ITBFL | Chapter 48

Episode 48

“Uh… you’re right.”

I looked at him with a reluctant expression.

Cassium seemed to have weakened oral muscles or something, because he chewed his food very slowly, and it took nearly another hour before he finished his meal.

“You’re not dragging this out on purpose just to waste my time, are you?”

“You know chewing thoroughly is good for your health.”

“I know, but you don’t usually chew this long.”

Normally, when we go on expeditions, meals are finished in under five minutes.

For some reason, I felt annoyed, but still, I patiently waited for him to finish eating.

It’s just been a while. It’s just because it’s been a while.

In this situation where he was being so annoyingly slow, I was a bit flustered to find that a part of me felt a slight sense of gladness.

If I had to pick the most memorable moment of today, when would it be?

In front of the massive Balteire Duke’s mansion, Cassium set foot there for the first time in a long while as the heir to the Baltier family and thought.

“Young Master, you’ve arrived.”

“Please inform my parents as well.”

“Yes, I’ll escort you straight to the main quarters.”

He had gone through many things as a knight, but rarely had he experienced such a variety of events in a single day.

He returned from being a rabbit to a human.

He stopped the Council of Elders from stripping him of his qualifications.

And—

He met Lize again, as a human.

That moment—when he saw Lize with a face so delighted to see him as a human again—

The emotion he felt then overwhelmed everything else he had experienced all day.

Among all the events of the day, Lize’s words and expressions were the clearest in his mind.

And he already knew the reason why.

…Because I like Lize.

He never tried to deny it.

He had simply been under the delusion that he didn’t need to express that feeling.

He had thought, until now, that he could stay by Lize’s side without expressing his heart.

They were in the same knight order, sparred together daily, and shared conversations.

That had been a natural part of daily life, and he didn’t want to risk losing it by selfishly expressing his emotions.

But after becoming a rabbit—and then returning to human form and seeing Lize again—he realized.

There’s no such thing in the world as a relationship where you can always be together as a given.

And with Lize, there are many expressions one can’t see unless they’re even closer to her than now.

He wanted to know more of the Lize he didn’t yet know.

From even closer.

He stopped in front of the drawing room. After taking a long breath, Cassium gave the attendant a signal with his eyes.

“It is Young Master Cassium.”

The door opened. Cassium entered the drawing room of the main residence.

“Have you been well?”

In response to his greeting, the Duke and Duchess gestured toward the sofa in front of them. It had been a while since they last greeted their son.

“Did the mission go well?”

“Yes.”

The Duke of Balteire’s brows furrowed slightly at the dry response.

It was true that Cassium had not been seen for a while. But he never imagined that would become an issue among the elders.

He didn’t think something had happened to his son. After all, Denver, the captain of Erne, had said Cassium was away on a mission.

“Did you really go on a mission?”

“Why wouldn’t I have?”

He didn’t think the captain of Erne would lie, but even if he did, there must have been a reason.

The current commander of the Royal Order was a capable man of noble blood, and surely any such decision would’ve had a reason.

Besides, Cassium had returned in perfect condition, and if the Duke of Balteire were to question the Royal Order of Erne, it could give numerous opposing forces a reason to attack.

A brief silence fell.

“Your engagement has been called off.”

It was the Duchess, Esley, who broke the silence first.

She gestured wordlessly at the untouched tea and snacks.

Cassium took a polite sip of tea.

“I wondered why you refused, but now that I think about it, it might’ve been because of your absence. I’ll look for another match.”

“You don’t need to.”

Cassium’s reply came a bit too urgently, and the Duke and Duchess looked at their son with a hint of unfamiliarity.

“What do you mean by that?”

“Exactly as I said. If I am to marry, I’ll choose the person myself.”

“No.”

The Duchess hurriedly interjected again.

“You promised. We would choose your marriage partner.”

It was something said when he was a child, before even entering the academy.

Cassium hadn’t thought his parents would actually enforce that promise made in ignorance.

“Don’t tell me… you already have someone in mind?”

“……”

“In that case, absolutely not.”

“Why are you doing this? It’s as if… the two of you don’t want me to be happy.”

He regretted the words immediately after saying them, but they weren’t lies.

It really did seem like his parents wanted him to marry someone he didn’t love.

Cassium met the eyes of his parents.

The Duke, having calmed the stirrings in his heart at his son’s words, spoke in a composed voice.

“In that case…”

“Father.”

“We’ll send another proposal to Artiel.”

“……?”

“Whoever it is you’re thinking of, tell that young lady it won’t happen. You’ll marry the one we choose. That’s the promise.”

Cassium couldn’t respond.

He almost said “good,” but he had a hunch that saying so here would only complicate things.

“…Do as you wish.”

Instead, he left that vague statement and rose from his seat. He let out a shallow breath, as if feeling stifled.

With his true feelings locked behind tightly closed lips, he turned his back to them.

“Golden Bunny!”

As soon as I arrived at the mansion, I ran to the room. I had so many things I wanted to tell Golden Bunny.

“Golden Bunny?”

But I didn’t see Golden Bunny anywhere.

Is he out exercising?

He had been working out all day yesterday, so it was possible.

I washed up first and returned to sit on the sofa. It was the one Golden Bunny always sat on to rest.

He’ll be back soon, right?

I sat quietly, waiting for Golden Bunny.

— Beep.

The moment he said goodbye this morning flashed in my mind.

The emotion in Golden Bunny’s golden eyes as he looked at me then.

As if he missed me—or would soon begin to miss me.

I opened a book and began to read while waiting for Golden Bunny a little longer.

By the time I turned the last page, it was past midnight.

And in that moment, when I realized I was still alone in the quiet room—

I understood.

“Ah…”

That Golden Bunny had left.

Only then did I realize that our morning farewell had been a parting to him.

Thanks to the look in Golden Bunny’s eyes back then, I knew—he hadn’t disappeared. He had chosen to leave.

“You could’ve at least given a hint.”

I got up to return the book to the shelf and go to bed—but then I saw a book left open on the desk.

Why is this book here?

My eyes lingered on it. A few red dots were marked over some of the letters printed on the cream-colored pages.

“……”

A faint smile formed on my lips as I read the connected letters.

“Thank you, Lize.”

What the heck, GoldenBunny. You left doing something adorable to the very end?

I picked up the book and hugged it to my chest, closing my eyes for a moment.

Golden Bunny’s indifferent “Beep” sound, the cheerful “Beep” when it was happy, and the flustered “Beep” it made when I hugged him tightly—seemed to echo in my ears.

See you again soon, GoldenBunny.

With a tender heart, I kept my eyes closed for a long time.

Wait, but…

…Then what’s going to happen with Bryce now?