TVCWB Chapter 48

 Chapter 048

While two door-sized men sat closely together making plans for the opera performance, Perea and Theo were sightseeing around the hotel.

Theo’s damp rabbit ears had been dried well and were now fluffed up and resting neatly on top of his head again.

“Oh my, the child is so adorable. Where are you from, little guest?”

Theo was holding his Rabbit Hero Sword tightly while looking around the candy shop on the first floor of the hotel, when a kind-looking middle-aged woman approached him and spoke.

She seemed to be human, not a beastkin, since there were no ears on her head. From her clothes and accessories, it was clear she came from a well-off family.

‘What if she’s a noble who frequents the Imperial Palace? What if she recognizes Theo’s face?’

Worried, Perea forced an awkward smile and tried to step back.

But Theo, who knew better than anyone that he was the cutest and prettiest in the world, answered the woman confidently.

“I came from Rabbit Village!”

“Rabbit Village? Is there such a place?”

The woman tilted her head. She knew that rabbit beastkin lived all over the Empire, but she had never heard of a village made up only of rabbit beastkin.

That was only natural. Timi Village was just a remote village that barely appeared on maps.

Since nobles usually only interacted with those of similar status, it was unlikely she would know about such a small place.

“Yes! It’s a really, really amazing village!”

“Oh my, really? I can’t believe I didn’t know about such a wonderful place. Could you tell me more about it?”

The woman clearly wanted to talk with Theo longer. She told the attendant following her to buy a basket of candy, then gifted it to Theo.

Theo did not immediately reach for it. Both Perea and Ray had repeatedly taught him that he shouldn’t accept gifts from strangers.

Instead, he turned his round, pale face toward Perea.

“Can I take it?”

“Mm-hm. Say thank you and accept it.”

“Okay…!”

Since she couldn’t tell him to refuse a gift right in front of the giver, Perea nodded.

Only then did Theo say thank you and hug the candy basket tightly.

“Thank you for accepting it. Then, could you tell me about your village someday?”

“Umm… Theo is busy.”

Theo thought seriously about her suggestion. As he did, his plump rabbit ears twitched back and forth.

He wasn’t lying. Theo really was busy. He had to look for Rabbit Hero souvenirs, pick pretty shells with Perea, and make a cool mask.

‘Even if I had ten bodies, it wouldn’t be enough.’

Theo’s serious 고민 made Perea feel embarrassed standing next to him.

“Ma’am, he should be free tomorrow afternoon. Would that time work for you?”

“Of course, anytime is fine! Oh my, how rude of me. Let me introduce myself properly. I’m Cheina Trukisil. Please feel free to call me Madam Truki.”

The woman smiled gracefully as she introduced herself.

Trukisil… It was a family name Perea didn’t recognize.

Since Perea knew very few noble families to begin with, she gently bent her knees and greeted her.

“My name is Kitten Perea. I am attending Young Master Theo.”

“Oh? I see. Theo… that’s the same name as the youngest prince, isn’t it?”

‘I knew it.’

Even if they didn’t know his face, many nobles knew the name of the youngest prince.

Especially in Eclit, a resort famous among nobles, at least two out of every ten people had connections to noble families.

Cold sweat ran down Perea’s forehead. She couldn’t believe she ran into a noble even inside a candy shop meant for children.

“But Theo is a cool name!”

Unlike Perea, who was flustered, Theo answered confidently.

This Theo was that Theo, but right now, he was a rabbit beastkin, not a tiger beastkin.

And the name Theo suited both tigers and rabbits equally well.

Madam Trukisil laughed loudly at the confident answer of the little rabbit beastkin, whose presence rivaled that of a prince. Her hearty laughter filled the candy shop.

“You’re right. Theo really is a wonderful name. Then, Theo, would you have tea with me tomorrow?”

“Yes! Perea said it’s okay!”

“Wonderful. Perea, would you come with Theo to where I’m staying tomorrow?”

Madam Trukisil said she was staying in a separate villa of the Wing Hotel.

Behind the ten-story main building was a private annex that could be rented exclusively, and it was about the size of a noble mansion.

Perea had seen it before while walking around the hotel with Theo, and she was once again surprised.

‘Just how wealthy do you have to be to rent something like that…?’

She decided she should ask Ray about the Trukisil family later. She didn’t want to make any mistakes in front of this woman.

“The annex has a lovely garden and a tea room inside a greenhouse, so we won’t need to go far.”

“Yes. We’ll visit tomorrow afternoon.”

“Alright. I’ll be waiting.”

She waved with the same kind smile she had when she arrived.

Theo waved back enthusiastically, still hugging the candy basket tightly.

That evening.

After spending time separately, Perea and Ray had a lot to talk about when they met again. However, since Ray was preparing a surprise in his own way, he couldn’t say even half of what he wanted to.

Because he was filtering out things he shouldn’t say to Perea, his day ended up being summarized as nothing more than ‘he breathed’.

“You just had tea with Berry… that’s all?”

“Yeah. He asked me to buy honey tea, so I did.”

They had spent the same amount of time outside, yet Ray’s day could somehow be summarized in a single line.

Blinking in confusion, Perea soon came back to her senses. Now wasn’t the time to worry about Ray’s overly simple day.

“Ray, um… have you ever heard of the Trukisil family?”

She asked while recalling the kind-looking middle-aged woman she had met earlier.

Judging from her appearance and lodging, she seemed to be a wealthy noblewoman… but Perea couldn’t understand why she was interested in them.

“Trukisil…?”

The name didn’t feel unfamiliar to Ray. But it wasn’t one he heard often either.

Digging deep into his old memories, Ray frowned as something surfaced.

They were one of the families that provided financial support to the Empress.

They weren’t directly related by blood, but they owned land in a city neighboring the region where the Empress was born.

That land was so rich in magic stones and resources that people joked you could make money just by digging the ground.

However, despite their wealth, they didn’t seem overly ambitious.

Perhaps because they were ordinary humans and not beastkin, they had provided material support to help the Empress rise to power, but none of the Trukisil family members held important official positions.

Because of that, Ray had concluded long ago that they weren’t a family that needed close monitoring. As a result, their name had almost faded from his memory.

“So the lady from that family is here…? They are connected to the Empress, but they don’t usually operate in the capital, so she probably didn’t recognize Theo.”

“Then why would she show interest in Theo? Does she really just want to talk? Should we avoid going?”

“No. I think it’s fine to go. But I should go with you.”

Using his role as a guard would give him a chance to observe her.

If she showed signs of knowing about what happened in the Imperial Palace, then they should change plans and leave Eclit immediately.

Perea nodded.

Her first impression wasn’t bad… but knowing the family was connected to the Empress made her uneasy.