Chapter 09….
Before entering the world inside the book.
I was a being that should never have been born.
My father, obsessed with social reputation, pinned the sins of his reckless daughter onto me, his illegitimate child.
“If you don’t want your mother taken off life support, Hael, clean up the trouble you caused.”
As a result, my half-sister got into the university she wanted.
At university, she reportedly acted like a model student, hiding her true nature.
It was a completely different ending from mine, which led to depression and binge eating.
I even considered exposing everything and dying, but no one would believe me, and if I were going to die, I wanted to live instead with the resolve to face it.
There were even places that welcomed my eating disorder as a kind of salvation.
―“It’s so nice to see you enjoy your food♡”
―“One Meal Bunny’s mukbang is the best!”
―“A girl who casually demolishes ten packs of ramen for dessert, what do you think?”
―“She works out hard, but she gets thin if she skips even one meal lol. Her stomach is different from ordinary people.”
―“10 million views for the eating contest video! Congrats on winning!”
Gaining a million subscribers through mukbang was almost instantaneous.
But there were people who didn’t like my growing physique.
One day, busy with collaborations and advertisements, my pseudonym became the top trending topic.
#OneMealBunny_SchoolViolenceControversy
#OneMealBunny_ShockingPast
#OneMealBunny_Disappear
I answered the phone with trembling hands.
“I was the one who leaked your school violence to the reporters. The records are clear, and saying it’s false won’t work. I’ve already bribed people to testify against you, so give up and quit broadcasting.”
The voice from the speaker was my father’s.
“Hael has caused trouble again after a quiet period. Please play the role of the scapegoat once more. Nothing more, nothing less—just rot in prison for ten years. Not difficult, right?”
I felt my blood turn cold.
Yet without even a chance to explain, I was possessed into the book.
Dreaming of that day made for the worst morning. Panting, I clutched the blanket with sweat-soaked hands.
“It’s okay. There’s still no problem. This time, I won’t fail.”
It was a vow to myself.
But wasn’t there someone else in this room besides me?
Snap!
Turning my head, Gilbert was nowhere to be seen. Instead, Zerodines leaned against the wall at an angle.
“Did you hear?”
―“Hear what?”
“It’s fine if you didn’t.”
Could you possibly break this possession for me?
…I swallowed the question I had almost asked.
After a bad dream, I was momentarily tempted.
But pushing my problem onto him would be cowardly, and besides, he couldn’t use magic right now.
It was my own foolishness.
“I… I’m sorry. Even if I hadn’t become the sacrificial seal, you wouldn’t have ended up like this. I’ll take responsibility and do whatever I can.”
―“Of course you should.”
That insolent tone.
My feelings of guilt evaporated instantly.
I glared at him with catlike, sharp eyes, only to notice how empty the room felt. I couldn’t be taking up this huge bed all by myself—so why did it feel so bare?
“By the way, have you seen Gilbert? He’s not the type to wake up early, but he’s not in bed.”
―“Hmm. Not sure.”
He chuckled.
―“I do know one man who got kicked off the bed by a brat with bad sleeping habits.”
“What? Don’t lie! I sleep so—”
A vague memory flashed in my mind.
“Gah! You kicked someone and then slept?”
“Ugh! And now he’s up again! Even sharing a bed with an angry horse would be more peaceful than this.”
“…Ugh! Third time. I give up. I’ll escape to the office sofa, so don’t follow.”
Uh… hmm.
“So, a man getting pushed off bed by a lady’s foot isn’t his fault?”
―“And lying at the edge of the bed so you could sleep comfortably was wrong too?”
“Yes! I’m trash! Happy now?”
It was then, as I shouted back in anger, that I heard:
―“I hear a woman screaming.”
“Yes. Upstairs.”
Upstairs is where my room is.
―“Screaming loudly, trying to gather attention, I see.”
“Let’s go too.”
The protagonist always appears at the end. I took a deep breath, regained composure, and left Gilbert’s bedroom.
About ten maids surrounded the door. Stretching my neck to look inside, I saw Belladonna’s horrified face.
“Oh my! The rumors about this mansion were true!”
Even without pointing, everyone’s eyes were on the bed. And rightly so—the once-white blanket was stained with an unknown secretion.
“This is why you shouldn’t take in wild animals carelessly. This is the trace of a disease. Pus that only comes from infected patients.”
After some time, the illusion faded, leaving only cut hair. But Belladonna, seeing only the silver hair peeking out of the blanket, shouted proudly:
“From the moment she collapsed in front of the master, I knew! That shameless girl hid her illness and deceived Grimroar!”
She was confident that I was trembling under the blanket. She must have intentionally screamed first, without waking me, to scare me.
So, I’d better give as good as I got.
“Excuse me, what’s going on?”
I tugged the apron of a maid slightly apart from the crowd.
“Le-Lavietta?”
Her face was as if she’d seen a ghost. It made sense—she’d been quietly listening to Belladonna’s incitement.
“I came because I heard a loud noise.”
“Oh, this… um…”
“Take your time explaining. Seems like an adult is needed, so could you fetch Gilbert? He’s probably sleeping on the office sofa.”
“Yes! I’ll get him immediately.”
The maid hurried off.
I didn’t care whether urging her was guilt or not—gullible people like that usually comply easily.
“What are you doing here, abandoning brooms in such a busy morning?”
This time I scolded sharply. The maids turned to me, surprised and unsure.
“Lavietta?”
“Why is the young lady here…?”
“What’s wrong? Is it weird for me to be in front of my room?”
Strictly speaking, it was strange that I wasn’t inside the blanket, but the maids didn’t dare answer honestly.
Some in the front row glared at Belladonna with resentful eyes.
“What? She’s outside the room? That can’t be!”
Flap! Belladonna pulled back the stained blanket to reveal the empty bed.
“…She really isn’t here.”
Belladonna was flustered but quickly pointed at me aggressively.
“Ah, now I get it! You sneaked out like a mouse before I came to wake you up!”
She’d planned to frame me from the start, so her changing story was quick. But in her excitement, she made a critical mistake—she didn’t check the reactions of those around her.
The maids were exchanging silent glances behind Belladonna’s back. From the cold, tense atmosphere, the meaning was clear.
With public opinion on my side, the next step:
“Oh, perfect timing! Seems the heavens are on my side.”
Belladonna inside the room couldn’t see this, but Gilbert was coming this way.
I pretended to be agitated and shouted loudly:
“So you’re claiming that I got infected and snuck out of the bedroom early this morning because you were afraid of getting caught?”
“Yes! Otherwise, how do you explain this mess? This is the bed you slept in last night, you liar!”
“That’s right, sir.”
I redirected the comment to Gilbert, who had approached. Belladonna, seeing him, gasped.
“What nonsense? I suffered so much last night thanks to this caffeine addict.”
“Suffered… you?”
Belladonna finally realized she was the one cornered, not me.
But it was too late.
“Exactly. Lavietta wasn’t in this room last night.”
“N-no! I clearly saw her sleeping here—”
…Gasp!
Her attempt to cover her mouth couldn’t undo her words.
Belladonna’s lips and jaw began trembling. Looking around too late, all she met were cold stares.
Her eyes lost focus, stunned by the situation before her.
