Became the Step-Mother of the Rabbit Female Lead (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 16
“Evangeline’s garden party, huh….”
Hmm, I really don’t want to go.
What would I even do there? It’s obvious I’d get subtle sneers for being a princess who married a shifter.
So, as much as I’d like to refuse…
“I don’t have a good enough excuse.”
Should I say I’m sick? No—if I did, they’d surely blame the Salisbury Family for making the Princess of the Einstein Kingdom fall ill. Grayan would be in serious trouble.
But I can’t use being busy as an excuse either. Everyone knows—even a passing rabbit—that I’m hardly busy… and, again, they’d surely make a fuss about making the Princess of the Einstein Kingdom work.
“In the original story, that happened a few times… no, quite often.”
Usually, Gloria would write long, detailed letters to her father, King Einstein, reporting how the Salisbury Dukedom mistreated her.
“Because of that, Grayan went through a lot of hardship.”
It must’ve been precisely to trouble Grayan like this that King Einstein arranged their marriage.
Forget peace—King Einstein deliberately handed Grayan a time bomb named Gloria.
“Anyway, I suppose I have no choice but to accept this invitation.”
Evangeline probably wants to confirm whether I’ve truly formed a contract with the World Tree butterflies.
In that case, all I need to do is act like the greedy, foolish Gloria from the original in front of Evangeline.
If anyone asks about the World Tree butterflies, I’ll just innocently reply, “Huh? What’s that?”
If I keep feigning ignorance like this, Evangeline might eventually drop her suspicions.
“Even if the truth comes out later, it’s best to pretend otherwise during Evangeline’s garden party.”
Alright, fine.
Might as well go.
I’m not very confident in my acting… but I’ll give it a try!
After sending Evangeline a reply accepting her invitation, I went to bed.
And a few days later, Friday arrived.
The day of that fated garden party had finally come.
“Haaaam, so sleepy….”
I barely slept because I had to leave early in the morning. When a person lacks stamina and strength, fatigue sets in easily, and they end up sleeping a lot—just like Gloria.
Still, ever since I possessed this body, I’ve been taking frequent walks and such…
“Why am I so sleepy? This is driving me crazy….”
I stretched my arms wide and yawned. And then another yawn came right after. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve yawned now.
“Coffee… it’d be nice if I could at least have some coffee….”
I want an iced Americano. Or maybe a syrupy latte. While lost in longing for coffee, I absentmindedly started doing some light exercises—and suddenly locked eyes with Jade, who was standing nearby.
“…….”
“…….”
A few seconds of silence passed. I gave an awkward smile and straightened my posture. I’d completely forgotten this was the middle of a garden where people constantly passed by….
“Speaking of which, is Jade really serious about becoming a knight of the Salisbury Family…?”
Jade was only thirteen and thus couldn’t officially become a squire yet. Squires usually started at fourteen, and before that, they’d run errands for knights or work in the stables.
Yet Grayan had already appointed Jade as a squire, they said. Though underage, Jade’s swordsmanship was exceptional enough that even the other knights grudgingly accepted it… or something like that.
“Jade becoming a squire of the Salisbury Dukedom… things have changed way too much from the original.”
I wonder if Jade’s parents know their heir has become a squire in another family…
“…Why are you staring at me like that?”
Jade asked me with a puzzled look. Apparently, I’d been glaring at him without realizing it.
I shook my head awkwardly and replied dismissively, “Just… got lost in thought for a moment.”
“Would it be impolite to ask what you were thinking about?”
Of course it would, kid. You’re a squire, and I’m the Duchess—what kind of question is that?
“Quite an impudent little brat.”
Instead of answering Jade’s question, I changed the subject.
“What are you doing here, Sir Jade? Isn’t it time for squires to prepare for morning drills?”
Good. That sounded quite duchess-like. My voice and tone were elegant enough—perfect, even. All that acting practice over the past few days really paid off.
“Oh, I have an appointment with Princess April.”
“…?”
What? What appointment? Again?! My eyes widened involuntarily, and Jade grinned mischievously.
“It’s a secret between April and me, so I can’t tell you.”
“…!”
I gaped in utter disbelief. This brat, using such a cheeky tactic…? And he even dropped the honorific “Princess,” calling her just “April,” as if they shared some deep personal bond…!
“Surely they haven’t grown unusually close over just these past few days…? Oh no…! April, hold your ground! Don’t you dare fall for him!”
Just then, cheerful footsteps echoed from the direction of the entrance stairs. I turned my head and saw April skipping energetically down the steps.
“Ohhh, so cute…!”
April, dressed in an adorably storybook-like outfit, was utterly charming. I beamed and started walking toward her—well, I tried to, if only Jade hadn’t suddenly blocked my way.
“What?”
Jade leaned close and whispered in a low voice, “I think I’ve misunderstood you all this time, Lady Gloria.”
“What’s he talking about all of a sudden…?”
Misunderstood? Misunderstood what? That Gloria was evil? Well, that wasn’t really a misunderstanding… Before I took over this body, Gloria truly was wicked.
“…But it surprises me you don’t remember me. You once complimented my hair color.”
“…!”
What the hell. So Gloria and Jade met before?
Of course, they might have crossed paths a few times in the Einstein Kingdom’s social circles—
“But they actually spoke to each other?!”
[Suddenly, a line from the original novel popped into my head.]“Jade disliked social events and only made brief appearances, so he rarely encountered Gloria.”
Right, that’s exactly how it was narrated.
Yet now Jade claims they not only spoke, but Gloria even complimented his hair color?
“This ruins the whole advantage of being a transmigrator! Why do unknown plot points keep popping up…?”
Then again, simply ending up inside this novel was already absurd enough.
The original I read, the author who wrote it… what even were they…?
“Anyway, here… Hmm, how should I explain this?”
The simplest way would be to just admit, “Actually, I have amnesia.”
But my amnesia was a secret known only to me, Grayan, and April.
We hadn’t disclosed it publicly, and probably never would.
There was nothing to gain by revealing it.
“I can’t tell Jade about my amnesia. So I guess I’ll just…”
Sighing inwardly, I opened my mouth and said, “Sorry. I honestly can’t recall who you are. I’ve met so many people, you know.”
Good grief—I just sounded exactly like the ‘real’ Gloria. And to top it off, I smiled sweetly while saying it, making myself look utterly unlikeable.
My tone carried the exact nuance of, “Who do you think you are? Why would someone like you—a mere nobody—expect me to remember you?” matching Gloria’s original speech perfectly!
“…….”
Sure enough, Jade’s expression turned noticeably colder as he stared at me. I must’ve just damaged his favorability.
But it didn’t matter. The only person whose favorability mattered wasn’t Jade…
“Duchess!”
But our adorable, precious April!
I spread my arms wide toward April, who came running toward me, calling my name. Come on, hurry and hug me!
April stopped right in front of me, hesitated for a moment, then shyly nestled into my arms.
“Aaaah! So lovable!”
Suppressing my inner squealing, I gently wrapped my arms around April and patted her head.
April peeked up at me with big, round pink eyes that sparkled brightly.
“Duchess….”
Looking strangely pitiful, April called out to me in a pleading voice. I blinked rapidly, waiting for her next words. Why was she acting like this? Could it be…?
“Can I go with you, Duchess?”
I knew it. This clingy rabbit never fails to meet my expectations!
I pulled April away and firmly shook my head. “No. The Einstein Kingdom is too dangerous for you. Maybe when you’re older…”
“Then just don’t go, Duchess.”
“…?”
April grabbed my hand tightly and clung to me with a desperate expression. Her eyes held an inexplicable anxiety.
“As you said yourself, the Einstein Kingdom is dangerous… so please don’t go, okay?”
Uh… well… that’s a bit problematic. I’ve already sent my reply to the invitation. Backing out now would surely cause an even bigger uproar. I should’ve just refused from the start…
“I just… have a bad feeling about it. Please don’t go, Duchess…”
“…….”
I looked at April with a strange, unsettled feeling.
Thinking back, April acted the same way at the tavern. For no clear reason, she stubbornly refused to let go of me.
As if… she were trying to protect me.
“Why…?”
“Madam.”
Just then, Grayan’s voice cut in.
Startled out of my thoughts, I flinched. Trying to calm my racing heart, I looked around—and saw Grayan approaching us.
“Are you ready? I’ll accompany you as far as the outskirts of the Salisbury Dukedom.”
“Your Grace…?”
Surprised by this unexpected offer, I asked, and Grayan raised an eyebrow, giving me a faint, charming smile that made my heart flutter again.
“Of course I should accompany you—it’s only natural since you’re going. I wasn’t invited, so joining you inside the Einstein Royal Palace would be inappropriate… but I’ll come to meet you on your way back.”
His tone was perfectly courteous yet warm, and his considerate manner… though it shouldn’t have surprised me, I finally understood why Gloria in the original fell for Grayan.
Sure, fifty percent of it was probably that handsome face… but clearly, it wasn’t just that.
Slightly embarrassed, I nodded with a small smile and said apologetically, “I’m sorry for troubling you when you’re so busy.”
“Troubling me? Not at all. By the way… April?”
April, who had been clinging tightly to me until now, flinched at Grayan’s call. Her eyes glared defiantly at him.
“You shouldn’t make your stepmother uncomfortable. I understand how you feel, but being too stubborn isn’t good.”
“…….”
“And don’t worry. For her safety, I’ll do everything I can.”
April bit her lip and hugged my waist even tighter. Ugh—can’t breathe! Didn’t she do this before too? How does this rabbit have so much strength?
“April.”
“…….”
Grayan tried reasoning with her again. April’s eyes welled up with tears, and she spoke in a voice thick with reproach, “Your Grace… you don’t understand anything.”
“That’s true. You haven’t told me.”
Grayan replied calmly, and April’s eyes widened sharply as tears spilled down her cheeks.
Then—without warning—she suddenly transformed into her rabbit form!
Before I could even react, the rabbit wriggled out of my arms and dashed off into the garden.
“April…!”
I reached out helplessly toward the empty space where she’d been.
Just then, Jade unexpectedly stepped in.
“I’ll calm Princess April down myself—please don’t worry and leave right away.”
“What? No, wait…”
“Yes, Sir Jade. I’ll leave April to you.”
“Of course, Your Grace. No need to worry.”
Jade bowed respectfully and quickly ran off in the direction April had disappeared.
As I was about to follow, Grayan gently placed a hand on my shoulder.
His grip was firm but not rude or threatening—just enough to hold me in place.
“If we delay any longer, you’ll be late. Don’t worry too much about April. There are plenty of people in this castle who can look after her.”
“I know, but still… sigh…”
A sigh escaped me involuntarily. …Now I finally understand why April and Grayan never got along.
Grayan was just too clumsy to handle the delicate feelings of a twelve-year-old girl!
“I mean, children don’t just grow up on their own! A guardian’s role is the most important thing in the world!”
“I see…”
Inside the carriage heading toward the outskirts of the Salisbury Dukedom,
I’d already been lecturing Grayan for over an hour on “proper guardian attitudes” and “family education theories.”
Meanwhile, the female shifter mage accompanying us kept glancing nervously between us.
“When we return to Salisbury Dukedom, you must! Have a proper conversation with April! Understand? And apologize for not understanding her feelings!”
“Yes, I understand…”
He obediently nodded with a sulky face, but I doubted he truly got it.
At least he looked thoroughly chastened by my scolding—like a father finally reflecting on his behavior.
“Well… maybe I’ve whipped him enough…”
Thinking it was time for a carrot instead of a stick, I reached out toward Grayan—
“Oh! We’re almost there. Do you see that over there? That’s the sacred land of Hyperion.”
The female shifter mage, who had been silent until now, spoke with evident excitement.
I pulled my hand back from Grayan’s shoulder and hurried to the window.
Beyond the glass, a landscape unlike any I’d ever seen unfolded in the distance.
An enormous lake, impossible to fathom in depth or size, and in its center, a mysterious floating island.
At the heart of that island stood a towering tree that shone like a giant jewel.
“The World Tree.”
Hyperion—the sacred island housing the World Tree—was neutral, inviolable ground.
And… the place where all life began.
I don’t know why I remembered this, but it suddenly surfaced in my mind.
As if I’d always known it.
Male lead reborn without memories — but he still falls for her.
The person he finds displeasing in this life turns out to be his cherished wife-master in previous life…
Xie Zhi and Fang Xianxing who had known each other for less than three days through a blind date sat in the same car in front of the civil affairs bureau. They had a disagreement and failed to get married.
Xie Zhi immediately took out his phone, slid through his contacts, and randomly selected the next marriage candidate.
The woman snatched his phone and hung up. Looking at his phone wallpaper, she awkwardly changed the subject: “An ancient painting, eh? It looks pretty good, it’s just that the person in the painting looks a bit like me.”
When he heard this, he sarcastically mocked her for being so delusional, completely unaware that, the person in front of him was the reincarnation of Wen Ru, the famous prime minister of Yuan Shun whom he most admired…
The female CEO who doesn’t want to get married with a divorce agreement in hand × The male archaeological researcher who will only get married if he’s sure he can get divorced
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