You! Don’t Press that Button! - Chap 3

After that, I frantically gnawed on the metal bars. And the sound was very loud, so the owner immediately picked me up and placed me somewhere. It was my intuition, but I had a feeling he probably stuck me in a corner where the sound wouldn’t be heard well.

A small bird doesn’t tolerate this.

After gnawing on the metal bars for a long time to relieve stress, the cart finally came to a stop. It seemed like we had arrived somewhere. Only then did I stop my fierce behavior and sit still, waiting. I felt my cage being lifted. Judging from the sounds of other animals, it seemed like we were being moved together.

Although the cloth covering prevented me from knowing the surroundings in detail, I could hear the footsteps of many people.

Where on earth are we that it’s so busy?

“Chirp?”

My cage was also lifted and swayed from side to side.Please handle me preciously!Unable to hide my displeasure at the point of getting motion sickness, I could only chirp and hope that the person carrying my cage would notice my feelings.

Just where are they taking all these animals?Perhaps because everyone was busy moving heavy things, they didn’t talk much.

Although I couldn’t see anything, I quickly turned my head around.

I wanted to open the cage door and remove the cloth.Ah, right.Can’t I just open the door myself?When I was young, a bird I had raised once opened the cage door and came out. Since I was living under the care of my aunt, I hadn’t intentionally raised the bird but had taken care of it briefly.

How did that bird get out back then?Pondering deeply, I opened my beak and chewed on the entrance. I tried to lift it up and stick my head in, but I kept missing the timing and failed.

While I was frantically pushing my head, the swaying cage gradually stopped moving. Then I could feel it being placed on some flat ground with a thud.Phew, I’m alive. I stopped biting the cage door and listened to the sounds around me.

“But why does the duke suddenly want to keep animals?”

“Well… These days, it’s a trend among the nobility to show off their animals. Maybe the duke is doing the same.”

Showing off animals?I tilted my head at the words of the owner and part-timer who had brought me here.

“Oh, come on. You know the rumors about the Barthes ducal family.”

“Haha. I also think it doesn’t make sense, but how would commoners like us know the circumstances of the nobility?”

The owner and part-timer chatted and laughed. From their conversation alone, it seemed that showing off animals was currently a trend among the nobility, and that was why numerous animals, including myself, were being delivered to the esteemed duke’s residence.

I didn’t like it. Animals weren’t meant to be raised for showing off.Those selfish humans!

Unable to control my emotions again, I let out a big sigh. As I was filled with anger alone, I heard the sound of a door opening.

Click, as the door handle gently turned, the sound of rustling fabric could be heard from several places. Seeing how it suddenly became quiet, it seemed like the people in this room were hastily assuming proper postures.

Although I couldn’t see due to the cloth covering, I could tell. That the duke fellow was beyond the door. Soon, in the room that was as quiet as a dead mouse, the crisp sound of hard shoe heels rubbing against the floor echoed.

“More than I expected.”

Without realizing it, I straightened my head. It was a voice low enough to dominate the atmosphere. This person must be the duke. I don’t know about his personality, but I acknowledge his voice.

“I brought many animals because I couldn’t think of ones that would suit Your Grace.”

I heard a polite voice from the owner that I had never heard before.That jerk, pretending to be modest.

The footsteps that had been approaching from afar reached the front across from me. Then I heard the sound of someone plopping down on a chair. Perhaps because I had heard he was a nobleman, it felt like he was sitting in an extremely arrogant posture. Although I couldn’t see due to the cloth, I could imagine some greasy-looking fellow sitting there in strange clothes I had only seen in Western paintings, looking unpleasant.

“Then let’s start with this one first.”

As soon as the owner finished speaking, I heard the sound of a cloth being swiftly removed nearby.

A growling sound of a beast making a threat was heard.Wow, listen to that voice. It seems really angry.It must be baring its teeth. Although I didn’t know what kind of animal it was, I could hear the sound of a large predator wrinkling its nose and threatening its natural enemy.

Did he get scared?My expectations were shattered in an instant.

“It seems to lack discipline.”

The moment the duke’s cold voice was heard, despite the room being enclosed on all sides, a fierce wind blew. The red cloth covering the cage fluttered, and through the gaps, I could briefly see inside the room.

The growling sound of the animal that had been threatening people with a fierce tone stopped, and a feeble whimper flowed out. Anyone could tell it was a sound of being terrified.

“Chirp.”

What? What happened?Except for the brief moment when the wind blew, the cloth was well-covered, so I couldn’t observe the outside situation. Still, one thing I could know for certain was that in a very short time, the threatening animal had become frightened.

Could it be that he’s threatening it with a strange weapon?It was entirely possible for people who raised animals as a means of showing off. Those cruel people. Listen to that pitiful whimpering sound! But as if not feeling sorry for the fellow making sounds of lowering its body out of fear, the duke’s voice was as cold as could be.

“It’s better not to keep such a beast. Next.”

What’s with this fellow’s way of speaking?! When it comes to me, I’ll have you know! I treated animals with infinite preciousness!

Even as I was flapping alone inside the cage, I kept hearing the sound of them removing the cloth and showing the animals. However, it seemed like most of the animals didn’t suit the duke’s taste, as they were continuously eliminated along with his lowered, cold voice.

The duke’s attitude of heartlessly judging the animals’ worth seemed like he was examining them to show off to someone, not out of love for animals. I didn’t like this attitude. Raising an animal to show it off to someone. It didn’t seem like a person who raised animals for such a purpose would take care of them with a sincere heart.

It’s irritating. That nobleman who is beyond this red cloth.

My small bird heart burned with rage.

“Cheep.”

I can’t tolerate such a bad fellow. I’ll show you my frenzied cage-breaking. Prepare yourself.

🐤

The duke was so distressed by solving the problems caused by his troublesome younger sibling that his head was rotting. A headache surged, and he raised his hand to press his temples. It throbbed with pain. Seeing the duke like that, the butler asked.

“Your Grace. Wouldn’t it be better to postpone today’s schedule to tomorrow?”

The attendant asked in a worried voice. However, the duke closed his eyes tightly and shook his head.

“No. They’ve already arrived and are waiting.”

“Yes. That’s true, but…”

“I can’t break a promise.”

The duke slightly furrowed his eyebrows and inwardly let out a big sigh. The reason he had called the animal trader this time was all because of his much younger sibling.

Recently, talks about animals have become a big topic among the nobility. It started in one noble family but gradually spread as a trend, and the nobles began indiscriminately buying and collecting many animals.

The trend spread from the elderly nobles to the young noble children. A few days ago, his sibling, who was at school, sent a letter saying that the child of a rival noble family had brought a very handsome falcon, and they also wanted a cool animal. He had never thought about keeping an animal, but since his sibling wanted one, he had no choice but to call the most popular animal trader in his territory to purchase one.

Buying an animal for his sibling, who was still immature and in puberty, was a very worrying matter. However, he couldn’t not buy one when they wanted it so badly. Although his sibling caused him headaches every day, they were the family he had brought and had to take responsibility for.

Instead, he decided to choose the animal himself. He didn’t know what might happen if his sibling chose.

As he was examining the animals brought by the trader, none of them were to his liking. There were many animals that wouldn’t be tamed by humans, and even if they were tamed, they seemed like they would bite at any sign of weakness. After passing on the animals that might cause trouble in the hands of his pubescent sibling, only unimpressive ones remained.

He was contemplating whether he should look for another animal trader when he heard the sound of a cage being violently shaken from somewhere.

Clank, clank.

He turned his head towards the sound that tickled his ears. Something covered with a red cloth was being shaken intensely. Listening closely, he could also hear the sound of something stomping its foot. Judging from its appearance, it seemed like a cage brought by the animal trader, but it was noticeably smaller than the others.

“What’s that?”

The duke pointed to the cage that was shaking as if it would topple over at any moment. Then the trader, who had been looking at him with an anxious gaze until a moment ago, hesitated to answer, clearing his throat.

Is there something about it?The duke slightly moved his hand. The attendant who had been watching from behind lifted the cage and placed it on the table.

The cage placed on the table became quiet for a moment, then started shaking violently again. What’s inside it? The duke’s curiosity was piqued, and he looked at the cage with interest. Noticing the duke’s interest, the trader hesitated before speaking.

“It’s a rather small bird, and… it probably won’t be to Your Grace’s liking.”

The trader saw through the duke’s mind, whose interest had waned after the animals with impressive appearances were rejected. So he predicted that the bird inside this cage would also not be to the duke’s liking.

The bird inside that small cage was far removed from the types currently popular among the nobility. It was as small as a fist and pure white. Its legs were so short that it seemed like it would roll over if poked with a finger.

Decisively, its personality wasn’t very good either. Despite its small size, it was quite fierce.