‘It’s my business.’
Rune stayed in place, rubbing the back of his neck, until Vivi’s figure disappeared from sight. Her precarious yet determined demeanor was oddly hard to look away from.
Whether it was to survive or simply to live, it was a trait rarely found among predator beastfolk.
‘Thank you. For treating me like a person.’
Her words, which seemed to draw a line between them, lingered unusually in Rune’s ears. It implied that he had shown her kindness beyond what was necessary, to the point where she felt the need to set boundaries.
She had only been an object of interest to provoke Ahin Grace.
Perhaps, from the moment he looked under the desk and met those frightened purple eyes, it was impossible for it to end with just mild interest.
‘…Who would’ve thought she hadn’t fully undergone humanization?’
It was as absurd as a lion grazing on grass.
‘So, she really was picked up, huh.’
It all made sense if she was found by Ahin Grace as a rabbit and later discovered to be a beastfolk.
If the assumption was correct, her first humanization would have been when she was found near the ballroom. That would explain her awkward gaze, behavior, and embarrassing attire at the time.
Rune touched his cheek, which had returned to its normal state.
‘Healing pheromones….’
And the connection with Ahin Grace. Rune, who was not accustomed to deep thinking, roughly shook his head.
“Ah, whatever, whatever.”
Tweet—
A bird’s call. Rune, who had been walking with his hands in his pockets, looked up at the sky. The empty golden eyes seemed a bit cooler.
‘Grace’s hawk.’
Quinn, Grace’s hawk, flew high above the dome, its wings cutting through the air.
* * *
Underneath the chandelier, more and more guests filled the hall. The soft murmur of conversations became a din that echoed throughout the large space.
Aven distanced herself from the head of the Rabian family, who was busy socializing with various dignitaries.
Taking her place by the window, she slowly walked on the purple carpet. At the end of her gaze was Ahin, who was offering congratulations to the leader of the Rabbit Territory.
As the leader and Ahin moved, Aven matched their pace.
Ahin Grace. True to his status as a beastfolk of the predator clans, he stood tall, his sharp features drawing attention effortlessly.
Though he gave off a somewhat cold aura, his appearance did not match the reputation of being out of his mind. In fact, he looked more like someone who wouldn’t harm a fly.
‘And this man carries around a baby rabbit…?’
Ahin Grace was not the uncouth person the rumors made him out to be. To Aven’s eyes, he seemed exceedingly noble, almost to the point of being fastidious and particular.
It made more sense that he had been carrying around a beastfolk in their true form rather than an actual baby rabbit. And considering the timing and probability, there was undoubtedly a chance that the rabbit in question was Vivi.
Yet, she found it almost absurd to even entertain such a hypothesis—comparing Vivi to a mere insignificant animal.
But it was all because of that one-in-a-million chance. The worst-case scenario where a disgrace of her family, no less, was parading around in the territory of another leader.
Unfortunately, given the situation, it seemed Ahin Grace hadn’t brought the rabbit along. Aven, walking across the carpet, suddenly stopped in her tracks.
‘Is it just my imagination?’
She couldn’t shake the unsettling feeling that their eyes had met, even with dozens of people between them. Ahin was definitely looking at her.
Aven, hiding her mouth behind a tightly held fan, narrowed her eyes. His red lips were moving, saying something.
[Stop staring.]
[Your dirty gaze is going to bore a hole in my face.]
In an instant, Aven’s face flushed a deep red, like the evening sky.
‘Vulgar…!’
For the heir to use such crude language. Before she could even hide her shock, Ahin began approaching her.
Step by step.
Though he was still too far for his features to be clearly visible, the pressure Aven felt was as if he were right in front of her.
With every step he took, the crowd in the ballroom parted in two. The closer he got, the more the noise of the ballroom faded from Aven’s ears.
Just as the distance between them had halved, Everine approached Ahin, whispering something urgent in his ear. After exchanging glances, the two quickly exited the hall.
“…Huff.”
Only after their gazes parted did Aven release the breath she had been holding. Her fingertips trembled with humiliation.
Contempt. Disdain. …Murderous intent.
The vivid red eyes, like rubies, had radiated blatant scorn. Aven, struggling to erase the haunting image of the beast’s eyes, took a deep breath.
Instinctively, she knew. The subordinates she had sent into the Forest of Vigilance hadn’t simply disappeared or fallen to the black panther. They had undoubtedly been dealt with by Ahin Grace.
The handle of her fan was already soaked with sweat.
* * *
As Ahin exited the hall, Quinn, who had sliced through the night air, landed on his arm. The urgent message sent by Lil, whom Ahin had sent back to Grace Manor just in case, awaited him.
Here’s what happened:
By the time Valence, who had received Ahin’s reply from the owl, realized that Vivi and Ahin hadn’t crossed paths, Lil had just arrived and reported the situation. Grace Manor was in an uproar. Bara had been found in the Forest of Vigilance, but Vivi and Ash were still being searched for.
“If they left the manor with Bara, it’s dangerous.”
With a crunch, the letter was crumpled mercilessly in Ahin’s hand.
“Bara is a creature that submits to power. And he hasn’t yet acknowledged Vivi as his superior.”
“But hasn’t he been obedient all this time?”
“You don’t know what he’s really thinking. Vivi has never shown any real strength.”
“So, you’re saying there’s a possibility Bara might have threatened Lord Rabbit the moment they left the manor.”
Though spoken in a dry tone, Everine’s voice carried an undercurrent of concern.
“We’re returning to the territory.”
A faint light began to seep from Ahin as he stood at the entrance to the ballroom. It was the moment just before he reverted to his true form.
“Lord Ahin, please wait a moment.”
Everine, who had been about to grab Ahin’s cloak, quickly raised his hands in surrender. If he were to come into contact with Ahin’s now-throbbing pheromones, there was a chance he might faint.
Not keen on ending up sprawled on the ground, Everine added calmly.
“They only found Bara in the Forest of Vigilance, right? And since they haven’t returned to the manor, they must have gone somewhere else.”
“Then where should I go?”
“We have to find them now. Besides, Ash is with her, and Lord Rabbit isn’t an ordinary rabbit, so she’s probably safe.”
“…But she’s still a rabbit.”
“Pardon?”
Ahin responded in a voice that seemed to suppress his emotions.
“Even if she’s not ordinary, she’s still just a rabbit.”
Ahin covered his eyes with his large hand, taking a short breath. His fingers grew cold.
He knew. He knew all too well that she was a fragile being, easily broken.
Ahin’s usual composure was replaced by a gnawing anxiety that was foreign to him.
Now that he genuinely wished for Vivi’s safety, the stark reality of her frailty hit him hard. He could no longer afford to smile reassuringly as he usually did, confident that everything would be fine.
Vivi wasn’t like him, who had been born and raised as a predator. No matter how remarkable her pheromones were or how keen her survival instincts, she was still just a baby rabbit.
She was a being who might be gravely injured by something as simple as being trampled by Ash, let alone seeking help.
Vivi’s desperate attempts to flee whenever a servant dropped something weren’t just because she was timid. It was because everything was a matter of survival for her.
Ahin’s mind conjured up the image of a small, fluffy figure running frantically away.
He felt a deep sense of unease and foreboding. What if Vivi encountered a strong predator beastfolk? Or worse, became prey to a carnivorous animal? The possible dangers Vivi might face were countless and overwhelming.
“Are you crying?”
Startled by the unexpected question, Ahin removed the hand covering his eyes. A young boy stood at his feet, staring at him curiously. This was one of the children who had earlier been chattering about how unruly the black panther clan was.
“That’s a relief. I thought you were crying.”
The guards at the entrance exchanged uncertain glances, unsure of how to handle the situation. The boy wasn’t the only issue. Nearby, Russell’s hair peeked out from behind a bush at the base of the stairs.
The guards searched for the boy’s guardian, but the nobles they assumed to be his parents were chatting far away in the garden.
“Young master, this person is….”
“Hold on.”
Ahin motioned for the hesitant guards to step back and then crouched down to meet the boy’s eye level. A strange sense of familiarity washed over him.
‘The hero said all black panthers are unruly!’
The boy flinched but didn’t run away. Ahin placed a hand on the boy’s shoulder, letting a small amount of pheromones seep through.
“Who is this hero?”
“The hero…?”
Though the pheromones were faint, barely enough to influence someone’s breath, the boy’s eyes quickly glazed over.
“The black panther….”
“The black panther?”
“Yeah… the one who controls the black panther… the rabbit, uh—!”
Russell, who had been hiding behind the bush, quickly clamped his hand over the boy’s mouth and dragged him back. His dark eyes conveyed a sharp reprimand—how could you let that slip?
“…Huh?”
The boy’s face turned pale as he snapped out of the pheromone-induced trance. Why did he spill the secret about the hero? What should he do now…?
“I’ll keep your secret.”
Ahin, with a smile as angelic as it was unsettling, looked down at the two children clinging to each other. He ruffled their hair gently before leaping over the railing with ease.
“Lord Ahin, where are you going?”
“To the lion.”
The lion? Everine, who had been trailing behind, suddenly understood.
If Vivi had left the manor and headed directly for the southern gate of the Forest of Vigilance, she might have crossed paths with the carriages from the Manionts family, who were passing through that gate today.
And this morning, the children who had suddenly appeared and argued that black panthers were unruly, along with Rune, who had followed them.
As he ran after Ahin, Everine muttered to himself.
“Considering everything, it’s likely the hero is Lord Rabbit.”
“Just a fledgling.”
Ahin answered dismissively as he approached the tallest tree near the ballroom. Given Rune’s nature, there was a high chance he had already slipped out of the ballroom to go laze around somewhere.
“Spill it, rabbit. Where is she?”
His voice was low, almost growled. Rune, who had been lounging in the tree, poked his head out from behind a branch.
“So, you’re planning to drop the honorifics even in private now?”
“Just answer the question.”
“I don’t see why you’re asking me about your rabbit.”
Rune, feigning indifference, lounged even more comfortably in the tree. Just as Ahin’s eyes flashed coldly, ready to use force, a commotion erupted beyond the ballroom’s outer wall.
“Wh-what is this! Why is there a beast here?”
“Bring the archers immediately!”
“W-wait! Don’t attack! I’ll calm it down, just give me a moment…!”
It was Restin’s voice. A moment later, a roar—something you would never expect to hear in the Rabbit Territory—shook the air.
For a brief moment, Rune’s pupils wavered slightly. Ahin noticed and immediately leaped, scaling the wall with ease. His crimson eyes lit up with a fierce intensity as he took in the scene beyond the wall.
“A beast that leaps over terraces, really. Please, just behave until the banquet is over, and I’ll send you back to your master. No, why am I even dealing with this!”
Restin, clutching Ash’s tail, rolled across the ground, clearly struggling. Ash, quick and nimble like a rabbit, was proving difficult to control, much like her owner.
“K-keep your guard up!”
The knights, who had drawn their swords, closed in, forming a tight circle. Despite sweating bullets, Restin, who was clinging to Ash’s hind legs, spoke calmly.
“I’m fine, so please lower your weapons. Now, Ash, let’s go back to… Ack!”
Even amidst the tight security, Ash, showing no sign of being intimidated, leaped onto a statue. With a powerful roar, she filled the entire area with the sound of a beast’s fury.
* * *
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