noveltune Chapter 145
Chapter 145
Startled, I looked up at Sophia, my eyes darting side to side in shock at her unexpected words.
“Did you... really say that?”
She cleared her throat and averted her gaze, looking a bit like someone who’d just done something shameful.
“Yes, exactly those words...”
“‘Silly dummy’...?”
I had heard much harsher words in my time, but “silly dummy” didn’t even qualify as a swear word to me. Perhaps Sophia was sugarcoating things. As I was about to press her further, Levinas spoke up first.
“Your Highness...! Don’t use bad words!”
Levinas’s ears shot up, and Saebyeok’s ears twitched despite her usual calm demeanor. To the children, perhaps “silly dummy” was a pretty serious insult.
“I-I’m sorry...”
The standards between adults and children are certainly different. Now I understood why Sophia had whispered it.
“Gyeoul, you don’t need to repeat such words. They’re entirely useless.”
“Yes... understood.”
“I wonder where such a young one learned those words...”
Sophia clicked her tongue, looking somewhat exasperated, as if my casual use of bad language had disappointed her.
“S-sorry.”
I clutched my tail nervously with both hands. Sophia moved closer, placing her hand gently on my head.
“I’m not angry, so don’t worry.”
“Really?”
“Yes, it’s just a shame that you picked up such language.”
“Oh...”
To Sophia, I was still just a child, so it must have been concerning for her. I imagined I would feel similarly if Levinas or Saebyeok started casually using foul language.
“I’ll avoid using such words in the future.”
“That’s a good choice.”
Sophia’s gentle hand stroked my head, and as I let go of my tail, it flicked back, swaying lightly.
“Sophia, what about the extremist beastfolk? What happened with them?”
“You needn’t worry about it. The adults will handle it.”
“Understood...”
I’m an adult too, but she must mean adults like Sophia or the Master. There wasn’t much I could do beyond trusting the adults who cared for Levinas.
“Levinas, I’ll finish my morning duties quickly and come back. Let’s spend the afternoon together.”
“Y-yes...!”
Levinas looked slightly relieved, though her unease lingered. Her emotions hadn’t fully settled yet, so I decided to put in just a little more effort for her sake.
---
Gyeoul left for the hunting grounds, Saebyeok caught up on some much-needed sleep, and the others went off to their respective tasks.
Left alone, Levinas sat on the grassy park lawn, absentmindedly swinging her legs back and forth.
*When will Your Highness come back? When will the others wake up?*
While waiting for her family, Levinas decided to amuse herself. She began digging into the earth with the distinctive quick movements unique to horned rabbits. She expanded the area where she and Gyeoul had dug together, but oddly enough, it didn’t feel as fun as before.
It had been fun last time, so why wasn’t it now? Confused, Levinas looked at her dirt-stained hands and decided to try a different activity.
She climbed onto the carrot boat placed by the pond, her usual spot for fun. Too afraid to go far on her own, she simply slapped the water with her oar, watching the splashes. The sound of water echoed like when she played with Gyeoul, yet it wasn’t enjoyable this time either.
It was then that Levinas realized her joy came only when she was with her family.
“...Understood.”
The snake-masked man shot her a frosty glare, and Levinas clutched at her clothes, understanding the unspoken threat.
“I’m sorry...”
“You knew it was wrong, and yet you did it anyway?”
The man’s slit-pupiled snake eyes bore into her, sending a fresh wave of fear through her. Gyeoul had apparently endured even worse; how had they managed? With tears brimming, Levinas murmured her name softly, recalling memories from her past.
“Levinas...”
A long time ago, she had parents who lovingly called her name. She couldn’t remember their faces, but their voices remained crystal clear.
*Levinas...*
The gentle voice of her mother, and the comforting voice of her father, the strongest figure in her world. Those voices were her only happy memory.
That’s why Levinas cherished hearing her name spoken by someone else. A simple, kind calling of her name filled her with joy.
But the extremist beastfolk never used her name, addressing her only with harsh titles. In response, Levinas had taken to saying her own name out loud.
“Levinas...”
Oh.
No one would call her by her name again.
Her eyes dulled with sorrow.
*I wish someone would call me by my name.*
“...What?”
It was a wish she knew would never come true. But Levinas had always known someone who made her wishes come true.
“Levinas.”
Somewhere on the mountain, a voice rang out—a voice she shouldn’t have heard, from the person she adored most in the world.
“Y-Your Highness?”
Levinas’s eyes lit up. If Gyeoul were here, this would be a disaster. She quickly glanced at the fox and snake-masked figures, but they hadn’t noticed a thing.
“It’s fine. Our hearing is excellent, remember? As long as we speak in a certain way, only we’ll hear it.”
That’s right. Both she and Gyeoul had better hearing than any other beastfolk. Despite the rabbit’s vulnerability, they had the best hearing, which had helped her escape before.
“Levinas, don’t respond, just listen. Got it?”
Yes, understood, Your Highness. Levinas replied silently in her heart.
“Remember when we played games at the arcade?”
Yes! I remember! It was so much fun!
She smiled at the joyful memory.
“We won the game even when you did things your own way.”
That was because Gyeoul had been supporting her the whole time!
“We’re doing that again now. All you have to do is run away from the scary snake. Can you do that?”
But... the fox and snake were strong...
Levinas voiced her concerns in her heart, but it seemed like Gyeoul could read her thoughts.
“There’s no need to worry. I didn’t come alone
. Levinas, you trust me, right?”
“...Yes.”
Not once had she ever doubted them.
So, this time too, Levinas resolved to trust her beloved Gyeoul.