After the Black Moonlight’s "Death Escape" Failed [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 33

Chapter 33: The Wolf and the Whip-Wielder

◎ So all this time, she was raising a wolf as a puppy. ◎

Jiao Qingyin’s casual display caused the princes and nobles present to pale instantly. Those with less composure even stood up instinctively. But no matter how their moods shifted, none were as wretched as the Emperor’s.

The Emperor stared fixedly at the sword Jiao Qingyin had tossed onto the table; the sound of the scabbard’s gems striking the wood still echoed in her ears.

Jiao Qingyin tilted her head, her lips curling upward. “What’s the matter, Your Majesty?”

She no longer called her “Imperial Sister,” deliberately using a distant formal title, yet her expression lacked even a shred of respect. Her gaze wasn’t that of someone looking at an Emperor, but rather at a piece of meat waiting to be carved.

Under this gaze, the Emperor reflexively shrank back. It took several seconds and a warning look from the High Priest for her to snap out of it, straightening her back in a fit of humiliated rage. The Emperor slammed her hand on the table to stand, intending to roar an accusation of “How dare you,” but her body—long since hollowed out by wine and lust—couldn’t support the sudden movement. She collapsed back onto her throne almost as soon as she rose.

At that moment, she heard a low chuckle.

Odelia? How… how dare she!

The Emperor looked up, trembling with fury, but she didn’t find the expected contempt on Jiao Qingyin’s face—because the woman wasn’t even looking at her.

Jiao Qingyin beckoned to Al, who had been staring at her throughout. “Come here to me.”

For a Prince to speak without authorization before the Emperor was a grave breach of etiquette, yet not a single soul in the hall moved to stop her. Most present were shrewd; seeing Jiao Qingyin refuse to yield an inch to the Emperor, they sensed the wind changing.

…Something big was happening.

They had all heard the rumors: that the Prince had publicly punished an Earl at Duke Lism’s banquet. The old Odelia was impulsive but easily manipulated and avoided open conflict with high-ranking nobles. Her current high-profile defiance had to have a reason. None of them believed she was truly standing up for a slave; the prevailing theory in the capital was that the Prince was using this as a pretext to build momentum for a much larger ambition.

In this light… the Prince truly did exude the aura of a monarch.

Only the System was worrying about the “role-play” rating. After checking for a long time, it realized that not a single person present thought the Host’s character had collapsed. As for the protagonist… looking at her sparkling eyes and the way she spun her wheelchair toward Jiao Qingyin so fast her wheels nearly sparked, it was clear she didn’t suspect a thing.

The System retreated into its corner: What did the Host do in the 12 hours I was gone…?!

Seeing Al reach Jiao Qingyin’s side without resistance while the Emperor sat dazed, the High Priest’s expression flattened. This Emperor is truly useless, she thought coldly, her gaze on Jiao Qingyin turning murky.

Who would have thought that the seemingly brainless Odelia Hughes was the deepest hidden player in the royal family? But… what made her choose this moment to reveal her edge? Did she have an ace the Magic Tower didn’t know about?

After several unreturned pleas for help to the High Priest, the Emperor finally noticed something wrong. Why does the High Priest keep looking at Odelia?

Dreading a secret exchange between them, the Emperor turned to look in the same direction. The reality was even more frustrating: Odelia Hughes, her sister and a Prince of the Empire, was personally serving food to that person in the wheelchair!

“Was the food in the outer hall not to your liking?” Jiao Qingyin asked, seeing Al eating with such relish.

Al beamed at her. “It’s not as good as it is here with Your Highness.”

Because she hadn’t swallowed yet, her cheeks were slightly puffed out, making her look less cold and a bit more adorable.

“Mmh,” Jiao Qingyin looked away, feeling a strange sense of accomplishment. “Then eat more.” Ignoring the terrified stare of the nearby servant, she picked up a knife and fork and personally carved a piece of lamb. “Try this.”

Al is still too thin, she thought. She feels a bit bony when I hold her. I should fatten her up… wait, how Al feels when I hold her has nothing to do with me.

“Y-Your Highness,” a close attendant stammered under the Emperor’s furious glare. “This… is against protocol.”

His voice drew Jiao Qingyin’s attention, but she gave him only a fleeting glance before turning back to watch Al eat the lamb. Al blinked and cooperatively slowed her chewing.

The Emperor’s face flushed a deep, burning red. Someone, somewhere, let out a chuckle. Soon, waves of hushed laughter and whispers broke out. The previous Emperor had dozens of children but died before naming an heir. The current Emperor lacked the ability to hold the throne and relied entirely on the Magic Tower. Consequently, the High Priest had become a de facto Regent—something many nobles loathed. They had considered replacing her, but no royal dared cross the Tower.

Now, seeing the Prince show some spine, the ambitions of certain Great Nobles began to stir. Only the 11th and 13th Princesses sat trembling. The 11th, especially, still felt the ghost of an arrow at her throat. She was truly terrified of this “sister” who used to play with them. Others might not know, but she knew: this person was entirely different.

The laughter, no longer restrained, crashed against the Emperor’s ears like thunder. Unable to think of a response, she instinctively looked at the High Priest. This blatant display of subservience made the Royalist faction wince. Regardless of who held the actual power, the Emperor was the symbol of the Empire, yet she acted like the Tower’s puppet.

The High Priest’s eyes darkened. She glared at the Emperor, who promptly shrank back into her seat. As the silence returned to the hall, the only two people enjoying themselves were Jiao Qingyin, who loved a good show, and Al, who was focused on being hand-fed.

Jiao Qingyin propped her chin on one hand, finally “noticing” the Emperor in the silence.

“Your Majesty, is the banquet not to your taste?” Jiao Qingyin asked naturally, as if she were genuinely concerned for her sister.

“Odelia, you—” The Emperor started to bark a retort, but felt an external force press down on her shoulders, forcing her back into her chair. Her momentum vanished. She looked at the High Priest and saw a clear warning.

Jiao Qingyin’s eyes shifted toward the High Priest. The Priest raised her glass, the wrinkles on her face smoothing into a smile. “Your Highness, I offer you a toast.” Without waiting for a reaction, she drained her cup. She paused, then asked offhandedly, “Your Highness, is the magic array I had the court mages install at your manor still functioning well?”

Jiao Qingyin arched an eyebrow. A threat? A reminder that the Tower could interfere at her home any time? She knew she should say something submissive or pledge loyalty like the other royals.

Instead, Jiao Qingyin gave a simple, innocent smile. “Not very well. I was actually thinking of finding someone to tear them all down soon.”

The sound of silverware vanished. Even those who hated the Tower began to sweat. Was she truly saying this in public? The Prince is smarter, but she seems to have gone mad!!

Even the High Priest’s composure cracked for a split second. Jiao Qingyin didn’t care. As a Prince, the Tower couldn’t move against her too overtly without sparking a civil war. They might harass her businesses or plant spies, but she was going to “die beautifully” in two years anyway. To others, her nonchalance looked like a layer of mysterious, dangerous confidence.

The High Priest didn’t respond immediately. Instead, at her signal, the Emperor spoke up to smooth things over, promising not to touch Al and offering a toast herself. “Odelia, have a drink with me.”

Jiao Qingyin just chuckled. She didn’t stand or speak; she just sat there lazily, raising her glass from afar. It wasn’t just to be rude—it was because Al had just grabbed her hand under the table and was kneading her fingers. If she stood up, everyone would see.

She squeezed her fingers to warn Al, but the girl took it as an invitation and laced their fingers together. When Jiao Qingyin looked at her, Al gave her such a sweet smile that she couldn’t bring herself to be harsh.

As the banquet wound down and dancers took the stage, Al’s “obedience” ended. The dancers were blonde and blue-eyed—Odelia Hughes’ favorite type. Al watched Jiao Qingyin’s gaze linger on them and, in a fit of pique, accidentally bent her metal butter knife.

Jiao Qingyin didn’t notice. She was actually admiring the dancers’ waist chains, thinking about making a similar ornament for her “puppy.”

Suddenly, she felt a touch on her calf. She thought someone was kicking her, but the only person close enough was Al… who was in a wheelchair and paralyzed.

Jiao Qingyin: “?”

She briefly thought the hall was haunted before remembering this was a magic world. She didn’t sense a threat, and because the tablecloth was so long, she couldn’t see anything. Jiao Qingyin rested her hand on her lap to prep a spell, but in the next second, something furry brushed past her leg inside her skirt.

Furry…? Jiao Qingyin froze. Before she could react, it vanished.

“Your Highness, what’s wrong?” Al asked, leaning in with concern.

“…Nothing.” Jiao Qingyin turned her attention to the space under the table, but even her detection magic found nothing.

Al swallowed a piece of panna cotta, hiding her large white tail back under her skirt. Necessity truly is the mother of growth, she thought. She hadn’t been able to control the tail on her first month, but under the stress of jealousy, she’d succeeded perfectly.

The next day, back at the manor, Jiao Qingyin sat in the sunroom holding the sleeping wolf cub. She was staring at her quest log.

[Main Quest 4: Brainwash the protagonist (Al) to increase dependency to 70% (Completed. Current Dependency: 85%)]

This was supposed to be the hardest quest, but it was done. The high trust made her feel guilty—she was destined to betray it. Then she looked at the next one:

[Main Quest 5: Send the protagonist (Al) to the Colosseum. (Starts in one year).]

In the original story, the Emperor was impressed by Al’s “combat potential” at the banquet. Odelia eventually got bored and tossed her into the arena. Al’s struggle there would eventually break her brainwashing and turn her into a “villainess.”

Thinking of this, Jiao Qingyin’s hand tightened, accidentally tugging the cub’s tail. The cub didn’t wake. Jiao Qingyin worried about Al’s excessive sleeping and called for Lottis (the healer turned farmer) to check her.

Lottis, now tanned and thin from farm work, was terrified. “Your Highness… physically, the cub is healthy. I might need to use magic to check deeper…”

Al woke up, yawned, and let out an awoo, rubbing her head against Jiao Qingyin’s palm. She refused to let go of Jiao Qingyin during the exam, jumping back into her lap three times.

When Lottis finally tried to get close, Al’s instincts kicked in, and she delivered a powerful kick that sent Lottis flying back.

Lottis: “!!!” (Shocked by the puppy’s strength). Al: “…” (Just self-defense).

Jiao Qingyin dismissed the terrified Lottis with a reward. Later, as she walked out holding Al, she heard the Butler and Liz arguing around the corner.

“That ‘Ancient Ancestry’ demi-human bit through the fence again!” the Butler yelled. “It’s dangerous!”

“The Prince said to keep it!” Liz retorted.

The Butler roared: “The Prince likes obedient pets! Look at how cute Al is! She’s a dog, that thing is a beast!”

Al: “…”

Liz sneered. “Are you blind? That demi-human is a Gray Wolf. The Prince’s pet is a White Wolf. If you can’t tell a wolf from a dog, go join Lottis in the fields!”

Jiao Qingyin froze.

Liz continued: “I haven’t seen anyone over the age of three confuse a wolf and a dog!”

Jiao Qingyin’s entire body went stiff. She slowly lowered her head and met the gaze of the equally stiff Al.

One human, one wolf: “…”