—If she could please him.

Then he would forgive her this once.

It was a deal.

The full moon hung high in the sky, hazy and enchanting. The thin mist from the pool was blown over by the night breeze, carrying a warm humidity.

A golden birdcage, embroidered with blood-red roses.

The corners of the young woman’s eyes were red. She tilted her head back, her throat tight.

A soft, broken, trembling moan escaped her, as if she were desperately trying to suppress something. Her vision gradually blurred.

Before her, a pair of cold, golden vertical pupils looked down at her with a hint of amusement. A large palm pressed against the back of her head, and a faint flush appeared on the Duke’s face.

A muffled groan came from the man. He took half a step back, his cold eyes hiding a deep-seated lust. The Duke glanced at the young woman’s wrists behind her back as a black snake quickly slithered away, disappearing into the bushes.

Afterward, the Duke didn’t spare her another glance, leaving with cold indifference.

Her soft, broken coughs, choked out by the chill spring wind, sounded like quiet sobs.

Afterward, servants brought soft, pink bedding. By some unknown method, it felt toasty warm to the touch.

The rose cage had become a rabbit’s nest.

Yu Zhizhi was exhausted.

She was just so sleepy.

The red marks on her now-unbound wrists were stark. She burrowed into the covers, hugging a dry, pleasantly scented pillow, and gradually drifted off to sleep.

Later, the Duke became busy.

He rarely came to see her.

Teacher Dai Li said it was because of the war on the front lines; tensions with the Deep Sea Empire were escalating.

Yu Zhizhi had a peaceful and leisurely time during this period.

The servants didn’t dare to neglect her.

Teacher Dai Li also came to keep her company every day.

Although her movements were restricted to the rear courtyard and the rose cage had become her bed.

’It’s just that sometimes... occasionally...’

’...she would think of the Duke.’

She had so much she wanted to say to him, but she never got to see him.

So, she wrote all those words down in letters.

As her due date approached, she was full of anticipation.

Yu Zhizhi counted down the time. On a morning when the sky was just beginning to lighten, with morning dew still clinging to the leaves, she finally heard the familiar voice of the system in her ear.

[System: Host, three minutes remaining until birthing. Please prepare!]

AHHHH!

’It’s time!!’

Yu Zhizhi quickly smoothed out the blanket and lay down. With her experience from the last two times, plus the Painless Instant Birth Pill from the system, giving birth was incredibly quick and easy.

Joy began to swell within her.

One minute later.

[System: Ding! Congratulations to the Host for a successful birth! Reward: 300 points! For giving birth to six Snake Pups, you receive an additional reward of 600 points!]

[System: Ding! The Postpartum Care Gift Bag has been delivered! Please claim it promptly, Host!]

[System: Friendly reminder: Host is currently Level 2. 600 points are needed for the next upgrade.]

’S-six of them!’

Yu Zhizhi herself was stunned.

’Could it be because of how many times I’ve been with the Duke?’

She looked at the snake eggs piled on the pink sheets; they were black intermingled with deep crimson, close to the color of the Duke’s snake tail she had glimpsed before.

On the eggshells were mysterious patterns like cracks, symbolizing ancient serpents.

"One, two, three..."

Yu Zhizhi counted them, her face flushing slightly.

’There really are six!’

’That’s so many!’

The spring morning was a bit chilly. She worried the Snake Pups would get cold, so she covered them all with the blanket.

The scent of the snake eggs would soon spread.

By then, the entire Duke Mansion would know she had given birth!

’According to the Duke, my death will also be announced to the world today. From now on, no one in the entire Valoran Empire will know that a female of the Rabbit Clan is still alive... I’ll be imprisoned in the Duke Mansion forever.’

Yu Zhizhi was running out of time.

Though she hesitated, she knew she had to find a way to leave first.

The first thing Yu Zhizhi did was open the Postpartum Care Gift Bag to see if there were any useful rewards.

She tapped the sparkling button in the air.

A red gift bag unwrapped itself before her eyes—

[Congratulations, Host, you have received your Postpartum Care rewards!]

Transparent bubbles scrolled into view.

[Super-Delicious Meal Set x30]

[Male Identification Card x1]

[Eavesdropping Heart Card x1]

[Perfect Concealing Breath Pill (Effective for 72 hours) x10]

[Nutrient Liquid for Smooth, Snow-White Skin x10]

[Temporary Voice-Loss Nutrient Liquid x1]

[Disguise Evolution Rune x1]

[Storage Shelf +10 Card x1]

She had received some of these items from previous Postpartum Care Gift Bags, and they worked wonderfully. But others were completely new to her.

’Male Identification Card?’

’Temporary Voice-Loss Nutrient Liquid?’

’Disguise Evolution Rune?’

’Hmm...’

Her favorite item was the Eavesdropping Heart Card. The first time she used a Heart Sound Card, it helped her complete a side quest. The second time, it saved her life!

Without a moment’s hesitation, Yu Zhizhi opened the Good Pregnancy Mall to look for destinations available for exchange on the Teleportation Scroll.

Before that—

"Satan, what is my next mission?"

[System: Not yet unlocked.]

’The main quest didn’t always appear immediately after she finished the last one. Sometimes it would be early, and sometimes it would be late. The system would provide a notification at a specific hour.’

Yu Zhizhi hesitated for a moment. "The cheapest destination is Paradise in the Moon Rising Empire."

On the Teleportation Scroll, all the other destinations cost 500 points to unlock, while Paradise only cost 100.

Yu Zhizhi had a hard time earning points; she couldn’t bear to spend 500 just to unlock a region for easy travel.

’Since Paradise is the cheapest, I’ll choose that one!’

She immediately spent 100 Points to unlock teleportation access to Moonrise Empire·Paradise. Green text on the scroll began to glitter.

’Time to go!’

Yu Zhizhi felt a wave of emotion. Of all the places she’d stayed, she had lived in the Duke Mansion the longest—a full two months...

After a moment of thought, she took out the letter she had written earlier and placed it on the tray at the edge of the cage.

Finally, Yu Zhizhi leaned over and gently hugged the six snake eggs through the blanket.

It was a parting embrace.

...

The scent of the Snake Pups from the study quickly permeated the entire Duke Mansion. Teacher Dai Li was in such a hurry to get there, she was so excited she nearly tripped.

But the Duke had already returned long before she arrived—

The entrance to the study was packed with kneeling guards and servants. Teacher Dai Li froze for a second before quickly dropping to her knees as well.

Trembling, the Duke’s personal attendant carefully lifted the six snake eggs from the bedding, one by one.

The snake eggs were exquisite. Black and crimson intertwined, forming the unique, intricate patterns of the Snake Clan. Up close, they looked like works of art.

The snake eggs were warm to the touch.

The attendant could even hear the breaths of the Young Masters inside.

But the Duke showed no joy at gaining six pups. He stared grimly at the empty cage, his grip on his pipe so tight it threatened to shatter.

"Search!"

Every word seemed to be squeezed from between his teeth: "Scour the entire Empire, and drag her out!"

Only then did the personal attendant realize—

Ms. Zhi Zhi was gone!

He’d assumed the Duke had sent her away to rest.

’But the study is so heavily guarded,’ he thought, ’how could she possibly have escaped?’

The Duke had nearly lost his mind, his golden vertical pupils radiating an endless killing intent. At a time like this, no one dared to step forward to placate him. Kneeling outside the cage, the personal attendant suddenly spotted the letter on the wooden tray.

He summoned his courage. "Lord Bo Lan, it seems Ms. Zhi Zhi left a letter for you...?"

At his attendant’s words, the Duke spun around.

He saw the white envelope. As he took it, he could still smell the faint scent of jasmine on it.