Ahin did not say a single word as they left the garden and made their way to the main building. His silence was unusual.
Everine, who had been waiting at the entrance to the guest room, greeted them with a brief bow. He quickly informed them that the fire had been small and was swiftly contained, and that the head of the household had summoned them. He was the epitome of an efficient aide.
Facing her usual, composed self made me feel even more uneasy.
When Everine wasn’t smirking, it was a sure sign that something was terribly wrong. It meant Ahin’s mood was that much worse.
“Vivi, wait here for a moment.”
Despite that, Ahin seemed uneasy as he placed several layers of guards at the entrance before leaving.
Left in the guest room with Ash and Quinn, I blankly stared out the window.
‘Yes, it’s true that I preemptively enlisted the priest.’
‘Forgive me, everyone makes a wrong choice at times.’
Though the events had just occurred, they felt as distant as if they had happened days ago. It was a tumultuous night, with no sense of satisfaction from having resolved my questions.
My mind was a mess, and by this point, I didn’t want to think about anything anymore.
I looked outside the window, my gaze drifting as I collapsed into a chair at the round table. My legs had no strength left.
“What should we do?”
Naturally, Ash and Quinn also took their seats, forming an impromptu, modest strategy meeting.
After all, Ash and I had caused a disturbance, disobeying Ahin’s orders, and Quinn was burdened with guilt for failing to carry out his duty to watch over me.
The meeting proceeded in a dismal atmosphere. The more I recalled what we had done over the past few days, the more overwhelming the anxiety became.
There was a growling sound, and Ash, seemingly about to say something, opened her mouth. I, hoping to rely on Ash’s intelligence, gave her the floor. However, Ash dashed my hopes with a wide, lazy yawn.
“Yes, you must be tired.”
It made sense that she was sleepy, given that none of us had any time to rest. Avoiding her gaping mouth, I turned my attention to Quinn.
“Quinn, what about your thoughts…?”
Cack— Quinn, who had been silent, viciously pecked at the fruit basket on the table. Still uncooperative.
“Alright, I won’t ask you.”
I closed my mouth, muttering nervously as my sense of unease grew.
We needed to come up with a way to resolve this situation. Yet here we were, my only allies being animals, all gathered gloomily without much progress.
* * *
Night deepened.
I had been lying with my head down on the table, but I shot up as I sensed movement outside.
Carefully pressing my ear to the door, I faintly heard voices. It was Ahin and Everine.
Ahin was instructing Everine to take Ash away and send a letter through Quinn to Grace. The letter likely contained information about Ash and me.
When Everine asked about me, Ahin said he couldn’t let this slide this time. Even hearing his voice, I could tell how sharp and tense he was.
‘He can’t let this slide…?’
The closer the sounds came, the more frantic I became.
Before I realized it, my body had moved on its own, and I found myself hiding behind the transparent glass door leading to the bathroom. I could feel Ash and Quinn’s dazed eyes on me.
Just as Ahin said, I really was a coward. Overwhelmed with shame, I pressed my forehead against the glass.
Soon, the door opened, and Everine led Ash and Quinn out.
“Vivi?”
Ahin, after scanning the empty room, finally fixed his gaze on one spot. When our eyes met through the glass, he gave me a brief look of disbelief before walking straight toward me.
We stood face-to-face, separated only by a thin sheet of glass.
“Come out. We need to talk.”
“Okay….”
Yes, I should go out. Trying to stay rational, I felt a wave of tension so intense that it stung.
His impassive expression, which made me uncomfortable, was directed solely at me. In the dim lamp light, his red eyes appeared almost black, making him look even more frightening.
Click. My hand, going against the commands of my brain, calmly locked the door.
An indescribable silence filled the air.
“What are you doing?”
Ahin’s slow, measured voice broke the quiet as he turned the handle.
Clunk, clunk. He stared blankly at the locked door, then ran a hand over his face in frustration.
“What the…?”
With a low sigh, Ahin slumped down, leaning against the glass door.
“Then just say it from there. I doubt I can keep my expression under control anyway.”
Clutching the hem of my dress tightly, I stared at his broad back. Ahin must have realized that I was afraid of him in his current state.
Why was it so difficult with him?
With Bara, with the bodyguards—even when I was scared, I could still stand firm on my two legs. But for some reason, Ahin was different.
I thought it was because my feelings toward him were more complex, not just fear, but a mix of many other emotions. I awkwardly gathered my dress around me, and as I leaned back against the cold glass, a chill ran through my body.
“Why are your hands like that?”
His voice, quieter than usual, echoed from behind me. He was referring to the bandage wrapped around one hand.
“…I think I hit something while transforming back into human form.”
That, too, was one of the reasons Ahin was difficult for me.
His attitude made me rely on him more and more. And his increasingly cautious touches, as if something had changed between us.
I pursed my lips tightly and fidgeted with my hands on my lap.
The silence between us now felt much heavier than when I had been a rabbit, when conversation was impossible.
“Vivi.”
As I turned slightly to look back at him, Ahin seemed like he was about to speak, and I quickly turned my head forward again.
“Yeah.”
“I left you at the mansion because I thought you wouldn’t do anything this reckless.”
His voice was colder than usual.
“You know better than anyone that there’s no safe place for you outside the mansion.”
He wasn’t wrong. Normally, I would have prioritized safety above all else.
“I…”
It wasn’t just that I had recklessly followed him here. Even after arriving, I had acted on my own. Ahin had every reason to be worried and angry.
“I…”
I clenched my hands around my knees.
“I would still do the same thing if that situation happened again.”
“What do you mean?”
“You never tell me anything.”
To be precise, he chose not to say things out loud. Everything.
“You’ve never once told me about it. Not about the healing pheromones, not about the possibility that I might have developed them because of drugs.”
I bit down hard, and the taste of blood filled my mouth. Still, I felt a strange sense of relief because this was a topic I had wanted to address for so long.
“How do you know about the drugs…?”
“Why do you think I acted without telling you, even after coming all the way here?”
My voice was calm, but my hands were crushing the fabric of my dress.
“It was because I didn’t want to show you everything. Whether it’s the curse, the drugs, or my family.”
Knock, knock. The glass I was leaning against vibrated slightly.
“Open the door.”
I shook my head, not looking back. Thankfully, my tears, which usually came like a broken faucet, seemed to stay put this time.
“You must have known everything by now. Even at the rear garden, you didn’t seem surprised that I was with strangers.”
I took a deep breath, trying to remain composed. If I broke down here, I’d feel even more pathetic.
“You knew my family was from the Rabian household, didn’t you? Maybe you even knew that the woman back there was my mother.”
It wasn’t just the frustration that had been building up. What made it unbearable was the thought that Ahin already knew the things I desperately wished he didn’t.
“Vivi, just open the door and talk.”
Ahin knocked on the glass door again, sounding frustrated.
“Let’s just talk like this….”
I felt like if I saw his face, I wouldn’t be able to say anything at all. Besides, I had no idea what expression I was making right now.
“There’s something else. You never told me about my healing pheromones either. There must have been value in it for you, right? The pheromones that healed Ash when she was on the verge of death.”
The feelings I had been bottling up poured out all at once.
“At first, I was upset, but the more I thought about it, maybe it’s better this way. At least I don’t have to live in constant fear of being abandoned.”
If he had treated me the same as when we first met, hiding things or withholding the truth wouldn’t have felt so frustrating or hurtful.
Maybe it was my own greed, born from the emotions that had grown over time.
“You could have just said it. If you needed my healing pheromones, you could’ve told me. If you knew about my family, you could’ve said that too.”
“No.”
Ahin, who had been quietly listening, interrupted bluntly.
“I don’t plan on telling you anything from now on either.”
“…Why?”
With his characteristic low tone, he left the question hanging, saying nothing more.
Oddly enough, I felt relieved that no harsher words followed, and I rested my head against the glass.
Through my blurred vision, I noticed a hair ornament that had fallen at some point. I picked it up, absentmindedly fiddling with it in my hands.
Ahin had no obligation to tell me anything. As the future head of the household or even as an individual, it made sense to keep things to himself.
But it’s exactly because of that side of him that I feel on edge every single day. That thought, however, remained stuck in my throat, unable to be spoken.
* * *
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