**Episode 9**
—
‘I have to change back.’
Closing her eyes slowly, Sharie tried to calm her uneven breathing and regain control from the tips of her trembling fingers. Normally, when she opened her eyes after focusing like this, she would return to her human form.
But this time—
“…”
The large mirror still reflected nothing but a tiny white rabbit.
‘Why isn’t anything happening?’
She tried to sigh, but all that came out was a high-pitched squeak.
‘My head hurts.’
Her vision swam slightly, her stomach churned, and it was getting hard to concentrate.
Then it clicked.
—
*“It may taste sweet, but it’s very strong. Be careful,”* someone had warned her.
—
She was hungover.
She’d never had strong alcohol before, let alone enough to get drunk, so it had taken her a while to realize it.
‘I should’ve known when the letters on the page started dancing…’
‘I shouldn’t have drunk so much just because it tasted good…’
Instead of sighing, Sharie thumped her tiny head against the mattress.
The plush bed cushioned the impact, but the headache from the hangover still throbbed worse.
But there was no time for self-pity.
Thanks to her rabbit tribe’s excellent hearing, she picked up the sound of footsteps drawing near—steady, heavy steps full of presence.
It was Caissa.
*Thump, thump…*
If he saw her like this, he’d realize right away that she had no tail.
‘What do I do?’
As she panicked, the footsteps came closer and stopped right outside the door.
The door would open any second now.
‘I have to hide.’
In a rush, Sharie burrowed under the bed sheets.
The sheets were thick and heavy, meant for a bed far larger than her tiny rabbit body, and it was hard to lift them. But somehow, she managed.
*Click.*
At the same moment she slipped beneath the covers, the door opened.
“Sharie?”
His soft voice called her name.
“Sharie?”
Her heart felt like it would burst.
Over the past few weeks, she had realized Caissa was gentler than he first appeared. But now, in rabbit form, her instincts screamed at her—he was a predator. A snake. The fear was overwhelming.
‘I wish I could just pass out.’
But even as she hoped for unconsciousness, her senses stayed painfully alert.
“Hmm…”
A shadow loomed over the canopy. It moved slowly, like a prowling beast.
Sharie, ears upright and twitching, flinched at every small movement and burrowed deeper into the sheets.
Her small body disappeared under the covers, but the lump she made on the bed was clearly visible.
‘It’s over. He’ll find me.’
She trembled.
A memory from her childhood in Rahol surfaced—something her siblings used to say:
—
*“The snake-kin are so savage, they can’t even tell if we’re animals or people when we transform. They’ll eat you either way.”*
*“Just imagine our missing brothers on the battlefield… probably turned into snake food.”*
—
Most beastkin today lived like civilized people, forming communities and cultures. Those old horror stories were just wartime propaganda.
She knew that.
But still—why were those memories coming back now?
“Are you here?”
Caissa’s heavy presence stopped right in front of the bed.
If he heard her breathing, it was over.
Sharie froze, not even daring to breathe.
“I heard you skipped dinner. I was worried something might be wrong…”
His voice trailed off.
He saw her.
Any fool could spot the suspicious lump in the middle of the bed.
“…”
In the silence that followed, a shiver ran through her entire body.
‘What now…’
Tears welled up behind her tightly shut eyelids.
Then she heard something unexpected.
A soft laugh.
“My dear little bride, where *could* she have gone?”
His voice wasn’t cold. It wasn’t cruel. There was no hint of savagery.
“If she’s missing… I suppose I’ll just have to look for her.”
Then, his footsteps started again—playfully stomping away.
‘He… didn’t see me?’
It seemed unbelievable. Anyone could see the obvious lump.
A few steps, then silence.
‘Did he leave?’
Cautiously, Sharie poked her head out from under the sheets.
*Squeak—!*
Caissa was standing right there, grinning down at her.
It was a trap.
She’d fallen for it, and now her entire face turned red in shame.
‘I’m doomed…’
She should’ve stayed hidden. At least then she could have pretended he didn’t see.
Worse than being found out was what came next.
‘Now he knows… that I don’t have a tail.’
To outsiders, a missing tail might not seem like a big deal.
But for beastkin, a tail was essential—used for balance, communication, and pride.
Without it, she was clumsy and slow.
‘Caissa’s going to hate me.’
If he just got angry, that would be lucky.
He might even be furious that someone had dared send a defective bride.
He might reject their marriage entirely.
‘It can’t be helped.’
Whatever he did to her now, she would accept it.
Even if he ate her.
‘That’s just how my life ends, I guess.’
As she trembled with fear and regret, something unexpected happened.
“Why are you crying?”
A large hand gently brushed her nose.
His touch was so kind that the tears pooling in her pink eyes spilled over.
“Were you… afraid I’d eat you?”
His voice was teasing, but somehow gentle.
“I would never. I’m already scared you’ll melt away and vanish.”
His large hand softly ran from the top of her head down to where her tail *should* be.
The sensation of being petted from head to toe was oddly comforting.
He didn’t hate her.
‘I’m so glad…’
Relieved, Sharie flopped onto her side and stretched out her back legs.
A posture only shown to someone she fully trusted.
Caissa’s eyes narrowed as he looked down at her vulnerable little form.
“…Although,” he murmured, “I *would* like to put you in my mouth.”
He said it so quietly, almost sweetly—but the words were chilling.
Her ears stood straight up.
‘Didn’t he say he *wouldn’t* eat me?!’
She could *vividly* imagine a giant snake swallowing her whole.
Sweat trickled down her back.
She panicked and covered her face with her front paws.
But his voice kept coming—soft and dangerous.
“I wonder what kind of sounds you’d make… if I licked every inch of your tiny body.”
A warm breath brushed her nape. There was real hunger in it.
‘This is bad.’
Her instincts flared.
Sharie jerked her head upward in alarm—
And in that exact moment, their heads bumped.
*Smack—!*
Suddenly, her vision expanded. She was eye-level with Caissa again.
Her round paws were gone—replaced by human hands with five fingers.
“I’m back!”
She’d returned to human form.
Sharie was so relieved she instinctively threw her arms around the man in front of her.
“I changed back! Finally!”
The joy lasted only a second before she realized she was pressed against his rock-hard chest.
“Ah! I’m sorry!”
Flustered, she tried to pull away, but Caissa only smiled.
“There’s nothing to apologize for.”
His eyes curved gently in amusement.
He didn’t seem repulsed at all.
After a moment’s hesitation, Sharie asked carefully:
“Um… did you see me… earlier?”
Caissa blinked, surprised by the question.
He paused, then looked her over from head to toe.
As if memorizing every detail.
“I tried not to.”
Sharie stiffened at the implication.
“But with how you look now… it’s impossible not to see.”
What does that even mean?
Confused, she stared blankly.
Caissa smiled—he looked unusually pleased today.
“You’re showing me everything, after all.”
And finally, Sharie realized what kind of state she was in.
