Chapter 72: Goat Cheese
Flap, flap—
Huge wings fluttered above me, and a light breeze whisked by.
Then, my right shoulder sank slightly. I turned my head to see the raven cocking its head at me, then it opened its beak: “Pepé—”
Ah, just my luck. It’s you again, you feathered fiend.
Annoyed, I pointed in the direction where Edward was lying down.
“Scram. Your master is over there.”
I shook my shoulder vigorously, trying to shake it off. The raven spread its wings to maintain balance, its sharp claws stubbornly clutching my collar, showing no intention of budging.
“Ow, you’re pinching me, you dumb bird.”
I scowled, glaring at it with my dark eyes.
Of course, the raven couldn’t care less. It tilted its head to look in the direction I pointed, then said something absurd: “Edward, washed?”
…Huh?!
I was taken aback. This bird actually understands that? How smart!
Curiosity piqued, I tried chatting with it: “Can you, understand what I’m saying?”
Hearing my voice, the raven turned its head back, stared at me blankly for a moment, and then opened its beak again: “Fool! Washed!”
“Can you actually understand?”
“Washed!”
“…Fool.”
“Fool—!”
I widened my eyes and poked a finger at it: “You’re the fool!”
The raven, feeling the poke on its wing, pecked at my forehead: “Pepé, fool—!”
“Fool, fool, fool—!”
After a few rounds of this delightful dialogue, I suddenly realized I was acting like a fool, actually arguing with a bird…
At that moment, I caught sight of a dark war chariot weaving through the crowd and coming to a stop not far away. The curtain was drawn back, and I glanced over just in time to see a pair of exquisite red satin boots.
The lady was the first to exit the carriage, glancing around before her gaze landed directly on me, her expression momentarily touched by something.
Suddenly, I heard Bella’s voice: “I’ll go check on the prisoners.”
Without waiting for a response, she turned and left. Her tall, slender figure cut a captivating silhouette under the flickering lights.
A strange feeling stirred inside me.
Clearly, she saw the lady, and the lady was already walking toward me in a flurry, her skirts held high. Normally, shouldn’t she at least say hello first?
Why did it feel like she was avoiding the lady?
Her personality sure was a bit odd… Whatever, why think so much?
In my line of sight, the lady’s graceful figure was swiftly approaching.
“Mother.”
Lafael greeted her, but the lady completely ignored him, casually waving her hand as she brushed past, not stopping even for a moment.
Lafael awkwardly rubbed his nose and shrugged at me.
The next moment, a fragrant breeze wafted my way.
“Are you okay? Did you get hurt anywhere?”
Even from a few steps away, the lady couldn’t contain her anxiety and blurted out. I opened my mouth to tell her I was fine, but before I could, she scooped me up in a tight hug.
“Gah—”
The raven perched on my shoulder was startled and took to the air.
“How is it? Did they hurt you?”
My head was pressed tightly against her chest, the warmth and softness enveloping me, along with a delightful scent of lilacs that made my heart melt.
I gently bobbed my head against her.
“…I’m dirty.”
I was still covered in bl**d, although thankfully it wasn’t much due to the frost. But there was dust and dirt from the battlefield everywhere, mixed with wet snowflakes; I didn’t need a mirror to know I looked like a mud monster.
“You silly child…” The lady released me and held my shoulders, her starry bright eyes scanning my face, worry etched all over, “You still say you weren’t hurt; your face is all messed up.”
I was taken aback.
Messed up!? No way!
My hands hurried to my face.
Not hurting anywhere… doesn’t seem like any major injuries…
I spread my palms in front of my face and saw a dark red stain. I froze for a moment.
Then, it clicked: “This isn’t, my bl**d.”
It must be enemy bl**d splattered on me… when did that happen? Not a clue.
But the lady cared little for that, starting her stream of complaints instead.
“Who let you come over here… A girl, trying to prove what? Just because you think you’re strong?…”
“Can’t you just tell us? Let your father bring people, isn’t that better than coming alone? Just makes us worry…”
“But the situation was urgent…”
“Urgent? You didn’t even have time to climb up a building? After you left, Hu Fu sensed something was off and immediately told me…”
“I didn’t even know what was going on… thought it was going to be like three years ago all over again…”
“Why is your hair all curled like that… Look, the ends are burned…”
“From the fire…”
The lady sighed. She lifted her head, looking toward the battlefield.
The hunters that Bella brought were still trudging through the bloodied land, while the city guards had nearly all surrendered, kneeling in the mud with their swords dropped.
The slaughter was over, but she still looked troubled.
Realizing I was at fault, I wanted to comfort her but didn’t know how. After hesitating for a bit, all I managed was: “I’m sorry, next time, I won’t do it again.”
She looked at me for a moment, and when she spoke again, her words were steeped in frustration.
“What about Edward?”
I pointed: “Over there.”
“… dead?”
“Yeah.”
“… Well, at least it’s clean.”
She sighed softly, the emotion hidden beneath her words.
Meanwhile, the duke, who followed the lady out of the carriage, didn’t come over immediately. He merely noted the exchange between me and the lady, smiled slightly, nodded at me, and turned to Lafael.
Suddenly, the lady reached out to ruffle my hair.
“Pepé, you’ve grown up.”
“Gah—”
The raven’s raspy call echoed again, this time landing on the lady’s shoulder.
I lifted my hand to chase it away, but the lady showed no signs of rejection. In fact, she even reached out to groom its feathers. The raven looked rather pleased, closing its eyes and rubbing its head against her palm as if it were being spoiled.
This scene left me feeling perplexed.
“… That raven…”
The lady smiled at the raven and said: “Goat Cheese, such a good little bird~”
Huh?! Goat Cheese…
What an excellent name… it is… Oh well, no need to say more.
I think I kinda got it?
Sure enough, the lady’s next sentence confirmed my guess.
“It’s the raven you used to raise. It disappeared along with you three years ago and suddenly appeared at my study window this morning, knocking and startling me. Later, when I realized something was wrong, I figured out what it meant… This place has long been abandoned, and it’s not easy to find…”
