"What are you doing!?" I cried out, my face completely flushed while I looked at Feriha's nearly-nude form.

"Do y-you like it?" Feriha replied, equally flustered at the boldness of her own actions, stumbling over her words.

I couldn't tell if she was talking about the birthmark or about her exposed body.

"Your sister is William Ashton's daughter. Surprised?" A certain mischievous Rabbit God spoke to me.

It seemed so impossible my head swam at the thought. Why? How?

"Well, I thought you would have figured it out by now... obviously, that Ashton fellow paid a visit to a certain brothel where your mother worked at."

"Enough! Stop, I get it. You don't have to explain."

Feriha came closer, sitting down next to me on the bed. Putting her hand next to mine awkwardly, snaking her fingers into mine such that we were now holding hands.

"Um, Fenton, this might sound odd, but I think you're my fated to be, actually I know that you are."

I didn't even know what was going on anymore.

"My blessing was that I would know who my destined lover was when I saw them, up until now it never reacted to anyone... but today it reacted to you."

She looked me in the eyes before moving her focus to another part of the room, a spot that just so happened to be right where the Rabbit God was floating.

"Besides... we have his blessing. He told us we were meant to be."

She could see him.

"Why are you so surprised about that? I'm a god, I can talk with who I want, and appear before who I want." The Rabbit God said smugly, laying down in the air like he was lying on the most comfortable bed in the world. Looking my way with utter arrogance while scratching his side lazily.

Feriha came in closer to me, nibbling at my ear before moving down to my neck. I'd never seen her like this, moreover she was so aggressive. She was so close that I could smell her, her sweet scent tickling my nose.

"Feri, y-you're being tricked! He's tricking you!" I stammered out, flustered at my older sister's sudden seduction. He must have meddled with her blessing, I thought. Shooting a glare the Rabbit God's way.

"Hey, talk to her, not me. She's the one who wants your rabbit juice. I only gave her a little nudge."

My eyes turned back to Feriha, who had a seductive, teasing expression on her face.

"I know what I want Fenton, I know what I feel in my heart is right."

"We're siblings!" I screamed in my mind.

"Half-siblings." The Rabbit God reminded. "Technically, all of your siblings have different fathers... besides, I may have told her about how you were going to going to become the Rabbit King after taking over the world, making her the Rabbit Queen. She's not going to stop that easily."

Feriha licked my cheek, turning my head so that she could kiss me on the lips. Speaking between kisses.

"He said that I could help you Fenton. You don't have to try so hard on your own anymore. Let big sis do her best to help you."

Her kisses felt so hot. Her lips were driving me insane, any more and I would push her down in the heat of the moment.

"Stop!" I grabbed her wrist to stop her from driving me any further.

"Please... stop."

My heart was in shambles. I had no idea what to do. An attraction was there now that I never knew I had for her before, knowing I could never look at her the same way again.

Releasing her hands slowly, we settled down awkwardly, still sitting next to each other on the bed.

Neither of us brave enough to look the other's way, staring awkwardly into separate corners of the room.

"Do you not like me?" Feriha finally asked, breaking the stalemate. Her question pierced at the core of my soul. I was afraid that I liked her.

My eyes drifted towards the Rabbit God, who was carefully watching to see my reaction. All of my previous doubts surfacing at once. He put her up to this, possibly for my own benefit, but definitely for his own. I dreaded he was tricking Feriha into something she didn't mean. I knew he was using us, but even so...

My feelings grew more complicated.

"Do you really love me?" I asked, answering her question with another question. My voice faltering, the fear in my voice audible.

"Yes." She replied without hesitation.

Her resolve put mine to shame, but it also gave me the courage to respond in kind. Looking back her way, I was met with a genuine loving and soft expression. One that melted my doubts away in an instant.

Slowly interlacing my fingers with hers, I gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. "Then I love Feriha." The two of us drinking in each other's gaze before she began leaning in with a reignited passion.

"But! I really do need some time to prepare my heart!" I stammered out. Not rejecting her efforts, but truthfully explaining my need to prepare myself emotionally before we crossed any further. *ahem* Not to mention that this was hardly the place for such activity. Straining my ears I tried to test if anyone had been listening in on us.

In a house with more than a dozen rabbitkin, ears specialized for listening, you never knew who could be eavesdropping. As far as what was the appropriate place, I had one idea in mind.

The student accommodations.

Ashton Academy was remarkably generous to its students. Even if my impression of the principle had done a complete one-eighty today, I couldn't complain about the amount of amenities they had left open to us just for being students. Not only was the school free to attend, they even paid us a small stipend. Seeing as the Ashton family was certainly not in need of money, it was almost like they were trying to show off their wealth this way. Still, as part of that, their student housing was nothing like you would ever expect from a normal knight's school.

For a school that had an illustrious name to live up to, they were giving away what were essentially small homes in their own right. One for anyone who applied for them. And although I had planned to stay at home during my education, my current circumstances demanded more privacy. I would try to apply for housing tomorrow and see where that led me.

Letting Feriha know my plans before placing a kiss on her cheek as something of a promise between the two of us. Clearly understanding the implications behind what I had suggested, her face flushed red with a mixture of embarrassment and anticipation, slowly pulling me into one long final kiss between the two of us.

The two of us parting with a mutual understanding.

That night was nearly a sleepless night, laying in my bedroom by myself, staring at the ceiling absently; the taste on my lips fresh in my mind. My heart kept beating excitedly, imagining what wonders tomorrow would bring. My eyes eventually closing. The last thing I saw was a grinning rabbit, floating through my room as he watched the plan he had hatched finally coming to fruition.

---

Early morning.

Kissing my blushing bride-to-be in secret, I set out to school. Skipping again like the luckiest bunny in town.

"Good morning!" I told to the two guards who had extorted me last time. Stationed at the same gate-crossing as last time, the border between the city's two main districts.

The pair eyed my uniform, noticing the lack of weapon. Apparently disappointed that they couldn't extort an extra few silver from me.

"Where'd your sword go?" The skinnier and taller guard asked me, a slightly intimidating tone to his voice.

I just smiled, "I don't need it today. How was the brothel?" Remembering his taunt yesterday.

"Good enough, you're free to go through." The man replied, shooing me through with an annoyed expression.

My 'bury-the-sword' strategy actually worked. I grinned as I skipped by, finding my way to the academy early enough to miss the morning rush of students and give myself enough time to retrieve the sword I have hidden yesterday.

Retracing my steps in the Academy grounds, I entered back into the well maintained and expansive gardens that crisscrossed a large part of the estate.

I hadn't seen much staff around on my first day, but to my surprise here was a groundskeeper, trimming a cluster of roses positioned between a small grove of oaks, somewhat near my intended destination. Raising his head to sniff the air every so often.

"Good morning, sir." I greeted the man. An older looking molekin. Although still technically a beastkin, molekin's leaned far heavier towards the animal look than the rest of us. In stark contrast to a rabbitkin like myself, who were essentially no different in appearance to a human, aside from our ears, tail, and short-stature, this man's face was elongated and wrinkled, with hands much more like a mole's than a man's.

His long snout of a nose curled and wrinkled at me, seeming to examine me even before his eyes did.

"Good morning, young rabbit. I seemed to have lost track of myself, is it already that time?" Scratching his wrinkled head with a clawed finger in embarrassment. Sounding concerned about having been seen, was it supposed to be an issue for him to work during the day like this?

"Ah, I may be a little early, but I think classes still have a while before starting. A little more than half an hour."

He wiggled his snout in thanks, making way to leave.

"You should be making off soon as well, young one" he added. "They'll be mad if they catch an attendant this time round on campus grounds."

Attendant? Me?

"I'm actually a student, sir." I replied, somewhat irked by the assumption, but as a fellow beastkin I knew what he meant.

The mole just laughed as he made his way out. Giving me a playful wave goodbye.

I just sighed, looking towards the grove of oaks where I had hidden my stash. Emerging with dirtied hands a few minutes later, and taking additional time to clean the sword and scabbard before equipping them around my belt to match my uniform.

Straightening the jacket's collar, I took a deep breath. Today was going to be different, I said to myself. The breath filling my mind with confidence just as it filled my lungs with air.

Today... would certainly be different.