Shen He’s voice was barely a whisper.
"...If only I had met you first."
’If only he had met this little rabbit first.’
’Before Yusen, before all of them. Perhaps he would have kept this little rabbit from Varolan by his side forever.’
’After all, this was the first female he had ever encountered who could send him into heat.’
’And after tasting her, he found she was even more delicious than he had imagined.’
Shen He’s gaze lingered on the little rabbit’s face for a long time. As the sky fully brightened and the occasional sound of a service cart rolling through the hallway drifted in, the trace of warmth in his gray eyes gradually faded.
’He had lost control.’
’He had indulged himself.’
’Just this once. Just for this one night.’
When Yu Zhizhi woke up, she was alone in the luxurious suite. A faint light filtered through the deep blue bed curtains, but she could still sense that it was broad daylight.
Her bones felt like they were about to fall apart. She thought of Lord Shen He from last night, coaxing her, again and again.
At the end, he even seemed to have carried her to the bath.
Yu Zhizhi’s fingertips trembled. Her cheeks burned as she clutched the blanket, unsure of how she was going to face that shark now.
’Him...’
’Is he still here?’
’Or has he already left?’
A knock sounded at the door, followed by Mimi’s voice from outside. "Zhi Zhi, are you awake? Can I come in?"
"I-I’m awake," Yu Zhizhi’s voice was flustered. "Just a moment."
She changed into the new dress that had been placed on the bedside table. After making sure no one else was in the suite, Yu Zhizhi went to the door and opened it gently.
Mimi teased, "Sleeping in so late. Seems like you had a good time last night~"
"How was Mr. Barrett? Was he... skilled?"
’He must be very good in that department.’
Yu Zhizhi’s face instantly turned red.
She stammered, unable to say a word.
Mimi chuckled and took the Rabbit Clan Lady’s arm. "For today, let’s go to my place first. It’s not my family’s stuffy castle, but my own house in the Imperial City."
After arriving at Mimi’s apartment, Mimi received a call from her academy and had to leave.
Before she left, she apologized profusely.
She wouldn’t be back until very late.
Yu Zhizhi was looking to get some rest anyway, so she just watched her go.
She lay down on the apartment sofa, and thinking back on what happened last night, she couldn’t help but murmur, "...It wasn’t a hallucination, was it?"
The one waiting for her in the Blue Suite last night wasn’t a Blue Shark, but a Great White Shark.
’I wonder if I’ll get pregnant this time?’
She would only know the result in a week.
Yu Zhizhi looked at the small, pale blue communicator on her wrist, which was emitting a faint glow.
’This trip to the Deep Sea Imperial City had an unexpected interlude, but at least it moved the mission forward.’
「Three days later.」
On the way back, Mimi was very reluctant to part.
She hadn’t had nearly enough time with the Rabbit Clan Lady, but her academy was just too busy, with a packed schedule of classes.
Yu Zhizhi watched the street scenery, her mood quite pleasant.
Just then, a system notification sounded in her mind—
[System: Ding! Host has triggered a side quest!]
[System: Upon completion, you will receive a one-time "Absolute Command" Spiritual Mark. No matter what order is given to the designated target, they must obey.]
[System: Host, do you wish to accept this side quest?]
’A side quest!’
It had been a long time since Yu Zhizhi had received a side quest notification.
’The last Camp Task had a lot of requirements and was complex in format. So maybe side quests don’t trigger while a Camp Task is in progress?’
In Yu Zhizhi’s experience, side quests were usually much, much less difficult than main quests, and the rewards were always quite good.
This time, she didn’t hesitate either.
[’Okay, please start the side quest for me~’]
’This reward, "Absolute Command," sounds like a pretty good life-saving Skill. Or maybe it could have other uses, too.’
[System: Ding! Congratulations to the Host for activating the side quest "Sweet Marriage"! Matchmake Mimi of the Dolphin Clan and Buli of the Sea Lion Clan within one month. The quest is considered successful if they get together. Reward: one (1) "Absolute Command" (single-use) Spiritual Mark!]
’Sweet Marriage...’
’So I have to play matchmaker?’
This was the first time Yu Zhizhi had ever received a quest like this. She stared blankly at the Dolphin Clan girl sitting beside her, who was humming a song while replying to messages in her academy’s group chat.
Noticing the little rabbit’s gaze, Mimi looked up and smiled at her. "What’s wrong?"
Yu Zhizhi had never done anything like this before.
Because she was often sick and hospitalized in the past, she never had any close classmates and didn’t know how girls talked about these kinds of topics with each other.
"Do... do you..." Yu Zhizhi asked softly, "have someone you like?"
Yu Zhizhi vaguely remembered that Mimi liked Buli.
Every time she came to the Royal Palace, she would stare at Buli for a long time. But the brown-haired young man always avoided her.
Mimi admitted readily, "I do! I like Lord Buli!"
Every Beastman in the Imperial City knew that Mimi of the Dolphin Clan was fervently pursuing Buli.
For his sake, as a noble lady, she had turned down many arranged marriage meetings.
Mimi said happily, "Buli and I have known each other since we were kids. He lived with my family. Don’t be fooled by how he is now—he was such a crybaby when he was little."
When it came to Buli, Mimi was an endless stream of words.
As Yu Zhizhi listened to her talk about the fun stories from her and Buli’s childhood, she felt a sense of longing and a little bit of envy.
"Oh, right." As the car pulled up to the Royal Palace, Mimi took a letter out of her bag.
"This... could I trouble you to give this to Buli for me?"
Of course, Yu Zhizhi was happy to help.
She took the letter. "I’ll get it to him."
Mimi was overjoyed. She had to apply in advance every time she wanted to enter the Royal Palace. On the rare occasion she managed to get in, Buli would always be hiding from her, so she never had a chance to give him a love letter.
The dolphin girl threw her arms around the little rabbit and snuggled up to her. "Zhi Zhi, you’re the best!"
Yu Zhizhi returned to the Royal Palace, back to Bishui Pavilion.
「Nightfall.」
The lights in Yusen’s rooms were dark; it seemed he hadn’t returned yet.
On the way here, she had sensed that the atmosphere in the Royal Palace was even heavier than before.
The King’s illness seemed to have worsened.
Dark clouds hung over the Deep Sea Empire.
Yu Zhizhi tidied up her room a bit. Hearing a noise outside, she quickly trotted over. The figures returning from outside were Lord Shen He and his confidant.
Buli still hadn’t recovered from the shocking news.
’What did Lord Shen He just say...?’
’He wants... to ask for Ms. Zhi Zhi’s hand in marriage?’
The last time Lord Shen He left the Royal Palace for a night, no one knew where he went. After he returned, he wrote a formal letter.
According to Deep Sea customs, one could pray to the Sea God for blessings during the Sea-Offering Ceremony.
This included blessings for marriage.
Buli saw that Miss Rabbit had returned. He faltered for a moment, not daring to show too much emotion.
"But, My Lord..."
He was confused. "Didn’t you hope that Ms. Zhi Zhi and Prince You Sen would reconcile?"
Shen He also saw the petite figure. This time, she wasn’t hiding like a little mouse, but was staring at him blankly.
He calmly averted his gaze. "Those two little fools. I have to give them a push."
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