* * *

Just then, Tens came rushing into the garden with a large net.

“Huh? Ed’s joined too? Great! We just need to catch the chickens in the garden!”

“Here, take these.”

Irtel, who had already caught three chickens bare-handed, handed them over to Tens, who groaned as he took them.

“I’m not good with live animals… Seriously, who left the coop door open?”

Ed looked down at Roa in his arms, meeting the boy’s eyes.

“It couldn’t have been you, could it, Roa?”

Ronen, standing beside them, shook his head vigorously and shouted.

“No way! I was playing outside with Roa when the chickens suddenly appeared!”

Irtel grabbed the net from Tens and headed toward Roa’s house.

The rooster, still crowing proudly to the sky, faced off with Irtel but was eventually caught in the net.

‘Is the garden almost under control?’

Ed received an extra net from Tens and turned toward the greenhouse to check on the chicken inside.

“I’ll handle the one in the greenhouse.”

Handing Roa to Ronen, Ed carefully entered the greenhouse.

He planned to drive the chicken out without disturbing the potted plants.

As he opened the greenhouse door, the chicken, pecking the ground as if it belonged there, raised its head.

Ed paused to judge the distance, then swung the net.

“Oh no, it shouldn’t go in deeper.”

The chicken narrowly dodged the net and flapped onto a small table.

Ed stretched forward desperately.

‘Don’t knock over the pots.’

With a silent scream at the wobbling pots, Ed tried to coax the chicken back to the ground.

Cluck cluck cluck!

As the chicken ran frantically, Ed swung the net with all his might.

‘I won’t mess up this time.’

When he finally caught it, Roa, who had dashed into the greenhouse, circled around Ed excitedly.

“Wow, Ed!”

Ronen, following behind, admired the chicken now calm within the net.

“Shall we go catch the others?”

“Sure. I’ll watch Roa. You make sure no chickens escape.”

“Yes, young master.”

Clutching the net tightly, Ed exited the greenhouse with Ronen.

“Look, Tens! Ed caught the garden invader!”

Tens, who was putting a chicken into a sack, looked up and patted Ed on the shoulder approvingly.

“What about the others? Have we caught them all?”

As the surroundings quieted, Ed asked. Tens nodded.

“Looks like it.”

Irtel returned with another chicken caught in his net, and Ed nodded.

“I’ll head to the coop. We need to figure out what happened.”

“Jaynon’s already there checking.”

“Ed, I’m coming too.”

“Yes, young master.”

When Ed and Ronen arrived at the coop, Roa squirmed in Ed’s arms.

“What is it, Roa?”

Ronen set Roa down, and the boy quickly disappeared into the bushes.

“I’ll go see.”

Reassuring the worried Ronen, Ed hurried after Roa.

Peering into the bushes, Ed saw Roa standing still, waiting.

As Ed approached, Roa led him forward as if guiding him somewhere.

‘What is it?’

Feeling like Roa was showing him something, Ed followed quietly.

Soon, he found a chicken hiding in a small drainage ditch behind the coop.

“Well done, Roa.”

Ed gently patted Roa, who nuzzled his leg.

Carefully descending the slope, Ed crouched to swing the net.

Cluck-aack!

‘Got it!’

Having captured the final runaway, Ed held the struggling chicken and crawled out of the ditch.

As he climbed up the slope, a familiar figure stood before him.

“…Your Grace.”

The Duke, silently observing Ed covered in mud and feathers, sighed lightly and extended a hand.

Realizing how he must look, Ed flushed with embarrassment and took the Duke’s hand.

The Duke easily lifted him up and took the netted chicken.

Back at the coop, Irtel and the others were returning the chickens to their pen.

“Irtel, is this the last one?”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

Handing over the final chicken, the Duke glanced at Tens and Jaynon, who were repairing the coop.

“What caused the door to open?”

“The latch was worn and broke when the chickens pecked at it. We’ve fixed it now.”

“It’s been a while since we last checked. Everyone, clean up and rest for today. Starting tomorrow, inspect the rest of the estate.”

After the Duke’s orders, Jaynon and the others trudged back to the castle, looking like defeated soldiers.

---

Following the chicken escape, the Duke ordered a thorough inspection of the estate before winter arrived.

Jaynon was among those tasked with the check.

“Ed, are you almost done? Should I take over?”

In the drawing room, Jaynon entered, rubbing his shoulders, while Ed sorted the mail.

“No, it’s fine. Just one more.”

“Thanks for helping.”

“Here’s some water.”

Ed handed Jaynon a glass, watching him stretch out his arms with a sigh.

“Thanks. It’s not even hot today, but I keep sweating.”

Even after the busy day of dealing with the chickens, Jaynon continued to avoid Ed.

However, as the workload piled up, he had no choice but to ask for Ed’s help.

“Jaynon, here. Please check once more to see if it’s done correctly.”

“Thanks to you, Ed, I can finally breathe easy. Once I deliver these letters to His Grace, today’s urgent tasks will be over.”

Ed glanced at Jaynon, who was bent over checking the letters, and suddenly gasped.

“Uh? Jaynon, your nose is bleeding!”

“What?”

Without lifting his head, Jaynon replied, only to snap his head up when he saw blood dripping onto the table.

Quickly, Ed pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and pressed it against Jaynon’s nose, tilting his head back.

“If you’re not careful, the blood could go down your throat. Stay like this for a bit, even if it’s uncomfortable.”

“I think it’s fine now.”

“No, Jaynon. The bleeding still hasn’t stopped.”

Watching Jaynon attempt to organize the letters even while dealing with a nosebleed, Ed swiftly took action.

He moved the letters aside and wiped the blood off the table before speaking.

“I’ll deliver the letters to His Grace for you.”

“No, I can do it.”

Jaynon replied, dabbing under his nose with the handkerchief.

Ed scratched his forehead.

Jaynon was a workaholic even on a normal day, but after the chicken coop incident, he buried himself in work even more.

“But Jaynon, if you go like that, His Grace might scold you.”

“…You think so?”

“Yes, and if His Grace finds out you’re overworking yourself…”

“If he finds out?”

“He might order you to stay in your room and rest. When I once left my hair damp, he said something similar. His Grace is very kind, after all.”

Hearing Ed’s serious tone, Jaynon thought to himself:

‘…Kind? How does that sound kind? To me, it sounds like, If you can’t take care of yourself, stay locked in your room.’

* * *