Became the Step-Mother of the Rabbit Female Lead (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 5
“Grayan!”
The person who caught me as I fell from the tree was none other than Grayan himself!
He, too, stared at me with a startled expression.
Well, anyone would be shocked if someone suddenly dropped from a tree.
“…April! Is April all right?!”
My thoughts instantly flew to April, and I quickly checked my arms. Thankfully, April was safely nestled inside.
Letting out a small sigh of relief, I watched as April slowly lifted her head and looked up at me. Trembling fearfully, she clutched tightly onto my clothes with her front paws.
And then—she burst into loud sobs!
“What a crybaby April… crying again!”
“Why are you crying? It’s okay.”
I gently stroked April, soothing her softly.
Tears dripped one by one from her big, round black eyes. Carefully wiping them away with my fingertips, I murmured,
“Good girl. Stop crying now.”
“…….”
“We’re both fine, aren’t we? See? Nothing’s wrong. Don’t cry.”
April squeezed her eyes shut and buried herself deep in my arms. Her face pressed firmly into my clothes, and her continued weeping slowly soaked my top…
“Ahaha… sigh… What am I ever going to do with this crybaby April?”
Shaking my head, I sighed and kept stroking April. Once she calmed down, I’d have to tell her never to climb trees again.
“By the way… something’s felt a bit odd since earlier… Huh?!”
…Come to think of it, I’d been in Grayan’s arms this whole time! And not just any way—like a princess being carried!
I snapped my head up and looked at Grayan. He was watching me with an unreadable gaze. …Just how long had he been looking at me like that? Actually, that wasn’t the important thing right now. What mattered was—
“Um… could you please put me down? Thank you so much for saving me earlier.”
“Ah… Yes, of course.”
I tried hard to hide my flustered feelings as I spoke, and Grayan blinked rapidly before giving a polite nod.
He soon set me gently on the ground. Relieved, I stepped back about three paces and stood at a distance. Grayan seemed bewildered, but I pretended not to notice and looked down at April in my arms.
“April, are you calmer now?”
At that, April peeked up at me, her ears perked. Though her fur was damp from tears, thankfully, she’d stopped crying.
I pulled a handkerchief from my pocket and wiped her wet face. Then, cupping her ears and head in my palms, I said,
“No more climbing trees from now on. Understood?”
“…….”
April’s round eyes held a hint of defiance. …This rabbit might seem timid, but she was surprisingly headstrong. Well, that probably explained why she ate steak and climbed trees…
“…Anyway, I’m just glad you’re safe, April.”
Carefully cradling the little rabbit in both hands, I nuzzled my face into her soft fur. So fluffy… it was incredibly soft and squishy!
“…!”
Suddenly, April pressed her front paw firmly against my cheek—as if telling me to stop. I immediately obeyed Her Royal Rabbitness. She shot me a stern look, then sharply turned her head away.
Yet she kept sneaking glances my way, clearly pretending not to care while secretly worrying about me—it made me want to laugh.
“April, we should go take a bath. Your fur’s all wet.”
“…….”
“How about some delicious steak afterward? Sounds good?”
Wait—should we eat steak first? Her fur would just get dirty again from the marinade and blood. After a brief pause, I quickly changed my mind.
“Let’s have steak first.”
“…!”
April’s eyes glinted slightly, and she wiggled her front paws. Apparently, this terrifying carnivorous rabbit really liked meat. But… she wouldn’t eat rabbit meat, right? That would be… a bit awkward.
“…This world’s shifter race is actually quite complicated when you think about it…”
Holding April, I started walking toward the main building.
Only when I reached the front entrance did I suddenly realize—I’d completely forgotten about Grayan!
“Oh no! I should properly thank him again for saving me!”
I frantically looked around for Grayan and our eyes met—just three steps away, he stood there smiling awkwardly.
“…….”
“…….”
An awkward silence hung between us. …I’m sorry—it wasn’t intentional! I just got lost in thought about shifters…
I gave an embarrassed smile and pretended to fix my hair. Grayan didn’t approach any closer; he simply stood quietly, watching me.
It felt as though he was considerately giving me space… and somehow, that made me feel strangely flustered.
“Um… thank you again for earlier. Seriously, I owe you my life.”
“…No, madam. It was my duty to save you. I’m just glad I wasn’t too late.”
“…….”
I bowed slightly and quietly stepped backward. What should I say now? “Have a nice day”? After much deliberation, I finally spoke again.
“Well… um, have a nice day. And don’t worry—I’ll take good care of April.”
“Madam.”
Grayan called my name in a gentle tone. I froze instantly, caught just as I’d been about to escape with a mere farewell.
His steel-gray eyes, fixed steadily on me, slowly curved into crescent moons.
His gaze felt almost… alluring. My heart clenched tight.
I shyly averted my eyes and moistened my dry lips with my tongue—then Grayan spoke again.
“I’d like to join you for the meal as well.”
“…!”
“Would that be all right?”
It was an extremely courteous request. Hard to refuse.
But having a meal face-to-face with him? That would put too much strain on my heart…! Not that I couldn’t do it—but with someone so ridiculously attractive across the table, I might choke! I could become the first recorded case of death by heart-fluttering.
“…Well, um… April? What do you think?”
In my hesitation, I tossed the decision over to April.
But April immediately shook her head vigorously—as if she’d been waiting for this moment.
It was unmistakably a “no.”
I glanced sideways at Grayan and gave an awkward, nervous laugh. …Now that I thought about it, wasn’t this precisely the time when Grayan and April’s relationship was still strained?
Their bond didn’t really begin to warm up until April’s debutante ball at age thirteen.
“At that ball, Grayan showed how dearly he cherished April, cementing his image as ‘the coolest yet doting father figure ever.’”
That’s probably why Grayan was nearly as popular with readers as the male leads. I’d kinda liked him too… Ahem. Ahem.
“…Looks like April wants to eat with me alone. Nothing we can do about it.”
I said it as though deeply regretful—though honestly, I wasn’t disappointed at all. Grayan gave a bitter smile and nodded silently. His eyes, fixed on April, looked strangely lonely.
“I hope next time we can share a meal together, April… And I’d be truly happy if you joined us too, madam.”
Grayan alternated his gaze between April and me. April kept her face buried firmly in my arms and refused to look at him.
I gave an embarrassed smile and replied in a purely businesslike tone.
“Yes, let’s definitely share a meal next time.”
…Though I doubted those words would ever come to fruition. There was something slightly ominous in Grayan’s gleaming eyes.
The day flew by in the blink of an eye. April and I ate steak, bathed, solved puzzles together, and read books.
For dinner, we ate together again—but since having steak more than twice a day seemed excessive, we opted for simple bread and salad instead.
April was clearly unhappy with a meatless meal and sulked all through dinner before stomping off to her room.
Left alone, I lay down in bed feeling a bit lonely.
In the dark room, all lights out, I waited for sleep under the covers—then heard the door creak open slightly.
“Hmm…?!”
There were only three possible reasons someone would sneak into the duchess’s room like this:
1. They’ve come to assassinate me. It’s not impossible… considering how many sins my original body committed.
2. My seemingly innocent husband turns out to be… well, never mind.
3. April.
Personally, I hoped it was option three. But it could’ve been option two! And I couldn’t entirely rule out option one, either.
What if it’s option one? I certainly couldn’t just lie down and die quietly.
“If only I’d hidden a dagger under my pillow just in case…”
Tense and alert, I strained my ears—and then heard it: a soft, adorable little pattering.
Yes. Adorable little footsteps.
Tap tap tap—
“…….”
“That sound is…”
A rabbit…?
Tap-tap! Thud!
I cracked one eye open slightly. A rabbit had just leaped onto my bed.
She crept slowly toward me, wriggled a bit, then curled herself into a perfect round ball—like a soft, white bun.
“Whoa… she’s too cute…!”
She was so unbearably adorable my heart ached! I wanted to clutch my chest—but I had to pretend to sleep, so I stayed perfectly still.
After who knew how long, I gently opened my eyes and peeked at the rabbit.
She was fast asleep now, breathing softly and steadily.
“Sigh… how cute.”
She looked like an angelic rabbit straight out of a dream. I bet her human form was just as lovable.
If we grew a little closer, would I get to see April’s human form?
“I can’t wait. April, we’re becoming friends now, right?”
Reaching out, I gently stroked the rabbit. Her fluffy, soft fur clung warmly to my hand. I smiled happily.
“Sleep well, April.”
“The young lady has gone to the mistress’s room again, sir.”
At the butler’s report, Grayan lifted his head. The butler instinctively flinched and lowered his gaze under Grayan’s intense, wild-eyed stare.
Normally, Grayan was calm and composed—but in battle or martial practice, he was different. A fierce, savage aura surrounded him, like a wild beast.
One wrong move, and you’d feel as if your throat might be ripped out at any moment.
Of course, that made perfect sense—he was the alpha among wolves, the leader of all wolves.
“And? What about now?”
Grayan tossed aside the longsword he’d been holding. It wasn’t the only thing lying haphazardly on the floor. The knights he’d just sparred with were groaning in pain, crawling weakly across the ground.
“They both appear to be asleep, sir.”
The butler bowed deeply, his voice respectful though his tension was obvious. He clenched his hands tightly to hide his nerves.
After a brief silence, Grayan gave a slight nod toward the butler.
“Very well. You may go.”
“Yes, my lord.”
The moment the butler left the training hall, Grayan resumed drilling the knights.
They charged at him in groups, but he effortlessly deflected every attack.
He was so relaxed he could even let his mind wander—while effortlessly toying with the knights, he thought of Gloria.
“Gloria Einstein.”
She was undeniably a human from the Einstein Kingdom. Though their marriage was politically arranged, she surely despised shifters.
…That’s what he’d believed. Until recently.
“How strange. She’s nothing like the rumors.”
Here in Elowin Kingdom, it was well known that Gloria had abused shifter slaves belonging to the Einstein royal family.
Not only that—she supposedly enjoyed bidding at shifter slave auctions and forced shifter mercenaries to fight each other bloody for her amusement.
And now this same person had changed overnight…? No matter how he thought about it, it felt unnatural.
Perhaps the rumors about her had been maliciously exaggerated.
“The Gloria I’ve come to know…”
She genuinely seemed to care for April and appeared truly kind-hearted. There was no pretense or falseness in her demeanor—it didn’t feel like acting at all.
“Never imagined she’d climb a tree just to save April…”
Recalling the moment Gloria and April fell from the tree still sent chills down his spine.
What if he hadn’t caught them? Though the fall wasn’t from extreme height, they still could’ve broken a limb or two—especially with the winter ground frozen solid.
“…Maybe I should cut down all the tall trees.”
April’s constant troublemaking and reluctance to open up to anyone—including himself—left him deeply troubled.
But it wasn’t April’s fault. It was all because… he hadn’t been fulfilling his role as a father well enough.
“And yet… of all people, it’s Gloria Einstein.”
She’d managed to open April’s tightly shut heart.
No matter how many times he thought about it, it remained utterly mysterious.
“…I need to look deeper.”
Into the person called Gloria Einstein.
A faint, pleased smile curved Grayan’s lips. He was now genuinely curious—just who exactly was Gloria Einstein?
“Though… she does seem to be avoiding me somehow…”
Well, how long could she keep that up?
A confident, relaxed smile spread across the alpha wolf’s face.
The next morning, I woke up feeling refreshed.
“Slept well…”
Truly, like honey-sweet sleep. …Now that I think about it, maybe reincarnating into a romance novel isn’t so bad after all.
I can sleep as much as I want! No assignments, exams, or job-hunting stress!
“Now this is the good life…!”
I jumped energetically out of bed and stretched—then suddenly froze, struck by an odd sense of emptiness.
…The rabbit was gone again!
“What? Seriously? You’re such a morning rabbit! You didn’t disappear again, did you?”
I looked around the room, but April was nowhere to be found.
Feeling inexplicably disappointed, I began getting ready for the day.
Rabbit… April… where did you go? I thought we were starting to get closer… At least say good morning before leaving.
“Did you eat? Please tell me you didn’t eat only meat again. You need balanced nutrition.”
With the maid’s help, I changed clothes, tied up my hair, and put on fresh shoes.
Once dressed, I stepped out of my room and walked down the hallway—when I spotted someone standing in the distance.
They looked oddly awkward.
“Who’s that?”
And they were short—shorter than me, even?
Gasp—they were really tiny! Not just childlike… they were actually a child!
“Oh, could it be…?!”
The small figure turned to face me. Youthful face, white hair, and eyes the clear pink of rose quartz.
My mouth fell open, eyes wide. My heart pounded like it was racing.
There was only one girl in this world with such a distinctive appearance!
“April!”
When scheming men desperately battle for her favor in the male harem
This one’s also on my reread list! The rivalry, scheming between the men in the imperial harem are just as intense and thrilling as in classic palace drama novels, where concubines fight to the death. Give it a read, girls! I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Synopsis:
“I am not worthy of her… but I still want to be by her side, even if only as a loyal dog…”
Those were the painful whispers of Yue Guanyi – the proud Crown Prince of the Great Qi, who was torn between deep love and a guilty conscience. Despite holding the supreme power of the Imperial Guard, he still could not forget the dark past when he was sold into a brothel.
Fate played a cruel twist when Qiu Shuzhi – a young female official who had just passed the imperial examinations with top honors – stepped into his life. She did not know that she was the one who had saved him from a tragic fate many years ago. And now, her heart was the target of pursuit for both Yue Guanyi and the powerful Empress Dowager Qin Qing.
While Yue Guanyi only dared to silently care for and protect the one he loved from afar, the Empress Dowager Qin Qing openly expressed his feelings and did not hesitate to take advantage of his power to approach Qiu Shuzhi. The covert struggle between the two most powerful forces in the imperial court began…
Trigger warning: All men in this novel are yandere style.
_____
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This thought is hillarious 🤣🤣
“Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic” – Arthur C. Clarke.
It kills me that she is using important spirits to grow strawberrys 🤣🤣🤣