And he wasn’t even an official mate yet. No, in the first place, Beni would never dream that the Demon King had enlarged his face enormously and hung it on the wall, was collecting his fur while even paying money for it, and was even gathering the weed roots and leaves he’d left uneaten. This symptom of the Demon King’s began from the day Beni disappeared and his traces were discovered.
The day Marcel said it seemed Beni had somehow escaped the castle, Ruan seemed noticeably disheartened. For several days he didn’t eat properly and often spaced out, acting like a human suffering from lovesickness.
A Demon King with lovesickness—did that even make sense? Although there were occasionally Demon Kings who were particularly fond of their mates, it wouldn’t have been to this extent. Even they kept at least 10 concubines separately.
When about two weeks had passed like that, Ruan happened to discover white fur rolling around like tumbleweed in the palace corridor. Though it had only been once, there was no way Ruan couldn’t recognize that fluffy, pure white fur of those lovely ears he’d seen the moment they first met. When he realized that fur was precisely Beni’s, the Demon King began fanatically collecting Beni’s traces.
That beastkin hybrid spirit—who would’ve thought he could actually transform into a real beast?
Marcel closed the still-open entrance behind him with magic power and approached Ruan.
“I’ve confirmed multiple times, but Beni Ravencoat is indeed the Count’s biological child. As expected, the mother’s side is a rabbit beastkin abducted from the surface.”
Ruan asked while still looking up at Beni’s portrait.
“Is there no other information?”
“No, aside from very basic things, there is no information whatsoever about Beni Ravencoat. He didn’t attend the academy, nor did the estate ever hire a private tutor for him.”
“…I see.”
What they’d learned about Beni so far was very concise.
An illegitimate child born between Count Ravencoat and a rabbit beastkin dragged in as a slave.
Age 20.
Birthday on a spring day like a rabbit’s soft and cozy fur.
Never once left the estate since birth.
Difficult to pinpoint exactly which room in the estate he lived in, but he used the same bathroom and toilet as the servants.
That was all. But from this information alone, one could understand very well what kind of treatment Beni received at the Ravencoat household. No matter how illegitimate, if it was his own child, there would be at least minimal care.
No matter that this was the Demon King’s Castle and he was helping as much as possible to ensure Beni had no discomfort, Beni who didn’t know such facts wouldn’t have so easily made the resolution to live hidden as a rabbit. The Demon King’s Castle wasn’t a safe enough place to live secretly. It wasn’t a thought at least a spirit born in an aristocratic family, not from a slum, would have.
In other words, Beni had made such a choice because he truly had nowhere to return to.
“How about formally welcoming the spirit as a mate now? If the spirit knows that Your Majesty harbors affection, he won’t be so afraid.”
Above all, just showing him this room would make it clear that Ruan’s affection wasn’t false. Though of course, in another sense, it could give him chills.
Ruan placed his hand on the display case and turned to Marcel.
“What have the servants’ reports about Beni been like so far?”
At the sudden question, Marcel recalled the stories about the rabbit that had come up to him as well.
“…’He was pretending to be a feather duster in the corridor, so I passed by pretending not to notice’… ‘He was eating chocolate mousse cake in a daze, then suddenly came to his senses and paced in front of the Cerberus pen’… ‘He was sipping water from the pond, and seemed to be in a good mood as he lightly splashed with his front paws’… ‘He was hiding in the grass, and when a spider suddenly hopped next to him, he was startled and hopped too, doing a somersault’—those come to mind.”
Even as he answered each one, Marcel couldn’t grasp at all the intention of why Ruan was asking him this question.
“It seems to me that Beni is enjoying living as a rabbit in this castle in his own way.”
Excluding unfortunate incidents like yesterday. In truth, even yesterday, it seemed Beni would have handled it well on his own even without his help, but such facts weren’t important to Ruan. The big deal was that Beni had almost been in danger.
“Welcoming a mate isn’t an urgent matter either, so leave it be for now.”
Even if Ruan couldn’t know all of Beni’s life, he could sufficiently infer that he’d always lived a controlled life. If he brought Beni as the Demon King’s mate, what would be the difference from the Count’s household?
Right now, it was clear Beni had no will at all to want to become the Demon King’s mate. Moreover, if he told Beni to become the Demon King’s mate, given his position, there was no way he could refuse even if he disliked it.
“What if the spirit changes his mind and tries to leave the Demon King’s Castle?”
Last time too, when you said Beni seemed to have left the castle, you were moping around like you were about to die.
Just thinking about how Marcel had said one wrong thing and spent a night in the underground dungeon on charges of having-absolutely-no-tact still made his blood boil.
Still, he did admire Ruan’s patience in not ordering them to capture Beni until the end. To this extent… he was obsessed.
He’d heard that once the Demon King race became obsessed with something innately, their possessiveness was frightening. However, he’d thought Ruan was completely exempt from this. Because Ruan had never shown great obsession with anything specific until now.
He realized anew that he was ultimately of the Demon King race after all. The fortunate thing was that he knew how to restrain himself? Restrain…? Marcel looked around the room once.
It didn’t seem like restraint, but anyway, at least he hadn’t gone down a futile path.
Marcel was thinking other thoughts after asking the question himself.
“That won’t happen.”
A resolute answer without a shred of hesitation was heard. Marcel’s lips twitched, but soon he couldn’t say anything. Ruan watched such a Marcel intently and spoke.
“Ah right, add surface fruits to Beni’s meals.”
“Surface fruits, you say? Preserves and jams are already plenty…”
“Fresh.”
Fresh…?
The surface and the Demon Realm were in different dimensions. Naturally, just going back and forth cost enormous amounts. Even importing processed fruits was so expensive that other nobles barely ate them, and now fresh ones.
Marcel’s pupils trembled finely, but he couldn’t say he wouldn’t do it when the Demon King ordered it.
“…I understand.”
* * *
Beni revised his plan. He decided to search for a warmer nest to stay in during winter during the day instead of at night. Even if it would become harder to escape while avoiding the eyes of servants and attendants, the probability of encountering dangerous monsters like snakes would decrease.
Moreover, no matter how much he thought about it, all the castle’s servants seemed to be rather oblivious. It wasn’t that he hadn’t been caught even once during the three months of living here. Rather, there were several times when he really thought it was over, yet it passed without incident.
So it would be much easier to avoid the eyes of servants and attendants than scary monsters.
Beni, who hadn’t yet left his burrow, hugged the crude doll he’d made tightly while recalling the interior of the Demon King’s Castle. Orte Palace had nowhere to sleep so that was out, and while the overall environment of the servants’ and attendants’ quarters was good, the risk of being discovered was too great. Though it was fine to secretly eat food since there was a dining hall nearby, there were too many demons.
Beni recalled the buildings he’d been to here and there. The place that survived those demanding conditions was only one.
Niar Palace.
From what Beni had observed so far, Niar Palace seemed to be completely emptied, as servants and attendants barely entered even during the day. Because of that, the entrance seemed to be locked, but if it was Beni as a rabbit, he would somehow be able to find a gap to enter.
‘…If things go well, I might even be able to get clothes.’
Because Beni had slipped out with just his body from the bedroom three months ago, leaving all his belongings in the bedroom. Though the possibility they’d been thrown away was very high, if they weren’t using it as a new space right away, there was also a possibility they hadn’t cleared it out yet.
The rabbit who finished roughly planning which route to take and where to enter the palace had quick execution. The rabbit who surveyed the surroundings swiftly headed to Niar Palace.
Getting safely inside the palace went according to plan. Of course, he did struggle to find a space to enter.
That the palace interior was darker and dirtier than expected was surprising, but it was enough to hop around in with his small body. Rather, since it seemed like no one was in this large palace, Beni could run around even more comfortably. If there were so few people, he even thought it might be fine to make a new nest here instead.
Everything was going so smoothly like that, so why…
Hup… Beni had no choice but to look at the servant standing in front of the door with trembling eyes.
Of all times, at this moment when he’d undone his animal transformation, and in a state with rabbit ears and tail out, to face a demon.
No wonder it was going too smoothly…
Beni despaired.
