Chapter 8

The only sound in the restaurant was the clinking of spoons. Unable to bear the awkwardness, Solitaria carefully put down her spoon.

Then Heinrich said it was no good and handed her the fork again.

“You need to eat more.”

“I already finished.”

“No, just eat this one more bite. Try this. It’s something the herbivore beastkin like.”

Heinrich piled something like a mountain onto Solitaria’s plate, as if he didn’t even see his own parents sitting across from him. Solitaria, looking utterly miserable, couldn’t bring herself to eat or refuse what was in front of her and sat there awkwardly.

Heinrich didn’t seem pleased with Solitaria’s behavior. Soon, he picked up a spoon and offered it to her again.

“Ah, just try it.”

“I’m not a child!”

“I didn’t say anything. Just eat quickly. Leo, the doctor you saw earlier, definitely said you have to eat well.”

Heinrich reminded her of what Leo said after checking on Solitaria’s health and put a mushroom into her mouth.

By the time the third mushroom went in, Sophia, who couldn’t stand it anymore, stopped Heinrich.

“If you keep feeding her like that, the baby will get an upset stomach.”

Suddenly pointed at, Solitaria jumped in surprise from her chair. She was so startled that her ears even perked up above her head. Heinrich sighed and gently pressed down on her ears.

He didn’t forget to glare at his own parents.

“Why are you scaring the child?”

“When did we ever scare her?”

Sophia and Eremus protested as if they were wronged, but Heinrich didn’t listen.

No matter how they reacted, Heinrich’s gaze remained fixed on Solitaria. Seeing this, Sophia and Eremus gave up.

During this tense standoff, Eremus suddenly remembered something and handed Heinrich a piece of paper.

“Ahem, ahem. More importantly, this is what you asked for back then.”

Heinrich seemed not to remember what he had asked for. He tilted his head in confusion but soon realized and took the paper.

He carefully put the paper into his chest pocket and then fed another mushroom to Solitaria. Sophia and Eremus watched as she swallowed the last dessert and were about to say something again. But before they could ask anything, Heinrich took care of her and left the restaurant.

Seeing that, Sophia and Eremus chuckled bitterly.

“Hah… Looks like our son finally found his match.”

They felt relieved that Heinrich had found his companion. At the same time, an inexplicable feeling welled up inside them.

Solitaria was so thin that clothes couldn’t hide it. According to Leo, she must have suffered long-term abuse and neglect. Even when the Repus family briefly talked with Secrus, they had expected it, but seeing the child in person, she was so small.

“How could such a lovely child…”

“Don’t worry anymore. No powerful beastkin would dare harm her. The contract is solid, and the head of the Repus family will never speak of that child again.”

“Tsk, if only it weren’t for the head of the family, I could have torn them apart.”

Sophia’s words were met with a pat on the back from Eremus.

“Don’t waste energy on pointless things. First, our Heinrich needs to recognize his companion.”

Sophia nodded at his words.

The situation was settled. Now the important thing was for Heinrich to realize that Solitaria was his companion. It seemed he still didn’t know.

“No matter how weak his instincts are… could he not recognize the companion right in front of him?”

At Sophia’s question, Eremus gave an awkward smile.

“Let’s hope he notices soon. There’s nothing we can do. Until Heinrich realizes, it’s not even certain if she’s really his companion…”

“Weren’t you just sure she was his companion?”

“Thinking about it carefully, I suddenly feel he might just see her as a pet.”

“No way.”

But as the saying goes, ‘Never say never,’ everything went exactly as they feared.

***

After leaving the restaurant, Solitaria followed Heinrich. But his big strides were too fast for her quick steps to keep up.

Noticing her speeding up, Heinrich suddenly stopped without warning.

Solitaria, focused only on his feet, ran right into his back.

“Ouch…”

With a big jolt, Solitaria staggered. Heinrich quickly grabbed her hand.

Their eyes met at that moment.

A strange sensation passed between them… ticklish yet startling. The atmosphere was odd.

Solitaria was the first to look away. Seeing her reaction, Heinrich cleared his throat as if to regain composure.

“Ahem, ahem. That was too fast. Sorry.”

“I can keep up.”

“I’ll walk slowly.”

Solitaria shook her head and waved her hands, saying she was fine. But Heinrich silently grabbed her small hand and started walking slowly.

Feeling his warm touch, Solitaria smiled softly. She glanced once at their joined hands and once at his oddly flushed face.

Flap… 

Something fell from Heinrich’s chest. Right at Solitaria’s feet.

A silence fell between them.

Solitaria bent down to pick up the paper. She handed it to Heinrich, but he didn’t even try to take it. He just stood there, dazed.

He looked like a child who was both sorry and confused about having done something wrong.

“Master?”

“Don’t misunderstand.”

“Huh?”

Solitaria said nothing. She just stared quietly.

Seeing that, Heinrich, as if feeling awkward, spoke first.

“The contract with Repus was to bring you here. Otherwise, they would have kept taking you back. I didn’t want you to suffer there. And I didn’t want them to demand something from you later. That’s why.”

His messy excuse and awkward posture gave no sense of trust.

Solitaria didn’t understand a single word written on that paper.

Sensing something strange as he spoke more, Heinrich finally said something that caused the worst misunderstanding.

“If I say you’re mine, no one will touch you.”

At his words, Solitaria’s eyes, full of questions, seemed to find the answer.

The reason she was here was because, like almost becoming Tigris’s toy, she was just Heinrich’s pet rabbit.

A truly terrible misunderstanding.

“Yes…!”

Solitaria hid her feelings and looked at Heinrich with a bright smile. As if she were ignorant, as if she knew nothing.

Seeing her smile, Heinrich felt all misunderstandings were cleared. He was confident their relationship would be smooth from now on.

That one misunderstanding lasted for four years.

***

Nothing changed in those four years.

Heinrich just kept Solitaria by his side, and she, as his pet rabbit, tried her best to do what she could.

One early morning, as usual, Solitaria woke up and tidied her bed. The soft blanket under her fingertips was still something unfamiliar to her.

‘I thought the rug I stepped on back then was the softest thing in the world.’

Unnecessary thoughts overwhelmed her mind, but she soon shook her head to clear them away.

‘I must be thinking like this because I keep going to bed late. I should sleep earlier today.’

As her eyelids drooped, Solitaria promised herself she would sleep early today.

Though she wanted to lie down in the warm bed and sleep more, remembering what she had to do, she rubbed her eyes and sat in a chair.

At that moment, someone knocked.

“Come in.”

It was Mary, the head maid of Hirupus and Solitaria’s closest attendant.

Hearing Solitaria’s drooping eyes and hoarse voice, Mary began to scold her with a worried tone.

“You look tired, my lady.”

“I’m fine.”

“Maybe you should tell young master and rest a bit more today.”

Mary cautiously suggested, but it was useless. As Solitaria stood up with her hair messily tied, Mary came over and started fixing it.

“You’re not a child anymore. It’s troublesome if you go around like this.”

Solitaria closed her eyes and smiled faintly at Mary’s touch.

Mary suggested resting again, but Solitaria nodded, thanked her, and left the room.

The reason she struggled to get up every morning was to wake Heinrich. No one told her to do it, but she took it upon herself.

As a pet rabbit, she couldn’t bring him joy, so she resolved to at least do this minimal task.