DMHS 81

What happened today?

After Asaad left his seat, Kian followed him outside. Not long after, a powerful aura filled the banquet hall.

‘He must have used his ability again.’

That was the only reason Asaad would confess so readily.

Therefore, Kian would undoubtedly complete his mission and return safely this time too. Lucien had no need to worry or fret.

Yet, something still gnawed at his mind.

‘He came back injured earlier.’

Though the belt might conceal the wound, the scent of blood couldn’t be concealed.

‘He seemed unstable at the Fourth Magic Tower too.’

His mate, drenched head to toe in Chimera blood, had been utterly bewildered and helpless.

‘What if he’s in danger again now?’

Even though he knew it was unlikely, he couldn’t stop the recurring images.

Kian, surrounded by enemies and forced to his knees.

Kian, exposed and threatened.

Kian, eyes reddened, weeping and pleading.

‘What’s with that final scene?’

Lucien brushed away the absurd image that had intruded into his thoughts.

“Ha…”

Unable to hold back, he roughly ran his hands through his hair. Since meeting his mate, nothing had gone according to plan.

Despite despising the foolish actions of humans, he, too, had fallen into love and proved no different from them.

‘Admit it. I’m a useless fool who stirs up trouble.’

Finally, Lucien rose to his feet. His figure vanished through the slightly open window.

The room was left in darkness.

***

‘It was definitely around here…’

Kian felt along the cave wall, the passageway.

His memory was correct, he grasped the protruding magic stone. As he channeled mana into it, all the magic stones lining the passage lit up.

‘Next is seventeen paces.’

Kian meticulously counted his steps from the entrance, careful not to forget to account for Pearl Asif’s leg length.

After seventeen steps, Kian crouched down and felt along the floor. Once again, he found the magic device without difficulty.

Click.

Kian exhaled in relief after disarming the trap. Though it would take time, he felt he could somehow make it through.

Just then, Kian doubted his own eyes.

‘Huh?’

Not far from the magic device sat an animal. A small, white rabbit.

The rabbit met Kian’s gaze, pricked up its ears, and tilted its head. Its eyes were a vivid green.

‘No way.’

Kian reached out toward the rabbit.

“Come here.”

The rabbit sniffed the air, sizing Kian up. Kian softened his voice further.

“Good girl.”

“……”

“Huh? It’s dangerous out there. I don’t know how you ended up here, but I’ll send you back outside.”

“……”

The rabbit hesitated, then took a step forward with its front paws.

‘Don’t rabbits hop on their hind legs?’

As if sensing his puzzled gaze, the rabbit shifted its stance and hopped away.

The rabbit that approached was truly tiny. It could easily fit in the palm of Kian’s hand. Kian examined the creature curled up in his palm, checking every part of its body.

‘Fortunately, it doesn’t seem to be hurt.’

Its awkward hopping had made him certain it had fallen into a trap. Now he saw the young creature was simply too frightened to leap properly.

Kian gently stroked the rabbit’s head to ease its tension. The warmth radiating from its body, warming his palm, soothed Kian’s own heart.

After a moment’s hesitation, Kian unbuttoned the front of his robe.

“It might be uncomfortable, but stay here.”

Kian tucked the rabbit into the upper part of his robe. Its tiny, adorable head and ears poked out between his chest.

“You can see out the front, so it won’t be stuffy.”

Kian stroked the rabbit while checking its neck area.

‘Just as I thought.’

A familiar pendant hung around the rabbit’s neck. It bore the emblem of the Freesia Palace, multiple yellow petals arranged in a crown.

Kian chuckled softly before speaking.

“What do you expect if you keep giving yourself away like this? At this point, it’s hard to pretend I don’t know. Rabbit, you’re actually…”

Fortunately, Kian happened to be looking down the hallway at that moment. Had he not, he would have discovered the rabbit trembling violently in his arms.

Rabbit—no, Lucien—thought.

‘No.’

His identity was clearly exposed. The problem was, if Kian realized the rabbit was him, he’d also realize all the animals before had been Lucien too.

‘What have I done while transformed into animals all this time?’

Lucien’s mind flashed through the events of recent days. He prided himself on not having acted strangely, but…

–Baaaa.

He bleated like a real goat and rubbed his head against Kian.

–Baaaa.

He stubbornly refused to return to the palace, then let himself be carried away in Kian’s arms.

–Kyaa kyaa kyaa kyaa.

He laughed with a frivolous sound and was teased for it.

–Eek.

Embarrassed, he clamped his mouth shut.

‘…So lame.’

Looking back, every single moment was nothing but face-burningly embarrassing.

Lucien wished he could crawl into a mouse hole and hide. Just as he debated whether jumping off now might be better, Kian spoke.

“You were sent by your master, weren’t you?”

“……”

“Sorry. Being a rabbit, you can’t answer, I suppose. I just feel grateful and amazed thinking about the master who sent you. Your master seems to care deeply for me.”

Lucien exhaled a deep sigh of relief. For now, at least, it was fortunate that Kian was oblivious.

‘I thought I’d been found out.’

But it was too soon to relax. As Kian cleared the magical devices lining the passageway, perhaps feeling lonely, he began talking to himself, addressing the rabbit.

“What did he want you to do this time? Since you’re a rabbit, did he tell you to dig a hole with your front paws? Haha. Just kidding. You don’t have to do anything. Just stay with me.”

“……”

“Hmm, this feels strange. Moving alone should be natural, but maybe it’s because I’ve been with your master lately. Lately, I’ve felt this sudden emptiness. Even when no one follows, I catch myself looking back, wanting to glance beside me and ask, ‘Right?'”

“…….”

“Or maybe I just miss your master?”

His voice echoed through the cave passage, damp with moisture. Lucien’s mind grew hazy.

‘Miss me?’

Thump. Thump. Thump.

Choosing a rabbit over other animals was both a blessing and a curse.

The blessing was that even if he wanted to make ridiculous sounds like ‘Woo!’ or ‘Meow!’, he couldn’t. The curse was that his heart, shrunk and weakened by becoming a rabbit, beat so fast it felt like it would explode.

“This is tough. Thinking I can’t see him makes me want to see him even more. Haa… How do other people manage to like someone? If this is how I feel just from eating a potion, how on earth do they hide their real feelings and live?”

Lucien finally snapped back to reality.

‘It’s because of the potion.’

Of course. There was no way his mate genuinely liked him and missed him.

But the pounding of his heart refused to slow.

‘Whatever it is, I still like it.’

The mere thought of his mate thinking of him made his chest swell. The realization that he wasn’t the only one thinking of the other while apart felt like a blessing.

“Lucien must be struggling too.”

Lucien shook his head vigorously. Kian chuckled softly, stroking the rabbit’s head as if its fluttering ears tickled him.

“No?”

Nod.

“Then shall I let Lucien grow fonder of me?”

Nod.

“And if I feel like it, I’ll try to genuinely like Lucien too?”

Nod nod nod nod nod nod!

Lucien nodded so vigorously his neck nearly snapped. A refreshing laugh burst from Kian’s lips.

“What’s with this? Looks like you got special training from Walter. After work wraps up, you have to play with me more. Got it?”

Nod…

“What’s with the sulky face? You’re not upset I changed the subject, are you? Do you need me to declare my affection for you right here and now to be satisfied?”

Nod nod!

“Hmm, what should I do?”

The rabbit’s ears drooped dejectedly. Kian laughed aloud once more.

“Just kidding, just kidding. Since you’re like that, I guess I have to…”

But the playfulness ended there. Sensing movement ahead in the passageway, Kian quickly clamped his mouth shut.

Kian held his breath and strained his hearing. His heightened ears picked up faint sounds inaudible to ordinary humans.

“Are you still blaming me?”

‘……?’

“If there was a trap, you should’ve said so. What good is yelling ‘I got you!’ after the fact?”

‘Hm?’

“You say you warned me before my foot touched it? Come on, let’s be precise. You told me one second before my foot touched it. How the hell am I supposed to dodge a trap in one second?”

‘Ah?’

“Sure, you’re so smart you could probably do it. But guess what? Right now, all you can do is shoot your mouth off. If you think it’s unfair, come out and argue your case. Can’t you? You can’t, huh? Pissed off? Tough luck.”

The tension that had been running high gradually eased as the conversation descended into childish banter.

From what he heard, it seemed the person ahead had made a mistake and fallen into the trap. Given how far he’d come, he couldn’t be an ordinary person, but it was worth checking.

Kian walked forward deliberately, making no effort to muffle his footsteps.

As the view brightened, he saw a man dodging a dozen spears thrusting up from below in an awkward stance.

Spotting Kian, the man broke into a bright smile and called out.

“Whoa, I’m alive! Master, please save me!”

‘What’s this?’

Kian was currently clad in the robes worn by the cult’s followers. His opponent was an intruder from outside.

Given that he’d been caught by an insider, it was obvious he’d be dragged away and subjected to unpleasant treatment. Yet the man’s calm demeanor as he spoke was anything but ordinary.

Kian stood several paces away from the trap, staring at the man.

“Why should I help you?”

“It’s fine. Speak freely. They said you’re not part of the sect.”

“Huh?”

“If you release me, I’ll trust and follow you. I’ll never interfere with your affairs. If you tell me to die, I’ll die; if you tell me to live, I’ll live. I’ll be your perfect pet human, hand when you say hand, foot when you say foot.”