Winter Rabbit in Wonderland

Chapter 72

“I could never have imagined that you knew we were one person.”

She didn’t know what had happened to him, but Dum had shown up drenched in blood and ragged clothes. Then he said this to her as if it wasn’t a big deal.

In the middle of the night, when Dee and Dum had taken turns coming out, she didn’t have much of a reaction to it. Because she had already known that the two of them were one, she thought this was a natural occurrence. She had passed this moment without much thought. Only after a few seconds did she realize what this meant.

When Alice had healed Dee’s wounds, Twins felt a sense of motherly love that they had never felt before. On top of that, Alice was weak, unlike their mother, and so was unable to show any sign of violence toward them. Like the way you would get soaked eventually from a light shower, their attraction to Alice was enhanced when they found out that she knew that they were two people in one body.

If she had remembered that one second earlier, she would have stopped herself from uttering these words, SoYoon thought as she looked at the smiling Twins.

“I like you.”

The simple three words dragged her into reality. No longer having anywhere to run to, she slowly lowered her eyes.

Now, there was nowhere here that resembled the world of Wonderland.

***

Starting from that day, Twins treated her completely differently. Once they figured out their confused emotions, they realized their feelings were not motherly. They wanted to touch her because they liked her; they were scared of her dying because they liked her. Dee concluded this instinctively; Dum, through book learning.

The day Twins confessed to her, SoYoon decided to read in their library to break up her boredom. She browsed the shelves of books when she came upon a title she knew from memory. It was the trilogy novel that she had read at Heart’s office. She pulled out the second book as Dum pulled out the first book.

“This is the first book in the series. That’s the second one.”

“I read the first one.”

“Where?”

She didn’t answer and instead found a spot on the sofa. Dum sat next to her and opened the first book.

His elbow leaned against the back of the sofa, and his fingers lightly swept across her white hair. SoYoon didn’t react to his touch and opened her book. At this, he narrowed his eyes and glanced at her.

Truthfully, Twins hadn’t thought much about what would happen after the confession. They’d never felt anything like this before, so they didn’t have the leisure to figure out that part after sorting through their mixed emotions. But what she said felt as if she’d dumped ice water on them.

“I have no feelings for you.”

The answer was an obvious one. The only interactions between SoYoon and the Twins had been one request and several encounters. As they were reeling from the pang in the corner of their heart, she said something else that froze them.

“How long is this request valid for?”

If it were too long, SoYoon would most definitely storm out of here, so they told her one week. She said that was still too long, but when they brought up the point that Dee had stayed at her place for a week, they were able to persuade—or more accurately beg—her to agree. They were hoping to change her mind about them that week.

Twins placed the book on their lap and observed SoYoon. Her profile was smooth and looked western. If we asked her where she was from, would she get mad? they thought as they continued to examine her face.

They were sure her white, smooth skin was something she had been born with. There was no way that a girl who washed with soap from head to toe would take the extra time for a skin regimen. The pale cheeks and lips didn’t seem to be her natural look, however. He was sure those were a consequence of her time at the research facility, as Duke had told him.

It was then when her eyes, which had been reading, looked over at him. The white lashes that wrapped around her white eyes felt dreamlike, and so in a trance, they blurted out their thoughts.

“Hey, I really like you.”

She blinked several times then turned her attention back to the book. It was the same reaction she’d had when they first confessed to her. They narrowed their eyes and watched her, then leaned onto her shoulder and peered at the book.

“This is fun?”

The person who answered was not SoYoon but Dum.

“It’s fairly fun.”

That would have been a strange sight, but they didn’t pay it any attention, because the only person who knew about their identity was SoYoon, and she would understand.

The doorbell rang. Given the hour, it was probably the chef.

“He’s interrupting us.”

He clicked his tongue then left the library. SoYoon sighed.

Twins left for the office to eat lunch. SoYoon, who was now alone, continued to read. It was comfortable to not think of anything else when she was concentrating on the words. The sun had gone down, and she felt a presence. She put down her book and went to the door. Dum opened it, and upon seeing her face, opened his eyes wide and smiled expansively.

“I’m back.”

He took large strides over to her and hugged her. She had been here for three days, and now she smelled like them—like a refreshing tart lime.

“Oh, this is nice.”

Dee had woken up and muttered to Dum that he wasn’t playing fair and flexed his arm.

SoYoon and Twins stood side by side at the kitchen to set up the dinner the chef had left behind. SoYoon placed the rose stew filled with seafood onto the induction and put the chicken salad into a bowl. Twins continued to watch her.

“What?” she asked bluntly, and they gave her a peck on the cheek.

“I like that you are in this house.”

“Even if it is only for a week?”

“I don’t know why you look so pretty when you are so cold. It must be because I like you.”

“Twins.”

She put down the things she was holding and turned to him. He had been right behind her. She pushed him back so that some space separated them.

“I’m Dum now. Call me Dum.”

“...Sure, Dum. I’m going to tell you now that I will never like you back. So don’t waste your time.”

“Hm, I’m supposed to be disappointed by this, right? Are we that unattractive?” Dum asked as he naturally swept away the hair that stuck to her cheek. On his face was a luxurious smile that anyone would fawn over.

Truthfully, they were fairly confident. Even a girl with the highest standards had never withstood their seduction.

They didn’t want Undertaker SoYoon, but the girl SoYoon. If that was the case, they just had to appeal to her feminine side. Dum swept her hair behind her ear and rubbed it with the ends of his fingers. She watched their eyes glisten then turned away.

“The stew is boiling.”

She turned off the induction and moved the hot pot over to the table using a dishtowel. Having failed to set the atmosphere, Twins watched the back of her blankly. For the first time, they wondered if a week was not going to be enough time.