For several days, we came to the garden with books. We were there often recently, both to learn how to write and to play with the rabbits, all while enjoying the warm sunlight.

The garden was full of life, with a small fountain, expansive lawn, and various flowers; just sitting there seemed to infuse us with energy.

“Alright, ribbons! Shall Shasha tie them?”

Because she couldn’t yet name the rabbits even if she started learning to write, I handed Shasha ribbons with temporary numbers written on them.

“Uh… yes! I’ll do it!”

“Alright. Let Shasha do it.”

“Shall I write the numbers in the order they were born, sister? Is this the largest number?”

“Yes!”

Shasha began tying the ribbons around the rabbits’ necks, one by one. Strangely enough, the rabbits didn’t run away and obediently stayed in Shasha’s arms.

“But Shasha, you even know the birth order?”

“Yes! This one was born first. It said it couldn’t smell its siblings when it first opened its eyes.”

“You hear all that?”

“Hehe…”

Instead of answering, Shasha gave an awkward smile. Both the Dove Knights and the rabbits seemed to think alike.

‘Can she understand animal speech?’

But she seemed unwilling to reveal anything about this, so I couldn’t ask any further.

Just then.

“You kids play so childishly every day.”

Lurdello, who came daily to pick fights for no reason, clicked his tongue upon seeing us.

“Would you like to join this childish game, Lurdello?”

“Have I gone mad?”

“It’s quite fun, actually. And I thought you’d want to join.”

“Absolutely not!”

“Really? Your eyes keep darting toward the rabbits.”

At that, Lurdello’s cheeks flushed, as if he’d been found out. He vigorously shook his head.

“The heir to the throne doesn’t do such things!”

“So if you weren’t the heir, you’d do it?”

“Um… well…”

Seemingly wanting to play with the rabbits, Lurdello hemmed and hawed, his eyes rolling.

Come on. A seven-year-old kid. A kid who wants to play and be like others, not grow like a plant in a greenhouse.

“So, does it seem alright to play?”

“What?”

“You’re not the official heir yet. So, maybe you could play with the rabbits before your strict princely life begins.”

At that, Lurdello’s eyes sparkled. His golden eyes seemed full of life.

“Ah! That’s true!”

“And is there a royal decree against touching rabbits?”

“Um…”

“Did the Emperor himself give you these rabbits? Then, is the Emperor also doing something forbidden?”
Rudello, who had been hesitant, finally approached me closely.

“Uh… yeah.”

Once again, I spoke to Rudello, who seemed worried but not really worried.

“You can. The rabbits were brought here by His Majesty the Emperor. Even if you become the crown prince and touch them, it’s not strange.”

“Uh…um… No one will know, right?”

Rudello’s worries seemed a bit odd. After declaring that it wasn’t appropriate for someone of noble blood to do such a thing, he seemed to be conscious of his surroundings.

‘No one will know?’ Even the look he gave to his surroundings was a bit puzzling.

“Yep. Only we are here. There aren’t that many people around, anyway.”

“Even so…”

“Don’t worry. Did your mother say that, Rudello? That people of noble blood shouldn’t do such things?”

“…She did.”

It was strange. It wasn’t in the past tense. And the ‘no one will know’ part didn’t seem to be said while considering the Emperor. It felt like someone was notifying everything the child did, and Rudello was being scolded for it.

Am I overthinking this? Have I been reading too many conspiracy theories?

If I could find out all these details and tell the child, it would have been mentioned in the novel. Or Rudello’s mother would have appeared at this moment.

Who would turn down the position of the Empress? If someone aspired to make Rudello the crown prince and continued to keep in touch, they would have shown themselves by now.

If not…

‘It must be the child’s mistake. I’m probably being too sensitive.’

Since I fainted and woke up, memories of Noah have been sharply rising. It seems I’ve become more sensitive.

I unknowingly get worked up over nothing.

I failed to protect Noah, so I must protect Shasha. Yet, hundreds of times a day, I think, ‘How can I protect Shasha if I couldn’t protect Noah?’

“But… it does look a bit cuter than before. It seems smaller.”

During this time, Rudello looked at the rabbit in front of him and couldn’t hide his surprise.

“Have you seen rabbits before?”

“At the orphanage… once, when I was playing with a friend. My friend fed the rabbits.”

Is he talking about the protagonist? The only friend Rudello would have met at the orphanage is the protagonist.

“I see.”

“The rabbits back then… they really hated human touch… but these ones are different.”

Whether it was because they were next to Shasha, or because they had gotten used to living in the star palace and lost their aversion to humans, the rabbits even approached Rudello, who was sitting next to us.

Not only that, but they also poked Rudello’s plump hand with their noses.

Was that pleasing? A bright smile blossomed on Rudello’s face. So adorable. Despite being such a naughty tadpole, the child is still a child.

“They probably like Shasha.”

“These rabbits like me?”

Having been called ‘bad’ by Rudello, Shasha puffed out her cheeks.

“…I’m not bad! My sister said I was adorable and cute.”

“Ah, yes. You’re bad.”

“My hair color might be weird… but I’m not bad… Shasha is, Shasha is…”

Then it happened. Whether she was deeply hurt by being called ‘bad,’ Shasha began to sniffle. Seeing that, Rudello quickly waved his hands.

“Ah, are you crying?”

“Ah, cry-crying… I hate you. You’re uglier. Fatty!!”