The Symbiotic Relationship Between The Rabbit And The Black Panther [EN]: Chapter 14

The air hung heavy with dampness, the result of moisture rising from the heated bathwater.

“…I’m sorry.”

Mayme, perhaps feeling guilty for her inability to assist in the garden, rarely spoke. As she gently wiped my body with a warm cloth, she finally broke the silence. “Rune Manients is a high-ranking official. He serves as the primary representative for all negotiations with the Lion Clan.”

So, this Rune Manients was a lion beastman of such stature that ordinary employees or knights couldn’t easily impede him.

Negotiating with such a figure suggested that Ahin’s family held considerable power, even within the Black Panther territory.

“It would be best to avoid taking walks on days when he is scheduled to visit.”

Lion beastman, Rune Manients, negotiation… As I replayed the day’s events in my mind, I listened intently to Mayme’s words.

After an unusually long bath, I returned to the bedroom, my anxiety growing with each passing moment.

Ahin would be arriving soon, and no matter how I considered it, he wouldn’t simply ignore the incident in the garden. Furthermore, he had seemed displeased even before our parting, mentioning that he detected the scent of a lion.

‘I have to hide.’

If escape was impossible, concealment was the next best option. However, most obvious hiding places seemed easily discoverable.

As I frantically searched the room, I couldn’t help but feel unfairly targeted. Despite my best efforts, I couldn’t even identify what a lion’s scent was.

The lion I encountered in the garden had claimed to smell a black panther, and Ahin had frowned, muttering about a lion’s scent. It seemed beastmen possessed far superior senses compared to herbivore beastmen like myself.

‘Not here either.’

Unfortunately, hiding under the bed or sofa felt like a futile effort; I would be found quickly.

Darting around the room, I strained my ears, listening for any telltale sounds.

Suddenly, I heard the distinct sound of armor rubbing together from the guard knights stationed outside. It was clear that Ahin had arrived, and they were offering their salutations.

Soon, the eerie creak of the door opening and closing echoed through the room. Holding my breath, I focused on the sound of approaching footsteps. As I curled up in tense anticipation, I felt a surge of anger at the absurdity of having to hide in the first place.

‘Who does he think he is?’

Besides, it wasn’t as if I had deliberately acquired the lion’s scent. The defiant thought, “This Bibi has nothing to hide!” echoed in my mind, yet my body betrayed me, instinctively suppressing any sound and focusing solely on listening.

“Ugh.”

Suddenly, Ahin’s pained groan filled the air. Instinctively, I raised my head, a wave of anxiety washing over me at the sound that jolted my senses.

‘Could it be…!’

What if he had been attacked by a wolf beastman and suffered a serious injury, just like before?

Adding to my concern was a thudding noise, as if something had fallen.

I couldn’t simply stand by and watch any longer. Hurriedly jumping out from under the desk, I was met with an unbelievable sight.

‘I was deceived.’

My face contorted in disbelief as I quickly assessed the situation. Contrary to my panicked imagination, Ahin was sitting on the sofa looking perfectly fine, while Ivelin, standing beside him, was struggling to suppress his laughter. The thudding sound must have simply been the sound of Ahin settling onto the sofa.

Ahin, barely managing to contain his amusement, slowly reached out his hand.

“Why were you hiding? Come here.”

“I was deeply touched that you immediately jumped out to save Ahin-nim. Rabbit-nim, you truly possess a righteous character.”

I really hate those black panthers so much. Annoyed, my gaze turned fierce in an instant. Ahin tilted his head slightly, silently enduring my reproachful stare.

“Ivelin, I think I just got fluttered by that look.”

“I see. Rabbit-nim, please glare at Ahin-nim even more.”

“I want to devour you.”

“I will give instructions to the head chef immediately.”

Hey, Ivelin! Finally unable to contain my anger, I lunged at Ivelin and bit his trouser leg. He feigned fear with clumsy acting, but even that looked hateful.

“You still smell like a lion?”

My body, which had been wrestling with Ivelin’s trouser leg, was suddenly lifted into the air.

“Didn’t you take a bath?”

Ahin’s brow furrowed as he lifted me by the scruff of my neck.

‘No, I did.’

Mayme had thoroughly cleaned me with a warm cloth. I shook my head, denying the accusation, but his expression hardened overtly.

What on earth does the lion’s scent signify? As I flinched in fear, Ivelin spoke up, perhaps attempting to diffuse the tense atmosphere.

“By the way, Ahin-nim, it has been a month since Rabbit-nim arrived at the mansion. Wouldn’t it be appropriate to bestow another name?”

Ivelin was looking at me with a slightly complicated expression. It seemed he was recalling the various situations when we occasionally crossed paths during walks. When Mayme and I ventured into the garden, the guard knights would invariably…

‘Rabbit-nim is passing by, strengthen the security.’

‘Rabbit-nim is pass….’

‘Rabbit-nim….’

…they would make a fuss, chattering amongst themselves. I wasn’t entirely sure how the rumors had spread, but they were treating me, who was simply living with Ahin, almost like a member of the family, a master even.

In fact, I had grown somewhat accustomed to it, but I knew better than anyone that the situation was undeniably strange. How could it not be?

“Name?”

Ahin, glancing back and forth between me and Ivelin, asked in a dry voice. Before I realized it, he had placed me on the sofa and was turning me over this way and that. The lingering, unidentified lion scent seemed to displease him quite a bit.

“A name….”

‘Let go, I’m getting dizzy!’

Flipped over and over, I resisted desperately, but I couldn’t prevent my body from being manipulated. Ahin, tickling my neck with his index finger, suddenly poked my cheek.

“It’s okay. You’ll have a separate name anyway.”

It was a loaded remark. As I stared blankly, stiffening slightly, Ahin smiled faintly, making eye contact. His curved red eyes held the same emotionless light as always.

“Right?”

Opening and closing my mouth, I nodded dazedly. I wanted to ask how he could assert that with such certainty, but the words wouldn’t come, leaving me feeling frustrated.

* * *

Ivelin, having finished organizing the documents, also excused himself, and before I knew it, the night was late, and I was growing drowsy with sleep.

However, Ahin didn’t lie down on the bed. Instead, he spread a large piece of paper on the carpet. Observing his sudden behavior, he gave a suspicious smile and picked me up without warning.

‘I’m really annoyed.’

I glared at him, held by the scruff of my neck. The lion beastman from earlier in the day had also grabbed my scruff carelessly. Are all beastmen this rude? As I glared with wide eyes, he poked my cheek.

“I told you, if you glare, I want to devour you.”

“…….”

“I’m not kidding.”

With those chilling words, the fangs revealed between Ahin’s lips sparkled menacingly. Pale with apprehension, I decided to simply remain still. I maintain it’s not because I’m scared, but because I’m sleepy.

Soon, he retrieved a pot of black ink from the desk.

Why ink? No sooner had I felt an ominous premonition than Ahin began to smear the ink on my front paws. Enraged, I struggled, but eventually the ink soaked my paws.

‘What are you doing… Ah,’

Because I resisted so fiercely, ink splattered on Ahin’s beautiful face. I was momentarily embarrassed, but he didn’t show any particular reaction and instead placed me on the paper laid out on the floor.

“Here.”

Unable to decipher his intentions, I looked up at him with questioning eyes. Noticing my gaze, Ahin tapped the paper with his finger.

“Write it, your name.”

I couldn’t help but stiffen at the sudden request.

The question that had been nagging at my mind resurfaced with renewed intensity.

What kind of being does he perceive me to be, to make such a demand? It would be absurd to think of me as an ordinary rabbit, but it would be equally ambiguous to consider me a beastman. I was filled with unanswered questions, but I couldn’t bring myself to ask them, nor could I expect to receive any answers.

Perhaps sensing my hesitation, Ahin slowly stroked my back. A silent reassurance flowed from him, accompanied by a smile I couldn’t quite understand.

“They say you get attached if you give an animal a name.”

“…….”

“You can live longer if I know your name, right?”

Oh, it was truly a terrifying remark. Trembling slightly, I finally began to carefully stamp my front paws on the paper.

Tap, tap, tap. Moving one paw at a time, I left a trail of black footprints on the white paper. The stamped footprints were remarkably small, even to my own eyes.

Bibi.

Having completed the name Bibi, I sprawled on the paper like a beastman who had accomplished a monumental feat.

‘Phew.’

I never realized that writing a name could require such immense physical and mental exertion. In truth, the primary reason for my exhaustion was the chilling gaze I felt fixed upon me from behind.

After catching my breath, I turned around, and for some reason, the venomous glint had vanished from Ahin’s expression. Facing him now, an inexplicable anxiety washed over me.

Did I do something wrong? Or does the name Bibi carry a strange or negative connotation in the Black Panther territory?

As I watched him intently, Ahin, who had been quietly studying the paper, reached out his hand, signaling for me to step onto his palm.

The ink on my feet will transfer to his hand. After a moment of hesitation, I complied, and Ahin made eye contact with me as I settled onto his palm.

A strange silence ensued. Unlike me, who was avoiding his gaze, Ahin, who was staring with calm, lake-like eyes, finally spoke.

“Bibi.”

It was a name I hadn’t heard spoken aloud by another in a long time. Not since some point in my life with the Rabian family.

Moreover, it felt incredibly strange to hear the name Bibi uttered in a low, captivating voice that could easily charm anyone. Ahin, not allowing me a moment to savor the sensation, suddenly brought his lips to my neck.

‘Wh, what!’

I struggled, turning pale. While his habit of suddenly sticking his nose into my fur was no longer surprising, this time there were definitely hard teeth grazing my neck.

It wasn’t painful, but it was undeniably threatening. As I resisted fiercely, Ahin, who had briefly lifted his lips, frowned.

“Stay still, I’m going to erase the lion’s scent.”

He drew me closer again and lightly nipped my neck with his teeth. At the same time, a strange, unfamiliar scent tickled the tip of my nose.

Could it be pheromones emanating from this black panther? But that speculation was cut short. Suddenly inhaling that scent, I felt as if I had consumed alcohol, and my mind began to swim.

‘…Suffocating.’

The pheromones I had been suppressing within my body were fluctuating strangely.

* * *