Chapter 122: Chapter 122: Coaxing
’Is it the weekend today?’
Time really flies. A week has passed in the blink of an eye.
The Duke hadn’t called again since she hung up on him last time. Yu Zhizhi had forgotten about him as well, not deliberately thinking of him.
She had saved the Duke’s number in her communicator.
But she didn’t know what trick he’d used; even though the number was saved, it still showed up as [Unknown Caller].
’It’s still early. He’s probably still busy.’
’I’ll call him later tonight.’
「Night fell.」
Yu Zhizhi hesitated for a moment before slowly making her way to the staircase and sitting down on the steps.
’I’ll go back to the attic after this call.’
The fireplace in the wooden cabin burned quietly with blocks of smokeless tea wood, emitting a faint, pine-like fragrance.
Yu Zhizhi tilted her head and leaned against the railing. She pulled up the communicator’s interface, a floating, warm-white screen that asked if she wanted to dial the contact.
She gently tapped [Dial].
BEEP BEEP BEEP—
Yu Zhizhi secured the pure white earpiece and waited patiently.
The call connected.
But there was no sound from the other end.
Yu Zhizhi called out softly, "Duke...?"
「On the other end.」
The Duke was at his desk, reviewing battle reports, when the little female’s soft voice reached his ear. The hand holding his pen paused for a fraction of a second. His expression remained calm, his tone indifferent yet tinged with a faint, almost imperceptible mockery.
"Finally have time for me?"
Ever since she had "forcefully" hung up on him, the Duke had not contacted her again.
"We had an agreement..." Yu Zhizhi gripped the railing with one hand and asked gently, "Is Little Amon okay?"
There was no reply from the other side.
Through her earpiece, Yu Zhizhi heard the sound of rustling paper and the faint scratching of a pen.
’The Duke is still busy this late at night.’
’Is it because of the war?’
She waited in silence.
After a long while, the sound of the pen stopped.
Yu Zhizhi heard the sound of something being lit.
She thought of the long, slender pipe in the Duke’s study, and the image of him smoking it floated clearly in her mind.
After a short break, the Duke’s languid voice came through the earpiece. "Abandoned by his mother at birth. How good could he be?"
"I didn’t..." Yu Zhizhi defended herself in a small voice. "I’m very worried about him."
The Duke gave a meaningful look.
The servant standing at the door received the unspoken command, bowed, and departed.
"Those heretics who tried to assassinate you before... I have a good idea who was behind them."
Yusen had told her about it. She bit her lip and didn’t respond.
The Duke continued, "I don’t have proof, but I’ve made a little trouble for them."
"...Oh." Yu Zhizhi nodded slowly.
"Let’s talk about you." The Duke took a deep drag from his pipe, leaning back in his soft chair and watching the smoke drift through the room.
"Me?"
"Do you plan to mate with him?" the Duke asked nonchalantly. "The Mermaid, I mean."
Yu Zhizhi didn’t answer.
The Duke sneered. "On the front lines between the Valoran Empire and the Deep Sea Empire, the bodies of soldiers are piled mountain-high. You don’t actually think you’ll be treated as a guest of honor if you go to the Deep Sea Empire, do you?"
"It would be a mercy if they didn’t tear you to shreds."
A long silence followed.
The Duke suppressed the rage in his heart, his voice low and hot.
"When the Delegation arrives, you will come back with them obediently. The Imperial City is the only safe place. Even if it were the end of the world, the Imperial City would remain untouched."
"Or—"
Before the little rabbit could react, the Duke changed his tune. "You could go to Greenfield City, too. It’s not far, and you’d be protected there."
Right now, the Duke was willing to do anything, even lie, to coax this little rabbit back.
’Nowhere else is safe.’
’She’s only safe under my watch.’
’As for Greenfield City...’
’Once the Delegation is back on Valoran Empire soil, she won’t have a choice in the matter anymore.’
"That... let’s talk about it later..." Yu Zhizhi mumbled.
’I haven’t thought it through yet.’
’A part of me really wants to go to the Deep Sea Empire with Yusen...’
’But I can’t go right now.’
’Besides, I still haven’t unlocked the [Camp Task].’
Yu Zhizhi desperately wanted the Talent Card she could get from completing the Camp Task.
’I’ll have to think about all this after the Mermaid Baby is born.’
Yu Zhizhi heard footsteps on the other end of the line.
Someone had entered the room.
"Lord Bo Lan," the servant said respectfully, placing the bamboo basket he was holding on the desk. "Young Master Yu Meng is still asleep. This old servant was very quiet and didn’t wake him."
"Mm," the Duke responded faintly.
The servant bowed and left.
He gently closed the door to the study.
"You brought Little Amon?" Yu Zhizhi’s voice was filled with surprise and delight.
Hearing the shift in her emotions, the corners of the Duke’s mouth curled up slightly. He knew it. The only one this heartless little rabbit cared about was Little Amon.
The Snake Clan had kept Yu Meng, and everyone had been puzzled when they first heard his name.
It was only when they were told it came from the *Classic of Mountains and Seas* that the Snake Beasts understood.
Four million years ago, that long-vanished civilization left behind many stories. To this day on the Beast World Planet, ancient Eastern bloodlines are still passed down.
The Snake Clan, which had taken root in the Valoran Empire, was one such bloodline.
It was perfectly reasonable for the name of the Snake Clan’s youngest master to come from the *Classic of Mountains and Seas*.
"He’s sleeping." The Duke’s voice also softened considerably. He asked in a low tone, "Do you want to see him?"
"...Of course I do!"
"Alright, then let’s switch to video."
Everything had been for this moment.
The Duke had specifically ordered the servant to bring the young beast here simply to coax her into turning on her video.
So he could get a good look at her.
After their last unpleasant call, he had suppressed the frantic urge to contact her again, using his busy political schedule as a distraction to temporarily push her to the back of his mind.
He could wait.
If the little female hadn’t made this call, he probably wouldn’t have contacted her again.
Suppressing his desires, watching coldly from a distance—that was what he had always been best at.
It was just like when he was a child, sunk to the bottom of the water, with no one to care.
He had grown used to that suffocating silence.
Yu Zhizhi saw a small, transparent window pop up, notifying her that the other party wanted to switch from a voice call to a video call.
The cabin was pitch-black, save for the faint light coming from the fireplace.
Sitting on the stairs, Yu Zhizhi couldn’t help but straighten her back as she gently tapped [Accept].
BEEP. A crisp sound.
The notification window in front of her became a video screen. The first thing that came into view was a ghostly blue Luck Bag hanging from a long, slender pipe.
The smart camera adjusted, and as her gaze traveled up the long pipe, Yu Zhizhi saw the Duke.
He was dressed in a deep purple robe, lounging against the back of his chair. His right hand supported the long pipe, and wisps of smoke drifted from the bowl, which was engraved with a Ghost Lotus, blurring his handsome features.
His pair of golden, vertical pupils stared intently through the smoke, locked on the screen before him.
Like a python that had spotted its prey, he would never again allow her to disappear from his sight.
