Chapter 4.3

The unexpected happened late in the evening.

The sky, which had seemed increasingly overcast, eventually darkened with clouds, and rain began to pour.

Though people quickly moved inside the villa after dinner, the rain showed no signs of stopping. Instead, it only grew heavier.

“Well, it seems we’re stuck here.”

The Viscount of Timberland said, looking out the living room window.

The greenery that had been faintly visible earlier was now completely obscured by the torrential rain.

“It seems it would be better to spend the night here.”

“Yes, indeed.”

The couples, who had gathered in the living room for tea time, spoke in calm voices, as if this situation was familiar to them.

Or as if they had anticipated it.

“Don’t worry, Countess of Melfir. This villa may look humble, but it’s well-equipped.”

The Viscountess of Timberland spoke to Solnia, who was absentmindedly staring out the window.

“There are enough bedrooms for everyone to have their own, and though it’s unlikely to be needed, there’s even a small library with plenty to read. Spending a day here shouldn’t be a problem.”

The ladies exclaimed in admiration, while Solnia gave a faint smile. She already knew. Just as the Mart Hunting Grounds belonged to her father, so too did this villa adjacent to it.

Though its exterior might seem modest, it was a rather splendid villa equipped with a library, three to four bedrooms, a bathtub, and even a dining hall.

As a child, whenever her parents went hunting, Solnia often stayed in this villa. To escape the terrifying sound of gunshots, she would scurry between the library, the attic, and the smallest bedroom until the cruel hunt was over.

The cruel hunt.

Yes, the cruel hunt.

Suddenly reminded of the past, Solnia instinctively turned her head to look at her husband.

He was rubbing his chin with a furrowed brow. Though he knew they were stranded here, his expression showed clear reluctance to accept the situation.

And in his face, Solnia saw the boy from her past.

Perhaps, the boy who had made her hate someone for the first time in her life.

*

Eight-year-old Solnia Heston was a rather precocious little lady. Anyone who grew up enduring the harshness of life from a young age would inevitably become so.

The Dowager Madame was unkind enough to openly display her resentment toward Solnia, and as someone who had to face her at least twice a week, Solnia couldn’t help but feel the full force of her anger and contempt.

As she grew older, she came to understand why her grandmother despised her so much, and she strove to become more perfect in every way.

She feared that her grandmother might truly cast her out for being not only illegitimate but also foolish. She worried that it might harm her mother. She worried that it might lead to her father being scolded.

Young Solnia alleviated all those fears by becoming smarter.

By the age of eight, she had grown into a sharp little girl who earned the admiration of all her tutors.

The little girl, who wanted to appear mature to everyone, didn’t dare to whine.

There were only two beings Solnia relied on: Evan Ikleit and a spotted rabbit named Naren who lived in the Mart Hunting Grounds.

What a cute and lovable creature it was.

Solnia could never forget the day she first met Naren.

While walking along the outer path of the hunting grounds to escape the noisy gunfire and tedious tea time, Solnia suddenly came face-to-face with a spotted rabbit that had been scurrying in a hurry. She even held her breath. The rabbit, equally startled by the sudden encounter with a human, seemed no different.

That day, Solnia learned for the first time that animals could have expressions. Above all, she was captivated by its chubby cheeks, twitching whiskers, and the shiny black eyes that sparkled as they gazed at her.

From that day on, Solnia gave the spotted rabbit the name “Naren” and began raising it with great care.

‘I have no idea where this rabbit came from. Could it be lost?’  

Her father was baffled when he saw the rabbit his daughter had brought home.  

‘Please let me keep it, Father.’  

‘There might be a mother rabbit nearby, Solnia.’  

‘I’ve waited for days, but I haven’t seen one. It might have been abandoned. I won’t take it home; I’ll look after it in the hunting grounds. Please?’  

When his lovable daughter, cradling the tiny rabbit in her arms, begged him with tearful eyes, there was nothing her father could do.

From that day on, Solnia began clinging to her father’s hunting trips like a leech. She even firmly instructed the gamekeeper to look after Naren in case she was absent for too long.

Occasionally, when she accompanied her father on his hunts, Solnia would sit along the outer path of the hunting grounds and pour out her innermost thoughts, which she hadn’t shared with anyone.  

‘To be honest, I find playing the piano and reading aloud the most boring. But my parents love it when I read aloud. Just last night, they couldn’t sleep and asked me to read them a book called <Mrs. Fergibson’s Diary>. Honestly, I don’t like that book either. It’s too hard to understand. But since they enjoy it…’  

Of course, Naren always had a bewildered look on its face.  

‘Oh, by the way, I won’t be able to come this weekend. Grandma called me. Just between you and me, I really don’t want to go. If you ever meet my grandma, you’ll understand. Her gaze alone is terrifying. She doesn’t like me very much either.’  

Even though her companion was a speechless rabbit, the way its jet-black eyes stared at her made all her pent-up grievances melt away.  

‘I’m sorry. I’ve been whining too much. You’ve probably lost your appetite. Go ahead and eat.’  

Feeding Naren tiny pieces of fruit until it was full, thanking it for listening to her, stroking it for a while, and giving it a kiss before letting it go—this was her routine of taking care of Naren.

That day was no different.  

As she watched Naren’s now plump belly, the world seemed so peaceful that she dozed off.  

Bang―!  

Startled awake by the sound of a gunshot, she realized it was late afternoon, with the sun setting on the horizon.  

‘Oh, that scared me.’  

As she calmed her racing heart, Solnia suddenly noticed that Naren was nowhere to be seen.  

‘Naren? Did you leave already?’  

Sometimes Naren would wander around her as she slept, nibbling on grass, so she thought it might be doing the same this time. But as she packed up her handkerchief and lunch basket, she couldn’t see Naren anywhere, and a sense of unease crept in.  

‘…Where could it have gone?’  

Even muttering to herself didn’t dispel the ominous feeling.  

‘Did you catch it?’  

It was then that Alec’s voice reached her ears.  

When she turned her head quickly, she saw Alec running toward someone. He stopped next to a boy—Luette Trovill, the second son of the Trovill family.  

‘Yeah, I caught it, but…’  

Luette Trovill looked down at his feet with a bewildered expression.  

Looking at the boy with his rich black hair, contrasting red vest, and flustered eyes, Solnia felt as if she were bewitched and ran toward him.

Perhaps it was intuition. Misfortune often approaches with an unmistakable presence.  

She couldn’t even recall how she managed to run over. She tripped once along the way but didn’t care.  

When she reached Luette’s feet, she saw Naren, covered in blood, lying there.  

‘Na-Naren…’  

The once plump belly was now heaving with labored breaths. The jet-black eyes that had always looked at her were still gazing at her, even as it struggled to breathe.  

The small rabbit, which had once fallen asleep nestled against her face, had been fatally wounded by a stray bullet.  

‘Who are you?’  

A cynical voice snapped Solnia out of her frozen state, her hands trembling uncontrollably.  

Black hair and olive-colored eyes.  

Through tear-filled eyes, Solnia glared at Luette Trovill, then carefully gathered her skirt and cradled Naren in her arms.  

‘Solnia! Don’t touch that!’  

‘Move!!’  

Shouting at Alec, who tried to stop her, Solnia ran toward her father.  

‘Wait, just wait a little longer. Just a little longer…’  

She murmured as if pleading. Her tears blurred her vision. The sobs she had held back burst out the moment she saw her father.  

‘Solnia! What happened?’  

‘Please save it. Please, Father, save it.’  

Her hands, now covered in blood, held the spotted rabbit. Her father turned pale but quickly began examining it.  

‘Take it to Dr. Wayne. Please, Father.’  

‘…’  

‘Father! Please call Dr. Wayne—’  

‘Solnia. Calm down.’  

After a long moment of examining the rabbit, her father gently held her shoulders and shook his head.  

Solnia knew what that meant. Through her father’s shoulders, she could see Naren’s belly—its once plump belly had stopped moving.  

The once-lovable jet-black eyes were now staring into nothingness.  

‘Father! Solnia is…’  

Alec’s voice came from behind. Without thinking, Solnia turned around. Alec and Luette Trovill, who had arrived late, were standing there.  

‘So-Solnia!’  

Solnia walked straight toward Luette Trovill, her fists clenched tightly. Alec stepped back, startled by the sight of Solnia, her skirt stained red, striding toward them.  

Ignoring Alec, Solnia approached Luette Trovill. And…