TSROTRATBP Chapter 15

Moreover, it's not like I deliberately got lion scent on me. Lady Vivi has nothing to be ashamed of—that assertion echoed through my head, yet sadly my body merely killed my presence as much as possible while straining only my hearing.

"Urgh."

Suddenly Ahin's pained groan could be heard. Reflexively lifting my head, I felt untimely anxiety at the sound irritating my ears.

'Could it be...!'

If he'd been attacked by wolf beastmen and received a severe wound like that time—

That wasn't all. Thump—a sound like something collapsing rang out.

I couldn't just observe any longer. Rushing out from under the desk, an unbelievable scene unfolded before my eyes.

'I was fooled.'

Immediately grasping the situation, my face contorted in utter confusion. Unlike my imagination, Ahin sat perfectly fine on the sofa with Iverin standing beside him, both holding back laughter. The sound of something collapsing had apparently just been Ahin sitting on the sofa.

Barely suppressing his laughter, Ahin slowly extended his hand.

"Why come when you're hiding? Come here."

"To rush out immediately to save Lord Ahin—I'm moved. Miss Rabbit truly possesses a righteous nature."

I really hate these black panthers. Infuriated, my eyes instantly turned fierce. Ahin, who had been silently enduring the reproachful gaze, tilted his head slightly.

"Iverin, I think I just felt a flutter from that look."

"I see. Miss Rabbit, please glare at Lord Ahin even more."

"I want to devour her."

"I'll instruct the kitchen immediately."

Hey, Iverin! Unable to contain my anger, I lunged at Iverin and bit his trouser leg. Then he put on clumsy acting pretending to be afraid, and even that sight was utterly hateful.

"She still smells like lion?"

My body, which had been wrestling with Iverin's trouser leg, floated into the air with a whoosh.

"Didn't bathe?"

Ahin's brow furrowed as he picked up my scruff.

'No, I did.'

Meimi wiped me down well with cloth. The moment I shook my head in denial, his expression hardened openly.

What on earth does lion scent mean? When I flinched in fear, perhaps to break the atmosphere, Iverin spoke up.

"By the way, Lord Ahin. It's been over a month since Miss Rabbit came to the estate—wouldn't it be acceptable to bestow a different name?"

Iverin was looking at me with a somewhat complicated expression. He seemed to be recalling situations when we occasionally encountered each other during walk times. When Meimi and I proceeded to the garden, the security knights would—

'Miss Rabbit is passing through, strengthen security.'

'Miss Rabbit is pass—'

'Miss Rabbit....'

—make a fuss murmuring. Though I don't know exactly how rumors spread, since they treat me living with Ahin almost like serving a master—

Actually, I'd just gotten used to it, but I knew better than anyone how strange that situation was. Wouldn't it be strange if it weren't strange?

"A name?"

Ahin, who'd looked between me and Iverin, asked back in a dry voice. He'd already placed me on the sofa and was flipping me over this way and that. He seemed quite displeased with the mysterious lion scent.

"A name...."

'Stop, I'm getting dizzy!'

Flipped over, I resisted desperately, but couldn't prevent my body from being turned. Ahin, who'd been tickling my neck with his index finger, suddenly poked my cheek.

"It's fine. She already has a name anyway."

It was a meaningful statement. Having stiffened, I stared blankly, and meeting my eyes, Ahin smiled thinly. The curved red eyes held their usual emotionless light.

"Right?"

Opening and closing my mouth, I nodded blankly. I wanted to ask how he could assert such a thing, but being unable to ask left me frustratingly stuck.

After even Iverin, who'd organized documents, withdrew, night had deepened and drowsiness poured forth.

However, Ahin didn't lie on the bed but spread large paper on the carpet. Watching this sudden action, he picked me up without warning, wearing a suspicious smile.

'Seriously annoying.'

My scruff grabbed, I glared. The lion beastman from daytime had also grabbed my scruff freely—are all predators this rude? When I glared with wide eyes, he poked my cheek.

"I told you, when you glare I want to devour you."

"......"

"Not joking."

Along with the menacing words, fangs glinted between Ahin's lips. Having turned deathly pale, I decided to just stay still. Not particularly because I was scared, but because I was sleepy, I insist.

Soon the item he brought from the desk was black ink.

Why ink? Before the ominous premonition could settle, Ahin began applying it to my front paws. Though I struggled angrily, the ink ultimately soaked my front paws wetly.

'What are you doing... ah—'

Having resisted so violently, ink splattered onto Ahin's handsome face. Momentarily flustered, he showed no particular reaction and placed me on the paper spread on the floor.

"Go ahead."

Unable to read his intent at all, I looked up at him with questioning eyes. Noticing that gaze, Ahin tapped the paper with his finger.

"Write it. Your name."

Hearing the sudden demand, I could only stiffen.

The question that had dominated my mind since long ago raised its head.

Exactly what kind of existence would he consider me to make such a statement? Thinking of me as an ordinary rabbit would be absolutely impossible, yet thinking of me as a beastman would also be ambiguous. I was full of curiosity but couldn't ask or hear answers.

Whether reading my hesitation, Ahin slowly stroked my back. From him wearing an inscrutable smile, a quiet voice flowed.

"They say if you name an animal, you grow attached."

"......"

"If I know your name, won't you be able to live a bit longer?"

Oh, truly a terrifying statement. My lower lip trembling, I finally began carefully stamping my front paws on the paper.

Vi—

Poke, poke, poke. Moving one paw at a time, I drew black pawprints on the white paper. Even to my own eyes, the stamped prints were extremely tiny.

Vi.

Having completed the name Vivi, I plopped down on the paper like a beastman who'd accomplished something great.

'Whew.'

Who knew writing one name would demand so much physical strength and mental energy? Actually, the biggest reason was tension from the menacing gaze felt from behind.

After catching my breath and turning around, the smile had disappeared from Ahin's expression for once. Facing that brought inexplicable anxiety.

Did I do something wrong? Or does the name Vivi have a strange or bad meaning in black panther territory?

As I read the situation, Ahin, who'd been silently looking down at the paper, extended his hand. It meant to climb onto his palm.

The ink on my paws will get on his hand though. After ending my hesitation and climbing on, Ahin met my eyes directly.

Strange silence continued. Unlike me averting my gaze, Ahin, staring with eyes calm as a lake, opened his lips.

"Vivi."

It was a name I'd heard from another's mouth for the first time in ages. Since at some point, no one in the Raebien household had called it.

Moreover, having the name Vivi called in a low voice anyone could easily be entranced by felt extremely strange. Not giving me a moment to savor it, Ahin suddenly brought his lips to my scruff.

'Wh-what!'

Having turned deathly pale, I flailed my legs. Suddenly bringing his nose close was no longer so surprising, but now firm teeth were definitely touching my scruff.

Though it didn't hurt, it was excessively threatening. When I resisted intensely, Ahin, briefly pulling his lips away, frowned.

"Stay still. I'm erasing the lion scent."

Drawing me close again, he lightly bit my scruff with his teeth. Simultaneously, a strange scent I'd never smelled before touched my nose.

Could this be pheromone flowing from this black panther? However, such speculation couldn't continue. Having suddenly inhaled that scent, my mind grew hazy as if I'd drunk alcohol.

'...Can't breathe.'

The pheromones I'd contained within were churning strangely.

My body had felt wrong ever since Ahin bit my neck a few hours ago. My breathing came short and labored, my stomach churned as though I'd overeaten, and now my head throbbed with a squeezing ache.

'Ugh...'

When I shifted position, inexplicable nausea surged up. Had I caught some illness? The chilling hypothesis made me finally surrender to the pain and snap my eyes open.

My blurred vision gradually resolved into a clear scene. Across from me, Ahin lay with his blanket pulled up to his chin. Watching him seemed to ease the queasiness somewhat.

I blinked, studying Ahin bathed in the lamp's crimson glow. Despite being a predator, he must be quite sensitive to cold—today as always, he was thoroughly bundled in white bedding.

My gaze drifted slowly across his disheveled silver hair, long eyelashes, and refined features. Unlike his usual deranged personality, his sleeping face was gentler and more composed than any herbivore beastman's.

'Really now.'

If only he were this pleasant while awake. Regrettably, though the Beast God had granted Ahin beauty, He had not bestowed sound judgment. Or perhaps all black panthers were collectively missing a few screws.

It wasn't an entirely unfounded theory—Iverin alone proved the hypothesis reasonably accurate. Carrying around cookbooks about herbivore dishes in front of a rabbit—absolutely despicable.

'But Meimi and Lady Valens...'

Meimi's touch was nothing but gentle except when preventing escape attempts, and Lady Valens was a wonderful black panther aside from feeding me snacks until I nearly burst. Thoughts of them tempered the anger that had flared at the memory of Iverin.

'At least take after them halfway.'

You ridiculous predators. As I silently cursed Ahin and Iverin with venom, my headache gradually subsided.

Once the pain that had been tormenting my body settled, drowsiness finally washed over me. Through my increasingly hazy vision, Ahin's face shimmered into view again.

'Vivi.'

The voice calling my name wouldn't leave my ears. Somehow, hearing it from Ahin's lips made my ordinary name feel special.