Popcorn Is Furious
The little bird darted through the window in the blink of an eye.
Though small, its wingbeats were surprisingly powerful. Up close, you could hear a faint buzzing sound, like a tiny whirlwind had burst into the carriage.
The bird couldn’t slow its momentum and slammed straight into Marguerite’s chest with a solid thud.
Ouch…
It was small, but it still hurt a little. If she’d been wearing a corset it might have been fine, but commoner clothes didn’t come with such things.
The little bird bounced off her chest and landed in her lap.
There was no sign of the spirit. It seemed the bird had come alone.
Marguerite blinked. From a distance at the banquet hall she hadn’t noticed, but up close the bird’s feathers were truly remarkable. The fiery scarlet plumage shimmered as if it were glowing on its own. Streaks of ash-gray mixed in gave it a mottled, almost dirty appearance, yet those brilliant scarlet feathers sparkled beautifully.
The little bird lay with its eyes closed, as if unconscious. It wasn’t moving at all.
“Don’t tell me… it’s dead?”
The moment she reached out to check, the bird’s eyes snapped open.
“Eek!”
Startled, Marguerite flinched as the bird suddenly sprang up.
“Pii!”
It let out a loud cry and flapped its wings wildly, leaping off her lap and darting around the inside of the carriage in a frantic search.
“Pii! Pipipi!”
After circling the carriage several times as if looking for something, the little bird stopped dead still, its expression one of utter despair. It looked completely devastated.
Could this child be… perhaps…
“Are you looking for the spirit? Did you think it would be here?”
“Pii… pii…”
The little bird answered with a weak, almost affirmative chirp.
Marguerite crouched down on the floor and gently cupped the bird in her palms.
“Would you like to stay with me here? The spirit visits me often, so you’ll probably get to meet it.”
Her true feelings were a little different. She had begun to fear she might never see the spirit again, but being with this little bird somehow made her believe they would meet. Besides, she was scared of being alone right now. Even if it was only a small bird, having something by her side would make her feel much safer.
In truth, she was so frightened that she desperately wished for even this tiny creature’s company.
Marguerite hugged the bird tightly to her chest.
The horses used for this escort were old nags. If they were pushed to run all day, they’d collapse before long. Using that as an excuse, the soldiers frequently rested on the coachman’s seat with their comrade.
The coachman looked slightly displeased but said nothing.
After they had traveled a short while, the coachman asked, “There’s a village just ahead. Shall we stay there tonight?”
Though phrased as a question, he was already steering the horses in that direction.
The soldier gave the coachman’s arm a light smack. “Just keep going.”
“What? The sun’s already setting.”
“We’re camping out tonight.”
At the soldier’s words, his comrade sitting on the other side of the coachman let out a sleazy chuckle. The coachman’s face shifted into an expression of understanding as he glanced at them.
Lowering his voice, the coachman said, “Are you crazy? That woman is a noble. You even took money from the guy who called himself her brother.”
“As long as you keep your mouth shut, no one will know. Besides, we have a secret weapon.”
The soldier pulled a small vial from his pocket and waved it in front of the coachman. It was a low-quality aphrodisiac that circulated secretly on the black market. He’d heard it had been stolen during a bandit subjugation.
Just a drop or two, and a woman wouldn’t clearly remember who had done what to her.
“And anyway, even if she used to be a noble, she’s a slave now.”
“...”
“You know all the women sent to the pioneer village become slaves, right?”
The comrade wrapped an arm around the coachman’s shoulder. “You can either watch her get treated like a dog and listen to us, or you can join in and have some fun. What’ll it be?”
The coachman looked back and forth between the soldier and his comrade.
“You’re insane. In case you didn’t know, that woman was apparently the prince’s fiancée.”
“Oh really? Is that so?”
The comrade whistled. He clearly didn’t believe it.
The soldier, however, found it somewhat believable. She really was that beautiful. When he first saw her, he thought a goddess had descended from heaven. After the shock wore off and he noticed her clothes, he wondered if she might have been a high-class courtesan kept by royalty or powerful nobles. He had felt an intense surge of jealousy, wondering how such lofty men got to sleep with a woman so devastatingly beautiful.
But.
Recalling the man who had called himself her brother, the soldier snickered.
“If she really had that kind of status, would her so-called brother have looked so shabby?”
He remembered the figure he had glimpsed before she changed clothes.
“She must have been some high-ranking lord’s plaything.”
When he held up his pinky finger, the coachman grimaced.
“Sigh… Do whatever you want. I’m not participating.”
“Suit yourself. Don’t come crying to me later when you regret it.”
The coachman said nothing more.
The carriage rolled straight past the small village. The sky gradually darkened. As night fell, the soldier’s heart pounded with excitement and anticipation.
When he had been suddenly drafted and ordered to escort a prisoner, he had thought himself the unluckiest man alive. When he learned the destination was the pioneer village, he had felt bitterly resentful at being worked like a dog without extra pay.
But after seeing that woman…
Haha. He had thought his life was nothing but misfortune, yet who could have guessed such incredible luck would come his way?
A beauty like her was normally someone you’d struggle to even catch a glimpse of. During the long journey to the pioneer village, he would thoroughly pamper her every single day, making sure there wasn’t a single spot on her body he hadn’t touched or seen.
For a moment he even considered kidnapping her instead of handing her over, running away together somewhere. That would probably be better for her too. Then surely…
After thinking for a while, the soldier shook his head. It was pointless to entertain impossible dreams. He should simply be grateful for the fleeting chance to taste her and be satisfied with that.
Whew. His pants were getting uncomfortably tight.
With his chest swelling with anticipation, the soldier shouted loudly, “Alright, let’s get ready to camp!”
The soldier and his comrade hurriedly gathered branches.
A short while after the carriage stopped, the world plunged into complete darkness.
After the soldier and coachman lit a campfire, they brought her a bowl of stew.
The barren land had no grass, leaving everything wide open, yet now an inky blackness pressed down like a heavy boulder. It felt as though the darkness itself was crushing her.
Why do I feel this way?
She felt strangely suffocated and anxious. Well, she had been anxious from the beginning.
Was it because of the look in the soldier’s eyes when he handed her the stew? Or the way he had licked his lips right after giving her the bowl?
Something feels wrong.
Before it grew dark, she had sensed the carriage suddenly changing direction. She couldn’t be sure, but her instincts were whispering that something was off.
Marguerite set the stew down on the carriage floor without eating it. She had a bad feeling; it seemed like something she shouldn’t consume.
The little bird hopped closer to the bowl. Marguerite quickly scooped it up.
“Are you hungry?”
She took a piece of jerky from the bag her brother had given her. Normally jerky was much harder, but the one her brother provided was still soft. If you held it in your mouth for a while, you could eat it without boiling or soaking it. He had deliberately prepared this kind for her.
Brother…
Thinking of her brother, father, and mother helped calm her heart a little. If the stew was normal, it would be a shame to waste it, but once suspicion took root, she couldn’t bring herself to eat it.
Marguerite chewed the jerky until it was soft, tore off a small piece, and offered it to the bird.
Cheep.
The bird opened its beak wide and ate happily. It was adorable.
Her anxious heart eased a bit, and she wondered if her suspicions had been unfounded.
Maybe I should just eat it.
The food her brother gave her was limited, and the journey ahead was quite long. From what she had overheard, it usually took more than a month to reach the pioneer village. Even rushing without rest like this would likely take at least ten days.
It would be difficult to keep refusing food out of suspicion the entire time. If she wasn’t careful, she might die before even arriving at the pioneer village. Riding in a carriage required more stamina than expected.
That was when she heard a clattering sound from outside.
“...”
Marguerite quickly grabbed the shoe she had set beside her and held it upside down. She had surrendered the dress to the soldiers but kept the shoes. Her brother hadn’t said anything about it. Perhaps he had thought she could use them as a weapon.
That was what Marguerite believed. A sharp heel like this wouldn’t kill anyone, but it would certainly do some damage.
She peered out the slightly open window and saw two men standing in front of the door.
“The drug should be kicking in by now.”
“But it’s too quiet.”
“Heh heh, doesn’t matter.”
“True enough.”
The men chuckled nastily. The bastards really had put something in the food.
The door on the opposite side of the carriage was sealed shut. It had been firmly blocked from the start, probably standard for prisoner transport. The windows were the same. There was no escape that way.
Whew. Marguerite took a deep breath.
I’ll stay hidden in the corner until they come in, then strike like lightning and jump out.
If she ran into the darkness, she might somehow get away. She could end up as wolf food, but that would be better than what these men had planned.
Yes. Better to die than suffer that.
The men whispered among themselves before opening the carriage door.
With a creak of rusty hinges that sent chills down her spine, the door opened.
The bird in her arms tilted its head. To move freely, she needed to let it go. Marguerite set the bird down in the corner.
A man’s head poked inside.
Marguerite gripped the shoe tightly.
“Huh? Where did she go?”
When the man muttered that, the other soldier stuck his head in too.
“Isn’t she hiding in the corner?”
The moment the soldier looked her way, Marguerite sprang up and swung the shoe with all her might.
But the soldier was faster.
“You damn bitch!”
Cursing, he snatched her wrist and twisted it. She screamed as she was thrown to the floor.
“Pii! Pii!”
The little bird let out a fierce cry and flew straight at the soldier’s face.
“Argh! This damn bird is going for my nose!”
The soldier released Marguerite’s hand and flailed his arms wildly, screaming. He tried to shake the bird off, but it seemed to have latched onto his face with surprising strength.
“Get it off me! Grab this cursed bird! Aaaagh! It’s pecking my nose!”
A horrible scream erupted as the other man tried to pull the bird off the soldier’s face.
Marguerite grabbed the shoe again. This time she swung it hard and struck the distracted man squarely on the back of his head. As he clutched his skull and crumpled forward, Marguerite reached out to the bird.
“Come here! Hurry!”
At her call, the little bird flapped its wings and flew to her. The moment it landed in her palm, she grabbed it gently and began to run.
Right before jumping out, her eyes met the coachman’s, but he made no move to stop her.
Good!
But after only a few steps, the soldiers got up and chased after her.
“You filthy whore!”
“We were going to be nice, but now you’re asking for a beating!”
“Today you’re going to taste hell.”
Even while clutching their painful spots, the two men chased her at terrifying speed.
Marguerite ran as fast as her legs could carry her.
Please, please, please.
Her heart felt like it would burst. Just when she thought that with a little more effort she could put some distance between them, her foot caught on something.
Marguerite lost her grip on the bird and tumbled forward. Thanks to its wings, the bird seemed to land safely.
Pii, pii. Its pretty chirps came from right in front of her.
But she…
“Got you, you wench!”
A man’s hand seized her long hair. Her head was yanked back violently. As her face tilted upward, she saw a tiny light shining brightly in the distance.
A very small, incredibly bright light.
Ah, that’s…
The moment Marguerite’s eyes widened, a thunderous cry tore through the pitch-black sky.
“Pipipipipipipipi!”
Who dared to hurt our daddy’s bride! Pipi!
Popcorn was furious.