Chapter 20: Chapter 20: Controlled by Him
Yu Zhizhi held the book in both hands, having forgotten which page she was on.
She fretted, "What paragraph was I on...?"
Suddenly, the "Godfather" before her snatched the book from her hands. He casually slid the Ancient Book back onto the shelf. While the little female was still staring at him, stunned, he lowered his head and gave her a light peck on the lips.
"No more reading."
He tilted her chin up. "Look at me."
Dracula leaned in and kissed her.
The tips of Yu Zhizhi’s ears burned. She shifted slightly, but the man’s large, broad hand held her firmly in place. As Dracula slowly deepened the kiss, the air seemed to grow thin, leaving her breathless.
Her fair little face flushed bright red.
Dracula pulled back slightly, watching her eyes glisten as she leaned against the bookshelf, panting softly...
The man’s finger brushed against her slightly swollen lips. "Come to the church tonight. I have something to tell you."
"Mmm..." Yu Zhizhi nodded softly.
She was a little tired from the afternoon banquet and returned to her room partway through.
The Beastmen watched her leave with longing.
’The little female was simply too captivating.’
However, the members of the K family, whether intentionally or not, didn’t let anyone get too close to her.
’It seemed they were also afraid that the little female would choose another male and not become the wife of the K family’s leader.’
With Lisa’s help, Yu Zhizhi shed her magnificent formal gown and changed into more comfortable clothes.
Wearing a pure white dress, she curled up on the soft sofa, hugging a rose-pink pillow and gazing blankly at the flowerpots on the terrace.
’I wonder what Dracula wants to tell me tonight?’
’Is it about the cub?’
’He’s not going to leave us, is he...?’
’Dracula might be leaving the K family’s territory soon. If I’m all alone, what will I do after the cub is born?’
"Satan..." she called out softly. "Is there any space to store a Beast Egg?"
[System: "No such item exists."]
Yu Zhizhi: "..."
’It seems the Beast Egg I’ll lay will be different from the Pet Egg the system gave me. The Pet Egg is still sitting safely in my inventory.’
’I wonder when it will hatch?’
"Um... can I see the details for [Mission 3] ahead of time?"
[System: "Mission not yet unlocked. Access denied."]
"Alright."
’The second mission won’t be complete until I successfully give birth to the Beast cub. For now, I’ll just have to stay put in the castle.’
Night began to fall.
Lisa brought in a glass of milk.
"Ms. Zhi Zhi, this will help you sleep better tonight."
"Thank you~"
"Housekeeper Qiao specifically instructed that the territory isn’t safe right now. You should try not to leave your room."
Yu Zhizhi paused, having drunk half the milk. "Did something happen?"
Lisa finished making the bed. She tried to recall, "I think they said... a lot of the patrolling guards over by the church were killed!"
"...What?"
Hearing the word "church," Yu Zhizhi’s breath caught, and she unconsciously tightened her grip on the glass.
"Ms. Zhi Zhi, do you know why Lord Nade didn’t even come back for something as important as the Beast cub’s hatching ceremony?"
Lisa leaned closer and whispered, "I heard there was trouble at the Royal Palace. A Prince died. He was assassinated."
"Do you think the assassin might be hiding in our territory? Why else would so many guards suddenly die? It seems like they were all killed in a single blow, with no time to even call for help."
"And... they say it was the work of remnants from the Cang Country."
This was the first time Yu Zhizhi had heard the name. "Cang Country?"
"Mhm, the Beast World Planet used to have Four Great Empires, but now there are only three. The one destroyed by the allied Three Great Empires two hundred years ago was the [Cangshan Empire]."
Lisa said softly,
"Cang Mountain is the territory of the Eagle Clan. They were the overlords of the sky on Beast Star. In their golden age, the other three Empires had to bow in submission to them."
"I heard their current Lord possesses the strongest Rare talent the Cangshan Empire has seen in a century—
"Like Lord Locke, he was rated SSS right at birth!"
Ever since hearing about the incident at the church, Yu Zhizhi had been on edge.
Lisa assumed she was just tired.
She smiled. "You should get some sleep, Ms. Zhi Zhi. I won’t bother you anymore. Good night~"
"Good night."
After Lisa left, Yu Zhizhi sat on the edge of her bed and picked up an oil lamp from the low table beside it. Once the night was deep, she found the ivy-covered steps by the terrace’s back door and slipped out quietly.
’I hope...’
’...nothing has happened to Dracula.’
The night was deep, and the fog was thick.
After she was some distance away, she glanced back at the castle. It looked far more grim and foreboding than it did in the daylight.
She had walked the path to the church many times and knew it by heart.
As she drew near, she was met with the heavy stench of blood.
The grounds outside the church had already been cleaned, but many bloodstains remained. She climbed the steps, moving slowly upward.
Deep within the dark, silent church, Yu Zhizhi saw a familiar, slender figure.
Only then did her heart, which had leaped into her throat, slowly settle back down.
Dracula, who was in the middle of wiping his mask, looked up to see the little female walking toward him, an oil lamp in her hand.
A smile he himself was unaware of surfaced on his face.
’His little rabbit had come as promised.’
"Are... are you okay?" Yu Zhizhi asked softly.
"I’m fine."
Yu Zhizhi had changed into a maid’s uniform to make it easier to move about at night. When she reached Dracula’s side, the man gently smoothed her slightly tousled hair. His fingers brushed past her rabbit ears, and, unable to resist, he leaned down to kiss the little female’s forehead.
’For all these years, he had always walked through the darkness alone.’
’Dracula suddenly realized that affection was impossible to hide.’
’The moment he saw her, he wanted to pull her into his arms.’
’Especially now that he knew his little rabbit was carrying his cub...’
"I have other things I must do, so I can’t wait for you at the church every day. Aside from late on weekend nights, there’s no need for you to make a special trip."
Yu Zhizhi’s first reaction was—
"Then what will you eat?"
’Without the food I bring him, what would Dracula eat?’
He couldn’t help but smile. "Don’t worry. I won’t let myself go hungry."
Dracula took a long wooden box from within his clothes. He opened it, revealing a necklace with a pure, sky-blue jewel.
The blue gem was crystal clear, the very color of the sky.
This was what his mother had given him before she died.
Males of the Eagle Clan only ever have one wife in their lifetime. For Dracula, he would never give away this ancestral token of betrothal to any female he had not chosen as his lifelong companion.
Dracula gently fastened the necklace around her neck.
Yu Zhizhi had never seen such a beautiful necklace before. She looked down at it in astonishment, her rabbit ears twitching slightly on her head.
"This is..."
"It’s for you."
"Oh, but I didn’t bring you a gift today." Yu Zhizhi looked up at him earnestly.
’A token of betrothal...’
The corner of Dracula’s mouth curved. "You already have."
He was always carrying the white lace hairband that Yu Zhizhi had dropped before.
Just as Yu Zhizhi was about to ask what he meant, the look in Dracula’s eyes suddenly shifted. He pressed a finger to her lips.
"Shh... Someone’s coming."
