No Entry Except for the Master - Chapter 14
I hate Dust! I hate Great King Dust even more!
Regardless of how moved Louis was, the rabbit despaired at Teia’s horrifying naming sense.
It’s my first name ever! No! Give me another one!
The rabbit’s mouth quivered as if barely holding back tears.
Burying her face in her thickly furred hands, she trembled all over as she lay flat.
Her small round back, looking for all the world like she was sobbing, made Teia chuckle.
Quickly covering his mouth to hide his sly grin from Louis,
Teia thought it strange — the nature he had hidden so well around others unraveled so easily in front of the rabbit.
“If you come find me again like that night, I’ll think of a different name.”
Teia whispered secretively to the rabbit so Louis wouldn’t hear.
Tap. Tap tap.
Lying in bed with his eyes closed, Teia slowly opened them at the sensation of soft fur brushing against his cheek.
Turning his head, he saw the rabbit — curled up in a ball, about the size of a fist — gently patting his cheek.
“Didn’t I tell you to come find me like you did that night?”
At his reproachful tone, the rabbit hesitated, avoiding his gaze, then made up her mind. Teia watched, fascinated, as her body grew larger, her limbs reshaped into human form, and the fur that covered her skin disappeared.
“I did.”
That night, her breathless, choking sounds were all he had heard — but now he could finally hear her real voice. Though she usually squeaked noisily, her human voice was clear and refreshing.
She hesitated, trying to read his mood, making her overall pronunciation round and soft.
Teia carefully examined the rabbit’s human form.
Standing side by side, the top of her head would barely brush his collarbone. Since her rabbit form was no bigger than a fist, he had assumed she’d be even smaller as a human, but considering Teia was close to 190 cm, she was surprisingly slender for a “rabbit.”
Her arms and legs were thin and delicate, but her proportions were well-balanced.
Teia’s golden eyes slowly swept over her entire body.
‘Still too small.’
Though she was taller than he had expected, She was still small and frail in Teia’s eyes, who was much larger.
Perhaps because she had been stuck in her rabbit form for so long,
her human body was extremely thin, as if it would break with a touch.
The pale skin that had been hidden under fur showed faint traces of bruises here and there. Even the places that should have been plump — her cheeks, arms, legs — were noticeably slender.
“You’re underfed.”
At Teia’s low murmur, the rabbit flinched. Self-consciously, she tried to cover herself with her arms, but her body was too small to hide anything properly.
Teia’s expression darkened.
‘Was it that guild master bastard?’
Teia had heard some vague stories. That some chimeras, unable to resist properly, were used by humans in all sorts of ways.
The rabbit before him — tiny, scarred, undernourished — was living proof.
Teia clicked his tongue lowly. The rabbit shrank further at the sound, trembling slightly.
“Come here.”
When he opened his arms, the rabbit hesitated, then cautiously approached. Her steps were awkward, as if unfamiliar with walking on two legs. Teia silently waited without rushing her.
Once she was close enough, he naturally scooped her up.
The rabbit, startled, clung to him tightly. Her small hands grabbed at his shirt as if afraid she might fall.
“Stupid.”
He lightly tapped the rabbit’s forehead with his finger.
The rabbit rubbed her forehead with a grumpy expression, but didn’t dare to complain.
Teia held her against his chest and lay back on the bed.
The rabbit stiffened, but when he simply covered her with a blanket and stayed still, she slowly relaxed, resting her cheek against his chest.
Thump, thump.
The sound of his slow, steady heartbeat echoed softly.
Warm.
Safe.
The rabbit closed her eyes.
For the first time in her life, she slept deeply in someone’s arms without fear. When she woke up, the room was filled with the dim light of dawn. The rabbit blinked slowly, adjusting to the faint light.
She was still in Teia’s arms.
Teia was asleep, his eyes closed, breathing slow and even.
His silver hair was tousled messily, and his handsome face looked somehow softer in sleep.
The rabbit stared blankly at him for a long moment. Then, as if possessed, she slowly reached out.
Pat.
She gently touched his cheek with her fingertip.
Soft.
His skin was soft and smooth, like high-quality silk.
The rabbit’s eyes widened slightly.
Pat. Pat pat.
She carefully poked his nose, his chin, his lips.
Each time, Teia’s brows twitched slightly, but he didn’t wake up.
Feeling bolder, the rabbit’s small hands explored more freely.
The lines of his neck, the firm muscles of his shoulders, the broadness of his chest.
In her entire life, she had never been allowed to touch another being like this.
She had only ever been beaten, pushed away, or treated as an object.
But Teia didn’t shove her away. He simply slept, trusting her enough to remain defenseless.
The rabbit’s chest tightened strangely.
Unconsciously, she pressed her forehead against his chest.
‘……I like it.’
It was the first time she had ever thought something like that.
The rabbit closed her eyes again, listening to the sound of his heartbeat.
It was warm.
It was comforting.
She wanted to stay like this a little longer.
Just a little longer.
