Episode 1
“Bryce, look over there.”
A winter afternoon with a thick layer of white snow.
While walking down the road with my younger brother, I spotted a rabbit.
“It’s a rabbit, Sister.”
“Yes, it’s a rabbit.”
A black rabbit was lying in the bushes, shivering violently.
Red droplets of blood were scattered across the white snow, indicating it was severely injured.
I immediately grabbed the nape of my brother’s neck as he tried to walk past it without a second thought, despite looking briefly concerned.
“Bryce, what are you doing? We need to take that rabbit with us!”
Bryce looked at me with eyes that said, What’s the big deal?
“Look at it! The poor rabbit is trembling! Are you just going to leave it there? Is that what I taught you?!”
I pointed at the rabbit again, urging him to pick it up immediately…
“But why are you telling me to do it? You take it, Sister.”
My fourteen-year-old brother—Bryce Artiel, the male lead of this novel I’ve been reincarnated into—completely ignored my plea.
Shrugging off my grip, he briskly walked away, leaving me behind.
Hey! That’s not just any rabbit!
That rabbit is the female lead!
***
On the way to the Knights’ Order.
The rabbit in my arms let out a weak whimper.
Its body and ears drooped lifelessly.
“Are you okay, little one?”
I looked down sympathetically at the heavy yet adorable rabbit.
Bryce, how could you leave such a cute rabbit behind…? Honestly, my brother has no sense.
At least I finally found her.
The owner of an extraordinary healing ability that can revive even those on the brink of death.
The one who can cure the rare disease I suffer from.
The female protagonist of The Little Rabbit Wants to Be Loved, Lily Selberdin!
“Vice Captain, what’s that?”
“It’s a rabbit.”
Inside the headquarters of the Erne Imperial Knights, specifically the Golden Lion Division.
The moment I stepped into the office, the knights’ attention was drawn to me.
Naturally, since I was holding an odd little black creature in my arms.
“Is it a magical beast, Vice Captain?!”
“It’s just a rabbit.”
“A rabbit?!”
The knights buzzed with excitement at the sudden appearance of the rabbit.
Holding the rabbit in one arm, I crossed the office.
From afar, I saw Dezers, a senior knight, running toward me with an overly enthusiastic expression.
The moment he reached me, he extended his hands to pet the rabbit.
“Are we keeping this adorable creature in our division now? Please let me hold it!”
“No!”
I tightened my hold on the rabbit and quickly turned my body away, waving Dezers off.
“Stay back!”
“Why not, Vice Captain?”
“It’s my rabbit.”
Even if it doesn’t look like it, this rabbit is the female lead. There’s no way I’d let her be held by some random man!
But anyway…
“Is the healer in the infirmary?”
“No, he should be at the stables.”
I headed toward the healer’s location with the still-shivering rabbit.
If he can treat horses, surely he can treat a rabbit too, right?
“Oh my, the wound is quite deep.”
“Is it hard to treat?”
“No, of course not. If I can’t handle something like this, I wouldn’t be working as the Erne Knights’ healer, would I?”
Thank goodness.
Carefully, I placed the rabbit on a clean cloth.
As the healer infused holy energy, the rabbit’s wound began to close slightly.
“The rabbit seems sturdy; it should recover quickly. By the way, where did you get it?”
“I found it.”
“As expected. You’re always so compassionate.”
Well, it’s not exactly compassion that made me pick it up.
I took the rabbit back to the office, laid it on the sofa, and even covered it with a blanket.
“What should I give it when it wakes up?”
I gently stroked the still faintly trembling rabbit.
It must be hungry. Should I feed it something first…?
Let’s leave that to Bryce for now.
But this rabbit seems bigger than I expected.
When I read the novel, I thought it would be smaller.
But it does have the magical mark on the tip of its ear.
Amidst its black fur, the pink ear tip bore a red diamond-shaped mark.
That confirmed this rabbit was indeed the female lead.
“Take care, little one.”
“Ha ha, Lady Lize, are you planning to raise this rabbit?”
I smiled and nodded. The rabbit that would save my life seemed more precious than anything.
Little one, let’s get along with my brother soon!
***
The novel I’ve been reincarnated into, The Little Rabbit Wants to Be Loved.
As the title suggests, the story revolves around the tiny, adorable rabbit, who is actually the female lead. The male lead takes her in, cares for her, and eventually falls in love with her.
The male lead of the novel is Bryce Artiel.
‘He’s my younger brother.’
A man with beautiful red hair and green eyes, destined to become the Empire’s greatest knight.
And though not the type you’d literally want to hold close all the time, he’s still my adorably charming younger brother.
In the original story, my brother experienced every conceivable misfortune during his childhood.
After our parents passed away in a carriage accident, our uncle inherited the countship under imperial law.
Our uncle, fearing Bryce’s outstanding talent would threaten his title, sought to nip his potential in the bud.
‘Not only did he threaten Bryce’s life, but he also bribed those around him to betray him.’
Through these hardships, a hardened and darkened Bryce eventually picked up an adorable little rabbit.
That rabbit was the female lead, and the story unfolded as love blossomed between them.
And I? I was Bryce’s sister, Lize Artiel.
‘In the original story, I lived a frail life and died before the age of 23, plunging Bryce deeper into darkness.’
I had originally lived just as weakly as in the story.
That is, until one day, when I was 13 years old and realized this world was the setting of the novel I’d read in my previous life.
Unfortunately, that was also the day our family was involved in a carriage accident, and even with my newfound memories, I couldn’t save our parents.
But I could decide to take a different path for my life.
‘I refuse to live like in the original story.’
Instead of a future where I’d remain weak, trembling under the abuse of my uncle’s family, and apologizing to Bryce for being unable to help him, I resolved to gain the strength to protect both of us physically.
I chose a path completely opposite to the frail life I was destined for. I would live long and healthy—no matter what!
That’s why I picked up a sword. After blood, sweat, and tears, I climbed to the position of division leader in the Empire’s First Knight Order, Erne.
But then, there was a problem…
“…Urgh.”
No matter how strong and healthy I became, there was a mysterious illness I couldn’t escape.
‘It feels like my whole body is being crushed…!’
Whenever I was exposed to moonlight on a full moon, I experienced excruciating pain as if my entire body were being slashed by blades.
‘Is this the illness that killed me in the original story? Am I going to die this time too?’
The pain was so severe that such thoughts often crossed my mind.
Although I endured by taking painkillers, the agony only grew worse over time.
‘I might really die young, just like in the original story.’
On nights when the pain was unbearable, and I nearly fainted from it, those fears would intensify.
As my destined 23rd birthday drew nearer—the age at which I was meant to die in the original story—the thoughts became more persistent.
‘What should I do…?’
It was during such a moment of desperation that I discovered her, the rabbit—that is, the female lead of the original story, Lily Selberdin.
‘If Lily’s healing powers work, she can save me.’
Her cheat-like ability, the Absolute Healing Power, seemed exclusive to the female lead.
This power, capable of curing any illness, would only manifest when she met her true love.
In the original story, Lily used this ability to save Bryce’s dying comrades!
‘If Lily falls in love with Bryce and her ability blooms, she can definitely save me too!’
It wasn’t that I hadn’t tried to find Lily before.
But in the original story, Lily lived in her biological mother’s hometown until she turned 14. No matter how hard I wracked my brain, I couldn’t recall where that was.
Anyway, from the moment I found this rabbit, I planned for Lily and Bryce to fall in love, ensuring my brother’s happiness and my survival.
‘That was the plan, at least.’
But for some reason, my brother refused to take the female lead with him…
So I had no choice but to bring her along myself.
***
“Bryce!”
At the Artiel estate.
In the hallway of the shabby annex.
I waved emphatically at Bryce, who was trudging toward my door.
He quickened his steps only after I called his name a second time.
These days, my not-yet-teenaged brother had started ignoring his sister more often. He used to be such a sweet, adorable child who followed me everywhere…
It’s enough to make his sister tear up.
No, I get it—he’s preparing to become independent as the male lead of the original story…
“Bryce, let’s live together forever.”
“What are you saying, Sister?”
Even though I didn’t mean it, the words slipped out, and Bryce frowned as he brushed them off.
“What is it, Sister? Did you call me here just to say that?”
“No.”
I held out a cradle basket toward Bryce.
Suspicious, he pulled back the covering.
“Ah! What is this, Sister?!”
“It’s a rabbit!”
“Do you think I don’t know that?!”
Bryce recoiled at the sight of the peacefully sleeping rabbit.
Startled by his reaction, I quickly steadied the basket before it tipped over.
“Bryce, be careful! What if you hurt the rabbit?”
“No, but why do you have a rabbit?”
“You’re raising it!”
Bryce’s expression screamed disbelief.
“Is this the rabbit from earlier?! Why did you bring it here?”
Because she’s the female lead!
And your future bride!
But, of course, I couldn’t say that.
“This rabbit is special.”
“What’s so special about it?”
Can’t you see it?
“It’s cute.”
“This? This muscular rabbit is cute?”
Now that he mentioned it, the rabbit did seem a bit muscular.
It was also unusually large.
Its glossy black fur covered its visibly well-developed muscles.
Rather than being soft and cuddly, it gave off more of a sturdy, robust vibe…
• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •By Esraa• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •
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