Chapter 9
It’s the Villain, But It’s a Bunny (4)
As soon as Illeina left the kitchen, she hurried to her room.
Ugh… I’m so tired… My head feels foggy…
She hadn’t done much, yet her entire body felt heavy and exhausted, like she’d just run a marathon.
The moment she returned to her room, she threw herself onto the bed.
Relief washed over her body as if she’d finally arrived where she was meant to be.
Ah, so cozy.
Soft and warm.
Whenever the damp, gloomy feeling of depression crept over her, she always yearned for something warm to wrap around her like this.
Yeah, I wanted to live in a world just like this blanket—pain-free and fluffy.
With that thought, Illeina drifted off into a deep sleep.
“Wake up!”
At the booming voice of Andre, Illeina groggily opened her eyes.
“My goodness. You skipped dinner, and now you’re sleeping this much? You have to get up and eat breakfast now!”
“Mmhh… I don’t need food…”
“Oh no, no, no. Don’t say that! Eat something, then you can sleep again!”
Huh. That line’s straight out of a drama.
Still half-asleep, Illeina let herself be pulled up by Andre’s hands.
Eat first, then go back to sleep!
She’d seen that line a million times in TV dramas—usually a curly-haired middle-aged mom smacking her kid’s back as she said it.
She’d always wondered if families like that actually existed.
The mansion she’d grown up in had been massive, pristine, and utterly lifeless.
She’d heard that her parents had one of those typical arranged marriages common among the ultra-rich.
Her mother was only ever interested in running her private art gallery and had never once cared about what Illeina ate or thought.
Her two older brothers constantly regarded her with suspicion because she had better business acumen than them.
“What is the chairman thinking, including a girl in heir training? He has two perfectly fine grandsons.”
“Women are too emotional. They’re not suited for serious leadership.”
“Exactly. All the board members are men—who would follow a female CEO?”
So she had pushed herself even harder.
They said women were emotional and weak. That she was clueless because she was a third-gen chaebol. That she was only there because of nepotism and probably lacked real skills.
The more she overheard such whispers, the more she buried and suppressed her emotions.
Being emotional is weakness. Weakness is bad. No one must ever know.
She repeated it like a mantra, whipping herself forward like a madwoman.
And that’s how she ended up like this.
Illeina let out a bitter smile as she gazed at the sky, still full of dark clouds.
“I really have no appetite… huh?”
What was that?
As she forced herself up from bed, something clattered near her feet.
“Oh, that? I saw it sitting outside the door this morning,” said Andre, who was setting the breakfast table.
It was a transparent crystal jar with an adorably bunny-shaped lid.
“And this note came with it.”
Andre handed her a small note that had been placed on the bedside table.
“For applying around the eyes.”
It was written in unfamiliar characters, yet she could read it without issue.
Who gave this to me?
Illeina stared at the unnecessarily cute crystal jar that supposedly held eye medicine.
Only two people knew what had happened yesterday—the Black King and that fussy bespectacled aide. Definitely not the aide.
Then… the Black King? No way.
She shook her head, recalling his cold, imposing demeanor.
Then who…?
Last night had been one of the worst she’d had in a long while.
Whenever her depression deepened like that, it felt as if the moon and stars had all disappeared.
Like she was walking alone through an endless, pitch-black night.
Just knowing someone had worried about her on such a night made her heart flutter ever so slightly.
“You must eat breakfast! You know how bad skipping meals is for your health? No picky eating either! I’ll be checking! After eating, we’re doing massage and then going for a walk before lunch.”
Andre rattled on like one of those nagging drama moms.
Illeina sighed with a reluctant smile and slowly got out of bed.
“Your skin is absolutely flawless, my Lady.”
“…Is it? …Ahh, that feels good.”
Soft moans echoed from the annex where Illeina was staying—no doubt enough to raise eyebrows among any passersby.
After breakfast, Andre had offered to give her an oil massage before their walk.
When she hesitated, he’d reassured her first:
“Oh, don’t worry! I don’t feel anything toward women!”
He’d even flapped his hands in a cheeky gesture.
She couldn’t refuse after that. And when she lay down as instructed—my God.
“Aahh… so good.”
His hands, pressing firmly against her oil-covered calves, were divine.
What if I’d said no and missed this?
Illeina melted like ice cream under the midsummer sun.
“Yes, so pale… That’s a rare complexion in the desert.”
“Mmm… Really? Ahhh, right there. That’s good.”
Desert… desert…
Her half-lidded eyes stared blankly at the bunny-shaped crystal bottle on the table, when a thought flitted across her mind.
Come to think of it, didn’t the Black King carry around a strangely cute handkerchief?
A bunny pattern… huh…
Illeina muttered dreamily, “…What kind of person is the Black King again?”
“His Majesty? …Oh my! No way. I knew it! Ohoho!”
Andre suddenly became all flustered.
Illeina, instantly guessing where his thoughts had gone, quickly cut in.
“Hmm? It’s not what you’re thinking at all. He’s, uh, someone I can’t have.”
“Can’t have?”
Because of my depression, even a guy that handsome doesn’t stir a single feeling in me.
Hiding the truth, she offered another reason.
“He said he’s seeing someone.”
That adorable handkerchief must’ve been a gift from some young lady he was dating.
“Huh? His Majesty?”
Andre looked truly shocked.
Why is he so surprised that a young man in his prime might have a girlfriend?
“I’m actually close with the maids of the Solar Palace. We even have our own gossip group.”
Andre continued while pressing into her stiff thighs.
“They’re all so worried. Ever since he took the throne, His Majesty hasn’t brought a single woman into the palace.”
“Could he be… just not into women?”
Illeina carefully phrased the “Is he gay?” question.
Apparently, in the South, even romantic preferences were treated liberally.
But Andre shook his head with utmost certainty.
“Ab-so-lutely not.”
“How can you be so sure?”
Illeina looked at him, genuinely curious now.
“I have… a sixth sense. I can tell when someone shares my orientation. And His Majesty? No. Way.”
Ah, a gaydar.
She’d heard of that—how people with similar orientations can sometimes just sense it in each other.
Then the only remaining possibility…?
Would accusing a foreign monarch of this get her charged with defaming royalty?
Still, her curiosity got the better of her.
“Then… maybe he’s physically incapable?”
“Also a no. A big no.”
Andre replied firmly again.
“And how would you know that?”
Now seriously curious, Illeina raised her head and looked at him.
Blushing, Andre cupped his cheeks with both hands.
“Well…”
Oh my. He giggled, fussed, and then leaned in to whisper confidentially:
“This is just between us, okay? I happened to see. He changed clothes right in front of me like it was nothing.”
Then, mid-massage, he used his hands to gesture everything out.
“I see…”
And just like that, Illeina ended up learning intimate, non-canon details about the story’s ultimate villain.
“Feeling better now?”
Andre asked, massaging her firmly.
“What do you mean ‘better’…”
She laughed softly, surprised by how easily she’d warmed up to him.
“I’m going back North in three months anyway.”
“That’s right… huh…”
“Wow… That’s amazing. Right there. Perfect.”
She melted again under Andre’s magical hands.
And so she missed the strange glint in his eyes.
Once the massage ended, Andre fussed again.
He insisted she had to take a walk at least once a day and practically dragged her outside.
“You’ll get sick if you don’t get sunlight!”
So they knew basic health facts here too.
Even her therapist used to stress that point every session.
“You need at least two hours of sun daily.”
Seriously? Who has time for that working 9 to 5?
Her past life really had been a breeding ground for mental illness.
“Oh my goodness!”
Andre suddenly exclaimed, pulling her out of her thoughts.
“Looks like the royal knights are training! Oh my, His Majesty is there too!”
He pointed toward the training field.
“I had no idea he’d be there today! What a coincidence!”
As he said “His Majesty,” he poked her side repeatedly.
“Mmm… I see…”
Illeina replied with a tired look.
So that’s why today’s walking route had been different—he’d planned it.
She sighed. She appreciated the effort, but really, she had no libido.
“Haah… What a view. What a gift from the gods.”
On the training grounds, what looked like knights swung wooden swords or rode horses in drills.
Under the intense sun, several had stripped off their tops.
Andre clasped his hands under his chin, smiling in delight.
Maybe he brought her out here just for himself.
Illeina chuckled at his honesty.
Unlike her, Andre never held back his emotions.
And then—
“Ah! Over there! Be careful!”
A shout rang out.
Whoosh—
The sound of something slicing through the air.
