# Chapter 14
Chapter 14
"I'm off to the market."
As Bunny reached the exit, greeted them, and casually passed by, only then did the guards snap out of it and look at her in surprise.
"The market...?
W- Wait a minute.
What market...?"
"I'm going to buy some ingredients."
"Ingredients?
Ah... are you running an errand for someone?
But who would send such a little kid...?"
The two guards whispered to each other, but when Bunny grinned, bowed her head, and walked off again, they couldn't stop her.
Of course, Bunny didn't know the way.
"Hello, kind mister.
Where's the market?"
"Hey, cool lady, how do I get to the market?"
"Excuse me, is this the way to the market?"
But it didn’t matter.
Bunny was cute, and the adults were all kind to her in their own way.
Some were even kind enough to personally show her the way, knowing she was running an errand alone.
'Bunny is a genius after all.'
The brilliant Bunny safely arrived at the market all by herself.
* * *
Ugh!
The rabbit bag on Bunny’s back looked completely different from when she first came to the market, now bulging and lumpy.
Whatever she had stuffed in there, the bag was so full that the legs of the rabbit were standing straight up, almost touching the ground.
After finishing her errands, Bunny entered a shop with a sign that had a picture of a book on it.
Ding—
"Welcome."
The shopkeeper, who had turned at the sound of the door, froze when he saw no one there.
"Huh?"
Looking around in confusion, he peeked over the counter, and then jumped up in shock.
No wonder—a large, pitch-black rabbit was standing there, staring straight at him while backing away.
'A m-monster...?'
The shopkeeper gulped, gripping a nearby wooden stick.
If he wanted to call the guards, he'd have to walk around the counter and out the door first.
Just as the shopkeeper, tense and nervous, was about to take a step—
"This isn't it..."
A soft, childish voice made him freeze.
"Bunny... can't read letters..."
Can't buy a book...
The sorrowful tone made the shopkeeper pause.
He realized that the scary-looking rabbit wasn't moving and was just swaying up and down slightly.
And between the rabbit's legs, he saw small feet, and between its ears, a tiny head.
With an awkward smile, the shopkeeper lowered the wooden stick.
"Little one, did your mom send you on an errand?"
He asked gently, and the black rabbit quickly turned around.
A little girl with rosy cheeks and pale skin was staring at him, looking as if she were about to cry.
"......"
Embarrassed, the man tossed the stick behind the counter and smiled as kindly as he could.
"What are you looking for?"
"Who are you?"
"Uh...
I'm the shopkeeper."
"Oh!
Do you have books for kids?
Bunny... doesn't know how to read any letters..."
"Letters?
Oh, you're trying to learn to read?
Of course, we have those.
But do you have money?"
"Yep!
Bunny is super rich."
With a proud grin, Bunny flashed him a thumbs-up and dug through her bulging rabbit bag, pulling out a jingling cloth pouch.
The man chuckled and pulled out a learning book and a children's storybook.
Bunny confidently dumped a handful of coins from her pouch onto the counter.
The shopkeeper quickly counted the coins by sight and gave a strained smile.
"Little one, I'm afraid 1,500 Rost isn’t enough to buy the book..."
Rumble—
Flash!
Boom!
Thunder roared, lightning flashed, and a giant boulder fell on Bunny’s head — at least, that’s how it felt in her imagination.
Bunny plopped down on the bookstore floor.
"Bunny... total failure..."
You can’t even study if you don’t have money...
That day, Bunny learned a hard life lesson.
* * *
Tap tap tap tap.
A kitchen knife moved quickly.
Luca, an apprentice chef at the Duke’s mansion, was chopping ingredients that had piled up like a mountain, his eyes streaming with tears as he cut onions.
"Sniff."
Despite the pain from the tears pouring down, Luca sighed deeply when he realized how many onions were still left to chop.
He had worked hard to become a chef at the Duke's house, but as an apprentice and the youngest in the kitchen, his duties were exhausting and tough.
He couldn't even dream of working in the main mansion and spent his days cooking large amounts of food and preparing ingredients in the test mansion's kitchen, sending everything to the main house.
Every day, he started before dawn to prepare all the ingredients, and even after everyone else had gone home, he had to finish it all, often getting less than six hours of sleep.
The onions stung, but his situation stung even more.
Luca wasn’t sure if the tears streaming from his eyes were from the onions or from his sorrow.
Sniff.
"Sniff."
Sniff.
"Sniff."
Luca, who was chopping onions with teary eyes while wiping his running nose, suddenly stopped cutting.
It was because he heard sniffing sounds echoing from somewhere.
"Sniff."
Sniff.
Sniff.
"......?"
Luca looked around.
‘What’s that?
What’s making that sound?’
Since this was the kitchen of the test mansion, there shouldn’t have been anyone besides Luca, so hearing a sound was strange.
Looking around with a confused expression, Luca found a pale little figure hugging something and sniffling.
It was a cute child as if carefully crafted like a little doll.
Luca’s eyes met the teary pink eyes of the child.
Drip, drip.
Then, tears began to pour down, leaving Luca with his mouth hanging open.
"Huaaa… Bunny can't see in front..."
"Ahhh!"
Startled by Bunny’s continuously flowing tears, Luca yelled and quickly grabbed a wet towel, picked Bunny up under his arm, and rushed out of the kitchen.
Sniff, sniff.
After crying for a long time, with her face soaked in tears and her nose running, Bunny finally lifted her head just a little.
"A-Are you okay...
Miss?"
"Yesss…"
Bunny answered firmly, her nose bright red from crying.
Seeing how cute she looked, Luca unknowingly opened his mouth and then quickly shut it.
"Cook man.
Luriel said, when you chop onions, light a candle and wet the knife...
Otherwise, it’s super sad..."
Bunny said, sniffling with her puffy, tear-swollen eyes.
"Uh… really?"
Luca, crouching next to Bunny, responded with a sniffle.
"Yesss."
Bunny nodded, sniffling as well.
The two of them sniffled for a while, like they were howling together, and then, seeing each other's swollen eyes, they burst into laughter.
"Hahaha!"
"Heehee!"
Luca glanced at Bunny and rubbed the back of his neck.
"So, what brings you to the kitchen?
Did you get lost?"
"No, Bunny has a request."
"A request?"
"Yesss."
Bunny, with her swollen eyes, stood proudly in front of Luca and gave a little smile.
Luca found the sight of the child puffing out her chest and acting proud so cute that he turned his head to hide a smile.
At that, Bunny confidently put her hands on her hips and spoke up.
"How long will you keep chopping onions, soldier?"
"Huh...?"
"Don't you want to become rich?
Don’t you want to become a super big chef?!"
Bunny shook her head from side to side, wagging her finger.
Something about her arrogant attitude made Luca nod without thinking.
"Why don't you become a super strong, super big chef with Bunny?!"
"A super strong… super big chef…?"
Of course!
You want to become a super big chef, right?
It’s easy if you’re with Bunny!
‘As expected, Bunny is a genius…?’
Heh heh.
Bunny's nose was lifted high in pride, her shoulders puffed up, and her chest stuck out confidently.
"What is that...?"
"Huh?"
At Luca’s puzzled question, Bunny’s puffed-up shoulders deflated like a balloon.
Her high nose came down, and her chest, which had been pushed forward, drooped as she melted down in disappointment.
"Umm...
So, is there something I can help you with?"
"Yesss..."
In an instant, Bunny deflated and handed Luca the item she had been hugging.
"Bunny, fry this, please."
That was it.
Bunny could cut ingredients with her child-size knife and cutting board, but she couldn’t fry them.
Because, according to Luriel, if a child uses fire, the red dragon hiding in the flames comes out and eats them, so there must always be an adult when using fire.