The Duke sat in his chair, feeling the fabric of his trousers at his knee grow damp with the little female’s tears. His expression was taut, his face holding a look that was somewhere between a smile and a sneer.

In the past, whenever he saw her cry, he would have picked her up and soothed her in his arms.

’Has he been too good to this little pet all along?’ the Duke wondered.

Yu Zhizhi cried for a while before realizing he wasn’t reacting.

She lifted her chin, her eyes brimming with tears as she looked up at him.

The Duke merely watched her in silence, his golden serpent pupils betraying no fluctuation of emotion. "Are you done crying?"

Yu Zhizhi gave him an aggrieved look.

The Duke’s pupils were icy. "If you’re done crying, go back to your cage."

Noticing how her eyes were quickly welling up with tears again, the Duke lowered his voice and threatened, "Hold those tears back. Otherwise, you can forget about sleeping tonight."

Upon hearing this,

Yu Zhizhi immediately bit her lip, trying her best to hold back her tears.

’It seems the Duke is dead set on making me sleep in the cage...’

Afraid he might do something else, Yu Zhizhi struggled to her feet. With her hands bound behind her back, her movements were clumsy. She swayed unsteadily as she stood, her small, delicate frame looking as if a gust of wind could knock it over.

Her long hair was slightly disheveled. Her skin was snow-white, her cheeks flushed red, and her eyes were misty. The tears made each of her eyelashes stand out distinctly.

The Duke turned his head away indifferently and picked up his smoking pipe again.

Outside the door, an attendant said softly, "Ms. Zhi Zhi, please."

With her hands still tied, Yu Zhizhi could only walk slowly toward the door, looking back every few steps, desperately hoping the Duke would call for her to stop.

Through the ethereal wisps of smoke, the Duke’s figure appeared hazy and distant.

For a fleeting moment, Yu Zhizhi felt as if an uncrossable river separated them.

’But just yesterday, everything was fine between us...’

Yu Zhizhi followed the attendant and left the drawing room.

The Duke watched her retreating back, forcefully suppressing the impulse to run after her and pull her into his arms.

’Was she the one who was insolent...’

’...or was he the one who took too many liberties?’

’Did she overstep her bounds, or did he cross the line?’

’Why develop real feelings for a pet?’

Yu Zhizhi returned to the study.

The servants had already moved the cage to the backyard.

She looked at the tall, golden birdcage. It seemed to have been forged from a special material and was carved with red roses.

The attendant had specifically instructed someone to line the cage with a warm, soft cushion, and had also prepared a thin blanket and a small wooden tray with a pot of tea. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

’...This cage really is, just as the Duke said, custom-made for me.’

Yu Zhizhi walked inside, and the golden iron door was locked behind her.

She stood alone inside the cage, her figure looking desolate. In the opulent golden birdcage entwined with blood-red roses, the young woman was like a canary, kept and raised in captivity.

Yu Zhizhi sat down, her back against the bars of the cage.

The thick cushion was soft and warm, and a wisp of steam still rose from the teapot beside her.

But...

Her hands were tied, so she couldn’t drink the tea.

The servants had all left.

She was the only one left in the entire backyard.

In the distance, steam curled up from a pool of water.

Yu Zhizhi sniffled softly. She hadn’t rested well today to begin with, and after this whole ordeal, she quickly felt sleepy.

When the Duke returned, the lights in the study were off. The backyard was dimly lit, with a small night light left on.

He walked straight to the cage.

He had commissioned this birdcage for her back when he first started keeping her, thinking he would never actually use it.

The little female was leaning against the iron bars, sleeping peacefully.

The Duke’s dark lashes lowered slightly as he stared intently at the young woman’s form—

’No matter who it is, no one can be her Beast Husband.’

’He will absolutely not give this little female away.’

’Even if her heart longs for another male.’

’He must imprison her by his side and never let her go for the rest of his life.’

With her hands tied, Yu Zhizhi’s sleep was restless. Moreover, the sensation on her wrists was too cold, and she whimpered aggrievedly even in her dreams.

The Duke slowly approached.

He crouched down, wanting to reach through the bars of the cage to touch her rabbit ears.

But his fingers froze midway.

Yu Zhizhi woke up.

Seeing the man outside the cage, she instinctively tried to move closer, only to be blocked by the cold iron bars.

Looking up at him pitifully, she said in a soft voice, "I’m so thirsty..."

The Duke picked up the small teapot, grasped her chin with one hand, and fed her a drink, just as he had when they first met.

The tea was cool. It spilled from the corner of her mouth, and she pouted with a wronged expression.

"My wrists hurt..."

The Duke didn’t react.

She blinked and added in a small voice, "I’m hungry."

"What, you want me to feed you, too?"

The Duke set down the teapot and narrowed his eyes at her, a dangerous smile playing on his lips.

The little female’s eyes turned red in an instant.

’Is she really made of water?’

Yu Zhizhi spoke softly, "I can eat by myself..."

’If he would just recall the little snakes on my wrists, that would be enough.’

She would much rather eat on her own.

As if he hadn’t heard her, the Duke went to the study on his own and brought in a plate of pastries.

They were flaky and fragrant rose-petal cakes.

He cut them into small pieces with a knife and held one to her lips.

Yu Zhizhi took it into her mouth. Her eyelashes trembled as she ate, and she would occasionally dart a quick glance up at him.

The Duke’s aura was oppressive, but his movements were as gentle as ever.

When a crumb stuck to the corner of her mouth, the Duke gently wiped it away with his thumb.

Just like this.

He could keep her locked in a cage. She was quiet, not making a fuss, at most letting out a sob or two, eating obediently and meekly.

He could see her every day when he came back.

He could treat her like a real pet. When he was lonely, he could open the cage, hold her, and pet her.

’She’s a pet. All she needs to do is please me. What more could she hope for?’

After finishing the rose cakes, Yu Zhizhi wanted a drink again.

She didn’t want tea.

The night air was cool. She said in a small voice, "I want to drink hot milk."

’See? She’s the best at making demands.’

’One moment she’s hungry, the next she’s thirsty. Now she wants hot milk. After she finishes, is she going to ask for a blanket?’

’She’s more trouble than any pet he’s ever kept before.’

Yet the Duke had to admit that it was his own pampering that had made her so audacious.

’Other pets, when they disobeyed, would get a whipping.’

’But her?’

’How should he punish her?’

—He could never bring himself to do it.

She finished the hot milk in small sips, her stomach feeling very content. Yu Zhizhi squinted her eyes in comfort. Her rabbit ears twitched slightly as she looked up and licked the white residue from the corner of her mouth. "It’s a little cold at night. I want a soft blanket, preferably one that’s just been aired in the sun."

The Duke almost burst out laughing.

’Just as he’d thought. Once her belly was full, the little rabbit wanted to sleep.’

He looked at the little female’s soft, languid appearance. Her rabbit ears were drooping, and she looked like she was about to fall asleep at any moment.

She knelt on the cushion inside the cage, her hands bound behind her back, her posture delicate and fragile. Her clear rabbit-like eyes held a trace of dazed sleepiness. Her cheeks were pink from just having eaten, her little nose was slightly upturned, and her cherry-red lips were lightly pressed together, giving her an innocent and pure expression.

The little female could always stir his desires with such ease.

The Duke’s eyes darkened slightly.

Through the bars of the cage, he gently caressed her lips. "...Please me."