The Symbiotic Relationship Between The Rabbit And The Black Panther [EN]: Chapter 18

A heavy atmosphere hung between Ahin and me as we returned to the bedroom in the early hours of the morning.

To be precise, I was the only one feeling awkward. But Ahin was giving me such obvious looks today, which made it even more uncomfortable.

‘He was the head of the family.’

Ahin didn’t employ a large number of servants for a noble. He was mostly alone when he moved around, and the attendants who came in and out of the bedroom were always the same. Was it because black panthers are mostly solitary creatures?

That’s why I never expected him to be in such a high position. If I had stayed in the Rabian family, he would have been a distant existence I would never have had the chance to meet.

The sound of the bathroom door opening made me react sensitively, and I burrowed under the pillow.

I don’t know how long I hid there. I strained my ears and could hear the clicking sounds and movements.

“In the black panther territory, subordinates who disobey orders are sometimes beheaded.”

It was a monotonous voice, but my body trembled as I understood the hidden meaning.

“The Meimei that can use magic was assigned to you for both surveillance and protection. But you failed to do that.”

Feeling uneasy, I peeked out from under the pillow. Ahin, who was sitting casually on the bed, flicked his finger on my nose.

“Do you want Meimei to be punished?”

Of course not. I had only left my seat for about ten minutes to get my favorite hay. My heart ached, and I felt sorry. When I shook my head, Ahin’s lips curled up into a slight smile.

“But it’s not Bibi’s authority. It’s my authority.”

Then why are you asking? I pushed away the resentful thoughts and quickly grabbed Ahin’s hand.

‘Please, have some mercy.’

My trembling pupils turned to Ahin’s scabbard, which was placed near the sofa. The sword was stained with dark red blood.

It wasn’t hard to guess that he had killed again today. Now that I knew his status, the fact that such things were trivial to Ahin struck me even more.

Therefore, beheading was by no means a distant story. It seemed like Ahin would really behead someone without a second thought.

I imagined Meimei’s head being cut off and shook my head frantically, my face pale.

“…The more I think about you almost being eaten by that bastard dog, the more disgusted I feel.”

Ahin muttered, erasing the smile from his face.

“How much do you think I’m holding back?”

‘What, what are you holding back?’

How can you suddenly come at me like that? Unable to faint, I stared at him with horrified eyes.

“Anyway. Instead of forgiving Meimei according to your wishes, shouldn’t there be something exchanged between us?”

It was no different from offering a one-sided deal with Meimei’s life as collateral. I made a dissatisfied expression, but when his gaze lingered, I quickly looked away. A strange silence stretched out along with the gaze fixed on my profile.

“I forgot to mention, you’re not allowed to cry anywhere else.”

‘…What does that mean?’

I straightened my head, feeling uneasy at the sudden demand. You said you would save me if I cried.

Come to think of it, Ahin whispered that I shouldn’t cry when I jumped off the terrace. Is there a separate reason?

“Only cry when I ask you to.”

…What is this? As expected, this beast has gone beyond the realm of understanding. I let out a hollow breath, but he held out his pinky finger as if he really wanted to make a promise.

“Promise.”

Even very annoyingly, Ahin mouthed “Meimei.” Not in a position to resist, I matched my paw to his pinky finger with a queasy feeling.

“Ah, and.”

‘What again?’

“It would be better to set up signals in the future. So I can understand Bibi’s intentions.”

A strange and bitter feeling arose. It was something I had never even thought about or wanted. There weren’t any people who particularly wanted my opinion.

“Let’s start with this one.”

Unlike me, who was stiff, Ahin nonchalantly reached out and placed my left paw on his index finger.

“Left paw is for emergencies. The right one,”

He reached out his other hand and placed my right paw on his index finger again. Both paws were forcibly lifted into the air. “Hmm.” A short moment of contemplation passed.

“Ahin would be good. Raise your right paw when you need me. Express the rest yourself.”

His mischievous voice echoed. Soon, Ahin gave me a unique smile and lowered my paws.

“Now, practice. When it’s dangerous.”

‘…Now?’

When I looked up at him with a sullen expression, he gestured with his chin. He tilted his eyes halfway and forced me to do it, so I reluctantly raised my left paw.

“When you call me.”

Matching his tone, I casually raised my right paw, and Ahin nodded in satisfaction. Do you like it that much? When I glared at him with narrowed eyes, he tickled my chin as if praising me.

“Yeah, good.”

A reply came out as if he understood my thoughts. I couldn’t even find affection to the extent of treating me like a pet in his red eyes. Feeling strange, I looked up at Ahin with a slightly dazed gaze.

* * *

It is said that beastkins [people who can transform into animals] who have gone through thick and thin become stronger. It was my turn, Bibi, to prove that saying.

I waited with my eyes open until late at night, and then I carefully crawled out of the blanket.

A dark shadow fell over Ahin’s beautiful face as he slept. I shook my feet in front of his eyes and touched his nose lightly, but there was no reaction.

‘Is he asleep?’

A steady breath echoed. If he were awake, he would have gotten up right away and recited something about rabbit skewers. Just in case, I stared at his long eyelashes, but there was no awkward twitch.

‘…Okay, he’s asleep.’

I settled down in front of his face and recalled the terrible situation from a few hours ago.

A chase with a drooling wolf. The appearance of the wolf was always an opportunity for me to look back on my life-threatening situation.

I almost forgot because my life was quite comfortable. Living as a baby rabbit in a place full of beasts is close to impossible. It was amazing that I had survived so far, being at the very bottom of the food chain.

Furthermore, this mansion is the home of the black panther leader. In other words, it was nothing more than a gathering place for beasts.

I had to either achieve humanization as soon as possible or go to the territory of herbivorous beastkins to increase my chances of survival even a little.

‘Today is the day.’

Silver hair tangled on the white pillow came into view. I had been putting off the plan that I could only carry out when Ahin was asleep for several days.

I looked down at my paws and licked my lips. When Ahin bit my neck a while ago, the finger I saw that dawn did not leave my mind.

If that finger was really mine, the clue must have been his fangs or pheromones. It was a scene I saw after a strange pain.

I swallowed hard and jumped closer to Ahin’s face. As his beautiful face got closer, I felt nervous again.

Huff, huff, I took intermittent breaths and stretched out my paw. It was a very cautious movement.

‘…Black panther, please don’t move.’

The tip of my trembling paw touched Ahin’s lips and fell. I wanted to run away after only touching his lips, so I shook my head and calmed my mind.

He already bit my neck, so if I get scared and run away like this, Bibi’s reputation might cry.

I grabbed my fading mind and stretched out my paw again.

I can do it, I can do it. Finally, I succeeded in putting my paw between Ahin’s lips.

‘It’s done!’

Now, all I have to do is get bitten lightly like that time. As I controlled my fear and stirred carefully, my paw, which had slowly dug in, touched his even teeth.

‘…Huh?’

The expression on my face, which had been filled with hope, hardened at a terrifying speed. Why do I feel a slight pressure on my lips? Trembling, I turned my head, and my eyes met his half-open red eyes.

‘Oh my!’

With a silent scream, I tried to pull my paw out, but his tightly closed lips showed no sign of letting go.

‘I’m sorry I woke you up, please….’

As I pleaded with desperate eyes, Ahin mumbled as if he wanted to protest. His beautiful brow furrowed slightly, perhaps because he was frustrated that he couldn’t speak.

‘Let go and say it, say it!’

In the end, I pushed his cheek hard with my hind paw, but Ahin kept his lips tightly shut and didn’t let go. How stubborn he was. To make matters worse, my paw was being pulled little by little between his moving lips.

Cold sweat flowed, and a primal fear soared. My paw was gradually swallowed, and my tongue and fangs touched.

‘No-!’

Horrified by the unknown, soft sensation, I fainted. It was the third time I had fainted since coming to the Black Panther Territory.

* * *

The sunset sky grew dark. Today was the day of the ball at the Grace family, which could be inferred from the conversation between Rune and Meimei. It seemed to be proceeding separately from the wolf’s infiltration incident because it was an important event.

‘Wow.’

I leaned on the terrace railing and exclaimed.

Ahin’s bedroom is in a location where you can see the main gate from the terrace. The more fancy carriages passed through the iron gates, the more I realized that this was the head of the family’s house.

Furthermore, the beastkins who got out of the carriages were all dressed in splendid tailcoats.

As I stared at the scene, I suddenly turned my gaze to face the glass window. There was a baby rabbit with white fur and black eyes, who looked to be about the size of a fist.

‘…Again.’

I don’t prefer to look in the mirror, but I didn’t feel particularly down. It was a long time ago that I felt self-conscious comparing myself to the beastkins who had undergone humanization.

Until a few years ago, I used to draw pictures of myself transformed into a human, but I stopped a long time ago. I was afraid that it would really remain an imagination. I tried to think of other things and spent my time aimlessly.

Will I never be able to escape this cycle? The remnants of an indescribable emotion rose from my toes.

“Rabbit-nim.”

Two footsteps were heard next to me as I stared blankly at myself reflected in the glass window. Not only Meimei but also a beastkin I had never seen before appeared behind me.

The appearance of the unfamiliar beastkin made me hide behind Meimei. Meimei, who gently held me in her arms, added an explanation.

“This is Ulpes-nim, the Grace family’s exclusive costume expert.”

“It’s nice to finally meet you, Rabbit-nim. I wanted to meet you.”

With the greeting, Ulpes politely extended his index finger. My trembling gaze moved from the extended index finger to Ulpes’s face.

He had red eyes and half-tied vermilion hair, and a fairly likable impression. However, the problem was the bizarre pink uniform that was hard to find anywhere.

‘There’s too much lace.’

I continued to think, ‘The black panthers in this mansion all have strong personalities.’ I slightly extended my paw and responded to the handshake. Then, Ulpes, with a very moved look, covered his mouth.

“Oh-! My goodness! I’ve heard rumors that you are a smart rabbit, but it’s really amazing to see you in person. I really can’t help but admire you!”

Even after that, meaningless compliments disguised as shouts continued for nearly five minutes. Meimei, who had been listening to the words without moving, whispered softly.

“Ulpes-nim enjoys conversations.”

I think the problem is more with that loud voice than with the chatter. My ears are tingling. Contrary to my wish that he would disappear, he completely settled down in Ahin’s bedroom.

‘But why a costume expert?’

Ahin had already left the bedroom in a black tailcoat. As I looked at him questioningly, Ulpes opened a suspicious box he was holding.

“Today, Ahin-nim’s party partner is Rabbit-nim. It was a last-minute instruction, so I couldn’t prepare much, but I prepared accessories that wouldn’t put too much strain on your neck.”

The words were so absurd that my mouth dropped open. What kind of noble would take a rabbit as a partner?

‘Is that possible?’

I thought it was a joke and turned around, but Meimei nodded slightly in affirmation. She hesitated several times as if it was awkward for her to say it herself.

“I received the instructions this morning. …He said it would be fun.”

Let’s be honest. Don’t you guys think that black panther is out of his mind? When I sent a look asking for agreement, the two beastkins blatantly avoided my gaze.

“We are just following the master’s orders.”

“Ahin-nim… must have been considerate so that Rabbit-nim could see the ball scene directly. The Grace family’s ballroom is very magnificent and splendid!”

Meimei and Ulpes answered in turn as if they were making excuses. Servants who have the wrong master go through this kind of hardship. They were two people who aroused a strange pity.

* * *

“Oh, the ribbon doesn’t shine because of Rabbit-nim’s brilliant fur.”

The situation of putting various accessories on my head while sitting on the bed had been going on for nearly an hour. Ulpes, who seemed dissatisfied, put the ribbon back in the box.

“Hmm….”

It wasn’t bad to have the experience of wearing accessories like this for the first time. It would have been really nice if it weren’t for the loud voice that was heard right next to me.

“This crown decoration would be good. It’s the best accessory to make Rabbit-nim’s dignity stand out. Don’t you think so, Meimei-nim?”

Meimei, who had been waiting next to me, clapped her hands without any special mention. It might be the best compliment for her, who is so blunt. Feeling embarrassed for no reason, I scratched the side of my head with my paw.

“The Grace family holds a ball every half year. I always prepare Ahin-nim’s tailcoat, but he doesn’t show much interest, so I’m very sad.”

Furthermore, I was being forced to receive a lot of information due to Ulpes, who has a lot to say unlike Meimei. He, who was wiping my body with a cloth that smelled of subtle flowers, continued to explain.

“Many people from the Lion clan or the Bear clan, who are usually close to us, attend.”

Therefore, tonight’s ball was quite large, and not only black panther beastkins but also nobles from each territory occasionally attended.

‘Come to think of it, the lion said he was staying at the mansion because of the ball.’

Invitations are also sent to herbivorous beastkins, but most of them have no choice but to not attend. Although they are in the same position as beastkins, they instinctively dislike beasts.

So, naturally, connections were made between herbivorous beastkins and herbivorous beastkins, and between carnivorous beastkins and carnivorous beastkins.

Thanks to the fact that I am also a herbivorous beastkin, I got goosebumps just hearing the words lion or bear.

“Occasionally, nobles from the Hyena clan also attend.”

‘This, this doesn’t seem right.’

The more I listened to the explanation, the more I realized that tonight’s ball was definitely not a place for me to go. I quickly escaped from Ulpes’s hands and ran around on the bed to try to escape. Ulpes, who didn’t know such a thing, clapped his hands in satisfaction.

“You’re showing such happy gestures. It seems that Rabbit-nim is also very much looking forward to attending the ball!”

‘That’s not it!’

While I was looking for an escape route, a noise came from outside and the bedroom door opened. Noticing that it was a familiar voice, I immediately stopped running and collapsed. Step by step, an ominous sound of footsteps was heard.

“I greet Ivelyn-nim.”

“Where is Rabbit-nim?”

“Until just now, he was happily jumping on the bed…. Ra, Rabbit-nim?!”

Ulpes screamed loudly, surprised by my limp state. Then, Ivelyn’s calm voice flowed out as if to calm him down.

“Lately, whenever I appear, he always pretends to be dead because he doesn’t want to deal with me. Rabbit-nim, this Ivelyn is so sad. I even volunteered to escort you.”

As expected, as soon as he came in, his words that bothered my nerves pricked my ears.

What escort? I was lying on all fours and only twitched my mouth, praying that Ivelyn would leave quickly.

Contrary to that wish, there was a sound of someone approaching me. Soon, a very terrible voice brushed past my ear.

“Rabbit-nim, if you don’t get up, I will personally escort you with my mouth. Now, come into my mouth quickly. Ah-”

Ivelyn even opened his mouth, and his fangs flashed right in front of me. It was a terrible sight that made my face turn blue.

‘Th, th…!’

Unable to bear it any longer, I jumped up and hit him on the cheek with my hind paw. He slumped down next to the bed due to the impact and pretended to be shocked.

“How can you commit such cruel violence?”

Because he was wearing a tailcoat, the sight of him holding his cheek with his hand looked very innocent. However, I rushed at him without mercy and immediately grabbed and clung to Ivelyn’s sleeve.

“This speed and grip, Rabbit-nim must have the blood of a fighter flowing through him.”

‘Shut up!’

It made me angry just to see him say such things with an expressionless face. Ahin swallowed my paw two days ago, and the master and servant were no different.

I really hate black panthers.