The merman I’d raised from a pup betrayed me for a scholarship student. As punishment, I had 99 of his scales torn from his tail. The live comments exploded. They were all cursing me out. 【His tail is so beautiful! How could that evil bitch do that to him?】 【I can’t take it anymore! Run away, Caspian! Go find our sweet, kind-hearted Lily!】 A small, humorless laugh escaped my lips. I had the merman packaged up and delivered directly to the scholarship student’s doorstep. Then I got myself a handsome lop-eared rabbit boy. Two months later, my doorbell rang. It was the merman, awkwardly mumbling something about how he missed me. But from inside my room, the wet, sticky sound of a deep kiss could be heard, followed by a boy’s breathless whisper. “Mistress… is my kissing not good enough? Why are you distracted?” “Hush, darling. Pay him no mind.” 1 Two workers hoisted the tank containing Caspian onto the back of a truck. The old driver stood beside me, wringing his hands. “Miss… are you sure about this? Maybe you should reconsider.” My face was a mask of stone. “Do you reconsider when you take out the trash?” “That’s not what I meant. It’s just… that place is so poor and run-down. They’re lucky if they have running water, let alone a proper filtration system. Mermen are incredibly delicate. Will he even survive out there?” I stared at the familiar blue tank. I had decorated it myself, painstakingly applying each of the tiny, crushed diamonds that glittered on its surface. I could still remember the blisters on my fingers, the sharp sting of the glue. The memory was now just a bitter irony. Caspian was my bonded beastkin, my familiar. He had sworn an oath of eternal loyalty to me. But yesterday, when the school auditorium caught fire, he had shoved me aside without a second thought, scooping up that scholarship student and carrying her to safety. In the chaos, I had fallen. A nail had pierced my calf, and blood had gushed from the wound. In that moment, the chill in my heart was far more painful than the injury. Caspian knew he had done wrong. He had knelt before me that night, his head bowed. He admitted his guilt, but not his error. I had laughed, a raw, ugly sound from my wheelchair. I ordered my guards to pluck the scales from his tail. The iridescent, jewel-like scales, stained with his blood, fell one by one to the floor. His face was pale, his lips bloodless. But he kept repeating the same words, over and over. “If I had to do it again, I would still choose to save her.” “She’s not like you. She doesn’t have a powerful family, but she’s gentle and kind. She’s like a ray of sunshine in my life.” I gave a sarcastic twist of my lips. “So, you’re saying I’m a cruel, manipulative bitch. Is that it?” Caspian looked away. His silence was his answer. The night wind was cold. It made my fingers tremble. I am the eldest daughter of the main branch of the family. Everyone with a claim to the inheritance is watching me, waiting for me to fail. They would kill me if they could. There was a time when I was so paranoid, I even had cameras installed inside my refrigerator. If I hadn’t learned to be cunning, to play their games, I would never have survived. All these years, I had raised Caspian, given him the best of everything. And this was the thanks I got. I closed my eyes. The last flicker of sadness in my heart died out. “Fine,” I said. “I’m done with you, Caspian. Since you’re so fond of that scholarship student, go to her.” The truck’s engine roared to life. The sound seemed to jolt Caspian from his stupor. He struggled to sit up, his eyes finding mine. The driver, a kind old man, took pity on him. “You still have a chance, son. Just apologize to the young miss!” A faint, mocking smile touched Caspian’s pale lips. “I was wrong,” he said, his voice barely a whisper, yet filled with a proud, cutting sarcasm. “My only mistake was choosing such a selfish mistress.” 2 The moment Caspian was gone, I gave the order. I wanted a new bonded beastkin. I was rich, I was beautiful. Why should I waste my time grieving over a single beastkin? He wasn’t worth it. I was just about to head to the beastkin auction when I received a tip from a journalist I knew. My father’s illegitimate son, my dear half-brother, was in trouble. My heart soared. I immediately changed course. The scene in front of the filthy, dilapidated warehouse was pure chaos. It turned out my brother had been exposed for using beastkin in illegal drug trials. A group of pitiful, scarred creatures were being rescued. Without a second thought, I rolled up my sleeves and joined the volunteers. The reporters, seeing me, immediately turned their cameras in my direction. “Look, it’s the eldest daughter of the Morris family! So compassionate!” “And look at her brother… what a monster.” My brother’s glare could have set me on fire. I ducked my head to hide my triumphant smirk. Just then, a pale, slender hand reached out from a rusty cage and tugged on my sleeve. I froze and looked down. I was met by a pair of slate-gray eyes. Two long, floppy rabbit ears drooped in fear. The boy looked up at me, his voice a soft whisper. “Will… will you save me?” Lop-eared rabbits were notoriously timid. I crouched down, my voice gentle. “Yes. I will.” At my words, a shy smile lit up his face. The next moment, his eyes fluttered shut and he collapsed. It was only then that I noticed the dense cluster of needle marks on his neck. 3 Of all the beastkin rescued that day, the lop-eared rabbit was the most severely injured. Rabbits were ideal test subjects, and my dear brother had injected him with countless experimental drugs. The cost of his treatment would be far beyond what the volunteer organization could afford. Without hesitation, I announced that I would cover all his expenses. “Miss, the auction catalog has arrived,” my bodyguard said, opening the brochure. “Tonight’s main event is a fierce lion beastkin. There’s also a keen-witted wolf and a powerful bear that are highly rated…” “That won’t be necessary,” I interrupted. “Miss?” he asked, surprised. “The lop-eared rabbit we rescued today. He’ll do.” I looked towards the intensive care unit, my voice surprisingly calm. “The Morris heiress’s bonded beastkin is a creature she personally rescued. Think of the publicity. I’ll take him to the charity gala this year.” The bodyguard stared at me for a moment, then bowed his head. “Yes, Miss.” Inside the ICU, the lop-eared rabbit boy, as if sensing my gaze, suddenly looked up towards the glass window. The moment he saw me, his little rabbit ears shot up in excitement, then quickly drooped back down in a show of demureness. He gave me a shy, tentative wave. 4 I didn’t return his enthusiastic smile. I simply instructed the nurse to use the best medicine available and left. I had taken him in for the sake of my reputation. As long as he was by my side, everyone would be reminded of my brother’s atrocities. I had no illusions about him protecting me. Lop-eared rabbits were too timid. They could barely protect themselves, let alone anyone else. Because of my leg injury, I was confined to a wheelchair. In my spare time, I began physical therapy. The pain was excruciating, but I gritted my teeth and pushed through. I had a bright future ahead of me. I refused to be an invalid. Days turned into weeks, and I gradually forgot about the rabbit. One day, returning from the hospital, the door to my car slid open. Instead of my bodyguard, a pair of slender hands reached in and gently lifted me out. The sudden feeling of weightlessness startled me, and I instinctively wrapped my arms around his neck. I was met with the pleasant, unfamiliar scent of fresh grass. I looked up, confused, and saw a familiar face. At my stare, the two soft rabbit ears peeking out from his hair twitched, the tips turning a shy shade of pink. He carried me into the living room, gently placing me back in my wheelchair. He then knelt before me, adjusting the footrests. I looked down at him, my voice cool. “What are you doing here?” “The doctor said I’m all better. I’ve been discharged,” he said, looking up at me, his voice bright and eager. “I’m your beastkin. Of course, I’m here to take care of you. To protect you.” I was silent for a moment, trying to recall his name. Leo, I think. Leo Starr. A fitting name, for someone who was clearly a daydreamer. I shook my head. “My life is dangerous. I need a powerful beastkin to protect me. You’re just a rabbit. You’re not strong enough. All you need to do is be my arm candy at the gala. A pretty face.” “No!” he interrupted, his gray eyes wide. “I am strong! I know your last beastkin was a powerful merman, but trust me, I’m no less than him!” The mention of Caspian made my expression harden. I had no patience for this. I steered my wheelchair towards the elevator. Just before the doors closed, I tossed a careless challenge over my shoulder. “Then prove it.” 5 The next day at school, I ran into the scholarship student and the merman who had betrayed me. Lily was wearing a faded school uniform, a white jasmine clip in her hair. She was smiling up at Caspian as he walked beside her, silently carrying her pink teddy bear backpack. The look on his face was one of gentle affection. Until he saw me. The warmth in his eyes vanished, replaced by a glacial coldness. I sighed. How sad. He wasn’t dead yet. “Um… Jade Morris.” Lily’s voice, though soft, carried across the crowded school entrance. “Thank you… for letting Caspian go.” She peeked out from behind him, clutching his sleeve, and gave me a timid smile. Instantly, all eyes were on me. The live comments went wild. 【Our heroine is so brave! Talking to the evil bitch directly! This is the strong female lead content I signed up for!】 【Aww, the male lead looks so surprised! He probably didn't expect our sweet Lily to stand up for him like that.】 【Daily prayer for the evil bitch to just die already.】 【Am I the only one who thinks that sounded a little passive-aggressive? Can I even say that?】 The comments scrolled past in a blur. The students around me whispered and giggled, their eyes darting towards me in my wheelchair. It was a humiliating situation. But I remained unfazed. I looked up at Lily and said, my voice clear and confident, “I was just throwing out the trash. If you want to pick it up, be my guest.” I turned to leave, but Lily rushed forward, blocking my path. “Jade, you’re angry, aren’t you?” “I just wanted to tell you, Caspian is so much happier now that he’s away from you. He smiles so much more.” She gave me a self-deprecating little laugh. “I’m just a simple person, I speak my mind. Don’t take it personally…” The saccharine sweetness was nauseating. I frowned and tried to push past her. Lily stumbled backward, landing perfectly in Caspian’s arms. He held her close, his eyes glaring at me with suspicion. “Jade, if you have a problem, take it up with me. Don’t you dare hurt Lily.” I was speechless. “Caspian, you really need to lay off the bad romance novels. Has Lily not been aerating your tank properly? Is your brain oxygen-deprived? In what universe did I just bully her?” “Jade, why do you always have to be so aggressive?” Caspian scowled. But then his gaze fell on my legs, uselessly curled in the wheelchair, and his voice softened. “That day… I ran to save Lily because the beam above her was about to fall. I couldn’t just watch her get hurt.” He lowered his voice. “I… I haven’t broken our bond. I… I’ve missed you.” I bit my lip. A flicker of something stirred in my chest. We had grown up together, after all. I opened my mouth to speak, but before I could, the roar of an engine cut through the air. A man in black on a motorcycle was speeding towards me, a dagger glinting in his hand. In my stunned silence, I heard Caspian’s frantic shout. “Mistress! Move!” Move? I almost laughed. I was in a wheelchair. How was I supposed to move? The dagger was inches from my face. The next second, a figure blurred in front of me. A swift, powerful kick. Bang! The heavy motorcycle crashed to the ground, its wheels still spinning. The assailant was thrown, his helmet scraping against the pavement with a shower of sparks. The man, now unmasked, scrambled backward on the ground, his eyes wide with terror. But there was no escape. The tall, broad-shouldered rabbit boy stalked towards him, bent down, and pressed the dagger to the man’s throat, drawing a single, crimson drop of blood. The boy’s eyes were cold, his expression grim. But his voice was soft, polite. “Sir. You shouldn’t have touched her.” I stared at Leo. I remembered his defiant words: “I am strong!” He hadn’t been lying. But I still felt a strange sense of being deceived. What had happened to my sweet, shy, easily flustered little rabbit? Why had he suddenly turned into Godzilla? 6 【On the surface, he's a sweet, shy boy who blushes easily, but in reality, he's a total badass with off-the-charts combat skills! Aww, why can't a man like that be in love with our heroine?!】 【Sweet bunny, don't help that evil psycho! Come to our Lily!】 【Um, isn't the merman supposed to be the main love interest? Why is everyone going crazy over this rabbit?】 The comments were a chaotic mess. It was giving me a headache. The assailant was staring at Leo in terror, his hands raised in surrender. “Don’t… don’t kill me…” “You should have thought of the consequences when you decided to attack my mistress,” Leo said coolly. The man’s face went blank, then twisted in a snarl of frustration. “Impossible! I had everything planned! How was I supposed to know you’d show up out of nowhere? What’s your relationship with Jade Morris? I thought her beastkin was a merman! Since when is it a fucking rabbit?!” I couldn’t help but laugh. “It seems my brother’s intelligence is a bit outdated. I have a new bonded beastkin now.” Leo looked up at me, his eyes shining. He knew what those words meant. I had acknowledged him. He could finally, officially, be by my side. His ears perked up, and he puffed out his chest. If he had a tail, it would have been wagging like a helicopter blade. Well, the rabbit had turned into a puppy. I looked at him and sighed softly. Then I caught my reflection in a car window. My lips were curved into a small smile. I was… smiling at him? I quickly schooled my features back into a neutral expression. But I couldn't stop replaying the moment he had rushed to protect me. My bodyguards finally arrived, surrounding me. “Our apologies, Miss. We were negligent. Please, let us escort you to safety.” Leo restrained the attacker, handing him over to my men. I prepared to leave. But a hand shot out and grabbed my sleeve. I looked up, annoyed. It was Caspian. The usually proud, aloof merman was now hunched over, his expression a mixture of shock and devastation. “You…” he stammered, his voice trembling. “How could you take a new beastkin? I haven’t broken our bond. I haven’t agreed to it…” I frowned, my voice as cold as ice. “I am your mistress. Since when do I need your permission to break our bond?” “But you promised! You promised I would be the only one!” “He’s a rabbit! He’s not as strong, or as fast, or as rare as I am…” Caspian’s eyes grew red, his voice dropping to a whisper. “You can’t choose him…” The live comments were in an uproar. 【What is happening? Why is the male lead begging the evil bitch? Is he jealous?】 【No way. After everything she did to him, he still has feelings for her?】 【Look at the heroine’s face… she looks so pitiful…】 Following the comments’ direction, I glanced at Lily. Yeah, no. I didn’t see pitiful. I saw a look so venomous, it could kill.
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