No Entry Except for the Master - Chapter 8
The rumor spread across the Empire that the Grand Duke of the Principality of Himeros kept a pet rabbit. The touching story about the kind-hearted Grand Duke, who could not bear to leave the injured rabbit behind and had lovingly taken it in for treatment, was an added bonus.
The rumor about the rabbit’s identity was intentionally spread by Teia, who had failed to uncover the truth about it.
His hope was that anyone who knew something about the rabbit would react, making it his last resort.
Teia didn’t like wasting time on the unsettling feeling that lingered around the rabbit. Unlike the warm-hearted rumors, his gaze toward the rabbit had grown sharper as of late.
Scritch, scritch.
“Quiet.”
Chomp, chomp.
At the sharp tone of Teia’s voice, the rabbit stopped nibbling the hay and quietly chewed and swallowed.
Only Teia and Cesar knew the true nature of Teia’s persona; the other servants in the Grand Duke’s castle had no clue. The side effects of his perfect image management were now entirely directed at the rabbit.
Had the rabbit remained silent, Teia would have left it alone, but because the rabbit kept glancing at him, nervously checking his reactions, Teia’s instinct to torment it grew stronger. His suppressed nature slipped out, and he became irritated with the rabbit.
Grrr?
Teia suddenly grabbed the rabbit by the neck, causing it to stop and wheeze. Its temperature, slightly warmer than that of a human, was surprisingly soothing for stress relief.
Whether the rabbit was distressed or not, Teia was completely focused on himself. In the large, powerful grip of his hand, the rabbit would once again shed tears of misery.
“Why are you so quiet now?”
Though the rabbit had learned from countless experiences that crying only caused pain, it hastily returned to crying out in a high-pitched voice when Teia murmured quietly.
The gentle voice contrasted with the firm grip around its body. The rabbit, well aware that a little more pressure would be enough to kill it, obediently complied with Teia’s words.
“I may have dealt with those little pests too quickly around the Duchy.”
As Teia massaged the rabbit’s body as his stress-reliever toy, he noted with a dark and vicious look in his eyes.
The rabbit recognized the ominous glare. This was the same look Teia had before she returned covered in the strong smell of blood. Being a fragile herbivore, the rabbit feared blood more than anything.
Yet Teia, who had returned drenched in the unsettling scent, would usually become somewhat lenient for a while after venting his anger.
Normally, Teia would disappear by this time, releasing his stress with blood and returning more relaxed. But oddly enough, Teia had been in a low mood for days now, which the rabbit took as a bad omen.
It feared that Teia’s stress could be released onto it.
The rabbit let its muscles go limp, feeling its once-soft body becoming even more squishy.
’I guess this feels better than I thought.’
Teia, placing the rabbit on the desk, began to press his fingers into it, pulling its ears and pushing it around, releasing his stress.
The squishy, warm body and the soft fur between her fingers helped to suppress Teia’s true nature, calming him slightly.
’So this is what animal therapy is?’
After enjoying a one-sided healing session at the expense of the rabbit, Teia generously gave the rabbit some extra treats for its dinner.
The rabbit, feeling moved that it had survived another day, nibbled on the juicy apple, tears in its eyes.
Teia and the rabbit’s daily life was monotonous. In fact, Teia didn’t spend much time with the rabbit.
Though the rabbit always kept an eye on him, since its cage was in Teia’s office, the rabbit’s role in her day was minimal.
Rustle, rustle.
More often than not, it was the rabbit making noise, calling for Teia’s attention. This was the rabbit’s own doing, the disaster it had summoned.
Teia was absentmindedly tearing open the marriage invitations of young women in their prime from noble families who, under the Emperor’s influence, had begun to approach him.
Since his engagement with Eris had been broken off, he had been rejecting invitations to social events and turning down advances from other aristocrats trying to secure a new engagement.
There was no match for Eris, and besides, the more Teia delayed, the more people enjoyed tearing down the reputations of the Crown Prince and Eris in their imaginations.
