Chapter 49
He listened to Sharie’s opinion and then steadied the struggling rabbit by gently supporting its hindquarters.
“How is it now? A little better?”
Piiik!
As soon as he adjusted its posture, the rabbit gave a content little cry, clearly satisfied.
“The two of you… you look quite good together.”
Lady Nevir stifled a laugh with a hasty cough as she spoke.
Until now, Kaisa’s face had remained cold and expressionless, showing only the barest politeness to the tea party guests. But for the very first time, a smile appeared on his face.
“Do we?”
The sudden, almost dramatic change in his expression was like a flower blooming—everyone was momentarily stunned. And in that instant, he pressed a kiss to the rabbit’s damp nose.
“You’ve been praised, Sharie.”
Sharie, startled, smacked his high-bridged nose with a sharp thwack!
“Argh!” He groaned, clutching his neck and hunching his shoulders in pain.
The atmosphere froze.
This man—this sovereign whom they had only seen as someone untouchable—was being bested by a rabbit barely the size of three palms. The oppressive aura he had exuded only moments before completely dissolved.
“It’s getting late.”
Speaking in a voice devoid of any warmth, Kaisa checked the view outside the garden.
“The sun is setting.”
With that, he suggested that they bring the tea party to a close. It was a relief, since the mood had already been strained enough.
“We’ll take our leave, then. Lady Sharie, thank you for hosting us today.”
Olivia was the first to rise and offer her thanks to the lord and lady of the house, relief evident on her face—she had endured the silent pressure of Kaisa’s presence all afternoon. Soon after, the other guests began departing the greenhouse garden as well.
They made their way toward the palace gates where their family carriages awaited. Normally, such gatherings would end with casual chatter, but today silence lingered instead.
The thought weighed on them:
The man with the reputation of being cruel and ruthless… might actually be far more gentle than expected.
And yet, something else pressed on their minds far more heavily.
That rabbit… it was unbearably cute.
The image of the tiny creature, covered in soft white fur, refused to leave them.
“It was truly an astonishing experience.”
Lady Nevir, the only one bold enough not to let the opportunity pass, spoke with sparkling eyes.
I should have had the courage to touch it at least once…
When the others looked at her with envy, they silently vowed to themselves under the glowing sunset:
Next time, I won’t miss my chance.
“Next time… I must pet it!”
At that moment, none of them knew—
That attendance at Sharie’s tea parties would soon skyrocket, and fierce competition to secure an invitation would erupt.
Unwittingly, Sharie had demonstrated a formidable new skill in high society. Still in her husband’s arms, she returned with him to their chambers.
The large fireplace burned brightly, the polished wooden sofa and table gleamed with age, and the grand bed was draped with a lavish canopy. All of it was now familiar to her. She had grown comfortable here—but whether she could remain so in the future was uncertain.
Her husband looked at her, eyes filled with quiet bewilderment.
“Why was the daughter of the Kusley family here?”
Sharie could not answer.
How could she explain? That she knew because she had read the original novel, that this was a fictional world, and that he and Olivia were destined to fall in love?
She couldn’t. She wouldn’t.
Because the moment she said it aloud, it would feel as if she were sealing their fate herself.
“I don’t understand…”
Kaisa muttered under his breath, then suddenly let out a low laugh.
“Ah… Sharie. Don’t tell me… you’re jealous?”
It wasn’t simple jealousy.
Sharie, who had been about to deny him with flustered anger, froze when a familiar inner voice pricked at her conscience.
Really? Can you truly say it isn’t jealousy?
Her own voice interrogated her.
Can you say it with absolute confidence?
Sharie hurriedly lowered her head.
She knew—jealousy distorted the human face into something ugly. And she was terrified Kaisa would see her that way. Still, she could not deny the truth: this emotion was closer to envy than anything else.
What had Olivia been like in person? As the heroine of the original story, she had been breathtakingly beautiful. Everything about her—her gestures, her bearing—was elegant, befitting the daughter of a prestigious house.
With her tall, slender figure and golden hair cascading down her waist, she had looked picture-perfect standing beside Kaisa.
And herself?
No matter how hard she tried, she was still the same. Her ears were short, her tail was gone, her running speed sluggish. And even now, whenever she saw birch trees, she would shrink back in fear, recalling her grandfather wielding his birchwood staff and beating her mercilessly.
It was a secret she could never tell anyone.
Why am I such a pitiful existence?
Among her own rabbit-kin, she had been scorned and despised, living so crushed by shame that even breathing felt difficult.
But ever since coming to Barhad, things had been different. She had wanted to meet their expectations. She had worked so hard to change, to become someone better than her former self.
She had thought she had succeeded.
But then—Olivia.
A choking, indescribable feeling surged up her throat.
