Chapter 34: Chapter 34: "You Like Him That Much?
This time, all the deceased were prominent figures.
The K family was busy for two days and two nights. Matters both inside and outside their territory needed to be handled.
The Duke’s right hand held a long, slender pipe. The bowl at its tip was shaped like a blue lotus, and the faint sparks of burning tobacco were visible within.
His other arm was wrapped around his fragrant, soft little pet. After stroking her rabbit ears for a long while, his palm slowly drifted down to rest gently on her back.
Today, the little pet was wearing a pure white gauze dress with thin straps.
She lay quietly against his chest.
He could feel her breathing was a little rushed.
"And... and then what?" Yu Zhizhi couldn’t help but ask.
"I’m a bit tired. We’ll continue tomorrow."
The Duke deliberately avoided mentioning the eagle.
He saw a trace of confusion appear on the little female’s face, which gradually turned into disappointment.
"Oh..." Yu Zhizhi didn’t press further, just nodding softly.
"Unhappy?" the Duke glanced at her.
"No, not at all..."
"Remember, I don’t like it when my pets get emotional. Considering you’re still adjusting to your new status, I won’t punish you today," the Duke said coolly.
He set down the pipe and patted her back, signaling for her to sit up.
After Yu Zhizhi sat up, the Duke rose to his feet and walked barefoot toward the inner room of the study. His purple robes dragged on the floor. From behind an exquisite, ornate screen, Yu Zhizhi saw the Duke take off his robes.
She quickly turned her back.
He changed into a more comfortable white robe for lounging, its collar wide open. As he passed the little pet who was trying to be discreet, he glanced at her casually.
"Your rabbit den is in the back. Go to sleep on your own."
Seeing the little female staring at him in a daze, he stopped, his eyes fixed on her, a smile touching his lips. "What, you want to bathe with me?"
"I—I’ve already bathed!" Yu Zhizhi replied hastily.
She was terrified that if she’d answered a second later, he would have carried her off to the bathroom.
After the Duke left, the taut string in Yu Zhizhi’s mind slowly loosened.
She was genuinely sleepy now.
She stood up and walked behind the screen, where she saw a bed. And on the other side of the bed, there was a white, fluffy den—
’This can’t be the ’rabbit den’ the Duke mentioned, can it?’
Beastmen could switch to their Beast Form.
But Yu Zhizhi had never been able to completely turn into a little white rabbit.
[Satan—]
Her motto was: when in doubt, call the system.
[How can I turn into a rabbit?]
[System: Awaken your spiritual power.]
"Then when can I awaken my spiritual power?"
Both of Yu Zhizhi’s abilities were grayed out, not yet unlocked. She remembered that during the last placement test, the Black Panther female had awakened her spiritual power and Superpower on the spot.
[System: It depends on the individual. There is no set time.]
She couldn’t turn into a rabbit, so she couldn’t sleep in the rabbit den.
Yu Zhizhi sat on a soft cushion by the bed. She was so exhausted that she leaned her head against the edge of the bed and fell asleep.
The Duke returned from his bath.
He saw that his little pet wasn’t sleeping in the rabbit den, but was fast asleep leaning against the corner of the bed.
His golden, vertical pupils narrowed in thought. He suddenly remembered that the little female hadn’t awakened her spiritual power yet, so she couldn’t turn into a rabbit.
She hadn’t slept in the rabbit den.
Nor had she presumed to get on the bed.
’She was more sensible than any of his previous pets.’
’So obedient.’
The Duke was in a rather good mood. He picked up the little rabbit.
’Then I’ll let her sleep on the bed.’
’Consider it a reward.’
Yu Zhizhi had a dream.
She dreamed she was being coiled by a snake, squeezed tighter and tighter until she couldn’t breathe—
She struggled awake.
Sunlight streamed in from the window, filtering through the screen. She discovered that she had somehow ended up on the bed, and a man’s arm was lying across her chest, holding her tightly.
The bed curtains fluttered in the breeze.
She didn’t dare to move, terrified of waking the Duke sleeping behind her.
The little female deliberately slowed her breathing.
But the beating of her heart was speeding up.
’The Duke held her in his arms from behind. She was soft and comfortable to hold. If she had a bit more meat on her bones, she’d feel even better.’
"Awake?" The man’s voice was hoarse from sleep.
Yu Zhizhi nodded lightly.
He didn’t loosen his grip.
Instead, he held her even tighter.
’...Come to think of it, he hadn’t slept this well in a very long time.’
’A dreamless night.’
’He hadn’t liked the scents of his previous pets. No matter how heavy the perfume they used, he’d only found it pungent.’
’Her scent was very pleasant, a faint mix of jasmine and milk.’
’It felt like he had chosen the right pet.’
The Duke gently patted the little female’s head, then casually began to knead her rabbit ears.
After waking, he held her and petted her for a long time.
Yu Zhizhi bit down gently on the blanket, feeling waves of tingling numbness spread from her ears. The man had almost her entire rabbit ear in his hand, stroking it slowly from base to tip.
Her rabbit ears could no longer stand up straight; they could only hang limply, toyed with at the Duke’s whim.
Once he had his fill of petting the rabbit, the Duke sat up. "Someone attend me."
The study door was pushed open.
Servants entered carrying water and began to help their master with his morning ablutions.
When they saw the Rabbit Clan female lying on the bed, hiding her face with the blanket, a flicker of astonishment passed through their eyes.
’This was the first time they had ever seen a female in the Duke’s bed!’
After the Duke was fully dressed, he glanced at the lump under the covers behind him.
"Still not getting up?"
Yu Zhizhi slowly sat up.
A maidservant helped her change and wash up. Once everything was ready, she was escorted to the dining table.
A table full of delicacies was laid out.
In front of her was a dish of stewed carrots, cut into small pieces, their color vibrant and appetizing.
Yu Zhizhi picked up her fork.
The Duke was reading today’s newspaper. Whether it was intentional or not, he read aloud in a languid voice—
"According to the investigation, the one who activated the Sun Array was the current leader of the Eagle Clan. He had infiltrated the K family under the guise of a Godfather before the Wolf Clan’s sacrificial rite."
Yu Zhizhi’s movements paused. Her rabbit ears perked up slightly as she listened intently.
"Before this, the assassinated Prince of the Valoran Empire may have also been connected to him. On the day of the rite, the Imperial Iron Cavalry surrounded the entire mountain, leaving no escape. After a great battle that lasted two days and two nights, the Eagle Clan leader fell from the sky, exhausted—"
Yu Zhizhi stared blankly into the air.
’When she left, Dracula was already heavily injured.’
’Fighting so many of the Imperial Iron Cavalry for two days and two nights, completely exhausted...’
Large tears rolled from her eyes. The food on the plate before her became tasteless. Yu Zhizhi wept silently.
The Duke, holding the newspaper, saw the little female sitting across from him crying.
The hand he held the newspaper with paused slightly. His golden, vertical pupils landed on her tear-streaked face. The little female was crying her heart out, her eyelashes clumped together. The dinner plate on the table had become a vessel for pearls.
’His little pet who had always been so well-behaved, never complaining, never resisting, letting him pet her and touch her as he pleased.’
’In bed, no matter how tightly he held her, she never struggled.’
’But now, she was crying nonstop.’
Watching her, the Duke felt an inexplicable stuffiness in his chest.
He spoke softly, "Do you like him that much?"
It would have been better if he hadn’t asked.
The moment she heard the Duke’s voice, Yu Zhizhi could no longer control herself and burst into a wailing sob.
She had never cried so miserably since coming to the Beast World Planet.
It was as if she was trying to vent all her sorrow today.
"Waaaah—"
She clutched her fork, crying so hard she couldn’t catch her breath, and even started to hiccup through her tears.
The Duke had originally intended to punish her. In his mansion, no Beastman dared to cry in front of him.
Not even his pets.
It annoyed him.
But seeing her pitiful appearance now, the Duke’s tone softened unconsciously, even carrying a trace of helplessness.
"You’re crying too soon."
"At least let me finish reading."
