I Raised the Fallen Lop-Eared Rabbit into a Yandere 4

Chapter 4: Stress Response

Adele turned her head and was stunned by the sight before her.

Lina was prostrated on the cold floor, her two ears drooping at her sides. Her back was thin, and her protruding shoulder blades looked exactly like the cruelly broken wings of a butterfly.

She was wrapped in pure white pajamas, so slender, so fragile. Just like the patients left to waste away in the workhouse infirmaries, she was utterly devoid of life.

The helpless little rabbit was trembling. She unconsciously dug her fingers into the floor, the nails underneath turning a sickly gray-white.

It wasn’t a violent tremor, nor were there heavy breaths. She was enveloped in fear, trembling gently, shattering inch by inch on this bright, sunny morning.

“Lina…”

Only after the word had left her lips did Adele realize she herself was trembling.

Her heart was also shattering, inch by inch.

Lina looked up at the sound of her name, as docile and obedient as ever.

Her pale skin was half-bathed in the morning light, half-hidden in shadow. The hopeful morning sun and the despair in the young woman’s eyes intertwined, creating a hazy, cruel beauty.

“Don’t be afraid, get up first…” Adele suddenly choked, her throat tightening, unable to speak for a moment.

Her shattered heart was ground into dust by the cruel reality. All words of comfort seemed incredibly pale at this moment.

She turned around, attempting to hide her loss of composure.

Lina did not get up, but remained kneeling motionlessly.

She knew that if she showed even the slightest hint of defiance, it would be over for her.

Adele, who had already turned her back, was in such turmoil that she didn’t notice her movement at all.

Her racing heart sent blood rushing through her body, reaching her head in an instant. The slight numbness in her fingertips was a constant reminder that her emotions were spiraling out of control.

Adele braced herself against the wall with one hand. The coldness of the stone seeped into her palm, pierced her veins, and churned in her chest along with the sourness welling up from the bottom of her heart.

Lop-eared rabbits are naturally timid. How scared must she have been when she was being bullied…

Adele didn’t dare to dwell on that question.

She stared intently at the cracks between the stones, trying to suppress the rising tears.

But her vision was still blurred by a watery sheen.

It seems I’ve come too late.

Too late.

Her joints began to ache faintly again. Lina carefully controlled her breathing. She didn’t dare move, didn’t dare beg for mercy. Even when the pain became unbearable, she only let out a soft breath amidst her trembling.

That was all.

After a moment, Adele calmed down. Her gaze fell upon the glass cabinet in front of her.

The top three shelves were filled with books related to the Sacred Cult. The bottom three were all glass jars, and inside the jars were all bones.

Some were animal, some were human.

Adele frowned and mentally “cursed” Herte’s ancestors. She opened the glass cabinet. “The things in here, you…”

Before she could finish, the color drained from Lina’s face, turning deathly white.

“N-no.” She clutched her head with both hands, instantly entering a state of extreme stress. “Don’t cut off my ears! Don’t, don’t…”

Memories flooded her mind like a tide.

No one is born willing to be a sacrificial offering, and Lina was no different. In the beginning, when she was unwilling to submit, unwilling to obey, the instructor had threatened to cut off her ears.

Terror tore at Lina’s sanity. Her ears were ringing, and she couldn’t hear Adele’s calls at all. She just trembled, crying and repeating her pleas for mercy over and over.

About two minutes later, the crying suddenly stopped.

As if possessed, Lina grabbed her own ears and tail and said in a trembling voice, “I… I, I was wrong. I shouldn’t have refused. I’ll never dare to make a mistake again… I should give everything for the Sacred Cult…”

The repeated brainwashing had, after all, taken effect.

Adele stood frozen to the side, at a complete loss.

Clearly, verbal comfort was useless for a little rabbit in a state of stress.

She took a few steps back and stood quietly against the wall, trying to minimize her presence as much as possible.

Lina could no longer kneel. She collapsed onto the floor, curled up, and buried her face in the crook of her arm, murmuring helplessly, “It hurts so much… someone, please save me…”

Her two rabbit ears contracted, as if trying to escape the hypnotizing words that tempted her to fall.

Two trembling balls of fur appeared on top of Lina’s head. Even though Adele had moved away, she still felt immense pain. Every inch of her skin, every part of her body, ached.

Herte possessed a secret elven medicine that could heal even the deepest scars, so those who bullied her never held back, resorting to beatings and scoldings without any scruples.

Lina couldn’t escape; she could only be forced to endure.

Even though lop-eared rabbits are naturally sensitive, their perception of pain dozens of times greater than other creatures, she didn’t dare make a single sound.

A sacrificial offering was not worthy of pity. A sacrificial offering should maintain its dignity. Screaming would only result in viler, more bottomless torment.

…

The room was deathly silent, with only the ticking of the clock in the corner.

It was nearly noon before Lina finally recovered.

She subconsciously checked her body. This time, what she touched was not a gruesome wound.

Instead, it was a woolen blanket, a blanket large enough to completely envelop her.

Warm and soft.

Lina peeked out with one eye. Tears blurred her vision, and also blurred the figure standing by the window.

Not only had Adele not hit her, but she had also been taking care of her.

Outside the window was a pink and blue sky. Sunlight pierced through the snow-white clouds and fell on the window lattice.

Everything was beautiful.

There were no cold, sinister gazes, no strange runes, and no cruel punishments.

Nothing was as she had imagined.

This new instructor… could she really be a good person?

Lina climbed up from the floor and knelt properly before speaking. “Teacher, I’m sorry.”

She was used to this humble posture. Other than apologizing, she didn’t know what else to say.

Adele turned around at the sound of her voice, still expressionless, her cold eyes deep.

She walked over to Lina and squatted down, saying, “Open your mouth.”

Alarm bells went off in Lina’s heart.

In the Sacred Cult’s monastery, a nun who spoke out of turn would have a whole pot of boiling water poured down her throat.

Was Adele going to do the same to her?

Lina’s eyes shattered, but she didn’t resist. With moist, red eyes, she did as she was told.

Adele fed her a peeled fruit candy, then carefully wiped the thin layer of sweat from her face with a handkerchief.

“Don’t be afraid. A piece of candy should make you feel a little better.”

Adele’s peripheral vision fell on Lina’s hands.

Just now, in a moment of inattention, this person had scratched her own hands until they were covered in bloody marks.

Of course, she couldn’t let this poor rabbit peel the candy herself.

Lop-eared rabbit hurting herself, bad.

White wolf being very considerate, good.

The sweetness and fruity aroma spread between her lips and teeth. Her tense emotions quickly eased. Lina, with the candy in her mouth, asked in disbelief, “Am I worthy of eating candy?”

Candy makes people fat, and sweets also symbolize indulgence. She had never been allowed to eat them since she was a child.

“Of course. You are worthy of eating candy, and you are worthy of things more precious than candy.” Adele looked directly into her eyes. “For example, power.”

“Power?” Lina repeated, uncomprehending. She didn’t yet understand what those two words meant.

Adele didn’t explain, but said instead, “Lina, I will not hurt you. This is my promise to you.”

She paused. “Look into my eyes and repeat what I just said.”

Lina looked at her timidly and said in a small voice, “You will not hurt me.”

Adele shook her head. “Louder.”

Lina’s throat moved. A moment later, she raised her voice, though this time she stuttered a little.

“Y-you will not h-hurt me.”

Adele continued, “Repeat it again.”

“You will not hurt me.”

Words have power. After repeating it three times, Lina’s fear of the person before her briefly dissipated a little, and she calmed down completely.

A slight smile touched the corners of Adele’s lips. “Very good. But—”

“You seem to have forgotten my rules.”

Lina’s eyes widened slightly. She finally remembered. The first rule was not to kneel casually.

“I was wrong.”

“Yes, you were wrong,” Adele said bluntly.

She had a perfect grasp of the balance between encouragement and criticism, switching between them with ease.

【Damn! She’s an actress! That heartbroken performance just now was so realistic!】

【Don’t you guys think that instructor is really good at coaxing people?】

【She looks gentle and upright, but who knows how filthy she is on the inside…】

【And the person she’s coaxing is foolishly thinking it’s genuine care.】

【So wicked.】

Lina glanced at the comments. She didn’t immediately believe what was written on them, but she didn’t completely trust Adele either.

She bit her lip uneasily. “Please punish me.”

Adele stood up and looked down at her, not saying what the punishment was for a long time.

Lina’s heart was in her throat.

“I have no right to punish you. From now on, I am only your teacher, not your instructor.”

Lina’s body tensed.

“But—” Adele said again, “as a teacher, I have the right to admonish you, to tell you what is right and what is wrong.”

Lina didn’t understand the difference between punishment and admonishment. She silently closed her eyes, secretly praying it wouldn’t hurt too much.

Adele said in a cold voice, “Hold out your left hand.”

Lina obediently raised her left hand.

“Tell me, where did you go wrong?” Adele held her slender wrist.

Perhaps it was because the situation was too formal, or perhaps it was because the person before her still had too strong an aura even when holding back, but Lina was dazed by the six-word question.

So strange.

She was apprehensive, uneasy, but not afraid.

Lina opened her mouth several times before saying in a small voice, “I shouldn’t have knelt casually.”

“Why can’t you kneel casually?” Adele held her hand, making no move, and continued to ask.

Moments of suspense make for longer-lasting memories.

Lina mulled it over for a long time before saying, “Because you don’t like it.”

Hearing this answer, the little wolf inside Adele cracked with a snap. She suppressed the dense sourness in her heart, feigned seriousness, and shook her head. “Think again.”

Lina actually had an answer in her heart, but she was hesitant, not sure if she should say it.

Adele wasn’t in a hurry, just stared at her intently.

Lina’s tail trembled. As if mustering up all her courage, she said, “Because kneeling is not good.”

Adele’s expression softened slightly. “Right. Kneeling is not good. I hope that one day, you won’t have to kneel to anyone.”

Lina glanced at her, then quickly lowered her head and said obediently, “I’ll remember.”

Adele gave a “Mm,” then tapped her palm with her own hand. “You making a mistake is my failure to teach you well.”

Lina was stunned.

She hadn’t expected this.

It was different from the malicious bullying of the past. It wasn’t a fiery, skin-tearing pain.

Her palm was slightly numb, and the feeling of pain was fleeting.

Lina pulled her hand back. “Teacher, I’ll remember. I will change!”

She secretly glanced at Adele’s hand.

It was longer than hers, the slender, pale fingertips tinged with pink.

The tap she had just received wasn’t scary at all.

It was even a little… reassuring.

?

Reassuring?

Lina mulled over this feeling, confirming it again and again, and then admitted it to herself.

It was reassuring.

How could this be?

At this moment, Adele was completely unaware that while Lina’s fear of her was diminishing, another complex emotion was also slowly growing.

/

“Is that the affection of a student for a teacher? Perhaps. But more than once, I have wanted to possess her, in every sense of the word, to completely dominate her.”

“I hate it when people get close to her, hate it when she smiles at others, hate it when she… ignores me. Even a scolding would be fine. I would gladly accept a scolding from Teacher.”

“I will not pull her down into the mire. I will fight my way out of the mire and then stand by her side, openly and honorably. But she always avoids me, and even left me.”

“I’m really going crazy… Adele, stop running… N-no! Teacher, I beg you to come back. I will always be obedient.”