Chapter 11

Miss Valence had told me that I can’t join tea time because of her tight schedule. I wonder if it was because of the same reason due to which the mansion has been chaotic lately.

Today, while I was walking down the hallway with Meimi, I encountered her by chance and became delighted. It had been exactly three days.

‘Miss Valence.’

“Oh my, this is the first time in many days that you welcomed me like this.”

As she gently petted my chin, it suddenly crossed my mind.

Miss valence, the one who had been quick to notice my pheromones, might be able to offer some advice. Unlike me, who had only gathered knowledge through conversations and books, she might have alot of rich insights.

With hope, I jumped on the floor from Meimi’s arms and pondered for a moment.

Last night, after being bitten by Ahin, I had felt sick and got a severe headache. Then, at dawn, I saw a scene that looked like an illusion and felt sick.

Just how should I explain this series of emotions.

‘With letters….’

Impossible. I had been exhausted just from writing ‘Bibi’, but it was also unreasonable to take her time like this randomly in the middle of the hallway.

Soon, with a solemn face, I came closer to the hem of her red dress.

“Baby?”

As I tried to do something, the earnest eyes of Miss Valence and Meimi stayed glued on my face.

When I noticed their gaze, I looked up, opened my mouth slightly and bit my front paw.

‘Ahin bit my neck like this.’

Would you be able to understand me with this gesture….

At a glance, when she noticed me, Miss Valence gestured me to continue.

After gaining some courage, it was easy. Then I turned over and rubbed my chest as well as belly.

‘I’ve been feeling sick ever since.’

Miss Valence, who watched this process carefully, narrowed her eyes.

She looked at me with hopeful eyes, and nodded with a trustworthy expression.

Before long, Miss Valence rubbed her thumb and index finger together in order to make a click sound and then voiced out an order.

“There must have been something lacking in your lunch. Meimi, inform the chef and buy the best haystack from the eastern territory.”

At that moment, Meimi’s blunt face hardened. It seems that she felt sorry that she hadn’t noticed my worries even though we’re always together.

Soon, Meimi bowed deeply and spoke with a serious voice.

“Yes, my lady.”

That’s not it. Miss Valence’s mouth gently curved up as if she had just been relieved of some tension. The smile was even more charming than before.

“Yes, yes, it looks like you’re satisfied now.”

She thought that I was pleased with her behaviour.

After we parted our ways, I, who had been brought back into Meimi’s arms, looked out of the window with tearful eyes.

Unlike the dark cloudy atmosphere inside, it was a sunny day outside.

‘The weather is nice….’

Hah…

A sad sigh could be heard. Was it too much to convey my complex intentions as a rabbit? It was a day where I felt particularly resentful about having paws.

The time when the setting sun coloured the sky, was just before the security of the territorial boundary had been tightened.

A number of rabbit knights who had concealed themselves with black masks had entered the border of the black panther territory.

As they walked along the grassy path, they secretly exchanged glances. On one side of the path, there were scattered bones on the ground that probably belonged to a shapehsifter.

‘This is…’

The head of the group, who was leading the rabbit shapeshifters, frowned. Not long ago, the two men that had been sent by the Raebian family had not returned.

It seems like they had been hunted by the black panthers here.

‘That’s strange.’

The leader’s eyes looked puzzled as he observed the bone pieces. It’s not possible for them to be hunted so easily just by one or two black panthers.

Furthermore, it was strangely delayed to confirm the fate of only one rabbit.

“Someone has crossed the border at their own will again.”

Suddenly, a voice was heard from the back, causing the rabbit shapeshifters to turn their heads. Behind, Ahin and Evrin were standing together with some other transformed black panthers.

“Who are you!”

“That’s what I’d like to ask.”

The eyes of the rabbit shapeshifters trembled as they faced Ahin who seemed to have made a refreshing appearance. Judging from the  various black panthers surrounding them, the two men must also be black panthers.

Moreover, the leader noticed that he had not even been aware of there presence until that man spoke, so they must be quite skilled.

‘No way.’

The leader gulped and quickly scanned his surroundings. To see whether the bones of the those men were really the result of these skilled black panthers.

The cool tension brushed against his back. Soon after, the leader moved his gaze, looking to see whether their were any swords on Ahin and Evrin’s waists.

“…It’s none of your business.”

“Looking for a rabbit?”

The leader’s shoulders flinched at Ahin’s question.

“I picked it up.”

A darkness lingered over the eyes of the rabbit shapeshifters. The Raebian family wanted that rabbit to be killed, but his words meant that it was still alive.

“You want to take it back?”

The fierce black panthers next to Ahin and Evrin growled, bringing goosebumps on their arms.

Ahin laughed openly, which stopped the growling of the black panthers. The smile felt so convincing, that one of the rabbit shapeshifters decided to finally open their mouth.

“If you’re protecting it, we’re going to…”

“Look at your form, it’s like you planned to be night guests. I can’t give bunny-nim to suspicious people like you. Right now, bunny-nim has perfectly adapted as Master Ahin’s emergency food, so give up.”

The atmosphere suddenly turned silent at Evrin’s claims. Contrary to his strange words, his expression looked very serious.

‘Bunny-nim…?’

‘Emergency food?’

It was the first time they had heard that title being used for someone from the rabbit population. What’s more, it’s called emergency food.

The team leader, who took time to understand his words, asked vaguely.

“That emergency…, no, whether that rabbit is dead or alive…”

“Don’t put death in your mouth so casually. Today alone, it welcomed this Evrin with a lively morning by kicking me with its hind feet.”

When he claimed that it was emergency food, he didn’t want them to ask whether it was dead or not. The bewildered rabbit shapeshifter’s mouth opened slightly.

As the mood turned weirder, Ahin clicked his tongue and looked back at Evrin.

“Evrin, what the hell do you want to say?”

He asked the question that the rabbit shapeshifters themselves desperately wanted to ask. Nevertheless, Evrin, who had not erased his cold expression, backed away.

“To think that they dared to covet bunny-nim who is Master Ahin’s emergency food, it makes me furious.”

“Those are too many unnecessary words.”

“You know what? Maybe they’re the ones who will end up kidnapping bunny-nim because of you.”

There was an eerie conversation going on to the point it was too much to be regarded as a joke.

In the midst of the battle between Ahin and Evrin, the rabbit knights, who had come here to confirm that rabbit’s death exchanged glances with each other.

‘…Captain, what should we do?’

‘First of all, let’s step back.’

‘You mean after coming this far?’

‘It’s quite crazy that I can’t get any clear signs from them. I’ll be fleeing from this territory so get ready to scatter and disperse.’

‘As expected. That strange conversation is most likely a strategic offense tactic.’

It was difficult to take away that hidden rabbit for now, so it would be better to return to the Raebian mansion first and report this fact.

As the rabbit shapeshifters looked at the escape routes and prepared themselves, a strange pheromone flowed into their noses.

“Cough!”

They could feel their bodies drooping down like cotton soaked in water.

Knowing that these pheromones  belonged to wild beasts, they immediately cried out and tried to activate the pheromones in their bodies, but it wasn’t enough.

“Kkghh…”

All of their actions were already out of their control. One by one, their bodies collapsed to the ground and their inability to move encroached.

“Hkghh…”

Eventually, a rabbit shapeshifter, who couldn’t tolerate the strong pheromones closed his eyes and fainted.

Ahin, who was watching those shapeshifters crawling on the floor, nodded his head at the other black panthers.

“Eat them.”

As soon as his order fell, the black panthers immediately rushed in, revealing their sharp teeth.

“Aaaahh!”

“Kghh!”

The thick scent of blood spread throughout that area of the forest. Ahin, who had brutally hunted them, pulled out a sword from his waist.

Soon after, he slowly approached the team leader who had been instructing them and aimed the sword at him.

“Some questions. Are you still willing to take the rabbit back?”

“‘That….”

Faced with a threatening blade, the voice of the leader trembled. Since he could hardly move his body, it felt like his neck would be snapped any second.

“Oh, it doesn’t matter because everything is in my hands anyway.”

Ahin turned towards the mansion and grinned. Evrin, who would only sometimes notice his occasional dark smile, spoke.

“Master Ahin, you look like a villain.”

“Mouth.”

“Yes.”

After causing Evrin to shut his careless mouth, Ahin looked back again at the team leader. The impact of the pheromones had been too much and his mouth was foaming.

“Aghh, urghh…”

“I’d like to ask you something about that rabbit.”

“What, what is…”

“The thing is, isn’t it just an ordinary rabbit? Or is it a shapeshifter?”

The tip of the moving sword pulled down the mask that had been concealing the leader’s face.

Even though his face had been exposed and the cold air touched him, he refused to open his mouth.

As the time he hesitated increased, Ahin sighed in regret.

“If you don’t want to tell me, I can’t help it.”

In an instant, the sword pierced the leader’s thigh. Suddenly, a terrible pain arose in his body and he struggled while screaming loudly.

“Aarghhh!”

“ time, something like you will likely cross the border again, so I’ll ask them.”

Swish. The sword that was pulled out from his thigh was raised high. The blood from the sword dripped down on the leader’s face.

Engulfed in terror, he held his arm and shouted in desperation.

“Don’t-don’t! I’ll-I’ll tell you!”

The sword that had been slowly coming down as if it was about to split his head into two immediately stopped.

“Ha… that, that rabbit is a shapeshifter.”

Looking up at Ahin’s emotionless smile with dreaded eyes, the team leader quickly opened his mouth. But as soon as he confirmed that, the smile disappeared from Ahin’s face.

“Ugh…”

“It’s not transforming into a human. Is it still a child?”

Even though he asked that, Ahin thought that the question was quite ironic. The rabbit had acquired not only the knowledge of languages, but also everything that a normal grown shapeshifter would know.

Not only that. When it had met Valence, it was amazing to see the rabbit greeting her using its front feet.

The team leader looked at Ahin who was smiling again and continued to talk.

“No. It’s-it’s already 18.”

“…Eighteen?”

“It seems to be a different kind of entity that hasn’t achieved humanization even after reaching its adult coming of age ceremony.”

PREVIOUS CHAPTER