The Symbiotic Relationship Between The Rabbit And The Black Panther [EN]: Chapter 30

The Symbiotic Relationship Between a Rabbit and a Black Panther (2)

Having finished preparing to return to the Grace estate, Ahin stared at the unfolding spectacle.

The unconscious physician and Ivelyn at the cabin entrance, the messenger hawk he’d assigned to Bibi, and Lily, sitting in the middle, shedding tears like a chicken.

Decisively, even Rune Manianz’s pheromones lingered subtly.

All of this had happened in the mere hour he’d been away in the past two days. Considering even Ivelyn was knocked out, it was clear someone had deliberately targeted them.

Since a direct confrontation between the two could escalate into a territorial dispute, Rune must have chosen another method.

Just as Ahin had tricked Rune by turning into a lion, it was a kind of retaliation that was difficult to protest but would infuriate him the most.

And that method hit the bullseye.

“There should be a message left by the lion.”

Ahin, with a sinking gaze, looked around and chuckled.

“Th-that…”

A large footprint was also imprinted on Lily’s face as she woke up from her stupor.

Facing the tearful Lily, Ahin calmly waited for her reply.

“He tried to take the baby rabbit…”

“And?”

“Since it wasn’t there… he said he’d take the big rabbit instead…”

Hmph, Lily sniffled and continued haltingly.

“Is that all?”

“Ye-”

“Ye?”

“He told you to… screw yourself…”

* * *

Unlike the dimly lit nights of Endelus, the atmosphere was cheerful.

Passing through the bustling downtown, I sat in the lobby of a dress shop, constantly glancing around nervously.

“Why are you looking around like that? As if you’ve never been to a dress shop before,” Rune asked, sprawled lazily on the opposite sofa.

‘Because it’s my first time.’

The only clothes I’d ever worn were white fur and the negligee I had on. In reality, I had never properly worn any real clothes.

“Why a dress shop…?”

“I can’t exactly walk around in a negligee, can I?”

‘This is all because of whom?’ Clutching the dirt-stained negligee, I narrowed my eyes.

‘How dare he, Ash…’

“Don’t glare so much. The black panther couldn’t help it. If you get bitten by such a beast, even I would have my arm torn off.”

After a fierce struggle, Rune eventually knocked out even Ash and carried me away as I struggled.

Since there was no baby rabbit, he had to take the big rabbit instead. It was definitely retaliation for Ahin’s misdeeds in the abandoned building.

No, why involve a rabbit in a fight between predators in the first place? The more I thought about it, the more wronged I felt, and I struck the same rebellious pose as Rune.

Tucking my arm on the sofa, trying to appear composed, I glanced at the entrance of the dress shop.

Since I couldn’t walk straight, there was no way to escape….

I tried to memorize the route while being transported, but whether I could safely return that way was uncertain.

My anxiously shifting gaze lingered on Rune’s torn hair. belatedly remembering his status, I politely straightened my posture again.

“Send me back to the physician’s cabin.”

“…….”

“…Please.”

“I’ll take you back safely when night falls,” Rune added with a mischievous smile, just as Grace was about to have a fit and pass away.

“Ahin won’t look for me.”

“Well, will he really?”

Turning my head away, I glanced sideways at the leisurely Rune.

His outward appearance and tone were fiercer than Ahin’s, but he didn’t seem to have as bad a temperament.

When he first transformed into a human at the ball, he naturally opened his arms to hide me when I tried to conceal myself, and when I ran away from him as a lion, he chased after me until the end.

Even on the way here, he held me in a comfortable position, concerned that I might be uncomfortable being carried, so he had a surprisingly soft side.

If Ahin knew about Rune’s nature… I fiddled with my knees and calmly parted my lips.

“…He’ll probably wait until I return.”

“Well, it’s highly likely he would.”

This time, Rune didn’t deny it either.

“Still, he’ll be annoyed. It seems like you’ve been caught being a beast, and it seems like you’re having quite a hard time thanks to Grace…”

His gaze lingered on the bite marks around my neck. Reacting sensitively, I pulled my hair to cover the wound.

“…Isn’t it okay to mess with him a little?”

Of course, I somewhat shared the desire for Ahin to suffer, but my anxiety only grew.

The longer we were together, the more Rune’s suspicion of me grew. He was closely observing my subtly clumsy behavior.

He had already asked if my legs were uncomfortable after seeing me unable to walk straight. It was no longer possible to pretend not to notice without saying anything.

“Did you grow your hair long on purpose like that?”

See? He asked nonchalantly, but it was uncertain what he was thinking behind those dead fish eyes.

Anxious, I chewed my fingernails.

I was already uneasy about being in human form, but if I had a pheromone outburst or turned back into a rabbit in a place where Ahin wasn’t…

‘If I even met a stray dog…!’

No. Turning pale, I clutched my stomach in an instant.

If I pretended to be sick, would he send me back? Ugh, groaning like someone on the verge of death, I collapsed onto the sofa.

“I can see you squinting.”

“…….”

“And who in the world collapses with such a peaceful expression? You’re really bad at acting.”

“…Annoying beast.”

“I can hear you.”

Clamping my mouth shut, I awkwardly straightened up. More than anything else, it was a moment when I keenly felt the need to control my facial expressions.

* * *

Leaving the dress shop, Rune held me and entered a luxurious restaurant district.

Sitting on a chair that I felt unworthy to even sit on, I took a deep breath and looked around.

‘…What is this?’

Beasts dressed in clothes close to formal wear, and food that seemed like it would break the table. Experiencing so many new things at once made me feel like I was going to have trouble breathing.

Moreover, a thin satin blouse, high-waisted pants that reached my navel, and white socks in black dress shoes.

Since it was my first time wearing clothes, I awkwardly fiddled with the ribbon around my neck and the beret on my head.

“Rune, what… what happened to your hair?”

Paralyzed, Restin’s lips twitched as he sat across from me.

“I heard it’s a popular hairstyle these days.”

“Hair that looks like it’s been hit by a typhoon?”

Because it had been heavily torn, Rune’s hair, which was already curly, was disheveled. Looking closely, his mouth was also bruised, probably because he had been rolled around when he was a lion, making him look pathetic.

“Is this the rabbit that smells like bread?”

‘What’s with the bread smell?’

Restin’s trembling golden eyes shifted from Rune to me.

“Butter, rather.”

“…I only smell Ahin’s pheromones.”

“Grace must have covered it up in the meantime.”

“I guess so.”

A moment of silence fell. Soon, Restin gasped and looked utterly terrified.

“A… A beast?”

His outstretched finger was fixed on me.

“No, were you a beast? Not just a rabbit? Besides, you were clearly a baby rabbit, not an adult beast!”

Even Rune’s aide had found out, it couldn’t be worse. Moreover, he had been excessively rude to me from the beginning. Annoyed, I subtly pushed Restin’s finger away.

“D-don’t touch me!”

Startled by his scream, I took my hand away.

What did I even do…? Restin had consistently given me a bad impression from the start.

“Ignore him, he’s just very timid. Let’s eat,” Rune said, arranging the food brought by the waiter in front of me. Stew, various meats, and even salad.

Since I had never experienced food as a human, it felt a bit uncomfortable. Moreover, although I had learned by watching, my table manners would definitely be clumsy.

If I tried awkwardly, it might arouse another suspicion.

“Aren’t you eating?”

“…….”

“If it’s because of the drugs you swallowed, such a small amount doesn’t require you to avoid food.”

That’s not it. Shaking my head, I turned to look at the large glass window.

Before I knew it, the day was ending, and the sky was turning red.

What if no one was there when I returned to the cabin? Because of that anxiety, even though I tried to steel my heart, the corners of my eyes kept drooping.

‘…I want to go back.’

Pressing my lips tightly, I quietly looked down at the black dress shoes.

Now I could open doors without anyone’s help and move my feet. I had arms and legs that could freely take me wherever I wanted.

I had clearly seen the way from the cabin to the dress shop and then to the restaurant district.

Springing up, I turned to look at Rune.

“Rune, I want to go back.”

“How dare you, addressing his name so carelessly…!”

Gathering the last bit of courage, I slammed the table. At the same time, Restin, who had been gasping, flinched. Noticing that agitation, I muttered softly.

“…Chicken.”

“Wh-what, what did you say?”

Afraid of any repercussions, I quickly turned around and started walking towards the exit. My gait was as clumsy as a newborn calf.

“Please be careful,” the waiter curiously watched me waddling and opened the door.

As I left the restaurant, the street lined with red lights reappeared. Slapping my cheeks to steel my heart, I took a step.

‘Turn right from here…’

I was diligently moving my feet when suddenly my body floated up into the air with tremendous force. My legs dangled in the air.

“I’ll take you,” Rune said, who had lifted me, had the same listless expression as usual.

“Are you very angry?”

However, above his golden eyes, that soft light was subtly rising.

“I’m sorry for bringing you here without permission.”

If he hadn’t apologized, I would have torn his hair out one more time. Lacking the courage to punish him, I made a face.

“But why do you really walk like a duck? It doesn’t seem like there’s anything wrong with your legs.”

He frowned slightly and asked, but I couldn’t give him any answer.

The first reason was that I had inadvertently released pheromones, and the second was that the wound on Rune’s mouth was gradually disappearing.

Like waves sweeping away sand, the burst wound healed and eventually completely erased any trace.

“…The energy is strange, did you perhaps use pheromones?” Rune, who didn’t realize that the energy had erased his wound, pressed me again.

“Why are you suddenly silent…”

Before I knew it, I brought my thumb to Rune’s mouth, and his voice stopped abruptly. His golden eyes seemed to have deepened for a moment, but I couldn’t pull my hand away.

‘Beasts have a strong possessive desire, whatever it may be.’

‘Sometimes, if that desire goes too far, they break it.’

My fingertip slowly passed over the area where the wound had disappeared.

Bloodstains still remained, but I couldn’t feel any curvature of the wound with my fingertips.

Doo-geun, doo-geun [onomatopoeia for heart pounding], staring blankly, I finally realized.

Healing pheromones.

My fingertips trembled slightly. I didn’t feel it, but if my ability was really healing, I could explain Ahin’s actions so far.

My ability might be very useful to him. The eccentric behavior of telling me various knowledge might also have been to make me more useful.

‘…Me,’

The reason he didn’t want me to be human was probably because he wanted me to be a passive being who couldn’t decide anything for myself.

‘He was trying to use me.’

Always covering me with his scent to hide my pheromones, and telling me to hide that I was a beast. Wasn’t his intention to prevent others from noticing my ability?

It was truly a beast-like greed.

Bbee-ee- [sound of a hawk screeching]

Reacting keenly to the threatening cry, I looked up.

A hawk with white feathers overall and black in places. It was Ahin’s hawk that Rune had knocked out during the day, circling in the sky.

“He finally found me,” Rune, who also looked up at the sky, muttered as if he didn’t like it.

“I was right. It seems like Grace wasn’t just waiting quietly.”

Tak [sound of stepping down], in an instant, I struggled, pushed Rune away, and stepped onto the ground.

Then I started running as fast as I could. The reality was no different from a slow turtle.

Sure enough, Rune followed lightly with a leisurely walk.

“Where are you going?”

“Don’t follow me.”

“Ahin Grace will be here soon?”

“That’s why I said don’t follow me!”

When I recklessly swung my fist, he stopped with a dumbfounded face.

Showing that I wouldn’t let him get away with following me, I re-entered the restaurant building.

Climbing the stairs with all my might, I reached the rooftop on the third floor.

There was no time. Now that I had inadvertently healed Rune’s wound, there was a high possibility that I would turn back into a rabbit.

Now I could understand. Based on my experiences so far, I had transformed into a human when I encountered strong pheromones, and conversely, I had turned back into a rabbit when I used pheromones.

Feeling a new sense of crisis, I waved my hand at the hawk.

“Here!”

To think that there would come a day when I would want a hawk to approach me, not run away from it.

Finally, our eyes met, and I stood on tiptoe.

“Hawk, here!”

However, the hawk, which had gotten a little closer, rudely scoffed and didn’t get any closer.

“…What is he?”

Is he taking after his owner? Dumbfounded, I gaped at the sky. At the same time, a familiar voice came from below.

“Bibi.”

Thump. My heart sank, and I cautiously approached the railing. Below, Ahin, as impeccably dressed as ever, was looking up at me.

“The beret suits you.”

His lips curved smoothly upward, but his eyes weren’t smiling at all. The barren expression revealed his low mood.

“I’ve been looking for Bibi all day while eating *yeot* [Korean taffy].”

His fine silver hair was tangled, proving that he had been running around. It seemed that Rune’s *yeot*-eating strategy had worked to some extent.

I gripped the railing tightly.

Dressed in a navy blue jacket with silver epaulettes, he felt even more distant today.

“Did you enjoy your third escape with the lion?”

To count the number of times, he’s like a scary beast.

I gritted my teeth, realizing that I had been with him long enough not to be surprised by his bizarre way of speaking.

‘…I wish it was a joke.’

My mouth felt bitter. I would have preferred if the time we spent together was just for fun or a whim, not for a purpose like exploitation.

I drooped my eyes slightly and fiddled with the railing.

I thought I would hate and resent Ahin when I saw him. I couldn’t understand my own emotions, which were filled with a sense of relief.

“Why were you looking for me?”

An unintentionally blunt voice blurted out.

“I expected you to come back.”

You know it too, that the only place I can return to is there. Even in this situation, my situation is that I have no place to go and have no choice but to rely on you.

Ahin’s red eyes widened slightly and then returned to their original size. After a moment of silence, he soon spoke in a gentle tone.

“I thought Bibi might be scared.”

“…….”

“Was I wrong?”

“…I’m not such a coward that I’d be scared just by being apart from you for a few hours.”

“That’s not true. I guess only you don’t know.”

I had no words to refute, so I pressed my lips tightly. In fact, I felt a little guilty when I scolded Restin for being chicken-hearted. For a moment, Restin’s shocked eyes flashed through my mind.

“Let’s go back.”

Ahin, who uttered the same words I had written on my palm, stretched out his arms. I swallowed the emotion that made me feel like I was about to cry and moved my lips.

“…Where to?”

“Home.”

His face, lit by the red lights, was flushed red.

“Jump, I’ll catch you.”

“You know, Ahin.”

“Why?”

If I told him that I might turn back into a rabbit in a little while, Ahin would use his good head again to dig into my secrets.

“…No, it’s nothing.”

Because he wouldn’t want me to become human as much as I want to be human. As I hesitated and avoided his gaze, the smile on Ahin’s lips deepened.

“I guess you’re scared to jump.”

“Who!”

Who do you think is the biggest coward in the world? I shouted spiritedly and immediately lifted one leg over the railing.

‘Hmm….’

It’s higher than I thought. As soon as I put both legs over to jump, my whole body trembled. A chilling sensation ran through my toes.

“Are you going to jump now?”

“Try jumping while waving your hands.”

“…Why?”

“Because it’ll be funny.”

I’d rather go down the stairs than give that beast a laugh. I’ve always liked stairs anyway.

As I changed my mind and tried to climb back over the railing, my body tilted and fell backward.

“Ah!”

In an instant, a dazzling light flashed and my vision was reversed. Ahin’s figure, reaching out his arms, was getting closer and closer.

Thud. I landed in his arms and shook my head from the dizziness.

The beret that had been covering my whole body was removed, and Ahin’s bright face was cast over me.

“I told you to give me a warning.”

Hello. He greeted me briefly and held out his palm.

Unlike a moment ago, I faced his palm, which looked infinitely large, and matched my forepaw.

* * *

Grace Family.

Valence sat on the sofa in the office, savoring the bitter taste of black tea.

It had only been a week or so, but she felt empty without the little rabbit running around.

She used to enjoy seeing it come every morning and prostrate itself neatly, pretending to be polite.

Maybe it’s because it’s been running around the mansion for months. Mayme, who was serving him, seemed to feel the same emptiness, and she would often stare at the portrait of the rabbit reading a book in her spare time.

“Where did that Ahin go? I’m his grandfather; he can’t even run out barefoot to greet me!”

Thud. Lilian, Ahin’s grandfather, who was sitting on the reception sofa, put down his teacup irritably.

“He has left for Endelus.”

Valence smiled and pointed to the hawk standing by the window frame.

“He sent a pre-return message a little while ago, so he will be back by tomorrow morning at the latest. But Father, you came without even sending a message.”

“Eh, tsk. The lion cub I met on the way greeted me first.”

“Are you talking about Rune?”

“Yes. It feels like yesterday that Ahin and that kid were bickering and throwing punches, but he’s grown up so much. Was he this tall?”

Lilian, recalling Rune, who was a head taller than the average person, gestured in the air to measure his height.

It had been a long time since he had his coming-of-age ceremony, but Lilian still saw Ahin and Rune as mere snot-nosed kids.

“He still seemed lazy. Anyway, I’m going to stay at the Grace Family for the time being.”

“I have already prepared your bedroom, Father. You used to come to the mansion every year around Ahin’s birthday, and it’s also the academy’s mid-term vacation period.”

I’ve already ordered your favorite apples from Rabbit Territory, Valence added, curling up her lips. At the same time, a smile bloomed on Lilian’s prickly face.

“I’ve always liked you. How did you end up taking in a guy like my son?”

“Huhu, even so, he was perfect at his wife’s job. The only problem was that he was too soft on Ahin.”

“Don’t bother covering up for him. How can such a lazy bum be the head’s husband? The Beast God will be angry.”

Even after that, Lilian’s slander of his son continued for more than ten minutes.

Valence gave a faint smile and quietly looked at him, who contained a familiar face. Although his hair was white, the face of the man who had been her partner remained intact.

“Is it difficult to run the academy?”

“Those young punks cause accidents every day, so it’s a pain in the ass. I’m thinking of stepping down from the position of dean this time.”

Lilian sighed and nervously pressed his temple.

After talking about the academy and the continental situation for a while, he picked up his teacup and wet his lips.

“Agatha. That, that rabbit.”

“Oh my, Father, what’s wrong with you hesitating to speak?”

“…Has Ahin, still not yet?”

“Ah….”

The atmosphere clearly subsided, and Valence took a sip of the cold tea. Slender eyelashes cast a shadow under her red eyes.

“Fortunately, he has never had a seizure. He must be paying attention to it himself.”

“And yet he’s running around outside. Who did he get that carefree personality from?”

“Many relatives have said that he looks just like me.”

“…….”

Lilian, startled, shook his pupils and coughed dryly.

“Well, being carefree means there’s nothing to worry about. Anyway, when I think of you left alone, I can’t even bear to see my grandson’s posterity.”

“Well, the requests for marriage proposals are just piling up.”

“To think he inherited his son’s pheromones. It’s my fault, it’s my fault.”

Valence simply responded with a faint smile to the continued lament.

“…Have you not found a way to prevent seizures?”

“Not yet-.”

Valence, who lengthened the end of her words, tapped the armrest with her index finger, tok, tok. In an instant, a little rabbit with mysterious pheromones flashed through her mind. Although she didn’t know the details, the rabbit’s pheromones were the kind that made the human body feel relaxed.

“By the way, what is that rumor?”

Lilian’s sudden question diverted Valence’s attention.

“What rumor are you talking about?”

“There’s a ridiculous rumor that Ahin danced a waltz with a rabbit at the ball.”

It’s all kinds of efforts to belittle the family’s power, Lilian added, scoffing.

Even if Ahin wasn’t normal, it was absurd that there were people who were gossiping about such things.

Valence, facing Lilian, who didn’t believe it at all, also laughed softly, huhu.

“Is that all? Recently, our exclusive dressmaker has been quite busy. Making custom-made clothes for the rabbit.”

“……?”

“Oh my, now that I think about it, it’s already time to order hay.”

Valence, who was startled and covered her mouth, shook the bell busily. Valence, who summoned her exclusive maid, compared the hay from the Horse Territory and the Deer Territory and discussed it elegantly.

When the topic of installing a shelter in the garden to improve the rabbit’s welfare came up, Lilian dropped his teacup with a clatter.

* * *

A full moon that seemed to swallow the night sky rose. In front of the bedroom, Ahin, who had briefly dismissed the security guard, sat on the window frame.

A translucent envelope fluttered before his eyes. Gray powder received from Lily, who had been with him since Endelus – or rather, snatched from her.

The opinion of the Grace Family’s physician was no different from that of the Endelus physician. No drug reaction was detected in Bibi, and even the possibility of tolerance.

“Take it to the medical department for analysis. Keep your mouth shut.”

Ahin handed the envelope containing the powder to the physician.

“I will obey your command.”

The physician, bowing his head, quickly moved away. At first glance, the researcher’s unique enthusiasm for learning flashed in his eyes under his glasses.

“Lord Ahin.”

Ivelin, who had passed the landing, approached Ahin.

“As you said, the head butler is with Gorilla-nim [term of endearment for a strong person],”

“Wait a moment.”

Ahin, who stopped Ivelin, brought his index finger to his lips in an instant. A suspicious presence made Ahin’s back feel eerie.

With Ivelin taking his hand to his sword behind him, he gently brought his ear to the bedroom door.

With the door in between, Ahin and Bibi were ear to ear.

Bibi, frowning at the sudden silence in the hallway, strained his hearing even more.

It was then. It was when Ahin tapped the entrance.

“If you’re going to keep eavesdropping, give me a carrot.”

No sooner had the sudden words ended than Ash’s terrified cry was heard from inside the bedroom. It was because Bibi, who was eavesdropping with his ear to the door, had fallen to the floor.

“Cunning.”

Ahin raised the corners of his lips, confirming that the presence lingering at the entrance had moved away. He didn’t give a moment’s respite to the small subject.

“I don’t think that’s what my lord should be saying.”

“Ivelin, whose side are you on?”

“Ahin-nim’s loyal,”

“Loyal dog?”

“Please don’t compare me to a dog.”

Ivelin, who was rarely upset, calmed his emotions and then opened his mouth more seriously.

“Lord Ahin, please tell me now. Why didn’t you let me set foot in the cabin, and who was that woman at that time?”

During the two days that Bibi was asleep, Ivelin spent friendly days with Lily outside the cabin. He chopped firewood, which he didn’t have in his fate, and handled his work using carrier pigeons.

There was an attempt to sneak into the cabin, but he was hit on the tail by Ash, the escort knight, and was kicked out.

“There’s nothing else to tell you, is there?”

“…What.”

“You’re expecting it to some extent, aren’t you? You haven’t asked where Rabbit-nim has been for the past few days.”

Unlike Ahin, who was calm, Ivelin dropped the documents on the floor with a crash.

“Don’t make a fuss, pick it up.”

“Yes.”

Ivelin, who picked up the documents as if nothing had happened, was lost in thought for a moment. He had seen it at first glance, but it was such a face.

Leaving aside the appearance and beauty that seemed to pop out even if thrown anywhere.
The problem was the appearance of a herbivorous beastman that was so likely to stimulate the predatory desires of the beasts.

And the second problem was that Ahin, a madman – Ivelin’s point of view – was particularly obsessed with that rabbit. Pity, which had not been on his expressionless face, was slowly rising.

“Then Rabbit-nim has finally undergone humanization?”

“I don’t know.”

Ahin, who didn’t know Ivelin’s impious thoughts, swept his lower lip.

“I checked and there were no fever blister scars, so it’s probably a temporary phenomenon.”

The fever blister scar is a small flower-shaped scar that all beastmen who have undergone humanization have in common. But when Ahin checked, Bibi’s neck was clean with nothing in place.

“Why now, after not being able to undergo humanization for nearly twenty years? Wouldn’t it be better to go to the temple and ask for advice?”

“That’s not possible.”

Ivelin, who had heard the firm refusal, soon recalled the incident in which Bibi had run away from the temple.

“I see, Rabbit-nim was an atheist. No, what are you going to do?”

“What?”

“Because it’s no longer an emergency food supply. If the employees find out, how will you explain Rabbit-nim?”

Like a broken clock that’s right twice a day, Ivelin asked a rare, sane question. Ahin, who was sitting on the window frame again and looking up at the night, answered indifferently.

“What’s the big deal? Rabbits sometimes get bigger.”

“It’s too big even if it gets bigger. Such an excuse will work… It will work, but it’s too absurd an argument… Everyone will agree.”

Given Ahin’s position, even if he claimed that the rabbit was a duck, the employees would only accept it.

However, if Ahin suddenly went around with an unidentified woman in a situation where he didn’t even have a fiancé. Rumors are rumors, and even the elders of the family might interfere.

Compared to Ivelin, who was already getting a headache, Ahin’s expression, looking out the window, was too calm.

Ivelin, who had relieved his worries, calmly handed over the documents he was holding in his arms. When had his master ever listened to him?

“These are the documents related to your birthday. Oh, and I didn’t think you would make an issue of Rune-nim taking the big rabbit.”

“It wasn’t a big deal.”

“I guess you were mindful of the friction between the territories, thank you.”

Ahin, who received the documents, nodded nonchalantly. Ivelin, who stared at him, who was unexpectedly generous, added.

“By the way, last night, Rune-nim was attacked by assassins. Fortunately, he wasn’t hurt.”

“That’s terrible.”

“Did you commission the assassination guild?”

Flapping, flapping, only the sound of turning over documents spread through the quiet hallway. Ahin’s silence meant affirmation. Ivelin, with his hands behind his back, vaguely thought that he wanted to submit his resignation.

* * *