Chapter 85
Chapter 85
“Cute…”
It was cute. Round and fluffy, with tiny, beady eyes and a sweet little beak, it was undeniably adorable. It was inevitable that both Cesar and I would be captivated by this tiny life. We spent a long time simply gazing at the small chick, completely oblivious to the passage of time, even failing to notice Delphina’s arrival.
“Wh-what is this?”
Turning, we saw her staring at us, eyes wide with astonishment. I felt a pang of guilt, like a child caught in the act of mischief.
“Oh, well, that’s…”
Delphina seemed at a loss, clearly uncomfortable with the small creature perched on the prince’s hand, yet unable to shoo it away. How could I possibly explain this? I couldn’t very well tell her it was the… fruit of our love.
“Don’t tell me…from yesterday?”
The astute Delphina seemed to have already figured it out. Since she had brought the egg, the chick’s appearance was a logical conclusion. However, this was something Cesar couldn’t know. I quickly shook my head and placed a finger to my lips. Once again, she understood exactly what I meant.
“Um…uh…what is this?”
“Well, you see…” I hesitated, still grappling with how to explain this absurd situation. Cesar, however, offered a cheerful and concise answer.
“The fruit of our love.”
A shiver ran down my spine, as a heavy silence descended. Finally, Delphina nodded vigorously. “Ah, the fruit of your love, I see.”
His words were so preposterous that I had to speak. “You… you understand it that way?”
“Your affections for each other are so strong. It’s only natural, isn’t it?” She smiled brightly at me, leaving me speechless and defeated. I could only manage a weak, “Mmm.”
For some reason, the two of them seemed to share an unspoken understanding, nodding in agreement as they gazed at the chick. My head throbbed. This surreal situation, so detached from reality, was incredibly disconcerting. A thousand worries flooded my mind.
“What do we feed it?”
“A newly hatched… I mean, this little one doesn’t need to be fed immediately.”
“Really?”
Delphina confided in a low voice that she had raised chickens as a child. Thank goodness she had some knowledge about these creatures. We whispered, casting furtive glances at Cesar.
“But how did it hatch so quickly?”
“I don’t know. I guess the egg already had a chick inside.”
Delphina tilted her head, puzzled. “That’s impossible.”
She explained that she had selected a fresh egg, laid just that morning, assuming I would eat it or use it for cosmetic purposes.
“Delphina, do chicks normally hatch this fast?”
“Absolutely not.”
According to her, a chick required twenty days of careful incubation by a hen to hatch. It was impossible for it to hatch in a single day.
And that wasn’t the only strange thing. It had happened so quickly that I had overlooked it, but I distinctly remembered a blinding light emanating from within the egg as it cracked. How could such a thing be possible?
“Peep! Cheep!”
A flurry of wings and a loud cheep startled us. The tiny chick flapped its wings and leaped into the air. Unlike moments ago, when it could barely hold its head up, it now moved with surprising agility.
“Delphina, can chicks fly like that?”
“Well, I’m not sure…”
The chick had already hopped onto Cesar’s shoulder, settling amongst his hair, its little beak tilted upwards in a surprisingly self-satisfied manner.
“Cheep!”
It almost seemed to be demanding something. A chick, demanding something.
“I don’t understand anymore.”
The string of bizarre events had clearly affected me. I decided to simply accept this strange chick’s existence. So what if it’s a little unusual? It’s cute.
“Peep.” The chick cheeped, looking directly at me.
“It needs a name.”
“Peep-peep.”
I couldn’t bear the thought of Cesar introducing this creature to others as the “fruit of our love.” It needed a name, and fast.
“Let’s see…” I reached out to the yellow fluffball perched on Cesar’s head. It hopped down and landed in my palm. I never thought I’d be naming a chick.
“Hmm… how about Peepy?”
“Cheep!”
“Or maybe Yellow?”
“Cheep-cheep!”
It seemed to disapprove of my choices. Was I imagining that this tiny creature was actually criticizing me?
“Cheep-cheep! Peep-peep-peep!”
The chick turned and cheeped at Cesar, as if appealing to him. Surely, I wasn’t hallucinating. And was Cesar actually responding, nodding and murmuring as if having a conversation with the chick?
“Peepy is perfect…” I muttered. And that’s when it happened.
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