“Strange. I’ve never heard of or seen a duck with blue eyes.”

─ Quack? Quaaack? (My eyes? Only my eyes are the same?)

“Well. Since I’ve never properly seen a duck before, I might be mistaken. Duckie, I respect your eye color.”

─ Quack! Qua… ack? (What are you saying! I’m a human… you know?)

Bestia bounced up and down on Caenian’s palm. She wanted to cry, but every time she opened her mouth, or rather her beak, only quacking sounds came out. She wanted to ask someone for help, but she didn’t know how. The same went for the method of returning to her human form.

Me, a duck! Listen here, you whoever-you-are who picked me up! Me, a duck!

In 16 years, she had never heard from Aesop or Garnet that she was a beastman. And she’s not a commonly known cat, parrot, wolf, or rabbit, but a duck!

─ Quack……! (This is shocking……!)

“You’re a talkative duck. I heard ducks quack all the time. That seems to be something I know accurately.”

Unlike Bestia, who had fallen into panic for the second time, Caenian had a pleased look on his face. He found the sight of the duckling hopping in front of him cute. It had a different charm from the apes kept in the imperial palace.

─ Quack! Quaaack! (O-okay! Thank you, but put me down!)

Whether Caenian found her charming or not. Bestia shook her head vigorously with her beak open. The suffocating current situation was appalling. Even in the midst of this, her gaze kept going to the man in front of her.

What’s this. Now that I look closely, why is he so handsome?

Red hair with a glossy sheen and black eyes. On a small face atop broad shoulders, his eyes, nose, and mouth were prominently featured. There were no male students with such looks even in the academy. The same was true for the entire village.

─ Quack! Quack! (Oh, whatever! Handsome or not, just put me down!)

Bestia, who had been absentmindedly admiring Caenian’s beauty, finally came back to her senses. She felt embarrassed for having such irrelevant thoughts even while turned into a duck.

─ Quack. Quaaack! (Get a grip, Bestia!)

Bestia covered her burning face with her small wings. Although the other person saw her as a duck, she just felt embarrassed and more embarrassed. This made her sincerely want to escape this situation even more. Bestia stomped her feet again and shouted to be put down.

“Doesn’t your throat hurt? You’re so talkative. Quite chatty.”

Unfortunately, to Caenian’s ears, it just sounded like duck quacking.

─ Quack…… (You’re right. My throat does hurt……)

Bestia, who had been repeatedly opening and closing her beak, finally grew tired. Becoming a duck somehow made her feel like her stamina was quickly depleting. It seemed that her activity level changed according to her body size.

She was curious if all beastmen were originally like this, but there was no way to know. She had never met a beastman in her life. Until just a moment ago, she didn’t even know she was a beastman herself.

What should I do now?

Grandma Garnet, Grandpa Aesop, what should I do now?

Bestia raised her head with drooping shoulders. Her moist eyes and pure white down feathers glistened in the sunlight pouring from the bright sky above.

“Ah.”

Caenian let out a sigh as he saw the duck’s cute yellow beak pointing up into the air. It was then.

“Your Majesty! You were here?”

Another man appeared behind Caenian. He was wearing armor modified into casual wear. Caenian turned around sharply with keen eyes.

“Your voice is loud, Potters. Lower it.”

“Ah, I’m sorr… What’s that in your hand, Your Majesty?”

“Can’t you see? It’s a duck.”

“Pardon?”

─ Quaaack? (Your Majesty, you say?)

Bestia doubted her ears. Her fluffy feathers stood on end, startled by the brief exchange.

“That burly man is Potters Kleeman. He’s also my guard knight. Despite his loud voice and rough appearance, he has a good heart, so don’t worry.”

“Your Majesty? Who are you talking to just now?”

“Didn’t I say you should be able to see? It’s a duck.”

“Pardon?”

Bestia saw the bewildered face of a man with neatly styled brown bangs. His large frame flinched at Caenian’s sharp voice. It seemed the man holding her was indeed the emperor.

This is crazy! What should I do!

─ Quack……. (Help me, Bestia……)

Bestia trembled on the palm. She, too, was well aware of the previous emperor’s anti-beastman policy. After all, she was the top student at the academy.

And here she was, a duck beastman. And the man in front of her was the son of that previous emperor and the current emperor?

“Even your trembling is quite cute.”

─ Quack! (Eek!)

Unlike the terrified Bestia, Caenian was beside himself with joy. His touch was delicate as he gently stroked Bestia’s head with his index finger.

“How did you suddenly find a duck? Shall I tell them to prepare duck meat for tonight’s banquet?”

─ Quack! (Oh no!)

Just then, Potters said something outrageous. Despite trying to lower it, his naturally loud voice made Bestia jump. Her heart pounded along with it.

“What did you say?”

“But isn’t this duck too small and skinny? There would hardly be any meat on it, I mean.”

“Potters!”

Bestia, becoming meat.

A small roast duck on a fancy plate. Captivating the imperial palate!

─ Qua-quaaack! (I-I’m not tasty!)

To become a roast duck right after becoming a beastman! The mere imagination was already terrifying enough. Bestia collapsed, quacking. Her webbed feet trembled in the air, and her fluffy bottom touched Caenian’s palm. It was soft and downy.

“Watch your mouth! Ducks have ears too!”

“E-ears?”

Admiration and anger crossed Caenian’s face. The fallen duck was cute, but also pitiful.

“How dare you say ‘roast duck’ in front of a duck! This baby duck is one I personally saved from danger.”

“Pardon? What danger do you mean?”

“Never mind. From now on, be careful with your words. Can’t you see the poor baby duck is trembling?”

Potters, who had come closer after the consecutive scoldings, looked embarrassed. To his eyes, Bestia was just…

“Is this really a duck? Isn’t it a chick?”

“Ha! Potters, can’t you tell even by looking at this beak? Flat and yellow. It’s clearly a duck’s beak. You lack common sense from eating nothing but chicken br*ast and swinging your sword all day.”

“I’m sorry. I’ll study more.”

Caenian clicked his tongue as he carefully stood Bestia up. Then he said, “Look at this,” and grabbed the tip of her beak. He didn’t even pull, but his basic strength was already too much.

Bestia, with her head stretched out, opened her eyes wide. The two men were staring intently at her face. More precisely, at her yellow, flat beak with two nostrils blatantly exposed.

─ Quaack! (How embarrassing!)

Bestia shook her head while her beak was still held. Caenian hurriedly let go.

“Ah, I’m sorry.”

And soon he stroked her back as if to comfort her. While glaring at Potters.

“When we return to the palace, I’ll specially assign you the head teacher of natural history. I learned a lot from him when I was young. He’s a very knowledgeable person.”

“You mean Teacher Muala? But he’s now deaf and his eyes have gone dark…”

“Still, he’s not someone who would mistake a duck for a chick.”

“…Yes.”

Caenian was firm and accurate. Potters bowed his head. Only then did he see the small yellow feet with webbed toes.

Damn it. Even I know chicks don’t have webbed feet!

He felt wronged, but it was too late. Potters scratched his head with an embarrassed look.

“Um, but Your Majesty, it’s really time for us to move now. We need to go.”

“Already?”

“Yes. You need to change your clothes too. Everyone is waiting.”

Potters brought up his original business as soon as he straightened his posture. Caenian responded with a disinterested expression. He was touching various parts of the duck’s body as he spoke.

─ Quaack! Quack! (Where are you touching! Being an emperor doesn’t mean you can do anything!)

Bestia quacked in startled surprise. It was in vain. She was on his palm and no matter how much she flapped her wings, she couldn’t fly.

─ Quaaquaack! (This is s*xual harassment!)

“Hmm… This duck seems to have lost its mother. It must have been a few days. There’s not a bit of fat on its body, that’s exactly it.”

“Pardon? Your Majesty. Did you listen to me at all?”

“On top of that, surrounded by mischievous children with nowhere to go… How pitiful. If it weren’t for me, it would have been in big trouble.”

“Um… Your Majesty? Could you please focus on me…?”

Potters became a mere bystander. The feeling of being treated like an invisible man despite his large build was not pleasant at all. Caenian was busy examining the duck from all angles. Later, he even turned it around and slightly lifted its tail.