Chapter 12
Trying to lighten the mood, she spoke casually, but Heinrich’s face slowly twisted.
He let out several sighs in a row, rubbed his face dry, and then let out a bitter laugh. It was a smile that looked almost devilish, so she flinched and unconsciously scooted back.
Seeing that, Heinrich tilted his head and spoke.
“If you go back any farther, you’ll fall.”
At his words, Solitaria turned her head to check behind her.
‘When did I get here?’
She was already close to the edge of the bed, which had once seemed so big. Even though the distance between them had grown, the feeling of being choked only got stronger.
In that tense atmosphere, Solitaria swallowed hard without realizing it.
Her heartbeat filled the quiet bedroom, mixing with Heinrich’s cold stare and making her stomach churn.
Trying to escape the suffocating situation, she acted out of avoidance… she tried to run away.
“Master, is it really okay for you to be here at this hour? Isn’t it a busy time? I looked outside and it’s still working hours, right?”
Her eyes and tone were awkward.
When she woke up, he had looked shocked, but now Heinrich had regained his usual composure and answered calmly.
“I’m not sure.”
“Ah, then you’re not supposed to be here! Sir Raon will come looking for you, so hurry, cough…”
Maybe she talked too much after so long. Solitaria’s throat cracked, and she kept coughing. Watching her, Heinrich picked up a glass of water and called her.
“Sol, come here. You should drink some water. If you drink it over there and spill it on the blanket, then…”
“What?”
“That’d be a problem. Right?”
His gaze was so hot it felt like it would burn. Solitaria reluctantly approached him. Finally, standing in front of Heinrich, she tried to take the cup.
But Heinrich had no intention of handing her the cup. He held it tightly and stared straight at her.
In the end, Solitaria asked in a crawling voice.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“At what?”
“Ahem, the water. Please give me the water.”
“Your hands must be weak. Why not just drink it quietly like a good girl?”
His crooked words made something well up inside Solitaria.
He saved her, but instead of being grateful, why was he being so mean?
“I’m not a child. Why should I be fed like one?”
Heinrich’s eyes widened at her reaction, which he’d never seen before. After a moment, he laughed softly.
“That’s right. You’re not a child.”
“Exactly!”
“There’s a rabbit I really like. She’s not a child, but she jumped into something really dangerous without fear. I was thinking about locking her up, and then she woke up.”
His gaze was so direct that Solitaria avoided his eyes.
“I’m thinking about what to do next. Sol, what do you think I should do?”
It was a question disguised as a threat.
Yes, it was definitely a threat. No one would say something so chilling in such a gentle voice otherwise.
“What do you mean, what should you do?”
“…Just thinking about it, like I said.”
Heinrich seemed oddly different from before she was stabbed. He looked very tired.
His drooping dark circles and the dullness in his golden eyes made him look even more exhausted. The always light and gentle Heinrich was now as sensitive as a bristling cat.
She only went along with his actions because she’d never seen him like this before.
“All I have to do is drink the water, right?”
Heinrich nodded. The water he carefully gave her soothed her scratchy throat a little as it went down.
But the sharp gaze from above made Solitaria’s neck stiffen.
Clink.
The sound of the cup being set down was loud. Glancing at him, Solitaria wished he would just leave. But instead, Heinrich pulled up a chair and sat down right in front of her.
“…Why?”
Heinrich didn’t seem to want to take his fierce eyes off her. He even crossed his legs and stared at her.
Then he let out a hollow laugh and said something she couldn’t understand.
“I guess I never really knew my rabbit. There are so many new sides to you.”
Solitaria sighed and asked him,
“…Stop it. Why are you so angry?”
“Me? Angry?”
“So you’re saying you’re not acting like this because you’re mad?”
If he wasn’t angry, then what was this? Solitaria didn’t like this situation either.
More than anything, no matter how many times she asked, Heinrich never seemed willing to share his feelings. Her insides boiled.
‘They say you should hold it in three times.’
She swallowed her irritation and turned her back, wrapping herself tightly in the blanket. She heard Heinrich scoff, but Solitaria hid herself even more.
Unfortunately, a rabbit’s hearing is too good, and Heinrich’s low mutterings reached her ears.
“Congratulations.”
It was a word that didn’t fit the situation at all. But even a three-year-old beastkin could tell it wasn’t meant positively.
Solitaria was so dumbfounded she forgot to cover her ears and turned to look at Heinrich.
“What did you say?”
“You finally paid back all that debt you were so obsessed with. You got rid of that disgusting feeling with your own hands.”
His sarcasm made Solitaria let out a laugh of disbelief.
In all her time at Hirupus, she’d never once said in front of him that she wanted to repay his kindness. He acted like he knew everything, and that attitude was really annoying.
On top of that, Heinrich’s dislike for the idea of repayment was also irritating.
“From now on, you don’t have any more debt to repay. I don’t need that kind of thing.”
At those words, Solitaria started thinking hard. She was trying to figure out why he was angry.
But in the end, she just thought, ‘Why is he mad?’ She could understand if he was upset about not being thanked.
“…Right. If I’d known I’d hear this after saving your life, I should’ve just pretended not to know that day. If I’d known you were this shameless and mean, I would’ve run away alone.”
“Yeah. If you had, you would’ve had a chance to escape.”
“Fine. The reason you’re acting so twisted now is because I repaid my debt and I’m not your pet rabbit anymore, right? Yes, you said it yourself. Now that I’ve paid you back big time, go ahead and burn or throw away that stupid contract you got from Repus.”
The word “escape” stuck in Solitaria’s ears, but she brushed it off and let her raw feelings show.
It was the first time.
She was always afraid of being abandoned and picked her prettiest words, but now she was just saying what she felt and thought.
“You shouldn’t have saved me! I’m so embarrassed that I ever thought of you as my savior!”
He didn’t seem fazed at all. He just met her eyes and told her to keep going.
“I’m not going to be your pet rabbit anymore.”
“Who said anything? I never told you to be that in the first place.”
“Ha! Someone like you…”
She spat out jumbled words, then finally used the harshest insult she knew. Calling Heinrich “you” instead of “master.”
“So you’ve decided to rebel now?”
“Why?!”
“I actually like this better.”
Heinrich tilted his head with a more relaxed expression, as if daring her to keep going. Seeing him like that, Solitaria stopped the words she’d been determined to say.
Only then did she realize what she’d said, and she stammered as she apologized.
“I’m sorry, that was a slip. You did save me, so I’ll never forget that kindness for the rest of my life. Since I seem to bother you, I’ll leave when I’m fully recovered.”
“Where do you think you’re going?”
“Anywhere, just…”
“I don’t think so.”
Heinrich’s lips curled up, but only on one side.
Sirens blared in Solitaria’s head. Whenever he made that face, she was always the one who lost.
She hurried to cover her ears, but Heinrich’s words came out before she could block them.
“From now on, I’ll try repaying that damn debt myself.”
Hearing that strange statement, Solitaria thought she shouldn’t let it end here. But she’d spent so much energy that her eyelids drooped. As her consciousness faded, Solitaria reached one conclusion.
This time, her master really had lost his mind.
* * *
“How is that even repaying a debt! I don’t want it! I won’t accept it. Just let me leave.”
“Don’t get worked up.”
Heinrich replied calmly as she fumed. He acted like her outburst was nothing, which only made Solitaria more frustrated.
“I won’t do it.”
“Then don’t.”
“Really?”
