Chapter 4
Even if she wanted to shake her head, Nabom had no idea what might happen if she revealed that she understood them.
So she lowered her gaze and pretended not to understand.
Anna asked no further questions.
She washed Nabom thoroughly, then carefully brushed and dried her damp fur.
Afterward, she carried Nabom back to Theodore’s bedroom.
“Stay here where it’s warm.”
Only after placing blankets beside the fireplace did Anna finally leave.
…
Just what was going on?
Why were they grooming and pampering an emergency ration like this?
More importantly, she needed to escape.
Countless thoughts swirled through her mind, but her exhausted brain couldn’t keep up.
She hadn’t slept properly beside the grizzly bear.
The warm bath had been far too comfortable.
And now her fur was perfectly dry.
She was on the verge of falling asleep.
Most importantly, Anna had chosen the perfect spot.
It’s so warm…
Curling herself into a ball, Nabom buried her face in the blanket.
***
Bang!
The bedroom door swung open with a loud noise.
“Your Grace!”
“Your Grace! Are you in here?”
Laughing cheerfully, two children ran into Theodore’s bedroom.
They had brown hair and golden eyes.
Anyone could tell they carried grizzly bear blood.
“Young Masters!”
A thunderous shout came from the doorway.
“How many times must I tell you not to enter the lord’s bedroom without permission? Have you even finished your lessons?”
“I did. I left them on Heinz’s desk.”
“Master Ferdi is fine. But where is Master Louis’s—”
“You already know. I’m bad at studying. These days it’s all about aptitude. I’m the second son anyway. Learning swordsmanship is much more efficient.”
“What nonsense is that?!”
“Huh? What did the fisherman do?”
Louis-Philippe, the second son, looked genuinely confused.
The old tutor trembled in frustration before finally turning away.
“Why is a bear cub so good at talking back? They say bear cubs are cute, but that’s clearly a lie. I ought to quit. Honestly.”
Ignoring the old man’s complaints completely, the two boys excitedly explored the bedroom.
Now that their tutor Heinz had left, the room belonged to them.
“Huh?”
Louis, who had been bouncing on Theodore’s bed, suddenly noticed something and jumped down.
“It’s snow, Brother.”
“Hm?”
“Snow!”
Pointing toward the fireplace, Louis turned to Ferdinand, the heir of the Grizzly County.
“Look! Right? It’s snow!”
“…It is snow.”
Murmuring softly, Ferdinand stared at the white lump beside the fire.
Soon his neat eyebrows furrowed.
It was a strange sight.
A pile of snow sat atop a blanket.
No—
It was bigger than the snowballs they used in snowball fights.
It was practically a mound of snow.
But the strangest thing was—
“That’s weird. Why isn’t it melting?”
Louis had immediately voiced Ferdinand’s biggest question.
By the time Ferdinand muttered, “Good point,” Louis’s hand was already reaching out.
“Oh? Wow! It’s soft.”
“Louis, Heinz said not to touch random things.”
“It’s not random! This is really cool!”
Ferdinand tried to swat his brother’s hand away.
Instead, his own hand landed on the snowball.
The moment he touched it, his eyes widened.
“You’re right.”
“It’s soft.”
“Told you!”
“And it’s kind of warm.”
The two brothers exchanged glances.
Curiosity immediately sparkled in their golden eyes.
Together, they began poking and prodding the mysterious snowball.
After some time, Ferdinand finally muttered:
“I don’t think this is snow after all.”
At that moment—
Twitch.
The snowball moved.
Then something suddenly popped out from its round surface.
Two long ears.
Small ears covered in fluffy white fur.
Startled, both boys jerked their hands back.
At that exact moment—
Whoosh!
The snowball lifted its head.
Round black eyes blinked up at them.
“Brother.”
“This isn’t snow.”
“No.”
Ferdinand stared blankly for a moment before announcing the truth.
“It’s a rabbit.”
The two boys silently looked at each other again.
Then Louis leaned his face close to the rabbit.
Drip.
Drip, drip.
Something fell from above.
The rabbit shook her head.
Looking upward, she discovered Louis drooling.
“Brother, I’m hungry.”
“Hey. Heinz said not to eat random things.”
“It’s not random. It’s a snowflake. It looks delicious.”
“I told you, it’s not snow.”
“It’s a rabbit.”
“Right.”
The older brother looked down at the rabbit again.
Gulp.
The sound of swallowing saliva rang clearly in Nabom’s ears.
The “snow rabbit” instantly jumped backward.
Who are these kids now?!
She didn’t know who they were.
But she knew one thing for certain.
The wet, sticky liquid that had dripped onto her head.
The hungry eyes staring at her like prey.
Even if they were children—
They were predators.
As Nabom hurriedly backed away, the boys eagerly reached out toward her.
Thinking they intended to eat her, she retreated even faster.
Then suddenly someone lifted her into the air.
“Anna?”
“Absolutely not, Young Masters.”
Anna pulled Nabom protectively against her chest.
Seeing Anna shield her like that, tears instantly welled in Nabom’s eyes.
This big sister definitely isn’t a predator!
But the moment their eyes met, those tears vanished.
“Emergency Rations isn’t allowed near the fire either. She’ll get hurt!”
Immediately flattening her ears, Nabom lowered her head.
That presence…
Even if she’s not a predator, she’s definitely some kind of powerful beast!
Though, admittedly, there probably weren’t many animals weaker than a rabbit.
“W-We weren’t trying to eat her.”
“Yeah. We just didn’t want the snow rabbit getting too close to the fire and melting…”
“Make your excuses after wiping the drool off first.”
Slurp.
At Anna’s sharp remark, both boys instantly wiped their mouths.
“This is Count Theodore’s newest Emergency Rations. You mustn’t treat her carelessly. Understood?”
“Oh!”
“So she’s His Grace’s emergency ration.”
“Then we’d better not touch her.”
The boys nodded repeatedly while giggling in a strangely ominous manner.
Watching them, Nabom tilted her head.
Wait.
Anna had called them “Young Masters.”
Weren’t they Theodore’s children?
Then why do they call him “Your Grace” instead of “Father”?
The original novel had provided almost no information about the Grizzly family.
Still, Nabom remembered countless romance-fantasy tropes she’d read in her hospital room.
The most fitting explanation was obvious.
The father was so strict that even his own family kept their distance.
Honestly, that makes sense.
If my dad were a blood-soaked killing machine, I’d be scared too.
Just as Nabom finished convincing herself of this theory—
She felt eyes on her.
The two boys were standing on tiptoe, staring up at her in Anna’s arms.
Their gazes swept over her entire body.
Nabom’s chest tightened.
Her paws suddenly felt damp.
“She’s small.”
“Yeah. Tiny.”
“Isn’t she too skinny for His Grace’s emergency ration?”
“You’re right! We need to feed her more.”
The boys alternated looking between Nabom and Anna as they spoke.
Anna stroked her chin thoughtfully.
“Come to think of it, Emergency Rations hasn’t eaten yet.”
“Really?”
“Perfect! Right, Brother?”
“Ah, I get it.”
“That’s a good idea.”
The moment Louis and Ferdinand exchanged a few words, they seemed to understand each other’s thoughts completely.
They slapped their hands together.
***
“Go ahead and eat as much as you want!”
As soon as Anna set her down, Ferdinand and Louis simultaneously spoke into each of her ears.
Their loud children’s voices left her ears ringing.
But that wasn’t the reason Nabom was stunned.
She stared blankly at the sight before her.
Dandelions.
Romaine lettuce.
Carrots.
Raspberries.
Parsley.
Sage.
Rosemary.
Thyme.
And countless other plants.
It felt as though she had stepped from a world of endless white snow into a lush tropical forest.
Behind transparent glass walls flourished vibrant greenery.
This was a greenhouse.
“You can eat all of it.”
Nabom turned around at the gentle voice behind her.
Ferdinand stood there quietly watching her.
A soft-looking boy with neatly cut brown hair.
“Really.”
“My mother won’t complain anymore.”
As if reassuring her, Ferdinand spoke softly.
Then his gaze drifted deeper into the greenhouse.
Perhaps it was her imagination.
But there seemed to be sadness in his golden eyes.
“Anna, can snow rabbits eat anything?”
“I’ve heard rabbits especially like dandelions and carrot leaves.”
“Dandelions and carrots!”
Louis’s long hair fluttered behind him as he dashed away.
Ferdinand nodded and looked toward Nabom.
She stared up at the boy leading the way.
“Come on!”
A gentle hand nudged her from behind.
Still bewildered, Nabom began walking.
Ferdinand led her all the way to a patch of dandelions.
Then he crouched down.
Picking a leaf, he held it out to her.
“Here.”
Hesitantly, Nabom buried her nose into it.
Sniff.
Sniff.
Her tiny nose twitched.
The smell was wonderful.
Grass can smell this good?!
This is definitely better than hay!
She’d spent her entire rabbit life eating dried, withered hay in the freezing cold.
The fresh green scent instantly awakened her stomach.
That’s right.
This was a perfectly natural reaction.
She had reincarnated as an animal.
Being tempted by food and opening her heart to predators absolutely did not mean she was getting attached—
Grrrrrrrrowl.
A loud growl erupted from deep within her stomach.
At that point, Nabom could no longer think about anything else.
