The baby rabbit’s cuteness had reached a lethal dose.
So the duke ate her every time she came. As a result, the baby rabbit went home in a wrecked state every single day.
But there was a problem.
Ivelina had been getting thinner.
The duke—who was, by daily habit, extremely well-acquainted with every square inch of her body—could not possibly have missed the change.
So he fed her. Carefully. And still, she would not gain weight.
“Hmm.”
He needed to identify the cause.
The loss of even a single gram from his small and precious baby rabbit was unacceptable.
He summoned the physician.
“Ivelina is getting thinner.”
“Ahem.”
“I’ve been feeding her carefully, but she won’t put on weight. If anything, she seems to be wasting further.”
The duke had absolutely no idea that the cause was the catastrophic caloric expenditure of their daily intimacy.
This was, however, something that every member of the household staff had quietly been aware of for some time. The prospective ducal couple’s compatibility was, as anyone within earshot could attest, extraordinarily robust. The physician was aware as well.
“That would be because she is burning more than she consumes.”
“Ivelina doesn’t exercise.”
“Intimacy also counts as exercise.”
“Surely not to any meaningful degree.”
“‘Surely not’…”
Based on what the physician had heard—indirectly, through various channels—the nature of their intimacy was very much ‘not’ a matter of ‘surely not.’
The physician received regular reports about the duke from Hugo, as required by his duty to monitor his employer’s health. His conclusion: both parties were engaged in an extraordinary and mutual level of devotion.
But the duke was his employer. He had to tread carefully.
“You must also take into account the significant difference in frame and constitution. Were one to compare your respective builds, it would be rather like a cicada clinging to an ancient oak. With Your Grace, of course, being the oak.”
“Hmm. I thought I was exercising restraint.”
‘That was restraint.’ The physician suppressed a shudder.
After the duke was done with her, Ivelina was consistently pallid and incapable of walking unaided—to the point where he carried her home himself every time.
“You may need to… exercise a bit more restraint.”
“I cannot go further than this.”
The physician was at a complete loss. He thought hard about what his employer actually wanted.
“Ah! What about a pharmaceutical approach? There’s a desire-suppressant that reduces one’s capacity to about twenty percent.”
“Twenty percent. That’s workable.”
The duke nodded thoughtfully.
“Then begin the course tomorrow.”
“Understood. There are a few important precautions.”
“Speak.”
“It must be taken at the same time every day. Failure to do so can produce side effects.”
“What sort?”
“‘Excess desire.’ It’s a form of withdrawal. The tolerance window is two hours—beyond that, one’s urges may become significantly more intense than usual. Please bear this in mind.”
The duke imagined, for a brief moment, what that might look like. Himself, in that state. Ivelina beneath him.
The baby rabbit, unable to breathe.
“That sounds horrifying.”
“Indeed. So do adhere strictly to the schedule. I’ll prepare the medication and send it up today.”
“Please do.”
First things first: he needed to fatten Ivelina up. Then he could eat her properly, to his heart’s content.
And so the duke began taking his prescribed suppressant at the same time every day without fail.
* * *
Today, as on every other day, the duke was dutifully awaiting the hour of his dose. Unfortunately, Hugo had come down with acute gastroenteritis, causing a slight delay in the medication’s delivery.
Ivelina, who knew nothing of any of this, had launched her operation at the crack of dawn.
The day of ‘Operation Nuisance’ had arrived.
‘Your Grace,’
‘Miss Ivelina has just begun preparing to go out.’
‘She should arrive at the manor in approximately two hours.’
‘Of note: she appears to have a grand objective in mind. As she readied herself, she was frequently heard muttering things like ‘All right!’ and ‘Today’s the day!’ to herself.’
‘Also—she seems to be quite hungry.’
‘She was heard saying ‘I’m going to demand food first thing!’—so it may be advisable to have a meal prepared. Given how many times she has committed to this plan, a generous spread would not go amiss. I will include her preferred dishes in the notes below.’
‘Whatever scheme she has in mind, she has been puffing her nose and rallying herself rather enthusiastically. You may look forward to it.’
‘I will send a follow-up dispatch as further developments warrant.’
‘— J’
The moment Ivelina began preparing to go out, a dispatch was sent to the duke.
“She must be quite hungry.”
The duke made careful arrangements to receive her. Based on Janes’s ‘Miss Ivelina Personal Dossier’, he instructed the kitchen to prepare the dishes she loved most.
He had no information about the ‘grand objective’ referenced in the letter, but assumed vaguely that she was about to do something ridiculous again.
“Today, I’ll simply feed her well and spend some time with her.”
The intimacy was wonderful, but the quieter hours were precious too—sitting down to eat, talking easily, watching her be. Honestly, just observing Ivelina while she sat still was entertaining. Her expressions cycled fast enough to fill an hour without his noticing.
The duke was nodding contentedly over this plan when—
‘BANG!’
Operation Nuisance, kicked into high gear—Ivelina walked in without knocking.
His baby rabbit was puffing hard, brimming with purpose.
“You’re here.”
He greeted her with a pleasant curve at the corner of his mouth.
The baby rabbit flinched and narrowed her eyes. Written plainly across her small pale face was the question: ‘What’s wrong with him?’
Her rapidly shifting gaze suggested something had not gone according to plan.
She hesitated—then made two tight fists and rallied again.
“I’m hungry! Feed me first!”
“I already gave instructions to have a meal prepared.”
“Pardon?”
The end of the baby rabbit’s sentence went faint.
It was unfortunate that the duke had not managed to take his suppressant at the correct time.
* * *
The baby rabbit, experiencing the ducal dining room for the first time, looked around with bright, curious eyes—and then seemed to catch herself, shaking her head sharply and repeatedly.
The duke tracked every move without letting it show and led her to her seat.
“Sit here.”
“‘Hmph!’ Fine!”
Ivelina turned her chin away and sat with a thump.
‘Vrroom.’ The baby rabbit launched a thorough eye-inspection of the table, taking complete inventory.
* * *
