Little Rabbit Can’t Escape Her Enemy After Reincarnation! - CH 14

Hank has taken over from Clyde’s role of supporting the black wolf’s neck. Ashley watches.

‘I wonder if I’m getting a little bit used to Lord Clyde?’ She thought. Since she had subconsciously been smiling at Clyde earlier.

‘It’s good that it’s like this.’

Ashley for sure felt that she was making progress, so she approached and moved closer to Clyde. She was still maintaining a certain distance from him. She was just at the edge of her limit.

Clyde’s eyes widened, perhaps he was surprised that Ashley approached him.

“What’s wrong?” He asked.

Jeanne, who brought a large towel to wipe the black wolf, glanced at Ashley.

‘Next step. Let’s take the next step.’ Ashley repeated in her head.

The next step is—yes. A friendly talk with Clyde. Ashley gulped. She thought she was making progress, but her heart was racing. Clyde was staring at her and her head went blank.

‘Uh, what am I supposed to say?’ She thought in confusion.

‘First and foremost, greetings? Like “hello”? But it would be strange to say something like that now since we’ve been together all this time. Let’s see, “How are you?” Or something like that? No, no, no it would be ridiculous.’

Clyde smiled at the distressed Ashley as she fell silent when she approached him.

‘What should I do? I can’t think of anything.’

At the corner of her impatient mind, she glanced over and thought that perhaps she should speak her mind a little.

“Um, how do you say?”

“Hm?”

“That–it’s about my friend,” still, she felt that she had barely any rationality left in her.

“A friend?”

“Yes. My friend seems to want to get used to that person.”

“Oh, really? Who?”

“Her fiancée.”

Clyde’s eyes widened. And quickly returned to his original smile, “Okay.”

“That’s right. She’s trying to get used to him, but it seems that it isn’t going very well, and she feels sorry for her fiancée…”

“Why is your friend having a hard time with her fiancée?”

“Well…I don’t know about that.”

“–I see. Then, I think she can just get used to him slowly at her own pace.”

He was gentle. Ashley was happy and nodded with a smile, “That’s right! I will!”

‘I’m glad I told you!’

She told it to him as a friend’s story, but she still was able to have a good friendly conversation with him. It was a small step, but for Ashley it was a big step forward.

‘Yes, that’s right. He’s a nice person. I’ll get used to him little by little like this.’

Clyde placed his hand on his chin as if deep thought and said to the delighted Ashley, “There are other ways to get used to it. It’s kind of like shock therapy.”

“Shock therapy?”

“Yes. Suppose there is a person who has difficulty riding a horse. Then you force them to ride and let them ride around the track. And before you know it, he’s able to ride a horse.”

“Oh? I have heard of it.”

‘Huh? But then, in this case…’

“Why don’t they try being hugged by their fiancée? she might get used to it right away.”

“”

Fear creeped up from her feet. Just thinking about it sent a shiver down her spine, “I…I think it’s impossible.” she managed to squeeze these words out.

Clyde laughs, “Really? I think it would be a good method.”

“It’s absolutely impossible.”

She’s confident that she’d faint if someone were to do that to her.

“I doubt it. Shall I do it?”

“Eh…What? And, it’s a friend’s story…?”

“Of course, I know.” Clyde had a certain smile on his face.

She didn’t know what to do. It’s scary. Ashley was about to step back.

He noticed that Ashley was scared, so he said with a wry smile, “I forgot. The maids baked cookies for us. They’re in a little bag on top of the toolbox over there.”

“Is this it?” Jeanne picked up a brown paper bag.

“Yes. You can eat it.”

“Thank you.” Jeanne hesitates, then gently hands Ashley the cookies.

Ashley sniffed the three cookies she had received. The cookies were small, but thick and firm. It also has a nice brown color, but it has a slight orange tinge to them. And yet, this faint scent tickled her nose…

Ashley’s face lit up and she popped the cookie into her mouth.

* * * *

Clyde looked at Ashley happily chewing the cookie with a smile. Then he got down on one knee beside Hank, who was supporting the demon’s neck. He hasn’t responded once since his nose moved earlier. It’s probably time to move on, he thought.

“I’ll take over. Hank, you may have a cookie, too.”

“Thank you! You’re not going to eat, Master Clyde?”

“No, I’m good. Give them to Ashley. I’m sure she likes the taste of it.”

Hank seemed to be impressed, “So, Master Clyde went out of your way to ask the maids to make cookies with this flavor?” He was very perceptive.

These carrot cookies were sweet with the subtle flavor of grated carrots. He thought that Ashley, who loves carrots, would like them. Clyde chuckled as Hank commented about his care for his fiancée. The day before, during dinner, he noticed that Ashley had enjoyed the bowl of carrot soup deliciously. And now, her eyes narrowed as she ate the carrot cookies. She eats a little at a time with her tiny mouth, but at a fast pace.

As he thought during dinner, she has good manners and eats beautifully because she’s a count’s daughter. However, it seems that when she is faced with something she likes, she becomes absorbed with it, just like now. She really looks like a small animal. He thought that it was a raccoon dog or a weasel before.

‘No, it’s not. A squirrel? A mouse? Or….a rabbit?’

A rabbit with two long ears. He feels that she’s more similar to that. He does not often think so, but for some reason, when she’s eating her favorite food she does.

“”

‘I wonder why? Is it because she likes carrots?’

He has some things that he should reflect on. He spoke a little too much earlier. He did not intend to tell her all about the time of the black wolf’s awakening, but Ashley was earnestly asking him. She usually turns her head away when their eyes meet, but she looked straight into his eyes while she spoke, even though she was shaking. That must be why.

‘Will this turn out to be a good thing or a bad thing?’ he thought as he looked at the face of the sleeping black wolf.

And what Ashley had told him earlier, He knew right away that it was about herself, she just passed it off as a friend’s story.

‘I suppose that she has a problem with me?’

He was convinced as well as shocked. He never thought that a woman would say such a thing to him nor did he think that he’d be shocked by it. And because of that, it made him express feelings that he usually suppresses. Still, he had new questions. What is it that makes him so difficult to deal with? He has no idea. Ashley never mentioned it either.

‘Perhaps I should send someone to the Wollett’s tonight.’

The reason why Ashley knows about demons. Clyde thinks that her family may have had ancestors that were involved with the demon kingdom. The black wolf lived quietly in the northern mountains for two hundred years. So during that time, there may be a group of demons that survived at that time, similar to the black wolf, and they may have something to do with it.

The Wollett family may have received writings handed down by their ancestors, which Ashley may have read, hence why she knew about miasma and demonic beasts. That obviously, could not explain her familiarity to  the smell of miasma, but he could not think of any other possible reason.

‘And yet, the black wolf still reacted.’

When Ashley went in front of the black wolf before, too.

‘I see the light.’

His mood lifted. He may now be able to repay the black wolf from his childhood promise.

‘It’s all thanks to Ashley.’

He didn’t choose her as his fiancée just because he particularly liked her. It was really by chance. But now, he doesn’t want to let her go anymore. He wasn’t sure if it’s because of the demon or because of Ashley herself. She’s interesting to watch. Her reactions are different from the norm, and he’d never get tired of it. Also, her manners and gestures are amusing. Watching her takes away his tiredness and without realizing it, he finds himself laughing.

“Master Clyde, you seem to be enjoying yourself.” Hank said while biting into a cookie.

“Is that so?”

“’Yes. But is it okay to let Jeanne stay by Miss Ashley’s side? Jeanne has feelings for Master Clyde. I’m not sure if it’s a good idea to have her here, she’s fierce and he has a pretty tight attitude towards her…Huh? She’s a little quiet today though. Why is that?” Hank tilted his head and moved closer to Jeanne, who was a little further away. Then, he whispered something softly to Jeanne, who was staring at Ashley eating a carrot cookie with a smile.

‘I hope he didn’t say anything unnecessary.’

His thoughts were right as Jeanne smacked Hank. He knew it and let out a small sigh. He thought of Hank’s words saying that Jeanne’s a bit hard on Ashley.

‘It’ll be fine.’ He smiled with certainty, ‘Jeanne likes rabbits.’