Chapter 124: Chapter 124: Confrontation! Snake vs. Mermaid
Yusen had come down from the attic at some point. The stairwell was dark; only the fireplace by the living room window cast a layer of dim, warm orange shadows.
He leaned against the wall, his ice-blue eyes as still and placid as a tranquil lake. He watched the man who appeared on the video screen, his tone faint.
"Who is he?"
The three simple words sounded like ice dropped down the back of her neck, and Yu Zhizhi couldn’t help but flinch.
"The... the Duke," she replied in a small voice.
When the Duke saw another male figure intrude on the video feed, he lazily raised a hand and tapped the butterfly-wing-shaped communicator on his ear. "Take it off. Put it on speaker."
He reminded the little rabbit.
Yu Zhizhi let out a soft "oh," took off the headset, and switched to the external speaker as the Duke had instructed.
"Good evening, little one." The Duke’s voice traveled through the video feed to their ears.
His fingers gently rolled a small pinch of tobacco. A faint smile touched his golden, vertical pupils, and though his voice was extremely soft, it sounded utterly mocking.
Yu Zhizhi froze for a moment.
’She’d initially thought the Duke’s "little one" was meant for her, but then she realized his gaze on the screen was fixed on someone behind her—’
—the Mermaid leaning against the wall. His eyes were dark and sullen; clearly, he detested the form of address.
"Old man,"
he shot back, not to be outdone.
’The Duke. Yusen had known from the very beginning.’
The little female had spoken to him on the phone before. Back then, Yusen had only guessed at which Duke of the Valoran Empire it might be. But today, seeing those wicked, snake-like pupils in the video, Yusen instantly understood the man’s identity.
Duke Bolan.
Yusen had heard that name since he was very young.
He was the most renowned male of the Snake Clan, the brains of the Valoran Empire, and their strongest fortress.
Legend had it that as long as he stood guard, the Imperial City of Valoran could not be breached.
Valoran would forever stand at the pinnacle of civilization.
Hearing the Mermaid’s retort, the Duke wasn’t the least bit angry. He even let out a low chuckle. "Not bad. Very spirited."
CLICK.
A lighter ignited the dry tobacco in his pipe.
The Duke leaned back lazily in his chair. Smoke swirled around him, his golden, vertical pupils flickering in the haze. His voice was low and raspy.
"Sweetheart, have fun in Paradise for a while longer. When you get tired of playing, just tell me. I’ll come pick you up and bring you home."
He spoke with a hint of a smile, his tone full of the tolerance and doting affection a mature male shows his mate.
Yu Zhizhi was a little dazed. It had been a long time since she’d heard the Duke call her that.
How could Yusen not understand the meaning behind the snake’s words?
It was as if he were just an Artist the little rabbit had found in the Lost Tower, a mere plaything. In the end, she would have to go home, back into the python’s embrace.
The thought sent a dull ache through Yusen’s chest.
He grit his teeth slightly. "Just an old flame. What’s there to be so smug about?"
’New love and old flame. It was obvious he was the little rabbit’s favorite male at the moment. He was the one who had been by the little female’s side all this time.’
The Duke’s jawline tightened. A dangerous light gleamed in his snake-like pupils, like a predator lying in wait, ready to tear its prey to shreds at any moment.
’Heh. Old flame?’
Those two words stung the Duke deeply.
No matter how much he hated to admit it, the fact was that the little rabbit had run off and abandoned him right after giving birth to their pup!
She was in Paradise now, keeping a beautiful Mermaid while being served by a handsome Housekeeper. If it weren’t for their Snake Pup, she probably would have forgotten him completely!
The tension on both sides was palpable. If not for the screen between them, the air would likely already be thick with the smoke of battle.
Yu Zhizhi looked at the Duke, then back at Yusen—
’Why were they always so confrontational whenever they spoke to each other?’
The Duke’s golden, vertical pupils were cold, but then he seemed to think of something, and a mocking smile touched his lips. "I almost forgot."
He twirled an exquisite, delicate fountain pen in his left hand.
"Say hello to your brother for me. It’s been so many years. His viciousness... no, his *style*... is as impressive as ever."
At the word "brother," a murderous intent suddenly flared in Yusen’s eyes. His hands at his sides slowly clenched into fists. This was clearly a person he was most reluctant to mention.
The Duke sneered inwardly. ’This newly-adult Mermaid is still far too naive, after all.’
Sensing the shift in the Mermaid’s mood, Yu Zhizhi looked at him with some concern. The youth’s face was pale and bloodless, his lips slightly white, as if his heart had been pierced.
She suddenly felt a pang of pity.
’A brother?’
’The Mermaid has a brother?’
Yu Zhizhi gently hooked her finger around his, looking up into his limpid eyes, which were filled with worry.
"Are you okay?"
The Mermaid lowered his gaze to the little female sitting on the stairs. He felt the warmth from her fingertips slowly melting away the ice forming around his heart.
He realized he had lost his composure.
This was the one thing Yusen was most unwilling to talk about.
When he realized the snake on the screen was still watching them—
the eyes he lifted held a trace of mournful resentment.
He had put on a different face.
This was what Mermaids did best.
They were born with the ability to use their breathtakingly beautiful appearance to feign a pitiful look and win a female’s sympathy.
Yusen slowly squatted down, two steps below the little female.
The corners of the youth’s downcast eyes made it seem as if he had suffered a devastating heartbreak.
"I’m fine."
Yusen’s reply only made Yu Zhizhi more worried. Her attention was completely focused on the Mermaid, and her hand, hooked around his, slowly tightened its grip.
"I want to go back to the attic," Yusen said, a pleading tone in his voice. "Will you come with me, please?"
Yu Zhizhi stared at him, stunned.
On the screen, the Duke watched the Mermaid’s performance with cold eyes.
His hand gripping the fountain pen was so tight his fingertips had turned white.
The Duke could clearly see the little female willingly take his hand. She was so thoughtful, so pure, so easily bewitched by the Mermaid.
’That damned half-breed of human and Enchanting Shark.’
He relied on the human blood in his genes, which allowed females to feel safe and close to him.
This was something males from other clans could not achieve.
Rabbit Clan females were timid by nature; the slightest disturbance would send them fleeing to hide. When she was with the snake, she often trembled in fear.
But in front of the Mermaid—
she didn’t show the slightest bit of fear.
Even though the news was filled with images of Mermaids brutally killing their keepers, females never seemed to learn, flocking one after another to keep them.
The little rabbit was no different.
The Duke forcefully suppressed the bitter jealousy rising in his heart and slowly said, "...Little Amon is awake."
Huh?!
Yu Zhizhi quickly turned her head back to the video. The Duke on the screen looked calm, with none of his usual laziness nor the thorny hostility from a moment ago.
He was just stating a perfectly ordinary fact.
Devoid of any personal emotion.
The Duke’s golden, vertical pupils stared through the screen, landing on his little pet’s face.
’Choose. Go with the Mermaid, or stay here.’
