Chapter 369: "I Like You...

The Lizard Servant had seen plenty of sacrificial offerings who tried everything to escape their fate, but he had never seen one who tried everything to *become* one.

’How strange.’

He shook his head, pushing aside the stray thoughts, and knocked gently on the door. "Miss Rabbit, are you in?"

"I am." Yu Zhizhi pulled the door open.

The Lizard Servant was holding a roster in one hand. He took two steps back. "You have been chosen as the second sacrificial offering. Please come with me. The Crown Prince will inspect you personally."

Yu Zhizhi followed behind the lizard, gazing at the ice-sculpted frost flowers lining the long bridge. The towering palace before her stretched on, its end out of sight.

The servants here wore white robes and all moved with caution. Their voices were rarely heard.

Upon entering the palace, Yu Zhizhi heard a strange cry. It was a sound she had never heard before, a shriek that made her tremble to her core from the very first moment.

She hardly dared to breathe.

She continued to follow the Lizard Servant, heading straight forward.

Yu Zhizhi was led into the main hall.

She stood on a sheet of thin ice, dressed in a servant’s white robes. The attire for a sacrificial offering was nearly identical to that of the palace servants, distinguished only by an ancient sigil on the chest.

It seemed to foreshadow the offering’s fate.

The Lizard Servant bowed and departed.

Yu Zhizhi waited alone in silence.

The vast hall was unlit, save for a few Luminous Pearls. She could hardly see what was ahead of her, only vaguely making out a natural screen sculpted from ice.

Until this moment, no one had told her what a sacrificial offering was supposed to do.

’Thinking of how the last sacrificial offering had died...’

Yu Zhizhi slowly bit her lip.

’What secrets is the Moon Ascending Royal Family hiding?’

She stood in the main hall, waiting quietly.

Suddenly, there was another shriek, accompanied by an earthquake-like tremor.

The sound was much clearer than it had been outside the palace.

’Are... are they keeping something here?’

’Or is the Crown Prince in his Beast Form right now?’

’Rumor has it he’s ill. Could it be like Tang Luo Ke, a Berserk rampage caused by losing control of his spiritual power?’

As Yu Zhizhi’s mind raced, she heard the door directly in front of her open.

Behind the ice screen, she could vaguely see a tall, slender figure walk in.

Yu Zhizhi hurriedly bowed. "Crown Prince."

’This must be him...’

The man looked at the other side of the ice screen. This was the sacrificial offering sent today.

’Rabbit Clan?’

His gaze fell on the female from the Rabbit Clan. He couldn’t seem to recall the Rabbit Clan ever being an option among the Beast Clans that provided sacrificial offerings.

He disliked small animals like rabbits.

’Their hearts are too small.’

"Alpha." He sat upon the throne, his voice tinged with anger. "Since when have we started accepting substandard sacrificial offerings?"

Hearing the Crown Prince’s voice, the Lizard Servant immediately scrambled inside, kneeling on the floor without daring to lift his head.

"C-Crown Prince, this young lady is indeed on the list. She was sent along with all the other sacrificial offerings."

The Lizard Servant had been just as surprised when he first saw her.

Ever since he had been put in charge of the offerings, he had never once seen a member of the Rabbit Clan.

Now, seeing that the Crown Prince was clearly displeased, sweat poured down the Lizard Servant’s face like rain. He was terrified he would lose his life today.

’Just... just as I thought...’

’The Crown Prince doesn’t like rabbits!’

"Go and select a new sacrificial offering." The man had no patience for this. "As for this rabbit, get her out of here."

The Lizard Servant froze.

’Get her out?’

’The climate in the Extreme Ice Area is brutal, and with the Mutated Beast Species that appear from time to time... if Miss Rabbit is cast out, she’ll never survive.’

’Although...’

’...it’s rare for a sacrificial offering to survive anyway.’

’But the Lizard Servant couldn’t forget her close relationship with Lord Li Yuan.’

Yu Zhizhi was taken aback. She hadn’t expected the Crown Prince to have so many requirements for a "sacrificial offering."

’Considering those offerings were all meticulously cultivated...’

She quickly spoke up, "Crown Prince, please don’t send me away. Even if I can’t be a sacrificial offering, there are many other things I can do."

’No matter what, I have to find a way to stay.’

"Unnecessary," the man said, his tone icy. "Alpha, are you deaf? Get her out of my sight."

The Lizard Servant wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Miss Rabbit, please come with me."

’Leaving now, before the Crown Prince becomes truly enraged, is better than losing your life on the spot.’

Yu Zhizhi had crossed mountains and rivers to finally meet her "conquest target." How could she possibly leave now?

Besides, she knew that if she was thrown out now, she would never be able to return.

This might be her only chance to meet Crown Prince Yue Sheng.

Yu Zhizhi’s thoughts were a mess.

She couldn’t hesitate any longer. A thought flashed through her mind, and she blurted it out, "You can’t send me away! We... we have a marriage contract!"

The Lizard Servant stared at her in shock.

’A marriage contract?!’

The man was silent for a long moment, his brow furrowed as if trying to recall when he had ever entered into a marriage contract.

Yu Zhizhi’s voice trembled as she forced herself to continue, "Although it wasn’t finalized at the time due to certain... issues. But... I... Crown Prince, I’ve made up my mind. I’m willing to go through with the marriage alliance."

’A marriage alliance?’

’A rabbit?’

The man seemed to recall something. He remembered someone mentioning it to him, but he hadn’t had time to return back then. He’d heard Varolan was unwilling to let the person go, so they had chosen the Third Prince of Moonrise and some Little Princess from Varolan instead.

This was the first time he truly looked at the female of the Rabbit Clan behind the screen.

"A Disguise Technique?"

He had noticed something was off.

Yu Zhizhi, now a little calmer, deactivated the spirit card’s effect. "This was to avoid trouble on my journey. I hope the Crown Prince understands."

The Lizard Servant was practically petrified.

When he saw Miss Rabbit’s true face, his jaw dropped wide open—

’A white rabbit?’

’Is that the SS-Level female from Varolan?!’

’Could she and the Crown Prince really have a marriage contract?!’

"You came all this way just to tell me this?" The man stood up, bypassing the screen and slowly approaching the female from the Rabbit Clan.

As the Crown Prince’s figure drew near, the Lizard Servant quickly knelt down.

Seeing his shadow fall over her, Yu Zhizhi couldn’t help but take a step back.

’Ti-Tiger Clan...’

The man’s aura was overwhelmingly oppressive. She could hardly lift her head. "I... I’m serious..."

"Why?" the Crown Prince asked, watching her coldly.

He watched as the little rabbit struggled to answer.

A cold smirk played on his lips. "Surely you didn’t run all the way here just because you’ve fallen for me."

’A marriage alliance?’

He scoffed. ’There must be some ulterior motive behind this.’

Yu Zhizhi froze.

Her heart pounded in her chest. She wasn’t sure if it was from the lie or from being stared down by a tiger—the instinctive fear of a herbivore...

"I... I do..."

Her voice was as faint as a mosquito’s buzz.

"...like you..."

Kneeling on the ground, the Lizard Servant shuddered. He never expected to witness such high drama!

’The sacrificial offering is suddenly becoming a bride?’

’The Rabbit Clan from Varolan is so bold! A direct confession!’