The moment her uncle shouted, Mars let out an "Ugh!" as the rabbit kicked him behind the knee, forcing him to drop to one knee.
“This isn’t me kneeling to you, Lize!”
Mars quickly got back up and shouted at her.
But Lize had no time to care about what he was saying.
“Golden Rabbit!”
At her call, the rabbit sprang toward her.
Her uncle reached out with an annoyed expression, trying to grab it, but failed.
The rabbit easily dodged him and landed safely in front of her.
“Golden Rabbit.”
“Pii.”
Seeing the rabbit unharmed filled her with relief.
“Lize! What exactly is this rabbit?! The way you're talking to it, you clearly know it!”
Her uncle strode toward her, unable to contain his anger.
“You and your brother never do anything useful for this family—”
“Grrr.”
Lize quickly hid the Golden Rabbit behind her before it could bare its teeth.
“What brings you to the annex?”
“Is that really what's important right now? This insignificant rabbit—”
“Then why are you getting so worked up over such an insignificant rabbit?”
Trembling with rage, her uncle tried once more to grab the rabbit and failed again. He snorted and turned away.
“I heard you collapsed, so I came to see if you were dead!”
He tried to sound as though he'd come out of concern, but there was a document in his hand. That was clearly the real reason he had come.
“What’s that paper you're holding?”
“Forget it. I’m not in the mood to talk. I'll call for you another time.”
Her uncle and Mars shot one last glare at the rabbit before leaving the reception room.
As soon as they were gone, Lize slammed the door shut.
What did they come for?
What was in that document?
Well, it’s probably about property or money. I was recently rewarded for my achievements, after all.
According to Imperial law, the salaries of family members belonged not to the individual but to the family itself.
Which meant all the money she earned as a knight went straight into her uncle’s pocket.
Even now, he had probably come to discuss what to do with the wealth that had been absorbed into the family.
Once Bryce grows up, I’m definitely leaving this family.
Bryce was still a minor and legally under their uncle’s guardianship.
But once he came of age, she would leave.
Not only for herself, but to prevent the misfortunes Bryce suffered in the original story.
Speaking of which...
She crouched down to meet the rabbit’s eyes.
“Pii.”
The rabbit quietly looked back at her.
Now that she thought about it, the Golden Rabbit knew everything now.
It had seen how she was treated in this house.
“Golden Rabbit, there are people in this world who will hate you for no reason.”
“Pii.”
“But thankfully, there are also many people worth loving.”
The rabbit was about the same age as Bryce.
It was still young.
Lize felt bad that it had already witnessed something so ugly.
She wanted to give it something hopeful instead.
“You’ll meet lots of people like that too, Golden Rabbit. People you'll want to love.”
Including Bryce.
The rabbit stared at her silently before extending its fluffy front paws.
Lize reached out and gently held them.
The soft, warm feeling made her heart melt.
At that moment, she even wondered whether this was the true meaning of an absolute healing ability.
A smile naturally spread across her face.
Looking at the fluffy, surprisingly heavy rabbit, she picked it up and hugged it.
“Pii...!”
“Anyway, I’m just glad you're safe.”
The rabbit always seemed flustered whenever she hugged it, but this time it didn’t push her away as she rubbed her cheek against its fur with a relieved sigh.
“Let’s go eat meat, Golden Rabbit.”
The worried look on the rabbit’s face instantly brightened.
In the darkness, a man rubbed the spot behind his knee where the rabbit had kicked him.
I won’t let this go...
Several paintings lay in front of Mars.
He had secretly taken them from his father’s study.
But because of that rabbit, he'd been caught.
He had hidden them in a storage room near the annex, planning to sell them for money.
Then while chasing the rabbit, everything had been exposed.
“It’s all because of Lize.”
She was nothing but someone mooching off their family.
Just because she'd gotten lucky enough to become an Imperial Knight, she strutted around proudly.
There were knights in the Imperial Erne Order who had awakened Aura powers.
Lize wasn't one of them.
So it was obvious her abilities weren't anything special.
And yet, thanks to a few lucky achievements during the war, she'd become a division commander.
That position should have been mine.
He had originally been the one who was supposed to go to war.
But he had needed to attend a friend’s wedding, so Lize had gone in his place.
While he was tied down by unavoidable circumstances, she'd shamelessly stolen all the glory and climbed the ranks.
Mars remembered how fiercely she had protected the rabbit.
I won’t let this go.
His teeth ground together.
“Really, I could’ve come alone.”
Lize spoke while returning from Bezen Forest after eliminating the remaining Luxca monsters.
“Pii.”
The Golden Rabbit answered indifferently.
The leader of the Luxca had already been defeated, putting out the immediate fire.
But the remaining monsters still needed to be cleaned up.
Without their leader, Luxca creatures lost much of their strength, so the task wasn't difficult.
“Noona, instead of talking only to the rabbit, how about talking to me too?”
Bryce, who had been quietly following behind, finally spoke.
Lize immediately brightened and spun around.
“Bryce, you want to talk with your sister?”
She had thought puberty had made him reluctant to talk to her.
His words were a pleasant surprise.
“I never said I didn’t.”
“Your swordsmanship has improved a lot. I was really surprised.”
“You flatter me.”
Bryce answered coolly and looked away.
But the slight twitch at the corner of his lips betrayed his satisfaction.
Since the monsters weren't very dangerous, she had brought him along for training.
“You’re still recovering, Noona. I need to work harder.”
“What a good boy.”
“Pii.”
Just as they were chatting, the rabbit tugged on the hem of her pants.
“Hm? What is it, Golden Rabbit?”
“Pii, pii.”
It sounded as though it was trying to say something.
“...Noona, we were in the middle of a conversation.”
This time Bryce tugged on her sleeve.
“Oh. Right. What were we talking about?”
“Pii.”
The moment she turned toward Bryce, the rabbit demanded her attention again.
“Yes, Golden Rabbit? Oh! You got dirt in your fur. Hold still, I’ll clean it off.”
“Noona, I got dirt on me too.”
“Pii.”
Whenever she listened to one, the other called for her attention.
And when she turned to the other, the first one interrupted.
“Wait, Golden Rabbit—”
“I’m Bryce.”
“Oh. Sorry, Bryce. Just a second—”
Having both of them seeking her attention made her happy.
But it was becoming a little overwhelming.
“Lady Lize?”
A familiar voice suddenly called out from behind.
Turning around, she saw a tall man with shining silver hair and a gentle smile.
“Sir Julius!”
She called out happily.
Julius was a priest from the temple.
He had attended the Imperial History course she completed as an adult, and he was one of the few people who knew about her illness.
Thanks to his treatment, she had been able to endure every full moon.
“What are you doing here, Lady Lize?”
“Taking care of some monsters.”
“As expected of you. Your dedication is admirable.”
Lize puffed out her chest and glanced toward Bryce.
Did you hear that? Your sister is amazing.
“And what brings you here, Sir Julius?”
“Well...”
Julius opened the bag in his hand.
It was filled with rare medicinal herbs.
“Wow. Did you gather all of these yourself?”
“Yes. I followed traces of divine energy and found them.”
What an incredible talent.
As they headed back toward town, they naturally fell into conversation.
“I’m hoping to make a more effective medicine with these.”
“You're the dedicated one, Sir Julius.”
“You flatter me. By the way, how has your condition been lately?”
Julius leaned closer and whispered.
“How were your symptoms during the last full moon?”
“Not great. But...”
She glanced back at Bryce and the rabbit before lowering her voice.
“I think I may have found a solution.”
The next full moon was already approaching.
The pain had grown worse each month.
But now she no longer had to simply endure it.
Because she had met the Golden Rabbit.
“Hey, Kim Togi.”
Behind the happily chatting Lize and Julius, Bryce walked beside the rabbit.
"..."
“Isn’t that your name?”
Thwack.
“Ow!”
“The knights from the Erne Order called you that...”
Bryce trailed off.
The rabbit looked incredibly hostile.
At first he thought it was directed at him.
But after a closer look, he realized the rabbit’s glare was fixed on Lize and Julius ahead.
“What? Are you jealous?”
“Pff.”
The rabbit snorted as if the idea were ridiculous.
But judging by the way it kept glaring at the pair, it didn't seem entirely untrue.
“Those two look good together.”
The moment Bryce said that, the rabbit’s expression became even more terrifying.
“Yeah. Definitely jealous.”
“Pii.”
“Why does my sister like you so much anyway? You're not even cute.”
“Piiii.”
“Don’t act cute.”
“Peh.”
“But there’s something else strange about you.”
Bryce crossed his arms and looked at the rabbit suspiciously.
“No matter how I look at it, you’re obviously a male rabbit.”
The rabbit froze.
“Then why does my sister seem convinced that you’re a female rabbit?
