Chapter 27
With a loud thud, Theo tumbled off his seat and rolled across the carriage floor.
Both Perea and Ray shouted at the same time.
“Theo!”
“Lord Theo!”
Fortunately, Theo tucked his body in midair and minimized the impact — a natural reflex for a tiger beastman.
Perea quickly pulled away from Ray and ran to the boy. The carriage, which had swayed dangerously, soon steadied again.
“Uuugh…”
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
Even though his landing was perfect, the shock had scared him. Theo’s face crumpled as he threw himself into Perea’s arms.
After checking that he wasn’t injured, Perea kept him snugly at her side and walked toward the front.
“Sir Ray, was there some kind of obstacle on the road?”
“No…”
“Really? Huh, that’s strange.”
Then why had he turned the reins so sharply, as if a deer had suddenly jumped out? Perea looked at him with a ‘What are you doing?’ kind of expression.
But Ray had his own reasons — and he felt wronged.
She winked first, and then she had even grabbed his shoulder! He’d only been startled by her boldness, that was all.
Still, Ray had never been good with words, and if he’d ever had a talent for explaining misunderstandings smoothly, his life would’ve gone very differently.
So this time again, he just kept silent. And yes — he was honestly frustrated.
“If you’re tired, should I drive instead?”
“I’m not tired.”
Ray blew a sharp breath through his nose and focused back on the reins. For a moment, he even thought about winking back at her — but it was already too late.
Wait, why would I even wink…?
Even though Perea was a human, she was cute. When her green eyes widened, they shone brighter than any gem or magic stone.
She didn’t have the natural pheromones that beastwomen did, but she always smelled nice — and the dimples that appeared when she smiled made him want to poke them with his finger.
And she was clever — much sharper than most royal veterinarians.
Plus, unlike other beastmen who avoided him as if his presence brought misfortune, she treated him with no prejudice at all. Well… except for one slight misunderstanding.
Anyway, the more he thought about her, the more words came to his mind.
Perea wasn’t just “decent.” She was truly a good person.
For the first time in his life, Ray found himself seriously analyzing someone — and the more he thought, the more tangled his thoughts became, like a ball of yarn.
Maybe because of his confusion, the carriage began to sway again — and soon, both Theo and Perea started to feel motion sickness.
✦ ✦ ✦
“Okay, open wide — ahh.”
“Ahh.”
Perea gently dropped some motion-sickness medicine into Theo’s small mouth. He scrunched up his face at the bitter taste but didn’t spit it out — instead, he swallowed it bravely.
Seeing that, Perea clapped her hands proudly, then drank her own dose of medicine to the last drop.
She couldn’t believe it — she hadn’t even gotten motion sickness on the rough supply wagon, and yet she was feeling it now in this luxurious carriage.
Shooting a sharp glare toward Ray, who calmly drank water under his black cloak, she knew he could feel her stare — but he pretended not to notice.
Even Theo couldn’t take his side this time. The boy pouted and began punching Ray’s thick thigh with his tiny fists — not that it had any effect.
Eclit was a famous resort city, so the resting areas along the road were crowded with travelers.
Some groups were all human, some were all beastmen, and some were mixed. The carriages parked nearby also came in all styles and sizes.
Theo wandered around the small carriage yard, excitedly examining each one.
“Oh my, what a cute little rabbit gentleman!”
A bright soprano voice called from behind. Perea and Theo turned around from where they had been admiring a set of wheel designs.
The woman standing there was tall and slender, with long red hair cascading down to her waist — and horns and ears perched gracefully on her head. She was a gazelle beastwoman.
Having been friends with a gazelle beastwoman back at the Academy, Perea’s face immediately brightened.
The woman, noticing Perea’s friendly look, smiled back with eyes that curved like crescents. As they smiled at each other, Theo suddenly stepped forward.
“I’m Theo, the Rabbit Hero!”
He put both hands on his hips and puffed out his chest proudly. His big white rabbit ears swayed with the motion.
Both Perea — who knew Theo’s true identity — and the gazelle woman — who didn’t — chuckled softly.
“Hello, my name is Perea Keaton. I’m sorry for looking at your carriage without permission.”
Perea bowed politely, worried she might have offended the lady.
But instead of being upset, the gazelle woman bent slightly and smiled gracefully.
“Hello, Lord Theo, Miss Perea. My name is Dia Eur. Do you like my carriage?”
“Mm-hmm! The wheels look so pretty!”
“Do they? Thank you. That’s my family’s crest.”
Her voice was so beautiful that it could melt winter snow. Theo sniffed the air curiously — trying to sense her scent, as beastmen often did.
Once he determined through his sharp nose that Dia wasn’t dangerous, he stepped forward — but still held tightly onto Perea’s hand.
“Dia, you go Ekkuri too?”
“Ekkuri…?”
A language gap appeared. Dia tilted her head, not understanding the strange word.
Having experienced this before, Perea smiled and translated.
“‘Ekkuri’ means Eclit. We’re going there for vacation.”
“Ah, Eclit! That’s right — I’m heading there too. I have a performance next week.”
With elegant motion, Dia brushed her red hair behind her shoulder. The vivid crimson strands shimmered as her pale fingers slid through them.
Her gestures match her voice perfectly…!
Perea found herself momentarily mesmerized. Back in the Academy, her gazelle friend had been nothing like this woman — other than both being herbivore beastmen, they had no similarities at all.
Thinking that she should write to her old classmate once she reached Eclit, Perea continued chatting.
Since both were herbivore-type beastmen, conversation flowed easily.
“You mentioned a performance — are you a singer?”
“Yes. I’m a bit embarrassed, but… this will be my first time starring in an opera.”
“Wow! Then you’re the prima donna!”
“Ahaha, I’m flattered you’d call me that.”
Dia chuckled modestly, lifting one shoulder.
“Perea, what’s a priwma-donna? Is it better than a Rabbit Hero?”
Theo tugged on Perea’s hand, curious.
“No! The Rabbit Hero is even braver and cooler!”
The answer came not from Perea but from Dia herself — cheerful and perfectly in tune with a child’s feelings.
Perea’s fondness for Dia grew even more, and Theo, pleased with the response, wiggled happily and purred.
Hearing that sound — something no rabbit beastman should make — Dia blinked in surprise, but then brushed it off.
‘Maybe some rabbit beastmen just sound like that…’
“By the way, are you two traveling alone?”
“Oh, no! Our escort knight is with us too!”
Now that she mentioned it, Perea realized Ray was nowhere to be seen.
Did he run off because he felt guilty? No, that couldn’t be — Ray wasn’t the type to care about “guilt.”
Standing on tiptoe, she looked around for him — but his large, silver-haired figure was nowhere to be found. Theo also looked and frowned sadly when he couldn’t spot him.
“I see. That’s good — I also came with my escort knight. Even though the road to Eclit is considered safe, you never know what might happen. Oh? But where did he go?”
Dia, too, began glancing around for her knight.
Their eyes met in midair — three people, all looking for their missing escorts.
A chilly breeze swept between them.
