Afterwards, the man shoved me into his pocket and moved somewhere.
During this rough handling, I fainted from the roughness.
When I regained consciousness, I was in a splendid bedroom the likes of which I’d never seen at the Rabian mansion.
‘…Where is this?’
As I hopped around on the plush bedding, I despaired.
I just couldn’t muster the courage to jump off the bed. Still, I had to escape from here.
Before I lost consciousness, that is, just before entering the man’s pocket, I had seen something I shouldn’t have.
It was a scene of a head rolling around. And in the man’s other hand was a sword smeared with bright red blood.
Anyone who saw it would know that the person who had moved me and killed the two servants was undoubtedly him.
The maids of the Rabian family said that the black panthers of the neighboring territory are impatient and fierce.
True to their word, the man should have killed me on the spot, but why had he brought me to such a place?
As I racked my small brain, I reached a horrifying conclusion. Perhaps, in my form as a baby rabbit, I was not even emergency rations, but rather meant to be an emergency snack.
‘No!’
I thumped the bed with my forepaws as I cried out.
No, absolutely not. I refused to end up on a plate in this strange place, far from home.
‘I can only escape now.’
With my eyes shining, I began to load my hind legs with a springy force. Even if it meant breaking a bone, I had to jump.
‘…Here I go!’
Really jumping, I’m really doing it!
With a determined expression, my body leaped, only to be suddenly caught by someone’s hand.
It couldn’t be the black panther I saw in the forest earlier, could it? As I stiffly shifted my gaze, a man with thick black hair looked at me with concern.
“That was a close call. Such reckless behavior.”
Fortunately or unfortunately, the hand that caught me did not belong to the previously rude black panther.
The strange thing was, despite his neat impression and speech, his expression and voice were utterly emotionless.
As I relaxed slightly from the odd irony, I caught my breath again, wary.
Complacency was forbidden. The sight of his occasional fangs made my fur stand on end every time the man spoke.
Moreover, it turned out to be true that most black panthers had red eyes, as his pupils also had a reddish tint.
“Master Ahin, really, leaving such a small rabbit on the bed. By the way, it’s my first time meeting you, where are you from?”
Asking was futile as there was no way I could respond.
Rabbit territory, rabbit territory! Sadly, my internal cry did not reach the man.
“I see. You can’t speak…!”
That’s not something to be so surprised about. Are you dumb? Let go! I cursed him bitterly in my mind, but the man showed no signs of putting me down.
“The floor would be safer than the bed.”
He then walked to a sofa in the room, picked up a plush cushion, and placed it on the floor.
“Since Miss Rabbit is here, you mustn’t get hurt carelessly. You are Master Ahin’s property.”
The man explained this very seriously as he gently set me down on the cushion, even flicking his fingers while talking.
‘Explain in more detail.’
What’s with this strange title of Miss Rabbit, and what about being property? Frustrated, I thumped the cushion with my front paws.
Seemingly understanding, the man gently stroked my head with his index finger.
“You must also always maintain clean manners.”
‘Cleanliness?’
Confused, I gazed up at him.
Yet, from the man’s actions and words so far, I could glean some information.
The man in front of me was a subordinate of the black panther who had put me in his pocket, and the repeated mention of Master Ahin seemed to indicate that it was the black panther’s name.
‘Tell me more.’
The more information, the better.
Encouraged by my insistent gaze, the man opened his lips again as he kindly stroked my head.
“Seeing Master Ahin personally bring Miss Rabbit into his bedroom, it seems you might be something special!”
‘Special?’
“Like an emergency ration.”
…Indeed a most appropriate observation. Once again, I fainted with a burble of bubbles.
* * *
TN: Erm, the gender wasn’t really specified since it’s a general term. But since we know the rabbit is a woman, I’ll just go with Miss from the get-go.
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