Ahin, who had moved Vivi to the bed, immediately opened the bedroom door.
The guards stationed at the entrance gave exaggerated salutes.
He frowned as he looked over their overly rigid appearance compared to usual. The sight of those bulky knights looking miserable was quite unsettling.
“What’s going on?”
At his words, the guards handed over their spears and prostrated themselves.
“We committed a grave sin. We failed to stop To… no, Lady Vivi from taking Bara and leaving. Please punish us.”
“I never told you to stop her.”
The guards, who had been pressing their foreheads to the ground, raised their heads in confusion.
“…Pardon?”
“Unless it’s a dangerous situation or the middle of the night, don’t interfere with Vivi’s movements. She doesn’t like being confined.”
Just as the knights began to feel relieved, Ahin thrust the spear he had received into the floor beside their heads.
“But it’s still true that you lost sight of Bara whom Vivi was riding.”
“……!”
“From now on, even if you have to return to your original forms to pursue her… no, wait.”
Wouldn’t that just make Vivi run away more desperately? It would be a disaster if she tripped and fell down the stairs in a panic.
As Ahin pondered, his gaze fell on the helmet decorations placed near the entrance.
“If you absolutely have to pursue her in your true form, wear a helmet. Better if your head isn’t visible.”
“A h-helmet, sir…?”
Worried that helmets might impair their vision, the knights quickly prostrated again. It was easy enough to understand it simply as a command to cover their faces.
“At your command.”
“And one more thing.”
Thwack—he once again embedded the spear beside their faces.
“Don’t speak Vivi’s name so casually.”
“Pardon? Then…”
“Just call her what you usually do.”
Everine, who claimed to be a capable aide, had picked up on this out-of-place obsession and never carelessly spoke the rabbit’s name. So had Lil, who had engraved Everine’s advice in his heart.
“Yuan.”
Having finished reprimanding the knights, Ahin turned to look at Yuan, his personal attendant, who was waiting at the end of the corridor.
“Bring the court physician and Meimi immediately.”
“Yes, sir.”
Having witnessed how the knights were disciplined, Yuan resolved to serve the bunny lady with even greater respect from now on.
* * *
Click. Returning to the bedroom, Ahin carefully removed Vivi’s flats.
He must have lost his mind, seeing even her rabbit-like feet as something he wanted to devour. He chuckled dryly at the madness that went beyond fondness.
After taking the shoes to the dressing room, he leaned against the doorframe at an angle.
Once the sun came up, he figured it would be fine to summon the personal stylist and officially turn the dressing room into Vivi’s space. He could also move the jewelry piling up under the sofa there.
Just as she said, Ahin’s giddy excitement spiraled far beyond control.
He returned to the bed and sat at its edge beside Vivi. The nail marks on both his hands weren’t particularly deep wounds.
But when he thought of them as being made by Vivi’s body, his heart sank and it irritated him greatly. Especially since he himself had left bite marks on her neck.
He reached out and brushed aside the white hair that covered Vivi’s face. A soft face, as if molded from cotton, was revealed.
After discovering she was a beastfolk of a similar age, he had once imagined what her human form might look like.
From her occasional detached expressions early on, he had expected her to have a lethargic appearance.
But her delicate and well-defined features only heightened Ahin’s anxiety.
In the already dangerous black panther territory, wasn’t she practically advertising herself as a herbivorous beastman?
Ahin bit his lip and poked Vivi’s plush cheek with his index finger.
‘If you have a seizure, I’ll always use healing pheromones.’
To him, it was a sweet phrase difficult to resist.
Vivi’s healing-type pheromones could soothe his sporadic pheromone seizures. Even in normal times, they brought him a sense of calm.
However, there were still many unclear parts.
When she had returned to her true form and used pheromones, Ahin had felt uncertain.
However, the second time—when he had regained stability due to the healing pheromones in the rabbit territory—he had felt it clearly.
More than his body being saved, it was a bizarre phenomenon where his dominant pheromones seemed to absorb the healing ones.
Each time, his consciousness blurred, and a sense of ecstasy took over. But once he came to, all that remained was discomfort from the loss of control.
Ahin slowly shifted his gaze and stared at his hand.
Should he scare her into never using healing pheromones again? But in the heat of the moment, Vivi didn’t seem like someone who would back down.
As Everine insisted, Vivi was a brave coward. Often, she would boldly face situations that would terrify others.
Judging by this, it would be safer to distance himself from Vivi in the event of another pheromone seizure.
‘To think I even have to worry about this.’
He both missed and resented Edith, who had long departed from this life—and missed him still.
Darkness layered over his red eyes.
Since Edith’s passing, Valence had made a point of disappearing for five days every month. Under the pretext of travel, she was likely searching for a way to prevent any pheromone seizures that might strike Ahin.
“Lord Ahin, did you call for us?”
Sensing the presence of Meimi and the physician outside the door just then, Ahin removed his hand from Vivi’s cheek. It was a night filled with unease.
* * *
By the time I regained consciousness, it was already noon.
Meimi must have visited while I was unconscious, as my lilac dress had been changed into a negligee. The wound on my hand had also been neatly treated.
‘What is this…’
Relieved but also frustrated by Ahin’s absence, I buried my face into the pillow. A groan escaped me.
‘Why am I always like this?’
Drip. Tears of repentance ran sideways, soaking the pillowcase.
Of all moments, did I really have to lose consciousness then?
‘If I had pushed just a little further, I might’ve learned more about the pheromone seizures!’
And I could have stolen a kiss—no, a bit more of the beast’s heart.
My face burned red as I thrashed around like I was swimming. At that moment—thump!—a dark figure shrieked and jumped onto the bed.
“Ack!”
I bounced from the bed in shock, and instinctively brought my hands together.
“Please spare m—wait, Ash, you scared me.”
For a second, I was about to go completely flat in submission. I let out a sigh of relief. Ash must have thought I was groaning from pain.
Even after confirming I was fine, the restless Ash flattened me with her body. A sign that I should comfort her for being startled.
Huff. I could barely breathe but didn’t let it show. Instead, I stroked Ash’s fur.
“I’m not hurt, I’m okay.”
It was just that the sheer weight—enough to crush me—was hard to bear. As I comforted Ash and turned my head, I saw Bara resting its chin on the edge of the bed.
Panting for air, I greeted it.
“…Hey, Bara.”
Bara snorted and turned its back. It seemed to be checking whether I was sick like Ash had.
“Ash, off the bed.”
Meimi’s stern voice from the bedside caused Ash’s body to stiffen. She had clearly broken her rule of never getting on the bed.
Ash jumped off with her tail between her legs, and then Bara climbed onto the bed like it had been the culprit all along, dirtying the sheets.
“Bara.”
Despite my stern tone, Bara didn’t budge.
Perhaps thinking the sheets needed changing anyway, Meimi sighed faintly and brought over a basin of water.
“I will assist you in washing.”
“…Where’s Ahin?”
“He was called away by the family head. Also, I brought the daily newspaper from the rabbit territory as you requested.”
“Really?”
Instantly wide awake, I shot up. Meimi handed me several days’ worth of newspapers from the rabbit territory.
‘…Nothing?’
As I finished reading them on the spot, I frowned. There wasn’t a single line written about the fire at the Amon family’s mansion. It looked like they were handling the matter in secret.
‘It’s all over anyway.’
Being a house of such long history, it probably wouldn’t lead to execution. Muttering about the last lingering regrets, I pushed the newspaper far away.
“Meimi… you don’t need to bring it anymore.”
“Yes.”
“Are you going to report this to Ahin too?”
Meimi’s gaze wavered briefly before returning to its usual firmness.
“Minor incidents that occur only once are not reported.”
It meant she wouldn’t report it.
Compared to the early days, when even the number of paw swings in a day was reported, a lot more exceptions had started to appear. Feeling a surge of familiarity, I giggled and rolled pointlessly around on the bed.
“Miss Bunny, you mustn’t roll around in human form like you do when you’re a rabbit.”
Meimi’s sharp reprimand came instantly.
“But…”
“You mustn’t. Also, Lord Wulfes is scheduled to visit shortly. After fitting your outfit, the master wishes to see you, so preparations should begin soon.”
After informing me of the schedule, Meimi chased Bara off the bed and then hoisted me onto her shoulder.
As she headed toward the rabbit-only bathtub to wash me, her steps suddenly halted. She seemed to have realized the increased weight a little too late.
“Meimi, I can get down from the bed on my own now.”
“…I apologize.”
How could she mistake a rabbit for a person? It was a slip that left my heart feeling complicated.
* * *
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