Ahin leaned against the sofa’s backrest, looking down at Vivi. Vivi, who had fainted with a solemn nod, now had a face even paler than it already was.
The greatest mystery of the year was how someone with such little courage had dared to leave Grace Manor and follow him all the way to Rabbit Territory.
“Everine, stop teasing her.”
“My apologies, I was just so amazed to be conversing with the rabbit that I got carried away. I didn’t expect her to faint.”
Everine, who had been taking a beating from an angry Ash, managed to mutter his apology.
“As I’ve said before, you’re twisted beyond belief.”
“I’m not even half as twisted as you, Lord Ahin.”
“Have you forgotten that you’re currently tied up?”
“I will reflect on my behavior.”
While Vivi’s reactions as a rabbit were amusing, her expressions in human form were even more fascinating as they changed constantly.
Probably because she had lived as a rabbit for so long, she still struggled to manage her expressions. Ahin secretly hoped Vivi would remain poor at hiding her emotions for a long time.
At this point, Ahin was curious about what didn’t scare Vivi. Pinching Vivi’s nose playfully, he cast a disdainful glance at Everine, who was still bound.
“And why are you in that state?”
“The rabbit, in her vulnerability, tied me up in an attempt to uncover secrets about you, Lord Ahin.”
“Uncover my secrets? That’s a little exciting.”
“Since she may try again, how much am I allowed to reveal?”
“Anything except the fact that I carried around a stuffed rabbit until I was seven.”
Ahin had been a child who couldn’t let go of his comfort toy until the age of seven. After briefly reminiscing, he reached out and picked up the leech-like Russell, who was clinging to Vivi’s fainted body.
“Don’t cling so much.”
Russell, now dangling in midair, tried to kick but his short legs couldn’t reach Ahin.
“If you don’t behave, I might just eat your hero.”
At that one sentence, Russell immediately went limp. It was an impressively quick adjustment for a child, likely due to the chilling aura he sensed from Ahin.
“Everine, prepare for Vivi to return to Grace Manor tomorrow.”
“Already leaving the estate? It doesn’t seem like such a light matter.”
“I’ll take care of it. I’m staying for a few more days.”
“I’ll have the carriage ready. However, could you kindly untie my hands and feet?”
Russell’s face paled upon hearing their conversation. Though he didn’t fully understand, he could guess that he would have to part ways with Vivi.
“Is the hero go-…?”
Clutching Ahin’s sleeve, Russell looked up with tearful eyes.
“The hero has to return to guard the Black Panther Territory.”
“Lord Ahin, I can’t move because my hands and feet are still tied.”
Everine’s request was drowned out by Russell’s quivering voice.
“No…”
“But I’ll let you spend the whole day together today.”
“Excuse me, over here.”
It seemed that neither Ahin nor Russell’s attention would return to Everine. Everine, who had been struggling to handle things alone, stood up. He staggered but thankfully regained his balance quickly, hopping like a kangaroo.
“Ugh!”
Ash, who had been waiting to punish Everine for teasing Vivi, shoved him roughly. Everine, who was thrown to the floor, muttered in disappointment.
“Ash, you’re being too harsh.”
Meanwhile, Vivi, now conscious, took one look at the chaotic guest room and chose to close her eyes again. The panthers were never quiet for even a moment.
* * *
Before long, it was sunset.
The Rabbit Territory Leader’s mansion had a greenhouse with a dome-shaped roof.
Usually, a tea table would be set in the empty space of the greenhouse, but here, there was a large marble area where a person could lie down.
It seemed like it was set up so that the rabbits roaming freely could move about easily. Sitting awkwardly, I looked around at the rabbits scurrying here and there.
‘They’re so tiny.’
When I’m a rabbit, I’m probably this small too. Perhaps because I was always with Ash, the rabbits seemed even more delicate.
Of course, Ash couldn’t enter the greenhouse and had been taken to Everine.
After all, it was impossible for herbivores and carnivores to coexist in such a small space. Though I sat stubbornly with my bottom glued to the floor, there was no way to bring him along.
‘Coexistence… it would be impossible.’
As I fiddled with the white cloak draped over me, I turned my gaze to Ahin. Sitting with his arms stretched behind him for support, he was struggling with the crowd of rabbits that had gathered around him.
“Don’t grope, it’s ticklish.”
The rabbits, who couldn’t understand his words, hopped over his legs and rubbed against his clothes, sniffing at the ornaments.
Feeling an odd sense of being left out, I clicked my tongue. I was the rabbit beastfolk, so why were they all flocking to Ahin?
Feeling a bit envious, I asked with a sideways glance.
“Is it really okay for them to roam around like this?”
The mansion was still in disarray after the ball had been halted due to the fire.
Thanks to that, even my presence as a baby rabbit had been exposed. I had been bracing myself for a strict interrogation, but instead, Ahin had casually decided to tour the greenhouse.
“It’s fine. No one can treat someone related to me or the lion lightly just because their status is ambiguous.”
“Do we not need to meet the leader…?”
“There’s no need.”
Ahin rolled a rabbit around with his fingers.
“The lion claimed you’re a dancer, so it’d be even stranger for an ordinary dancer to seek an audience with Leader Amon.”
I muttered, frowning at his words.
“Why a dancer, though…?”
“That’s what I’d like to ask.”
I wasn’t in any condition to dance, let alone walk steadily. As I pondered this, my face darkened.
‘Ah, my original job was as a ballerina.’
It must have been because I had danced while in my baby rabbit form that I was mistaken for a dancer. Remembering how I had wiggled my hips, an unexpected wave of embarrassment washed over me.
“Vivi, your cheeks and forehead are turning red.”
Ahin, who had been looking down, raised his head to glance up at me.
“It’s because it’s hot.”
“In weather where you’re wearing a cloak?”
His gaze, steady and probing, gradually filled with suspicion.
“Sometimes I feel like Vivi is hiding a lot from me too.”
“Your fangs.”
Amid my confusion, Russell, who had been playing with the rabbits, suddenly popped up beside Ahin.
“Show me.”
With his tiny hands, Russell lifted Ahin’s lips. Seeing his fangs exposed all the way to the roots, I covered my mouth. Despite being barely the height of Ahin’s sitting form, Russell was fiercer than most predators.
“Ouch,”
“Sharp, sharp.”
“Be careful, or—”
Russell, seemingly amused by Ahin’s distorted pronunciation, let out a small chuckle. It was the first time I had seen him laugh since we’d met.
“Pretty.”
“Me?”
“Yeah.”
“I see.”
Ahin, with his half-lidded eyes, tilted his head to the side. It was a lazy yet arrogant movement.
“Looking at you feels good. You’ll become a great figure someday.”
“Uh-huh.”
It was a strange conversation, but contrary to my concerns, Ahin was getting along well with Russell. By coming to the greenhouse where the rabbits were, he quickly broke down Russell’s defenses. Feeling a strange emotion, I glanced at the two of them.
Since Ahin was the next leader, he would eventually marry and have children. Since he had long passed his coming-of-age ceremony, it wouldn’t be surprising if he got engaged even tomorrow.
I lifted a rabbit that had climbed onto my lap and looked at it. It was quite plump and heavy.
‘Who could it be?’
It was probably a well-bred noble from the Black Panther Territory. Or perhaps for the sake of forming ties with other territories, he might marry into another predator family.
It wasn’t uncommon for different lineages to marry, though it wasn’t preferred due to the risk of mismatched eye colors and appearances, like the wolf beast who had invaded Grace manor.
‘It won’t be me.’
Right?
You hardly ever heard of herbivores and predators getting married, and even less so for the children of a leader. The rabbit, oblivious to my concerns, just chewed on my sleeve.
“Vivi.”
The idea of a rabbit and a black panther together is strange to begin with. Imagining a beast with purple eyes and fangs seemed ironic.
“Vivi?”
Ahin’s call snapped me out of my thoughts, and I quickly turned my head. Russell was busy handing hay to the rabbits, and Ahin, left alone, was alternating his gaze between me and the plump rabbit.
“Connec—”
“I’m not bonding with the rabbit. I’m a beastfolk, so I can’t even communicate with a baby rabbit.”
Trying to cut off the teasing before it started, I bluntly responded. Ahin blinked in a dazed state, seemingly thrown off by the interruption.
Soon after, his lips twitched, as if he was holding back a laugh.
“Ah.”
Ahin, covering his mouth, frowned slightly when his hand brushed against his cheek. It was the spot I had accidentally scratched during our scuffle earlier in the morning.
I should’ve asked Professor Jisnana to take a look when she came by earlier. Lowering my gaze, I unconsciously reached out toward his cheek but hesitated mid-motion. My hand awkwardly hovered in the air, unsure of where to go.
“…Does it hurt a lot?”
He didn’t answer, just staring at my paused hand.
Because of the twilight, his once jewel-like red eyes were now dulled, clouded with an emotion that seemed different from the yearning I’d seen last night.
Suddenly, the plump rabbit on my lap darted off. Startled, I turned to look at it, and at the same moment, Ahin bent down and placed his cheek against my hand.
“It hurts.”
His soft, yet slightly cool cheek pressed against my palm. Rubbing his cheek like a cat craving affection, Ahin’s eyes curved into crescent moons.
“So heal it for me.”
By this point, I was starting to wonder if his restrained appearance was just a facade to mask his true nature. My mouth felt dry, and I clenched my fist so tightly that the veins on the back of my hand began to show, just to stop it from trembling.
“Vivi, you’re frowning. Are you picking a fight?”
Despite my resistance, my hand continued to tremble. Hiding it, I finally forced out a response.
“…I’ll heal you. But,”
But. He already knew that using pheromones would turn me back into a rabbit.
‘Vivi being a rabbit is something I like.’
Did he really understand the weight of those words for someone like me, who had only ever been ridiculed for not being able to become human?
However, ever since I started switching between a human and a rabbit, that very statement had turned into a poison that chained me down.
Spending time with Ahin, who would match his fingers with my paws, had become so precious that I even thought staying as a rabbit wouldn’t be so bad sometimes.
‘I think I want you to be a person.’
But now, why was he saying such things? I resented Ahin for stirring up these futile hopes.
“But if I heal you, I’ll turn back into a rabbit. Is that still okay?”
“No, it’s not okay.”
I knew it was a rhetorical question, yet his answer came without the slightest hesitation. Before I could calm my heart, which was pounding, a baby rabbit appeared right in front of me. The gray rabbit, caught by Ahin at the scruff, blinked with a blank expression.
“Do you understand what it’s thinking?”
Suddenly facing the baby rabbit, I, too, blinked slowly in confusion.
“What do you mean, ‘what is it thinking’…?”
Was it hungry? I reached out with my finger to soothe it, but the baby rabbit turned its head away.
“Does it not like me?”
“Who knows? You’d know better than I would.”
With a growl, the baby rabbit pushed off the ground and bounded away.
Being rejected by such a fierce little fluffball left me feeling conflicted. Maybe Meimi was an expert on rabbits. The way she set up cushions that could lull anyone to sleep wasn’t just by chance, it seemed.
Yet here I was, a rabbit myself, not even knowing how to understand another rabbit’s emotions. Feeling a bit dejected, I slumped my shoulders.
“It’s hard…”
“Me too. I couldn’t figure out the expressions of a baby rabbit, and it was driving me mad.”
Those stares weren’t to intimidate me but to understand my feelings. I always thought they were trying to bite me, which made me stomp the ground in defense. Feeling a wave of guilt, I looked at him with eyes slightly teary.
“Ahin…”
Perhaps sensing my feelings, Ahin gave a soft smile and said, a beat later,
“That’s why I like that I can see your face properly when you’re human.”
“Hey.”
“When you glare at me like that, it’s thrilling too.”
Even his words… I turned my back on Ahin, twisting my posture away. It was my way of protesting, showing that responding wasn’t worth my time. The chubby rabbit, who had returned, plopped itself onto my lap.
‘This one gets it.’
Its mouth full of hay, it dozed off, clearly full and sleepy, signaling for me to pet it. I gently stroked its back, while Ahin’s voice continued from behind me.
“But it doesn’t really matter whether you’re a rabbit or a person.”
“……”
“Just do what you want.”
What was that change of heart? His sudden words, coming out of nowhere, drained the energy from my body.
As I leaned back slightly, thud—a mysterious wall pressed against my back. The scent of the fragrance Ahin often used was now way too close.
The chubby rabbit, sensing the tension, displayed its irritation. When I lifted my head, Ahin’s face was right in front of me. I didn’t think he’d been sitting this close.
“Just don’t disappear on your own anymore.”
With my back against his chest, I swallowed dryly. Unlike the tiny heart of a rabbit, my own heart felt overwhelmingly loud.
“I’m running out of patience.”
Smiling innocently, Ahin plucked the chubby rabbit from my lap and set it aside.
“That’s… I moved without thinking because I was scared—”
“……”
“…I’ll try hard not to disappear again.”
Feeling ashamed, I bowed my head. Before I could fully lower it, a large hand appeared from behind, wrapping around my neck, locking it in place. Unable to turn away, I was forced to meet the intense red eyes right in front of me.
“Not try. You have to promise.”
Ahin, gently coaxing, began to release a small amount of pheromones. It was clear he was doing this to erase the scent of Rune’s pheromones that he had mentioned earlier that morning.
Surrounded by the dominant pheromones, I carefully let out my own healing pheromones. The wound on Ahin’s cheek, where I had scratched him earlier, slowly faded until it disappeared completely.
“…Got it.”
At this point, the possessiveness he occasionally displayed no longer bothered me. Guessing who might stand beside Ahin in the future was pointless from the start. Deep down, I selfishly wished no one would.
“And no more sneaking off.”
I had closed my eyes, trying to escape from reality, but Ahin’s next words made my eyelids fly open.
“I don’t know how you managed to persuade Quinn to take you to the underground prison.”
‘So, he figured it out.’
What a terrifying predator. With shaky eyes, I reluctantly opened my mouth.
“I said I got it…”
Apparently, Ahin wasn’t aware of Quinn’s weakness for strawberries. As I muttered in a voice as small as an ant, Ahin finally released his grip on my neck.
“At least now the lion’s dirty scent is gone.”
He murmured in satisfaction as he buried his nose in a lock of my hair.
“It smells like roasted sweet potatoes.”
‘Rune said butter.’
I was too exhausted to keep fainting over every little thing. Resigned, I simply watched Russell as he played with the rabbits. Whether it smelled like butter or roasted sweet potatoes, what went into my mouth was all the same.
* * *
Leave a Reply