“Isn’t that obvious?” Cheng Xi said, nodding as she pulled a loaf of bread from her bag and handed it to him.
She gestured for him to try some.
Hotte’s eyes glinted for a second.
‘Very good,’ he thought.
‘She dares to be so blunt to my face, thinking I can’t understand human language.
I can only imagine what she says about me in private.’
He gave her a meaningful look, staring until Cheng Xi felt a pang of guilt, before finally taking the bread and biting into it.
‘The texture is soft and the taste is alright, but it’s too sweet.’
“If there’s anything you want to eat in the future, you can tell me.”
Cheng Xi suppressed the guilt from his stare and threw her hands up in exasperation.
“I could tell you, but you wouldn’t understand.
Sigh… this language barrier is so inconvenient.”
Hotte: “…”
“What’s this?” He had spotted the book.
He picked it up casually, raising an eyebrow in surprise when he saw the human script on the cover.
‘Not bad,’ he thought.
‘This little female pet is quite motivated, knowing to master the language first.’
In truth, humans not only possessed a perfectly evolved form, but also an intelligence unrivaled by other races.
Their only problem was their excessive weakness.
If given the conditions and space to grow, they would become the Beastman Clan’s greatest enemy.
Hotte had this premonition when he killed the first human pet who betrayed him.
And Cheng Xi’s group would be the last batch of captured humans.
As long as the number of humans was kept within a controllable range, no accidents would happen.
For now, at least, Hotte didn’t think humans could stir up any major trouble.
He could crush them with one hand.
As long as they behaved, raising them for fun was rather amusing, wasn’t it?
Seeing him pick up the book, Cheng Xi decided to be open about it.
It wasn’t like she could hide it anyway, since she had nowhere to put it.
She opened the book, pointed to the mixed Chinese and Alien text inside, then pointed to her own mouth, indicating that she would work hard to learn their language.
Hotte ruffled the top of her head with a faint smile.
“So you want to learn our script and language?
Well, good luck with that.”
“Mhm.” Cheng Xi nodded emphatically.
‘I have to learn it.’
Then, her gaze was drawn to the bracelet on his wrist.
She glanced at the man, a conflicted look on her face, as if she wanted to say something but was holding back.
Hotte noticed and said, “If you want something, just say it.”
Cheng Xi cleared her throat lightly and pointed hesitantly at his Space Bracelet.
“I want this.”
“…”
“You’ve only been here half a day, but you seem to know quite a bit.”
“You really want one?”
Cheng Xi nodded honestly.
Feeling like teasing this little female pet, Hotte gave her a suggestive smile.
“Well, that depends on your performance. I’ve heard that having a human pet walk on your back is very comfortable. I wonder if I’ll get to enjoy that tonight.”
‘Walk on his back?’ Cheng Xi froze for a moment.
Then she nodded.
“Yes, I can do that!”
“It seems you’re willing to give it a try? If you do a good job, as your master, I’ll reward you with one.”
Cheng Xi’s eyes lit up at his words, and she was already eager to try.
It was just walking on his back.
She’d get to step on an Alien and get a reward for it.
What’s not to like?
She finished the last of her juice, gathered her things, and prepared to get up and go home.
But just as she picked up her things, Hotte took them from her and stored them in his bracelet.
“You bought so much.
Wasn’t it heavy?”
Cheng Xi said wistfully, “That’s why I want a bracelet like yours.
Other people’s human pets all have one.”
Hotte found this amusing.
‘She’s only been out for half a day, and she’s already started making comparisons?’
He pretended not to understand what she was saying and didn’t react.
It wasn’t like Cheng Xi was saying it for him to hear; it was just a small complaint.
“Should we go back now? Or do you want to hang around a bit longer?”
Cheng Xi waved her hand.
“No more, I’m tired.”
‘Tired already?
So delicate.’
Hotte gave her a cool glance.
“If you don’t want to hang around, let’s go home.”
The plaza was crowded at the moment, so he casually took her hand.
At first, Cheng Xi didn’t think anything of it, but then she inexplicably remembered what Tan Wei had said and immediately pulled her hand away.
‘When out and about, a master and pet should avoid arousing suspicion.’
Afraid he would get the wrong idea, Cheng Xi quickly explained that holding hands was too hot and it would be cooler to walk separately.
Hotte: “…”
The two walked toward the exit, one in front of the other.
The Duke was tall with long legs, so Cheng Xi had to jog to keep up.
They were walking along just fine when the person in front of her suddenly stopped, and she walked right into him before she could react.
“Ow! Why’d you stop walking?” Cheng Xi rubbed her bumped nose and looked up.
When she looked up, she saw a man and a woman across from them.
The man was about as tall as her master, with deep-set features, a somewhat Western-looking face, and a rather fierce expression. This chapter was taken from novelping.com without permission.
The woman, coincidentally, was none other than Xu Ning, with whom she’d had a “one-stomp encounter”!
The other woman was looking at her with a complicated expression.
Cheng Xi: “…” ‘What a small world!’
“Hotte? Fancy meeting you here.” The male across from them spoke to Hotte, but his gaze was fixed on the human female behind him.
An unnatural expression flashed across Hotte’s face.
He hadn’t expected to run into him here today—Victor!
The very instigator who caused his brother to issue the ban.
“Quite a coincidence.
Are you out with your…
lover?” His gaze swept over the human female’s slightly swollen belly, and he forced himself to swallow the words “human pet.”
They had been old friends for many years; some things required giving the other person a bit of face.
Victor didn’t seem to care about the opinions of others, merely looking at him with an intriguing gaze.
“Hotte, the human female behind you, is she your human pet?”
Hotte shrugged.
“A 100th birthday present from my brother.”
Hearing this, a strange look appeared on Victor’s face.
“The royal family is so domineering now? I recall the ban was just issued not long ago.”
Hotte let out a cold laugh.
“And isn’t this all your fault?”
“Let’s not point fingers. Yours is, hmm, due soon, right?”
At the mention of his unborn child, Victor’s cold, hard features visibly softened.
“Probably in two or three months. You should bring your human pet with you then.”
Hotte didn’t give a definite answer.
“We’ll see when the time comes.”
“You guys take your time.
We’ll be leaving first.”
“Cheng Xi, let’s go.” The Duke gave a cool-sounding notice and walked past them toward the exit.
Cheng Xi quickly jogged to keep up.
As she passed them, she glanced back at Xu Ning.
The other woman was also looking at her.
How to describe that gaze…
it was a bit strange!
Soon, the two of them left the Pet Plaza.
Victor and the woman with him watched until their figures disappeared.
After a long moment, he uttered with great interest, “Interesting.”
Xu Ning seemed lost in thought.
“Do you think Duke Hotte will develop feelings for that human girl?”
Victor, on the other hand, seemed a little expectant.
“Hard to say.
I kind of hope he does.”
“If even the Beast King’s own brother can’t resist the temptation of a human female, things will get very interesting, won’t they?”
Hearing this, Xu Ning frowned in displeasure.
“Are you implying that I seduced you?”