Chapter 7
“Saving a snake wasn’t enough… you even petted it….”
Dean held his forehead in frustration, wondering what to do with this foolish and reckless young lady.
Of course, it wasn’t strange that Lucellin didn’t know. In the first place, there was no reason for a rabbit to understand a snake’s courtship behavior.
It wasn’t even included in the official beastfolk education.
Still, petting a snake—of all creatures—was absolutely unimaginable in the culture of the Rubidium Empire. He couldn’t believe that Lucellin had casually stroked its head.
Now that he knew the full situation, it didn’t look like a wicked snake had tempted an innocent rabbit—rather, it was like the rabbit had willingly stuck her head into the snake’s jaws.
She brought home a creature everyone avoided, treated its wounds, and even stroked its head—a clear act of courtship.
In many ways, she was truly an incredible rabbit lady.
“Miss, how many times did you stroke that snake’s head?”
“Umm…”
Lucellin rolled her watery blue eyes as she thought, then carefully held up three fingers.
“Three times? That’s not too bad, thank goodness.”
“Th-thirty times…?”
“…Ha.”
Dean muttered under his breath, “Unbelievable,” and Lucellin flinched.
“It was cute… and it felt nice to touch…”
“Miss, be quiet.”
“…Okay.”
At Dean’s cold reaction, Lucellin pouted.
But she also felt wronged in her own way.
Who would have thought that saving a dying life would come back like this? This “imprinting” thing—couldn’t it just be erased?
“From the snake’s perspective, your actions must have been very touching. But…”
To creatures that were always rejected, even the smallest touch would feel incredibly warm.
Even so, Dean still had a question.
No matter how he thought about it, imprinting on someone you just met was far too dangerous.
Even if Lucellin had shown excessive kindness, that alone wasn’t enough reason for imprinting.
As far as Dean knew, snakes were extremely intelligent—whether for good or bad.
So if they acted, there was always a clear and logical reason behind it.
But in this case, he couldn’t see any such reason.
Imprinting without knowing whether they could even meet again regularly—what was it thinking?
And the fact that it had enough strength to imprint while critically injured was already suspicious.
Still, Lucellin wouldn’t fail to recognize a beastfolk.
“Lucellin. That snake… it really wasn’t a beastfolk, right?”
“Yeah, it wasn’t. I didn’t feel any pheromones at all.”
Then there were only two possibilities.
Either it had the absurd delusion of wanting to claim Lucellin as its own—
Or it was just an ignorant little creature that didn’t know its place.
Either way, Dean didn’t like it.
“…Well, it doesn’t matter. Imprinting can be removed anyway.”
“Yeah, I think so too.”
Seeing Dean’s resolved expression, Lucellin nodded eagerly.
“First the Crown Prince, and now even a snake… our lady is quite popular.”
“Ugh, leave the Crown Prince out of it! We don’t even know each other’s faces.”
At Dean’s teasing, Lucellin’s blue eyes narrowed in annoyance.
“Miss.”
At his calm call, Lucellin looked at him.
Their gazes met naturally in the air.
“There’s something you must remember.”
“What is it?”
After a brief pause, Dean spoke in a low, serious voice.
“White snakes are especially cunning among snakes. Their slyness reaches the heavens, and their arrogance covers the earth. And you’ve been targeted by one of them.”
Though his tone was calm, it was a sharp warning.
Lucellin’s already tense expression stiffened further.
“Dean… how do I erase this imprint?”
Dean frowned slightly as he saw her biting her lip.
“It’s simple. Make the snake that created it take it back.”
“Oh, then I just need to find it and ask—!”
Her face brightened at the seemingly easy solution.
But Dean shook his head lightly.
“There’s only one way to erase an imprint—‘the death of the one who made it.’ That’s what I mean by making it take it back.”
He said something terrifying in the gentlest voice.
Lucellin stared at him in shock.
“W-why is the only method so extreme?!”
“That’s what imprinting is. It’s not something that can be used carelessly—it’s a special act meant for only one partner in a lifetime.”
At the cruel and merciless truth, her blue eyes filled with despair.
They said black rabbits were loved by the gods, but that had to be a lie.
There was no way the gods loved her.
“Becoming the bride of a Crown Prince rumored to be a monster wasn’t enough… now I’m a snake’s partner too… It can’t get worse than this…”
Her lips trembled miserably as she muttered.
“And even if there’s a method… Mangdeok is already gone.”
“Don’t worry about that. A white snake will come back to you soon. Solve it then.”
Dean gently patted her shoulder.
“Come back? How do you know that?”
“If the one who imprinted doesn’t make contact regularly, they suffer unbearable pain and eventually die. So it will definitely come back.”
Lucellin glanced at the mark on her wrist.
If it really was an imprint, that gave Mangdeok every reason to return.
“But this is the Erbel Ducal Estate. It’s guarded by knights and priests. Can something considered ‘impure’ really come here?”
“For a predator, finding its partner is easier than breathing. So don’t worry.”
Dean answered casually, then took out a silver dagger embedded with a red ruby and placed it in her hand.
It was small enough to fit in one hand, but its blade looked sharp enough to draw blood with the slightest touch.
“What’s this?”
“The dagger I use when hunting. The gem is made from the blood of a red wolf. No matter who the opponent is, if you stab them, they’ll die instantly.”
After hearing the terrifying explanation, Lucellin gripped the handle instinctively.
A cold, ominous feeling crept up her arm.
“So when the white snake appears, just kill it in one strike. Then the imprint will disappear. You can do it, right?”
Dean’s red eyes looked at her with trust.
She had to do it—and she could.
“…Okay.”
The cold blue blade seemed to urge her answer, and she finally nodded stiffly.
* * *
A faint scar stretched across a firm, muscular abdomen.
Though it had been a fatal wound just two days ago, now only a faint mark remained.
The man, wearing nothing but a thin robe, walked lightly into the imperial palace.
As his steps grew lighter, his long white hair shortened, rising above his neck.
The strange scars on his body also gradually faded.
Though many knights guarded the palace, he skillfully avoided their watch and moved toward a palace decorated with countless yellow topaz gems.
Soon—
Whoosh!
The tightly closed window slowly opened.
“Hmm? There’s a strange scent coming from somewhere…”
Kin, the Crown Prince’s aide, sniffed the unfamiliar fragrance drifting through the window.
“That’s odd… it’s not the season for roses yet.”
It smelled like what you’d get if you threw yourself into a vast rose garden.
But it wasn’t a scent that should belong to the owner of this room.
“…!”
Sensing a presence, Kin quickly turned toward the window.
Standing there was a man with white hair and golden eyes shining like the moon.
Killis Fernando—the one and only Crown Prince of the Rubidium Empire.
“Y-Your Highness?!”
“Hello, Kin. You only noticed me now? You’re still as incompetent as ever.”
He smiled kindly, but his words were anything but kind.
Kin’s face froze instantly.
They said people become kinder after surviving death…
Unfortunately, his master seemed to be an exception.
