At Rika’s words, a terrible silence enveloped the Diamond Hall. Even the music that had been softly playing stopped.

“Princess Rika Harael of the Kingdom of Runda. How should I interpret your question?”

“Just as you heard it, Your Majesty.”

“So, I heard it, but it’s such nonsense that I’m having trouble understanding.”

The one who broke the silence was Caenian. To his sharp question, Rika answered without losing her smile. Since the water was already spilled, she wanted to at least maintain her dignity. She held her chin up proudly.

Her father would scold her severely if he knew, but she couldn’t suppress her rising anger. Even if relations between Runda and Delta soured afterward. She didn’t want to see Caenian getting along well with that duck beastman.

“Your Majesty, do you truly believe this duck is an ordinary animal?”

“What?”

“Or are you mocking us by gathering the heirs of each country and claiming a beastman is an animal?”

— Quack! (Gasp!)

Rika pointed at Bestia with her finger and very boldly asked if she was a beastman. She didn’t care if Caenian’s brow furrowed.

“What, was it really a beastman?”

“Did he really bring a beastman and pretend it was an animal? Your Majesty?”

“I thought something was strange when it understood words so well.”

“Could it be… I heard duck beastmen were extinct?”

“Well. Maybe they left one before extinction. I don’t know why though……”

— Quack! (What the! What do I do!)

The rapidly overheated atmosphere, the fracturing of trust shown to Caenian, the silently vanished praise for the duck.

“It seems Princess Rika Harael of the Kingdom of Runda doesn’t understand what kind of disrespect she has committed.”

And Caenian’s voice, filled with anger, filled the hall. Everyone at the banquet looked at the emperor who had risen from his seat. Normally, staring directly at the emperor’s face would be unimaginable. But now, no one cared about such formalities.

“You there! Summon the priests from the imperial palace temple immediately! We need to clearly erase the deeply rooted suspicion in this place before people will come to their senses.”

Creak.

With the sound of grinding teeth, the order was given. Servants quickly left their positions. But it didn’t end there.

“Bring everyone who has met Betty since I brought her to the palace! Whatever they’re doing, wherever they are! Right now!”

Following the successive orders, countless people came to the banquet hall. The veterinarian who had prescribed water with centipedes, the servant who had brought an ostrich boat instead of a duck boat, all were present.

“Your Majesty, what is this about? You know I can’t dance anymore with my knees……”

— Quack. Quaaack! (Grandpa Chancellor. We’re in big trouble!)

Duke, who had been applying hot compresses to his aching knees, came shuffling in. Bestia cried plaintively as soon as she saw him. Potters had already been present at the banquet as Caenian’s shadow.

“Listen, everyone. On a day when a banquet should be enjoyable, I heard something very disgraceful and unpleasant. Here, Princess Rika Harael of the Kingdom of Runda spoke without knowing what is considered disrespectful.”

The woman who dared to touch the emperor’s companion duck. Caenian pointed at Rika. Everyone’s gaze poured toward her.

“Since I treated you well, you seem to have taken me lightly. But you’ll soon learn what consequences your slip of the tongue will bring.”

With this sharp warning, Bestia was placed on a golden tray. It was brought by priests from the temple.

“Miss Betty underwent the identity verification procedure successfully on her first day at the palace, but according to Your Majesty’s wishes, we will conduct it once more here.”

“The incense smoke may be strong, so those with sensitivities should cover their noses for a moment.”

— Quaaack! (What if I’m discovered!)

Hazy smoke began to spread from the incense burned by the priests. Bestia trembled. She didn’t want her identity exposed in front of so many people. The burden of deceiving even Caenian weighed heavily on her.

— Quack! Quaaack! (He might kill me! He might kill me for deceiving him!)

Tears filled her blue eyes. A panicked duck paced back and forth on her feet. Her unstable gaze shook wildly.

Until yesterday, she had been complacent about her identity. She had indulged in hopeful thinking that Caenian had already fallen for her as a duck, so it would be fine.

“Everyone, watch carefully! You all went through this procedure when entering the palace, so you know it. If the smoke surrounding Betty takes the form of a duck, I will not let Princess Harael leave easily.”

It was a miscalculation. Caenian, extremely angry, was frightening. Apart from his anger toward Rika, he seemed unlikely to spare her either.

How dare a beastman deceive the emperor! She could end up as a roast duck with a thunderous command. The current atmosphere certainly suggested so.

— Quaaang…… (Save the last duck beastman……)

The frightened Bestia curled her body into a ball. She cried, clutching her head with her adorable wings. White smoke concealed the duck’s form from people’s eyes.

Rika watched without blinking. The angry Caenian was frightening, but she believed her intuition. That duck was definitely a beastman. And the white smoke slowly began to take shape.

“Huh……”

“M-My goodness……”

“W-What do we do about this……”

Those watching the situation with bated breath covered their mouths. The sound of eyeballs rolling was loud everywhere. Bestia, with her eyes tightly closed, saw nothing as she cried. She didn’t see the enormous shape the white smoke had created above her head.

It was a duck!

“Did everyone see! Betty is a real duck! Drag that woman out immediately! Send letters to the border areas to ensure she never sets foot in the Delta Empire again!”

“W-Wait! I-Impossible! Your Majesty! Emperor! That duck is a beastm—, a beastm—…!”

Caenian ordered as if he had been waiting for this moment. Knights on standby grabbed Rika and dragged her away. Rika screamed as she was pulled out. She looked like she might shed tears of blood from her red eyes.

“Oh dear, how unfortunate……”

“The Kingdom of Runda is finished now……”

“Their country is about to collapse because of one princess’s mistake……”

People turned their heads away from that terrible face. Sympathetic gazes poured toward the trembling white duck. As if they had never doubted her. It was disgusting.

“Betty, raise your head.”

— Quaaack…… (What is happening……)

Bestia was still curled up in a ball. From what she heard, she was a duck, but she couldn’t believe it. She knew best that she was a duck beastman. Her mind was confused about how this could be possible.

“There, there, Betty. You can stop trembling now. Because you’re so cute and excellent, you became the target of strange accusations and jealousy. It’s all my fault.”

Caenian lifted the duck from the golden tray. The space he created with both hands was warm. Only then did Bestia raise her white head.

— Quack……? (Am I really okay……?)

Along with a quacking sound squeezed out like wringing water, a teardrop that had formed at the corner of her eye fell with a plop.

“Oh my! Our Miss Betty! How pitiful!”

“Your Majesty! I recommend immediate rest for Miss Betty’s mental and physical well-being!”

“Poor Miss Betty! How could someone slander an innocent animal out of jealousy!”

Game over. It was Bestia’s perfect victory.

“Betty, I’ll be back soon, so go ahead.”

— Quack? (Where to?)

Caenian and Bestia, who had left the banquet, were about to part briefly.

“I have urgent matters to discuss with my ministers.”

— Quack? (You’re going to work? At this hour?)

The emperor’s performance of official duties regardless of day or night was the reason.

“Servant. Treat my duck with special care.”

“I will escort Miss Betty safely to Your Majesty’s bedroom with my life, Your Majesty.”

And so Bestia was handed over to the servant.

Tremble tremble.

“L-Let’s go, L-Miss Betty.”

The servant holding the small duck trembled violently. He even stuttered. He appeared extremely tense before the noble duck.

— Quack! (Stop trembling! It’s making me dizzy!)

Every time the servant walked, the small duck in his hands wobbled. Bestia quickly felt motion sickness.

— Quack! (Ugh! I feel like I’m going to throw up!)

The sweat-soaked palm was unpleasant. Her duck feet stuck to it.

Flap flap.

— Quaaack! (I hate this palm!)

“Kuhup! M-Miss Betty. Y-You’ll f-fall if you do that!”

Bestia attempted desperate wing-flapping. Her humble wings moved busily.

“K-Kuhuk! Miss Betty! Please……”

The startled servant stopped in his tracks. His face showed fear of dropping the emperor’s duck.

“Miss Betty! Please forgive my rudeness! It’s all for your safety!”

— Quack? (What is this? What is this!)

Eventually, Bestia was placed in a golden duck cage and moved to the bedroom, and the dazed servant hurriedly left the bedroom as soon as he set down the cage. He even forgot to open the cage door.

— Quaaack! (You should let me out of here!)

Quacking sounds full of dissatisfaction echoed through the empty bedroom. Bestia hated her current situation of lost freedom.

— Quaaack! (I hate being in a duck cage!)

The duck cage felt exactly like a prison. She kept remembering Caenian’s words about locking her in a prison. It was terrible.

— Quaaa! (When is Caenian coming!)

The angry Bestia clung to the golden bars. She continuously let out strange noises through her duck bill wedged between the bars.

— Quack! (Bring the emperor before me!)