Chapter 9
“Uhm, Master, are you awake?”
Solitaria knocked on the door of Heinrich’s room, which was just ahead.
There was still no answer today, so Solitaria counted to three and then flung the door open.
Inside, Heinrich was still lost in dreamland. Half undressed.
“Get up. It’s morning, Master.”
Solitaria glanced at the bed once and then moved toward the window to draw back the curtains.
Being short, she struggled and couldn’t open the curtains properly. Heinrich noticed and, stumbling a bit, got up to open them for her.
“Sol, you don’t have to come in the morning.”
“If I don’t see you, it doesn’t feel like the morning has started.”
Heinrich shrugged as if he couldn’t help it. His eyes were still half-closed, not fully awake.
Watching him, Solitaria wiped his face with a damp towel.
“You need to get dressed quickly. If you’re late, the head of the family and madam will be quite upset.”
“I don’t think so.”
Ignoring Heinrich’s words lightly, Solitaria reached out to grab the blanket covering him. But Heinrich held on tightly and moved a step away, refusing to give it up.
At that, Solitaria furrowed her brow and clenched it tightly.
“I’ll handle it myself. Go wait outside.”
Hearing that, Solitaria hesitated briefly but then nodded and stepped out of the room. Leaning her back against the door, she closed her eyes and listened.
She heard the sounds of washing his face, taking off pajamas, and putting on his going-out clothes. The slow, relaxed sounds made her recall something from long ago.
***
Not long after she arrived at Hirupus, everyone wondered what to call her.
They tried calling her by her name, but they couldn’t say which family or beastkin she belonged to. Treating her like a servant was difficult because she was the girl who received all of the young master’s affection. Sophia noticed this and stepped in to settle the matter of her title.
Something not too formal, but not too casual either.
“Everyone, just call her ‘Miss.’”
But that title was too heavy for Solitaria. She waved her hands and refused.
Sophia, hoping to ease her burden, suggested calling her by a nickname.
“How about ‘Lien’? What do you think?”
“Lien?”
“Yes, it’s a nickname made by shortening your name.”
The title ‘Miss’ didn’t feel like her name, but ‘Lien’ sounded different somehow.
Solitaria nodded shyly, and that’s how she became ‘Lien’ of Hirupus.
When that rumor spread throughout the family, Heinrich suddenly came and said this.
“Lien doesn’t suit you.”
Sophia was shocked and scolded him for causing trouble, but Heinrich didn’t care and stuck to his words.
“Sol means ‘sun’ in the ancient language. It suits you much better than the nickname Lien.”
Solitaria liked ‘Lien,’ but she liked the nickname ‘Sol’ that Heinrich used even more. She smiled brightly and accepted her new name.
***
“What are you doing?”
A voice pulled Solitaria out of her thoughts.
Heinrich, already ready, was standing crookedly and looking at her. His expression showed something was bothering him, but she didn’t ask.
“Nothing.”
“Thinking strange things again, right?”
“No way. Let’s go.”
She rolled her eyes and avoided his gaze, changing the subject awkwardly.
“Still awkward.”
Ignoring Heinrich’s sharp gaze, Solitaria moved forward.
If she said anything more now, she would probably spill feelings she didn’t understand herself. Just sending him out the door had led her thoughts this far.
A little self-pity and frustration settled in a corner of her heart. She shook her head to gather her feelings and lifted the corners of her mouth.
Then suddenly, this thought came to her.
“It’s upsetting.”
When he first saved her, she was endlessly happy. For four years, she had engraved in her heart that she didn’t mind being a pet rabbit. But greed had no end.
When she got the nickname ‘Sol,’ it felt like they had become special. When she could enter his room without permission, she secretly felt they had become close. But now all of that had turned into scraps of paper.
The more she learned about Hirupus, the clearer the distance between them became. He was the most special and strongest heir of Hirupus on the mainland. She was nothing more and nothing less than a pet rabbit who received his affection.
“Ah.”
“Going alone? Won’t you hold my hand?”
Heinrich quickly caught up to her and took her hand.
Heinrich was always like this. Everything was easy and light for him.
So it was better to give up expectations. Closing her eyes tightly, she recalled the spell she repeated every day.
“Lift the corners of your mouth. If you don’t want to be abandoned, you have to smile more, Solitaria.”
***
Opening the door, Solitaria saw Sophia and Eremus already seated. Seeing their expectant faces, she hesitated for a moment.
Whenever they wore such expressions, it meant one side ended the conversation unhappy. Her reaction was natural. But she quickly returned to a blank expression and sat down.
Before taking the first bite, Eremus couldn’t hold back and spoke.
“Heinr, your coming-of-age ceremony schedule has been set.”
“Is that so?”
Unlike the excited Sophia and Eremus, Heinrich showed no reaction.
His gaze was fixed only on Solitaria’s mouth. It was as if he wanted to check everything she put in.
Feeling pressured, Solitaria swallowed a mushroom and responded to Eremus instead of Heinrich.
“Wow, so Master is becoming an adult? If it’s a coming-of-age ceremony, a lot of beastkin will come, right?”
“Well, yes. Sol. You have to eat carrots too.”
Heinrich’s remark made Solitaria’s mouth stiffen for a moment. She wasn’t upset because he answered her carelessly.
The problem was that the food he insisted she eat was a carrot.
She made such a serious face that she almost forgot who was in front of her. Heinrich chuckled bitterly and muttered.
“Why would a rabbit hate carrots?”
“…I might dislike them.”
Despite glaring at him, Solitaria opened her mouth and ate the carrot. Heinrich smiled in satisfaction and waved the next carrot in front of her.
Distracted by the carrot, the conversation about the coming-of-age ceremony was soon buried. Sophia and Eremus tried anxiously to add something, but it was useless.
“Heinr, why don’t you show some interest in your coming-of-age ceremony?”
“Do as you please. I’ll just show my face and be done.”
“What kind of protagonist only shows their face?”
Sophia was dumbfounded and asked Heinrich again, but she never got the answer she wanted. When they couldn’t agree, Sophia finally stormed out.
Eremus sighed and told Heinrich to think it over before following his wife.
They were angry, but Heinrich didn’t care. He calmly fed dessert into Solitaria’s mouth.
Seeing his indifference, Solitaria sighed too.
“Madam is very angry.”
“If you do the coming-of-age ceremony, everyone will become companions… sigh.”
Heinrich shut his eyes tightly, recalling unpleasant thoughts. Solitaria, not caring about him, mumbled and turned her gaze to the restaurant door.
Seeing that, Heinrich frowned and asked.
“Why are you looking that way? Are you more worried about my mother and father than me? Do you want to see me tossed around after accepting my companion?”
“That’s not what I meant!”
Startled, Solitaria turned her head and saw Heinrich wearing a grim smile. She intended to wish he got along well with his parents, but Heinrich didn’t take it that way.
Though he was smiling, he looked worse than when talking about the coming-of-age ceremony. Solitaria twitched her hips and moved just a little away from him.
“Huh?”
His frown twitched again at her action. This was definitely a bad sign.
Solitaria looked away and hurried to stand up. But she had to sit back down against her will.
Heinrich grabbed the armrest of the chair and pulled.
“Oh.”
“Where do you think you’re running off to?”
As the noise echoed, Heinrich brought his face close to hers. Solitaria’s nerves went on high alert.
His crooked smile, cold golden eyes, and black hair shining in the sunlight. Seeing each detail made her feel as if time had stopped.
