“Your Majesty, baby ducks require a lot of care. You have many people to meet, conferences to attend, and sometimes you need to leave the palace. Wouldn’t it be better to release the duck back into nature?”

And the exchange of glances was successful. Duke politely suggested releasing the duck. However, Caenian’s expression was not good.

“Chancellor, you seem particularly interested in this duck.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. It’s the duck I saved, so naturally, I’m concerned.”

“Well, well. You seem ready to write a book titled ‘The Miraculous 30-Minute Motion Sickness Cure’, Chancellor.”

“If Your Majesty would cover part of the publishing costs and write a recommendation, I might consider writing it…”

“Enough. I’m not in the mood for such frivolous wordplay.”

─ Quack! Quack! (Let go! Get away!)

Caenian, with an annoyed expression, ended the conversation while fiddling with Bestia, whom he held tightly to his chest. Bestia tried to dodge in various ways, but it wasn’t easy. She was just rolled around like a ball of cotton in Caenian’s arms.

At the duck’s quacking, Duke’s gaze turned to the small duck. Noticing Duke’s subtle gaze, Caenian’s eyes sharpened.

“Chancellor, do not covet my duck.”

“Your Majesty, if you really intend to keep raising that duck, shouldn’t you learn more about ducks?”

Caenian swiftly turned his arm, hiding the duck behind his back with a stern voice. He enjoyed the soft, tender feeling. It felt addictive. Duke let out a small sigh as he watched this. It was exactly as he had expected.

“I plan to learn gradually. The duck seems more timid than other animals, so I don’t want to rush things.”

“Leaving aside friendliness, Your Majesty, how about building up some biological concepts like the duck’s ecology or lifespan?”

“Chancellor, are you implying that I lack understanding from this early in the morning?”

“Your Majesty, with this old man’s life nearing its end, would I dare to say something that might shorten my days?”

Caenian bristled. Duke didn’t back down and opened his eyes wide. The wrinkles on his forehead deepened even more. It was an expression of indignation.

“Ahem, I apologize for my rudeness.”

Duke’s act was effective. Caenian quickly changed his words. Feeling that his reaction might have been excessive, he casually pulled out the hand he had put behind his back and stroked his chin. His fingertips smelled of duck.

“I have found some books about ducks, Your Majesty. Would you like to read them?”

“Oh, you should have said that from the beginning!”

“Where would you like me to bring them?”

“Bring them to the Ruby Hall, Chancellor. It’s spacious, has little furniture, and large windows, perfect for the duck to move around freely.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. An excellent decision.”

Duke bowed his head. The secretly devised plan was off to a smooth start. As he quietly withdrew from the emperor’s bedroom, he spoke.

“Once he truly learns about ducks, he’ll realize that this duck is not ordinary.”

* * *

─ Quaack quack….. (I wonder when I’ll be able to leave this place…..)

Bestia looked around. She was alone in the Ruby Hall. A lonely atmosphere flowed.

─ Quaaack. (It’s quiet.)

Caenian, who had been reading a book with her by his side, had gone to a state affairs meeting for a while. Bestia briefly recalled her conversation with Caenian. No, it was closer to his monologue.

─ Quack. (It was awkward.)

Bestia sighed deeply and pictured what had happened earlier.

‘Duckie, I deeply feel that my knowledge about you has been lacking.’

─ Quack. (What’s he on about.)

‘It says here that you’re an intelligent bird with a high affection level. I see. Is that why you’ve been so affectionate towards me?’

─ Quaack? (When did I ever?)

Caenian quickly finished reading the dozens of books Duke had brought. However, there was one old book he couldn’t put down.

『A Guide to Raising Ducks at Home for Duck Owners ver.1』

─ Quaack. (Where did they even find something like that.)

The corners of the book were worn out and the pages were yellowed. It was clearly an unpopular book that only had one edition before going out of print. Well, who would think of raising ducks at home?

“It’s a shame this ended with just one volume. I had no idea ducks were so popular as pets.”

─ Quaaack? (Popular? Isn’t it a bit much to call it popular just because of one book?)

Regardless of whether the duck sitting on his lap was snorting, Caenian regretfully stroked the cover. He wanted to read the second volume, but it was impossible to find.

“It’s such an old book, I can’t even find the author. How frustrating.”

A bitter taste filled his mouth. The teaser phrases for the content of the second volume lingered in his mind.

「Reading a Duck’s Thoughts! ─ Animal Communication」
「Unusual Duck Abilities That Are Good to Know」

“I’ve never heard or seen the term ‘animal communication’ before. Did the author make it up? It’s really puzzling.”

The unfamiliar term piqued his curiosity. Caenian tapped the desk with his fingertips. Soon, that hand naturally moved towards Bestia.

─ Quack? (Yes?)

Bestia, who had been sitting quietly, opened her bill. Their eyes met. A white duck head was reflected in his black pupils.

“Betty, I’m really curious about what you’re thinking. I can kind of understand Bonobono, but I can’t figure you out at all.”

─ Quack. (It’d be a disaster if you knew.)

“Anyway, I suppose I’ll understand as time goes by.”

He kept laughing to himself, feeling satisfied, and getting moved all on his own. It was quite a sight.

“Oh my. Duckie, it says here that your maximum lifespan is only 15 years. What should we do?”

─ Quaaack. (I’m not a duck, I’m a beastman, you know.)

“Isn’t 15 years too short? Even Bonobono lives for 40 years…”

─ Quack quaaack. (I’m a beastman, so I’ll live longer than him.)

In the end, he even started tearing up. Oh my. Bestia had no choice but to comfort Caenian. She patted his hand on the table with her small wing.

─ Quack. (Don’t worry.)

“Duckie… sniff.”

─ Quaack. (I’ll live a long time.)

“Please, let’s live together for a long time.”

─ Quaaack. (I’ll live long separately.)

“Yes. Thank you. Become a wonderful adult duck by my side.”

─ Quack. Quaack. (Yeah. I didn’t hear that.)

Bestia said everything, whether it was appropriate or not. It was a blessing that Caenian couldn’t understand her words. If Duke had been there, he would have been shocked, but he wasn’t. He just dumped the books and left. He only said one thing in a voice that only Bestia could hear.

‘You’ll need to turn back into a human soon, so wait.’

So Bestia stayed put. Caenian was already looking for her. He said he’d bring the dim-witted errand girl within two days. It was unexpected, as she thought he had completely forgotten. As expected, an emperor was an emperor. It seemed like he had two brains.

One brain for thinking about the duck and another for thinking about the intruder.

Bestia decided not to underestimate Caenian. Instead, she would turn back into a human, greet him politely, and then run away immediately! It was a perfect plan.

She was curious about duck beastmen too, but for now, her life was more important. She missed Aesop and Garnet. She also missed her best friend Shushu.

* * *

─ Quack. Quaack. (Right. I should avoid becoming a wanted person for now.)

From past to present. Thinking about it again, there was only one way to live long! Bestia nodded.

“Ta-da! I’m back. Did you miss me a lot?”

It was then. Caenian entered the Ruby Hall. He approached quickly and took a seat beside her. His face was full of excitement.

“I finished as quickly as I could. I was really worried about leaving you alone.”

Caenian had barely paid attention to the meeting, thinking about the duck that was left alone.

“If I could, I’d like to take you everywhere, always.”

─ Quack. (No thanks.)

“I couldn’t bring myself to take you to the state affairs meeting. But I’ll make sure to bring you to the next meeting.”

─ Quaaack. (Nooo thaaanks.)

“Anyway, Dora. Looking at you now, it seems you’ve lost some weight. From what I’ve studied, ducks are omnivores. How about trying something other than strawberries from today?”

─ Quaack quack. (I’m not Dora, you know.)

Suddenly, she felt incredibly annoyed. Bestia glared at Caenian. Anger welled up in her blue eyes. Before going to the state affairs meeting, Caenian had been reading poetry. He said he was deeply moved by some poem. Then he gave her this strange name. It was so tacky that she almost threw up the strawberries she had eaten in the morning.

─ Quack. (Ugh.)

“Dora! What’s wrong! Are you hungry? Of course! Strawberries alone aren’t enough nutrition!”

Thinking about it made her feel nauseous again. Her long neck trembled and her yellow bill opened wide. Bitter stomach acid stung her throat. Tears welled up in her eyes.

“Don’t worry! I anticipated this and got something early this morning! I went out briefly while you were sleeping! Hey there!”

Startled, Caenian quickly picked up Bestia. At the same time, he called for the servant outside the door.

“Bring the earthworms!