《The Symbiotic Relationship Between the Rabbit and the Black Panther》 Chapter 1 When I opened my eyes, all I saw was darkness. The soft sound of shoes trudging through the soil greeted me when I raised my ears. I stretched out my foot and tapped the wall in front of me. The rough feeling of woven straw greeted the soles of my feet. ¡°No way, am I in a basket right now?¡¯ Seeing as my body would shake even whilst staying still, it seemed as if I was in the basket that I used to when I occasionally went out. I wonder where they¡¯re taking me. As if to answer my question, a voice that I had never heard before suddenly spoke. ¡°If we walk a little further, we¡¯ll be in the black panther¡¯s territory.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s deal with it quickly. By the way, how come she hasn¡¯t even turned into a human after she had her coming of age ceremony? Is that even possible?¡± ¡°The priest already said that it was a curse from Sooshin. ¡­It must be uncomfortable.¡± I, who had keen hearing, quickly found out that I was the subject of their conversation. Right, it¡¯s truly mysterious. I¡¯m definitely a legitimate shapeshifter, but why haven¡¯t I changed my appearance, which was that of a baby rabbit yet? Every time my mother saw me, she was always irritated and angry. With her fine brows knitted tightly together, ¡®Just why have you not turned into a human being yet? Your sibling, Kylie, has already become a full-fledged shapeshifter. Everyone else turns into a human within three years from birth, why are you¡­!¡¯ She screamed loudly enough for my ears to ring. Sometimes, if she was outraged, she would punish me by not allowing me to step out of my room. It was a struggle to even open the door on my own without a maid in the first place. I couldn¡¯t go out without being punished. My mother and father were ashamed of me. The Levian Household. My family, the Levian household, was a distinguished noble family in the rabbit territory. My mother is Eivan Levian, my father¡¯s third wife, and the eldest was me, who was frustrated at how I couldn¡¯t turn into a human being. Thankfully, my younger brother, Kylie, had already succeeded in turning into a human in less than three years after he was born. At that time, although I was already five, I still remained in the form of a baby rabbit. Shapeshifters, on average, achieves their human form before their third birthdays, why was I still¡­? Although everyone wondered, frustratingly, no one knew the reason. I¡¯ll be able to shift tomorrow, I¡¯ll be able to shift the next day, I¡¯ll be able to shift after a week. Time flew by in the face of my empty expectations. Eventually, last month, despite the passing of my coming of age ceremony, I still did not succeed in shifting. When I went to the temple reluctantly with my mother, the priest shouted that this was a curse from the Animal God. His voice was so loud that my heart had started pounding. ¡°Hey, isn¡¯t this a bit too far from the territory¡¯s border?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no choice but to go this deep into the forest. ¡­After all, the order was for her to die at the hands of the black panthers.¡± ¡°Take the grass over there and take it back for proof. It¡¯s a poisonous weed that¡¯s only grown on the black panther¡¯s territory.¡± Whilst listening to the conversation, I immediately realised that I had been abandoned. I had a feeling that I would be. After coming back from the temple, the way my parents looked at me had changed from irritation to contempt. I also heard them murmuring about how it was embarrassing for them to kill me. ¡°Hey look, I¡¯m pretty sure we¡¯ve gone too deep. If we cross the border, we¡¯ll no longer receive the protection of the territory.¡± I could feel the basket touch the floor with the man¡¯s anxious urging. ¡°Calm down, I was thinking of leaving it somewhere around here, anyways.¡± Since this was the black panther¡¯s territory, it was clear that this was a forest that was bordering the rabbit¡¯s territory. A place which was most likely crawling with black panthers. No, please don¡¯t leave me in a place like this. I¡¯ll try my best to become a good shapeshifter, so don¡¯t leave me here! I clawed at the straw desperately to no end, but I couldn¡¯t even reach the lid. My vision was blurred due to my tears and my eyes became swollen. ¡°Aaargh!¡± ¡°Urk!¡± Suddenly, at that moment, I heard a loud scream that nearly made me faint. I stopped scratching the basket and instinctively held my breath. My whole body was on edge. If this was really the territory of the Black Panthers, then the shapeshifters who moved me might have already been hunted by the Black Panthers. Should I pretend to be dead? Soon after, the basket began to shake and the lid opened. A bright light suddenly spilled in as I closed my eyes. Before I knew anything, I was caught by the nape of my neck and lifted into the air. ¡°A baby rabbit?¡± Somewhere, a slow voice rang. It was a clear yet nice-sounding, low-pitched voice. When I opened my eyes, there was a surprisingly pretty man in front of me. He had silver hair that looked like silver thread pouring in front of his face. After adjusting to the brightness for a moment, I began to struggle desperately in order to survive. ¡®B-Black panther!¡¯ The black panther clan. I¡¯ve only imagined it, but the tooth in front of me must have been a puk leopard. ¡®Didn¡¯t their red eyes make you feel uneasy?¡¯ ¡®They did. I saw a family of black panthers in the city last time, and their eyes were just creepy.¡¯ When the servants had kicked up a fuss, they had said that most of the Black Panther clan had red eyes. The man had distinct red eyes as well as shining fangs that peaked out from between his lips. Since this was the Black Panther¡¯s territory, there was a higher possibility that the men belonged to the Black Panther clan. ¡®Let me go, I said let me go!¡¯ As I shook my front foot desperately, I suddenly stopped moving when I felt the chilly mood. The expression of the uninterested man gave off a cold feeling. ¡°He might capture me and eat me.¡¯ Looking at me as I was frozen still, he smiled, his eyes folding into a half moon shape. Somehow, it looked like a smile of satisfaction. ¡°Are you crying?¡± Is this your first time seeing someone cry? I probably started when I first came to my senses in the basket. I wanted to pretend like nothing happened, but I felt stuffy, as if something was stuck in my throat. But at the man¡¯s next words, I couldn¡¯t help but stop crying. ¡°Cry more.¡± Oh my god, this guy must be crazy! [ / / / ] Afterwards, the man stuffed me in his pocket like a thug and moved somewhere else. While he was moving, I was stunned by his rough handling. When I came to my senses, I saw a dazzling bedroom which I had never seen before in the Levian mansion. ¡®¡­Where am I?¡¯ Running around on the fluffy bedding, I felt despair and hopelessness. I didn¡¯t have enough courage to jump off the bed. But I had to escape from here. Before I came to my senses, just before I was stuffed into the man¡¯s pocket, I saw something I shouldn¡¯t have seen. A scene where my head would roll onto the floor. And on the other hand, the state of the man with a sword covered in red blood. It was obvious that he was the culprit who had killed the two men moving me. The maids of the Levian family had said that the Black Panthers of the territory next to us were all impatient and vicious. Why did that man bring me here when I should have died on the spot? Wracking my small brain, I could only reach one terrible conclusion. My appearance of a baby rabbit was not even emergency food, but an emergency snack. ¡°No way!¡± I screamed and struck the bed with my front foot. No, no way. I refuse to think about ending up on a plate in a strange place like this. ¡°Now¡¯s the only time I can escape.¡¯ With my eyes glistening, I began to bounce back on my hind legs. I had to jump off, even if I had to suffer a broken bone. ¡®¡­Here I go!¡¯ I¡¯m jumping! I¡¯m really going to jump! I, who had leaped off the bed with a determined expression, was momentarily caught in someone¡¯s hand. Please don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re the black panther from the woods. As I shifted my gaze stiffly, a man with dark black hair looked at me anxiously. ¡°That could have been a disaster. I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re being so reckless.¡± Fortunately or unfortunately, the owner of the snatching hand was not the rude black panther from before. The strange thing was that, contrary to his neat impression and speech, his facial expression and voice were both rather monotonous. As soon as I was relaxed by that odd irony, I swallowed a wary sigh again. Don¡¯t let your guard down. Every time this man talks, his fangs are so distinct that my whole body starts to tremble again. Moreover, it was true that the most black panthers had red eyes, and this guy¡¯s pupils were also tinged with red. ¡°Master Ahin too, really. Throwing this little rabbit onto the bed. Anyways, this is the first time I¡¯ve seen you before. Where did you come from?¡± There was no way I could have answered, even if you asked. I¡¯m from the rabbit territory! I said rabbit territory! Unfortunately, my inner cry did not reach the man. ¡°I see, you can¡¯t speak¡­¡± That¡¯s not something you should say with such surprise. You¡¯re a bit slow, aren¡¯t you? Let go! I swore acrimoniously inside, but the man didn¡¯t seem to have any intention of letting me down. ¡°The floor would be safer than the bed.¡± After walking to the sofa in the room, he picked up a fluffy cushion and put it on the floor. ¡°Ms Rabbit, whilst you¡¯re here, you shouldn¡¯t hurt yourself carelessly. After all, you¡¯re Master Ahin¡¯s possession now.¡± The man who laid me down carefully onto the cushion explained seriously with a flick of his finger. ¡®Please explain in detail.¡¯ What¡¯s with the weird title of ¡®Ms Rabbit¡¯? And what do you mean by his ¡®possession¡¯? I patted the cushion with my front foot. He managed to understand me, but just stroked my head gently with his index finger. ¡°Also, you must maintain a clean body at all times.¡± Cleanliness? I gazed up at him, puzzled. Still, I had obtained some information from the man¡¯s actions and words. The man in front of me was a servant of the black panther who had carried me in his pocket, and the repeated title of Ahin seemed to be his name. ¡®Tell me more.¡¯ The more information, the better. In my eyes, the lips of the man who had patted my head with a friendly touch opened. ¡°Since Master Ahin brought Ms Rabbit into the bedroom himself, I think you¡¯re special!¡± ¡°Special?¡± ¡°As an emergency food supply, perhaps.¡± ¡­Indeed, it¡¯s just as you¡¯ve said. A gurgle left my mouth again as I fell into a dead faint. Sooshin: the Animal God yAWLLLL AHHH im so excited i love this novel so much, both the fl and ml must be protected asSDFLKDFSJK i¡¯ll be updating this every two days (?? subject to change bc i¡¯m on uni break rn hehehe) until we catch up to the manhwa, then it¡¯ll go to weekly updates, but this is all subject to change! n e who,,, i sort of wish the author had made the ml with black hair bc i feel like it would have suited him more than silver? they made the manhwa rlly well tho sdlfkjdfj EDIT 18/06 someone¡¯s notified me that there¡¯s already a private translation available till ch 92 so i¡¯ll be stopping here then! thanks for supporting me so far tho ?? Chapter 5 Ahin who had returned to the bedroom early today, took me to the bed without much thought. Then, he laid down with his face facing down. There was a dull silence. ¡°¡­Hey.¡± ¡®Why!¡¯ What are you looking at? As usual, I only complained inwardly and carefully stepped back. It was because his beautiful face was so close that it felt burdensome. Then he grabbed my neck to stop my movements and slowly opened his mouth. ¡°Those morons¡­. no, those wolves attacked me once again.¡± At that moment, I got frightened due to his fangs and closed my eyes tightly. ¡°So, I got hurt.¡± ¡®You¡¯re hurt?¡¯ I opened my eyes a little, wondering if it was a big wound like the one from before. Unlike that day, however, there were no blood stains on his blue military garment which was decorated with silver epaulets. Moreover, I couldn¡¯t sense any smell of blood. On a closer look, Ahin who had turned his head, pointed to his left cheek. ¡°Here.¡± I frowned as I looked at his fair face. It was a mere scratch that would quickly disappear in a day or two. He talks like he¡¯s got a really big scar or something. As I scoffed, he blinked his red eyes at me. ¡°Won¡¯t you treat me?¡± ¡®Why me?¡¯ How can a little rabbit treat your wound? Laughing at his absurd request, I shook my front foot. ¡°You won¡¯t?¡± ¡®I won¡¯t.¡¯ As I continued to ignore him, the smile disappeared from Ahin¡¯s face. Soon after, he got up and lifted me up into the air. ¡°I don¡¯t need a rabbit that can¡¯t cure me. Ah¨C¡° This irrational wild beast! Ahin opened his mouth with his head bent as if he was about to eat me. ¡®Mom!¡¯ Right underneath, the fangs were visible and I struggled for my life. It felt that my hind legs would almost go into his mouth. Ahin, who had brought my body close to his face, widened his eyes. ¡°Now, are you in the mood to treat me?¡± Of course. As I nodded quickly, he dropped me on the bed. Ahin, bent down once again. How am I supposed to treat this. When I looked at the wound in confusion, Ahin¡¯s eyebrows twitched in displeasure. It was nothing short of an unspoken urge. ¡®I¡¯ll fix it, I¡¯ll fix it!¡¯ I shook my head and alternately looked at my front foot and the red mark on his face. As I remembered how he had just wanted to swallow this Miss Bibi in one bite a while ago, I wanted to make another scratch on his face with my forefoot. ¡®Frustrating.¡¯ How do I meet the needs of this jerk. If you think about it, it was impossible for a four legged rabbit to apply medicine. As I was absorbed in my thoughts, Ahin¡¯s eyebrows raised again, so, I quickly approached him and licked the wound. Of course, the wound won¡¯t get cured this way but it was the best thing to do presently. With a blank look on his face, he straightened his head. ¡°This is your cure?¡± Then what the hell do you want from me. Do you really want to get hit with my front paws? My face grew more and more bewildered. Somehow, I felt that our communication was very ambiguous. Looking at Ahin, he sighed in dissatisfaction. ¡°Well¡­.¡± His red eyes slowly shifted towards me. Ahin, who was staring at me, grinned and stroked my head. ¡°Not bad.¡± As he uttered these words unknowingly, he got up and walked towards the bathroom to bandage it. You told me to heal your wound, but now he is not even bothering with it. Having been dumbfounded, I pretended to throw a rear-footed kick at the back of that cheeky black panther. ¡®Fearful wild beast!¡¯ Ever since the day we had met in the rose garden, Ahin¡¯s mother¡¯s tea time always seemed to be at the same time when I would take a walk in the garden. Thanks to this, instead of a garden walk, being a part of that strange teatime had become a part of my routine. ¡°The weather is good.¡± ¡®For sure.¡¯ In response to the blowing breeze, I softly closed my eyes. The sunny sky was covered with clouds and the peaceful wind carried the smell of roses. At first, the time spent with Ahin¡¯s mother, who had long fangs, was very uncomfortable but the more I met her, the less difficult it became. She even began to give me hay to chew on and admired me with praise. Moreover, thanks to her habit of talking a lot, I was able to acquire quite a bit of information. For example, Ahin had a coming of age ceremony this year. I was always busy looking away from him due to his fangs, but when I think about it, he was just a normal man. As I blankly stared in the air, I heard a gentle voice. ¡°So cute, your mouth is so cute.¡± ¡°Baby, stick your forefoot out.¡± ¡°Eat this.¡± Because of her pampering, I was growing fatter day by day. Ahin, who had known about this whole tea time situation, had turned me upside down and called me a pig rabbit. Ahin¡¯s mother introduced herself as Valence Grace and told me to call her Miss Valence. Of course, there¡¯s no way I can talk. Grace¡¯s name had a strange feeling of deja vu, but almost every nobleman in the black panther territory must have heard about it somewhere at least once. ¡°Try this, too.¡± Valence, who was watching me eat handmade hay, had a very subtle expression on her face. She reached out and flipped my body out of nowhere. ¡°¡­Baby.¡± Her voice was much lower than usual, so I glanced at her. Valence, who touched my neck, opened her mouth again. ¡°For a while, hold your breath and think about pressing down the blood vessels in your body.¡± Stop breathing and press down on my blood vessels? I didn¡¯t get the meaning of her words, but her voice sounded so strict that I immediately stopped breathing as instructed. ¡®What, what is this?¡¯ It was a kind of feeling that I had never experienced before. Did she want me to press down on this energy. As I remembered her vague words, I tried hard to draw blood to my face. After a while, I heard her somewhat generous voice. ¡°That¡¯s brilliant. Well done.¡± While receiving her compliment, I tried to draw energy in my body just as I had done now. Today¡¯s day was much more special than usual. Even though it was early in the morning, Ahin somehow picked me up and got on a carriage. And Evrin, who arrived shortly after, also rode in the carriage. The front door of the mansion opened with a loud, clattering noise. Since I came to this place, it was my first time ever going outside the mansion, so I was afraid but also somewhat excited. ¡®Wow¡­!¡¯ As Evrin lifted the window, the scenery outside had changed completely. It was a street lined up with high buildings and green roofs. I was able to understand the status of the black panther territory which was ahead of every other territory. ¡®Interesting.¡¯ It felt like the little world I had known was falling apart. It was such a happy and desperate moment for me to experience the outside world. In hesitation, I tried to stick my paws out of the window. Will a day come where I¡¯ll be able to look at the outside world by myself and not through someone else? Somehow, the refreshing breeze felt new. ¡°Come on, if you can¡¯t catch this doll, you will be eaten.¡± After saying those words, a small doll connected to a thread floated in front of me. How dare you. I opened my eyes and shook my paw. But, ironically, the doll missed my front foot. ¡°It¡¯s because your legs are short.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Fat rabbit.¡± Ahin¡¯s movements in controlling the thread couldn¡¯t be more hateful. Evrin, who was watching from the opposite side, breathed lightly. ¡°Sir Ahin, It will be served on your plate in the morning. In such a situation, bunny-nim might really come to hate you. Even now, it has a hateful look.¡± At Evrin¡¯s words, Ahin stopped shaking the thread and looked at my face. His red eyes blinked through his silver bangs. ¡°That¡¯s a pretty good look.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Bunny-nim, please continue to hate Sir Ahin with all your heart.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good too. It adds thrill.¡± ¡°Well, I can¡¯t argue with that.¡± Their conversation was far beyond my understanding, even with my standards, which have never been met by many. I was so irritated that I gave up and kicked the doll with my front foot. In a moment, the doll turned into a sandbag. ¡°An invincible rabbit.¡± ¡°Look here, this rabbit might be the first ever rabbit fighter to be born.¡± Evrin, with a serious expression, brought his face closer. Angered, I pushed his forehead back with my hind feet. These black panthers had a knack of making people angry. ¡°Evrin, I guess it doesn¡¯t like you very much either.¡± ¡°Right. Bunny-nim, please understand my tender heart.¡± What a long way to go. Ahin then suddenly lifted me up and placed me in his jacket pocket. It hurts! The ruthless hands showed no sign of change. ¡°We¡¯re almost at our destination.¡± The coachman could be heard outside the window. Seeing that the carriage had slowed down, it seems we were already at our destination. Soon after, I got off the carriage and faced a large stone building causing my complexion to turn blue. A building with which I had few memories but they were hardly every forgotten. The place they arrived at was a temple. ¡®This can¡¯t be.¡¯ It was a place where I would never want to step in because I didn¡¯t have any good memories of the temple. Why is it the temple? In the midst of struggling in the pocket, something passed through my mind. Sometimes, young shapeshifters who have not achieved humanization on time are brought to the temple and blessed with holy water. Of course, I¡¯ve been through that process several times. However, I made no progress in humanization even by my coming of age ceremony, so I was taken to the temple again in order to perform a diagnosis on me. Apparently, Ahin must have come to the temple to confirm my identity since he had sensed pheromones from me, even though I look like an ordinary little rabbit. In fear, I began to struggle in his pocket. ¡°Be quiet.¡± Since I wouldn¡¯t stop kicking with all my strength, Ahin pressed my head. However, I had to resist this time no matter what, so I bit his pocket. We don¡¯t need to go out, so let¡¯s just go back. I hate temples. I looked up eagerly, but without any further delay, Ahin and Evrin stepped into the temple. PREVIOUS CHAPTER Chapter 6 After several verification procedures, presentation of identity cards, the place we entered was an old ivory-coloured temple. I rolled my eyes, only revealing my face from the pocket. The murals that were painted everywhere and the flames burning over the torches created a divine atmosphere. ¡°Mister Grace, welcome.¡± A man with a long beard, wearing a grey-white priest uniform silently welcomed us in. From the moment I faced him standing far away, I couldn¡¯t think straight. My heart started beating. I kept thinking about the bad memories from my past. [ This is a terrible curse! ] It was a loud voice that made my ears ache. What if I end up hearing the same thing again. And what if it were to be heard by Ahin and Evrin. The anxiety that I had been suppressing inside me continued to rise. ¡°Wait here for a moment.¡± Ahin took me out of his pocket and put me on the floor. As he looked at me with uneasy eyes, he demanded with a slow voice. ¡°Answer.¡± Nod, nod. As he forcibly moved his head, Ahin burst into laughter, rose up and walked away. I looked at his back with trembling eyes. His back, dressed in a black suit, felt too distant today. ¡°It¡¯s been a long time. Has it been three years?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the first time you¡¯ve recieved us. It¡¯s an honour to be personally visited by Monk Grey.¡± The longer it took for Ahin and Evrin to do the greetings, the more it made me feel sick. I was standing somewhat far away, but I could infer two words from the way their mouths were moving. Rabbit. Shapeshifter. As I breathed in, the unpleasant cries from that day clouded my mind. The voice of the priest echoed in my muddled head. [ This is a terrible curse! ] I choked up. If I hear the same words from this priest again. [ Sadly, she has been abandoned by the divine beast! ] As I came back to my senses, I was madly running somewhere. As I saw the priest standing there, I had been driven with an urge to run and before I knew it, I was moving my feet. My vision quickly became blurry due to tears filling up in my eyes. [ Unfortunately, there is no way. ] Oh, the black panther had told me to quietly wait for him. I broke my promise, so I might really get eaten this time. Even though I had such absurd thoughts, my feet kept moving contrary to my will. [ There is no precedent to this. ] Stop. I felt the anxiety that had been eating me so far rising to the surface. [ Didn¡¯t the priest say that it was a curse recieved from the divine beast. How unpleasant. ] After running for a long time, I arrived in front of a large stone statue. The towering statue represented the divine beast that was worshiped by the shapeshifters. It was made of several animal figures intertwined together. As I stared up blankly at him, my tears came dripping down. Mister divine beast, why can¡¯t I change into a human being? Am I really cursed? Questions that couldn¡¯t be answered continued to rise in my mind. It was a now a situation where the statue was almost invisible due to my blurred vision. My heart was beating fast due to the frustration I felt. ¡®¡­Why only me.¡¯ Why. In their childhood, everyone is able to get recognized so I don¡¯t understand why I am the only one who had to go through this. My younger brother, who was born three years after me, has already transformed into a boy since a long time. The other half-siblings were also the same. Despite my endless grudges, there was no one to really blame. As I cried, I felt that my entire body had been drained of energy. As I was about to stretch myself for a moment, suddenly a large hand reached out and picked me up. My sight was filled with familiar silver hair. ¡°Hey.¡± His voice was very low. Ahin, who was breathing lightly, looked rather angry instead of having his usual smile or expressionless face. ¡°This time I was a little irritated, you.¡± He roughly sweeped his hair and before I knew it, he was holding me high. Frustrated with nothing to say, I just struggled to get out of Ahin¡¯s hands. It wasn¡¯t my will to run away either. And I still don¡¯t want to go to the temple. ¡°Why are you crying?¡± If you were in my situation, wouldn¡¯t you also be crying? I really hate it, let go. Eventually, with my claws up, I scratched Ahin¡¯s hand. Despite the scratches, his hand showed no sign of releasing me. After a while, Ahin asked in a slightly soft voice. ¡°You don¡¯t like the temple?¡± Without thinking further, I nodded my head my head aggressively. I hate it so much. I hate the temple, and I hate the priests even more. I kept nodding and stared at Ahin with tears in my eyes. And oh, I don¡¯t like you either. ¡°Sir Ahin!¡± Evrin¡¯s loud voice echoed at the back. His neat black hair soared all over. As he hurriedly approached, he looked relieved once he found me in Ahin¡¯s hands. Evrin, who was gasping for breath, put his hands on his waist while having his usual expressionless face. ¡°Bunny-nim, you¡¯ve got good running skills. I¡¯d never thought that you would try to run away from the temple.¡± Even in this situation, I still couldn¡¯t overlook his habit of spouting nonsense. Having running so fast, I had absolutely no strength to even glare at him, so, I stretched myself in Ahin¡¯s hands. Ahin, who looked at me being like that, turned his eyes towards Evrin. ¡°It has an aversion to the temple.¡± I don¡¯t remember expressing myself to that extreme, but I was dumbfounded and gave a thumbs up to Ahin by jumping. The leap was very high. ¡°Shit, I didn¡¯t know. Bunny-nim must be an unholy atheist.¡± ¡°I guess so. Isn¡¯t it strange that a normal rabbit has a religion in the first place?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t rabbits tend to pray sometimes?¡± ¡°Oh. Isn¡¯t that interesting?¡± No matter who heard it, a strange conversation continued between them. Then, Evrin made a suggestion while tilting his head. ¡°Then let¡¯s go back to the mansion.¡± Was it that simple? In a daze, I opened my mouth slightly. Ahin, who looked down at me, smiled as usual. ¡°Yes, let¡¯s go back.¡± We went back home. It was an easy ending for someone like me who had been desperately running away a while ago because I didn¡¯t want to meet the priest. ¡°Bunny-nim.¡± Undoubtedly, Evrin had stood close enough to Ahin so that I could hear him. Then he carefully raised his hands and arranged his thick hair. ¡°This Evrin is a civil servant, not a military officer. So, I¡¯d like it if you don¡¯t abruptly run away next time.¡± ¡°Evrin, don¡¯t talk too close to my face.¡± ¡°I respect Sir Ahin¡¯s cold attitude.¡± ¡°Mouth.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Evrin, who barely managed to zip his mouth, then led the way. As I alternately looked at the two figures in the carriage, I was suddenly overcome by drowsiness. The words, ¡®let¡¯s go back¡¯ somehow made me feel tired and sleepy. ¡®This place is¡­.?¡¯ When I opened my eyes, there was darkness outside the window. Maybe I fell asleep in the carriage on the way back. I rubbed my eyes on the white bed and turned my back. My eyes felt heavy and swollen, perhaps because I had cried so much while sitting on the floor of the temple. I still felt tired even though I had just slept soundly. Looking around at the cosy bedroom, I pretended to sleep quickly. It was a quiet night, but there was one problem. It was Ahin, who was staring at me while wearing his night gown. ¡®No way¡­¡¯ At first glance, his firm expression looked like he would rebuke me for running away from the temple. When I was suddenly frightened, my eyes became tensed. Moreover, although I sees him every night, his strong exposed body that could be seen through the night gown today was quite burdensome. It¡¯s already a challenge to look at his beautiful face, and now, it¡¯s too much to adjust to such a disheveled appearance. After all, I¡¯m a healthy adult who has already had my coming of age ceremony. And that defenseless black panther seems to have no idea how dangerous this Miss Bibi can be. ¡°Hey.¡± He called me all of a sudden, but I didn¡¯t intend to open my eyes. If you think I¡¯m going to get caught up in your provocation, then that¡¯s a big miscalculation. ¡°Cry baby.¡± Shit. In irritation, I quickly got up and punched Ahin¡¯s hand with my front foot. After blocking my blow, he pushed my head. If I do something wrong, I¡¯ll end up breaking my neck. ¡®Damn it!¡¯ In the midst of this situation, as I saw his blinding red eyes, I immediately pretended to sleep. I couldn¡¯t believe it, but I could hear the sound of the breeze. ¡°Well.¡± After a brief pause, chills appeared on my back. It was because Ahin¡¯s fingers were slowly stroking my back. It was a gesture that contained no threat, but I could still feel chills for some reason. ¡°You know what?¡± Like a siren¡¯s song, It made him sound like a possessed shapeshifter. (1) I don¡¯t know, I don¡¯t want to know what it is forever. As I continued to think like that, I felt a cool touch on my back. ¡°The wild beasts are possessive, no matter what it is.¡± Slowly, his fingers brushed against my back. It was slow but steady. He usually patted me on the back like this but it always made me uncomfortable. ¡°Sometimes, if you follow your desire, it will break you.¡± He was a wild beast, so he was calmly talking about this as it was just something else. On the other hand, I had enough goosebumps on my body to the point I wanted to jump up. I don¡¯t think Ahin¡¯s current words are true for everyone. ¡®Oh my god.¡¯ Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re going to try to put me in your mouth again. Unlike my worries, fortunately nothing happened. However, I was not relieved of the tension, so I stayed alert. After a few seconds of silence, I once again heard a deep, low voice. ¡°You were picked up by me.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why you were able to live.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why you are my possession. Isn¡¯t that right?¡± As I listened to the words that followed, my mouth dried up. It was such a subtle warning that I might somehow be ruined if I even as much tried to run away. Somehow, I had a feeling that it would be better to run away as soon as possible from this mansion, but was I mistaken? PREVIOUS CHAPTER Glossary (1) ¡®Siren¡¯s song ¨C So, I did some research on this and it seems to have two meanings: I. Something that¡¯s alluring, appealing and seductive on the surface but ultimately, it is deceptive and dangerous. II. In Greek mythology, the sirens were dangerous creatures who would lure nearby sailors with their enchanting songs. Chapter 7 Between Ahin¡¯s mother, I mean, between Valence and me, an implicit bond has developed recently. It¡¯s due to the tea time in the rose garden which is always held at the same time. Then, a secret lies between us about which Meimi is not aware. It was the practice of controlling my pheromones. [ Come to the rose garden every day after lunch. ] Miss Valence taught me how to learn to grapple the unique pheromones that appear in my body every day. Yes. The strange energy that I had felt in my body the other day were pheromones. This was theoretically impossible but perhaps, it was my first step towards humanization. I awakened my fighting spirit and waited for this time every day, and in Valence¡¯s opinion, I was showing significant progress. Of course, the authenticity of her compliments could not be confirmed. Because she was showing me a strange kindness. ¡°Baby, breathe slowly. Keep calm and then move.¡± As I sat on the table, I constantly breathed and focused on my body according to her instructions. The energy that spread throughout my body felt more stable than yesterday¡¯s practice. ¡°Bring them back to the red field, almost like you¡¯re trying to hide the pheromones.¡± (1) It¡¯s difficult¡­. I have no idea what it means to hide them. When Valence realized that she had given a very vague explanation, she spoke again while drinking her milk tea. ¡°Don¡¯t rush. It doesn¡¯t matter if you take your time.¡± With a nod, I focused on gathering my energy as she had told me to. Several minutes later, as the practice went on, I felt exhausted. Dealing with pheromones required quite a bit of stamina, so it was only a matter of time before I felt the need for a nap. ¡°Great work. I¡¯m going to stop here today.¡± Valence, who patted my breathless head, stuck out the book she was holding in her hands. When I looked at her in confusion, her mouth curved up into a gentle smile. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s a funny question, but do you know how to read and write?¡± I stared at her smiling face but then I came back to my senses and nodded. I¡¯ve never written a continental language myself but fortunately, I had no problem with reading it. My mother never let me lose hope even after I was ten years old and stuffed me with knowledge while I was imprisoned in the mansion. ¡°I¡¯ll hand this book over to Meimi seperately, so read it when you have time. I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll be of some help to you.¡± From the moment she sensed pheromones from me, she hasn¡¯t once treated me like an ordinary rabbit. Nevertheless, it was fortunate that she hadnt take any actions against me. It was difficult for me to do anything about a woman who took up the position of the patriarch from the beginning, wasting her time on me. ¡¸The Pheromone Theory¡¹ Feeling strange, I alternately looked at the book and her. As I returned to the bedroom, I immediately got the thick book fixed in a certain position with the help of Meimi. She placed heavy marbles at both ends of the book to prevent it from falling over. ¡®Okay.¡¯ After a long day of serious practice, I stood up with my front paws and pointed at the book. Although it was a bit hard to flip the pages with my paws, I couldn¡¯t really help it due to my rabbit form. For now, my only hope was to gather information and clues on pheromones. ¡®Definition of pheromones.¡¯ Pheromones are innate scents that only belong to shapeshifters, and are manifested by their unique abilities, means of attack or superiority. In general, the rabbit shapeshifters have developed pheromones that allow them to defend themselves and be agile, but am I the same type? No matter how I think about it, it¡¯s definitely not speed. While reading the next chapter with many thoughts, I looked around the empty bedroom without reason. ¡®The biology of pheromones.¡¯ This is also an education that a lot of shapeshifters recieve in their childhood. In this continent, there are two coming of age ceremonies. The coming of age ceremony for reaching sexual maturity at 15 and the rules based ceremony for being an adult at 18. Unlike humans, shapeshifters are usually attracted through pheromones, so young shapeshifters are apt to be swayed by instinct. Thus, it was made a norm to enable pheromone attraction in relationships with the opposite gender from 15 onwards. ¡®Hmm¡­.¡¯ I frowned, and skipped this chapter without even skimming through it. It was something that I already knew well even if I didn¡¯t study it seperately. At some point, the servants of the Raebian family began to see me as a normal little pet rabbit rather than a shapeshifter. I couldn¡¯t really express myself even if I was able to think rationally. I think it started around the end of my first coming of age ceremony. It didn¡¯t matter much. Anyway, my life where I¡¯ve always been despised hasn¡¯t changed much. However, there was one problem which had always made me super uncomfortable. I was provided with a luxurious room since I was still a family member but since I was only a rabbit, I lived on the cushion rather than the bed. However, sometimes, the servants of the mansion would use my room as a place for their night rendezvous. In the servants lodgings, it was impossible to meet and no place to move around, so my room, where no-one would come by at night became the perfect spot for the secret meetings. [ Mister Den, this place is a bit¡­ ] [ There¡¯s no one here. What do you think? ] At night, in my room, where no-one would usually come by, you could hear shaking noises. At the beginning, I didn¡¯t understand anything but later on, I realised everything. They were well aware. Even if I somehow managed to express my discomfort, there would be no efforts taken by them. Thanks to the scenes I had to see every night, I didn¡¯t even have to study the biology of pheromones seperately. Most of what I remembered from the Raebian mansion were these terrible memories. Soon after, I turned my body several times and placed my front foot on the book again. I don¡¯t have time to care about the past. ¡®¡­Huh?¡¯ In the midst of my reading, I sensed something at the back. As I turned my head around, Ahin and Evrin, whose presence I hadn¡¯t felt at all had already entered the bedroom. Is dinner time over already? As I looked at the terrace, I heard some troubling sounds. ¡°Ha¡­.¡± Ahin, who had covered his eyes with his hands, punched the wall with his fist. Even Evrin, who always had an expressionless face, looked weird today. ¡®What¡¯s wrong with him?¡¯ I blankly stared at him but Ahin started laughing. I didn¡¯t know what kind of ridicule it was in his laugh, but I¡¯ve never seen him laugh like that before. ¡°Together with bunny-nim, I¡¯m seeing all kinds of rare sights in my life.¡± Evrin, who had just corrected his expression, spoke. ¡°A little rabbit is reading a book¡­! I¡¯d like to make a portrait out of this scene.¡± Only then did I understand their reaction and looked down at the book. I couldn¡¯t see myself, but ironically, it was quite funny to imagine a rabbit reading a book with its front legs. However, from the perspective of the other party, my eyes narrowed because it wasn¡¯t funny at all. ¡°I think I¡¯m going crazy¡­.¡± ¡°Sir Ahin, calm down. If you laugh too much, you will hurt bunny-nim¡¯s feelings.¡± However, Evrin¡¯s mouth was twitching again and again. His face looked as if he trying to hold back his laughter. After seeing their expression, the punching noise on the wall followed again. After that, I exhaled my breath and looked out of the window with wet eyes. As expected, I really hate those black panthers. Really hate them. It was an unusual day where the mansion was heavily guarded. The eyes of the knights looked even more ferocious than they normally did and the servants were also much more rigid. Ahin also left the bed chamber earlier than usual, and Valence informed me that the pheromone practice session will be cancelled today due to her schedule. Furthermore, Meimi had suggested taking a walk near a small pond behind the mansion rather than the rose garden which was around the main gate. There was nothing wrong with it, so I enjoyed the peaceful breeze on the soft grass. ¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯ The mood is very calm. The expression of the security guard whose eyes had met with mine while I was lost in my thoughts, suddenly froze. ¡®¡­Huh?¡¯ While I continued to stare in confusion, my body suddenly rose into the air. It was done carefully, but with a strange touch that seemed to be avoiding me. As I turned around to see if it was Meimi who had hugged me, I saw a shapeshifter who was looking down at me. ¡®Who is it?¡¯ It was my first time seeing this man since I came to this mansion. For a normal servant, his dark blue outfit and overall appearance looked way too luxurious. Looking up at his pale pink hair and golden eyes, I wondered if this shapeshifter was a herbivore. It is said that the ox shapeshifters tend to possess such beautiful golden eyes. When I thought about it, I felt a sense of familiarity with him. ¡®But why?¡¯ Why is there a herbivorous shapehsifter in the mansion of a black panther? Considering that, it was hard to figure out the reason for his presence in this garden. ¡®Are you a visitor?¡¯ I smiled with a happy face. In the midst of my growing doubts, the man staring at me suddenly brought his face close to me. ¡°It smells like a black panther.¡± ¡®My owner is not a herbivore.¡¯ Only then did I come back to my senses and looked around in a hurry. The knights, who had approached a certain radius, looked perplexed, unable to stop or speak against his actions. He didn¡¯t seem bothered by those men. ¡®Why?¡¯ Is he a man of a high social standing in this mansion and it just seems to be that I¡¯ve never encountered him before? The man¡¯s eyes, however, were golden, not the red eyes that were unique to the black panthers. When I turned to look at Meimi, she was also nervous. ¡®Mei-Meimi!¡¯ I alternately looked at the man and Meimi. Just a minute ago, what had shone through his lips was obviously a sharp fang. ¡®Who is this, this beast?¡¯ Since we had formed a relationship due to our daily routines, Meimi immediately noticed the silent question in my mind and raised her head. A wild beast!? When I received her affirmation, my mind went blank. ¡®Where did this wild beast come from.¡¯ I automatically stiffened and looked up at the young man. The face, which had looked beautiful a while ago, now looked like it belonged in hell. PREVIOUS CHAPTER Glossary (1) ¡®Red field¡¯ ¨C Apparently, it¡¯s the translation for the word ¡®??¡¯, a term commonly used in oriental medicine. It refers to the most energetic area of the human body and where one gathers most of their energy. Chapter 8 Moreover, the man did not only stop at his action of picking me up, but he had also brought his face close to my neck. I could feel a faint breath as if he were looking for something. ¡®What is¡­.¡¯ As I continued to feel his breath, a danger alert sounded in my head. It was different than the time I was with Ahin and I could feel the hair on my body rising up. ¡®This beast!¡¯ Please. I looked at Meimi with eager eyes and continued to struggle, but sadly, she only gave me a look of pity. ¡®Meimi¨C!¡¯ As our eyes met, Meimi¡¯s complexion turned even worse. After such a terrifying moment, the man¡¯s beautiful face became contorted. ¡°¡­.Why is the scent of that black panther so strong?¡± How am I supposed to know that? Get those terrible fangs away already! Frightened, I pushed the man¡¯s cheek away with my hind legs. Soon after, when I was at the peak of my fear, the scared Meimi began to talk. ¡°Mister Manionche, please.¡± ¡°Put it down.¡± For the first time, that low-pitched, deep voice made me feel happy. As I turned my head in a hurry, Ahin, dressed in an elegant uniform was standing there. Why am I so relieved? Struggling, I extended my front paw towards Ahin. ¡°How unexpected. Lord Grace is raising a rabbit.¡± ¡°Come here.¡± Ahin, ignoring the man¡¯s words, bent down and beckoned me. Fortunately, the man put me down on the floor without much resistance. ¡®Ahin!¡¯ Running as fast as I could, I quickly hid behind Ahin¡¯s legs and stepped towards that man, trying to threaten him. My response was in defense of the danger. But the man put his hands in his pocket, not caring about my threat or remorse. ¡°When did you start having such a hobby?¡± ¡®What is the relationship between you two?¡¯ I looked at the two wild beasts alternately in surprise and confusion. They look like they¡¯re of the same age, but there¡¯s definitely an unpleasant feeling in their voices. Moreover, anyone who dared to talk to Ahin in this way must be a person of similar status. Ahin, who didn¡¯t answer that question, picked me up and spoke very seriously. ¡°It smells like a filthy lion.¡± ¡®Li-lion?¡¯ There shouldn¡¯t be anything shocking about that remark. My trembling eyes turned to the man at the back. His golden eyes weren¡¯t the eyes of the ox shapeshifters that I had expected, but instead, they were the golden eyes that belonged to the lions. What is a lion doing at a black panther¡¯s house? ¡®Not here.¡¯ This isn¡¯t real. This mansion was never a place for herbivores. Terrified, I kept shaking my head and hung on to Ahin¡¯s finger. Then, his face became strange. The emotionless red eyes seemed pleasant. ¡°You want to go to the lion?¡± What kind of bullshit is this? I expressed my answer by drawing an X on his hand with my forefoot. Ahin nodded lightly as if he understood. ¡°Oh, you want to be that lion¡¯s prey?¡± As if I hadn¡¯t been dealing with enough nonsense from Evrin already. With great vigor, I shook my head but Ahin bent down as if trying to put me on the ground. ¡®No way, no way!¡¯ I wanted to scream, but I felt frustrated because I couldn¡¯t even speak. As I held Ahin¡¯s hand as if it was my only lifeline, a smile spread over on his handsome face. It was a laugh beyond measure. ¡°Hold on more if you want to live.¡± Listening to those words, with a sigh, I let go of Ahin¡¯s fingers which I had been holding on to with my life. Surprised by the sudden appearance of the lion, I had forgotten that Ahin was a black panther with a loose screw who liked to mess with me. ¡°Aren¡¯t you hanging on?¡± It¡¯s a shame that I can¡¯t hang on to you anymore, but the smile faded from Ahin¡¯s face. His eyes, which were slightly lowered, looked upset. If it were you, how long would you continue to hang on. The lion¡¯s hand then touched my head. Unintentionally, I almost fell and looked up at him. The lion, who was staring at me, soon curved up his mouth. The smile, which seemed dull and boring, reminded me of the peculiar laziness of a lion. ¡°Seems like the rabbit prefers a filthy lion over Lord Grace.¡± ¡°.¡­That can¡¯t be true.¡± Ahin, with a fierce look on his face, approached without hesitation. In a flash, even the surrounding knight guards were frozen. Contrary to my concern, he stopped in front of me and gently picked me up. On a closer look, Ahin did not seem to appear angry. ¡®¡­. ?¡¯ Should I say it¡¯s serious, or should I say he looks upset. It was difficult to tell what kind of expression he was making. ¡°It¡¯s windy.¡± Ahin, who uttered a word out of annoyance, put me into his pocket. ¡°I¡¯m telling you since I¡¯m worried, but double marriage is forbidden in the territory of the black panthers.¡± (1) Why are you telling me something like that at this moment? Before I could grasp his intentions, he turned his steps towards the mansion. Crawling out of his pocket, I managed to barely hang on to Ahin¡¯s shoulder. At that time, the lion at the back muttered something. ¡°¡­.Anyway, you¡¯re still a crazy bastard.¡± Unknowingly, I nodded and agreed. Right, I¡¯m not really sure what this guy is thinking at all. I think it¡¯s a really accurate way to describe him. After bringing the little rabbit back to the bedroom, Ahin went to his office and unbuttoned his shirt collar. In the middle of loosening it, he felt a strange scent around around his finger which made him even more uncomfortable. Rune Manionche. That troublesome lion had intentionally left his pheromone scent on the rabbit. Rune has been meeting Ahin since a long time ago, so it was clear that he was aware of Ahin¡¯s scent on the rabbit. ¡®Bothersome.¡¯ Sitting at his work desk, he lifted some papers. In recent months, the wolf clan have become very shameless and restless. Valence, the chief of the black panther clan had sent a letter of alliance to the chief of the lion clan. Sure enough, the chief of the lion clan immediately sent back a positive reply. Since a long time ago, they¡¯ve also regarded the wolves as thorns in the eye. Therefore, Ahin, who was in charge of the agenda for the alliance, had a full schedule since morning. What¡¯s more, his relationship with the son of the lion clan¡¯s chief, Rune Manionche who came to every negotiation was not very good. His involvement with Bibi almost made him want to shapeshift. ¡°Sir Ahin.¡± Evrin, who had entered the office, walked closer. A thin document appeared in front of Ahin, who was knocking on the table with his fingers. ¡°This is the research data you asked for. I investigated all the nobles in the rabbit territory, but there weren¡¯t any family members or children who had recently disappeared. Even though I had looked into all rich and well-off families, no-one seemed to have disappeared on the date that you had given me.¡± The document listed the personal details of the nobles and other rich families who existed in the territory of the rabbits. Ahin, who roughly rummaged through the bundles of papers snickered. ¡°A really suspicious rabbit.¡± His attitude did not seem to look like he regretted anything, even though he didn¡¯t get much information. Evrin, who had been waiting for his reaction, carefully proceeded to speak. ¡°It¡¯s just my opinion¡­ but isn¡¯t is possible that bunny-nim is an extra-terrestrial species and not really a shapeshifter?¡± (2) ¡°Extra-terrestrial species?¡± ¡°Yes. At first, I thought it might be a shapeshifter who prefers to stay in this form, but it¡¯s been a month and it¡¯s still a rabbit.¡± ¡°Indeed, it¡¯s appearance hasn¡¯t changed at all. I mean, it has also gained a little weight.¡± ¡°Thanks to Lady Valence, it has fattened quite a bit. How about eating a roasted rabbit now?¡± For some reason, due to Valence¡¯s liking towards the rabbit, it had been gaining a lot of weight recently, eating quality hay and snacks that had been brought over from every corner of the country. Ahin touched his chin, as if in thought. ¡®Was it not a noble?¡¯ It¡¯s unlikely. Most of the continent¡¯s aristocrat positions are occupied by shapeshifters who have pheromones of high pedigree. In this situation, even though the rabbit had peculiar pheromones, it was somewhat a mystery that it wasn¡¯t a noble. Evrin hasn¡¯t sensed it yet, but the occasional pheromones that can be smelled on it definitely belongs to a rabbit shapeshifter. The more tears that rabbit sheds, the stronger the scent becomes. ¡®I¡¯m sure that ability¡­.¡¯ As he lowered his head halfway, Ahin inadvertently took his hand which had a scar on the back. In particular, the scent of the rabbits who were in deep sleep would be very subtle just like the pheromones of herbivorous shapeshifters. Valence, who was a high level shapeshifter, had immediately noticed this and paid more attention to the rabbit. The stronger the wild beast, the more alert they are to pheromones and other scents. Moreover, as expected, the ability of the rabbit was a kind that all people all over the continent wanted to covet. ¡°Sir Ahin.¡± A determined voice rang in the office. When Ahin raised his eyes and strangely gazed at him, Evrin clenched his fists in a serious manner. ¡°I¡¯m going to investigate the identity of bunny-nim myself.¡± ¡°It might really hate you if you do that.¡± ¡°As expected, that¡¯s there too.¡± Recently, Evrin¡¯s biggest concern had been the rabbit. He seemed to be enjoying the reaction of the rabbit to his teasing antics. Therefore, [ Bunny-nim. Please do not go to the dining room during mealtimes as much as possible. You might end up on the table. ] [ Bunny-nim. How can you spill the hay bowl that I prepared for you! ] [ Bunny-nim. The chef said that rabbits taste best when roasted. ] Due to the brutality of his words, the rabbit had become fed up with Evrin¡¯s constant appearance and teasing. Moreover, not long ago, he had been carrying a book called ¡¸All About Herbivore Cooking ¡¹. The rabbit had seen it and out of anger, had torn it into pieces. It was the first time he found out that a little rabbit could also behave like that. As Ahin recalled the quality of it¡¯s front paws, his red pupils turned towards Evrin. ¡°You¡¯re pretty twisted, Evrin.¡± Now that the rabbit would become angry just by looking at Evrin, he had turned into an abomination. Due to Ahin¡¯s meaningful gaze, Evrin¡¯s expression turned bitter. ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear that from the Lord out of all people.¡± ¡°Say that again.¡± ¡°Sir Ahin is my light in the dark and the one who is always there for me. Besides¨C¡° ¡°Mouth.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Ahin, who was satisfied with his silence, leaned back into the chair. Looking up into the air, he suddenly recalled the moment he had first picked up the little rabbit. Two male shapeshifters, who were obviously not good people, were moving a basket. [ It¡¯s the first time ever where I¡¯ve been ordered to throw away a child as prey to a wild beast. ] [ There is a rumour that it¡¯s an illegitimate child. ] [ We need to avoid going in too deep, so that there¡¯s no trouble. ] [ It has been commanded that it should just die at the hands of a black panther. ] Saying that it should die at the hands of a black panther, they¡¯re throwing it away anyway. Recalling their conversation, Ahin unknowingly rubbed his lips. Evrin, who was looking at him, became inwardly nervous. Because if his master had such a face, then it always meant that something was wrong. ¡°Lord?¡± Awakening from his thoughts, Ahin shifted his gaze to Evrin. After this, the corners of his mouth curved up. ¡°Evrin, if there are people looking for the rabbit¡­¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Ahin, reached out his hand and pointed at the map on the desk. His fingertips were placed on the boundary between the territories of the rabbits and the black panthers. ¡°Kill them.¡± PREVIOUS CHAPTER Glossary (1) ¡®Double marriage¡­¡¯ ¨C I don¡¯t know what exactly is the reason for his words but I¡¯m pretty sure this is what he said. Maybe I missed something in understanding it? Not sure. (2) ¡®Extra-terrestrial species¡¯ ¨C I¡¯m not sure if this is the right word. The Korean word means a race that is not human or does not have any human characteristics. Plants and animals don¡¯t count. But I hope you get the idea. Chapter 9 The moisture rising from the hot water dampened the surrounding air. ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry.¡± Since she felt sorry for not being able to help in the garden, Meimi, who was wiping my body with a warm cloth kept apologizing although she rarely spoke. ¡°Mister Rune Manionche is a man of a high rank who comes as a representative in every negotiation with the lion clan.¡± So Rune Manionche, a lion shapeshifter, is someone who can¡¯t be stopped by a mere servant or a knight. Negotiating with such a figure, as expected, Ahin¡¯s family were high status nobles who had gained considerable power in the black panther territory. ¡°It would be better to refrain from taking a walk on the day he comes.¡± Lion shapeshifter, Rune Manionche, negotiation. Recalling what happened during the day, I carefully listened to every word that Meimi said. When I returned to my bedroom after an unusually long bath, I became impatient as time went by. Ahin will arrive soon and I don¡¯t think he will let go of the incident which happened in that garden. Even before we parted our ways, he had been displeased with the scent of the lion. ¡®I have to hide.¡¯ If I can¡¯t run away, why not hide? But in most of the places here, it was very likely for me to be spotted soon. As I kept looking around, I became tearful. No matter how hard I try to concentrate, I can¡¯t even figure out what a lion shapeshifter smells like. The lion in the garden back then had smelled like a black panther, but Ahin had frowned and mumbled that I had a lion¡¯s scent on me. As expected, the five senses of the wild beasts are good in comparison to the herbivores. ¡®Not here either.¡¯ Unfortunately, the area under the bed did not have a perforated structure. Running around the room, I pricked up my ears. Just in time, I heard the sound of the knights¡¯ armours outside. It was obvious that they were saluting because Ahin had showed up. Soon, I could hear the grim sound of the door opening and closing. Holding my breath, I listened to the footsteps. Crouching nervously, I was upset because I didn¡¯t even know why I need to hide. ¡®What¡¯s up with him?¡¯ I didn¡¯t intentionally cover myself with the smell of the lion. This Miss Bibi¡¯s claim is that there¡¯s nothing to worry about but sadly, my body remained as alert as possible with my hearing focused to the maximum. ¡°Agh.¡± At that moment, Ahin groaned in pain. Reflexively raising my head, I was overwhelmed with untimely anxiety at the sound that irritated my ears. ¡®Don¡¯t tell me¡­!¡¯ That you were attacked by a wolf shapeshifter again and got hurt as badly as before. Not only that. There was even a loud thud, as if something just fell. I couldn¡¯t just watch from the sidelines any longer. As I rushed out from under the desk, there was a scene in front of my eyes that I didn¡¯t want to believe. ¡®I was fooled.¡¯ My face, which had immediately grasped the situation, became contorted. Contrary to my imagination, Ahin who was perfectly seated on the sofa and Evrin, who stood beside him were holding back their laughter. The sound of something falling just seemed to be the sound of Ahin sitting on the sofa. Ahin, who barely smiled, reached out slowly. ¡°Why did you hide? Come here.¡± ¡°I¡¯m so touched that you jumped out to save Master Ahin. Bunny-nim, you have a very righteous nature.¡± (1) I really hate these black panthers. My eyes turned fierce in a moment of anger. Ahin¡¯s head tilted slightly as he silently looked at my harsh gaze. ¡°Evrin, isn¡¯t that look very thrilling.¡± ¡°Right. Bunny-nim, please look at Master Ahin more.¡± ¡°I want to grab it and eat it.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll tell the chef right away.¡± Hey, Evrin! Finally, unable to contain my anger, I rushed towards Evrin and bit off the hem of his trousers. Then, when he pretended to be afraid, even his figure looked abominable. ¡°Why do you still smell like a lion?¡± My body, which had been struggling with the hem of Evrin¡¯s trousers, was suddenly floating in the air. ¡°Did you not take a bath?¡± Ahin¡¯s forehead narrowed. ¡®No, I did.¡¯ Meimi had wiped me well with a cloth. As he shook his head, his face stiffened to the point of denial. Why the hell does the smell of a lion even matter so much? As I was startled with fear, Evrin spoke, perhaps to dissolve the atmosphere. ¡°By the way, Master Ahin. It¡¯s been a month since bunny-nim came to this house. Will it be okay if we gave it another name?¡± Evrin was looking at me with a rather complicated look. It seemed that I often recalled the situation I had faced while I had been taking a walk a while ago. When Meimi and I had been taking a walk in the garden, the knights, [ Bunny-nim is passing by, tighten the security. ] [ Bunny-nim is passing through¡­. ] [ Bunny-nim¡­. ] He had made quite a fuss. I don¡¯t know how exactly the rumours came about but they are treating me, who lives with Ahin almost as if I¡¯m also their master. In fact, I was just getting used to it but I knew better than anyone that the situation was weird. Wouldn¡¯t it be strange for me to not think that something¡¯s strange? ¡°Name?¡± Ahin asked in a dry voice, alternately glancing at Evrin and me. Before I knew it, he had suddenly placed me on the sofa and flipped me around over and over. He really did not seem to like the mysterious smell of lions. ¡°A name¡­¡± ¡®Let go, I¡¯m dizzy!¡¯ I struggled desperately, but I couldn¡¯t stop my body from getting flipped repeatedly. Ahin, who had been tickling my neck with his index finger, then poked my cheek. ¡°It¡¯s alright. It¡¯ll have a separate name anyway.¡± Those words seemed to hold some meaning behind them. When I stared at Ahin, he smiled lightly. His eyes had a crimson glow as usual. ¡°Right?¡± I closed my mouth and nodded. I wanted to ask how he could affirm something like that, but I became frustrated because it was impossible to ask. Evrin, who had been organizing some documents, had also stepped back and fell asleep. But Ahin did not lie on the bed and instead, spread a large piece of paper on the carpet. As I watched his sudden actions, he picked me up with a suspicious smile. ¡®I¡¯m really annoyed.¡¯ As he held me by my back, I lifted my eyes. Recalling that the lion shapeshifter during the day had also picked me up carelessly, I wondered if all wild beasts were this rude. As I glared at him, he poked my cheeks. ¡°I told you, when you stare like that, it makes me want to gobble you up.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m not kidding.¡± The fangs, revealed through Ahin¡¯s lips glistened sharply. I turned as pale as a sheet, and decided to just stay calm. I can insist that it¡¯s not because I¡¯m scared, but because I¡¯m sleepy. Soon, he brought some black ink from his desk. Why the ink. As soon as I had an ominous premonition, Ahin began to pour the ink on my front feet. Angry as I was, I stumbled, but eventually, the ink soaked my feet. ¡®What are you doing¡­..oh shit.¡¯ The ink splashed on Ahin¡¯s fine face because of my fierce resistance. I felt embarassed for a moment, but he didn¡¯t react much and put me on the paper which was spread out on the floor. ¡°Now.¡± I looked up at him with questioning eyes, for his intentions were hard to read. As Ahin felt my gaze, he tapped the paper with his finger. ¡°Write it, your name.¡± I had no choice but to follow his abrupt demands. The question that had dominated my mind for a long time made me raise my head. How on earth can he say those words if he doesn¡¯t even know what exactly am I? It was unreasonable to think of me as an ordinary rabbit, and it would also be too ambiguous to consider me to be a shapeshifter. I was curious but I couldn¡¯t ask or hear the answer. Ahin patted me on the back as if he had sensed my hesitation. Then he spoke in a low voice, while having a mysterious smile on his face. ¡°It¡¯s said that if you give an animal a name, it¡¯s kind of affectionate.¡± ¡°¡­..¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you know your name so that you can live longer?¡± Oh, that was such a terrifying remark. As I bit my lips, I finally began to stamp my paw on the paper. Bi, Write, write, write, step by step, I drew black footprints on the white paper. The footprints were very small. Bi. After completely writing the name, Bibi, I sat down on the paper as if I had just done a very great job. ¡®Hah.¡¯ I¡¯d never thought that writing a name would drain so much of my stamina and cause mental exhaustion. In fact, I was also a bit overwhelmed and nervous thanks to the fierce gaze behind me. After I took a couple of breaths, Ahin looked at me and for some reason, he stopped sneering. Faced with that, there was an unprovoked sense of uneasiness. Did I perhaps do something wrong? Or does the name, Bibi have some negative connotations in the black panther territory? After a long time, Ahin, who was still looking down at the paper, reached out his hand. He wanted me to climb on the palm of his hand. The ink on my feet will get on your hands. After some hesitation, I climbed up and made eye contact with Ahin. A strange silence ensued. Unlike me, who avoided his gaze, Ahin was staring at me with calm eyes and then proceeded to speak. ¡°Bibi.¡± It was a long time since I¡¯ve heard someone calling me by that name. Since no-one has ever called me that ever since I left the Raebian mansion. Moreover, when he called out my name with his low, deep voice, it felt really strange. However, Ahin, who didn¡¯t even give me a moment to think properly, brought his lips close to my neck. ¡®What, what are you!¡¯ I struggled with my feet. It wasn¡¯t surprising anymore that he was suddenly bringing his face close to me, but now, I could definitely feel a hard tooth on the back of my neck. Even if it didn¡¯t hurt, it was too threatening. As I resisted violently, Ahin had a frown on his face. ¡°Calm down, I¡¯m just erasing the lion¡¯s scent.¡± As he came close to me again, he bit my neck lightly with his teeth. At the same time, a strange scent I have never smelled before touched the tip of my nose. Perhaps it was the scent of the pheromones that belonged to a black panther. However, such a speculation could not be continued. I suddenly breathed in that scent, and my mind became hazy as if I drank alcohol. ¡®¡­I can¡¯t breathe.¡¯ The intensity of the pheromones that I could feel in my body was crazy. PREVIOUS CHAPTER Glossary (1) ¡®Master Ahin¡¯ ¨C While translating, I just realised that Master Ahin is more appropriate than Sir Ahin. So I will be changing to that from now on. Chapter 10 A few hours ago, I had been in a strange state when Ahin had bit my neck. I felt suffocated as if someone was choking me and my head had turned completely stiff. ¡®Uh¡­¡¯ I couldn¡¯t even understand why I had felt so anxious. Perhaps, am I sick? Having made this conclusion, I opened my eyes as I couldn¡¯t bear the pain. The blurred vision soon captured the clear landscape in front of me. On the opposite side, I could see Ahin pulling the blanket up to his shoulders. Somehow, I felt anxious whenever I looked at him. Blinking my eyes, I stared at Ahin whose silver hair glistened in the lamp fire. Unlike a wild beast, it seems he was feeling really cold today so he had covered himself up with a blanket. My gaze slowly wandered between his silver hair, long eyelashes and his well kept appearance. Unlike how he usually looked, his sleeping face was more gentle and neat compared to any other wild beast. ¡®Unbelievable.¡¯ I wish he could be like that even when awake. Sadly, the divine beast had given unimaginable beauty to Ahin but did not give him a kind, affectionate personality. Or maybe the entire group of black panthers was like that. It wasn¡¯t a mistaken assumption, but it was a hypothesis that became true just by looking at Evrin. He had even dared to carry a book on herbivore cooking in front of me. ¡®But Meimi and Miss Valence¡­.¡¯ Meimi was very sweet except for the times when I had tried to escape and Miss Valence was a good black panther, putting aside the fact that she would give me snacks until my stomach was about to burst. The rage that would build up inside me because of Evrin would usually be put out whenever I interacted with Meimi and Miss Valence. ¡®Try to be at least half like them.¡¯ Those thoughtless wild beasts. Inside, I was cursing Ahin and Evrin bitterly and eventually, my headache stopped. When the tormenting pain in my body subsided, I finally fell asleep. Gradually, my view turned blurry. [ Bibi. ] The voice that had just called out my name a while ago did not leave my mind. Somehow, when Ahin said that name, it felt like that ordinary name had become special. The more I thought about it over the month, the more questions arose in my mind. Maybe Ahin had also sensed my pheromones just like Miss Valence. And why don¡¯t they have any suspicions about me? Don¡¯t tell me that you really think that I¡¯m just a normal pet. These random questions were all over my mind. ¡®Aren¡¯t you curious about who I am?¡¯ As my consciousness faded, I could feel Ahin getting farther and farther away. Closing my heavy eyelids, I inadvertently stretched my front foot towards his face. Then, instead of the usual white fur, five slim fingers appeared in front of my eyes. ¡®Fingers¡­?¡¯ It was a kind of human form that I¡¯d thought of sometimes. When I had heard stories about humanization, this is the kind of fantasy that I would have at those times. The situation was so ridiculous that I almost burst into laughter. Moreover, It wasn¡¯t just fingers, but a whole hand that was touching Ahin¡¯s cheek. A vivid warmth could be felt from that touch. ¡®¡­It¡¯s warm.¡¯ Although it was just an illusion, I didn¡¯t want my hand to get bitten. Tick, tick. It felt as if the time was passing very slowly. In my mind, I glanced at that unfamiliar hand which soon moved away. It had already been a month since Bibi Raebian, who was an eyesore, had left this mansion. Bibi¡¯s mother, Yvn, who was drinking tea looked out of the window. ¡®How come?¡¯ No matter how much she thought about it, she felt uneasy because she hadn¡¯t heard about those men who had taken Bibi away after that day. At first, she thought that they must have been hunted by the black panthers in the woods. However, the two men were known for being proficient in martial arts. It wouldn¡¯t have been that difficult for them to handle one or two black panthers. However, it was also strange to think that they violated the orders and ran away. Why would loyal servants who¡¯ve been working in the Raebian mansion for more than a decade run away with a little rabbit? Since she was cursed, it would be hard to keep her as a pet or even have her as a meal. The second son, Kyrie Raebian, who had read Yvn¡¯s thoughts, looked at his worried mother. He was still young, having just passed the age of fifteen at his first coming of age ceremony. ¡°I¡¯m sure they must have been hunted because they went in too deep. Don¡¯t mind it too much, mother.¡± ¡°But isn¡¯t that area of the forest close to the mansion of the Grace family? Maybe some members of that family¡­.¡± ¡°Are you saying they must have found Bibi Raebian? Then isn¡¯t that better? They must have taken care of it themselves.¡± This kind of thing happens openly amongst the nobles. Kyrie, who murmured to himself, was drinking black tea. The Grace family, which was the head of the black panther territory was famous for being merciless. If anyone was found crossing the border recklessly, then it would be no wonder that not only the servants, but also Bibi Raebian would be killed in one strike. Even though Yvn agreed with Kyrie¡¯s words, she still couldn¡¯t erase her strange anxiety. Kyrie, who looked at his mother¡¯s face, placed the teacup down silently. ¡°If you feel uncomfortable, you can send out a few people again for investigation. If they¡¯ve really been torn apart by the black panthers, wouldn¡¯t their bodies or bones remain?¡± ¡°¡­.Yeah. That wouldn¡¯t be bad either.¡± Yvn stretched out her hand and pressed a bell to call for a servant. It was noon, when the clear sound of the bell sounded reluctant. Is it a dream or reality? Is it a fantasy or is this real? It was too vivid to be a dream, and it was impossible to think of it as reality. Being almost enchanted, I repeatedly rolled back and forth on the cushion. No matter how much I thought about it, the warmth that I had felt at dawn was way too real and clear. At least at that time, Ahin who had always looked big to me didn¡¯t look so then. ¡®Just in case.¡¯ I pulled myself up and stopped in front of the full length mirror in the bedroom. A white rabbit, the size of a fist, was reflected in the smooth mirror. It was still a herbivore, a tiny rabbit, that could easily cover someone¡¯s palm. ¡®¡­Yeah, this is me.¡¯ Ha, with both my feet on the mirror, I sighed deeply. It was just a familiar ball of white fur, let alone a human hand. Why would I change all of a sudden? In the end, the five fingers that I had seen were just an illusion. Furthermore, I hadn¡¯t heard any cases of people randomly reverting back to their original forms after humanization. ¡°Bibi?¡± Before, it used to be ¡°Hey.¡± or ¡°Rabbit.¡± Because I had gotten used to such titles, when I heard him calling me that, it was hard to adapt. As Ahin¡¯s gaze met with mine, he noticed that I was frowning at the mirror. Unlike me, who had struggled the entire night in pain, he had had a refreshing sleep and was now dressed in a dark luxurious outfit. ¡°What is wrong with you all of a sudden?¡± ¡®What¡¯s wrong with me? How would a black panther understand my grievances.¡¯ I looked up at him for a moment and sighed again in sorrow. A servant, who was carrying some cravats for Ahin to wear, looked down at me and suddenly trembled. ¡°Why do you think it¡¯s doing that?¡± Ahin asked by alternately looking at the servant and me. ¡°Pa-pardon?¡± ¡°I meant that rabbit. It¡¯s sighing.¡± An expression that seemed to say, ¡°How would I know that?¡± quickly appeared on the face of the servant and then, disappeared. It seemed to be an experienced servant¡¯s response. ¡°Maybe¡­.¡± He looked at me who was sitting in front of the mirror and carefully opened his mouth. ¡°It must be¡­.hungry?¡± ¡°Hungry?¡± ¡°That, it looks thin.¡± Where the hell are you looking at? I put on an uncomfortable look and tapped the servant¡¯s shoe with my front foot. You there, your eyes are really bad. ¡°What about morning breakfast?¡± Ahin also looked down at me. I shook my head, avoiding the gaze that seemed to say ¡°You sure you didn¡¯t have breakfast?¡±. ¡®What morning breakfast.¡¯ My worries are not so trivial. My current concerns were not a subject matter that could be guessed by black panthers who had already achieved humanization. ¡°Makes sense, it must be claiming that it¡¯s hungry.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°It must be wanting to get eaten. Looks like it wants to gain weight.¡± ¡°I-is¡­ , is that so..?¡± ¡°Bibi is very well prepared.¡± Why is that interpretation happening again? As soon as I saw Ahin¡¯s lips reflected in the mirror, I felt a shiver. It turns out it has become Ahin¡¯s habit to stop by in the morning. ¡°Where are you going?¡± Out of the blue, I was caught by the back of my neck as soon as I tried to escape. Being quickly lifted up into the air, he quickly brought his face close to my neck before I could even rebel. ¡°The lion¡¯s scent.¡± Ahin, who took his face away after a moment, smiled. It looked like a pretty smile on the outside, but it only brought shivers on my body. ¡°It¡¯s completely gone.¡± Unlike his glistening red eyes, it was a voice that didn¡¯t seem to instil any fear in me at all. Just how unpleasant is the smell of a lion? At this point, I was starting to wonder what kind of scent it was. After checking the scent, he petted my chin. ¡°Bibi, if you come back with that scent one more time, then¡­.¡± ¡°Th-then¡­?¡± I faced him with trembling eyes because I couldn¡¯t ask him myself. Ahin, who was staring into the air as if in contemplation, placed me down on the floor. Then what? Keep talking. I kept waiting with curious eyes, however, he turned towards the door after checking his pocket watch. ¡°I¡¯m late, I¡¯m leaving.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The attendant, who answered immediately, followed after Ahin. You¡¯re just gonna leave like this? Looking at his distant back, I hurriedly knocked on the carpet. ¡®Then what??¡¯ That shapeshifter, you need to finish what you say! While I was rolling my body in frustration, I met the servant who had just left the bedroom. And then, ¡°Bunny-nim!¡± He mouthed those words and held his left hand up go express his gratitude. He even stroked my fur while mouthing the word ¡®Fighting!¡¯¡­. Tch, so I was left alone in agony. Do you want me to fight for my survival or are you cheering me to prepare myself to get eaten? The meaning was ambiguous, and my feelings were a little complicated. PREVIOUS CHAPTER Translator¡¯s Corner Her first humanization!! Although no one saw it~ 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 Chapter 12 The leader¡¯s life did not last long even though he had held to hope. The neck of the only rabbit shapeshifter who had survived until the end, fell to the floor as the sword cut through the air. As the blood spattered on Ahin¡¯s hands, he sighed regretfully. ¡°.¡­I forgot to ask you about Bibi¡¯s family.¡± Evrin, who had been enchanted by the scene that he just saw, had a giddy expression on his face. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I was so surprised that I didn¡¯t even remember.¡± A pair of red eyes stayed glued on the leader. The corpse, for which it was impossible to answer anymore, merely transformed into prey for the black panthers. While staring at the swarm of the voracious black panthers, Ahin shook his head. ¡°Ash, you¡¯ve got to get going.¡± Ash, the leader of the pack, nodded his head. After a while, the black panthers that had finished their predation, scattered through the bushes. Evrin, who had been gazing from a distance, then muttered. ¡°If it¡¯s eighteen, then isn¡¯t it of our age?¡± Not a rabbit, but an eighteen year old shapeshifter. Several questions were raised in the man¡¯s head, as he thought about the dead leader¡¯s confession. ¡°Ridiculous. It¡¯s a shapeshifter that hasn¡¯t been humanized even after its coming of age ceremony.¡± ¡°Then, does it make sense for a mere rabbit to be able to speak the continental language or read books?¡± As Ahin smiled, he hung the bloodied sword on his waist. He was overly relaxed even after hearing such a surprising fact. A hollow breath flowed from Evrin. ¡°In the first place, the lord already seems convinced that the rabbit was a shapeshifter.¡± ¡°To some extent.¡± ¡°¡­.Why did you pretend you didn¡¯t know when here, I had been assuming it was some different kind of species.¡± ¡°Because it was funny.¡± What a bad hobby. As Evrin muttered, his look became complicated. Even though it was a little rabbit at the moment, the fact that Ahin went to bed with a shapeshifter of his age was quite ambiguous. ¡°What the hell¡­.¡± As Evrin got lost in his own thoughts, Ahin sat down on a surrounding high rock. It was a natural reaction for Evrin, considering he had never sensed Bibi¡¯s pheromones properly. ¡°No matter what it is, not achieving humanization is impossible¡­. If it doesn¡¯t become a human being, it will have to live as a rational little rabbit.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not bad either.¡± Ahin teased him while dangling his legs from the rock. ¡°My lord, how come?¡± Evrin, whose frustration had reached its peak, made a blatant remark. Ahin¡¯s smile was replaced by a serious expression at that point. ¡°Evrin.¡± ¡°Please tell me.¡± The atmosphere turned cold instantly, as if the main subject matter was finally coming out. Sensing the tension, Evrin became inwardly nervous and waited for the words that were going to follow. ¡°That rabbit.¡­¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°When it¡¯s sleeping, I just want to gobble it up.¡± ¡°I see. ¡­.What did you just say?¡± As he sighed, Evrin¡¯s shoulders dropped and his tension eased. Contrary to his expectations, the argument ended abruptly. ¡°Because I had almost bitten it.¡± ¡°Oh, okayyy-¡­. What an amazing thing to do.¡± As Ahin responded vaguely, he recalled the moment when he had sensed the pheromones that night. When rabbits are in deep sleep, the scent of their pheromones is much thicker than when they are awake. It¡¯s a scent that one can never miss as long as they are a shapeshifter. Also, the pheromone ability of rabbits was a kind that could be useful for many years. It had a value that was unparalled. [ It¡¯s already 18. ] [ It seems to be a different kind of entity that hasn¡¯t achieved humanization even after reaching its adult coming of age ceremony. ] Unexpectedly, finding out this fact along with its age was like hitting two birds with one stone. If it¡¯s not a human, but a rabbit with limited movement, it would be easier to keep it in sight. There was still a lot of doubt, but it was only a matter of time before he would figure everything out. Evrin faced Ahin, and unwittingly pursed his lips. ¡°Master Ahin, please give me a detailed explanation.¡± ¡°Bothersome.¡± ¡°You¡¯re really mean.¡± Normally, Evrin would have responded by saying ¡°If it is Master Ahin¡¯s will.¡±, but this time his curiosity caused him to return quite a disrespectful answer. Ahin, who burst into laughter on the side, snapped his fingers together. ¡°Hasn¡¯t it been a long time since you made us run like this?¡± At the same time, the black panthers appeared again, cutting through the bushes. The sight of the several black panthers created an eerie atmosphere. ¡°You¡¯ll be our dessert.¡± Since he was the one who had given the order, the black panthers showered ferocity towards Evrin. Their exposed teeth were covered with blood that had not dried yet. Recognizing the threat, Evrin responded calmly by stretching out his arms. ¡°All of you black panthers, please calm down. I¡¯ve been with you for so long, but now you¡¯re looking at me with such a face.¡± ¡°I¡¯d rather shut that loud mouth.¡± ¡°You¡¯re really too much.¡± Evrin, who was accustomed to this situation ran away as fast as he could. He was reluctant to get his neat black hair messy. As Evrin ran away, Ahin looked at the black panthers who were walking around with slow steps. ¡°I¡¯ll bring some refreshments. I hope you can rest.¡± The subtle scent of old trees tickled my nose. As Meimi stepped back after fixing some books, I looked up at the vast library from the floor. As expected from such a mansion, the library was also very magnificent. Countless books had been lined up on the bookshelves. ¡®It¡¯s late again today.¡¯ It had been a long time since twilight had settled in the sky. When Ahin¡¯s return was delayed, my daily life naturally prolonged. He was late yesterday too, so are you busy these days? As I stared blankly into the air, I fixed my eyes again on the book. ¡¸The Theory of Pheromones¡¹ The book that Miss Valence had given me was now completely tattered. My gaze stayed in one place. ¡¸Some argue that if the inherent pheromones are too strong, then they delay humanization. As a practical example, there was a fox shapeshifter who had very complicated pheromones and was thus, humanized at the age of five¨C¡¹ Using my front foot, I quickly turned the pages faster. Contrary to expectations however, no other reference to that sentence existed. Only those two lines. ¡®¡­If pheromones are strong, they slow down humanization.¡¯ It was the first useful information that I had encountered out of all the pheromone books that I¡¯d read so far. Just in case, I closed my eyes and focused my mind on the energy that lingered in my body. ¡®Ehm.¡¯ Unfortunately, instead of something intense, only a fluffy energy like cotton candy floated around in my body. That shapeshifter, the fox in this book, had become a human by the age of five at the latest. It may be a unique phenomenon that only applied to the fox clan in the first place. I, who was frowning at this thought, then turned my attention to the strange presence that I had just felt behind me. ¡®A servant¡­? Recently, the number of servants had increased significantly in the mansion. Usually, whenever an event was held by the family, they would temporarily hire a large number of employees. However, the attendant who had just entered continued to do meaningless cleaning, such as rubbing the vases or raising the bookshelves. As our eyes met, he crept his hand out and gently twisted his eyes. ¡°Come her¨C¡° I thought that his behaviour was really suspicious, so I bit his body back. ¡®Don¡¯t underestimate a rabbit¡¯s vigilance.¡¯ Until now, the mansion¡¯s servants had never dared to approach me this way, due to Ahin¡¯s high status and power. Moreover, most of the time, Meimi would always be holding me firmly. Furthermore, this servant in front of me had the most cunning impression out of any black panther that I had ever encountered. As he stood up close, his gentle eyes suddenly changed. ¡®Ahh!¡¯ Frightened by his sudden act of covering me up with a mop, I quickly withdrew. With a hardened expression, the attendant turned his back to the guard that was standing far away and blocked my path to retreat. There wasn¡¯t anyone to hold me either. ¡®No-one is here.¡¯ Meimi hasn¡¯t returned either. Due to the late hours, except for the guard at the entrance, I was the only one in the wide library. I shook my paws to send a signal about my crisis, but the distance the guard was standing at was too far for him to notice. When that servant¡¯s hand reached out again, I hurriedly evaded and ran to the back. ¡®Why are you following me!¡¯ As I ran deeper and deeper into the library, I swallowed my breath while repeatedly checking my backside. It was fortunate that the speed of the servant was slow because he didn¡¯t want to draw the attention of the security guard. Moreover, thanks to the line of bookshelves, I was able to hide my small body easily. It seems like I can just go around the bookshelf and run towards the entrance. But the momentary relief on my face immediately faded away. ¡®What, what is that.¡¯ A pale light emitted from the servant and his size began to decrease. Very soon, a dark brown wolf, which should have never been here, appeared in front of me. My heart sank and my vision became blurry. The wolf¡¯s teeth were slightly parted, and his saliva dripped down. ¡®Why, why¡­.¡¯ Why is there a wolf here? His eyes had obviously been red. It was a quesiton that I wanted to scream at him, however, it could never be answered. The wolf, whose mobility improved since he had just shapeshifted, now quickly narrowed the distance between us. [ Did a wolf shapeshifter do this? ] [ Since a long time ago, there have been frequent disputes between the black panther and wolf clans over territories. ] [ Since ancient times, the wolves have always sought to covet other territories. ] Fearful voices engulfed in my head. My feet, which had been running like crazy, quickly got stuck in the terrace railings, hindering my movement. The cold night air made my sweaty body feel extremely cold. ¡®Please don¡¯t.¡¯ This terrace. The front was a dead end that couldn¡¯t take me any further. The wolf also looked around to see if anyone was there, and slowly approached me like a predator. I didn¡¯t even have time to be afraid. My hind feet, which had slowed down, hovered on the railing gaps hastily. Ah¡­. Trapped between the terrace railings, I met the wolf with trembling eyes. A distant fear surged in like a wave. ¡°¡­Bibi?¡± As the low voice was heard, both the wolf and my eyes vibrated simultaneously. PREVIOUS CHAPTER Translator¡¯s Corner Well, this was one hard chapter. So, recently, translation hunters have been active again and of course, that puts me at risk. Well, considering this is a blog, I hope my translations can be safe here (as long as some people don¡¯t repost because I just found some sites that have been reposting my translations ). But, just in case, I was thinking if I should make a discord but I still need to figure that app out. Anyway, enjoy the chapter! Chapter 13 It was a very relaxed call, without being aware of the urgent situation. I wasn¡¯t expecting that lazy voice at all. ¡®Ahin!¡¯ I was overwhelmed with emotions. When I pulled my head out of the railing gap, two human figures were reflected in the lamp light. Even if this place was only three stories high, it still felt scary. Underneath the terrace, I could see Ahin and the lion shapeshifter with whom he seemed to have a bad relationship. It was definitely the same person that Meimi had described as Rune Manionche of the lion clan. ¡®Was that lion still here?¡¯ It¡¯s not the time to think about this. When I looked behind me in a hurry, I could sense the wolf¡¯s hesitation. With my face stuck between the railings again, I waved my front paws desperately and asked for help. ¡®There¡¯s a wolf here!¡¯ It¡¯s a transformed wolf that¡¯s drooling in front of me. But unlike my desperate cries, Ahin simply waved his hands back lightly as if to greet me. ¡°Lord Manionche, wave your hand.¡± ¡°¡­..?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it basic manners to respond to greetings?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say stupid shit.¡± That¡¯s not it! Feeling frustrated, I slightly raised my body and swung my feet back and forth. However, both Ahin and Rune, had a frown on their face as they did not seem to understand anything at all. ¡°What does it mean to say?¡± ¡°¡­.? How do I know that.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why lions are useless.¡± ¡°What did you say?¡± Moreover, there was a pointless argument going on between them. The wolf¡¯s eyes flashed as he hesitatingly listened to the conversation. The wolf then licked around his mouth with his tongue and approached me with breathless steps. ¡®¡­O-oh, here he comes.¡¯ As I stumbled and fell, I realised there was no way out of this. Unfortunately, the two men below could not see this situation at all and were still arguing about what my gestures meant. ¡®You wild beasts, I¡¯m in a desperate situation here!¡¯ The sound of the wolf¡¯s feet came closer. The height of this terrace was dizzyingly high, but there was no more time for any hesitation. After dodging the wolf¡¯s sharp claws, my body finally fell into the air. ¡°How is it possible for an ordinary rabbit to do greetings?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a genius rabbit¡­..Bibi!¡± Ahin and Rune¡¯s pupils expanded greatly. They reflexively extended their arms upwards. ¡®Aahh!¡¯ The closer the floor appeared, the more my fear of crashing increased. As my fear reached its peak, my body was then quickly wrapped up in something. Nevertheless, I couldn¡¯t find stability and kept struggling with my feet. ¡°Bibi, wait a minute¡­¡± As the familiar voice came close, my rationality that had been eroded by fear gradually became clear. ¡®¡­Hair?¡¯ As my sight was completely filled with silver hair, I could feel my blood cooling down. Having stopped moving, I seriously considered the current situation. I fearfully clinged on to Ahin¡¯s forehead and messed with his hair and face. I might end up dying at the hands of a wolf, let alone a black panther. ¡°Bibi.¡± Ahin frowned, barely managing to remove the frozen me from his face. ¡°¡®Why did you jump all of a sudden. Do you have a hobby of engaging in thrilling things?¡± Isn¡¯t that really your hobby? As I dangled in the air, I wanted to kick him with my hind feet if I could. Maybe I wasn¡¯t the only one who thought that way, because Rune, who happened to meet my eyes, had a blank look on his face. ¡°Lord Grace, don¡¯t you smell something strange?¡± Rune, who was standing at a certain distance, suddenly looked at the terrace. At that moment, Ahin¡¯s eyes became dull. ¡°¡­Wolf.¡± As soon as he finished saying that, there was a troubled cry of a wolf heard from above. Soon after, Meimi appeared on the terrace with urgent footsteps and looked down with a worried expression. ¡°Bunny-nim!¡± Meimi¡¯s wandering gaze soon settled on me, who was held by Ahin. With a sigh, she exhaled a breath of relief. ¡®Meimi¡­¡¯ When I saw Meimi, I felt like I had been freed from the shadows of death. As soon as my nervous body relaxed, I could feel tears pouring out of my eyes. Then I heard Ahin whispering a warning in my ear. ¡°Don¡¯t cry now.¡± Didn¡¯t you always tell me to cry more? When I glared at him, he curved his eyes in response. I bit my lips and swallowed my tears. According to Evrin¡¯s explanation, the wolf that had shown up in the library was a mixed breed of both the black panther and the wolf clan. No wonder his eyes had been red as it seems he also had the blood of the black panther clan. In addition, the wolf chose to commit suicide as soon as he had been attacked by Meimi. He was confirmed to have infiltrated through a simple recruitment process for the temporary employees and late at night, when all the employees had returned, there had been a commotion to prove whether every employee belonged to the black panther clan or not. The relationship between the black panther and wolf clans was dangerously complicated. It was completely unthinkable in the rabbit terrioty to even try to infiltrate using a mixed-blood shapeshifter. But what was his reason for attacking me? Was it starved or was it a curious attack simply because I was Ahin¡¯s emergency food? Moreover, the extreme choice of suicide was a whole different story, as it was something that I had seen for the first time outside of the world that I had lived in. Questions about this and that arose in my mind, but I was forcibly awakened from my thoughts due to the hand that stretched out in front of me. ¡®Get out of the way.¡¯ When I struck the back of the hand, the big hand retreated back. It was already the tenth time that this same situation had been repeated. Presently, Meimi and I had been waiting in Ahin¡¯s office while he was still investigating with Evrin. However, if there was a problem, then it was the fact that the lion named Rune kept reaching out to me on the sofa. ¡®Why the hell is this wild beast here anyway?¡¯ Again, when that hand didn¡¯t give up, Ahin¡¯s voice echoed in my head again and again. [ Bibi, if you come back with that scent one more time, then¡­. ] [ If you come back with that scent one more time, then¡­. ] And then..! I shook my body violently and threw away Rune¡¯s hand roughly. ¡°That hurts.¡± ¡®I hit you so that it hurts.¡¯ As he glared at me with those golden eyes peculiar to the lion clan, I quietly avoided his gaze. He looked back at Meimi, who was waiting with me, and held the back of his hand which was burning red because of the repeated scuffles between us. ¡°Excuse me. This, isn¡¯t it a shapeshifter that has undone humanization?¡± ¡°It¡¯s an ordinary rabbit.¡± Meimi denied it sharply. But I was a shapeshifter who hasn¡¯t undone humanization, so he was half-correct causing me to become surprised and step back. Perhaps, he could sense my pheromones just like Miss Valence. One thing was surely right in its place. ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± Rune, who did not give up on his questioning, opened his mouth again. It was an overly confident voice. ¡°I¡¯m sorry but it¡¯s an ordinary rabbit.¡± ¡°What do you mean by ordinary. There¡¯s a rumour going around that it can understand words.¡± ¡°Bunny-nim is rather special.¡± Can¡¯t you just answer without that ¡®bunny-nim¡¯? When I look at it, Meimi can be really stiff sometimes. ¡°Is he really keeping it as a pet? That black panther?¡± Rune scoffed as he glanced at me with his golden eyes. On a closer observation, contrary to Ahin¡¯s playful expression, Rune had more of a sharp look. A lion¡¯s signature laziness seemed to be reflected in my dim view. ¡°Oh well, how can I read the thoughts of some lunatic black panther.¡± Last time too, he had called Ahin crazy. I mean that¡¯s right but what kind of status do you have to be able to make such a bold statement about him? As I was full of doubts, Rune made eye contact with me and muttered. ¡°Why did the wolf target you?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Well, it does look delicious.¡± Apparently, the minds of wild beasts must always be occupied on how to satisfy their appetites. Why else would you be making such a cruel remark? My astonished feeling seemed to be completely absent for him, because Rune inadvertently checked his pocket watch. ¡°If there¡¯s such a commotion, the ball may be postponed.¡± ¡°Since the invitations have already been sent, it will proceed as scheduled.¡± ¡°¨CAh, so bothersome. Can¡¯t we just go back to our territory?¡± When Meimi answered, he looked irritated and leaned back, burying himself in the sofa. Rune¡¯s murmurs continued. ¡®Ball?¡¯ As I looked at Rune who was rubbing through his disheveled, curly hair, I suddenly realised why the number of the employees in the mansion had increased. The Raebian family also used to hire temporary servants whenever they held a ball. Although no opportunity was ever given to me to participate, in such a large mansion, wouldn¡¯t the ball be twice the size of that of the Raebian family? It was impossible to even estimate how many other clans would be present. Thinking blankly, I sneakily glanced at Rune. ¡°You must have been surprised. It¡¯s not unusual for other clans to infiltrate the chief¡¯s mansion.¡± Rune¡¯s gaze, which I had misunderstood, changed and he greeted me with laughter. There was sarcasm in his voice, and a tone that sounded like he was saying something really insignificant. ¡°This is not a place for herbivores.¡± ¡°Mister Manionche.¡± Perhaps it was out of concern as I had just been chased by a wolf, but Meimi immediately interrupted Rune. My fear at that time did not completely go away, but now my pupils were trembling for a different reason. ¡®Chief¡­, what?¡¯ Ah. I didn¡¯t want to face reality, so I crouched with my front paws below my head. The Grace family. Valence Grace. Ahin Grace. The conversation between the maids of the Raebian family that I vaguely remembered passed through my head. [ This time, there was a commotion in the city. ] [ I heard a delegation of the hyenas passed through the city. If you cross the forest boundary, you¡¯ll see the Grace family. They showed up in the village to take a shortcut to the place. ] [ Sigh, the family that borders the black panther territory is the family of the chief. ] They would sometimes talk about their aversion to the wild beasts, mostly the black panther and lion clans who bordered the rabbit territory. Finally, I realized why I had sensed deja vu when I had first heard Miss Valence¡¯s name. ¡®It was the chief¡¯s family¡­!¡¯ In a territory where no royalty had existed, the chief was actually the head of all the black panthers. Naturally, a large mansion with several annexes and a gorgeous interior would belong to them. Then, it means that Valence was the overlord of the black panther territory and Ahin would be the next overlord. (1) ¡®The next chief of the black panther territory.¡¯ Calm down, let¡¯s calm down. But I couldn¡¯t stop spinning around on the couch. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± ¡°Bunny-nim?¡± I heard a frosty voice, but it simply escaped through my other ear. Only then was I able to understand Ahin¡¯s arrogance and unruly nature as if he possessed the entire world. [ Isn¡¯t it said that a shapeshifter dies everyday by the hands of the Grace family? ] [ The forest is full of dead bodies. How would we know about the world of the wild beasts? ] Turning around, I finally ended up slouching on the couch. Somehow, I felt my eyes darkening just like the fur of a black panther . PREVIOUS CHAPTER Translator¡¯s Corner Please read! For those who are interested in this translated novel and wish to continue reading it and stay updated, please join my discord server (link below). Considering the situation with the publishers and shutting down of translation groups lately, I advise you to join the discord as you can stay informed about any recent changes in my translation schedules and other things. Plus, if I¡¯m not able to translate here, then discord will be the safe place for everyone who¡¯s interested in this novel. Also, please don¡¯t share my blog or discord link anywhere, thanks. Discord Link ¨C https://discord.gg/DjjJhE3 Glossary (1) ¡®Overlord¡® ¨C So, the word used here is ¡®??¡¯. This is a word that was frequently used in the ancient times but not in modern Korea. It refers to the head of a rich, honorable family that has GREAT influence over the economy of a country. They are very powerful families and have a very high status and authority, almost like a family that describes a generation. I don¡¯t really know the right equivalent English word for it, so I¡¯ll be using Overlord as just ¡®lord¡¯ doesn¡¯t do it. Of course, for referring titles, I¡¯ll just use ¡®lord¡¯ (Copy pasting definition from ITLIWL). Chapter 14 It wasn¡¯t until dawn when a strange silence lingered between Ahin and me when he had returned to the bedroom. To be exact, it felt very unpleasant. Ahin also felt awkward because he kept giving me sharp glances today. ¡®It was the chief¡¯s family.¡¯ For someone of his status, Ahin hadn¡¯t really employed that many servants. Ever since I moved to this place, he¡¯s always usually alone and the movement of attendants in his bedroom is kept to a minimum. Is it because black panthers usually like to live alone? Still, it was unexpected that his status was so high. If I had still been a part of the Raebian family, I wouldn¡¯t even have had a chance to ever see him. When I heard the sound of the bathroom door opening, I reacted sensitively and dug a tunnel under the pillow. A long time must have passed since I hid myself there. As I focused on my hearing, I could feel a clicking noise and movement. ¡°In the black panther territory, subordinates can be beheaded for violating their orders.¡± It was a monotonous voice, but my body trembled when I noticed the meaning behind it. ¡°The fact that I put Meimi, who is capable of martial arts to monitor and escort you. But she couldn¡¯t carry out her duties.¡± Since I was anxious, I lifted my head from under the pillow. ¡°Do you want Meimi to be punished?¡± No way. She had only been away for ten minutes to get my favourite hay. I felt sorry for her. When I shook my head, Ahin¡¯s mouth curved up. ¡°But that¡¯s not for Bibi to decide. That¡¯s my authority.¡± Then why are you asking me? I pushed in my anxious thoughts and quickly got up, as I held the back of Ahin¡¯s hand. ¡®Please have a generous heart.¡¯ My trembling pupils scanned around the sofa and looked straight at the sword. The blade of the sword was covered with red blood. It wasn¡¯t difficult to get the thought that some killing must have been carried out today. After knowing his identity, such a thing must be a private matter for Ahin. Beheading wasn¡¯t something new in this country, and Ahin could have just cut off her neck without any trouble. After imagining Meimi¡¯s neck being cut off, I shook my head which had turned pale. ¡°¡­The more I think about you being eaten by that son of a bi***, the more upset I feel.¡± Ahin, who soon erased his smile from his face, whispered. ¡°How long do I have to hold myself back?¡± ¡®W-what are you holding back.¡¯ What should I do if he suddenly attacks me. I couldn¡¯t even pretend to faint, so I simply stared at him with astonished eyes. ¡°Anyway. Instead of forgiving Meimi as you wish, shouldn¡¯t there be something between us that we should be talking about? It was no different from recommending a one sided deal with Meimi¡¯s neck as collateral. With a discontented look on my face, I hurriedly turned a deaf ear to his gaze. As I felt his glance in my side view, the strange silence between us prolonged. ¡°I forgot to tell you, but you can¡¯t cry anywhere else.¡± ¡®¡­What do you mean?¡¯ Because of his unexpected demand, I turned my head towards him. Crying is the only way someone can help me. Come to think of it, when I had jumped off the terrace, Ahin had whispered that I shouldn¡¯t cry. Is there a reason for this or is it something else? ¡°Cry only when I ask you to.¡± .¡­Of course, what else had I expected. This wild beast had gone beyond the scope of my understanding. He sighed and brought his little finger close to me. ¡°Promise me.¡± To annoy me even more, Ahin mouthed the word ¡®Meimi¡¯. Not in a position to protest, I tapped my front paw against his little finger unpleasantly. ¡°Oh, and.¡± ¡®Now what?¡¯ ¡°It would be better to set a signal or such in the future. So that I will be able to understand Bibi¡¯s intentions.¡± I felt strange and bitter. It was a matter that I myself had never thought about or wished for. No-one had ever wanted to understand my intentions. ¡°Let¡¯s decide from this point.¡± Unlike me, Ahin reached out lightly and lifted my left forefoot. ¡°When the left forefoot is on the right side, it¡¯s an emergency.¡± Stretching out his other hand, he lifted my right forefoot this time. Both of my front paws were forcibly floating in the air. ¡°Hmm.¡± A short time of troubled thinking passed. ¡°Raise your right forefoot whenever you need me, and Ahin will help you. You can express the rest on your own.¡± Before long, Ahin lowered my front foot with a unique smile on his face. ¡°Come on, practice. When you¡¯re in danger.¡± ¡®¡­Right now?¡¯ When I looked up reluctantly, he immediately looked at me. With some hesitation, I raised my left paw and forced myself to close my eyes. ¡°And when you have to call me.¡± Ahin nodded contentedly and petted my right paw. Was it that good? As I glared at him with my tiny eyes, he tickled my chin as if to praise me. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s good.¡± He answered as if he could understand my thoughts. I couldn¡¯t even understand this affection that was meant for pets, but it felt weird and I looked up at Ahin¡¯s red eyes with a slightly blank look. It is said that a shapeshifter who has experienced hardships becomes stronger. It was time for this Miss Bibi to prove that. I crawled out of the quilt carefully after waking up at dawn. A dark shadow was cast over Ahin¡¯s fine sleeping face. I lifted my feet slightly and touched his nose gently, but there was no particular movement. ¡®Is he asleep?¡¯ I could only hear the constant sound of his breath. If he wasn¡¯t in deep sleep, he would have probably woken up right away and would have called me a roasted rabbit or something. Just in case, I started at his eyelashes for a long time to sense any light movement. ¡®¡­All right, he¡¯s asleep.¡¯ As I sat there, I recalled the terrible situation that had just occurred a few hours ago. It was the chase of the drooling wolf. The appearance of that wolf had served as an opportunity to look back at my life threatening situations. I had always lived a rather comfortable life, so I never thought something like this could happen. It¡¯s almost impossible for a little rabbit to live in a place where wild beasts are always lurking. Considering how low we are in the food chain, I¡¯ve luckily managed to survive somehow. Furthermore, this mansion belongs to the chief. In other words, it¡¯s no less than a gathering place for all kinds of wild beasts. So, wouldn¡¯t my chances of survival increase more if I achieve humanization as soon as possible or shift to a herbivore¡¯s territory? ¡®It¡¯s today.¡¯ I looked at the silver hair while sitting on the pillow. This plan of mine that had already been implemented before while Ahin was asleep had been put off for several days. Looking down at my front feet, I lost my appetite. Not long ago, when Ahin had bitten my neck, the five fingers that I had seen that dawn had not left my mind yet. If those fingers were really mine, the trigger must have been his fangs or pheromones. That¡¯s the scene I had seen after experiencing strange pain. I gulped and jumped closer to Ahin¡¯s face. As his handsome face got closer, my nervousness came back again. I stretched out my paw to confirm his breathing. It was a cautious move. ¡®¡­Black panther, please don¡¯t move.¡¯ (1) My trembling toes touched Ahin¡¯s mouth and fell back. I shook my head and made up my mind as I finally touched his lips. I¡¯ve already been bitten once in my neck and if I don¡¯t do this now because of my fear, this Miss Bibi might really start crying. Holding on to the distant hope, I stretched my forefoot out. You can do it, you can do it. Soon after, I finally succeeded in sticking my forefoot through Ahin¡¯s lips. ¡®I did it!¡¯ Now you just need to bite me lightly like you did back then. As I controlled my fear, the teeth slowly touched my paw. ¡®¡­Huh?¡¯ My face, which had turned bright with hope, suddenly hardened. Why do I feel like his lips have suddenly tightened? As I turned my head while trembling, my eyes met his half-open red eyes. ¡®Mom!¡¯ Silently screaming inside, I tried to remove my forefoot from his mouth, but his closed lips showed no sign of letting go. ¡®I¡¯m sorry I woke you up, so please¡­.¡¯ With desperate eyes, I tapped Ahin¡¯s mouth as if to protest. I felt frustrated yet again because I couldn¡¯t speak and his beautiful eyes became contorted. ¡®You can let go of me and then talk!¡¯ Eventually, I pushed his cheek vigorously with my hind feet but the effort was futile as Ahin didn¡¯t let go. How stubborn. I tried dragging my forefoot outside little by little. I felt cold sweat on my back and instinctive fear soared inside me. His fangs continued to touch my paw. ¡®No way¨C!¡¯ Frightened by the unfamiliar touch that I didn¡¯t even want to predict, I fell into deep confusion. It was my third most frightening experience after coming to the black panther territory. The sunset dimmed the sky. Today was the day of the ball being held at the Grace mansion, which I had inferred from the conversation between Rune and Meimi the other day. As it was quite an important event, it seemed to be proceeding independently from the wolf¡¯s infiltration disturbance. ¡®Wow.¡¯ When I looked out from the bedroom¡¯s terrace, I sighed in relief. Ahin¡¯s bedroom is located in a place where the front gate is clearly visible from the terrace. The fact that this mansion belongs to the chief became even more obvious as I looked at the splendid carriages that passed through the gate one after the other. Furthermore, all the men who got off the carriages were dressed up in fancy tailcoats while the women were decorated from head to toe. Looking at the sight, I suddenly faced the balcony window. It was a little rabbit with white fur and black eyes, that looked as tiny as a fist. ¡®¡­Nothing new.¡¯ I didn¡¯t prefer to look at the mirror but I didn¡¯t particularly feel down at the moment. It wasn¡¯t a long time ago when I had felt ashamed and developed low self-esteem while comparing myself to other shapeshifters who had already been humanized. Until a few years ago, I used to imagine myself as a human being but it was a long time ago. I was really afraid that it would always remain as an imagination. I would then try to spend my time thinking about other things. Will I forever remain confined in this form? The remnants of emotions that couldn¡¯t be described rose inside of me. ¡°Bunny-nim.¡± I could hear two pairs of footsteps and then, two figures were reflected behind in the glass window. Behind me, not only Meimi, but there was another shapeshifter, who I was seeing for the first time that appeared in the room. PREVIOUS CHAPTER Translator¡¯s Corner Some people had missed the discord link in the previous chapter as it had expired. Here¡¯s the new link. Reminder ¨C please don¡¯t share anywhere! (The link will expire in 3 days) Discord link ¨C https://discord.gg/5SR4vJa Glossary (1) ¡®Black panther, please don¡¯t move¡¯ ¨C Just want to note that she called him very informally here. Chapter 15 As the strange shapeshifter appeared before me, I hid behind Meimi. It wasn¡¯t the attendant who often walked in and out of the bedroom. Meimi embraced me gently and added an explanation. ¡°This is Mister Aulfes, the exclusive costume expert for the Grace family.¡± ¡°Say hello now, bunny-nim. He wanted to meet you.¡± With an intention to greet, Aulfes politely stretched out his index finger. My trembling gaze moved from the index finger to Aulfes¡¯s face. With red eyes and scarlet hair that were half-tied, he left quite an impression. If I was looking for a problem in him, then it was hard to find. ¡®This is too much.¡¯ The black panthers in this mansion are all very individualistic and I, who continued to think about it, stuck out my paw in response. Then, Aulfes, who was very impressed, closed his mouth. ¡°Oohh¨C! Oh my god! I¡¯ve heard the rumours that bunny-nim is brilliant, but it¡¯s really amazing to see it myself. There¡¯s really no way to stop myself from admiring you!¡± For a while, nearly five minutes of meaningless praise continued. Meimi, who had been silently listening to the chattering, whispered next to me. ¡°Mister Aulfes is a person who enjoys engaging in conversations.¡± I think it sounds more of a problem than enjoyment, and my ears are tingling. I wish he would just disappear, but instead, he comfortably settled himself down in Ahin¡¯s bedroom. ¡®But why is a costume expert here?¡¯ Ahin had already left the bedroom earlier, wearing a black tailcoat suit. Looking at my eyes, Aulfes opened a suspicious looking box that he was holding in his hand. ¡°Today, Master Ahin¡¯s banquet partner will be bunny-nim. I couldn¡¯t prepare much because it was a short notice, but I have prepared a pair of accessories that are light enough to not strain your neck.¡± The words were so weird that my mouth was wide open. Damn, so there are nobles out there willing to take in an ordinary little rabbit as their partner? ¡®Does that even make sense?¡¯ When I turned around and looked at her, Meimi nodded slightly and said yes. It seemed like she didn¡¯t want to say it, almost as if she twisted her tongue. ¡°I was instructed this morning¡­.he said it would be fun.¡± Let¡¯s be honest. Don¡¯t you think that black panther is out of his mind? When I glanced at them, the two shapeshifters blatantly avoided my gaze. ¡°We are just following the master¡¯s instructions.¡± ¡°Master Ahin¡­.was surely just being considerate to allow bunny-nim to experience the ball in person. The-the ballroom in the Grace mansion is very grand and colourful!¡± Meimi and Aulfes answered in turns as if they were trying to make excuses. Subordinates who can¡¯t do anything against their masters have to suffer this kind of trouble. Somehow, these two people aroused some sort of sympathy in me. ¡°Sigh, bunny-nim, this doesn¡¯t shine because of that bright rabbit fur.¡± It¡¯s been almost an hour since I¡¯ve been trying on all these accessories on my head. Unsatisfied, Aulfes put the ribbon back in the box. ¡°Hmm¡­.¡± The experience of wearing all these accessories wasn¡¯t that bad because it was my first time trying them on. It would be great if only the loud voice next to me could just disappear. ¡°This crown ornament would be nice. It¡¯s the best one that makes a rabbit¡¯s appearance stand out. Don¡¯t you think so too, Miss Meimi?¡± Meimi, who was waiting next to him, simply clapped her hands without saying anything. That might as well be the highest form of praise for such a blunt person. Feeling embarrassed for no reason, I scratched my temple with my front feet. ¡°The Grace family holds a ball once in every six months. I am the one who always prepares Master Ahin¡¯s tailcoat, but I feel sad because he didn¡¯t show much interest.¡± Unlike with Meimi, I was forced to take in a vast amount of information due to the talkative nature of Aulfes. He continued to explain as he wiped his body with a cloth which had a delicate flower scent. ¡°A lot of people are attending from the lion and bear clans as they are all close friends.¡± Therefore, the scale of this evening¡¯s ball is massive. It is said that not only the black panthers, but also the nobles of each territory attend it occasionally. ¡®So it turns that that lion stayed at the mansion for the ball too.¡¯ Invitations had also been sent to some herbivore shapeshifters, but most of them were absent. Even though they had the same status, they felt very uncomfortable with the wild beasts. Thus, the herbivores and predators would usually avoid each other. Thanks to being a herbivore, I got goosebumps when the I heard the words ¡®lion¡¯ and ¡®bear¡¯. ¡°Sometimes, even the nobles from the hyena clan tend to attend.¡± ¡®I-I don¡¯t think I like this.¡¯ The more I listened to the explanation, the more I realised that the ball was not a good place for me to go to. Quickly freeing myself from Aulfes¡¯s hands, I ran across the bed to escape. Aulfes, who didn¡¯t even know what to think, clapped his hands in satisfaction. ¡°You¡¯re showing a happy gesture. Bunny-nim must be looking forward to attending the ball too!¡± ¡®That¡¯s not it!¡¯ While looking for an escape route for a long time, the bedroom door opened with some talking voices outside. Recognising the familiar voice, I immediately stopped running and fell down, laying flat on the floor. There was a sound of reluctant footsteps. ¡°Humbled to be in your presence, Sir Evrin.¡± ¡°What about bunny-nim?¡± ¡°It was just running happily on the bed¡­b-bunny nim?!¡± Surprised at my numb state, Aulfes shrieked. Then, as if understanding the situation down, Evrin¡¯s calm voice was heard. ¡°Whenever I appear in front of it these days, it always pretends to be dead. Bunny-nim, this Evrin is very sad. I even volunteered to be your escort.¡± As soon as I listened to him, the contradictory words that I had expected pierced my ear. What escort. Stretching out on all fours with my face down, I hurriedly prayed for Evrin to just go away. Unlike my wish, there was a sign of someone approaching me from the side. Soon, a terrible voice rang in my ears. ¡°Bunny-nim, if you don¡¯t get up, I¡¯ll have to find my own methods to escort you personally. Come on, look at my mouth.¡± ¡°Aah¨C¡° As Evrin opened his mouth, the sharp fangs flashed right in front of me. A scene so terrible that my face turned blue. ¡®Thi-this¡­!¡¯ I couldn¡¯t stand it, so I jumped up and slapped him on the cheek with my hind leg. He sat down on the bed in the aftermath of the shock and pretended to be surprised. ¡°How can you use such cruel violence?¡± He looked very innocent as he touched his cheek with his hand while wearing a tailcoat. However, running away without any mercy, I soon bit into Evrin¡¯s cuff and backed away. ¡°This speed and grip. As expected, it¡¯s the skill of a rabbit fighter!¡± ¡®Shut up!¡¯ It made me mad when he acted like that while having a straight face the entire time. There is no difference between this guy and Ahin. As expected, I hate black panthers. Frustrated, I stuck my head out of Ahin¡¯s pocket. Now I¡¯m getting used to being carried like this in a pocket. While looking up at the back, I shot a glare at Evrin. Still, the anger from a while ago did not go away. ¡°Master Ahin, bunny-nim is staring at me wide eyes.¡± ¡°Bibi, glare at me.¡± It would be nice if this annoying duo could just shut their mouths. Anxious, I turned my eyes to the front. I took a deep breath and turned my gaze forward and that¡¯s when the foreground came into sight. ¡®There¡¯s a separate ballroom.¡¯ I thought I had looked around at a familiar place while walking in the garden, but the path we were currently walking on was another strange place. Although the current situation was absurd, I was curious about the ball because it was my first time I was attending one in my life. ¡®If Ahin is coming with me, then who is Miss Valence¡¯s partner?¡¯ Lost in thought, I suddenly wondered about Miss Valence. She doesn¡¯t really need a partner because she¡¯s the overlord. Come to think of it, I¡¯ve never seen Ahin¡¯s father ever since I came here. I touched Ahin¡¯s coat with a sad face, as I came up with different conclusions. ¡°Bibi?¡± The territory of the beasts is a place where it is not strange when anyone dies. Naturally, Ahin¡¯s head tilted to the side as he couldn¡¯t understand my gestures. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Maybe you¡¯re rushing with your steps.¡± Evrin, you should be quiet. When I scolded him by gesturing with my front foot, he touched his chin in wonder. ¡°You¡¯ve already learned how to give commands. It feels new.¡± Ah. If I have to deal with more than this, I feel like my entire body will turn sore because of all the stress. As I put my front foot back, I calmed down and Evrin, who had been glancing at me, stopped speaking. ¡°Master Ahin, may I ask why you chose bunny-nim to be your partner?¡± For some reason, that seems like a very normal question coming out from that mouth of his. I was curious about the reason and perked my ears up to listen. Amongst all the humanized shapeshifters, he picked a little transformed rabbit as his partner. It seemed to be difficult to understand even for Evrin. ¡°If I have it as a partner, it doesn¡¯t matter if I don¡¯t dance.¡± It was a clear answer, but in the end, it was no different than saying that he would be using me as an excuse. Evrin and I, who listened to him at the same time, looked at him with a questionable gaze. It was almost the first time that our thoughts aligned. Before long, the place I arrived at in front of the iron gate was so magnificent that it was hard to describe. It was hard to think whether the door covered with velvet could even be opened by the power of a shapeshifter. Unlike the rabbit territory, which had a land rich in crops, the black panther territory was a place full of wealth and this fact hit me as soon as I saw that door. ¡°Humbled to be in the presence of the next overlord.¡± The knights, who confirmed Ahin¡¯s identity, immediately opened the door without going through an identification process. At the same time as the interior was revealed, there was a gorgeous chandelier and an immeasurable number of guests. As I watched the scene from afar, my body stiffened as a faint scent brushed my nose. [ Hey, you know what? The young master of the Gletta family made eye contact with our fourth lady today. ] [ What? Where? ] [ Where else. At the banquet of the overlord that was held last month. ] Judging from the constant conversations between the maids that used to occur after the ball in the rabbit territory, this place was also probably no different from a social gathering where people intended to find a mate. Therefore, it wasn¡¯t just the splendid decoration that I could see but I could also smell a lot of pheromones. Because pheromones are a kind of sexual fascination too. Therefore, the place was filled with the smell of pheromones. As soon as I realized this, the area around my heart began to hurt like last time. NEXT CHAPTER PREVIOUS CHAPTER Translator¡¯s Corner It¡¯s times like these where MTL doesn¡¯t cooperate. I honestly don¡¯t know Aulfes¡¯s gender since it¡¯s kinda a gender neutral name and the Korean language has gender neutral pronouns so it¡¯s hard to figure out. So, let¡¯s just go with him being a guy. Chapter 16 Inside this ballroom, I felt like I was receiving the most attention. Although Ahin¡¯s status was very obvious, I could feel that most of the eyes were pointing towards me who was in his pocket. In fact, the situation had become even more twisted because the gatekeeper had announced both Ahin¡¯s and my name. Why the hell. All you had to do was just announce Ahin¡¯s name. I¡¯m sure Ahin made you do it. Compared to me, who was sighing deeply, he walked slowly and said. ¡°Bibi, isn¡¯t this your first time seeing the tiger clan?¡± He was saying all of this and walking around, as if giving me a wild beast tour. ¡®This burning pain¡­¡¯ I swallowed a bitter sound and buried myself in the pocket, only sticking my ears and eyes out of it. The ballroom was only filled with beasts here and beasts there. The bigger problem was that from the time I had entered this place, I had been feeling nauseous. Again, it doesn¡¯t mean that I¡¯m too sick. No-one else is reacting to the pheromones in this way, so am I the only weird one here? ¡°Baby.¡± Whilst I was immersed in such thoughts, I heard a languid yet very welcoming voice. ¡®Miss Valence.¡¯ Dressed in a blue dress, she forcibly walked through a big crowd. At that moment, I looked around her carefully, but I couldn¡¯t see any shapeshifter that could be Ahin¡¯s father. Faced with Miss Valence who had styled her silver hair, I suddenly looked alternately between her and Ahin. It was my first time seeing them together, but the atmosphere seemed to be quite different. ¡°I heard that you almost got into trouble. I¡¯m finally seeing you after I got back this morning.¡± ¡®Thank you for your consideration.¡¯ I lifted my paw out of the pocket as a response to her words. Then, she slowly approached and touched my paw. ¡°Mother, you¡¯re too close.¡± As the distance between us reduced, a low voice sounded from above. ¡°I¡¯m not that keen on touching you either, Ahin. Anyway, how did you let that wolf commit suicide? You¡¯re not doing your work well.¡± ¡°The place where the wolf was allowed to invade also seemed to be mother¡¯s mansion.¡± Although they both were smiling, the conversation between the two was far from being friendly. I could feel an invisible electric current between them. ¡®Wouldn¡¯t it be nice¡­.to get along?¡¯ I have now completely given up on the act of understanding their minds. From the beginning, Miss Valence seems to be very indifferent to Ahin¡¯s action of bringing me to the ballroom. Maybe because of Ahin¡¯s personality, she¡¯s used to this kind of thing. The latter seemed to be very likely. ¡°Baby.¡± Miss valence smiled and said while ignoring Ahin and holding a fan in her hand. Somehow, that smile seemed to overlap with Ahin¡¯s usual smile. ¡°The head of the wolf that had chased you was hung in front of the main gate. It¡¯s meant to be a warning.¡± ¡®Pardon?¡¯ Unlike her soft expression, her words were brutal. The atmosphere felt cold as she raised her voice. Soon, I heard her murmuring something like ¡°What was hung on the iron bars¡­.was the head of that wolf.¡±, which means that it was true. ¡®On the main gate¡­, On the main gate, was the head of the wolf?¡¯ You¡¯re saying that all these noblemen saw it at the entrance of the mansion? When I imagined the shape of the severed head hanging there, my face turned pale. Moreover, thanks to the fact that the one that the wolf had chased had been me, the eyes of all the beast shapeshifters had been focused on me. In some ways, it seemed like a warning that the consequences would not be good if anyone touched this rabbit. The atmosphere grew strangely thick. Standing at the center of everyone¡¯s gaze, I struggled endlessly between gratitude and fear. The night of the banquet was ripe. A lot of attention was still focused on me, but the nobles dared not approach Ahin. Is it because we weren¡¯t moving to the music like the others? Or maybe it¡¯s because they had piled up a lot of hay on a plate meant for the banquet. By looking at these two things, it could be understood that the nobles were deliberately keeping their distance away. Even if it were me, I also would have stayed as far away as possible, feeling that no good would come out of getting involved. ¡®This is really exhausting.¡¯ Even at a ball like this, the eyes of the nobles are on me. Maybe it¡¯s not because of the dancing reason but because of Ahin. With my chin on the hem of his pocket, I breathed heavily. Ahin¡¯s behaviour is also a problem, but strange anxiety rose inside my body. I don¡¯t feel as suffocated as before. But still, I think it would be better for me to go back to the bedroom because I¡¯m not feeling well. [ When the left forefoot is on the right side, it¡¯s an emergency. ] [ Raise your right forefoot whenever you need me, and Ahin will help you. ] Between my complex thoughts, I remembered the fact that I had decided on a signal with Ahin. After all, it would be better to get out of this place. The moment I wriggled my front paws to signal him, I heard a deep voice. ¡°Most of the tiger clan has blue eyes. The hyena have black eyes. Understand the power heirarchy.¡± When I looked up, Ahin had his usual smile on his face. There were two men chatting with each other in front of us. Blue eyes and black eyes. They must be tiger and hyena shapeshifters. ¡°The tiger territory is where weapons are prevalent. On the other hand, the hyena territory, which is close by, has a long history of acquiring minerals and smelting metals, so it is natural for a close relationship to develop between the two territories.¡± It was the first time that I was hearing this, so I looked at them. The farther away the rabbit territory, the poorer the information was bound to be. ¡°Especially, hyenas are easy to distinguish externally. They usually tend to have dark skin. In fact, hyenas are most easily identified due to their dark skin and eyes.¡± He also spoke about some other characteristics of the clan that was situated on the outskirts. As I turned my head to the explanation, I wondered why these facts were being pointed out. ¡®Why?¡¯ The doubt that I had suppressed caused me to raise my head. As time passed, Ahin was treating me more than just an ordinary little rabbit. ¡®Why me?¡¯ I¡¯m sure there¡¯s no point in teaching me this information. As I looked up at him while holding my breath, his red eyes, that had been wandering around the ballroom slowly shifted on me. It¡¯s harder to read your expression when you smile like that. As I faced him, a shiver suddenly ran down my neck. ¡°Bibi.¡± As the voice was heard, my body trembled. At the same time, breathtaking tension took over my body. Ahin, who had erased his expressionless face, tapped my nose. ¡°What should I do if my pocket tears because of how heavy you are?¡± ¡®¡­This filthy black panther.¡¯ I will surely bite him off. Determined, I was almost about to open my mouth. ¡°Lord Grace, it¡¯s been a long time.¡± In the front, there was a beautiful shapeshifter, who had long hair of the same colour as her pink eyes. She was a very brave lady who had dared to approach Ahin despite the strange atmosphere where everyone was avoiding him. The pupils of the nobles standing far away shook as they saw this. ¡°You¡¯re still so attractive even when you bring your pet as your partner.¡± As soon as her red lips opened, her fangs glistened. Instinctively crouching down, I started at her with only my eyes out of the pocket. I don¡¯t think that¡¯s attractive, rather, it¡¯s a messed up behaviour, but I guess the perspective changes depending on the person. ¡°It would be nice if you could visit our fox territory at least once. I¡¯m sick of you refusing it every time.¡± ¡°I wonder if I¡¯ll simply end up being prey for the foxes.¡± ¡°It would be better if you could just be mine.¡± She said in a subtle tone, while glancing at Ahin with a seductive gaze. ¡°I refuse.¡± From the perspective of a herbivore, these exchanged words were hard for me to understand. Moreover, as the conversation continued, I could sense dark pheromones from her. A dense kind which hinted towards something sexual. I inadvertently withdrew back. I swallowed my breath and quickly covered my face with my paws. ¡°I¡¯ll make a promise next time.¡± The conversation didn¡¯t last that long. As she walked away, Ahin began to explain slowly. ¡°Just now, that person was from the fox clan. Since polygamy is common in their territory, she already has five husbands.¡± ¡®Fi-five husbands?¡¯ It¡¯s amazing that she has five husbands, damn. I stared at her back for a long time in astonishment. As I watched her completely disappear into the crowd, I felt suffocated again. Even this time, it was painful even when I bent over. Struggling, I raised my right forefoot in desperation. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± As he looked at my signal, Ahin asked while pulling me out of his pocket. Struggling on his palm, I pointed to the floor in a hurry. Put me down, please. ¡°¡­Bibi?¡± Ahin, who quickly noticed my signal more quickly than I thought, bent down and lowered me on the floor. Finally, all four feet of mine were touching the ground. As soon as the hard ground touched my feet, I began running like crazy. ¡°Bibi!¡± I heard Ahin yelling at the back. ¡°Oh my god!¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± The startled nobles reacted to the chaos, but there was no time to look back. In an instant, I ran across the hall to the open door that I could see right in front of me. Fortunately, the lamps were lit in the corridor so it was possible to get a clear view. I increased my speed and ran across the hallway without stopping. ¡®No way¡­¡¯ No way, no way. The fact that this might be impossible completely dominated my mind. Jumping, I entered through any door that was barely open and fell to the floor. Just like that time, the pheromones were burning my entire body. Until the beginning of the banquet, this hadn¡¯t been the case, but after that fox shapeshifter spilled her evil pheromones, I couldn¡¯t tolerate it anymore. Unable to endure the extreme pain, I rolled around and struggled. The intensity of the pain was even more severe than last time. ¡®Aaghh¡­¡¯ I almost started crying. As I was crouching and breathing, I blinked several times as my vision became blurry. As the vision slowly became clear, white hair were draped on the floor. PREVIOUS CHAPTER