Chapter 478 - 477: "Only You.

The little female huddled in his arms, a small bundle, her toes curling slightly at the Duke’s touch.

The sound of the rain was a constant drone.

The Duke cupped her rabbit tail in his palm, toying with it as he pleased.

Yu Zhizhi felt her cheeks burn.

"D-Duke, you can’t..."

Her voice trembled as she pressed her hands against the man’s chest, as if trying to push him away. The Duke didn’t stop; his golden, serpentine pupils only grew deeper.

"Why not?"

"Is it because of the shark? Or the mermaid?"

"Or—"

"Is it the Lord of Paradise, who entered a public pact with you?"

’His little rabbit was never like this before.’

’She used to love snuggling into his embrace, finding any way she could to seduce him.’

’Before he met her, the Duke had no interest in procreation. At first, he only wanted to help her through her heat.’

’He never expected things to get so out of hand.’

The Duke brushed the hair from her neck, lowered his head, and bit down.

He didn’t use much force.

A faint sting, immediately followed by a gentle, suckling kiss.

A flicker of displeasure sparked within the Duke. He gripped the little female’s soft waist tightly as his kisses trailed lower, leaving marks in their wake.

Yu Zhizhi shivered.

"N-No, that’s not it..."

She whispered, "This is the Holy Tower."

The Duke glanced up, his golden, slitted pupils filled with desire. He gazed at her, displeased. "What’s wrong with the Holy Tower?"

"The Holy Tower... is where you held your wedding."

Yu Zhizhi stole a glance at the Duke, but immediately looked away when their eyes met.

"Besides, Miss Yu Xiang is still here."

The Duke gazed at her for a few seconds before realizing what his little female was struggling with.

"Who told you?"

’How did she know Jinshe’s body was being kept in the Holy Tower?’

Yu Zhizhi lowered her head slightly. "Lord Shen He."

’The Big Shark had mentioned it casually on the way back last night.’

The Duke’s gaze lingered on her face. After a long moment, his fingers, which had been stroking her soft waist, slowly tightened their grip. "You care?"

’About a female who’s already dead.’

Yu Zhizhi froze. "I..."

’Do I care?’

’Of course I care. It’s related to my mission. Besides, the Jinshe female must have been very important to the Duke.’

’Even if the Duke denies having liked her.’

’But in name, she was still the Duke’s bride.’

’The wedding just never finished.’

Yu Zhizhi slowly nodded.

The pressure from the Duke’s palm gradually eased. A faint hint of a smile seemed to touch his eyes, but it was so light and fleeting it was almost impossible to catch.

He lowered his head, his lips brushing against the little female’s cheek.

"There was never anything between us."

The Duke spoke with absolute clarity. He knew he had to spell things out for his little rabbit to understand.

"I never intended to marry her; I was merely playing along with the situation. She wasn’t a female from the Valoran Empire. Her entire identity was fabricated. The person backing her hates me to the bone."

The Duke chose to be candid.

He held nothing back.

Yu Zhizhi’s eyes widened. ’Miss Yu Xiang... was a spy?’

The Duke continued, "I was too busy guarding against her. Why would I ever marry her?"

The Duke was exceptionally patient today, perhaps because his little rabbit had said she "cared."

Yu Zhizhi said, "But you were always together..."

’Whether it was back at the Duke Mansion or after they left the Varolan Imperial City, every story she heard about the Duke and Miss Jin She painted them as incredibly close.’

’So, the Duke has been acting this entire time?’

’Even his massacre on the wedding day, supposedly for Miss Jin She’s sake... was that an act, too?’

"That was just a facade." A hint of laughter laced the Duke’s voice, making his good mood obvious to anyone.

He stroked the soft rabbit ears of the little female in his arms, his voice dropping low. "The only one who makes me go out of my way to please them, again and again, is you."

Seeing her dazed expression, the Duke emphasized again, "I don’t go into heat."

Four seasons a year, three hundred and sixty-five days a year—he never went into heat.

Males with immensely powerful spiritual power weren’t bound by the instincts of their animal genes.

"Only you..."

"Understand?"

Yu Zhizhi was held captive in the Duke’s embrace. She bit her lip, enduring his wicked teasing.

Mmph...

The Duke had said so much, but she had no time to think about any of it. Soon, she couldn’t make a sound at all.

Outside the Holy Tower, the storm raged.

The tea table in the bedchamber looked as if it had been drenched in the downpour.

A total mess.

In the depths of passion, Yu Zhizhi could feel her lips swelling from his kisses.

The Duke didn’t let her go.

"Only you."

He kept repeating.

Yu Zhizhi lowered her head, flushed with shame. She’d lost count of how many times it had happened. In a daze, she felt a snake tail slowly coiling around her body.

...

’She had come to the Holy Tower for Little Amon.’

’And she’d ended up sleeping in the Duke’s bedchamber.’

At the first light of dawn, Yu Zhizhi woke to see the Duke sitting before the tea table. He held a long, thin pipe, his purple robes draped carelessly over his frame, exuding the languid air of a man who had been thoroughly sated.

Yu Zhizhi rolled over and buried her face in the pillow.

’System,’ she called out in her mind.

’I want to check the Duke’s favorability rating.’

When a line of text materialized before her eyes, Yu Zhizhi pressed her lips together—

[System: Querying target’s favorability. Please wait... DING! Bolun, Favorability: 100.]

Yu Zhizhi clutched the blanket, her heart leaping for joy.

’It’s really 100!’

’It was 100 the first time she checked, too. But that was right after she’d had a falling out with the Duke, so she hadn’t dared to believe it.’

’But this time...’

’The System couldn’t have made a mistake twice in a row, right?’

’Then again, favorability ratings could still drop... She thought of the Big Tiger. His rating had plummeted once before.’

’I hope the Duke’s favorability stays at this level.’

’It’s just...’

"Lord Bo Lan," Yu Zhizhi suddenly asked, "will you still marry a female from the Snake Clan in the future?"

The Duke’s gaze lifted from the documents before him. He turned his head to look at the little female huddled in the blankets, only her round, rabbit-like eyes showing. He replied without hesitation, "I will."

Yu Zhizhi asked again, "Then... when will that be?"

"When a suitable candidate is found and the need arises, it will happen naturally," the Duke replied coolly.

"I see..."

Yu Zhizhi said no more.

’It’s just as I thought. If not Jinshe, then it’ll be some other snake.’

’I have to hurry, then.’

’Right now, only the Duke, Yusen, and Louis have maxed-out favorability. I haven’t finished with the others. I have to complete my mission before the Duke takes a wife, or I’ll never be able to finish it.’

The Duke looked at the little female’s dazed expression. "Can you get up? I’ll take you out for a bit."

Yu Zhizhi’s cheeks flushed.

She mumbled, "I want to sleep."

’I haven’t rested enough yet!’

’I need to catch up on my sleep.’

’Besides, when I wake up, I have to go find Little Amon. I was supposed to be spending time with him, and I need to contact Sui Sui, but the Duke delayed everything.’

Ugh...