After the Black Moonlight’s "Death Escape" Failed [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 8

Chapter 8: The Wolf and the Whip-Wielder

◎ The bite marks on her hand haven’t even faded yet ◎

Jiao Qingyin stood dazed for a long while before she finally managed to snap out of her state of awe.

The person before her clearly misinterpreted this prolonged stare. Her gaze turned slightly cold, carrying a layer of visible irritation.

Meeting that look, Jiao Qingyin awkwardly flexed her knuckles, feeling the embarrassment of a voyeur caught in the act. Fortunately, the butler spoke up just in time: “Your Highness, Excellency Al is still asleep. Should I leave her in your study?”

At the mention of “Excellency Al,” Nameless’s spine stiffened almost imperceptibly.

Jiao Qingyin looked over and saw the puppy snuggled in the butler’s arms, sleeping soundly. It looked vastly different from its previous filthy state; after its bath, its fur was fluffy, white, and soft, like a ball of marshmallow.

So she and the protagonist both have white hair; it was just too dirty to tell before.

Despite how tempting Al looked to pet, Jiao Qingyin suppressed the itch in her palms. She shook her head and said, “Take her back to my bedroom and prepare some food for her.”

The butler obeyed and left. The knight who had been standing behind her stepped forward, holding a box out to Jiao Qingyin. “Your Highness, the item you requested.”

Jiao Qingyin recognized her as one of the knights who frequently shadowed her and reached out to take the box. It was crafted from pure gold and decorated with a massive, shimmering ruby on top—evidently worth a fortune.

Jiao Qingyin couldn’t help but inwardly despise the original owner’s gaudy aesthetic before opening it.

Nameless was close enough to see exactly what was inside the golden box.

—A pitch-black collar.

Her expression instantly darkened, and the temperature around her seemed to drop.

While washing her body, Nameless had replayed every detail of her interactions with Otillia Hughes over the past two days. She keenly sensed that something had changed about the woman. The change was subtle, and she had no concrete evidence, but after long deliberation, she decided to trust her intuition for now. She abandoned her original plan of a desperate, suicidal struggle.

She planned to feign submission. If Otillia’s future actions did not cross her ultimate bottom line… she was not one to reject enduring humiliation for a greater purpose. She didn’t mind trading a portion of her dignity for the optimal path to survival and revenge.

But wearing a collar meant she would completely become this person’s property. Such a humiliation… Nameless clenched her teeth, etching a bitter mark in her mental ledger.

Every single thing Otillia Hughes did to her, she would return a hundredfold in the future—!

Jiao Qingyin didn’t notice Nameless’s internal monologue. She was busy inspecting the collar she had ordered, ensuring there were no hidden mechanisms or magic arrays.

The collar originally kept in this box by the owner was custom-made, lined with over a dozen sharp, short needles. In the original plot, these needles would pierce outward at the owner’s command. The protagonist suffered immensely under them; for a long time, there was hardly a patch of healthy skin left on her neck.

It wasn’t lethal, but it was exceptionally malicious—like cutting meat with a dull knife.

Jiao Qingyin’s “script” was written from the original owner’s perspective, vividly describing the pleasure she felt watching the protagonist suffer. The language was so graphic one could almost see blood seeping from between the lines.

Thinking of the original plot, Jiao Qingyin looked at the protagonist in the wheelchair.

Since being pushed in by the butler, the girl hadn’t moved. Aside from the ripples of emotion in her eyes, she was like an exquisite doll. Now, feeling Jiao Qingyin’s gaze, Nameless hid her dark thoughts and looked up to meet her eyes. Her eyes widened slightly, appearing… somewhat obedient.

…Hmm, her eyes are so bright. Kind of cute.

Jiao Qingyin was mesmerized by her beauty for a second, only to see the person before her suddenly flash a smile.

Nameless’s lower face was veiled, so Jiao Qingyin couldn’t see it clearly, but those eyes curved into a beautiful arc—soft, appearing as both a sign of weakness and an invitation.

Jiao Qingyin felt her heart skip a beat, like a startled deer. But then, she remembered how she had softened for Nameless before, only to get bitten.

—The teeth marks on the webbing of her hand hadn’t even faded yet!

Thus, Jiao Qingyin stepped forward with cold resolve, looped the chilled leather around Nameless’s neck, and snapped the buckle shut with clinical efficiency.

Nameless: “…”

Jiao Qingyin’s movements were so fast that Nameless had no time to react before it was a done deal.

Hearing the system announce [Host has completed Main Quest 2…], Jiao Qingyin felt a sense of unreality. She had expected the protagonist to resist violently and had hidden magic scrolls in her sleeves just in case, but she hadn’t expected such cooperation.

Is she having a sudden change of heart, or is she planning something bad? Jiao Qingyin couldn’t help but look the protagonist over carefully. This observation revealed nothing new, other than reconfirming the conclusion that the protagonist was breathtakingly beautiful.

Nameless was fuming with rage and felt her scalp crawl under the scrutiny. Only then did she realize how close they were. Sitting in the wheelchair, she was already much shorter than Jiao Qingyin, and because the latter had leaned down to fasten the collar—they were close enough to hear each other’s breathing.

This discovery made Nameless freeze. Her head instinctively jerked to the side to avoid the proximity, but the tip of her nose brushed against Jiao Qingyin’s falling black hair.

A familiar scent enveloped her. It was the scent she had smelled on the pile of pillows yesterday—floral mixed with soap, faint… and reassuring.

Nameless took an involuntary sniff.

Every movement was captured by Jiao Qingyin. To the latter, that sensitive, alert reaction and the cautious sniffing looked…

“You really are just like a puppy,” Jiao Qingyin sighed sincerely.

Nameless’s face went black. She snapped out of her daze instantly, and the hand resting on the wheelchair nearly swung at Jiao Qingyin.

No… I can’t— Nameless gritted her teeth, forcing herself to maintain control.

Jiao Qingyin saw Nameless’s clenched fists and her look of forced restraint. Feeling a bit guilty, she quickly pushed her slip-of-the-tongue to the back of her mind. Her intention was to say she was cute, but the girl clearly took it as a deliberate insult… though this accidentally fit the “original owner” persona quite well.

Trying to touch an untamed pet usually yields this kind of reaction anyway, Jiao Qingyin thought.

To help the person relax, she stood up and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear to pull away, but she accidentally caught Nameless’s veil, pulling one corner down.

A “clink” sounded as a small diamond from the veil hit the floor.

Nameless’s blood suddenly ran cold.

Not just her—at the sight of Nameless’s disfigured lower face, Jiao Qingyin’s expression slowly faded. The atmosphere in the study turned stagnant.

After a long time, Nameless let out a scoff, breaking the silence. She reached up and tore the veil away completely, her lips curling into a slight arc.

Feeling the sting of her wounds tearing, Nameless spoke her first words since entering the room in a raspy, low voice:

“So ugly it makes you sick… right?”