After the Black Moonlight’s "Death Escape" Failed [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 14

Chapter 14: The Wolf and the Whip-Wielder

◎ Can dogs drink alcohol? ◎

Jiao Qingyin had finally learned the names of the two knights who frequently shadowed her.

They were sisters from the Atlan family, looking quite similar and close in age. The elder sister, Meg, was silent and steady, while the younger, Liz, was more lively and talkative. Perhaps because of their golden hair, the original owner kept them close; aside from the butler, they were arguably the people in the castle who knew the Princess best.

Because of this understanding, they didn’t need Jiao Qingyin to say a word. As soon as she sat in the garden, they had servants bring out the original owner’s favorite snacks and drinks.

Cookies were meticulously stacked into a tower, and fruit wine was poured into a glass, shimmering with a pale gold luster. It looked incredibly appetizing. Following the original owner’s habits, Jiao Qingyin took a sip of the wine, then a bite of a cookie, and then—she nearly gagged.

The fruit wine was laced with either honey or syrup, delivering a cloying sweetness that wouldn’t dissipate. Her teeth actually ached from the sugar. She quickly bit into a cookie to wash the taste away.

—The cookie was even sweeter! The excessive sugar exploded on her taste buds, and Jiao Qingyin nearly failed to maintain her facial expression.

She couldn’t swallow the mouthful of cookie. Noticing something was wrong, Liz asked in a low voice, “Is it not to your liking? I can have it removed and bring you a fresh set.”

According to the original owner’s rules, rejected food was to be incinerated immediately; not a crumb was to be left for the “commoners.” Jiao Qingyin desperately wanted to nod, but habits from the post-apocalyptic world made her physically unable to waste food. Expressionless, she forced herself to chew and swallow the whole cookie before speaking slowly: “…It’s quite delicious.”

Hearing this, Liz thoughtfully sprinkled powdered sugar over another cookie and refilled her wine glass.

Jiao Qingyin: “…”

Thinking about how the original owner usually finished a whole plate of at least thirty cookies, her vision darkened. Her hand trembled as she picked up another sweet biscuit, secretly hoping a meteorite would fall from the sky and stop her from putting it in her mouth.

“Awoo.”

A white blur flashed before Jiao Qingyin’s eyes. Her hand slipped, and in the next second, a furry little ball pounced onto her lap and snatched the cookie.

—A meteor named Al had arrived.

Nameless crunched the cookie twice and swallowed it. Before Jiao Qingyin could say a word, she quickly licked the crumbs from around her muzzle. The Atlan sisters, who had seen the whole thing but were too slow to stop it, stood frozen.

Meg frowned, while Liz pursed her lips and looked away. Liz loved animals and owned several horses; she couldn’t bear to see this cute wolf cub executed on the spot. But the expected bloody scene didn’t happen. She only heard the Princess scold coldly:

“Eat slower.”

Liz: “?”

Liz wondered if she had misheard, but when no further noise came, she peeked over—and was so shocked she nearly gasped aloud. The Princess was actually feeding the wolf cub her own food! She even caught the falling crumbs when the cub ate too greedily…!

It should have been a warm scene of a master and her pet, but given who was involved, Jiao Qingyin’s feeding looked more like an assassination by poisoning. Liz noticed Jiao Qingyin was frowning—likely out of disgust—and her internal theories veered even further from the truth. Strangely, once she convinced herself it was “poisoning,” Liz felt a sense of relief.

Meanwhile, the frowning Jiao Qingyin was pondering a serious question: Can dogs eat cookies?

In her previous life, the dogs she encountered preferred human brains; they’d eat cement if they were hungry. She figured dogs in other worlds might be more delicate, but cookies should be fine, right?

If she can eat cookies, can she drink alcohol…?

Seeing Nameless staring at her glass and flicking her pink tongue out, Jiao Qingyin’s heart softened completely. It seems Al really loves sweet things… Jiao Qingyin thought for a moment, dipped a sugar spoon into the wine, and held it to Al’s mouth.

“Only a little.” Jiao Qingyin’s face was cold, but her black eyes were misty with warmth.

Nameless saw that look, and her paw instinctively twitched. She reacted quickly, licking the spoon clean. The mixture of sugar and wine wasn’t exactly pleasant, but Nameless finished it all. After eating the Magic Beast jerky yesterday, she had learned to distinguish elemental power in food. As soon as the wine and snacks arrived, she had smelled the dense energy within. Since she was in desperate need of it, she had pushed aside her shame of being “fed” to get a share.

Jiao Qingyin, unaware of the logic, assumed Nameless simply had a sweet tooth and felt somewhat gratified. Raising a cub for a lifetime, using a cub for a moment—my Al is so capable!

Having been “baptized” by the high-energy jerky, Nameless was no longer the creature that got full after one bowl of milk. Under the complex gazes of the two knights, she quickly finished half the plate of cookies. When she reached for another, Jiao Qingyin pressed down on her eager little paw.

“Wait.”

Jiao Qingyin spoke while feeling Nameless’s belly—it was already bulging.

“No more,” Jiao Qingyin pushed the plate back, moving it out of reach of those short paws.

Nameless was disappointed. She felt the elemental power circulating in her body, a sign that she was on the verge of a breakthrough, and she wanted more. Jiao Qingyin was even more disappointed; with so many cookies left, she’d have to finish them all herself… the path ahead looked bleak.

But now that Al knows how to act spoiled for food, maybe I can pet her…

Seeing that Jiao Qingyin truly didn’t intend to give her any more, Nameless turned around, gave the Princess the cold shoulder (literally), and hopped off her lap in a single bound.

Watching Nameless pitter-patter away to lie down by a flower bush, Jiao Qingyin: “…”

She was puzzled. Weren’t dogs supposed to be affectionate? Even the zombie dogs in her previous life were always seen side-by-side with their owners.

Liz watched the well-fed Nameless curl up into a ball by the flowers, thinking the Princess’s wolf cub was surprisingly well-behaved—nothing like the fierce white wolves of legend. She wondered how it was trained… then, remembering the methods the Princess used to “tame” rebellious slaves, she suppressed her curiosity. But Her Highness really does seem different lately… Liz peeked at her sister, Meg, looking for some silent agreement.

However, Meg was covering her left ear, a white rune appearing on the back of her hand—the sign of a mage sending a transmission. Liz’s eyes dimmed; she could guess who was on the other end.

“…Understood. I will inform Her Highness.”

At those words, Jiao Qingyin, who was struggling through her cookies, looked up.

“Your Highness,” Meg stepped forward and knelt on one knee, her armor glinting coldly in the sun. “It’s someone from the Iris Auction House.”

Jiao Qingyin was blank: “…”

“…” Meg waited. Seeing Jiao Qingyin didn’t speak, she had to continue. “Do you wish to see for yourself? Today happens to be ‘Harvest Day.’ There will be twice as many auction items as usual.”

Meg’s words touched on a gap in Jiao Qingyin’s knowledge. She urgently began flipping through the original owner’s memories, failing to notice that the “sleeping” Nameless had flicked her tail and pricked up her ears.

—It was at an Iris Auction that Otillia Hughes had purchased her.