Chapter 479: A Light Kiss

The torrential rain that had fallen all night had finally stopped.

The Holy Tower felt cut off from the world. Its lights were dim. Yu Zhizhi hugged her quilt, drowsy and ready to fall asleep.

She didn’t know how much time had passed before she heard approaching footsteps.

‘Ugh, so sleepy…’

Yu Zhizhi’s eyelids were heavy. She felt the Duke lift her into his arms.

The Duke carried the sleeping little rabbit to the tea table. An attendant brought in lunch; following the Duke’s instructions, it was a spread of all her favorite foods.

She snuggled into the Duke’s embrace, smelling the fragrant aroma of food.

“Eat something.”

The Duke used a spoon to scoop up some creamy mushroom soup. The spoon touched the edge of her lips, and the half-asleep Yu Zhizhi slowly took it into her mouth.

GULP…

She drank a little.

Next was a steamed egg custard.

The Duke was extremely patient. He cut a piece of the toasted pumpkin tart into a small bite and slowly fed it to the little female in his arms.

Yu Zhizhi ate bit by bit, her empty stomach gradually filling.

An indescribable sense of satisfaction washed over her.

A cool scent of blue Ghost Lotus lingered around the Duke. In her daze, it felt as if she were in a lake—

Yu Zhizhi’s eyes fluttered open. Seeing she was still in the Holy Tower, she breathed a small sigh of relief.

‘I was half-asleep… I almost thought I was back in the Varolan Imperial City.’

The courtyard of the study in the Duke’s mansion was filled with blue Ghost Lotus.

The Duke put down the spoon.

His personal attendant cleared away the food.

The Duke had no intention of putting the little female back in bed. He continued to hold her, his golden, vertical-slitted pupils calmly gazing at the documents on his desk as Spiritual Energy turned the pages one by one. Occasionally, he would hear the little female’s soft mumble, and he would lower his head to look at her rosy sleeping face, a faint smile playing on his lips.

‘This is so nice.’

‘Having her by my side every day, within my sight.’

‘I can hold her forever.’

‘Kiss her.’

‘Anytime, anywhere…’

‘Possess her.’

A breeze swept by, and the sleeping Yu Zhizhi shivered slightly, burying her face in the Duke’s chest.

The more the Duke looked, the more his heart itched with an unbearable urge.

He bent his neck and kissed her forehead.

“My dear.”

The Duke then placed a light kiss on the tip of her nose, followed by the corner of her lips. “My sweet little dear.”

Yu Zhizhi slept very soundly this time.

This was probably the most peacefully she had slept since coming to Silan City.

‘…Could it be because the heavy stone weighing on her heart had finally settled?’

When she woke up, she was alone in the soft bed. The clock on the wall showed that it was currently nine o’clock at night.

The Duke was gone.

Yu Zhizhi discovered she had been changed into a light, white nightgown. She rubbed her eyes and sat up, noticing the cold teacup on the tea table. The Duke must have been gone for quite a while.

After getting out of bed, she found her way to the bathroom and quickly washed up.

She looked at her reflection in the mirror. Her neck and chest were covered in ambiguous red marks. Her face burned as if on fire. She splashed her face with cold water and tried to wipe away the love bites on her neck.

“Ms. Zhi Zhi.” Someone called softly from outside the door.

It was the voice of a young female. “Lord Nuo’er is here. He’s in the drawing-room.”

‘Noel?’

Yu Zhizhi recalled what the Duke had told her yesterday. This must be about the matter of her Evolution.

She came out of the bathroom. “I’ll be right there.”

The female attendant helped Yu Zhizhi change into a fresh set of clothes. Once she was ready, the attendant led her to the drawing-room.

Noel was sitting in a plush armchair with a stack of documents on his lap.

Upon seeing Yu Zhizhi, his tired expression brightened slightly, but his tone was still as sleepy as ever. “Ah, you’re here.”

“Sorry to keep you waiting.” Yu Zhizhi pursed her lips slightly. She walked over slowly and sat in the chair next to the young man of the Rabbit Clan.

“Not that long.” Noel tilted his head slightly. “More importantly, did you sleep well?”

Yu Zhizhi had slept for a very long time, and thinking of the reason…

Her face flushed slightly. “Let’s, let’s get started.”

Even though it was just a normal question, she still felt a little shy.

Noel placed the documents on the table between them.

“Would you mind if I take a look?” The young man raised his hand slightly and pointed to the spot between her eyebrows.

As a Healer, Yu Zhizhi naturally understood what he meant.

She nodded.

At the same time, she turned to the side to face him, tilting her face up slightly to make it easier for the young man to place his fingertip between her brows.

He glanced at her unguarded movements.

To a Beastman, nothing was more important than their Beast Bone.

Noel’s jet-black pupils narrowed slightly. ‘If I were a villain, this little rabbit’s fate would be tragic.’

He raised his hand, and his black-gloved index finger landed on the Rabbit Clan female’s forehead.

‘As a female, she has awakened the rare [Evolution] talent. She is also one of the very few who possesses dual talents. Unfortunately, the spiritual power within her body is too weak to nourish such a powerful talent. This is the shackle binding all females on this planet. If, one day, the world’s magnetic field were to change, her spiritual power could advance by leaps and bounds, allowing her to become an incredibly formidable Healer, as well as a Bright Moon Priest.’

Yu Zhizhi only felt that Noel’s Healing Light was very comfortable. She closed her eyes gently, completely unaware that the young man’s gaze had fallen upon her neck.

To hide the marks left by the Duke, she had deliberately worn a white silk scarf.

But a small part was still visible.

Noel’s gaze was unabashed. He stared for a good while. On the little rabbit’s snow-white neck, the suckle mark was exceptionally clear.

He felt something stirring within him.

‘…This is bad.’

The tongue of the Rabbit Clan youth swept over his back molars. He retracted his gaze and lowered his eyes to the teacup on the table. His fingertips twitched slightly as he continued to probe her clean, pure Beast Bone.

For a moment, Yu Zhizhi felt a chill run through her, as if she were being watched by a ravenous animal.

She opened her eyes in a daze. Seeing Noel looking like he was about to fall asleep, she slowly let out a breath of relief.

‘It must be…’

‘My imagination.’

Noel didn’t ask her much about her Evolution Talent.

Yu Zhizhi had originally thought it would be easier—after all, coming to Silan City had been an accident—but she hadn’t expected Noel to bring a stack of practice exercises.

‘I really want to ask Noel why he carries these around… Are these beginner exercises specially prepared for me?’

Yu Zhizhi held the pen, writing slowly.

In the meantime, a Holy Tower Guard brought desserts and drinks.

In front of Noel was a matcha sundae.

Yu Zhizhi, meanwhile, was biting her straw and sipping her favorite osmanthus fresh milk.

Late into the night, Yu Zhizhi grew tired and left the drawing-room. The Duke’s personal servant took her to Little Amon’s room—

She heard there was a new development with Chixing, so the Duke probably wouldn’t be back tonight.

In any case, just being able to stay with Little Amon made Yu Zhizhi incredibly happy. The moment she entered the room, she hugged the Little White Snake.

「In the drawing-room.」

Noel looked at the workbook the Rabbit Clan female had left behind. Her handwriting wasn’t neat—it was crooked and shaky, yet it had a certain naive and cute charm.

He saw the glass on the table.

The half-finished osmanthus fresh milk.

There were still some osmanthus fragments clinging to the white straw.

The Rabbit Clan youth stared for a long time before slowly gripping the glass, his black eyes bottomless. The corners of his mouth slowly curved upward.

“Prey.”