Chapter 235: Echoes of a Past Long Gone (Picture of Felina Included!) |
“This marks the end of Xun’s full report regarding the expedition to Nolan City.” Kneeling on one knee in a bedchamber with her head slightly lowered, Xun maintained her usual solemn expression. “Xun failed to complete the tasks assigned to her. Instead, she had let the opportunity slip through her grasp and made the situation worse. She respectfully requests the Second Miss to impose a fitting punishment for her shortcomings.”
“Mhm, let’s set aside the rest for now… Xun, you seem to be avoiding my eyes. Are you really that unwilling to see me?” Seated at the edge of the bed with her purple hair flowing downwards, a girl clad in pajamas was hugging a rabbit doll as she lazily let out a yawn.
“Xun is too ashamed to meet the Second Miss, having failed to finish the task she had entrusted to her.”
“Oh, in that case, I command you to lift your head and look at me.” The girl spoke in an indolent and powerless voice as if she had just roused up from her slumber, yet her words left no room for doubt.
Xun obeyed the command; She lifted her head and her gaze gradually met that of her lady — Tina Leforno.
The lethargic appearance she had before was gone, replaced by a sparkling radiance in her eyes that inexplicably compelled Xun to look away.
“So, you’re telling me that on your trip to Nolan City, not only was the Jade Tablet lost, the city was also taken over by the Asiatic Cats?” Tina’s eyes were tinged with a hint of questioning.
“Yes.” Xun spoke in a deferential tone.
“…Pfft.” The corners of Tina’s mouth twitched slightly as she failed to contain her laughter, which rang out melodiously like a silver bell.
“If you’re trying to deceive me, you should at least draft up a plan, figure out my thought process and use some time to make one up. Your current explanation, well… It almost feels as if you’re insulting my intelligence. Do you hold my cognitive abilities in such low regard??” Tina swayed her legs as her eyes took on the narrow form of a cat’s.
“…”
“I couldn’t be any more clear about little Xun’s efficiency in handling tasks. You’re not like those good-for-nothings that are indecisive and drag their feet around. Plus, this task was undoubtedly in your favor, and victory was clearly within your reach1. Even someone incompetent would find it hard to mess it up. Little Xun, your deceit needs work… So, what really happened? I won’t hold it against you if you tell the truth, you know.”
“…I respectfully request Second Miss to punish me.” Xun lowered her head and remained silent.
“Judging by your expression, you don’t intend to tell me, do you?” A faint cold smile crept onto the corners of Tina’s mouth.
“Xun has already shared everything she knows with the Second Miss.”
“Hmph, how impressive.” Tina coldly smiled. “What exactly happened that gave you the gall to keep it from me, your Mistress?”
“…” Xun continued to remain silent.
“If that’s the case, I can’t keep you here.” Tina heaved a sigh.
There was no point holding onto a servant who was incapable of following her orders to the letter.
That said, Tina was highly curious. As someone who knew Xun’s nature well, she wondered what could have led a girl like her to choose punishment over disclosing even the smallest detail about the incident.
“Hey, Xun, come over here.” Tina waved her hands.
Without hesitation, Xun rose to her feet and approached her.
She had realized long before making this decision that she would not be able to escape the calamity looming over her.
“Bend over.”
Under Tina’s meaningful gaze, she bent her body downwards like an obedient puppy.
Tina then moved a strand of Xun’s long hair under her nose, closed her eyes and gave it a sniff.
Despite her confusion, Xun did not utter a sound and let Tina sniff all over her body.
In the process, she glimpsed a faint hint of nostalgia fleeting across Tina’s mouth, which brought a touch of puzzlement to her eyes. However, before she could even be confused, the latter had opened her eyes.
“Go back and have a good rest.” Tina smoothened the strand of hair she was holding onto and smilingly stroked Xun’s head.
“??”
Xun was so bewildered with her behavior that she was on the verge of drawing a large question mark on her face.
‘What’s the meaning of this?? Wasn’t she supposed to punish me for my wrongdoings?’
Like a tantalizing morsel being snatched away by a swooping bird, she had allowed Nolan City — a prize almost within her reach— to slip away from her. On top of that, she had schemed to deceive her superior and keep her subordinates in the dark. With such transgressions in mind, even decapitation would not be too extreme a punishment.
So why did she let her off the hook that easily?
“Oh? Is Little Xun not leaving in hopes of joining me for an afternoon nap??” Tina acted as if she could not understand the puzzlement in Xun’s gaze and licked her lips in a naughty manner.
“…My apologies for the interruption, Second Miss. Xun is taking her leave now.” Without further hesitation, Xun bid Tina goodbye and exited the sleeping chambers, her mind filled with confusion and bewilderment.
“Lala~ Hmm~, hmm~” Humming a cheerful tune, Tina watched Xun depart. She then dragged the mattress over herself and nestled herself underneath it.
Clutching her little rabbit doll snugly in her arms, her face flushed with happiness. Following which, she pouted her little lips, as if she were in a tiff with the plushy, and gave it a few light punches.
“How heartless. You’re leaving after toying with my feelings… Your Highness is such a philanderer~!”
If Tina’s subordinates in the castle were to see her behaving like a pure and innocent maiden in love, they would probably be frightened out of their wits and wonder if she had been bewitched.
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A few strands of warm golden sunlight filtered through the gaps in the window curtains, casting a radiant glow onto the tanned wooden floor.
Ji Bai could sense a fluffy sensation, as if someone was playfully teasing his nose with a dog-tailed flower.
In his semi-conscious state, he instinctively furrowed his brow and turned his face aside.
What irritated him somewhat, was the fact that the object refused to relent. It seemed to have honed in on his face, following his movements and closing in on him.
Ji Bai’s eyes instantly snapped open and grabbed onto the furry, rod-shaped object.
“Nyaa!?” The rod-shaped object quivered along with a strange sound, as if it was being overstimulated.
“Nyaa, that tickles! M-Mr. Ji Bai, Ke’er was wrong! Please, let go of your hand!” The architect of that scheme, a certain cat by the bedside whose tail Ji Bai was holding onto, felt her fur stand on end.
Ji Bai stood up and released her fluffy pink tail. He then gazed at the pink-haired catgirl, who was kneeling by the bedside with a face awash in red.
“Morning.”
“M-Morning…” Dressed in a maid outfit, Ke’er’s face was beet red while her small head felt as if it was on fire. She covered her face with her hands, not daring to face Ji Bai directly.
“Extend your tail towards me.” Said Ji Bai.
“Eh?! Mr. Ji Bai? You…”
“Just extend it here.” Ji Bai’s voice was devoid of emotions.
“Hu-nyaa… Must it really be the tail?? Couldn’t it be something else…?” Ke’er’s voice was filled with embarrassment and conflicting emotions.
“Mhm.” Replied Ji Bai seriously.
“Hu-nyaa…” She had simply acted on a whim to have some fun, but now the harsh reality of her actions was catching up to her…
“Nyaa~” Ke’er fluttered her sparkling eyes, attempting to charm her way out of the predicament with her cuteness.
“Are you hungry?” Ji Bai expressed his bewilderment.
Alas, for an insensitive person, it was no different from playing the lute to a cow.
From Ji Bai’s point of view, when a kitten acted coquettishly with a hopeful expression on her face, it was a clear sign she needed to be fed.
“Nyaa-uuu…”
“Extend your tail over to me.” Ji Bai repeated his words like a broken record once more.
Seemingly resigned to her fate, Ke’er pitifully held back her tears. Her long tail rested on Ji Bai’s thigh, leaving a soft sensation on his skin.
As the saying went, cats were like liquid. After seeing it firsthand, he began to believe there was some accuracy to that adage.
Ji Bai nodded his head, expressing his certainty in his newfound belief.
“Close your eyes.”
“Oh.” Ke’er covered her face with her hands, feeling anxious and unsettled.
“Alright. Open them.”
“Eh? It’s over?” She was slightly taken aback. All she felt was something grazing her tail before coming to a standstill; Just like that, everything was over.
She was curious to know exactly what Ji Bai had done.
She was surprised to see a unique-looking bowknot tied around her small tail. When paired with her overall appearance, it made her look incredibly cute and charming.
“Is that…?” Ke’er covered her mouth.
“I got this for you. Looks like it suits you really well.” Ji Bai commented, a barely noticeable smile forming on the corners of his lips.
“Gu-nyaa~! Is that really for me?” Ke’er was surprised. However, that was not directed at the gift, but at the giver himself.
In a situation when someone received a present from a thick-headed person, they would definitely be stupefied as well.
“Is this gift for… Ke’er? Did you choose it… specifically for me?” Ke’er mumbled, repeating his words in a daze.
“Mhm.” Ji Bai nodded.
“Thank you for the gift, Mr. Ji Bai. Ke’er— Ke’er will definitely take good care of it~~”
“…” Ji Bai slightly froze.
In his mind, the girl before him with her tail swaying to and fro while twitching her cat ears seemed to overlap with the image of a certain golden-haired catgirl.
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“Obscene Middle-aged man, you dummy! You big dummy! Is your life worth so little to you?!”
“What is this?”
“Oh, just tying a butterfly knot on the outside for you~”
“…I don’t want it.”
“Hmph~! A bowknot from this missy isn’t something you can reject~”
“Ah—”
“Eh? What’s the matter? Did I tie it too hard and hurt you? I-I’m sorry. Pain, pain go away! Do you feel better now~?”
“It’s fine, I faked that.”
“You basta…!”
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“Mr. Ji Bai, Mr Ji Bai?? Gu-nyaa?~”
“…I’m here.” Ke’er’s anxious call snapped Ji Bai out from his memories.
What happened in the past was over. Perhaps that outcome had been set the moment they first encountered each other.
Ji Bai rose to his feet and stroked Ke’er’s hair.
“Thanks for consoling me,” Ji Bai leaned towards her ear, unintentionally catching a whiff of the body fragrance that only a young woman possessed.
As his warm breath brushed over her, Ke’er’s small brain momentarily ceased to function. When she finally came to, she found herself alone in the room.
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The wind atop the rooftop was as lively as ever. A young man laid on his back, his face turned toward the sky, seemingly savoring the breeze or merely lost in thought.
While Ji Bai believed that one’s calling was decreed by fate, he was not someone who could readily compromise or surrender.
Even when fate had played an incredibly tasteless prank on him, he had never given up.
With his initial determination intact, Ji Bai had believed he could quell the demons in his heart.
As for the reason why he had been resisting the urge to consume blood…
It was not just an action that contradicted the code of a knight; It was also his way of defiantly waving the banner against fate.
Turning into a vampire, feeding and sucking blood. They were all a logical sequence of events.
However, Ji Bai detested that. The feeling of being manipulated or played with filled him with disdain, while the idea of gradually turning into a monster terrified him even more.
He feared that one day, he might forget his humanity completely, turning into a mindless vampire devoid of emotion and purpose…
This prolonged torture was significantly more cruel and malicious than a quick, life-ending blow.
He had no desire to be a puppet of fate… Therefore, a trifling issue such as hunger was of little significance to him…
“You’re close to your breaking point. Are you sure you don’t want this?”
The sudden arrival of the voice caused Ji Bai to open his eyes.
It was unknown when the person had arrived before him. With a blood bag held between their teeth, they were leaning towards him while carrying a derisive smile on their face.
‘Old hag Anna…’
- In the original text, the phrase used was ‘How could victory not be guaranteed when the Mutalisks are directly up against the opponent’s face.’ This phrase comes from a memorable moment in Chinese web history, coined by commentator Huang Xudong during a Starcraft 2 match between TooDming and Alice. At a pivotal point in the match, TooDming appeared to be on the verge of victory with his Mutalisks overwhelming Alice’s base. However, in a surprising twist, he lost soon after this comment, transforming the phrase into a harbinger of bad luck.