YM778.TV Chapter 286: First Flight
“Your Excellency Yuri, it happened! It laid eggs!” (Keeper)
“For real?” (Yuri)
It really happened.
“So, how’s White Sunset?” (Yuri)
“She’s already back. You can ride him anytime.” (Keeper)
“I see… That’s good. Now the bloodline can continue.” (Yuri)
Breeding Royal Eagles is a bit tricky. Once a pair is formed, it’s necessary to create an environment similar to their natural nesting sites. That’s why, after White Sunset formed a pair, she was sent to the artificial breeding house located on the Noza Household’s land, on the backside of the mountain.
“Where’s White Sunset?” (Yuri)“She’s in the new eagle house, as usual.” (Keeper)
The war report… well, it can wait. It’s not like it’s something that needs to be done in a matter of seconds. Besides, the eagle house is on the way to the castle.
“Got it. I’ll go check it out. Oh, and return this Eagle to its assigned place. It should be written on its angkle ring.” (Yuri)
“Understood.” (Keeper)
After handing over the reins, I walked toward the third bird cage.
—
The newly constructed eagle house was a bird dome made with curved iron frames treated with black rust and covered with rough wire mesh. The construction was completed last year, and half of the park was demolished to build it. It was the opposite side of the entrance, where a viewing area was set up for the general public to observe the Eagles. It was a visually appealing building and had become a bit of a tourist attraction for the citizens.
“Ah, Your Excellency!” (Keeper)
It’s the caretaker of the third bird cage. Since I see him every time I ride an Eagle, we’re already familiar with each other.
“Is White Sunset here?” (Yuri)
“Ah… well, right now…” (Keeper)
“What is it?” (Yuri)
“Umm, how should I put this… Your daughter is feeding her.” (Keeper)
“Huh?” (Yuri)
Peeking past the caretaker’s back into the bird dome, I spotted a small blonde girl in the distance. Rushing through the double-door entrance, I saw Shulika surrounded by royal guards. It seemed they were keeping an eye on the general public watching the eagles from afar, and screens had been brought in to cover the area tightly, preventing anyone from seeing inside.
I walked over to the excited Shulika.
“What are you doing?” (Yuri)
“Oh, Otou-san! I’m feeding White Sunset!” (Shulika)
Shulika smiled brightly, showing her newly grown baby teeth. She spoke as casually as if she were feeding her pet dog.
“Listen… That isn’t your eagle, and besides, it’s dangerous. Stop it, okay?” (Yuri)
While I could trust White Sunset since she was smart, there were some eagles that could peck through skulls as easily as cracking a walnut, so it wasn’t exactly comforting to watch. The Queen Swords must have suggested a compromise since Shulika was wearing a helmet, but the size difference between the little girl and the Royal Eagle was so vast that it was nerve-wracking. If White Sunset accidentally grabbed her delicate little fingers while biting into the meat, they’d easily snap off.
White Sunset wouldn’t do such a thing, but still…
“Nooo, I don’t wanna! Boo!” (Shulika)
Shulika pouted in a childish manner.
“Richie, how did this happen?” (Yuri)
I asked Richie, the maid assigned to Shulika. Richie was one of the maids who took care of Carol with the head maid at the villa. Shulika, born back then, was already four years old. Richie had grown quite a bit since then, too.
“Well, uh… the other day, Satsuki-sama visited and… told a story about when Yuri-sama—uh, I mean, Your Excellency was a child…” (Richie)
Ah…
“Did she mention that I worked at the eagle breeding farm when I was a child?” (Yuri)
“No, she said that in the Hou household, there’s a tradition of getting children used to eagles from a young age, and apparently, Your Excellency was already riding eagles at the same age… Umm, is it true that you were riding eagles at that age?” (Richie)
Richie asked nervously while looking at White Sunset. Back when Shulika was still in Carol’s womb, I had taken Richie flying on an Eagle once, but far from enjoying it, it had become a mild trauma for her, and since then, she’s been afraid of Eagles.
“It’s not that I rode them. I was made to ride them. Just like you are now, I was flown around while riding with someone else. There’s no way they’d let a kid fly alone.” (Yuri)
Somehow, the information seems to have been miscommunicated.
“Oh, I see… I thought…” (Richie)
Richie glanced at Shulika. She must have heard it from her.
“I see…” (Shulika)
It seemed Shulika misunderstood too, and she looked a bit disappointed.
“But, since I’ll be riding them when I turn five, I need to be friends with White Sunset! Good boy, good boy!” (Shulika)
Shulika happily stroked White Sunset’s beak. For some reason, she had decided she would be riding at age five. White Sunset seemed to view Shulika as someone to protect, and didn’t mind the attention, occasionally licking her hand with his tongue while being petted.
Umm…
I looked at Tillet, the royal guard stationed nearby for any emergencies. She had a bitter expression on his face. It seemed like she had no intention of stepping in as the bad guy.
“Shulika, that’s a tradition of the Hou household. Your name is Shulika Or Chartres, isn’t it?” (Yuri)
“Huh?” (Shulika)
Shulika looked at me, confused by my logic.
“But I’m your daughter, Otou-san.” (Shulika)
“That’s true. But you’re not inheriting the Hou household. Besides, even if you were from the Hou Household, only the boys ride eagles at five. Shamu is a distinguished lady of the Hou Household, but she didn’t ride at five.” (Yuri)
In other words, Shulika isn’t a boy, nor is she part of the Hou household. Everything’s wrong.
“Uh… but, I’m your daughter…” (Shulika)
Ugh, she doesn’t seem to understand.
She kept repeating the only foundation of his own argument.
“But, Shulika is a girl, right?” (Yuri)
“Umm, umm, but I’m daddy’s child…” (Shulika)
At that moment, when I thought, “Here we go again,” Shulika said something unexpected.
“Besides, mommy rode on it, right?” (Shulika)
Ooooh… She hit a sore spot. Tillet and I couldn’t help but exchange glances. Even Tillet seemed a bit surprised by this sharp remark that came out of nowhere, her eyes widened.
However, although Carol did indeed ride an Eagle, that was during the war as part of royal education. No one expects Shulika to be the kind of ‘princess who can rally the troops on the front line and fight’. Eagles are dangerous creatures that can easily lead to fatal accidents, so honestly, I don’t want her riding one.
“Shulika-sama, what’s no good is no good. Please understand.” (Tillet)
Tillet finally spoke.
“So, I can’t ride White Sunset…?” (Shulika)
The little girl’s blue eyes began to tear up. She looked back and forth between my face and Tillet’s face.
“Yes. What’s no good is no good.” (Tillet)
When Tillet firmly said that again,
“…Nooo…” (Shulika)
Ah, I knew it would come to this.
“Nooo~~~~… I don’t want toooo~~~~… Waaaahh~~~!” (Shulika)
She burst into tears, with big drops falling down her face. It wasn’t fake crying. It was genuinely sorrowful, the kind of crying that grips an adult’s heart. It hurt to watch.
“Hey, Tillet.” (Yuri)
I motioned with my finger for Tillet to follow me. With a bitter expression, Tillet nodded, glanced behind him, and gave a hand signal to the Queen Swords by the screen to come over.
After we moved a little away from Shulika, I said,
“What are we going to do? I don’t think teaching her to ride an Eagle is entirely out of the question…” (Yuri)
“I don’t want her to. I can’t protect her in the sky.” (Tillet)
I knew he would say that. The Queen Swords may sacrifice their lives to protect Shulika on land, but in the sky, there’s nothing they can do. If the hawk suddenly has a heart attack and starts to fall from high altitude, there’s no way to save her. That’s probably what Tillet is most worried about.
“Either way, when she becomes an adult, you won’t be able to control everything she does. If she tries to ride an Eagle then, it will be even more dangerous.” (Yuri)
“…But, Eagles aren’t something you ride for fun. Considering her position, it’s an inappropriate hobby.” (Tillet)
“Well, that’s true…” (Yuri)
In the distance, Shulika was still crying, “Waaah~~ I don’t want to~~ I want to ride~~”.
White Sunset was visibly unsettled by this unusual situation. She was anxiously pushing Shulika with her beak and rubbing her head against her. It seemed like she was trying to comfort her.
“In any case, it wouldn’t be good to promise the princess anything here. Let’s separate her for now, and if she keeps insisting, we’ll reconsider.” (Tillet)
Tillet seemed to be betting on the possibility that Shulika would eventually get bored and forget about it. That could indeed happen.
“Alright, let’s go with that.” (Yuri)
“Good, it’s decided then.” (Tillet)
Just as Tillet said that, something unbelievable happened right before my eyes.
White Sunset suddenly thrust his beak into the collar of the crying Shulika, grabbed her, spread his wings wide, and began flapping vigorously.
“Idiot!! Grab the princess!!” (Tillet)
Tillet shouted with a bloodcurdling expression, but by the time he gave the command, Shulika had already been carried to a height where the royal swordsmen couldn’t reach, no matter how much they stretched their hands. She was being taken up to the beam where the hawks perch.
After placing Shulika on the beam, Hakubo released her collar.
“What are you doing! We’ll go rescue her!” (Tillet)
“Wait.” (Yuri)
I stopped Tillet.
“First, we need to think about what happens if she falls. There’s a screen with cloth attached to it down there. Prepare to catch her safely.” (Yuri)
When I said that, Tillet, realizing it was a sound argument, ordered her subordinates to move the screen directly under Shulika. The screen was well-made, and the cloth stretched across it was thick cotton. With Shulika’s light weight, it should act like a trampoline and catch her safely.
“If we’re going to climb up, it’ll be quicker to put a saddle on an available hawk and ride up. Bring a rope too.” (Yuri)
The beam where Shulika was perched was quite high, and it wasn’t built with the idea of humans climbing it, so there were no ladders. On the other hand, the beam was sturdy enough to support two Eagles, so with the athletic abilities of the Queen Swords, it would be much quicker to descend from a hawk onto the beam.
“Y-Yes, you’re right. Hey! Yancke, get a rope! Chilka, bring a saddle! I’ll catch the Eagle!” (Tillet)
Shulika, who was sitting on the beam, seemed stunned by the whole situation. Whether she had a heart of steel or had inherited her grandfather’s fearless spirit of the sky, she didn’t seem panicked at all, remaining calm. Gripping the beam, White Sunset was observing Shulika quietly, as if she were soothing a child who had stopped crying.
For White Sunset, who calls the sky his home, the idea that a child might panic, fall off the beam, and die was probably beyond his imagination. She likely thought of it like taking a child who wants to play in a sandbox straight to the sandbox, nothing more. But this is not okay.
I stared intently at White Sunset. Eventually, our eyes met. With her keen vision, White Sunset must have realized from my expression that she had done something wrong. She turned his head away and, looking uncomfortable, adjusted her grip on the beam with her talons.
Then, she grabbed Shulika’s collar again. The strength of a Royal Eagle’s beak was enough to tear apart the flesh of a herbivore pinned under its claws. There was no chance of her falling.
White Sunset gently descended with Shulika still in her beak and slowly set the little girl down on the ground. Her clothes were probably torn by now.
“Princess!” (Tillet)
Tillet and the other Queen Sword rushed over at once, quickly separating White Sunset from Shulika.
I went over to White Sunset and patted his head. White Sunset sensed that she was being scolded. She lowered her head and bowed down in submission. Because of this, I had to crouch down to reach and pat her head.
“Never do that again. Understood?” (Yuri)
White Sunset lowered its head even further as if nodding and let out a “Kurururu” sound. It might feel too lenient, but well, it probably won’t do it again.
When I returned to Shulika, she wasn’t crying or throwing a fit. Instead, she had a blank expression. It seemed like she couldn’t even hear Tillet and the other Queen Swords.
“What’s wrong?” (Yuri)
“Oh, Otou-san. Um…” (Shulika)
“There’s a hole in your clothes. Let’s head back to the castle.” (Yuri)
I picked up Shulika with ease.
“Tillet, I’ll take Shulika back to her room. Could you fetch Myaro for me? We need to hold an emergency meeting.” (Yuri)
“Uh, but…” (Tillet)
“I’ll take care of the scolding. You can do yours later. I’m counting on you.” (Yuri)
Without waiting for a response, I carried Shulika back toward the castle.
—
“You can put me down now. I can walk.” (Shulika)
“Alright.” (Yuri)
I set Shulika down in the castle corridor. There was still a bit of distance left to her room. Shulika grabbed my hand with her small hand and began walking.
“Um, Otou-san, please don’t be mad at White Sunset.” (Shulika)
Shulika looked up at me with pleading eyes as she spoke.
“Why?” (Yuri)
” White Sunset felt sad because I was crying. That’s why it tried to cheer me up by doing that.” (Shulika)
“…Is that so?” (Yuri)
If Shulika can truly communicate with the eagle, she might have a natural talent. But I can’t bring myself to believe in such a fairytale idea. It’s common for kids to think that way. However, Hakubo acted. I got the feeling she really was trying to comfort the crying Shulika. I’ve dealt with eagles for years and heard many stories, but I’ve never once heard of a Royal Eagle acting that way without using prey as food.
“So, please forgive White Sunset.” (Shulika)
When I looked at Shulika’s face, she was looking up at me, genuinely worried. Seeing that expression, I realized she understood the gravity of the situation.
What happens to someone who harms the body of the Queen? Especially when the perpetrator is an animal. It could face punishment or even be put down. She likely feared that outcome. Her understanding wasn’t far from the truth. If White Sunset had been just an ordinary eagle, one I had no attachment to, raised by no one special like Luke, I wouldn’t have felt the need to protect it. Who knows what might have happened.
” White Sunset has been scolded enough. I’ve already forgiven her.” (Yuri)
“Really? That’s a relief…” (Shulika)
“So, how did it feel?” (Yuri)
“Huh? What do you mean?” (Shulika)
Shulika smiled brightly, like the clear blue sky after the gray clouds had disappeared.
“You flew in the sky, even if it was in a small cage. How was it?” (Yuri)
“Um…” (Shulika)
“Were you scared?” (Yuri)
“I was scared. But… maybe it was also a little fun.” (Shulika)
Did she actually enjoy that? Any normal child would have cried and never wanted to see an Eagle again, like Ritche.
“Being scared is a good thing. For a rider, experiencing fear is a rare and valuable experience.” (Yuri)
“Why? I think even adults experience a lot of scary things.” (Shulika)
“That’s not what I mean. If something scary happens while riding an Eagle, it usually means an accident has occurred in midair, right? In most cases, that means death. Surviving such an experience is extremely rare.” (Yuri)
“Even you would die, Otou-san?” (Shulika)
“Yeah. If something happened such as if Hakubo’s wing suddenly broke, there wouldn’t be much I could do. It would be like jumping from the top of the royal castle.” (Yuri)
“…That sounds awful.” (Shulika)
Shulika looked down while giving a vague response, as if unsure whether she fully understood or not.
“Do you still want to ride?” (Yuri)
“Um… uh…” (Shulika)
It seemed like I was pressuring her. With this, Shulika probably wouldn’t be able to say she wanted to ride anymore. Maybe her desire to ride had already faded away.
“Listen, Shulika. Think carefully.” (Yuri)
I waited for her to lift her face. She looked up at me curiously, wondering why I had suddenly stopped walking, and our eyes met.
“Ask yourself which feeling is stronger. Is it being scared and not wanting to do it, or wanting to try because it’s fun? You are indeed a Queen, but that doesn’t mean you should bury the things you don’t want to do or give up on the things you want to try. If you want to do it, say so.” (Yuri)
When I said that,
“I want to try!” (Shulika)
Shulika answered immediately with a strong voice.
“…I guess blood will tell. Alright, I’ll teach you how to ride an Eagle.” (Yuri)
“Really!?” (Shulika)
Shulika’s face lit up with the brightest smile of the day, like a sunflower blooming in the summer, and she hugged my leg.
“Thank you! Otou-san! I love you!” (Shulika)
So adorable… It makes me want to take her home with me. Well, she’s already my child, though.
“You can’t walk like this. I’ll carry you.” (Yuri)
As soon as I said that, Shulika quickly let go. Instantly, she raised her arms up like she was already used to it. When I picked her up, she clung to me tightly, expressing her happiness with her whole body.
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