Smoke from Lilion’s pipe filled the drawing room with a hazy atmosphere. Seated in the central chair, he repeatedly stroked his thick beard.
“…What did you just say?”
“I said if you plan to mess with the rabbit again, I’ll escort you all the way to the academy.”
“Insolent… Is that how you speak to your grandfather after not seeing him for months?”
“And why are you wasting your energy on pointless things, old man?”
Ahin, letting out a lazy laugh, picked up a teacup filled with herbal tea. As soon as he took a sip, he grimaced and instructed the attendant to bring a sweet drink instead.
“Pathetic, still not knowing how to appreciate tea.”
“Why bother drinking something so bitter?”
“When one becomes an adult…”
“Old man.”
“…What did you say?”
The nerve of him. Lilion barely managed to suppress his rising anger, his voice deep and heavy.
“Haven’t I always told you? Always be aware of your position—”
“I’m always aware. Hide your emotions, never be content with what you’ve already obtained.”
The smile that had lingered on Ahin’s lips faded momentarily.
“Don’t let death disturb you, become numb to loss. I think I’m doing well enough.”
Bang! Lilion slammed his hand on the table and immediately began speaking.
“That’s not what I’m talking about! I’m referring to your dignity and behavior! Hmph.”
“You have no intention of producing an heir, and all you do is engage in bizarre, reckless behavior. Thanks to you, your grandfather’s insides are burning to a crisp.”
“…”
“Isn’t that what you were going to say?”
Lilion, who had been gaping like a fish, rubbed his face several times as Ahin repeated his words verbatim. But he couldn’t hide the fact that his face was turning red with anger.
After taking a deep breath and sipping his tea to calm himself, Lilion spoke in a somewhat more subdued tone.
“That rabbit… it used pheromones.”
“And you used pheromones on the rabbit.”
“…”
“What if the rabbit had gotten hurt?”
“It was I who was attacked, not the other way around.”
“You seemed to be having a good dream, though. Your hair was quite a mess, though.”
Ahin mimicked the hairstyle Lilion had with his own silver hair.
“You little…!”
Furious, Lilion bit down hard on his poor pipe. Just thinking about the horrified reactions of the servants when he woke up in the study was enough to make him want to explode with rage.
“Stop beating around the bush and tell me about that rabbit. Where did you find it?”
“In the forest at the border. It’s been well over half a year since—”
…then. Ahin’s words trailed off, an unusual hesitation on his part. A wave of fresh realization swept over him.
When he first brought the rabbit, it was more like a pet. Vivi knew well that she couldn’t survive without him and that her small life was in Ahin’s hands.
But now that she could transform into a human, the situation might change. While she still needed Ahin’s help now, it was entirely possible that one day, she could stand on her own.
‘I don’t think the rabbit will stay here once she becomes human.’
When that time comes, it won’t be him who turns away first anymore. A cold, dark unease crept into his fingertips.
“Excuse me.”
The conversation that had been dragging on was momentarily interrupted by the attendant bringing in cocoa. Ahin casually dropped a few sugar cubes into the cocoa with a soft plop.
“Grandfather.”
“Don’t try to dodge the question. Speak the truth.”
“I haven’t even gotten to the main point yet.”
“Isn’t it only when you’re spouting nonsense that you properly address me?”
“This is a pretty important topic. What do you think is the meaning of biting someone’s neck?”
Ahin lowered his voice as he stirred the sugar into the cocoa with a spoon. It was the kind of tone that one would expect in a formal setting.
What kind of nonsense is he going to spout this time? Lilion, raising an eyebrow, didn’t bother responding to the obvious question.
“That rabbit…”
Ahin, with a meaningful smile, touched the side of his neck hidden by his shirt collar.
Feeling uneasy, Lilion sipped his herbal tea to moisten his dry lips.
“It seems she’s planning to devour me.”
Pffft! The herbal tea in Lilion’s mouth sprayed out through his lips. Fortunately, the mistake was masked by the sound of a teacup shattering.
“My deepest apologies!”
The attendant, who had accidentally broken the teacup, prostrated himself flat on the floor. A proper servant should never show signs of being disturbed by the conversations of their superiors. Flustered, he hurriedly began cleaning up the broken pieces.
Ahin, who was unbothered, leaned back in his chair.
Vivi always had a peculiar way of sleeping, even though she was constantly frightened. It was a regular occurrence for her to sleep with her belly exposed on the pillow.
As a result, Ahin always kept a small blanket on his bed to cover Vivi’s belly.
And her bad sleeping habits persisted even after she began transforming into a human.
Earlier that morning, when Ahin had transformed into a black panther, she had apparently found his fur too stifling and had bitten down hard on his neck. As a result, the human Ahin now bore Vivi’s bite marks on his neck.
Touching the marks he had deliberately left untreated, Ahin finally spoke, a beat late.
“The rabbit bit my neck.”
Crash! The attendant accidentally shattered another teacup piece he was cleaning.
On any other day, Lilion would have scolded the attendant harshly, but he was too busy digging at his ear. At this point, he wondered if he was simply getting old and starting to hear things.
“Say that again.”
“She said that I’m nothing more than prey to her.”
For a moment, Lilion’s vision of the chandeliered ceiling turned yellow.
“What… what exactly are you trying to say?”
Ahin, noticing Lilion’s hand gripping the paulownia wood cane tightly, added in a calm, measured tone.
“What I mean is that the rabbit is strong enough, so don’t mess with her like you did in the study, or you’ll end up regretting it.”
Ahin smiled brightly as he slowly turned to look at the attendant.
“Isn’t that right?”
“Uh, yes? Ah… Lord Rabbit—”
“Could you stop using that ridiculous title!”
Lilion, utterly exasperated, raised his voice, veins standing out on his neck. However, Ahin only looked at him with a playful, expectant gaze.
“Lord Rabbit even smacked me on the rear. Maybe it’s a warning that she’s going to eat me soon.”
“…”
“I’ll be off now. I need to prepare myself to be devoured.”
“You… you crazy fool!”
Lilion’s cane sliced through the air but didn’t even come close to Ahin. Before he knew it, Ahin had already stood up and vanished from the drawing room in the blink of an eye.
“Get back here!”
Lilion’s voice echoed as he waved his cane, chasing after him.
Left alone in the drawing room, the attendant quietly continued tidying up the teacups. He had always thought the rabbit was extraordinary, but biting the next family head’s neck and even smacking him on the rear was beyond imagination.
It was shocking news, but in this house, where things constantly defied logic, it wasn’t all that surprising.
It had been a confusing morning.
* * *
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