Chapter 124

Three men were standing there.

My husband in front—and behind him, Father-in-law. And Hugo.

“D—dear daughter-in-law is… again…”

“My lady…? No… a H—Holly Rabbit…?”

Six eyes, grown to the size of saucers, drove straight into my heart.

“…Oh.”

I fainted on the spot.

When I opened my eyes, there was a familiar ceiling above me.

I appeared to have been carried to the bedroom, still in full Enchanting Rabbit costume.

Brief relief at the familiar ceiling—then I squeezed my eyes shut and pretended to still be asleep.

The physician was there.

Of course my husband had summoned the physician.

“What is the rabbit’s condition?”

“Simple fainting due to acute shock. Fortunately, no other concerns whatsoever.”

“‘Acute shock.’ Kph.”

“Hk. Kph. I—I’ll leave a—kph—sedative. Kph.”

My husband was stifling laughter. The physician was also fighting with his entire being not to break.

Infuriating.

“Understood. You can go. Kph.”

Having said this, my husband muttered “Ah—the sedative. Kph,” and resumed his battle with laughter.

“Hk. T—then I shall take my immediate leave! Kph!”

The physician fled the room at a near-run, visibly on the verge of tears from the effort of suppressing his amusement.

I gritted my teeth and maintained my pretense of sleep.

I was going to die of shame.

Maybe I should just bite my tongue and end it here.

The bed shifted as weight settled beside me. My husband had sat down on the edge.

He poked my cheek.

“Enchanting Rabbit. Wake up.”

“…”

“Hmm. Shall I recite the incantation?”

“…”

“Twinkle-ling. Enchanting Rabbit.”

“Stop it!”

I bolted upright and snapped.

“Calm down. I picked up your carrot.”

“…”

“You dropped it.”

He placed the carrot plushie in my hand.

I trembled with towering fury.

“Get away from me! You awful husband!”

I ripped off the headband and cape and flung them aside, then bolted from the room.

Bang!

I slammed the bedroom door and fled directly to the drawing room.

“And then she goes, ‘I am the Enchanting Rabbit! I have come to enchant my husband—!’ while spinning around with the carrot!”

“Ah—a carrot! Because she’s a rabbit!”

Kael’s mother burst into laughter.

“Kael, that rascal, absolutely doubled over. He even wiped his eyes! My own son—and I’d never seen him laugh like that before. I must say it did sound wonderfully funny and precious. Twinkle-ling! Kph! Hahaha!”

His mother laughed helplessly, then wailed:

“What a shame! I missed it again—only me, always only me! You keep seeing all of it and not me! Oh, should I ask my dear daughter-in-law to do it just one more time? I’d truly love to see it!”

And then Kayrin’s enthusiastic voice broke through the laughter:

“Me too, me too! I’d like to see it too! Should I respectfully ask sister-in-law? Would she show us?”

“Oh, don’t say such things! Your sister-in-law fainted! Kph—but I admit I’d also quite like to see it one more time! Hahaha!”

“G’ampa! Kai also wants to see Mama’s Enchanting Rabbit!”

“Oh, our dear Kai! Well then—how about Grandpa’s Enchanting Rabbit instead! Twinkle-ling, Grandpa Rabbit! Hahaha!”

Giggle, giggle. Hahaha.

The firmly closed drawing room doors hummed and vibrated with the riot of laughter inside.

“Hohoho! Karson, you are so lucky! Isn’t this the third time now?”

“Indeed. I’ve never had a dull moment since our daughter-in-law arrived! A treasure, she is—a true treasure rolled right to our door!”

“I’m so envious! You’re the only one who keeps seeing everything!”

“Sigh. That Kael. He’s been living this delightful life on his own all this time. I’m practically beside myself with jealousy! Though of course, that’s precisely why he locks his wife away and monopolizes her and can’t let go—hahaha!”

“Exactly! Hohoho! It’s completely understandable that the boy is entirely wrapped around his wife’s little finger! Enchanting Rabbit—yap!”

“Hahaha, precious!”

I wiped my tears and went back to the bedroom.

“Sniff…”

My husband was still in the bedroom. He appeared to have abandoned his work for the day.

“Enchanting Rabbit.”

“…”

“You looked quite determined when you left—like you were staging a formal departure.”

“…”

“Nowhere to go?”

I turned my head away sharply. He had started the moment I walked in.

He kept swallowing kph sounds, fighting laughter.

I would have preferred if he just laughed outright. This was worse—it felt more like mockery.

I sobbed and burrowed under the blanket. I pulled the covers over my head and cried into my pillow.

Emily completed her shift handover with the duke.

Ivelina had clung to Emily and cried herself to exhaustion, then fallen asleep.

Emily stood and looked at her quietly.

She recalled the exchange they had shared just before Ivelina drifted off.

“I think I’m going to give up now. I’m too ashamed to keep going. Maybe there’s just no second child in my future.”

“Hmm.”

“I suppose it’s time to accept it. What else can I do but embarrass myself further?”

“Mm.”

“I’m sorry to Kai—but if my husband doesn’t want it either, there’s nothing to be done.”

Three consecutive failures had completely deflated her.

Emily gazed at Ivelina, sleeping curled small against the pillows, tear tracks still on her cheeks. A strand of hair fell across her face and made her frown even in her sleep.

Emily brushed it gently aside and murmured quietly to herself.

“Why.”

Her memory turned something over.

Emily’s brow slowly drew together.

There were definitely five.

She let out a soft, slow exhale.

“I didn’t want to use this one. But it seems there’s no choice.”

Emily tucked the blanket up to Ivelina’s chin. Then she quietly closed the door behind her.

Walking down the corridor, she let herself remember for a moment.

Emily Brown. The year she turned twelve.

She had been working as a messenger girl for a mercenary company when, by sheer chance, she encountered Countess Jane Florence—the count and countess happened to be taking a holiday in a neighboring estate.

“Such a young child, working with mercenaries—wouldn’t you be better off at our household?”

“Well… I suppose that’s true.”

“Would you come with me, child? It should be more comfortable than here. I’m Countess Florence, by the way. I have a daughter about your age—she’ll be ten this year.”

And so, through Jane’s kindness, Emily had come to work at Florence manor.

And there she met Ivelina.

“Sissuuh! Sniff. Sissuuh, what’s your name?”

Ivelina was clutching a rabbit plushie nearly as large as herself, translucent strings of snot trailing steadily from her nose.

“You may call me Emily, young miss.”

“Can I call you sissuuh Emily? Ivelina always wanted an older sister—I’m so happy!”

“No—I’m your lady’s maid. You should speak plainly with me. Just call me Emily.”

“If I call you Emily will you play with me? Mama and Papa only like Jacqueline. Ivelina is bored.”

“Yes. Call me Emily and I’ll play with you.”

Emily had seen every kind of person by the time she was young. Ivelina, by contrast, was startling.

She had never met anyone as warm or as kind. And Ivelina’s soul was as clear as her clear, translucent eyes.

“Emily, what is that?”

“That’s a laundry bucket. You use it to collect washing.”

“I see! And what about this?”

“A cockroach.”

“EEEK!”

Ivelina had been endlessly curious. And endlessly timid—frightened of something as trivial as a cockroach. And thoroughly, charmingly scatterbrained—perpetually trailing snot.

“Mm! …Mm!”

“Sniff!”

Emily had loved that about her.

So she had given Ivelina everything she had—without reservation. Because she wanted to see this person live happily, with her own two eyes.

There were definitely five of them.

Emily stopped walking.

It was time to begin the fourth method—the one that would close out this particular chapter.