Chapter 61

“This is my room… Yikes!”

As Brown opened the door, Raon stepped inside with a shy expression, only to gasp in surprise and scoop up a creature that had suddenly lunged toward him. It was Toto, the master of the room, who had been standing guard like a household deity and leaped into Raon’s arms in a joyful welcome. Raon, holding Toto—who possessed an all-access pass to every corner of the mansion—let out a small sigh.

“Toto, seriously, could you please give me a heads-up—or a ‘meow-up’—before you jump? For someone so chubby, you’re impossibly quiet when you want to be. Yet when I’m trying to study, you stomp your back feet so loudly.”

At Raon’s gentle scolding, Toto twitched his nose and tilted his head to the side.

“Don’t you dare try to have your way just because Mom isn’t here. I’ll tell her everything later.”

Twitch, twitch—

At the mention of Ramona, Toto’s whiskers trembled, and he buried his face into Raon’s chest, nuzzling him affectionately. The other boys watched the scene, fascinated.

“Whoa, a pink rabbit! I’ve never seen a pink rabbit before. Do you keep him here in the room?”

“Oh, yes… well, yes.”

“I’ve never seen a rabbit kept as a pet before. It’s amazing. What’s his name?”

“His name is Toto. Toto, say hello.”

“Hi, Toto. I’m Hyon Lepid. And these are Riad Rabid and Aruka Nispero. It’s really nice to meet you.”

Hyon reached out a hand in greeting. Toto glanced at it, turned his head the other way, and then—thump—placed a single forepaw onto Hyon’s hand.

“W-woah! Me too, me too! Hi, Toto! My name is Aruka Nispero. You can call me Aruka.”

When Aruka reached out his hand, Toto’s paw lightly tapped his palm. The three boys let out cries of delight, while Toto, cradled in Raon’s arms, simply wiggled his fluffy bottom.

Riad, watching with wide eyes, couldn’t stop exclaiming. “Does this rabbit—I mean, Toto—understand human speech?”

“Oh, yes. Well, not everything, but a little? He understands what’s beneficial for him with startling accuracy.”

“Pfft! What is he, a genius? Hahaha, he’s so smart. I guess he takes after his owner. Toto, would it be okay if we petted you?”

At Aruka’s hopeful request, Toto nudged his plump backside toward them. Aruka let out a soft groan of adoration as he stroked the fur.

“His fur is so soft.”

“It’s probably because he eats well; his coat has a healthy sheen. He’s the type to treat my mother’s prized garden crops as his personal buffet.”

Before entering the room, the atmosphere had been undeniably awkward. Raon had worried about how to act as the heir of the house and what to say to satisfy these young guests. He had accepted Ramona’s advice that meeting children from noble families would help before he headed to the Academy, but once the moment arrived, he found it impossible to enjoy.

However, thanks to Toto’s sudden appearance, the conversation began to flow naturally. Even though Toto had stolen the spotlight, Raon wasn’t jealous at all. He was simply grateful to the little guy.

“Oh, I’ve kept our guests standing for too long. I’m sorry. Would you like to take a seat?”

The three boys, who had been standing and chatting with Toto, followed Raon’s lead and sat down. Even then, their eyes remained fixed on the rabbit. Raon placed Toto on the desk and gave him some hay, as he usually did.

Munch, munch—

As they watched Toto chew the hay, the boys let out collective sighs at the cuteness.

“He’s even cuter because my mom was the one who rescued him. She found him caught in a trap during the winter. She even left firewood in his place as a ‘ransom’ for his life.”

“Oh, I see! Could we try feeding Toto some hay too?”

“Of course. Here.”

Raon handed out small bundles of hay. Seeing the snacks held in the curious hands of the three boys, Toto accepted and ate them one by one.

“Ohh, amazing!”

“Did you see that? He ate it right out of my hand!”

“Can we do it one more time? Please?”

Encouraged by their enthusiastic reactions, Raon smiled brightly and shared more hay, which Toto dutifully munched from their hands.

“He’s so cute. Seeing Toto makes me want to raise a rabbit too.”

“But I don’t think there’s another rabbit in the world quite like Toto.”

It wasn’t just girls who found pets adorable. The boys were beaming, completely preoccupied with feeding Toto and reveling in his cuteness. Thanks to the rabbit, the four of them bonded instantly and naturally dropped their formal speech.

“How long are we going to keep using formal language? Let’s just speak comfortably. Raon… can I call you that? You can call me Yon.”

“Oh, okay, brother Yon.”

A smile spread across Hyon’s face when Raon called him ‘brother‘.

“No one has ever called me brother before, so that title sounds really refreshing.”

It made sense; who would dare call the heir of the Lepid Duchy ‘brother‘? Most people treated him with stiff formality, unable to speak casually even if they were older.

“Then I’ll be brother too. I’m Aruka, but call me Luca. For the record, I’m nine years old. So Raon, you call me brother too.”

“Got it, brother Luca.”

“I’m Riad, just call me Riya. That’s what they call me at home. I’m eight.”

As it turned out, they were all older than Raon. It was a monumental day for Raon—he had suddenly gained three older brothers.

“Riya, why aren’t you going to the Academy?”

“I don’t really need to. Studying at home is enough.”

One could skip the Academy and simply take the exams. Since Riad wasn’t the outgoing type, he chose to learn from tutors rather than enroll.

“Well, as long as you pass the exams it’s fine, but I think it’s better to make friends at the Academy. Raon, are you entering this year?”

“Yes, I’m enrolling this fall. That’s why I’m studying hard right now,” Raon replied with a bright smile. The Academy term began in autumn, and Raon had already submitted his application.

“Whoa, then the three of us will see each other at the Academy. Ahem, make sure you call me ‘Senior’ at school. You can use my name in private, though.”

Aruka chuckled, clearly pleased at the prospect of having a cute junior.

“You have to join a club when you enter. If you’re interested, why not join the Archery Club? I’m a member there. If you come, I’ll take good care of you.”

“No way. Archery is exhausting and stressful. You should join the Reading Club with me instead. You can just sit quietly and read. You do have to submit a book report once a month, but if it’s too hard, I’ll write it for you.”

Hyon and Aruka competed to recruit Raon into their respective clubs before he had even set foot on campus. Raon just listened in wonder.

“Ahem, hearing that makes me want to go too. But I’m quite shy around strangers…”

Seeing Riad blush as he spoke, the other three boys looked at him with disbelief. How could he say he was shy after talking so much with them?

“Who was it? Who stole brother Riya’s shyness?”

“Pfft!”

Hyon and Aruka let out a burst of air at Raon’s question. To an outsider, it might have sounded like a scoff, but to Riad, the sight of the three boys laughing so genuinely was a beautiful thing.

The servants watching from a distance wore smiles of their own. Often, these meetings were filled with wariness and pretense, but here, all barriers had crumbled into sincere friendship. Ramona, looking relieved at the heartwarming scene, entered the room pushing a tray.

“It’s time for a snack, so please eat while you talk. I’ve prepared something special for Raon’s new friends. It’s called rice cakes; it’s a Southern Continent dish, so I hope it suits your palates.”

She placed a red version in front of Raon and a white version in front of the three boys.

“Oh, this is…”

They thought it was potato gnocchi, but it wasn’t. The three boys marveled at the chewy texture they were tasting for the first time. Hyon, the oldest, suddenly stood up and looked at Ramona.

“If it isn’t too rude to ask… are you married? And how old are you this year?”

It was a truly impolite question. The servant who had accompanied him looked horrified and shook their head, gesturing for him to apologize immediately, but Hyon was too focused on Ramona to notice.

“Hmm, legally I am single. My age… twenty-three this year?”

At Ramona’s answer, a radiant smile spread across Hyon’s face. He suddenly stepped toward her, dropped to one knee, took her hand, and pressed his lips to the back of it.

“They say one can live a lifetime with someone who cooks well. That being said, sister—how about me? We’re twelve years apart, but I eat everything I’m given and I’m growing up to be an excellent younger partner.”

Hyon spoke with a clear, sincere smile, his voice steady and devoid of mischief, leaving Ramona completely speechless.