Sip.

Unconsciously, I swallowed dryly and opened my eyes.

The tension that was already present in my body seemed to intensify even more.

Gray continued to stand quietly, waiting for my response.

I tried to calm my pounding heart, and eventually nodded slowly.

As I did, Gray, who was smiling brightly, began to approach slowly.

As the distance between us decreased, my heart beat even faster.

Splash—.

Having entered the hot spring, Gray finally reached my side…

I turned my head away instinctively to avoid his gaze. Somehow, it was difficult to make eye contact.

“Madam.”

“…!”

The moment Gray’s large hand wrapped around my shoulder, I involuntarily flinched and turned to look at him.

Finally meeting his silver-gray eyes… They looked infinitely affectionate, yet held a warmth and dangerous heat.

“…”

Thump-thump—.

The sound of my heart pounding seemed like it could be heard by Gray’s ears, and I unconsciously took a step back.

“…!”

In an instant, Gray’s arm extended, wrapped around my waist, and pulled me close.

The distance between us narrowed at once. The body temperature of our closely pressed bodies felt hot. The fine details of the silver irises were clearly visible, and the exchange of breaths brushed against the skin.

“…”

In the escalating tension, a distant silence flowed…

Like magnets with opposite poles, naturally drawn to each other—

At some point, our lips entwined into one.

Suck…

Soft lips gently molded together, swallowed, and moist breaths mingled.

Already elevated body temperature surged even more with heat, making my body gradually melt into a languid state.

“Ah…”

Briefly exhaling, he overlapped our lips again. Despite the initial urgency, the kiss became cautious again, as if not forgetting consideration, like someone thirsty yet mindful.

The hand that stroked my back and caressed my cheek felt incredibly gentle.

‘…Come to think of it, we’re outdoors here…’

Any concerns about what would happen if someone saw us quickly vanished. In the deep kiss and skillful caresses, I became dazed and lost my senses.

Even though it was unnecessary, Gray held me in his arms, carried me to the room.

I wonder how anxious he was that we might encounter Arwin or others like this. Fortunately, that didn’t happen.

“Kyaa~.”

There was no second round once we entered the room, as the rabbit child was waiting for us. Perhaps he felt proud seeing us. The love cupid rabbit…

“Kyaaah~.”

“Alright, it’s time to sleep… You’re sleepy, right? April, you must be tired from the journey.”

“Kyaooong, kya!”

Seeing the rabbit flop onto the bed as if saying, “Come on, lie down,” I couldn’t help but laugh. Since he lay there quietly, perhaps he was feeling quite content with the belly rubs.
“Alright, now… I’ll turn off the lights.”

As Gray turned off the lantern, darkness enveloped the surroundings. He and I lay on the bed with the rabbit in between.

“Hah, my heart is still fluttering a bit…”

Before going to sleep, I left a sincere request with April just in case.

“Don’t go out alone, and always wake me up when you go somewhere. Got it?”

However, April ignored my words without a response. No, this kid…

In the darkness, Gray, who smiled softly, gently stroked the rabbit. The small rabbit was almost buried in his large hand.

“April, you should listen to Madam. Be good.”

Gray emphasized the request, but whether April would listen remained uncertain…

Must be going through adolescence already… Frequent rebellious behavior, like a teenage frog.

“I should stay up all night and watch over April… But my body, unable to withstand fatigue, was swept away by a pouring sleep.”

A serene dawn.

April opened her eyes as if she had set an internal clock.

Waking up precisely at the desired time was April’s specialty. Even without an alarm clock, she could easily open her eyes anytime.

“…”

Looking at the sleeping Gloria and Gray, April, who had been watching quietly, quietly got up.

The advantage of a small body like a rabbit was that she could move secretly without being noticed.

Quietly moving, April hopped down under the bed. Sneaking to the door, she quickly changed her appearance.

Long, white hair fluttered in the air. Similarly, when she lifted her pure-white eyelashes, pink eyes were revealed.

Quickly grasping the doorknob, April turned it. Opening the door just a crack, she slipped out through the gap as quietly and quickly as possible.

‘Would the Duke have noticed…?’

He might have sensed her presence the moment she transformed into a human. April turned back into a rabbit and started running quickly. She needed to hurry as she might get caught.

Hop, hop, hop—.

Running quickly made a distinct sound of four feet rubbing against the ground. April ran frantically, nervously aware that she might be caught.

Finally reaching the lodging’s exit, she leaped through the small animal entrance. Fortunately, this room had a small animal entrance.

‘I wonder if the Duke noticed…?’