“We have brought the one who committed this grave offense.”

A stern voice rang through the throne hall of the Dragon Palace. The Dragon King’s personal guard threw the prisoner transported from the Moon Palace down before the Dragon King’s jade throne.

“Mm—!”

What they had so roughly tossed to the floor was a tiny rabbit. Her fur was whiter than white jade, and Chang’e, who cherished her dearly, had named the little moon rabbit So Ok.

All four of the pitiful rabbit’s fluffy legs had been gathered together, raised, and bound. Dangling like that, she looked ready to become roast rabbit if placed over a fire, or rabbit stew if dropped into a boiling pot.

The poor rabbit, trussed up tight, rolled her eyes, redder than rubies, as she looked around.

The palace of the East Sea Azure Dragon King was so magnificent that it dazzled So Ok’s eyes. The floors and pillars were made of blue jade, while the roof was covered in blue tiles gilded with gold. Every pillar and tile was lavishly adorned with precious coral, pearls, and mother-of-pearl.

Bathed in the sunlight that reached even the depths of the sea, the Dragon Palace glittered as brilliantly as crystal, living up to its other name. It was a sight that naturally inspired awe in all who beheld it.

Yet So Ok was not intimidated in the slightest.

I, too, am a dignified immortal who has served Lady Chang’e in the Moon Palace for nearly a thousand years!

She tried to set her jaw and hold her head high, making herself appear as aloof and proud as possible. It did little good, however, when she looked like a captured animal dragged in with all four limbs bound.

No, even if a tiny rabbit could maintain an air of aloof pride, there was no chance anyone would care.

That was especially true here, in the royal presence of the East Sea Azure Dragon King, foremost among the Four Dragon Kings.

So Ok’s red eyes rolled from side to side as she studied the Dragon Palace courtiers lined up around her.

Turtles, codfish, octopuses, and all manner of sea creatures straight out of a story had gathered in droves, glaring at So Ok and denouncing her. Their mouths opened and closed, and the bubbles they released churned noisily on every side.

[How dare that insignificant beast steal the spirit herb intended for His Highness!]

[They say the Moon Spirit Herb has grown only twice in the Moon Palace over the past thousand years. What are we to do?]

[What if we appealed to the Queen Mother of the West for aid?]

[Unless it is the Moon Spirit Herb nourished by the abundant yin energy of the Moon Palace, nothing will aid His Highness with his shedding!]

Their voices differed, but they all had one thing in common. Every one of them was worried about someone and condemning someone else.

And there was only one target of their condemnation.

So Ok!

So Ok wanted to grumble in protest, but the gag in her mouth prevented her from making a sound.

What is all this just because I took one bite of a plant I lovingly tended with my own hands for 497 years?

How could a herbivorous rabbit deserve to be bound this tightly and dragged away merely for nibbling a little grass? Admittedly, the entire plant had vanished in that single bite. And admittedly, it was a precious spirit herb that had to grow in one particular spot in the Moon Palace for five hundred years before it could finally be used.

Still, So Ok was not bold enough to say any of that aloud. Not that she could speak with her mouth gagged in the first place.

Just then, a low voice descended over So Ok and the Dragon Palace courtiers like a bank of clouds and mist settling upon them.

[How noisy.]

The remark was neither lengthy nor spoken in a reproachful tone. Its owner had simply expressed his feelings in an even, dispassionate manner. Even so, its inherent authority sent a chill through her bones. Every hair on her body, down to the finest strand of fluff, stood on end at once in warning.

Even in the mortal world, much less the realm of immortals, a rabbit was merely an insignificant creature that struggled to preserve its own life. To survive, rabbits had to be sensitive to the presence of predators.

An instinct So Ok had all but forgotten during her time in the Moon Palace awakened and cried out. The presence before her was that powerful and noble.

Run! Run away now! He’s going to devour you in one bite!

Even after working in the Moon Palace for nearly a thousand years, So Ok had encountered an aura like this only a handful of times. General Yi, the husband of Chang’e, mistress of the Moon Palace, possessed one. So did Erlang Jun, said to be the finest warrior in the Celestial Palace.

Had she been in human form rather than that of a fluffy rabbit, cold sweat would have poured down her body and soaked her through.

Although she was trembling, So Ok forced herself to turn her head and look up at the golden jade throne. That was where the terrifying aura and voice had come from. Her keen eyesight easily picked out the figure seated before the enormous throne.

Something was a little strange.

The owner of that noble and imposing aura was not sitting on the jade throne itself. Instead, he reclined on a secondary throne placed one level below it.

Which means he isn’t the Azure Dragon King!

So Ok’s large ears twitched as she put her small white head to work.

Come to think of it, they said the Moon Spirit Herb was being sent to the East Sea Azure Dragon King because his youngest and only heir was about to undergo his final shedding!

The Dragon Palace courtiers had mentioned something similar moments ago. That meant the young man seated before the throne was the Azure Dragon King’s youngest son and heir—the Dragon King’s son, the Imugi Prince.

It also meant that he was the intended owner of the Moon Spirit Herb So Ok had swallowed whole in a single bite.

So Ok immediately realized the truth.

I’m... definitely going to die now!

The dragon race was notoriously fierce. There was no possibility that the Imugi Prince, heir to the Dragon King, would show mercy to a mere rabbit that had stolen and eaten his treasure.

As though sensing So Ok’s fear, the young man before the jade throne slowly rose. With the movement, his water-colored hair, cascading in long waves like a waterfall, shimmered brilliantly like sunlight on rippling water.

Dragging a cloudlike mane behind him, the man descended at an unhurried pace. He was strikingly handsome and imposing enough to captivate anyone who saw him.

For a moment, the little rabbit nearly forgot even her own wretched predicament and stared at him in a daze.

Th-this is no time for that! Get a grip! Get a grip, So Ok!

They said you could survive even after being dragged into a tiger’s den as long as you kept your wits about you. Surely the same applied to being dragged into the Dragon Palace.

After all, a rabbit trying to save her own life had nothing to rely on but two sturdy hind legs and a quick little mind.

So Ok thought desperately.

What could she possibly do to save her life?

How can I coax that dra—no, that imugi into doing what I want?

Her thoughts were brief and swift. She reached a decision at once.

First, I have to do something about this gag...! Whether he’s a dragon or an imugi, I can’t talk him around unless I can open my mouth!

So Ok began diligently gnawing at the gag with her pair of large front teeth.

The throne hall had fallen completely silent after the prince’s single remark about the noise. As a result, the sound of So Ok gnawing on her gag rang out with remarkable clarity.

The courtiers, who had sealed their mouths like clams, began condemning So Ok once more.

[Why, that insolent creature!]

[What does that impudent rabbit think she is doing?]

[She is openly attempting to escape!]

They were all so furious that they looked ready to toss So Ok straight into the seawater and boil her into rabbit stew.

Volume 1 Chapter 1

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