Chapter 160 – Not Stand Alone Long (1)
As soon as I saw the fallen golden bird, I let out a cry.
‘No!’
I hurriedly drew Queen to my bosom and then shut the window. It upset me that the archers were still out there, but I had to take care of Queen first. I drew the curtain for privacy and laid him on my bed.
‘Is he dead? Queen, you’re not dead, are you?’
My hands ran over his neck and chest, and to my relief, I found out that he was still breathing. I pressed my ears to his heart, and tears welled up in my eyes when I heard a strong, steady beat.
I felt a large wing cover my head, the bird’s feathery chest warmed my cheek. The tears finally spilled over, and I lifted my head and looked at Queen. He was staring at me with his large, intelligent eyes. Looking at him, my heart felt more brittle than usual.
“Queen…don’t die.”
– Gu.
No, it wasn’t the time for me to be like this. I got out of bed and brought a first-aid kit. Inside the box were some ointment, bandages, and gauze. I went out to the parlor room, took a bottle of wine, went back to my bedroom and locked it, then approached Queen. He was blinking weakly, but his eyes seemed to smile at me whenever our gazes met. A deep ache throbbed in my chest, like someone had stabbed me in the ribs.
“Everything will be alright.”
I forced myself to smile, but the tears kept falling.
‘This is not the time. I have to treat Queen first.’
I set down the wine bottle and roughly wiped my wet cheeks with my palm. When I lowered my hand, Queen stretched out his foot and gave a chirp.
“Does your foot hurt?”
I leaned in to inspect his leg, but it looked fine. Queen sang out again and shook his leg.
“Ah.”
Now I could see the letter tied to Queen’s leg.
“Alright.”
I took the letter and left it on the table.
– !
Queen widened his eyes, as if in disbelief that I didn’t read the letter.
“You first.”
Heinley was a dear friend, but so was Queen. The bird’s health took precedence at this moment.
“Let’s see.”
I carefully combed through his thick feathers to find the arrow that hit him.
“Ah.”
There was a wound, but no arrow.
“You’re fine.”
I thought Queen had been seriously injured when he crashed against the window. The arrow had grazed him, but it hadn’t penetrated into his body.
“You gave me a fright.”
– ?
Queen must be exhausted after flying a long distance and escaping a near fatal attack. He still had a wound, so I lifted his feathers and poured wine on the broken flesh. Queen’s eyes widened and he tried to squirm away, so I locked him with a one-armed grip to prevent him from escaping.
“It’ll hurt, but be patient.”
After I poured the wine, I blotted the wound with gauze and applied some ointment. I gently blew over the ointment, and Queen stretched out his limbs again and widened his eyes.
“Does it hurt too much?”
– …
“It’s done.”
I patted his eyes and cheeks, and Queen quickly settled down. I pressed a light kiss to his beak, then bandaged his wound. He sat in a strange position with his hips hanging over the bed, and he fluttered his wing to test the bandage wrapped around it.
“It’s nice to see you again, Queen.”
He was such a cute and lovely creature, so I left him another kiss on his forehead. Then I opened the letter written by Heinley.
– I’m not far away. I’d like to meet you in person.
– Come to the Duke Elgy’s room anytime tomorrow.
The letter’s contents surprised me. Heinley was here? And he was in the Duke’s room? Again?
‘Is the Duke’s room easier to break in than the rest of the palace?’
How on earth did Heinley get to the southern palace? Did he come in disguise? No, how did Heinley get here so fast? Sir Artina had just arrived a few hours ago. How did Heinley get here so soon after he received the letter from Marquis Farang?
***
“A messenger bird came into the Empress’ chambers?”
Sovieshu’s brow furrowed upon hearing the report that a large, golden bird flew through the Empress’ bedroom window. The archer who had been encamped near the western palace answered quickly.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Sovieshu sighed. The Empress must have already heard about his intention to divorce after meeting with the High Priest. This was not an ideal situation. Did she want to communicate so badly that she was willing to let one or two birds die?
Unhappy about these events, Sovieshu clenched his fist and took in a slow breath. However, the scene of the Empress after she had fainted hovered in front of his eyes. They were about to divorce. She must be in shock by now. He had no courage to see her face, and no energy to fight with her again.
“Very well. Let it go.”
He spoke in a heavy tone.
“Understood, Your Majesty.”
“And there is no need to shoot the birds that enter the Empress’ chambers anymore.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
When the archer left, Sovieshu sighed again. He rang a bell and ordered a servant to bring him a bottle of strong drink. He downed several glasses.