I woke up to meet an unfamiliar ceiling. My head ached a tiny bit, and my body felt a bit better thanks to my natural regenerative abilities as an ogre. I expected to be in a cellar, but I was in a room, which was not mine as well.
'D-did that human actually **** me!?'
I found myself thinking.
‘No you didn’t get raped. You were lucky that Kawaii stepped in before that could happen.’
Another voice said to me. I hadn’t had the pleasure of going insane before, so this was kind of interesting.
‘Yo! I see that you're awake.’
I looked to the door where I noticed a presence. A bird with dark golden feathers with their tips dark and red eyes and a sort of red antenna on its head came towards me, with one of its wings up for a wave.
It dragged a chair next to the bed. How it did that, I wasn’t certain, but it were almost as if it could move things with its mind alone. As it took a seat right next to me, I found myself unconsciously retreating from it.
‘Remember me from yesterday? You were with Ulva when you passed out.’
I held my head as the recent events slowly flooded in, causing me a slight headache. I recognized her as the bird from the day before. However, I had no further memories of her.
‘You must have not gotten my name earlier. I'm Hinotori! Do you also have one?’
She asked me. I wasn’t certain whether to give her the name that person had given to me.
"Yes."
Why did I tell her the truth? I wanted to refuse the name that person gave to me.
"May I know the name?"
"Kala."
I said the truth. Why did I? I swore that I would always refuse the name that person gave me. So why did I just give it out to someone?
‘Kala, huh? Nice name.’
"Yeah, it was my mother's."
Why did I just tell her this?
‘Your mother was also named?’
"Yes. We ogre royalty see it as a disgrace for one to not possess a name, so we are given one at childbirth when we are still weak and easily nameable."
‘Pretty smart. You are named when the cost to name you is the least.’
"I guess. But outside of royalty, we normally only give names to those who have accomplished great feats."
‘Oh? Feats like?’
"Defeating very powerful opponents?"
‘Should I take it that there is actually some scary warrior hiding underneath that cute smile?’
She asked me with a very cute laugh. This bird was really cute, wasn’t it? It would have made the perfect pet back home. Still, there was something oddly familiar about it.
‘Did I say something offensive?’
"N-no."
‘So, what kinda-‘
Before I had realized, I started talking to the bird monster freely. I'd make a statement and she'd ask me a question or make a joke. I couldn't remember the last time I ever talked to someone so easily. Everyone else always saw me as "The Tyrant's Daughter". They were weary of me and made to avoid me as much as possible. That was why I stayed cooped up in my room or library, learning all sorts of things. It was a very annoying and suffocating life, but with this creature that introduced herself as Hinotori, I felt quite happy and free. She could have been my only solace back in that suffocating life. No. That person would have probably had her cooked the next day. He always did hate me.
"I lived in the East."
‘In the East, huh? I guess that's where the ogres live, huh. You want to go back?’
Images of my father flashed in my head and the things I saw him doing to me if I ever went back. I shook my head.
‘Oh… I see. Stuff happened?’
I nodded my head.
‘You got any relatives or something?’
I nodded. My mind went to my siblings. My kind doting siblings. Always smothering me with their excess love. They were probably trying to make up for the lack of parental love.
‘Don't you want them to at least know that you're safe?’
I shook my head.
“It doesn’t matter. I’m leaving all that behind me.”
‘Wow…’
Hinotori looked surprised and to be honest, I myself was as well.
"Sorry… it is just that my father is kind of hard to deal with."
‘Your father? Well at least he's not Krull.’
I looked at the bird, completely surprised by how she ironically got that right.
‘Wait… please tell me your father isn't Krull.’
"…”
I couldn’t bring myself to respond to her. I only looked away, now she too was going to start treating me differently.
‘Hmm, whatever. When you’re back at full health you’re free to do as you please, I guess. Welcome to the west.’
She didn’t treat me any differently.
“Y-You aren’t telling me to go back?”
‘Hmm, but you look like you don’t want to.’
“Are you not scared of what that person might do to you?”
‘Your dad? Who gives a shit what he wants to do? If you don’t want to be around him, that’s on you. I would prolly make the same choice, LOL.’
"I see…"
‘I bet you can easily live out in the forest by yourself, even if you are a pampered ogre princess.’
“I’m not pampered!”
‘Yes you are, Princess! Besides, that doesn’t matter. You’re stronger than me so either way, it’ll be easier for you out there than it was for me.’
Yes.
Although I didn’t agree with her calling me that, she wasn’t wrong. I could survive by myself in the forest relatively easily. Still, that was a bit disappointing. I didn’t know what I was expecting.
She got off the chair and walked to the door.
‘Oh yeah. Princess. If you don’t want to go camping under the night sky…’
Then she suggested something I didn't expect.
‘Then you can just stay here.’
"Huh?"
‘What? I said you can stay here if you want to. Your dad's scared of Goliath either way.’
"Wha…?"
‘Kala, was it? I honestly don't like your dad and I thought I wouldn't like his kids if he had any. Thanks for proving me wrong though.’
She was really my saving grace at this point. I was feeling happy, but still this couldn’t just be it.
"Hino-…. Lady Hinotori, would you make me a servant under your household?"
‘Huh? A servant? You're a princess. Wouldn't you prefer to be served rather than to serve?’
I shook my head.
‘But-‘
"No… I really dislike that idea. I am indebted to you for saving me. I need to repay my debt."
I bowed my head to her, so she would notice how serious I was being about this.
‘I see… However, I’m not some kind of boss. I don’t have any servants or anything. Enjoy your stay here.’
She refused my request walked out of the room.
'Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. D-Did I offend her in some way? Argh! The first person I could make a friend and my first thought was to become her servant! I’m such a hypocrite!'
"Uwaaaaaaa!!!"
I buried my head in the pillow while ranting on about what happened. I just wanted to disappear from the world at this point. Then I looked up from my pillow at her seat. A few of her feathers still remained and she had left a trail on her way out. Was she evolving? That didn't really matter though. I reached out for one of the feathers. It was golden and soft with this silky smooth feeling to it.
'Lady Hinotori. The one who saved me. My hero.. I need to pay her back.'
