After the Black Moonlight’s "Death Escape" Failed [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 5

Chapter 5: The Wolf and the Whip-Wielder

◎ Waking up to a species change ◎

Nameless felt as if she had fallen into an ice cellar; a bone-chilling cold radiated through every bone and limb. She couldn’t open her eyes or hear any sound, but she knew she had to wake up immediately. Yet the surroundings were simply too cold—the darkness and silence seemed boundless, dragging her deeper and deeper.

But just as her consciousness was about to dissipate, something warm enveloped her, pulling her into a soft cloud. For the first time in a long while, she slept soundly.

After an unknown amount of time, Nameless regained consciousness and became instantly alert within seconds.

Something was wrong. Nameless remembered clearly: she had fallen asleep in the Red Tower due to exhaustion but had woken up on the way back to the castle. She had faked sleep to deceive the others, hoping to find a chance to slip away. But her physical condition was too poor, and after being brought to a room… her brain throbbed. Her memory was fragmented; she actually couldn’t remember what happened next.

What made her even more hesitant was that, after waking up this time, her body didn’t hurt at all. She felt so good it was as if she had never been injured.

What on earth is going on… Nameless shifted her focus to her surroundings. Fearing someone might be watching her, she did not rashly open her eyes.

A faint fragrance lingered at the tip of her nose, like soap mixed with the scent of some flower. Beneath her was some kind of soft fabric, and… amidst the crackling of firewood in the hearth, Nameless realized she was in an extremely comfortable place.

Suddenly, she felt the spot where she was lying dip down.

Nameless: “!” She instantly tensed her nerves, preparing to attack.

In the next second, she heard a light call tinged with a smile.

“Puppy, wake up and eat.”

Recognizing the familiar voice, Nameless instantly turned to stone. For a moment, she even forgot to relax her body to fake sleep. The owner of the voice was undoubtedly Otillia Hughes, but how could she… how could she possibly speak in such a tone!

After associating the gentle voice she just heard with Otillia Hughes, Nameless immediately felt the urge to vomit. The nausea rising in her heart made her clench her fist, and as she snapped her eyes open to swing—

She froze at the sight of the furry little paw in front of her.

Jiao Qingyin had just returned to the fireplace with a saucer of milk when she saw the puppy she had picked up wake up. It opened its round blue eyes and raised a paw toward her.

The puppy was a bit dirty, making it hard to discern its coat color, but the way it lay on its back struggling to flip over was adorable no matter how one looked at it.

Jiao Qingyin couldn’t help but smile. She set down the milk and pinched the puppy’s front paw. “Are you hungry?”

Nameless found it impossible to recover from her shock. She couldn’t tell which was weirder: waking up as an animal, or Otillia Hughes appearing as if her personality had completely changed.

No… maybe I just haven’t woken up yet.

For the first time in her life, Nameless had the urge to escape reality.

Jiao Qingyin was unaware of the storm raging in Nameless’s heart. She only thought the puppy was a bit dazed. Seeing that the dog allowed her to hold its paw without struggling, she couldn’t help but worry about its health. Generally, puppies are very lively. Though this one didn’t look injured, perhaps it was sick, which would explain the lack of spirit.

With this thought, Jiao Qingyin immediately summoned Lottis.

Lottis had worked under the Princess for five years but had seen her in person only a handful of times. Yet today alone, she had faced her directly several times, which made her feel dizzy with anxiety the moment she heard the summons.

Walking into the bedroom and seeing Jiao Qingyin, whose aura remained icy even in her sleepwear, Lottis’s legs felt weak. She trembled for a long while before daring to step forward. “…Greetings, Your Highness.”

There were private rumors in the castle that the Princess was even more irritable at night than during the day, and that her methods for punishing slaves and servants were even more cruel. Am I about to become the next victim…

“Come here. Check if it’s sick.”

Hearing Jiao Qingyin’s order, Lottis quickly pulled back her scattered thoughts. She stepped forward, expecting to face another bloodied, dying slave. However—

She only saw a scruffy little dog huddled among a pile of throw pillows.

Lottis couldn’t identify the material or embroidery of the pillows, but she recognized the magic circles on their surface at a glance—complex Tier 4 Sleep Arrays. Drawing just one such array required three standard gold bars and nine full-weight sapphires as raw materials.

Now, these pillows—any one of which could be sold to buy vast tracts of farmland—were being squashed under a little mutt. And the mutt itself was baring its teeth at the Princess, leaving several black paw prints on the white fabric, looking quite displeased.

Lottis: “…”

Her emotions were extremely complicated, but she reacted quickly to check the puppy’s condition. To her surprise, this dog was quite intelligent. It seemed to know her actions were for its own good and was quite cooperative throughout, though its eyes remained fixed on the Princess.

“Your Highness, its body is very healthy. It’s just a bit malnourished. It will return to normal after eating more.”

Lottis spoke with some hesitation. She didn’t know if the Princess wanted its pelt, had developed an interest in torturing animals, or if…

“How old is it? Can it eat meat yet?” Jiao Qingyin asked calmly.

The question was so normal that Lottis—whose specialties were emergency aid and alchemy, with a side job in gardening—was stunned. She didn’t know the answer.

“A-about… two or three months or so,” realizing the consequences of not giving an answer, Lottis’s heart raced and her voice dropped lower. “…Just don’t give it too much at once.”

Jiao Qingyin’s attention was entirely on the puppy and she didn’t notice the healer’s guilt. “You may leave. I’ll call you if I need anything.”

Lottis breathed a sigh of relief, thinking she had survived the night. “Yes.”

Nameless watched the interaction between the two, her suspicions growing deeper.

It was very strange. Otillia Hughes’s performance before and after was simply too fragmented.

When Nameless first woke up, she clearly saw an undeniable gentleness on the woman’s face. Yet as soon as Lottis entered the room, every word and action of the Princess was identical to the person in her memory; that cold, arrogant expression didn’t look like an act at all.

Recalling the smile the woman had shown earlier, Nameless’s scalp crawled, and her claws curled unconsciously. She suddenly felt she had underestimated Otillia Hughes. The woman seemed even more calculating than she had guessed, and even more… perverted.

A purely brutal Princess would only make her feel disgusted. But a Princess who was fierce in public and kind in private was either mentally disturbed or hiding a dangerous secret.

Nameless bit her lip—or rather, her gums. She knew she couldn’t let the woman discover her true identity, but if she had to wag her tail and beg for mercy or act like a real dog before this person—she would rather just die.

No. Even if I die, I’ll make sure Otillia Hughes dies before me.

Before she could suppress the hostility in her heart, Jiao Qingyin, having watched Lottis leave, walked back to the pile of pillows.

She was oblivious to Nameless’s thoughts, her lips curved in a beautiful arc. “Little puppy, drink some milk first. I’ll give you meat tomorrow.”

Her ink-colored eyes were sparkling; she looked like she really wanted to pet Nameless.

Nameless: “…”

Nameless cautiously backed away, distancing herself from the woman and that saucer of milk.