Chapter 8
The uninvited guests came in pairs.
Ferdi and Louis stopped in front of the bed with bright smiles and spoke in perfect unison.
“A present!”
Rustle—
Something bright yellow showered down onto the bed.
What the two boys had scattered were yellow dandelions.
Fresh, tender dandelions with their stems still attached.
If you ate the crisp stems one bite at a time, the fragrance of the flower at the tip would slowly spread.
And the moment the petals entered your mouth, a soft, fluffy texture and gentle sweetness would bloom.
Sniff.
Just as Nabom felt saliva gathering in her mouth again, something softly settled onto her head.
The top of her head tickled.
When she shook it, Ferdi’s voice came from above.
“You’re going to make it fall off.”
“…?”
Carefully looking up, Nabom saw Ferdi’s gentle face and slender fingers.
A moment later, something slid down and partially blocked her vision.
A bright yellow dandelion petal.
“Ah, good. It caught on your ear.”
Ferdi chuckled softly.
“This is my gift.”
“What do you think? It’s a dandelion crown for Snowflake. My brother is really good at making things like this.”
Beside him, Louis puffed out his chest proudly.
Ferdi simply smiled warmly and watched Nabom’s reaction.
“……”
Nabom lifted a paw and touched the dandelion hanging from her ear.
For some reason, she felt like crying.
Still wearing the dandelion crown, she began eating the dandelions scattered across the bed.
What had her plan been after escaping from the White Wolves?
She had heard that some beastkin living in the capital kept herbivores as pets.
Her plan was simple:
Somehow make her way to the capital and become the pet of a kind beastkin.
At this rate, she doubted she would ever learn to transform into a human.
But if she could simply live a long life, she was content remaining a rabbit.
And you two are more than qualified to be my owners!
“Eat them all, Snowflake.”
“Yeah. It’s a little wasteful, but you can even eat the crown.”
No.
I’ll gladly serve you both for the rest of my life, Masters.
Just then, while watching Nabom happily munch away, Ferdi glanced thoughtfully at her belly and spoke gently.
“You still need to grow a bit bigger first.”
“……”
Nabom spat out the dandelion.
Then she shook her head violently, throwing off the crown.
“Huh? Snowflake, what’s wrong all of a sudden?”
“Didn’t like the crown?”
I take it back.
I almost forgot whose sons you are, you little devils!
As Nabom turned her back on the boys and expressed her disappointment with her entire body—
The door suddenly burst open.
An elderly man with white hair appeared.
“As I thought, you were here.”
“Hines!”
“We got caught.”
The moment they recognized the old man, the two boys exchanged whispers and pouted in defeat.
“You’re not supposed to come in here, Sir Hines.”
“Hm?”
“Only two people at a time are allowed to visit Snowflake-nim.”
“Snowflake, schnowflake. It’s study time!”
Bellowing loudly, Hines marched into the room and stopped in front of the boys.
“You’ve played enough. Let’s go. Why must I hunt you down every time there’s a lesson? How long do you intend to work this old man to death? I’m your tutor, not your babysitter!”
Before the boys could retreat from the shower of flying spit, Hines had already grabbed both of them by the backs of their collars.
“Anyway, we need to cover hibernation today, so there’s no time to waste.”
At that moment, Nabom’s ears shot upright.
Hibernation?
Did he just say hibernation?
He was their tutor, right?
If they were studying hibernation…
Did that mean he was about to explain bear hibernation?
As Ferdi was being dragged away, Nabom reached out and grabbed his wrist with both front paws.
“…Snowflake?”
Holding tightly to his slender wrist, she shook her head repeatedly.
Then she looked up at him with the most pleading eyes she could manage.
Please! Take me with you!
“Urgh.”
Ferdi suddenly clutched his chest and dramatically collapsed to the floor.
“Master Ferdi?”
“Hines. I can’t go. I can’t leave Snowflake behind.”
“What kind of nonsense is that?”
Hines’s grumpy gaze shifted toward Nabom.
“So, it’s His Grace’s emergency rations.”
“That phrase is forbidden too!”
Anna hurried over and folded Nabom’s ears down protectively.
Hines looked between Anna and Nabom.
Then clicked his tongue.
“Snowflake, my foot. It looks like some mangy puppy.”
“What did you say?”
Anna’s eyes sharpened.
“Hm?”
“You just insulted Snowflake!”
The atmosphere immediately turned icy.
Hines couldn’t have cared less.
Neither could Nabom.
Picking up a dandelion from the bed with her mouth, Nabom used all four paws to prop it upright.
At this point everyone already knew she wasn’t a normal rabbit.
She no longer hesitated to express herself.
“Hm?”
Hines frowned.
The white rabbit was frantically moving her paws around, trying to communicate something.
Using the dandelion like a pen, she scribbled invisible letters or pictures on the bedsheet.
Then she repeatedly patted her own chest.
“You want to study too? You?”
At Hines’s question, Nabom’s eyes widened.
She nodded furiously.
How did he understand that?!
Ferdi stared at Hines in astonishment.
“She’s never even transformed into a human. How could she understand what I’m teaching?”
“What are you talking about, Hines? She clearly understands what you’re saying right now.”
“Snowflake wants to study too? With us? I mean, that’s fine, but lessons aren’t exactly fun. Wouldn’t you rather rest here?”
“That’s right, Snowflake-nim,” Anna added. “You’ve never been to the young masters’ study before. Unfamiliar places aren’t good for you.”
Despite their objections, Nabom firmly shook her head.
Information about hibernation was essential.
And seeing parts of the castle beyond this room was equally important.
I need to figure out the castle’s layout somehow.
This is too good an opportunity to miss if I want to escape.
Leaning against the bed railing, Nabom stretched her head toward Hines.
How long she stared at him with pleading eyes, she didn’t know.
Eventually, Hines placed a hand on his chest and looked away.
“Stop looking at me like that. An old man’s heart is weak.”
“…?”
After muttering something incomprehensible, he abruptly turned around.
“What are you waiting for? Let’s go. Master Ferdi, Master Louis, and…”
He glanced back.
“Rabbit. You’re coming too.”
The faces of both boys and one rabbit lit up instantly.
***
“Do you understand why animals hibernate now?”
When Nabom and Ferdi nodded, Louis—who had been staring blankly at the two of them—hurriedly nodded as well.
“Next is the duration of hibernation. Bears can hibernate for as long as six months. However, beastkin do not sleep nearly that long. Brown bear beastkin of the Grizzly family usually hibernate for one month, sometimes up to two.”
Nabom’s black eyes flashed.
At least a month!
That’s more than enough time to escape!
“Of course, they aren’t deeply asleep the entire time.”
The words immediately crushed her hopes.
Nabom whipped her head toward Hines.
“A bear’s hibernation is closer to dormancy—a prolonged resting state—than true sleep. They can wake up and move around if sufficiently stimulated.”
He adjusted his glasses.
“So it’s best not to disturb a hibernating bear. If you do…”
After a dramatic pause, Hines suddenly slammed both hands on the desk.
BANG!
“RAAAAH!”
He thrust his face toward Louis and Nabom.
Startled, Nabom jumped straight into the air.
Louis burst out laughing.
“Hines. Don’t scare Snowflake.”
“Ahem.”
Clearing his throat, Hines immediately returned to his usual scowling expression.
Meanwhile, Nabom swallowed nervously.
I see.
She had assumed hibernation meant complete unconsciousness.
Apparently not.
I’ll have to be careful not to stimulate them while escaping.
“We’ll discuss other hibernating animals next lesson.”
“Yay! Finally, we’re done!”
The moment Hines finished speaking, Louis sprang out of his seat.
In contrast, Nabom quietly brought her front paws together and bowed deeply toward Hines.
I got important information, so I should thank him.
Hines scratched the back of his head.
“You don’t need to thank me. This is my job.”
He muttered the words gruffly before glancing at Louis, who was now bouncing against the window frame.
“Your classroom manners are already better than the second young master’s.”
Clicking his tongue, he looked back at Nabom.
“Well then. Is there anything else you want to know?”
Ferdi’s eyes widened.
Hines was nocturnal and always claimed to be exhausted during the day.
The moment lessons ended, he usually left without delay.
It was rare for him to actively invite questions.
After thinking carefully, Nabom stretched out a paw and pointed toward the window.
Then she raised both paws above her head, making a triangle shape.
After that, she drew a circle in the air.
I have no idea what that means.
Ferdi frowned.
Meanwhile, Hines quietly nodded.
“You want to look around Grizzly Castle, is that it? Shall we do that now?”
“I’ll go ask His Grace for permission.”
Anna, who had been observing the entire exchange, immediately left the room.
Ferdi sat there with his mouth hanging open.
“A professional tutor specializing in young beastkin should at least be able to understand that much.”
“…I see.”
At that moment, Ferdi felt both admiration and an inexplicable sense of rivalry toward Hines.
I need to learn to understand Snowflake too.
***
“Assign one guard and send Sir Hines Hegwig with them.”
After receiving the family head’s permission, Anna bowed and left Theodore’s office.
Theodore quietly turned his gaze toward the window.
Then, speaking into an office that appeared empty, he said:
“Thank you for coming.”
Slowly turning around, Theodore looked toward a corner of the room.
An animal was sitting there.
“Lord Pallas.”
Theodore met the creature’s gaze.
Black pupils surrounded by golden irises stared back at him.
At first glance, the markings on its head made it resemble a tiger cub.
But it was much smaller.
The animal sat with its paws resting atop a thick tail.
Then it began to move.
Slowly.
Its fluffy fur swayed as the cylindrical little creature walked forward.
A moment later, its body distorted and transformed into a human.
At the exact moment of transformation, the newcomer snapped his fingers.
Clothes wrapped around his body in a whirl.
“You suddenly summoned me here, so I wondered what was going on.”
The man gathered his long gray hair and tied it back.
Then he looked out the window.
“To think that you would be the one to find it.”
Among the beastkin gathered in the garden below, he focused on one figure in particular.
More precisely—
One rabbit.
A tiny, snow-white rabbit.
“The rabbit carrying the power of spring.”
The great mage of the North and a Manul cat beastkin, Pallas Manul slowly curled his lips into a smile.
