TSROTRATBP Chapter 13

From a certain point onward, the Raebien household's employees had begun regarding me not as a beastman but simply as a pet rabbit. Despite being capable of rational thought, for the single reason that I couldn't express it.

It seemed to be around the time the fifteen-year-old coming-of-age passed when they'd revealed this blatantly. It didn't much matter. After all, my life of being despised hadn't changed.

However, one unsettling problem existed. As a child of the family, I'd been provided a luxurious bedroom, but due to my rabbit appearance, I lived not on the bed but on cushions.

Yet occasionally, employees would take advantage of this and use my room for sexual relations. Sexual activity was impossible in employee-only quarters, and in the stables or other such places, there was risk of contracting disease.

'Sir Den, this place is a bit...'

'What does it matter when no one's here?'

Once night fell, my room, which no one visited, would sometimes echo with shuffling noises. Initially they'd been mindful of me understanding speech, but later they'd quite openly made their next arrangements.

They knew well. Even if I somehow expressed the impropriety, no particular sanctions would be imposed.

Thanks to the pheromones that flowed between them each time, I didn't even need to study pheromones related to sex separately. Most of my memories from the Raebien household consisted of such painful recollections.

Soon, having turned over several times, I pressed my front paw on the book again. I had no time to dwell on the past.

'...Hm?'

While deeply absorbed in reading, rustling presences stirred from behind. When I turned my head, Ahin and Iverin—I don't know when they'd arrived—had entered the bedroom.

Is it already late evening? After glancing at the terrace, hearing a somehow unpleasant sound, I turned my gaze back toward them.

"Ah..."

Ahin, covering his eyes with his hand, repeatedly thunked the wall with his fist. Not only that, even Iverin, who always maintained an expressionless face, blatantly twitched the corners of his mouth.

'What's with them?'

As I stared blankly, not understanding, Ahin was too busy laughing to pay attention. Though I'd seen scorn-like types, this was the first time seeing him burst into such laughter.

"Being with Miss Rabbit, I'm witnessing the rarest sights of my life."

Iverin, barely succeeding in straightening his expression, spoke up.

"A baby rabbit reading...! I'd like to capture this scene in a portrait."

Finally understanding their reaction, I looked down at the book. Though I couldn't see my own appearance, imagining a rabbit seriously pressing its front paw on a book was quite ironic.

However, from the party in question's standpoint, it wasn't a matter to laugh freely about, so my eyes naturally became fierce.

"I think I'm going insane..."

"Lord Ahin, please compose yourself. Won't Miss Rabbit be heartbroken if you laugh too much?"

The corners of Iverin's mouth, as he said this, were also trembling violently. Anyone could see his face was crumpled as if holding back laughter. Seeing that expression, Ahin resumed thudding the wall.

Sigh. Releasing a quiet breath, I gazed out the window with melancholy eyes.

As I thought, I really hate those frivolous black panthers. I truly do.

It was a day when the estate's security seemed unusually reinforced. The already menacing gazes of the knights had grown sharper, and even the servants appeared more rigid than usual.

Ahin had left the bedroom earlier than usual, and Lady Valens had notified me that pheromone practice was impossible today due to her schedule.

Moreover, Meimi recommended a walk toward the small pond in the rear garden rather than the rose garden near the main gate where we usually went. Since there was no harm in it, I was currently crossing the lawn and thoroughly enjoying the fresh air.

'Is something happening?'

The atmosphere seemed peaceful enough. The moment that thought crossed my mind, the expression of a nearby security knight whose eyes met mine froze solid.

'...Huh?'

My body, which had been staring in confusion, suddenly floated into the air. The touch was careful yet somehow strangely avoidant, as if keeping distance. When I turned around thinking Meimi had picked me up, an unfamiliar beastman I'd never seen before was looking down at me.

'Who is this?'

He was the first male I'd encountered since arriving at this estate. For a servant, both the deep blue clothing he wore and his appearance were far too luxurious.

As I looked up at his pale pink hair and golden eyes, I thought perhaps he might be an herbivore beastman.

Cattle beastmen were generally said to possess such beautiful golden eyes.

Once that thought occurred to me, I felt an inexplicable sense of kinship.

'But why?'

Why would an herbivore beastman be in an estate crawling with black panthers? Though if I thought about it that way, my own existence roaming this garden was difficult to explain in the first place.

'A visitor?'

I peered up at him with an inwardly welcoming expression. As various questions deepened, the man who had been staring at me suddenly pinched his nose shut.

"...Reeking of black panther."

'He's not an herbivore beastman.'

Finally coming to my senses, I hurriedly looked around. The security knights who had approached within a certain radius wore troubled expressions, neither stopping his actions nor dismissing them. It seemed they couldn't freely restrain the man.

'Why?'

Could he be someone of high status in this estate whom I simply hadn't encountered until now? However, the man's eyes weren't the red characteristic of black panthers, but golden as if inlaid with gold.

When I turned my head again to look at Meimi, she was frowning faintly, just like the security knights.

'M-Meimi!'

Having turned deathly pale, I looked back and forth between the man and Meimi. Just moments ago, what had glinted between his lips were definitely sharp fangs.

'Who is he, a predator?'

Since we spent our days together, Meimi immediately noticed my unspoken question and nodded her chin slightly. A predator. Faced with her affirmation, my mind grew dizzy.

'Where did another predator pop out from?'

Having automatically stiffened, I looked up at the man with fearful eyes. The face that had seemed purely beautiful now looked almost demonic.

What's more, the man didn't stop at simply picking me up—he brought his nose near my scruff. I could feel faint breaths as if he were investigating.

'What—'

As unfamiliar breaths continued touching me, warning signals rang in my head. It was a different feeling from with Ahin—one that made every hair on my body stand on end.

'This predator!'

Please. I struggled desperately while staring imploringly at Meimi, but it was merely pitiful flailing.

'Meimi—!'

Meimi's complexion, meeting my eyes, grew even worse. After that terrifying brief moment, the man's handsome brow wrinkled openly.

"...Why does it reek so strongly of that black panther?"

How would I know? More importantly, put away those horrible fangs right now! Horrified, I pushed firmly at the nearby man's cheek with my hind paws.

When I finally reached the point of frothing at the mouth, Meimi, unable to watch any longer, spoke up.

"Lord Maniuntz, forgive me—"

"Put her down."

For the first time, that low-pitched voice felt welcome. When I hurriedly turned my head, there stood Ahin wearing a more formal uniform than usual.

Why such a wave of relief? Having struggled, I stretched my front paws toward Ahin.

"How unexpected. I didn't know Lord Grace kept rabbits."

"Come here."

Cleanly ignoring the man's words, Ahin bent down and gestured to me. Fortunately, the man set me down on the ground without any particular resistance.

'Ahin!'

I ran in one breath and quickly hid behind Ahin's trouser leg, kicking my hind legs toward the man. It was a timid threat. However, the man paid no attention to my earnest threat and slipped his hands into his pockets.

"Since when did you develop such hobbies?"

'What's their relationship?'

At the following words, I looked back and forth between the two predators with a slightly surprised expression. They seemed to be around the same age, but the voice definitely carried an unwelcome feeling.

Moreover, if someone could use such language with Ahin, it meant they were of similar status. However, even to that question, Ahin didn't answer and picked me up, making an extremely serious face.

"She's reeking of filthy lion scent."

'Li-lion?'

There couldn't be a more shocking statement. My wavering eyes turned toward the man standing behind. His golden eyes appeared to be the characteristic gold of lions, not the cattle I'd expected. Why is a lion entering and leaving a black panther estate?

'This isn't right.'

This really isn't right. This estate was absolutely not a place where herbivore beastmen should be.

Terrified, I shook my head repeatedly while clinging to Ahin's finger. Then his expression became strange. The emotionless red eyes even seemed momentarily delighted.

"You want to go to the lion?"

What kind of nonsense is this? Having turned pale, I expressed my intention by making an X with my front paws. Soon understanding, Ahin nodded lightly.

"Ah, you want to become the lion's food?"

Did hanging around Iverin make him master nonsense? Absurdly, I opened and closed my mouth, and Ahin truly bent down as if to put me down.

'No, no!'

I wanted to scream, but being unable to speak couldn't have been more frustrating. When I clung desperately to Ahin's hand as if it were a lifeline, a smile spread across his neat face. It was an extremely suspicious smile.

"If you want to live, cling harder."