Chapter 09

“So.”

The gaze that had been fixed on the rabbit outside the window finally turned toward Theodore.

“Is there anything you wish to ask?”

He waited for a moment, but Theodore remained silent.

“A taciturn fellow. Even among bears, you’re a severe case.”

After snorting as if it were nothing unusual, Pallas finally got to the point.

“You saw it too, didn’t you? The power of spring that rabbit carries.”

Only then did Theodore’s brow twitch.

Pallas was right.

He had truly seen it.

Inside the tiny rabbit that had been threatened by wolves, there had been a warm light like sunlight itself.

“You can probably guess why. I tampered with your eyes a little. Do you know what’s most necessary when searching for something?”

Pallas smiled.

“Desperation.”

Desperation.

As he spoke the word, the corners of his lips lifted.

“And you possessed it. Both the you I met that day and the you standing before me now.”

“…”

The golden eyes of Theodore darkened.

His wife had returned covered in blood.

Holding their daughter’s cold corpse in her arms.

Was it because he accepted it as reality—or because he couldn’t?

Theodore had picked up his sword.

Never before had he harbored such murderous intent toward another person.

He knew it was something the head of a noble family should never do.

That was why he went to that castle alone in the dead of night.

He slaughtered the retainers with his sword and tore apart the knights with his claws.

The last one remaining had been a man trembling in terror.

Theodore cut off the viscount’s head.

When he returned after his hollow revenge, the first person to appear before him was Pallas.

Pallas had said nothing.

Wearing the same faint smile he always did, he approached, reached out a hand, wiped the blood from Theodore’s face, and then vanished without a trace.

It was undoubtedly then that he had placed the spell on Theodore’s eyes.

Pallas turned his gaze back toward the window.

A deep curiosity glimmered in his yellow eyes.

Meeting the sage’s gaze, Theodore finally spoke.

“I can no longer see the light.”

At a recent meal, he had carefully observed the rabbit sitting on the table.

Not even the faintest sparkle had appeared.

“Even so, is it truly real?”

“The spell I placed on you would have broken the moment you witnessed that light. It’s a power that ordinary magic can’t perceive or detect.”

“…”

“To be honest, even I wasn’t entirely certain. But now that I’ve seen it with my own eyes, I understand. Eostre truly existed. To think such an enormous power resides inside that tiny body.”

Without taking his eyes off the rabbit playing in the snowy garden, Pallas continued.

“You did well bringing it here. If you’d left it in the White Wolves’ hands, its whereabouts would already be unknown.”

Theodore’s brow furrowed sharply.

“You knew?”

“Yes. It seems the White Wolves have been gathering Eostre candidates and sending them away.”

Only then did Pallas finally look away from the window.

Slowly turning toward Theodore, he added:

“To the Central Region.”

“…”

Theodore’s expression darkened.

Knowing Pallas’s habit of speaking indirectly, he immediately understood what “the Central Region” referred to.

“Why such a grim face? You don’t have time to worry about that right now.”

Pallas laughed in disbelief.

“To leave the manifestation wandering around so freely. Just how much of an idiot are you?”

Then, with a smile whose meaning was impossible to read, he asked:

“Shall I help you?”

His lips curved upward.

“The White Wolves are tremendous fools. They believe that by devouring the manifestation, they can absorb its power. But the power of spring can only be wielded by Eostre’s manifestation.”

“…”

“However, in its current state, it can’t use that power. The only options are to wait until it awakens on its own or until the power runs wild.”

His expression became serious.

“But by then, it will be too late.”

Without blinking once, Pallas declared:

“Your wife will die.”

Silence fell.

Theodore offered no response.

“You know better than anyone, don’t you?”

Pallas’s voice was calm.

“The only thing capable of destroying that is the power of spring.”

“…”

“Surely you didn’t bring that rabbit here out of mere pity?”

Theodore quietly met Pallas’s gaze.

As if he had already known exactly what the man was going to say.

***

Cradled in Ferdi’s arms, Nabom finally stepped outside the inner castle gates.

“First I leave my room, then pass the dining hall…”

Tracing the route through the air with her front paw, Nabom was retracing the path she had taken when a dazzling brightness suddenly entered her vision.

Snow.

The snow blanketing the garden reflected the sunlight pouring from the clear sky, sparkling like countless jewels.

“Hm. At this rate, it probably won’t snow again until afternoon.”

After glancing up at the sky with his yellow eyes, Heinz spoke.

“Then we can explore the garden too.”

Ferdi nodded.

“Wow! Nobody’s stepped on it yet! Hehe, I’ll be first!”

Louis ran across the pristine snowfield, leaving footprints behind.

The muffled crunch, crunch of snow underfoot seemed to echo all the way to Nabom.

Without realizing it, she reached a paw toward the snow.

“Ah, wait, you’ll fall—”

Before Ferdi could stop her, the small white body leaped through the air.

Ferdi and Heinz both reached out in surprise.

But Nabom landed safely.

Even her bandaged hind leg touched the ground firmly.

Snow.

Ever since becoming an Arctic rabbit, she had seen enough snow to last a lifetime.

And yet, snow still felt new to her.

Before, she had only seen snow through TV screens, online videos, or the hospital window.

Children running outside, holding their parents’ hands and stomping through thick layers of snow.

What did it actually feel like?

Unable to move properly, Nabom had once pressed her foot into her hospital bedsheet, imagining it.

She had never been allowed outside during winter.

The dry hospital air.

The mist from the humidifier overhead.

That was all the winter she had ever known.

She had been so careful every winter.

And yet, in the end, it was summer when she caught a cold.

The summer cold worsened into pneumonia.

With weak respiratory muscles, Nabom had quickly fallen into a coma.

And the last face she had seen was her mother’s…

“Snowflake!”

The loud voice snapped her back to reality.

Startled, Nabom lifted her head.

In the middle of the snow-covered garden, Louis was waving both arms energetically at her.

“Over here! I saved some untouched snow for Snowflake to step on!”

Whatever she had been thinking about vanished instantly.

With Louis eagerly beckoning her over, Nabom stepped onto the snow.

Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.

Carefully savoring the sensation, she walked across it on all fours.

Soon she reached the untouched patch Louis had marked out for her.

Under his expectant gaze, she lifted a tiny paw and pressed it into the snow.

Crunch.

“…!”

A shiver ran from the pads of her feet all the way to the top of her head.

Snow really is the best no matter how many times you step on it!

Her black eyes widened.

Unable to contain herself any longer, Nabom threw herself forward.

She dove into a snowy bush and rolled around wildly, rubbing her body against the snow.

White powder clung to her fluffy white fur.

“I want to try too!”

Louis shouted excitedly and flopped down beside her.

His cheerful laughter rang through the garden.

“Louis! Snowflake!”

Ferdi hurried over.

Looking down at the rabbit and boy rolling around in the snow, he fixed them with a stern expression.

“What do you think you’re doing? You’re getting all dir—”

He stopped mid-scolding.

Nabom suddenly sprang upright.

FWOOMP!

Her tiny body disappeared into a mound of snow beneath a tree.

The pile collapsed with a soft crash.

Then two little ears poked out.

Moments later, Nabom’s face popped out too.

Her white fur was completely dusted with snowflakes.

“…”

Louis and Ferdi couldn’t take their eyes off her.

The excitement in Louis’s expression melted away.

So did the stern line of Ferdi’s lips.

“Snowflake really loves snow.”

“That’s our Snowflake.”

Only after noticing the strange looks on their faces did Nabom finally regain her senses.

Wait! This isn’t what I should be doing! I’m supposed to be figuring out an escape route!

She quickly stood up to survey the garden.

Then she froze.

Another predator’s scent had reached her nose.

Turning toward the castle gate, she saw a familiar figure.

A bearded middle-aged man.

The same man who had somehow been delighted when she shoved his arm away with her paw.

Whenever he looked at her, his icy expression melted into something bizarrely soft.

Because of that, Nabom privately called him:

The Weird Uncle.

The first time they met in the dining hall, he’d been terrifying.

But his funny face and the fact that he always brought delicious hay had greatly improved her opinion of him.

He was definitely a predator too, though.

“Lady Snowflake, Sir Nuke will be serving as your escort today.”

Behind the waving Anna stood the Weird Uncle.

As always, his face instantly softened when he saw Nabom.

Bowing deeply, he introduced himself.

“It is our first proper greeting! I am Nuke Greenland, commander of the Sled Dog Knights under the Grizzly House and guardian of Lady Snowflake!”

His voice rang with confidence.

Standing nearby, Heinz shook his head.

He definitely volunteered for this.

Meanwhile, Nabom alone stood frozen.

…No way.

How had she forgotten?

The knight order renowned for its endless stamina and unwavering loyalty to the count.

The Grizzly family’s knight order.

Its name was—

The Sled Dog Knights.

Sled dogs.

What animal was more famous for endurance?

And dogs were already known for their loyalty.

Putting that aside…

Sled dogs.

Dogs.

She had never once heard of a dog hibernating.

Which meant that if she wanted to escape this estate, she would have to avoid not one but two predators.

A hibernating grizzly bear.

And a sled dog that stayed awake all winter.

…I need to change the plan.

When surrounded by predators, there was only one possible strategy.

Ally yourself with a non-predator.

Determination filled Nabom’s face as she turned her head.

“Lady Snowflake?”

I’m going to recruit Anna!

There’s no way such a pretty and kind lady is a predator!

Maybe she’s a bird beastkin. Or perhaps an Arctic fox.

Well, Arctic foxes are predators too, but still better than wolves or dogs!

Filled with hope, Nabom looked up at Anna.

As if responding to her gaze, Anna smiled brightly.

“Oh, did you figure it out? I used to be a member of the Sled Dog Knights too. After I retired due to an injury, the Lord took me in. That’s how I became Lady Snowflake’s personal maid!”

“Indeed. His Lordship would never abandon a knight who pledged lifelong loyalty.”

When the commander called her name, Anna immediately snapped into a formal salute.

“Nanna Samoyed!”

The hope drained from Nabom’s face at once.

A moment later she simply collapsed onto the ground.

“Lady Snowflake?”

“What’s wrong?”

“Did you tire yourself out playing?”

“Does your foot hurt?”

Anna and the brothers crowded around her anxiously.

Then, from behind the knight commander, a small shadow peeked out.

“…?”

As footsteps approached, Nabom looked up.

The next moment, something wet swept across her face.

What was that?!