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Chapter 01
“Rucelin, take responsibility for me. This is all something you brought upon yourself.”
A low voice suddenly spoke, shamelessly shifting the blame onto me. His tone even sounded… pleased about it.
What is this guy even saying right now?! Responsibility? What responsibility?!
Maybe it was because of how utterly brazen he was, but a hollow laugh escaped me.
Overwhelmed by the absurdity, I snapped my head up—and met the gaze of a radiant crescent moon staring down at me.
“Why should I?”
Who was it that pretended not to know anything and let things get this far?!
As I glared at him with sharp eyes, his golden pupils curved gently, carrying a strangely affectionate glint.
“Because that day—you saved me.”
“I just couldn’t ignore a dying life. That’s all.”
Despite my cold—no, icy—reply, his composed expression didn’t change in the slightest.
He simply tilted his head, still wearing that relaxed smile.
“You even stroked my head back then. Wasn’t that a proposal?”
As if recalling my touch, Killis placed his hand over his snow-white hair, reenacting the moment while locking eyes with me.
He wore a pitiful expression, as though blaming me.
Anyone who didn’t know the situation might mistake him for someone abandoned by me.
As expected of a White Snake—famous for being cunning and deceitful. Everything about him was sly and shameless.
At least when he was in snake form, he had been somewhat cute!
Now he was just… an unbearably shameless beast!
“That’s not true!”
“It is.”
When I firmly denied it, Killis’s golden eyes flashed unpleasantly as he spoke with a sly grin.
“I said it’s not!”
It’s really not, you slippery snake!
How on earth did I end up bickering like this with a snake known as the calamity of the empire—a White Snake at the very peak of brutality?
It all began on a strange night that swallowed even the faint yellow light of a waning crescent moon.
That day was the night of the tedious regular ball hosted by the Fernando Imperial Family.
“…Ugh, I really hate this.”
Watching the dazzling scene before me, a complaint slipped out without thinking.
In places like this, the air inevitably became thick due to the mixed pheromones of beastfolk.
Pheromones meant to charm others—or to suppress them—filled the ballroom.
Unfortunately, I absolutely detested this kind of chaotic atmosphere.
If I could, I would’ve gone straight home. But I couldn’t leave just yet.
It hadn’t even been ten minutes since the grand trumpet announced the start of the ball. If I left now, I’d be tormented endlessly by my maids.
—
“My lady, you must attend the ball today! There are rumors that His Highness the Crown Prince will appear!”
“It’s a chance to finally meet your future husband—you have to go!”
—
After hearing that, there was no way I could avoid their nagging.
So instead, I leaned against the wall, trying to pass time comfortably. The pale pink dress I’d been forced to wear kept brushing against my feet, annoyingly cumbersome.
Despite the maids’ insistence that the Crown Prince would definitely appear today, there was no sign of him—only curious gazes from nobles directed at me.
“Gasp, it’s really a Black Rabbit! It’s my first time seeing one in person. Just like the rumors—you really have such a mysterious aura.”
“What brings Lady Erbel to a ball…?”
“Then does that mean we’ll finally see His Highness the Crown Prince today?”
They probably thought they were whispering quietly, but it was impossible for them to escape my hearing.
After all, rabbits had exceptionally sharp ears.
And among them, Black Rabbits were considered the highest class.
I was the only daughter of the Erbel Ducal House—the sole Black Rabbit family in the Rubidium Empire.
So unless someone spoke in an extraordinary voice, I could easily overhear most things.
The reason I came to this dull party was simple:
To see the face of the mysterious Crown Prince, who had never once shown himself and was surrounded by bizarre rumors.
Of course, since I also rarely appeared in high society, I unintentionally drew attention myself…
“Since he already has a fiancée, shouldn’t His Highness show himself by now? Even if he’s a monster, he’s still royalty.”
“Hey, she’ll hear you! Shh!”
“At this rate, the rumors about him being a monster will just keep spreading… What is the imperial family thinking?”
“They probably don’t want to admit that a monster was born among the noble descendants of dragons.”
“Oh my, how pitiful! If I were her, I would’ve run away to another empire.”
…Sometimes, having such sharp hearing meant hearing things I didn’t want to.
Like now.
“Ha… already being pitied, huh.”
A small sigh slipped out.
I tried to act unfazed—since I’d heard things like this many times before—but it wasn’t easy.
Though I had been forced to attend, I was also curious about my fiancé.
I had heard of the Crown Prince’s existence, but no one had actually seen him.
Naturally, curiosity grew.
We had been engaged since childhood.
The engagement would last until both of us reached maturity—and then we were supposed to marry.
But ten years had already passed.
We had long since become adults.
I never imagined my fiancé would just… disappear like this.
Whatever his situation, I wasn’t planning to wait forever.
Look at this—once again, I fell for rumors that he would appear!
“…Forget it. I’m the fool for expecting anything.”
Just as I bit my lower lip, the slow music in the hall shifted into a faster tempo.
Couples began dancing more energetically.
Having completely given up on the Crown Prince, I decided to leave.
So what if he’s the Crown Prince? Does that make him everything?!
I swallowed dryly.
Carefully composing my expression, I glanced around.
As the “dignified and mysterious” Lady Erbel, I couldn’t openly walk out of a royal ball.
So I needed to leave quietly and discreetly…
Fwoosh—
Right then, the lights in the hall dimmed.
This is it! My chance!
I lifted my heels to avoid making noise and slipped out of the ballroom.
“Haah… I can finally breathe.”
Outside, the imperial garden stretched wide under the soft yellow moonlight.
The suffocating air of the ballroom was replaced by refreshing night air.
“…Hm?”
I had only meant to take a short walk—
“What… is this?”
Something strange caught my eye.
At my feet lay something bizarre and unfamiliar, sprawled out weakly.
