Chapter 01

 The Villain’s Pampered Baby Moon Rabbit

※ This work is set in a fictional world and may differ from actual history and real-world settings.

They say even if you enter a tiger’s den, as long as you keep your wits about you, you will survive.

‘So now, all I really have to do is stay sharp…!’

I exerted all my strength into my trembling legs and eyes, looking up at the gate of the tiled-roof house.

Literally a grand, magnificent nobleman’s house, vast as a whale’s back. However, this place was a tiger’s den. Since it was a place where tiger beastfolk lived, saying so wasn’t wrong at all.

Furthermore, though it was huge, the chipped, worn-out roof tiles, the desolate, bare trees in the yard, and for some reason, the goosebump-inducing atmosphere… Not knowing what would happen to my life if I went inside made it feel even more chilling, perfectly fitting the name tiger’s den.

……Even the gatekeeper I saw earlier looked terrifyingly scary. A body as huge as a doorframe. Forearms thicker than my waist. The terrifying gaze of a ferocious beast.

“What’s this? I asked what you are!”

Recalling the gatekeeper who roared at me, the buttocks I had thumped while running away in fear began to ache again. I needlessly touched my bottom and tail once.

This tail was a lifelong pride for rabbit beastfolk, but at that moment, I didn’t even have the presence of mind to dust off the dirt. Because I was so scared……

Hing. I needlessly dusted off the dirt from my tail once more, which must have been completely covered in grime when I ran away earlier. At the moment of that fluffy, soft touch against my hand, Lady Hang-ah—who used to adore my tail and soft fur—came to mind.

The person I risked my life to come here to find. The one who was no different from a mother to us moon rabbits.

‘Right. To meet Lady Hang-ah, I must enter this house…!!’

This is the only place with a trace to find Lady Hang-ah! I have nowhere left to step back!

However……. Recalling the roaring gatekeeper made my breath hitch again.

‘What if I really get eaten?’

Huge fangs that looked like they could snap and bite a rabbit beastfolk like me in one go!! The moment I saw them, I thought, ‘Ah, this is a real tiger beastfolk,’ my mind went completely blank, and my survival instincts flashed brightly inside my head.

Without even properly stating my business for coming here, I ran away—if the other moon rabbits saw this, they would hold their bellies and laugh.

But… “…H-Hmph. It’s a miracle I didn’t faint in front of a tiger beastfolk…!”

Let them try it themselves! Every time the gatekeeper opened his mouth, his fangs were so huge that my spine shivered violently.

To reassure myself, I rubbed my cheek against the silk pouch I had brought from the moon world. On the wooden piece inside, the divine power of Lady Hang-ah, who rules our moon world, faintly lingered.

‘It’s already been over two months since I last saw Lady Hang-ah.’

A deep sense of longing surged within me.

“My lovely baby rabbit. Why are you crying?”

“Just because you cannot pound the rice cake does not make you a useless rabbit. Instead, isn’t our Tori very good at sewing?”

For us moon rabbits, there is a task that everyone must do together: pounding the jade rice cake! However, I was the only one with absolutely no talent for it, so after pounding only a few times, I had to put down the pestle.

As a result, I was ostracized for being a useless rabbit… and Lady Hang-ah was the only one who believed in me. Gaining courage from those words, I had only recently managed to fulfill my duties, but…….

“Because of you, Lady Hang-ah isn’t coming back!”

It had already been two months since Lady Hang-ah, who said she was going down to the earth temporarily for a bath, failed to return. This was absolutely impossible. Our Lady Hang-ah was the ruler of the moon world, one of the crossroads connecting the afterlife and the mortal world.

‘Something terrible must have happened to Lady Hang-ah!’

So, I descended to the mortal world to bring Lady Hang-ah back. Right after doing so, I confirmed that Lady Hang-ah’s divine power lingered on a wardrobe that came out of that very tiger’s den, and I barely managed to tear off a piece of that wardrobe!

In my opinion, since so much of Lady Hang-ah’s divine power lingers on it, she must be inside that house.

The only problem was…

“You shouldn’t get involved with that notorious villain at all!”“Child, if you don’t want to die, don’t even go near the Jangsan Tiger Family.”

This house belonged to a villain notorious throughout the town……. Every time I asked, the townspeople’s faces turned so pale. Even remembering it now dampened my spirits and made my shoulders slump, when—

“Grrr, grrr…”

…Is that a strange sound? The moment I whipped my head around, my eyes met with a feral dog staring at me from afar.

eyes gleamed intensely, and saliva dripped from its mouth…… and there were actually six feral dogs.

“Woof!”

The moment the dog at the very front took a step forward, an instinct pierced through my body.‘I’ll die at this rate!’

Hurtling forward, I pressed myself against the main gate of the Jangsan Tiger house and pounded on the door with all my strength. Whether it was the gatekeeper from earlier or anyone else, please just come out!! At least they can speak!

“Save me! Save meee!!”

As the feral dogs’ rough breathing grew closer, the sound of me pounding on the door grew louder. However, the gate showed no signs of opening. Not even when their rough breath reached the back of my neck.

“Hic…!”

At the sensation of all the fur on my body standing on end, my head turned automatically. Sharp, pointed teeth filled my vision.

‘So this is how I die.’

Sticky droplets of saliva touched the tip of my nose, and the dog’s breath washed over my entire face. The final moment of my rabbit life (tosaeng). The only thing that came to mind was Lady Hang-ah.

‘Lady Hang-ah…! How much must you be suffering in this unfamiliar place? I really wanted to take Lady Hang-ah and return to the moon….’

……. …Huh? Strange. Why doesn’t it hurt?

“…?”

Opening one eye gently first, both of my eyes immediately widened. All the wild dogs were lying flat on the ground, trembling uncontrollably.

What on earth was going on? I turned my head toward where the wild dogs’ gazes were gathered.

And…….

‘O-Our eyes met!’

While the main gate—which wouldn’t open no matter how much I pounded—creaked and swayed, a figure that was undeniably monstrous was standing there.

An eerily twisted neck, an eight-foot-tall frame, and disheveled hair. It was leaning against the door, gazing blankly outside.

Creeeak—.Creeeeeeak—.

The night wind blew. The door swayed, and its long white hair fluttered. Meeting the glowing glare that was the only visible feature in its shadow-draped face, my heart pounded violently.

“Who are you?”

At the eerie voice, the wild dogs writhed, and the fur all over my body stood on end. ……B-But.

Gasp.

‘Wait, the door opened?’

There was no need to look any further. I slipped right through the gap of the opened gate. And THUD, I shut the door.

I desperately tried to ignore the spine-chilling gaze I felt on the back of my head.

“……” “……”

After a brief silence, I quickly performed a deep bow.

Bark, bark! Taking advantage of the lull, the barking of the wild dogs seeped in from outside as if they had snapped back to their senses. Recalling the recent memory of almost being torn to shreds by huge fangs, I trembled shiveringly from head to tail.

“H-Hello, my lord! Thank you s-so much for opening the door! And, c-could I stay here for just one day?”

“…What?”

His Lordship looked at me with an utterly baffled expression, but I held onto the doorknob tightly with both hands, clinging to it so the latch wouldn’t come undone.

“If you just let me, I will do… anything!! So please, let me stay here for just one day!! I am v-very good at sewing, too!”

“Not needed.”

“Mopping, no, cooking, or even washing dishes! R-Really, despite how I look, I am very good at it without fail!”

…Sob, is this not good enough either?

I eat very little food too. I sleep well anywhere…!! Even if I eat little, I can work a lot!

I hardily tried to appeal my usefulness, but only a more terrifying aura surged from His Lordship. As if that aura even reached outside the main gate, the wild dogs could be heard whimpering pitifully.

At this moment, even I wanted to be outside the gate.

‘T-Too scary…’

My nose twitched, and even my tail quivered. Under the overwhelming pressure of the tiger beastfolk’s aura, my toes twitched regardless of my will.

This was the King of Predators!

……However, even when the gatekeeper lord from earlier got furious, he wasn’t this scary.

Sob. The moment my body shrank back, the aura directed at me was withdrawn. Instead, I felt a spine-chilling gaze slowly sweeping over me from head to toe.

“…I have no need for such useless things.”

“Y-Yes……”

In the end, the rims of my eyes grew hot, and tears trickled down. Ah, then I’m destined to be kicked outside again and die! Lady Hang-ah…….

It was right around the time a gruesome imagination of the wild dogs gleefully devouring me approached vividly in my head.

“…Rather, I heard rabbit meat tastes exceptionally good.”

“Y-Eeees?!”

At that, I raised my head in utter shock. It wasn’t just because of his words. No, I was shocked, but my head was pulled up because His Lordship suddenly pinched my cheek!

The glare in His Lordship’s eyes as he looked at me was glowing intensely in the shape of crescent moons.

“You’ve grown quite plump with meat.”

Whaaat?! No, this tiger!

The next moment, the smiling mouth of the master suddenly snapped wide open.