TSROTRATBP Chapter 16

The more I mulled over the past month's events, the more questions flooded in. Had Ahin noticed my pheromones like Lady Valens had?

And why wasn't he interrogating me when I was so obviously suspicious? Surely he couldn't actually regard me as merely a pet. These disjointed questions thoroughly ransacked my mind.

'Aren't you curious about my identity?'

In my fading consciousness, Ahin seemed to drift further away. My heavy eyelids fluttered open and closed as I unconsciously stretched my front paw toward his face.

Then, instead of the usual white fur puff, five slender fingers entered my field of vision.

'Fingers...?'

The human form I'd once dreamed of. All that singing about humanization, humanization must have conjured this fantasy. The absurd situation nearly made me laugh.

Moreover, it wasn't just fingers—my extended arm brought my palm against Ahin's cheek. The touch transmitted warmth far too vivid.

'...Warm.'

Even knowing it was an illusion, I didn't want to pull my hand away. Tick-tock, tick-tock—time itself seemed to flow more slowly. My consciousness soon flickered out as I stared blankly at the hand I couldn't identify as my own.

Nearly a month had passed since the eyesore Vivi Raebien had disappeared. Vivi's mother Eivern's gaze drifted toward the window as she sipped her tea.

'Why.'

No matter how she thought about it, the lack of news from the workers who'd taken Vivi that day left her deeply unsettled. At first she'd assumed they'd been hunted by the forest's black panthers, but those two beastmen had cultivated martial skills. They should have been capable of handling one or two black panthers.

Yet it seemed equally strange to think they'd disobeyed orders and fled. Why would loyal employees who'd worked at the Raebien estate for over a decade run off with a mere baby rabbit? Especially one declared cursed—too ambiguous for a pet, too problematic for food.

While Eivern's thoughts lengthened, her second son Kyri Raebien glanced toward the window as well. He had just undergone his coming-of-age ceremony at fifteen and still possessed a youthful face.

"They crossed the border and probably went too deep and got hunted. Stop worrying about it, Mother."

"But that forest is near the Grace House, is it not? What if beastmen affiliated with that family..."

"Found Vivi Raebien? Then we should be even more grateful. They did us the favor of disposing of her."

These things happen openly among nobility anyway. Kyri murmured dismissively and sipped his tea.

And for good reason—the Grace House, ruling family of black panther territory, was famously merciless. If the workers had been discovered trespassing across the border, their lives along with Vivi Raebien's could have been snuffed out in an instant without surprise.

Though Eivern nodded at his logic, she couldn't shake a strange unease. Observing his mother's expression, Kyri set down his teacup with an audible clink.

"If it bothers you that much, send more people to investigate. If the black panthers tore them apart, at least some corpses or bones should remain."

"...Yes. That's not a bad idea."

Eivern immediately reached out and rang the bell to summon an employee. Jingle-jangle—the clear chime felt somehow ominous on this midday.

Was it a dream or reality?

Fantasy or truth?

Too vivid to dismiss as a dream, too implausible to accept as reality. Half-dazed, I rolled back and forth across the cushion repeatedly.

No matter how I considered it, the warmth and sensation from that pre-dawn moment had been far too clear. At least in that instant, Ahin hadn't seemed nearly so large.

'Just in case.'

I pushed myself up and dashed to the full-length mirror in the bedroom. The polished surface reflected a white baby rabbit the size of a fist. Still a herbivore small enough to easily fit in someone's palm.

'...Right. This is me.'

Hah. I planted both paws on the mirror and exhaled a hollow breath of lament. Not even a trace of human fingers—just the familiar white fur ball.

This appearance wouldn't change overnight. Those five fingers I'd seen at dawn were nothing but illusion. Moreover, I'd never heard of a case where someone underwent humanization only to revert back.

"Vivi?"

The unfamiliar address reached my ears—I'd grown so accustomed to "Hey" or "Rabbit" that it felt strange. I lifted my head and met Ahin's frowning gaze in the mirror. Unlike me writhing in pain, he must have slept soundly—his face looked remarkably refreshed in his gray uniform.

"What's gotten into you all of a sudden?"

'What indeed. How would a black panther understand such hardship?'

I stared up at him briefly before releasing another sigh heavy with lament. Ahin's attendant, who'd been fastening his cravat, flinched and looked down at me.

"Why is she acting like that?"

Ahin asked quietly, glancing between me and the attendant.

"P-pardon?"

"That rabbit. She's sighing."

How should I know? The attendant's expression briefly conveyed this sentiment before quickly vanishing—a skilled employee's practiced response.

"Perhaps..."

He carefully opened his mouth after studying me slumped before the mirror.

"She's... hungry?"

"Hungry?"

"She looks rather thin."

Thin where, exactly? I shot him an irritated look and tapped his shoe with my front paw. You there—your eyes are seriously malfunctioning.

"But she already ate breakfast?"

Ahin also peered down at me with the question implicit in his gaze. I quickly averted my eyes from his pointed stare that seemed to ask, "Didn't you eat breakfast?" and shook my head firmly.

'Breakfast, really.'

It's nothing so trivial. Lady Vivi's concerns weren't topics these black panthers who'd already undergone humanization could possibly comprehend.

"That makes sense—the claim that she's hungry."

"Pardon?"

"She must be preparing to be eaten. Fattening herself up."

"Is... is that so...?"

"Vivi is very thorough in her preparations."

Why does your interpretation always go there? Just then I caught sight of Ahin's lips in the mirror and my knees went weak. Come to think of it, it was nearly time for Ahin to have his breakfast.

"Where do you think you're—"

I'd barely turned pale and attempted escape when my scruff was caught. He lifted me into the air in an instant and buried his nose near my neck before I could resist.

"The lion scent,"

After a brief pause, Ahin withdrew his face with a faint smile. Outwardly a quite pretty expression, but to me it was nothing short of chilling.

"Has completely disappeared."

His voice held no inflection whatsoever, contrasting with the pleasure in his red eyes. Just how offensive did he find the lion scent? At this point I was genuinely curious what it smelled like.

He buried his nose in my neck scruff again to confirm the scent, then tapped my chin lightly.

"Vivi, if you come back reeking of that smell one more time, then..."

'Th-then...?'

Unable to voice the question, I met his gaze with trembling eyes. Ahin studied the empty air as though contemplating my punishment, then set me down on the floor.

Then what? Go on and finish. I waited with my pupils practically vibrating, but he trailed off and checked his pocket watch before turning toward the door.

"I'm late for my schedule. I'll be going."

"Yes, sir."

The attendant immediately answered and followed Ahin.

You're just leaving like that? I stared blankly at their retreating backs before frantically thumping the carpet.

'Then what happens?'

A beastman should finish what he starts saying! In my frustration I kept rolling around until just before they exited the bedroom, I locked eyes with the attendant. Then—

'Miss Rabbit!'

He mouthed my title and suddenly clenched his left fist in an encouraging gesture. He even tapped his stomach while mouthing 'Fighting!'

Left utterly alone, I fell into contemplation. Was this encouragement for my survival, or cheering for my preparation process to be eaten? The ambiguous meaning left my feelings somewhat complicated.

Lady Valens sent word that today's tea time was impossible due to her packed schedule. The estate had been unusually noisy these past few days—perhaps that was why.

However, when I happened to encounter her while passing through the corridor with Meimi, I brightened with pleasure. It had been exactly three days.

'Lady Valens.'

"Oh my, this is the first time you've greeted me so enthusiastically."

As I received the gentle stroking hand beneath my chin, the dawn incident suddenly crossed my mind.

If it was Lady Valens who'd immediately noticed my pheromones, perhaps I could seek her advice. Unlike me who'd only absorbed knowledge through employee conversations and books at the estate, her experience would be far more extensive.

Filled with hope, I descended from Meimi's arms to the floor and fell into brief contemplation.

Last night, after Ahin bit my neck scruff, my stomach had churned and my head had ached. Then at dawn I'd witnessed that fantasy-like scene. How should I explain this sequence of events?

'With writing...'

It was impossible. Just stamping out the letters for "Vivi" had exhausted me, let alone monopolizing her time in the middle of this corridor. Soon I approached near the hem of her red dress with a resolute expression.

"Dear?"

When I attempted something, Lady Valens and Meimi's gazes settled on me intently. Noticing their attention, I partially raised my body, opened my mouth, and mimicked biting my front paw.

'Like this, Ahin bit my neck,'

Could she possibly understand from such gestures... I glanced up nervously, and Lady Valens gestured with her chin as though telling me to continue.

Gaining courage, the rest came easier. I then rolled over and rubbed my chest and stomach area.

'Afterward, my insides felt unwell, like indigestion.'

As Lady Valens watched this process carefully, a flash of interest crossed her red eyes.

Had it gotten through? I gazed up with hopeful eyes, and she nodded with a reassuring expression.

Soon Lady Valens rubbed her thumb and index finger together with a snap and issued instructions.

"Her lunch must have been insufficient. Meimi, inform the head chef to provide the hay procured from the eastern territory."

Meimi's already taciturn face hardened further in that instant. She seemed apologetic for not noticing my needs despite being together. She bowed deeply and spoke in a grave voice.

"Yes, Madam Matriarch."

That's not it at all. I abruptly sat up in frustration, and Lady Valens's lips curved gently upward—her characteristically charming smile.

"Yes, yes, you seem quite satisfied."

She apparently interpreted my upright posture as delight.