Chapter 132: Chapter 132: "Your Beast Husband, I’ll Help You Choose.
The spirit letter that arrived from Paradise today detailed her recent diet, including some poorly disguised pregnancy supplements.
The Duke immediately figured out the little rabbit’s situation—
She was pregnant!
They say the Mermaid Clan has difficulty reproducing, but how long had they even been together? And now she was pregnant?!
The Duke, who normally drank in moderation, had locked himself in his room and been drinking all day.
On the video call, the young female sat on the bed, her hands clutching the blanket and her eyes rimmed with red. She seemed frightened, shrinking away and not daring to look at the screen.
"You... can’t hurt the Mermaid Baby..."
she repeated quietly.
Yu Zhizhi had heard about the situation with mermaids from Yusen, so she knew people might come after the baby. She didn’t want anything to happen to it.
The Duke’s breathing was heavy, his chest heaving. The hard liquor was already burning in his stomach, and hearing her voice only made the feeling worse.
’She’s pregnant... with another male’s child...’
’He’d originally thought the little rabbit was just taken with the merman’s youth and good looks—that she was just having some fun. Once she got tired of it, that would be the end of it.’
’But now that there was a baby, they would probably be entangled indefinitely.’
’Mermaid Clan children were exceedingly rare. For that reason alone, that fish was probably already scheming how to lure the little rabbit back into the sea.’
Yu Zhizhi waited for a while but heard nothing from the Duke.
She peeked at the screen.
On the screen, the Duke sat in the darkness, leaning against the headboard with his eyes shut tight. He looked to be in pain, as if enduring something terrible.
"...What’s wrong?" Yu Zhizhi leaned closer.
She moved closer to the screen, trying to get a better look.
The Duke gritted his teeth. "Stomachache."
’Just the thought of her carrying another male’s child made his stomach twist into painful knots.’
The wind was strong that night.
A window in the study suddenly blew open. A blast of cold air rushed in, dispelling the hazy effects of the alcohol. The Duke slowly opened his eyes, staring out at the crescent moon obscured by dark clouds. His golden, slitted pupils were sinister, like those of a venomous snake hiding in the night.
The cold wind sobered the Duke up considerably.
He glared at the screen. "Yu Zhizhi."
The Duke’s voice was chilling, and Yu Zhizhi couldn’t help but shiver.
"...I’m here."
Suppressing his anger, the Duke’s eyes gradually calmed. "The Deep Sea Empire is no place for you. The Mermaid Clan may be the most noble race in the seas, but their internal politics are a tangled, treacherous mess. You’d be in way over your head. You’ll drown there, one way or another."
"The Moon Rising Empire won’t work either."
"’Their Royal Family will eat you alive and not even spit out the bones. There’s a reason they have so few S-Class females. Besides, given your unique status, whether they treat you as a guest of honor or a hostage could change in an instant.’"
Yu Zhizhi listened in confusion. "What status?"
’What status did she have?’
’According to her file, she was just a little reject from the Rabbit Clan, initially rated with D-level Fertility.’
Formerly.
A servant entered with a bowl of sobering soup.
The Duke took the white jade bowl and drained it in one go. "Don’t forget, you just bore me six children."
’Add to that the K family’s four wolf cubs...’
’She was destined to be entangled with them for the rest of her life.’
After drinking the sobering soup, the Duke was fully clear-headed.
He looked at the young female’s delicate, lovely face on the screen. She hugged her blanket, her rabbit ears drooping slightly, as if pondering his words.
The Duke softened his tone. "The Valoran Empire is the safest place for you."
’Tutu is timid. I have to be patient and take a softer approach.’
"Here, you can do whatever you want."
Yu Zhizhi shot a quick glance at the screen. Seeing the Duke staring at her, she quickly looked down again.
"That’s not true."
"What was that?" The Duke hadn’t heard her clearly.
Yu Zhizhi summoned her courage. "You kept me locked up before. You wouldn’t let me go anywhere."
’She couldn’t even leave the courtyard of the study. What could she possibly have done?’
The Duke stiffened.
He remembered the letter the young female had left behind when she ran away.
After a long moment, he said in a hoarse voice, "It won’t be like that after you’re married."
"Married?" Her rabbit ears twitched. Yu Zhizhi looked up, staring at the Duke on the screen in astonishment.
The Duke’s eyes were dark, his tone enigmatic. "Why don’t you tell me, Ms. Zhi Zhi, what sort of partner you prefer?"
He enunciated each word carefully. "I will choose your Beast Husband for you. I guarantee I’ll pick one you’re satisfied with."
Yu Zhizhi stared at him blankly.
’Why was the Duke so unpredictable?’
’Suddenly he wants to find a Beast Husband for me?’
"N-No, that’s okay..." Yu Zhizhi felt like she was being stared down by a snake, and a chill ran down her neck. ’I really just want to hide under the covers.’
’She wasn’t thinking about getting a partner right now...’
"What, do you already have someone in mind?" the Duke asked, his eyes fixed on the screen.
Yu Zhizhi remained silent.
He tried another tack. "Do you plan to leave the Moon Rising Empire with the Mermaid?"
The Duke saw the young female on the screen look up in a panic, a stunned expression on her face, as if to ask, ’How did he know?’
The Duke suppressed a sharp pang in his chest. "The Mermaid won’t work. You two can’t leave."
"Why?"
"The Moon Rising Empire doesn’t run a charity. Do you really think they’ll just hand over an S-Class female?"
"..."
Yu Zhizhi mumbled, "They’ve prepared a ship for me."
"You can sail around as much as you like, so long as you don’t cross the Moon Rising Empire’s maritime border."
During her time in Paradise, Yu Zhizhi had received excellent care. The Guard Team was wholly dedicated to her safety, and Luther was always looking out for her.
Everything had been perfect.
But after speaking with the Duke today, she couldn’t help but worry.
’When the time comes for her to actually leave, will the Moon Rising Empire really...’
’...try to stop her?’
’If they do, what then?’
’Yusen has to return to the sea, and with the baby.’
Yu Zhizhi wilted, her rabbit ears drooping even lower. She looked utterly pitiful. "I want to rest now..."
The Duke didn’t press her to make a decision. He softened his tone again. "During the Moonrise Festival, that fox will likely approach you. You can hear what he has to say then. You’ll see that I haven’t lied to you."
"Oh..."
"If you run into any trouble the Guard Team can’t handle, find Geoffrey. He’ll appear whenever you need him."
Yu Zhizhi nodded obediently. "I’ll remember."
Geoffrey the jeweler was one of the Duke’s men. Back when she had gone to trade for the Mermaid’s Eye, Geoffrey had invited Yu Zhizhi to the Divine City for the Moonrise Festival.
Confident that the little rabbit would go to the Divine City for the Moonrise Festival, the barest hint of a smile touched the Duke’s lips.
It vanished into the darkness just as quickly.
His expression was placid. "I’m hanging up."
Yu Zhizhi pursed her lips. "Goodnight, Duke."
"Goodnight."
The video call ended.
The floating chat box vanished.
Yu Zhizhi snuggled into her blankets, but her sleepiness had completely vanished. She stared blankly at the ceiling, lost in thought.
’From the sound of it, the Duke was saying it’s easy to get into the Moon Rising Empire, but hard to get out...?’
Yu Zhizhi’s mind was in a turmoil, and she didn’t finally fall asleep until the early hours of the morning.
The next several days passed peacefully. Louis prepared three meals for her each day, and when the snowstorms subsided, she would go out into the courtyard for fresh air.
Sometimes, she would curl up on the sofa with Yusen to watch movies, variety shows, or read interesting books.
During this period, Louis and Yusen didn’t argue at all.
Yu Zhizhi was pregnant.
Neither of them wanted to make her worry.
The two had reached a delicate equilibrium.
Just as another blizzard was about to arrive, the day of the Moon Rising Empire’s grandest annual festival finally dawned.
First thing in the morning, Luther arrived with a custom-made gown.
