ITBFL | Chapter 13

Episode 13

“Beep.”

The rabbit gave a half-hearted response.

From Bryce’s perspective, he was genuinely curious, but the rabbit, as if to say, “What do you want me to do?” replied dismissively.

But Bryce, unconcerned with the rabbit’s reaction, continued speaking.

“Kim Toki, you know, I actually know another rabbit besides you.”

Meanwhile, the rabbit’s gaze remained fixed on Lize.

“That rabbit is definitely different from you. But you do have something in common.”

“Beep.”

“There’s a mark on its ear, just like yours.”

At those words, the rabbit stopped in its tracks. Its gaze turned to Bryce.

“Do you know something about it? Seeing as the marks are the same, could it be the same species? Or maybe a relative?”

“……”

“It seemed lost, so I wanted to help it find its home.”

“Beep.”

“Actually, if I’m being honest, I don’t really want to help it. I like having that rabbit around.”

“Beep?”

The rabbit gave Bryce a look as if he were scum, but Bryce nonchalantly clarified.

“That rabbit seems to like being with me too. And also….”

It doesn’t feel like an ordinary rabbit—it’s almost as if a person turned into a rabbit.

He held back from saying that. He still didn’t know the truth about this Kim Toki.

This rabbit also didn’t seem like an ordinary one. Whether Lize realized that or not was another matter.

But since Lize cherished this rabbit so much, and it didn’t seem to bring her harm, he decided to leave it alone for now.

‘But if it ever does something to harm her….’

He wasn’t just talking about the rabbit bothering Lize.

If Lize ended up giving up something of hers because she cherished the rabbit too much, or if the rabbit caused her sadness in any way.

A few days ago, when the rabbit went missing, Lize had been so distressed that she searched the entire forest. That had made him uneasy.

“Beep.”

“Enough, rabbit.”

At that moment…

“Oh!”

Lize’s foot caught on a tree trunk, and her body began to tilt forward.

“Sister!”

“Lize!”

Before Bryce could take a step forward, the rabbit beside him vanished.

Where the rabbit had been, only leaves and dust remained in its wake.

The rabbit had already leaped toward the direction Lize was falling, stretching out its body and its fluffy paw.

As Lize’s body hit the rabbit, the force bounced her in the opposite direction from her fall…

“Lize!”

…straight into Julius’s arms, who caught her safely.

His hands gently wrapped around her shoulders. Lize looked up at Julius, startled.

“Are you alright, Lize?”

The rabbit, now back on the ground, looked at Lize and Julius.

“Yes, thank you, Julius.”

Lize blinked her wide eyes at Julius.

Even though the rabbit let out a loud “beep” beside her, Lize was only focused on her conversation with Julius.

Watching this, Bryce recalled a scene from a fairy tale he had read as a child.

The protagonist had clearly saved someone, but the credit always went to the neighboring kingdom’s princess.

“Beep….”

“Oh, Kim Toki….”

At that moment, his wariness of the rabbit faded and was replaced with a tinge of pity.

“Beep!”

As soon as they entered the annex, the golden bunny leaped out of the bag.

“Golden bunny!”

The rabbit didn’t seem to be in a good mood.

On their way back to the estate, it had obediently stayed hidden to avoid being spotted by her uncle, but as soon as they reached the annex, it bolted off.

Even back in the room, the bunny turned its back to her on the sofa and refused to engage with her.

“Golden Bunny, what’s wrong?”

It seemed deeply upset about something.

‘What on earth could it be?’

They had grown pretty close lately, and nothing had seemed amiss in the forest.

‘Plus, it was talking so amiably with Bryce on the way down the forest, wasn’t it?’

She had been dying to know what they were talking about but refrained from interrupting to give them space. Instead, she had chatted with Julius.

To strengthen their bond, she figured she should step aside!

But now, with the rabbit acting so coldly, she felt wronged.

No matter how many times she called out, the Golden Bunny only glanced at her sideways, letting out a faint “beep” without any real response.

After some thought, she decided to visit Bryce’s room.

“Bryce, the bunny is acting strange.”

“Kim Toki?”

“It feels distant. Did something happen in the forest earlier?”

“Something did.”

Bryce answered without hesitation.

“What? What happened?”

Wait, did something actually happen?

“What was it?”

“I’m not sure?”

Just then, footsteps echoed through the hall.

‘That sound….’

She could tell just from the crooked steps.

“Mars? What brings you here at this hour?”

“Call me ‘brother.’ How many times do I have to tell you? And Bryce, shouldn’t you greet your elder brother when he arrives?”

“I doubt that’s stipulated in imperial law.”

“Don’t live so rigidly. What are you going to do if you bring up the law for everything?”

Mars furrowed his brow as he spoke.

But given how entangled he already was with legal matters, Bryce saw no reason to create more issues outside of the law.

For instance, the only reason he still lived here and received his salary from his uncle was due to the law.

“What do you want?”

“Don’t look at me like that. Technically, the annex is also part of my house, not yours.”

“I asked what you wanted.”

“Well, I don’t know how to say this….”

Mars cleared his throat and addressed her.

“I’m sorry about the other day.”

A look of disbelief crossed her face. Sorry? Him?

“For giving your rabbit a hard time. You’re supposed to hate the sin, not the sinner, but I almost hated the rabbit’s sin.”

Although he had flipped the saying, she decided not to correct him.

Whether Mars kept saying it wrong or not was none of her concern.

But why was he apologizing all of a sudden?

While she waited for him to leave, Mars handed her something.

“Take it already. Don’t make me stand here holding it.”

“What is it?”

“Grass.”

Mars walked over and placed a basket into her hands.

Inside, it was filled with green herbs.

“Give it to your rabbit, Lize. You don’t exactly have the funds to buy rabbit food.”

“……”

“See this lettuce? It’s the kind used in high-end banquets. Fancy stuff, right? No need to thank me. It’s just leftovers I bought with spare cash.”

Mars muttered to himself as he left the annex.

I glanced at the basket in my hand before looking up.

My eyes met Bryce’s.

“I don’t think Kim Toki will like this.”

“Exactly.”

Our bunny doesn’t eat grass, you fool.

“Oh, right.”

Lize had returned to her room.

Cassium, who had been lounging on the sofa indifferently, lifted his head.

“I went to ask about what happened, but I completely forgot. I’ll ask again tomorrow.”

Lize, muttering to herself, noticed Cassium watching her. Her face lit up, and she approached him.

Cassium couldn’t take his eyes off her smile. It wasn’t intentional.

“Golden Bunny, have you cooled off now?”

But then, he remembered how he had been sulking earlier.

‘I wasn’t even mad.’

There was no reason to be angry. No one had done anything wrong.

He was simply in his rabbit form, and even though he had stopped Lize from falling, he didn’t have the large hands to catch her.

And, of all things, someone else had been there—someone well-dressed and polished.

That’s all it was, so what was there to be upset about?

“Not over it yet?”

“Beep.”

Lize reached her hand out to him.

No matter how many times he experienced her touch, it never felt normal to him.

Lize didn’t even know who he was, yet she treated him so affectionately.

Sometimes, when Cassium let himself lean into her touch, he felt a pang of guilt, as if he were lying to her.

‘But for now….’

Cassium let Lize hold him without resistance.

Lize, cradling him in her arms, lay down happily on the bed.

“Golden Bunny.”

She called him lovingly.

— Cassium.

The memory of Lize’s stern face, glaring at him with clenched lips, flashed through his mind.

She had never looked at him like that when he was in his rabbit form.

‘If she knew who I really was, she’d be horrified.’

Lize hugged Cassium tightly again.

He blinked slowly, feeling her warmth.

When he first returned to his original form and then reverted back into a rabbit, he had agonized over what to do.

Honestly, there was no real reason to return here.

Once his body fully healed, he would probably be able to transform back to his original form permanently. His wounds were healing, so that time wasn’t far off.

During that time, he could have managed just fine without staying by Lize’s side.

He was nearly fully recovered, able to move freely, and he knew every corner of the Balteaire estate. Procuring food wouldn’t have been an issue either.

But….

— Golden Rabbit, thank you.

He wanted to see her again.

That smile she gave him. The expression she only showed when he was in rabbit form.

Returning to her side had been a selfish decision.