Bunny left the boy’s room and began navigating the Imperial Palace once more.
*There are a hundred rooms in the Imperial Palace.*
No matter how many she opened, a new door seemed to manifest in her path. Naturally, the number of doors that were either already unlocked or accessible was limited. She was deep in the throes of her diligent exploration when she turned a corner and froze.
“Hey, did you hear? It sounds like His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince is going to pass away soon…”
Bunny’s footsteps came to an abrupt halt at the sound of the voices.
*The Crown Prince…?*
The future big boss of the humans she had read about in her fairy tales.
*That shiny, pretty hair from earlier.*
Bunny pressed her back against the wall, holding her breath until the maids passed. She was here to gather information, after all; getting caught now would be a disaster.
“That’s right. Even the doctors have given up. It seems even the prestigious Judia Dukedom can’t do anything about it. They say he can’t be purified. And he’s only nine years old.”
“I know. It’s such a pity for His Majesty. He’s the only successor, and Her Majesty the Empress can no longer bear children…”
“Hey! You girls, watch your tongues! What on earth are you saying in the Imperial Palace?”
A voice interrupted the whispering group, sharp and startled.
Bunny risked a glance around the corner, then immediately ducked back.
“No, we were just…”
“If you want to keep working here, you’d better watch your mouth!”
At the harsh reprimand, Bunny tapped her toes against the floor—*tap, tap.*
*Toto-toto.*
Listening quietly for a moment longer, Bunny turned and headed back the way she came.
***
*Not this one, and not this one either…*
Bunny tried the doors that were slightly ajar, popping her head in unexpectedly.
“Found it!”
A heavy door, much like the one before, sat cracked open. Bunny poked her head inside and scanned the room. Empty.
Squeezing through the gap, she scurried across the floor—*toto-toto*—and reached for the massive bed, rising onto her tiptoes. It was far too tall; even if she dangled and scrambled, she couldn’t reach the mattress.
With no other choice, Bunny dragged a nearby chair to the bedside, climbed onto it, and launched herself upward. She landed on the bed, the mattress sinking to envelop her in a soft embrace.
“…The future big boss’s bed is nice.”
Bunny’s own bed back home was shoddy. She narrowed her eyes, thinking of her own thin, un-fluffy mattress.
“…Haa, *huk*…”
Bunny looked down at the boy, who was drenched in a cold sweat and gasping for air. She placed a small, maple-leaf-like hand on his forehead.
*Hot.*
If the future human big boss died, the current big boss would be sad.
*…It’s sad when a mom, a dad, and a baby part ways.*
Bunny knew that feeling. *Bunny was sad, too, when she said goodbye to her mom and dad.*
If this child died, everyone would be sad. And being sad was a bad thing. Bunny shook her head firmly and scanned the room once more.
*If I get caught, Bunny is done for.*
She had to finish this and leave undetected.
“*Heu*… *huk*, *herk*…”
“It’s okay now.”
*Chap-chap.*
Bunny patted the boy’s cheeks, her touch gentle so as not to hurt him.
『Come here.』
A clear Demonic tongue escaped her lips.
Bunny’s round pupils split into vertical slits, and her deep pink eyes flared, shifting to a vibrant, shimmering blood-red. Tiny horns sprouted from the crown of her head.
The center of the demons. The master of the demons. The entity of the Demon World.
At the command of the future master, the pitch-black energy devouring the boy’s insides began to seep out through his mouth, nose, and ears, flowing directly into Bunny’s horns.
*Sreureuk.*
Bunny pressed her palms firmly against the sharp horns protruding from her head.
“No, go in.”
*It’s not time yet. I have to stay human. Only then can I grow up, meet Luri again, and become a giant Great Demon King.*
As she pressed down on them, the horns slowly vanished from sight.
“Done!”
Bunny giggled and looked down. The boy’s complexion was brighter, his ragged gasps replaced by steady, rhythmic breathing.
*Bunny is mushy…*
Her body felt suddenly, crushinglly heavy, as if pinned by a leaden blanket.
*Spin, spin.*
“*Heu-ing*. I have to go back…”
She tried to focus, to step down onto the chair, but her vision tilted violently.
*Thump.*
Her legs gave out, and she plopped onto the mattress. She shook her head, but the room refused to stop swirling. She struggled to rise, but the exhaustion was absolute.
“I’m in trouble…”
Her body slumped forward. She felt around one last time to ensure her horns were hidden, then closed her eyes.
*The bed is soft…*
It was just that the bed was so fluffy it wouldn’t let her go. She couldn’t leave. Before long, her face flushed red and her breathing leveled out. She stopped thinking entirely.
“……”
Moments after Bunny drifted off, the boy with the golden hair slowly opened his eyes.
“…Who is this child?”
His red eyes blinked, sluggish and heavy. He had been conscious since the girl entered, watching with detached curiosity as she dragged the chair over. Even with his eyes closed, he had felt the shift. The moment her hand touched his forehead, the agonizing rot that had plagued him for years simply… evaporated.
He didn’t feel any pain. The strange, internal burning that gnawed at his organs was gone.
*My body feels light.*
The boy’s eyes went wide. Years ago, when the news of the Demon King’s death reached the empire, a demon hiding in the palace had died, but not before cursing him. Since that day, his life had been a living hell. He was constantly eroded by Demonic energy; he couldn’t sleep, and when he did, he was caught in unending nightmares.
He had prayed to God, visited temples for holy water, and suffered the futile ministrations of the Judia Dukedom. He was nothing but a terminally ill patient waiting for the end. Everyone looked at him with pitying eyes. He had learned to smile, to pretend he was fine, while he rotted from the inside out.
But…
*The child who appeared out of nowhere…*
“*Heu*… *huk*, *herk*…”
“It’s okay now.”
As soon as that small voice had spoken, he *was* okay. It was as if by magic. She had solved something no one else could.
『Come here.』
Recalling that strange, un-childlike voice, Roel’s eyes narrowed. He had heard that specific language once before, the day his nanny had turned on him.
『I curse you. I curse, and curse, and curse you who killed our great god, our noble king, our life, and our one and only guide!! Since you broke our moon, your sun deserves to be broken as well… Repay with death, atone with death, and regret in eternal suffering.』
He didn’t know what it meant then, but he knew now—the child’s command was identical.
*She has a high fever.*
Roel placed his hand on Bunny’s forehead. She was burning up, a collapse born of exertion. He pulled her gently into his arms and whispered low into her ear.
“Who are you, little one?”