I Picked Up an Abandoned Villain in the Polar Region

Episode 110

 

As Brody said, Kyle had always viewed children solely as successors. After all, he had lived his life being treated that way.

He had never given serious thought to the idea of raising children or deciding to have just one, as he did now.

It had never felt real, nor had he ever harbored much expectation of building a family.

Yet now, to his surprise, he found himself naturally considering such things. But that wasn’t the most shocking part.

What shook Kyle even more was something Brody hadn’t realized: Kyle had shared his plans with her.

He had asked her, ‘Don’t you think so too?’ Subconsciously, he was treating Brody as someone who would stay by his side, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Why? 

As he became more aware of himself, Kyle felt a sense of discomfort, but he tried to act as though it was no big deal.

Of course, Brody, oblivious to Kyle’s inner turmoil, continued talking happily.

“When did you change your mind? When did you grow up without me knowing?”

Brody teased, pulling at Kyle’s ear.

Unable to answer, Kyle stayed silent, embarrassed.

He didn’t have the courage to tell her that it was after meeting her that he had started to change.

 

***

 

That day, Kyle managed to bring Brody home safely.

As soon as they arrived, Kyle planned to scold Kernels for not properly guarding the house, but Brody barely managed to stop him, saving Kernels from his wrath.

During their time in the village of Avril, Brody wasn’t able to go outside much because of the earlier mishap.

Furthermore, it was her shedding season, and Brody didn’t want to inconvenience others by leaving fur everywhere, so she chose to stay quietly in the hut.

A few days later, the dam construction was completed on the fourth day as planned.

That night, the villagers prepared a meal for the workers who had contributed to the successful project.

The beavers from the neighboring village, who had worked the hardest on the dam, brought homemade liquor, while the locals provided freshly prepared meat.

“Everyone, great job! This is a special liquor made from rare herbs grown only in our village. It’s good for the body, so have a drink!”

The beavers warned everyone that the liquor was extremely strong and advised mixing it with water or light fruit wine.

They poured half a cup of the liquor into large glasses, handing them out, one of which reached Kyle.

However, Kyle neither ate the meat nor touched his drink. Instead, he set the glass on the table and addressed the crowd.

“I’ll take my leave now. Someone is waiting for me at home.”

The sight of Kyle, who usually couldn’t resist the sight of meat, heading home caused Oswald’s twins to shoot him questioning looks, while Fabian commented.

“He’s ruining the mood just when it was going well. Why don’t you bring that rabbit of yours? She’s been cooped up at home thanks to her overbearing lover. She must be so bored!”

Kyle glanced around at the crowd, composed entirely of men, and replied even more firmly.

“No, thank you.”

Despite the protests and pleas for him to stay, Kyle smiled awkwardly at the sight of everyone trying to keep him there.

It was strange; people usually avoided or feared him, yet now they wanted him to share a meal with them.

Feeling not entirely displeased, Kyle decided not to leave immediately.

He accepted a piece of meat and a glass of liquor as a compromise.

“Wait! Don’t drink it like that!”

The beavers shouted as Kyle downed the undiluted liquor in one go.

He hadn’t heard the warning about mixing it, thinking only about finishing quickly and leaving.

After placing the empty glass on the table, Kyle’s expression turned strange.

“Kyle, are you okay?”

Albert asked, concerned. Kyle wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and nodded, assuring everyone he was fine.

He even chewed the piece of meat before getting up to leave.

“I’ll be going now.”

He said, bowing briefly before turning toward the woods.

Watching him walk away, Fabian muttered.

“He doesn’t look fine at all.”

Just as he said that, Kyle, who didn’t realize he was drunk, wandered into the forest instead of taking the path and collapsed to the ground.

 

***

 

Meanwhile, back at the hut, Brody was cleaning diligently, gathering dust and her own fur from the bedding.

Suddenly, she stopped and rubbed her chin with a paw.

“There’s barely any fur left now.”

She murmured as she rubbed her bottom, noticing that no fur came off.

Realizing her shedding season had finally ended, Brody squealed in delight and jumped off the bed.

Feeling confident she could return to her human form, she transformed and retrieved the dress she had packed in Kyle’s bag.

During her shedding season, she avoided being in human form and left all the cleaning, laundry, and meal preparations to Kyle, leaving her feeling guilty.

Determined to surprise him, Brody cleaned the hut thoroughly and even prepared fresh bedding.

‘He’ll be so surprised when he gets back!’ she thought excitedly.

Elsewhere, Kyle, who was supposed to be heading home, muttered incoherently.

“I need to feed the rabbit…”

“You need to sober up first!”

Oswald’s twins, struggling to support the drunken Kyle, were escorting him back to his hut.

“I need to take the food… The rabbit eats so much… eats non-stop, like it’s going to burst…”

Fabian, following behind with Albert while carrying Kyle’s coat, shook his head at Kyle’s nonsensical ramblings, entirely focused on rabbit food even in his drunken state.

As the twins struggled on the final uphill path, complaining they were about to collapse, Fabian took over and hauled Kyle up to the hut himself.

When Brody came out to greet them and saw Kyle being dragged in, clearly not in his right mind, she cried out in shock.

“Oh my goodness, what happened?”

“What happened?” Fabian snapped back.

“Here’s your rabbit!”

He shoved Kyle into her arms with an air of exasperation.

“Eek!”

Brody caught Kyle as he toppled into her, but his weight was too much for her, and they both ended up on the floor.

“How could you just leave him like this after making him drink so much?”

“We didn’t make him drink! He downed one glass himself and passed out. We’re just the delivery service!”

“At least help me get him to the bed! How am I supposed to move him on my own?”

Brody was on the verge of tears. She had been looking forward to his return, only to be met with this mess.

Fabian left without a care, but thankfully, the Oswald twins and Albert came inside to help move Kyle onto the bed.

“Wow, you two share a bed? You’re basically a married couple at this point!”

“Enjoy your night!”

“Enough nonsense—get out.”

Albert dragged the twins away, nodding politely to Brody as he left.

“Goodnight, Miss Brody!”

The three cheerfully bid her farewell, leaving the house in silence.

Brody sighed as she looked at Kyle sprawled across the bed.

‘How much did you drink, anyway?’

She had never seen him in such a state before.

She started taking off his shoes but when she went to remove his dirty coat, Kyle, whom she thought was asleep, scowled and pushed her hands away.

“Don’t touch me…”

Offended by how brusquely he batted her hand away, Brody bit her lip and scolded him.

“Your coat’s filthy! Take it off before you sleep!”

Hearing her shouting, Kyle reluctantly cracked open his eyes to look at her.

“Brody…?”

“Yes, it’s me!”

He groaned, shut his eyes again, and let his hand fall from his coat to the bed.

Was that permission?

Brody cautiously reached for his coat again and, when he didn’t resist, quickly pulled it off.

‘What the…?’

Although bewildered by his inconsistent behavior, she tossed the dusty coat aside and used a damp cloth to wipe his hands, face, and neck clean.

“So exhausting.”

After cleaning all day and now taking care of Kyle, she was completely drained.

She collapsed onto the bed next to him.

“Hey.”

She called out to Kyle, who was lying on his side, facing her, fast asleep.

“Open your eyes.”

Feeling mischievous, she pried his eyelid open with her fingers.

Kyle chuckled faintly in his sleep, gently pushing her hand away, a lazy smile gracing his face.

His unexpectedly handsome, relaxed expression soothed her irritation.

Brody pouted as her annoyance melted away against her will. She glared at him, but her intense gaze must have woken him.

Kyle, who she thought was fully asleep, slowly opened his drowsy eyes, still hazy from sleep and alcohol.

Brody hesitated before asking,

“If I sleep here, you’re going to go sleep on the floor again, aren’t you?”

If he intended to sleep on the floor, she thought it would be better to just take the floor herself, uncomfortable as it might be.

But Kyle didn’t answer. Instead, he stared at her silently for a moment before slowly shaking his head.

“You won’t?”

She asked, incredulous.

“Really?”

Kyle didn’t reply immediately. Then, in a low voice, he murmured.

“…I want to sleep with you.”

For a moment, Brody froze, her mind blank.

She blinked in disbelief, unsure she’d heard him correctly. Embarrassed, she wondered if he’d mistaken her for someone else—Zelda, perhaps? 

The thought sent a sharp pang through her chest.

But as she gazed into his blue eyes, which reflected only her, she felt a strange glimmer of hope. Tentatively, she asked.

“Do you even know who I am?”

Her voice trembled slightly as she waited for his answer.

Kyle’s hand reached up, lightly tapping her cheek. Then, with a faint smile, he replied,

“My rabbit.”