Chapter 50: She Is Like a Rose.

That voice...

It sounded a little familiar.

Yu Zhizhi’s mouth was covered by the Wild Dog. Her eyes widened slightly as she heard footsteps gradually approaching, stopping right at the bathroom door.

"Tonight’s banquet is quite lively. Isn’t Ms. Zhi Zhi going to take a look?"

The young man’s voice held a hint of a smile. He leaned against the wall, his gaze deep as he stared at the wooden door, as if he could see the situation inside.

A Beastman’s sense of smell is extremely keen. He had tracked Yu Zhizhi’s scent all the way here.

In his eyes, the little female of the Rabbit Clan was already a fish in the net, with nowhere to run.

There was just one thing that displeased him—

—aside from the little rabbit, the scent of a wild dog was also present, and it irritated him.

"Ms. Zhi Zhi, why don’t you answer?" The smile in his amber, slit-pupil eyes gradually faded, his expression turning indifferent, even cold. "Do I need to invite you out myself?"

Yu Zhizhi reached out and gently gripped the Wild Dog’s arm.

The hand covering her mouth loosened slightly.

Yu Zhizhi said softly, "I’m here."

The Wild Dog’s expression tensed. He instinctively moved to block the female behind him—

’Danger!’

Through the door, Yu Zhizhi used the Eavesdropping Heart Card.

She wasn’t sure why she used it right away, rather than getting closer to stare into Count Gray’s eyes.

It was just... a sense of panic was rising from the bottom of her heart...

"Count Gray, is there something you need from me?"

Hearing the little female speak his name.

The young man from the Snake Clan smiled. "The moon is beautiful tonight. I wanted to invite Ms. Zhi Zhi to the entrance to admire it with me."

CREAK—

The bathroom door was pushed open slightly, revealing a small crack.

Yu Zhizhi could clearly see the young man standing near the door, dressed in an extremely formal white suit with a rose pinned to his chest.

His amber eyes seemed to be cast in shadow, and the smile on his lips was sinister and terrifying.

This was completely different from the man she had seen during the day.

’The moonlight is too bright. It needs to be adorned with blood.’

’Nothing is more suitable than this little female rabbit...’

’A cold corpse, like a faded rose. I must inject new color into her~’

’Heh heh...’

These few lines of his thoughts left Yu Zhizhi completely bewildered.

But one thing was certain—it wasn’t anything good!

She said softly, "I-I’m a little tired. I can’t look at the moon."

"Is that so." The young man of the Snake Clan nodded slightly. "I understand. In that case, allow me to escort Ms. Zhi Zhi back to her courtyard."

He looked at the crack in the door and extended a hand. "Come. I’ll take you back."

’I don’t want to wait another second.’

’From the very first moment I saw the little female rabbit, I’ve wanted to caress your cold corpse.’

Hearing Count Gray’s thoughts, Yu Zhizhi’s body couldn’t stop trembling.

She spoke timidly, "The Duke will know."

No matter what he planned to do, it would be difficult to hide it from the Duke’s eyes. Once Duke Bolan found out, he certainly wouldn’t stand by and do nothing.

Count Gray chuckled softly. "Lord Bo Lan hasn’t seen you in a long time. To him, a pet is something that can be thrown away if it’s disobedient."

"...He’s just been busy."

"He didn’t even let you attend the banquet. Is that just being busy? Oh, right, those two White Wolves from the K family mentioned you tonight. The Duke said you were ill."

The young man from the Snake Clan kicked the door open.

"Admit it."

He looked down at the frail female rabbit hiding behind the door.

"You’ve fallen out of favor."

Count Gray’s amber, slit-pupil eyes darkened, a smile forming in their depths. "The guards are all in the front courtyard. No one will know you came here."

"Originally, I had planned to sneak directly into the study."

"But now that I think about it, this place might be the most suitable. After all, I even have a scapegoat." The Snake Clan youth glanced at the other dark figure in the bathroom.

"A Wild Dog, overcome with lust, accidentally kills his savior. I imagine everyone will love to watch this play unfold."

The right time, the right place, and the right people.

He had all three.

Tonight was the most convenient night for a murder.

While the banquet held everyone’s attention, in a remote corner no one cared about, the prey he had been eyeing for so long had finally fallen into the web he had woven.

"Count Gray, you’re different from how you were during the day," Yu Zhizhi murmured.

Seeing the color drain from the little female’s face, he let out a low laugh.

"I don’t like living females..."

"I only like corpses. Sweetly rotting, cold, eternally silent corpses."

"It’s a shame I can’t take you home to preserve you properly."

"But that’s okay~"

"Giving me a moment of pleasure is enough."

The Snake Clan youth drew the thin sword from his waist. The glint of the blade reflected in his dangerous amber eyes as his long, forked tongue flicked out to lick the corner of his mouth.

HISSS—

In the quiet bathroom, the sound of a snake’s hiss was exceptionally clear.

Yu Zhizhi’s body couldn’t stop trembling.

Count Gray was completely different from the person she had met before!

Back then, he was modest, gentle, and polite. But the man before her now was a total stranger. If not for his identical face, Yu Zhizhi wouldn’t have recognized him at all.

BANG!

The bathroom door was suddenly slammed shut.

The Wild Dog pressed one hand against the wooden door and said in a low voice, "Quick, escape through the small window! Go get help!"

"But you—"

"A window this small... I can’t fit through."

The Wild Dog turned his head back, staring intently at the wooden door in front of him, feeling the male outside kicking it again and again.

Count Gray’s intention was perfectly clear.

Kill the little female and frame this Wild Dog for it.

—Who would believe that Count Gray, a man of noble status in the Valoran Empire, overflowing with talent and countless fans, would brutally murder an S-Class female of the Rabbit Clan?

On the contrary, the story of a lowly slave giving in to his beastly nature and viciously killing his master would be far more convincing to the masses.

"Go now!" The wooden door was about to splinter.

The Wild Dog saw the glint of tears in the corner of the little female’s eyes and gave a self-deprecating laugh. "Me? I have a worthless life. It’s no great loss if I die."

’He was...’

’Just a stray dog who wandered around, picking through trash.’

’A lowly beast for the amusement of the rich and powerful.’

’From the moment the Golden Beast Bone was ripped from his body, his entire life had been frozen on that day.’

And yet, someone like him had been saved.

Perhaps her kindness had an ulterior motive.

But that didn’t matter anymore.

From the day Yu Zhizhi arrived carrying a food box to bring him a meal, his life seemed to have something to look forward to.

Then, she disappeared for a week.

When he heard her voice, the Wild Dog couldn’t hide the joy in his heart.

But it quickly gave way to endless self-mockery.

"Ping’an, you have to hold on." Yu Zhizhi didn’t dare delay any longer. She got up, pushed open the small window, and said with a trembling voice, "I’ll go get people! I’m going right now!"

She scrambled onto the windowsill, but her leg slipped, and she fell. Her knee slammed against the bathtub, and the pain brought tears to her eyes.

Ignoring the stabbing pain in her leg, Yu Zhizhi climbed up again.

The narrow window was normally just for ventilation, only large enough for a child—or a petite female—to squeeze through.

The Wild Dog held the door with all his might, refusing to yield.

Catching sight of the little female climbing out the window from the corner of his eye, a faint smile graced his lips.

Count Gray, on the other side of the door, had lost his patience. The thin sword in his hand pierced through the wooden door, pinning the Wild Dog’s body firmly to it.

"She’ll just run for her life, farther and farther away. Getting reinforcements? What do you think you are, that she would actually come back for you?"

"But, the Duke Mansion’s territory is so large. Can she possibly run faster than me?"

"Such a pointless struggle."

SHNK!

Count Gray pulled his sword out, and blood splattered back onto the door.