Tak, barely managing to leave the bedroom, Ahin leaned against the door.
Had Vivi ever needed him so desperately before?
Ahin, who suppressed his rising smile, fiddled with his ear. The temperature difference between his earlobe and his hand was distinct.
‘This is crazy.’
Sliding down smoothly, he sat down with a dissatisfied look, resting his chin on his hand.
If he had known it would be like this, he would have hinted at leaving a few days ago. It was disappointing that Vivi’s relentless following was just a one-time event this morning.
Ahin, who was covering his face with both hands, squinted through his fingers. He felt subtle gazes from both sides for some time now.
“What are you looking at?”
The two guard knights, who were standing watch with him at the center, quickly averted their gazes.
“T-There’s nothing like that.”
“Do you stand watch while looking to the side?”
Who was it that suddenly popped out and started smirking? The unjustly blamed knights swallowed their tears of resentment.
* * *
The northern gate of the Forest of Vigilance, Lindau.
A thick fog covered the greenery. Everine squinted as he took his eyes off the scenery outside the carriage.
“Lord Ahin, you can’t seem to control your smile.”
Despite being ignored, chased away, and pushed away, Ahin’s lips had been twitching ever since Vivi’s audacious actions.
“If you were going to be so attached, it would have been better to just bring her along.”
“Who said I was attached?”
“Who wouldn’t know?”
Ahin, resting his chin, smiled meaningfully.
“Everine, you seem to have a lot of complaints today.”
“Yes, I am actually full of complaints right now.”
Everine, who usually pursued peace and contentment, unusually voiced his objections. Of course, this was after he had carefully put away the black sword Ahin had left out.
“Go ahead, speak your complaints.”
“…Was it really necessary to leave lord rabbit behind? This isn’t as dangerous as the Endelus trip, so why not go back and bring her now?”
“I don’t see the need to bring her.”
“Is it because of other nobles’ opinions? You’ve never cared about your reputation before, not even a bit.”
“Why are you the one so desperate to bring Vivi?”
For a moment, Everine’s shoulders tensed ever so slightly.
“That’s because…”
It had been a grave mistake for Everine to forcefully separate Vivi, following Ahin’s orders. As a result, Vivi had begun to completely ignore Everine.
Right up until they left the estate, all he saw was the round back of Vivi. It turned out that Vivi was a much colder and more indifferent rabbit than Everine had anticipated.
Feeling a bit dejected, Everine buried his face in his hands.
“The rapport I painstakingly built with lord rabbit has been completely ruined because of you, Lord Ahin.”
“Did you really put in that much effort?”
“If not for that reason, why else would I make it a point to greet you every evening?”
“At this rate, it’s practically insubordination.”
“…You shouldn’t have left lord rabbit behind.”
Ignoring Everine, who was now sulking visibly, Ahin opened the window connected to the coachman’s seat. Lil, who had been appointed as the driver for this journey, gave a brief bow.
“Gorilla.”
“At your command.”
Recently, Vivi had been regularly meeting Lil to strengthen their bond. Ahin, eyeing the gorilla-like figure with mild disdain, parted his lips.
“It seems Vivi might have realized that this journey has something to do with the rabbit territory.”
A sharp edge undercut Ahin’s otherwise leisurely tone.
“Was it you?”
“T-There’s no way. Didn’t you specifically order me not to inform the rabbit… I mean, Lady Vivi about the trip?”
Lil, pale as a ghost, shook his head in denial.
“Well, it’s not surprising that Vivi might have figured it out. Around this time, there’s usually a festival in the rabbit territory.”
“Assuming she does know…,” Lil rolled his eyes and continued, “Why would she be so desperate to follow?”
“Perhaps she misses her territory, or maybe there’s another reason.”
Unable to find a better answer, Ahin rested his arms on the window frame.
“Vivi’s mind is hard to read. It’s not like she shows any expressions.”
…Even the reason why she was crying remains unknown. He murmured quietly, burying his chin in his arm. An intangible sense of frustration crept up from his feet.
Someone had no idea why the rabbit was crying under the bed, leading him to observe her behavior more closely than he ever thought he would.
He had wondered why, but all he got in response was a sharp kick in the air and a glare as if to say, “What are you looking at?”
And that wasn’t all. Vivi, acting as if she was sick, had been sprawled on the cushion, refusing to be examined when the doctor was called, struggling vehemently.
She even staged a protest by crawling under the sofa, refusing to take her medicine. Thankfully, the doctor eventually diagnosed her as being in very good health.
Ahin, lost in thought, ran his fingers carelessly through his hair. After days of sulking, Vivi had suddenly become affectionate, waving her little paws as they left the mansion.
‘…They say even domestic rabbits are usually difficult to please.’
Ahin muttered to himself, wondering if that temperament extended to rabbit beastfolk as well. He felt a strange sense of distance from his own species.
“Everine, I never imagined something could be more complicated than what’s in your head.”
Everine, noticing the deep furrow in Ahin’s brow, also realized how unusually empty his pockets seemed today.
“This might be a rude comment…”
Everine, leaning down, retrieved something from under the seat. It was a small rabbit doll, one he usually used to tease Vivi. He placed it in Ahin’s chest pocket, filling the emptiness.
“But I didn’t want to hear such words from you, Lord Ahin.”
“That was definitely rude.”
With a swift motion, Ahin pinned Everine against the window connected to the coachman’s seat, then returned to resting his arm on the windowsill.
As the cold wind brushed against him, he slowly extended his hand outside. The mist slipping through his fingers reminded him of Vivi’s hair.
‘…I’ve left her with Mother, so there should be no problem with Grandfather.’
It had been the right decision not to bring Vivi on this trip.
Considering Vivi’s unstable condition, where her body could change upon contact with pheromones, and the external dangers like potential assassins, Ahin had to be cautious.
He slowly clenched his open hand. The wind, now crushed, slipped through his fist without leaving a trace. The veins on the back of his hand bulged slightly.
But in truth, these were all just excuses.
The reality was, he didn’t want to see Vivi’s reaction to visiting the rabbit territory. He feared she might show a longing gaze for her homeland.
Or, like in the incidents at the Black Panther territory, he worried that Vivi might disappear without a trace in the rabbit territory.
As Ahin absentmindedly gazed outside, he unconsciously licked his lips.
His growing, undefined, selfish desire for this irrational being, neither human nor animal, was threatening to consume the little reason he had left.
* * *
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