Rainelle..."

"I can wait too. So I won't pester you."

Yeah. I won’t bother you! The most important thing right now is what happens between Aria and Namuel! If it went well and the greatest danger has disappeared, I can be by Karmeut's side with peace of mind(?)!

Karmeut looked rather disappointed at what I said. He let out a short sigh and then opened his mouth,

"...you can be a little pampered you know, Rainelle."

"...? Then wouldn't Karmeut be in trouble? You have a lot of work."

“But that doesn’t mean I can’t make time at all.”

He looked dissatisfied as he drank the tea after responding with a grumbling in his tone. Seeing him like that, I pondered,

Umm… There are many places I wanted to go with Karmeut. I want to visit the capital together, and since this is an empire, there would be other interesting cities to see besides the capital, right? I wanted to visit a place like that. Oh, I want to go to the sea too! Even when I was a zookeeper, I can only go to the sea a few times! Since this is a fantasy world, wouldn't the water be incredibly clear?

---Oh, come to think of it, there should be a thug bird called the seagull on the beach! Hmm, I should be in human form at the beach. Otherwise, I'll get beaten!

"Ummm... it's hard to call it a substitute but… can I ask you something?"

"What is it, Rainelle?"

"You see, Aria has a crush on someone."

Karmeut took a sip of his tea. Taking it as a gesture for me to keep talking, I continued,

"I think Aria is having a lot of trouble. She wants me to help too, but I'm just a crow, right? So I don't know what else to help..."

I said it on purpose like that before further telling him that I played the role of a letter-delivering bird between the two.

I can't tell Karmeut that I’m not actually a crow, so I have to be careful! Keep it simple!

"I want Aria to do well, but does she need to worry so much? No male refuses a female who wants to mate, right?"

I smiled bitterly inside at my own words.

Isn't this funny and embarrassing?Ahhh! When can I reveal to Karmeut that I possessed this crow?! ---No, can I? That might destroy the feeling of trust when we met for the first time...

...I'll have to think about that a bit more. Well, umm, this is just a possibility, but Karmeut could get disappointed and even kick me out.

“Because people are different.”

"Different?"

"Yeah. We have to agree with each other. And there's a lot to think about."

"...it's complicated."

"It's complicated. That's why humans have a lot of worries, and sometimes they pair up with someone they don't want. But..."

Karmeut put down his teacup and leaned forward slightly. He narrowed the distance between us. There was a strange heat in his eyes, which were brighter than real gold.

"The Imperial Family of the Wolfrick Empire is different."

I flinched at the remark. Those eyes were so intense that I couldn't bear to face them.

It was not scary, but the persistence of his eyes was burning.

"A, anyway! I want to help Aria. What should I do?"

When I struggled to change the subject, Karmeut kept his mouth shut for a moment. Then he asked while clasping his hands together,

“What kind of person does Young Lady Gwynell like? I can’t answer right away because everyone has different personalities.”

"She likes Namuel."

"...Marquis Namuel?"

"Yeah! Isn't it a little strange? Namuel is kind. So, I don't think it's that hard, but she’s worried."

Haha, it's so hard to pretend I don't know. But I have to act according to the character(?)! I'm a clever crow, but I'm not good at human relations!! ---I can't forget that!

"So I even delivered letters for them! It’s fun. Namuel’s and Aria's expressions change when I deliver the letters!!"

This is not a lie. The reason I can't stop delivering the letters is to see the change in their expression! It’s so funny! I even thought that being a mail carrier is such a rewarding job!

I was excited just thinking about it, so I clenched my fist and waved it slightly. However, Karmeut's expression did not change. He, who had been silent as he cast his gaze on me until I pondered what he was thinking, finally opened his mouth,

"Rainelle, are you concerned about them?"

"Of course!"

The two must be connected so that the biggest obstacle can be safely removed! It will be like succeeding in disposing of explosives! It would be bad if that didn’t happen!! So it's only natural to be worried!

Thinking like that, I nodded my head. Karmeut’s expression now changed. As if he was making it obvious on purpose, he said with a sad expression,

"Rainelle, do you only care about Young Lady Gwynell and Namuel?"

"...huh?"

"I mean, me. Does Rainelle hate me?"

"I can't possibly hate you!"

I won’t even do this if I don't like you, you idiot!

For some reason, I was gushing with anger. Then he asked,

"Then, you like me?"

"Of course!!"

His eyes widened slightly at those words.

---huh? Hold on, wait a second...

'Then, you like me?'

'Of course!'

---!

Oh! Oh my God! I accidentally confessed! Ahhh!!Wait, wait! This confession wasn't planned by him, is it?! What else can I answer besides that?!

Karmeut was smiling softly when I looked at him. Then he whispered,

"If possible, I want you to say it clearly to me."

"Wh, why?"

"Well, I'm a little jealous."

As he said that, he leaned his body slightly forward, and a playful smile appeared on his lips.

"You’re concerned about the relationship between Young Lady Gwynell and Marquis Namuel, but you don't care about me?"

I somehow felt pressure from Kamut's smiling face.

Ahhh, Ahhhh---!! What do I do here?! If I don't say it, I feel like he’s going to sulk, but I'm embarrassed to say it!!

I looked at Karmeut. His golden eyes were filled with anticipation.

...ugh! Okay! It's better to say it once than to keep saying I’m shy!

"I... I like you!"

My face must be looking like a tomato right now!! This is the first time I've ever said that I like someone of the opposite sex! And that’s how I truly feel about him too!!

I was so embarrassed that I closed my eyes tightly.

*thp*

I heard him move. I was nervous at the sound of his movement, but then, something soft and light fell on my cheek and go quickly.

*chu*

"Thank you, Rainelle."

A voice filled with laughter echoed in my ears. The next moment, I felt like I was being wrapped and hugged around my waist.

Only then did I realize that Karmeut had come up to me, kissed my cheek, and hugged me. A blush belatedly appeared until it reached my ears.

But Karmeut didn't seem to have any intention of ending things with that. As he gently pressed his hands around his waist, he pressed his lips to my ear and whispered.

"But that's not what I really want to hear."

"---Wha, what, what more do you want to hear?"

"Of course, it's nice to hear you say you like me, but..."

His hands around my waist gently loosened and went down to my hands. Then he covered the back of my hands, interlocked our fingers, and touched my earlobe with his lips.

When I twisted my body as I was startled by the action, strength was transferred to my hands, as if telling me to remain still. Then his voice that was clearer than ever can be heard,

"I want to hear more than that."

...This, this, this, this is an enchanting prince, no, emperor!! If you tempt me like this, I won't be able to let you go!

-Hah! No! Calm down, me! ! I think it'll be dangerous if we move on from here! I think it's dangerous!

"Um, what does that mean?"

"Are you really asking this because you don't know? Or are you pretending you don't know?"

While whispering that in a soft voice, Karmeut laughed quietly. Every time the sound of that laughter reached my ears, my body shivered.

"I want to hear you say that you love me. The words that you say when you think of me as a male."

Karmeut whispered that in a low, sexy voice with a very little distance to my earlobe.

"If you tell me that you love me... I'll do something good for you."

He added that with a small smile before burying his face in the nape of my neck. His warmth and the wiggling of his fingers to hold my hand as if he was savoring the moment made my head dizzy.

Seriously!! Don't act so lethal!! I think I'm going to faint from a nosebleed! I like you, but if you tempt me openly like this, then---!!

***