Became the Step-Mother of the Rabbit Female Lead (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 9
I blinked, dumbfounded. Why was Grayan here?
‘Could he have been tailing me?!’
That seemed highly likely! Of course—he’d been smiling sweetly on the outside while secretly doubting me the whole time…!
‘This is so unfair…!’
It wasn’t me who was the villain—it was Gloria! Well, technically I am Gloria now, but that Gloria isn’t this Gloria! There’s no way to prove it, and I’m going insane. If I just blurted out the truth, they’d obviously think I was crazy… Ughhh.
“April, it’s been a while since I’ve seen you like this.”
Grayan addressed April in an unusually gentle tone. In response, April shivered slightly and, for some reason, darted behind me and hid. Hmm?
‘She definitely seems uncomfortable around Grayan. What was the reason for that again in the original story…?’
Huh. I’ll need to have a serious talk with April later. I’m confident in my counseling skills—after all, I’ve listened to every single boring detail of my friends’ love lives. Hahaha… Why am I crying?
“Well… It seems my wife and April were enjoying themselves. However…”
Grayan trailed off and glanced toward the elderly inspector in question. A flash of ferocity flickered in his steel-gray eyes, eyes that exuded wild intensity.
“What’s all this commotion about…?”
At Grayan’s low murmur, the inspector flinched slightly. So even the brave old inspector was intimidated by the alpha wolf…! But seriously, what on earth made this old man attack me?
“I—I deeply apologize to Duke Salisbury, but I have unfinished business with that woman! I absolutely will not let this go!”
The inspector’s tone was a bit impolite for someone addressing a duke. But apparently, the atmosphere in Elowin Kingdom was generally more relaxed. Unlike in Einstein Kingdom, they didn’t strictly emphasize social hierarchy.
“‘That woman’…? She is the Duchess of Salisbury, sir. Please show her the proper respect.”
As expected of Grayan. Rather than asserting his authority as a duke, he chose to demonstrate respect toward his elder. Truly a man of upright character and integrity.
“Hah… Impossible! Duke Salisbury truly married that woman? The wicked woman from Einstein? What a disgraceful age we live in!”
The inspector spat out his words in disbelief and clicked his tongue loudly.
At that moment, Grayan’s eyes shifted. It was a look that instinctively made you shrink back.
It seemed the inspector had just crossed a line…
“I’ve been patient enough, sir.”
The usual warmth Grayan habitually wore vanished completely, replaced only by an icy chill.
Not just the inspector, but even the onlookers and nearby knights flinched at the change.
However, only one person—Jade—remained utterly composed, staring intently at Grayan with an expression as if he’d just discovered an intriguing opponent.
As expected—he’s no ordinary boy. And he’s only thirteen years old…!
“Whatever your reasons may be, you assaulted my wife. You will be questioned and punished accordingly. Take him away.”
“Yes, sir!”
At Grayan’s nod, his knights seized the inspector and began dragging him off.
The inspector thrashed wildly, shouting furiously. His eyes, fixed directly on me, were bloodshot with rage.
“Let go of me! Gloria Einstein! I’ll never, ever forgive you! Because of you, everyone in our village is about to starve to death!”
‘…What is he talking about?’
Stunned and frozen in place, I suddenly snapped back to my senses.
I didn’t know what was going on, but I had a strong feeling we couldn’t just let this inspector leave. I hurried forward and cried out.
“Wait!”
“My lady?”
Grayan looked at me, slightly surprised. I grabbed his arm and spoke quickly.
“We should hear what the inspector has to say. Let’s go somewhere else—not here. Don’t just haul him off like that…”
Grayan’s expression as he stared at me was oddly peculiar, as if he were observing some rare creature.
After a brief pause, he gave a faint smile and replied.
“Very well. We’ll do as you wish, my lady.”
“…! Thank you!”
I instinctively beamed, only then realizing I was standing far too close to Grayan—
and still clutching his arm tightly!
Feeling my face flush hotly, I quickly jumped back from him.
Grayan raised one eyebrow as he watched me. I deliberately avoided his gaze.
‘Ugh, my heart’s racing like crazy…’
Even in this moment, my heart was shamelessly fluttering for Grayan— No, it’s not fluttering! Absolutely not!
…Anyway, thus it was decided: April, Grayan, myself, and the rest of our group escorted the inspector to a quiet nearby tavern.
Choosing the tavern had been entirely my idea—I thought maybe offering the old man a drink would help him open up… Now that I think about it, that’s such a very Korean approach…
Anyway, it seemed like a pretty good idea, and we reached the tavern without causing any disturbances—until—
“April, Jade, you’re minors, so please wait upstairs with the guard knights. I’ll ask the innkeeper to give you a spare room.”
The problem was that April refused to listen.
The moment I said that, April’s pink eyes flashed fiercely (seriously, they glinted savagely—I thought she was a wild beast!) and she wrapped both arms tightly around my waist, refusing to let go.
Seeing this, Grayan openly gave a bitter smile. Understandable… April clearly preferred me—the infamous “villainess”—over her own adoptive father.
I sighed softly and tried to soothe April.
“April, children shouldn’t be around when adults are drinking.”
“I’m not a child! I’ll be thirteen after my birthday…!”
Still clinging tightly to my waist, April shook her head stubbornly. Hmm, technically, since debut in high society starts at thirteen, she’s not exactly “very young”… But she’s still a child! She’s got six whole years until she reaches adulthood at nineteen!
Besides, thirteen and nineteen are worlds apart! I struggled desperately to pry April loose. Seriously, kid, why are you so strong?!
‘Of course—she’s a mighty, powerful morning rabbit…!’
That’s right—April had been doing “miracle mornings” all this time. Morning people… no, morning rabbits, are indeed healthy and strong!
With my pathetic stamina, there was no way I could shake her off. I frantically glanced around for help—and made direct eye contact with Grayan.
“…”
He gave an awkward smile and slowly approached. When he reached us, he gently placed a hand on April’s shoulder, causing her to flinch slightly.
April’s eyelids trembled as she looked up at Grayan.
“April, you shouldn’t make your stepmother uncomfortable.”
“…”
April bit her lip and clung even tighter to my waist. Ack! I’m gonna die! Can’t breathe!
“April.”
Grayan’s voice turned slightly stern as he scolded her. And then, instantly…
“Oh no—”
Huge tears welled up in April’s eyes!
I stood utterly bewildered, my mouth flapping uselessly. April’s pink eyes, glaring defiantly at Grayan, brimmed with rebellion. Was she already hitting puberty…?
“Um… April…?”
The moment I called her name cautiously, April suddenly transformed.
In an instant, she turned into a small, pure white rabbit and leapt straight into my arms. Reflexively, I had no choice but to catch her—otherwise, she’d have plummeted to the floor!
“Keeeng…!”
Rabbit-April let out a pitiful cry and clung tightly to me, showing clear determination not to let go.
Completely at a loss, I just laughed nervously. Seriously, this is driving me insane…
“It seems April really likes Lady Gloria.”
Jade, who had been silent until then, spoke up in a subtly suggestive tone. One corner of his mouth tilted upward in a way that didn’t seem innocent at all. Somehow, I could tell he was scheming something dark inside…
“Even though we’re minors, wouldn’t it be alright if we just sat at the same table? We can drink non-alcoholic beverages.”
Jade stated this as if it were the most reasonable solution. His voice was so persuasive that I nearly nodded along without thinking. This kid… Seriously, is he really thirteen? Is he secretly on his second life or something?
“Besides, those kidnappers targeting shifter children have been active again lately.”
Now that he mentioned it… the servants at Salisbury Castle had been gossiping about this. Cases of missing shifter children—brutal crimes specifically targeting young shifters—were reportedly on the rise again.
“I’m not doubting the security standards of Salisbury Duchy or the skills of your guard knights, but it’s better to be cautious. Wouldn’t it be safer if we stayed together on the first floor? And I’m curious too… about what story the inspector might have…”
Jade’s gaze as he trailed off looked deeply meaningful. …He almost seemed like he was getting ready to watch popcorn-worthy drama. Was it just my imagination? No—if I considered Jade’s personality, he’d eat the popcorn and still have leftovers! He’s clearly thrilled watching me suffer through Gloria’s karmic debt!
‘But it’s not my karma—it’s Gloria’s… This is so unfair, seriously.’
Anyway, we ended up accepting both Jade’s suggestion and April’s stubbornness, so everyone stayed together on the first floor.
April, still in her rabbit form, clung tightly to me. Now I realized she was an obsessive rabbit—utterly fixated on me. Why? April’s psychology was just as hard to decipher as Grayan’s.
“April, want some celery?”
I offered her the celery appetizer that had just arrived. Her rabbit nose and cheeks twitched, her whiskers fluttering. I wanted to touch those whiskers.
But April swiped at the celery with her front paw and sent it flying. The celery soared through the air and hit Jade right on the cheek before plopping onto the table.
“…!”
April flinched slightly, then glanced at Jade with a hint of guilt, fidgeting her two front paws. Jade grinned and said,
“It’s alright. These things happen.”
‘Y-you! Acting all magnanimous…!’
I know exactly how twisted your personality is…! He’s the type who’d later ask April, “Do you remember hitting my cheek with that celery back then?” just to make her feel guilty.
There were at least seventeen episodes where Jade manipulated April exactly like this, pulling her strings effortlessly.
He’s practically the living embodiment of a scheming, obsessive mastermind! Although… there was someone even worse than him…
‘Come to think of it, that guy worries me more than Jade…’
At least Jade is a normal(?) human, but that other guy—the third male lead candidate…
Clang!!
Suddenly, the loud sound of a cup slammed harshly onto the table made me jump. Just as I’d expected—it was the inspector.
He glared at me with deep brown eyes filled with unmistakable hatred. His look screamed “deep grudge.jpg.” S-scary…! Damn you, Gloria—what the hell did you do?!
‘But what kind of shifter is this inspector anyway? Is he even a shifter? Could he just be human…?’
“Gloria Einstein, you haven’t forgotten what you did to our village a year ago, have you?”
“…”
I’m sorry—I don’t remember. It’s not amnesia; I genuinely don’t know! I’m just Gloria on the outside; inside, I’m a completely different person!
I lowered my eyes and pretended to look remorseful. The inspector already seemed drunk after downing one full shot, so he’d probably start spilling his entire tragic backstory without anyone even asking.
True to form, he downed another shot and began pouring out his tale.
“Our village… used to be the most prosperous in the region! But that—that… Princess Gloria, passing by our village, had her carriage wheel stuck in mud—of all ridiculous reasons!—and ordered a sorcerer to curse our village with drought!”
Wait, what? Seriously?
I gaped open-mouthed as if hearing someone else’s story. But it really was someone else’s story. Gloria… she really was insane.
Why would she do that?! Was she just annoyed her carriage got stuck? And for that, she cursed an entire village with drought?! That behavior was completely incomprehensible—utterly irrational!
“How could you do such a thing…? Lady Gloria, that was too much.”
Jade chimed in right beside the inspector. Hey kid, why don’t you quietly sip your warm milk instead of butting into adult conversations?
“Too much?! It was way beyond too much! Because of her, everyone in our village… Huhuhuh… Hic…!”
Suddenly, the inspector started crying. Jade next to him also welled up with tears. Where was that brat pulling tearful acting from…? Keep this up, and I’m removing you from the son-in-law candidate list!
“Khuhuh…”
About thirty minutes later, the inspector finally finished his lament. Having downed ten full mugs of beer while talking, he passed out right then and there—and I had to endure the accusing stares all around me.
Everyone’s eyes silently asked the same thing: ‘Did you really do that?’
‘It wasn’t me.’
This is so unfair—so unfair! I want to cry too! Maybe I should just pretend to be crazy and claim amnesia… But that’d probably seem even more despicable. To commit such wrongs and then conveniently forget everything…
I’ll just… pretend to have reformed. That’s probably best.
Ugh, I need a drink. I’d promised myself, “Don’t drink in front of April,” but I forgot all about it and gulped down a whole large mug of beer.
“My lady…”
When I slammed the empty mug down, Grayan called out to me, sounding flustered. What? Can’t I have just one drink—?
‘…Huh?’
Wait, why am I suddenly so dizzy?
My vision’s getting blurry…
Hold on—don’t tell me Gloria was an alcohol lightweight?!
‘No way! Does that mean I can never drink again?! That’s basically the only joy left in my life…!’
With that thought, everything went black.
When I opened my eyes again, right in front of me…
was Grayan, shirtless.
‘Aaah! What the heck?!’
Turns Out He’s Been Secretly in Love with Me
One-line summary: He acts like he doesn’t like her but is actually playing hard to get.
Synopsis:
Xu Muzhou like her. He has liked her for a very long time, and through repeated schemes, he finally closed the distance with her.
But this is still far from enough.
He wants to be the one who stands out among her many suitors, to fight for her attention, and to make her take the initiative to pursue him.
_____
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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 🤣🤣🤣