TVCWB Chapter 11

Chapter 11

It had already been four days since Prince Theo began living in Timi Village.

During that time, the young prince had spent his days happily — eating carrots with the rabbit children, chasing them around, and laughing until his cheeks hurt.

The little snow-rabbit beastmen, still too young to have fully developed instincts, simply laughed whenever Theo laughed.

But for the adults, every one of those moments made their hearts ache with anxiety.

They couldn’t tell the prince not to play with their children — yet letting him run freely among them made them nervous.
The gap between species and status was as wide as the distance between the earth and the sky.

So instead, the adults began to quietly probe Perea for answers.

“Perea, when exactly is that leopard noble going to leave the village?”

Everyone who came to her clinic asked the same question until her ears practically hurt.

The worst part was that Perea herself didn’t know the answer.

Judging by how things were going, it looked like the prince might stay even longer than she expected — and that thought made her uneasy.

“Phew…”

She sighed unconsciously, then sighed again without realizing it.

“Are you trying to dig a hole in the ground with all that sighing?”

“…What?”

“With the way you’re sighing, I’m wondering if the floor will collapse. The house already looks like it might blow away in the wind anyway.”

Perea frowned at Ray’s sudden insult to her home. Then she realized — she had been sighing right in front of him.

Still, he was her patient, and she was his doctor.

She had promised herself not to mix personal feelings into medical care… even if the man was insufferable.

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Perea dabbed disinfectant carefully onto his shoulder wound.

That saying about beastmen having “animal-like recovery” must have been created because of people like him.
A wound that had been terrible just a few days ago was already covered in new, healthy skin.

She had planned to remove his stitches in about ten days, but now it was healing so quickly she decided to do it today.

“Hmph. My head’s just a little crowded with thoughts, that’s all. Anyway — you don’t feel any pain now, right?”

Ray gave her a sly smirk. “With a head that small, it must get full pretty fast.”

“What—! What’s wrong with my head? I’ll have you know I graduated top of my class in veterinary school!”

She looked ready to pull out her diploma as proof.

Ray watched her flushed, indignant face and silently chuckled.

Over the past few days, he had discovered a new form of entertainment — teasing the human woman who treated him.

Where Theo made him smile with innocent mischief, Perea made him laugh with her fiery overreactions.

Like now — he had only meant her brain capacity must be small, not that she was stupid, but she immediately took offense and started bouncing in outrage.

She reminded him of a monkey showing off its bright red bottom — ridiculous but somehow endearing.

“Alright, alright,” he said finally. “You must be smart — you’re a vet, after all. Now stop being angry and finish treating me.”

“…Yes, fine.”

Embarrassed by her own outburst, Perea lowered her head and focused on her work.

The rest of the treatment went quickly and quietly.

Ray didn’t even flinch once, no matter how much the wound must’ve stung. Truly a stubborn man.

Perea checked his skin carefully. “You can get the wound wet now, but no swimming or long baths yet, okay?”

“Got it. Then does that mean I can move freely again?”

She nodded. As if you haven’t been doing that already, she thought.

“Good. Then come with me to the forest.”

“…Huh?”

Her eyes widened. There was only one “forest” near Timi Village — the place where their carriage had crashed.

Why would he want to go back there?

Then she remembered.

“Oh! Are you going to start repairing the carriage today?”

“…What?”

“Well, you can’t leave until it’s fixed, right?”

“Of course not. I’m not a magician — how could I fix something that’s completely destroyed?”

Ray gave a short laugh, half amused and half exasperated.

Perea’s ears burned red. She hadn’t meant to sound so obvious about wanting them to leave sooner.

He looked at her silently.

Unlike beastmen, whose tails and ears revealed their feelings instantly, humans like Perea were harder to read.
He had to watch her face carefully — her eyes, her mouth, her posture — to understand her mood.

At first, he’d found it annoying. But now… it didn’t bother him anymore.
In fact, he caught himself enjoying reading her expressions.

Whenever he discovered a new one, he felt oddly proud — the same satisfaction he got from mastering a new sword technique.

He told himself it was just Theo’s influence rubbing off on him. That had to be it.

The reasoning of a man who only understood emotions through the logic of a soldier.

And so the “forest expedition team” was formed — consisting of exactly two people: Ray and Perea.

Of course, Theo threw a tantrum when he heard he couldn’t go.

But Ray firmly shook his head. The place of the accident was dangerous — there might still be wreckage or bad memories that could traumatize the boy.

For once, Perea agreed with him completely.
It was no place for a child.

“Then Theo will play with the bunny brothers, okay?”

“Yes. Play with them, and we’ll be back soon,” Perea said.

Theo turned his golden eyes toward the rabbit youths standing behind them.
Though his face looked cheerful and cute, there was something fierce and royal about his gaze that made the young rabbits’ long ears tremble.

Then, as if flipping a switch, Theo suddenly smiled brightly and clung to Harun’s leg.

“Let’s play! Okay?”

“H-haha… o-of course, Your High— I mean, of course!”

“Let’s play tag! I’m it! Hurry and hide!”

He shouted joyfully, baring his sharp little teeth in excitement.

The rabbit youths yelped and scattered immediately.

Luckily, they were fast runners and good at hiding — their only comfort was knowing they probably wouldn’t get caught right away.

“Have a good trip!” Theo called, giving a deep bow.

It was a habit he’d learned from watching the villagers greet each other.

In the Imperial Palace, people had always bowed to him, and he never even noticed.
But here, Theo had learned to greet, eat vegetables, dress himself, and even start writing simple letters.

Thanks to that, caring for him had become a little easier for Ray — though his cold face and blunt tone never showed it.

Receiving such a polite farewell from the prince, Perea adjusted the bag slung over her shoulder.
Inside were various medicines and first-aid tools — everything she might need in case of an emergency.

Even a small forest could be unpredictable, so she prepared thoroughly.

“Too heavy for you to carry?” Ray asked.

“I didn’t put it down because it’s heavy!” she retorted.

“Oh, really? I just thought… since we’re going there because of me, I’d carry it if it was too much.”

“Well… it’s not exactly light, either.”

Catching herself mid-sentence, Perea quickly held the bag out toward him.

After all, it was his idea to drag her into this forest trip — carrying the bag seemed only fair.

“Hurry up!” she said, shaking the strap.

Surprisingly, Ray took it without argument.

She blinked in disbelief. She had expected at least one sarcastic comment before he agreed.

Her hands felt suddenly lighter, and she grinned in triumph — like a tiny puppy that thought it had beaten a tiger.

If she’d had a tail, it would’ve been wagging high with pride.

Somewhere along the way, Perea’s view of Ray had changed.

The fear and wariness she’d felt toward the predator beastman had slowly faded.
Now, she saw him as something more like a difficult but oddly familiar cat — proud, prickly, but not scary anymore.

It was a small change. So small that neither of them realized it yet.