Chapter 36: Chapter 36: "Who Do You Have Your Eye On?
Duke Bolan had never brought a female from the Beast Clan back to his territory before.
She was very curious. To Lord Bo Lan, was this little rabbit just a pet, or something else entirely? However, she knew Lord Bo Lan would never agree to her making that request.
Holding a whip behind her back, the Snake Clan girl slowly circled the sweet-smelling little rabbit.
Yu Zhizhi thought it over seriously.
She nodded. "Okay, I’ll go ask the Duke. But... can you please spare his life for now? Don’t hit him anymore."
"Well, since Ms. Zhi Zhi is the one asking, I have to oblige."
The Snake Clan girl lifted her chin slightly. "Drag him to the storeroom and lock him up. Without my order, no one is to give him any food."
"Yes, ma’am." Two guards stepped forward and dragged away the kneeling Wild Dog.
Seeing that the "Wild Dog’s" life was spared for now, Yu Zhizhi breathed a sigh of relief.
She smiled at the Snake Clan girl’s brown, vertical-slitted pupils.
Yu Zhizhi had been outside for the better part of the day. She noted the location of the storeroom; it wasn’t far from the pavilion.
The walk from the study to the pavilion took about thirty minutes.
Not too close, but not too far either.
By the time she headed back, the sky was growing dark.
Lights were on in the courtyard. She saw blue lotuses in the pond, faintly emitting a soft, ethereal glow, creating a beautiful, hazy scene.
The servants in the courtyard had already left.
Yu Zhizhi crept toward the study. She carefully pushed open the door and slipped inside, only to find a lantern filled with fireflies resting on the desk directly ahead.
The Duke was nowhere to be found.
She slowly approached the low table and sat down. Looking at the official scrolls laid out upon it, she wondered, ’How am I going to ask the Duke for the "Wild Dog"?’
She waited until the last of the twilight faded and all was silent. Only then did she hear footsteps behind her.
The door opened.
Yu Zhizhi turned to see the tall, slender figure and quickly got up, trotting over to him.
The Duke saw the little rabbit. Her eyes were bright, her rabbit ears were perked, and her fingers were lifting the hem of her white dress as she gave a slight curtsy. She looked fresh, elegant, and adorably innocent.
He was in a good mood and gave a slight nod. "Tired from playing?"
He had been meeting with guests today, so his little pet had run off to play by herself all day.
She hadn’t even come back for dinner.
Seeing her now with her long hair slightly disheveled, the Duke brushed past her.
"Come with me."
Yu Zhizhi followed slowly. They went around a curtain and through a back door onto a small path. As she stepped on the smooth pebbles, warm mist began to drift onto her face.
Ahead, she could hear the gentle sound of water.
As far as she could see, there was a round bathing pool surrounded by the shadows of bamboo and hung with red lanterns.
The pool steamed, its surface covered with deep blue flower petals.
"Duke, are you going to take a bath?" she asked.
The Duke turned back to her. He bent down slightly, stroking her head with one hand as he looked into her eyes. "You were playing outside all day. You’re covered in dust and need a good washing."
The little female’s eyes widened slightly.
The Duke straightened up. "Get in."
"I... I can wash myself..." Yu Zhizhi said in a small voice.
"Oh?"
The man’s single, oppressive syllable put her on high alert. She immediately and deftly slipped into the steaming pool.
Ahh—
The hot water rose past her collarbones. She leaned against the edge of the pool, feeling a sense of comfort wash over her, body and soul.
But she wasn’t used to having someone there with her, so she didn’t dare take off her dress.
’...If only I could switch to my Beast Form.’
’If I were really just a plump little "rabbit" right now, I probably wouldn’t be so embarrassed, would I?’
’Just when will I awaken my spiritual power...?’
Yu Zhizhi murmured to herself.
Suddenly, she felt a hand gently stroking her hair from behind.
A thick, wet lather was worked into her hair as the person behind her began to gently massage her scalp.
The Duke was meticulously washing her hair for her.
He was incredibly thorough, washing from the roots to the very ends of her hair.
In his eyes, Yu Zhizhi was just a little pet. Giving her a bath was the most normal thing in the world.
He even gave her rabbit ears a gentle rub while he was at it.
Lathering them in circles.
The Duke sat down.
He sat by the edge of the pool, squeezed a palmful of liquid soap, and worked it into a lather before placing his hands on the little female’s shoulders, rubbing in slow circles.
The little female’s skin was incredibly smooth and delicate. Under the foam, she looked like a freshly baked cake covered in sweet cream.
The Duke’s hands slowly moved downward...
Soaked in the hot water, Yu Zhizhi’s cheeks burned as if she had a high fever.
She kept her eyes squeezed shut, her hands clasped tightly, trying to suppress the shivers running through her body.
The Duke thought of his previous pets. When thrown into water, they would struggle and cry constantly. None of them could compare to the little female rabbit before him.
He felt more and more certain that he had chosen the right pet.
After washing her clean, he wrapped her in a large towel, picked her up, and carried her back to the study.
The little female curled up in his arms, burying her head. Her long, wet hair was still dripping, and her rabbit ears drooped like she had just been caught in a downpour, looking utterly pitiful.
Back in the study, he sat on a soft cushion and held her in his lap, drying the water from her hair.
The towel was made of a special material that dried her hair quickly.
Yu Zhizhi kept her eyes tightly shut, feeling the towel move from her rabbit ears to her cheeks. He then had her lift her head so he could dry her neck.
The Duke’s movements slowed down.
The little female’s body was so delicate that even a few light rubs from the soft towel left red marks on her snow-white neck.
He chuckled, his touch becoming even gentler.
"Are you hungry?" he asked.
Yu Zhizhi hadn’t eaten dinner, so she nodded gently.
As she slowly opened her eyes, they seemed to be shimmering with a layer of mist, bright like spring water. With her flushed cheeks and cherry-pink lips, she looked exceptionally delicate and lovely.
She had hardly touched the ground since the Duke returned.
He had been holding her the entire time.
Now she was sitting sideways in his lap, her body curled slightly, her hands clutching the collar of his deep purple robes as she took in his unique scent.
A servant soon arrived with a late-night snack.
It was a bowl of sesame sweet rice dumplings.
The Duke held her in his lap, picked up the bowl, and scooped up one of the dumplings. He patiently blew on it to cool it down before bringing the spoon to the little rabbit’s lips.
Yu Zhizhi opened her mouth. The dumpling was a bit big, so she took a small bite, and the sesame filling oozed out onto the spoon.
After finishing the first half, she popped the rest into her mouth.
’The sweet rice dumplings here are delicious—’
’They taste like the ones I had during New Year’s back in my world.’
As she ate, her eyes began to well up.
"What’s wrong?" The Duke noticed the corners of his little pet’s eyes were red. He grinned. "What, are you so moved by how well I treat you?"
He truly had never been this patient with any of his pets before.
Maybe he’d pay attention to their food when he first got them, but when it came to bathing, he’d just toss them in the pool for the servants to clean.
But she was different.
The Duke believed that only he could be the one to bathe her.
Once she was washed, dried, and held in his arms, she always smelled soft and sweet. Feeding her was just a natural extension of that.
After all, he was exceptionally satisfied with this pet.
’Raising her like this for a lifetime...’
’That doesn’t sound too bad.’
"...I miss home," Yu Zhizhi sniffled.
She swallowed the second dumpling the Duke offered, taking the whole thing in one go and puffing out her cheeks.
The small bowl was enough to make her full.
After she finished eating, Yu Zhizhi mustered her courage and looked up at the man before her.
The Duke’s ink-blue hair was slightly curled, and his golden, vertical-slitted pupils held the dangerous aura of a venomous snake. When he wasn’t smiling, his brow looked like a dark cloud gathering, concealing a hidden storm.
But when he smiled, it was a lazy, casual expression that held little joy and could even be horrifying to behold.
"I... I’d like a servant," she said softly.
"All the servants in the courtyard are yours."
"I-I’ve taken a liking to one in particular—"
"And who might that be?" the Duke asked, raising an eyebrow. His tone was dangerously low. "A male or a female?"
