It was late at dawn. Stealthily, I crawled out from under the blanket and glanced at the graceful black panther.
Fortunately, he did not make any particular move and seemed to have forgotten that I was in the bed, sinking back into sleep. Unusually sensitive to the cold, he was wrapped in the blanket, only his face peeking out.
‘Really beautiful.’
It is said that predators have a uniquely splendid appearance, and seeing one in person, there was no denying the truth of it.
Contrary to the eerie remarks he used to spit out about eating or whatever, his sleeping face was gentle and beautiful. When his eyes were open, he seemed to be smiling, but it gave me a strangely chilling feeling.
To be honest, the sight of his fangs, whether he was talking or smiling, felt threatening.
Just seeing those fangs felt like my thought process was shutting down, so what was I to do? Involuntarily, a faint sigh escaped me.
I quietly watched Ahin’s face flickering in the lamp light and turned my gaze around the bedroom. I had been looking for a while but there was not even a small hole to escape through.
It seemed this place was the territory of the black panther, and even if I could get out safely, the chance of survival seemed slim.
Indeed, I had heard the maids chatting that the predators often ate herbivorous creatures to escape the laws of the continent.
‘It must be deeply buried to avoid trouble later.’
‘They ordered that it must be killed by the hands of the black panthers.’
Suddenly recalling the day’s events drained my energy. I was already ousted from the family and had nowhere to return.
‘This is a terrible curse!’
‘Poor thing, you have been abandoned by the Beast God!’
The temple had told me that I was cursed by the Beast God, but no matter how much I thought about it, it was hard to understand.
It wasn’t that I harbored darkness, just that I hadn’t achieved humanization.
Nevertheless, under the pretext of being the shame of a cursed family, my parents indeed hoped I would die in the territory of the black panther.
Now, what should I do? Facing the situation of having to stand on my own all at once, my heart was unbearably heavy.
Even trying to find a way to survive, looking like a young rabbit who hadn’t undergone humanization, the future seemed bleak.
I jumped onto the pillow and moved a little closer to Ahin’s face.
If I hadn’t been brought into this man’s hands in the forest, there was a strong chance I would have ended up as real prey. He seemed like a benefactor, but if by some chance he tried to eat me tomorrow, it would make him an enemy—a truly ambiguous relationship.
‘…For now, he might still be a grateful presence.’
Up close, Ahin’s skin was spotlessly white. As a gesture of thanks, I tentatively reached out my paw, and suddenly, his eyes snapped open.
The revealed red pupils filled my vision. A breath-taking silence lasted for a few seconds.
Ahin blinked his half-open eyes and soon turned his body slightly to rest his chin.
I was frozen in place, but then I snapped back to reality and quickly, with a frantic pace, I burrowed under the pillow to hide.
“It must be suffocating.”
Regrettably, by lifting the pillow, he exposed my entire body, which was supposed to be hidden. Ahin looked down at me, crouched and huddled, and his lips curved into a slight smirk.
“Crying again.”
I wasn’t crying. I clenched my mouth shut in defiance, but soon felt a tingling sensation across my nose.
In fact, every time I recalled the events of the day, it felt as if someone was prodding around my heart. It was like I had swallowed something wrong; my throat felt choked.
I had longed for my family’s love, but the shock of being completely abandoned was apparently greater than I had thought.
Ahin, looking down at me lowering my gaze, soon spoke in an even tone.
“Are you afraid of being eaten?”
Isn’t that obvious? Hiding my exasperation, I quickly nodded.
As I sent him a pleading look, Ahin slowly tilted his head. His movements caused the silver hair by his ears to flutter softly.
“Then cry some more.”
‘What?’
I couldn’t hide my astonished look, and my mouth slightly gaped open.
He had been oddly fixated on tears for a while, but surely he didn’t have such a fetish.
Sadly, with no other choice, I tried my best to shed tears. However, while I usually cried easily, trying to force it only made the tears stop altogether.
Even if I scratched my eyes with my paw, it only made them sting, and no matter how much I huffed and puffed, I only ended up gasping for breath.
While I was sneakily checking his reaction, Ahin sharply clicked his tongue.
“You lack perseverance. I’ll eat you the day after tomorrow, so try harder.”
‘Is that something effort can fix?’
Though a grumble of discontent rose, at least my life was extended by a day. No sooner had I felt relieved than Ahin abruptly pulled my hind legs and tucked me back under the blanket.
A moment later, a slightly muffled voice came through.
“Just be as if you’re not here. You’re bothersome.”
‘As if I could.’
I rebelliously responded in my mind and demurely closed my eyes. If I annoyed the black panther one more time, I really felt like I might end up chewed by those fangs.
It was a long, sleepless night, for many reasons.
* * *
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