Chapter 356: Criminal?

The Little Snow Eagle snuck away on his way back to the palace.

He didn’t know where he was going, but he thought of the small tavern and the lop-eared Miss Rabbit he’d shared strawberry crunch cakes with.

He couldn’t quite explain why, but he felt an irresistible urge to be near her.

’Maybe it’s because I miss my mother so much!’

When Yu Zhizhi recognized him, she slowly sat up. "Weren’t you on your way home?"

"I want to play for a couple more days~" The Little Snow Eagle hopped onto the bed. He folded his short wings and cheerfully shuffled over to the lop-eared rabbit. "Can I stay here with you for a bit?"

"Of course you can."

Yu Zhizhi was also very fond of the young Snow Eagle. The moment she agreed, the Little Snow Eagle made himself right at home and squeezed under her covers, raising one of his short wings. "Then we can sleep together!"

He’d read in his storybooks that good friends who share a bed could talk for a long, long time.

Yu Zhizhi felt a warm little ball of fluff squeeze in beside her, and an inexplicable joy washed over her. She lay back down and pulled the covers up.

The young Snow Eagle shuffled forward with little huffs.

He poked his little head out from under the covers.

"Miss Rabbit, did you grow up in the Land of Prophecy?" The Little Snow Eagle was filled with curiosity about her.

Yu Zhizhi shook her head. "No, I didn’t."

"Then!" The Little Snow Eagle suddenly grew very excited. "Then have you ever been to Greenfield City?!"

"You know of Greenfield City?" Yu Zhizhi was a little surprised.

The young Snow Eagle happily raised his wings. "That’s my mother’s hometown! Can you tell me what Greenfield City is like? Have you ever met my mom? She’s from the Rabbit Clan, just like you—"

The difference was, the Little Snow Eagle knew his mother was a white rabbit with ears that stood straight up. The Miss Rabbit before him, however, was a beige, lop-eared rabbit.

’Wow~’

Yu Zhizhi hadn’t expected the Little Snow Eagle’s mother to be from the Rabbit Clan of Greenfield City.

She turned onto her side and couldn’t resist stroking his head with her finger. "Greenfield City is gorgeous, like a fairy tale world. It’s covered in forests with lots of treehouses, and the sunsets are incredibly beautiful."

Yu Zhizhi found herself reminiscing about her own life in Greenfield City.

’If it hadn’t been for the smuggler incident...’

’It really was a wonderful place to live long-term.’

She had loved it there.

"But I wasn’t in Greenfield City for very long, so I didn’t make any friends," Yu Zhizhi said softly.

The Little Snow Eagle asked, "So... not a single friend from the Rabbit Clan?"

"Well, there was one."

"Was it my mom?!"

"I don’t think so." Yu Zhizhi couldn’t help but chuckle. ’He’s so adorable,’ she thought, ’but also a little heartbreaking. I just want to give him a hug.’

"He was a black rabbit."

And male.

A flicker of disappointment crossed the Little Snow Eagle’s glossy black eyes. "Then that wasn’t my mom."

’My mom is a white rabbit.’

’Snowy, snowy white.’

’I inherited these white wings from her!’

This was the first time the Little Snow Eagle had ever had such a close chat with anyone.

He used to live in the palace, and even though there were many servants, he always had to sleep by himself at night.

This was the first time he’d ever fallen asleep with another member of the Beast Clan.

He adjusted his position and burrowed into the crook of Miss Rabbit’s arm, so it felt like she was holding him as he slept.

’Hee hee~’

The young Snow Eagle happily drifted off to sleep.

When he woke up, he found the small tavern surrounded by Palace Guards.

The palace steward stood outside the door with a grim expression, while the Vulture paced anxiously. "Miss Rabbit is from the Land of Prophecy! She and the Little Prince hit it off last night. She absolutely has no malicious intent!"

The Vulture had only just found out today that the young Snow Eagle who occasionally came to the small tavern for strawberry crunch cakes was actually the Little Prince who lived in the Underground City’s palace!

The Little Prince hadn’t returned all night, and the situation had become extremely serious.

Miss Rabbit had instantly become the prime suspect for "abducting" the Little Prince.

He’d heard that the female sparrow who had "lost" the Little Prince yesterday had already been thrown into the dungeon.

The palace steward’s hair was graying at the temples. His back was ramrod straight, and his sharp gaze fell on the female lop-eared rabbit descending from the second floor.

"We will make our own judgment. Please, miss, come with us."

The Little Snow Eagle was Cang Mountain’s only Little Prince, a descendant of the Royal Family. He had always been carefully protected; even the citizens of the Underground City had never seen him.

The nature of this matter was incredibly grave.

The Little Snow Eagle rushed down. "I’m the one who ran away! This has nothing to do with them!"

"Little Prince, you should be in the palace for your lessons at this hour." The steward gestured. "Please escort the Little Prince back. When the Lord arrives, he will want to see you immediately."

A guard came forward and took hold of him.

The Little Snow Eagle flapped his wings. "I’m the one who wanted to stay! Miss Rabbit took me in, don’t give her a hard time!"

"Rest assured, we will not cause trouble for any of our citizens." The palace steward gave a subtle nod, and the guards carried the Snow Eagle Prince out.

Yu Zhizhi slowly walked up to him.

She wasn’t panicked. She simply performed the customary greeting according to the Empire’s etiquette.

The palace steward watched her coldly.

’A very young female of the Rabbit Clan. Whether her actions were intentional or not, she has violated palace rules.’

Moreover, the palace steward was vigilant toward anyone who tried to approach the Little Prince.

Especially those from the Rabbit Clan.

Because of the Little Prince’s birth mother, he always had a fondness for females of the Rabbit Clan and couldn’t help but be drawn to them.

’This makes him an easy target for those with ulterior motives.’

The palace steward said slowly, "I must ask you to come with us."

"But—" The Vulture, the tavern’s owner, wanted to intervene, but this was the palace steward himself. He didn’t have enough influence to stop him.

In the end, all he could do was say to the little rabbit, "I’ll notify Zero as soon as I can. He’ll know what to do."

The Land of Prophecy and the Underground City had a very close relationship.

With Zero’s help, the misunderstanding should be cleared up.

Thankfully, Zero was already on his way.

Yu Zhizhi gave a slight nod.

She was a little nervous, and seeing such a large contingent of guards, she began to understand that the Little Snow Eagle’s identity was probably not so simple...

But she had a clear conscience.

The Little Octopus wanted to follow her.

Yu Zhizhi said to it, "Please help me look after them."

The Little Octopus understood instantly.

’The three Kitty Beast Eggs are still in the room...’

Its tentacles gripped the stair railing. "Okay."

Yu Zhizhi was led away by the Palace Guards.

She boarded the only train that ran to the palace. As she was suspected of abducting a child, her hands were placed in shackles.

Along the way, the palace steward secretly observed the female from the Rabbit Clan.

She wasn’t panicking. She was very quiet, even seemed curious about the scenery along the route, and kept her gaze fixed out the window.

If it weren’t for the shackles, she would seem more like a guest than a criminal.

He forced himself to look away.

’If I look at her any longer,’ he thought, ’I might not be able to stop myself from unlocking those shackles.’

’After all, she gives off such an air of innocence...’

’If she truly does have ulterior motives and can make people lower their guard so easily, then that is truly terrifying.’

’She must be interrogated rigorously!’