Transmigrated As A Beautiful Cannon Fodder Omega To Marry An Evil God Alpha In Place of Another - Chapter 4

His heart was pounding wildly. If Black Dragon hadn’t called out to him, Bai Rui would have barely been able to snap out of it.

“Respected Princess, what is the matter?”

As Black Dragon spoke, he bared his teeth and patted the coattails of his tuxedo beneath his seat, finally forcing that restless, lashing hooked tail to behave.

He looked at Bai Rui’s fair cheeks, his eyes narrowing unconsciously. “That… Your Highness…”

“Yes?”

Bai Rui wasn’t sure why the address had suddenly changed. When he looked up again, he ran right into Black Dragon’s scrutinizing gaze. “Your Highness, are you truly here for a political marriage?”

He took a few steps closer to Bai Rui. With his towering stature, his shadow completely enveloped Bai Rui, and that faint, ethereal scent became even more intoxicating.

Black Dragon wrinkled his nose, appearing to sniff deeply. Finally, he grinned, revealing a row of brilliant white teeth. “Your Highness, if you truly are here for a marriage, that would be for the best. But if there is something else… it would be better if there wasn’t. Because that would be very dangerous.”

“Our Wizard Emperor loves deception most of all.”

“What?” Bai Rui thought he had misheard. “Loves… deception?”

“Yes, loves it. Because he loves it, he gets excited. And an excited Wizard Emperor is far more terrifying than an angry one.”

The air inside the collection room suddenly felt stagnant. The bubbling colored liquids in the long glass test tubes made a rhythmic glug-glug sound.

The black cat hopped onto the windowsill again, licked its paw, and suddenly glanced outside. “Oh my, it looks like the attendants decorating with flowers are almost finished.”

“I say, Black Dragon, stop talking nonsense and scaring the noble Highness. It’s time to send him back. After all, the grand wedding is tomorrow. Look at how busy those soldiers are down there, they’re so tired they look like they might eat someone, haha.”

The phrase “eat someone” didn’t comfort Bai Rui in the slightest.

He summoned his courage and walked over to the castle’s glass window, looking down at the bustling servants below.

The servants, clad in coarse sackcloth, didn’t look like members of the Wizard Tribe. They were thin and withered, it was clear they were enslaved humans. These people carried various preparations for the celebration, moving in and out in hurried lines of three or five.

At this moment, the reality of “getting married” finally hit Bai Rui. Although, for a beta straight man, the idea of getting married was somewhat ridiculous.

Bai Rui took a deep breath and turned toward the door. “I’m finished with the tour. Take me back.”

He carried a distinct air of cold detachment. His crisp prince’s regalia only added to this sense of aloofness.

Previously, they thought his face was pale because he’d been frightened by the Wizard Emperor’s wand. Now, it seemed as though a silent fire had been ignited within him.

The black cat and Black Dragon exchanged a look. One continued licking its paw, while the other followed him out.

With a thud, the doors to the collection room closed, and the golden twin-snake disc returned to its place. The beautiful black cat stood up from the window frame, stretched, and then transformed into a shimmer of fluorescent blue light, vanishing without a trace.

Bai Rui walked down the stairs in silence, passing through the porch until he reached the spot he had just seen from the second floor window.

It was a small garden. On the gravel path, many servants were scurrying back and forth.

When they saw Bai Rui, complex emotions flickered in their eyes. Then, one by one, they lowered their heads and bowed. “Greetings, noble Princess Consort.”

At close range, Bai Rui was certain: these people were indeed human captives. They were emaciated and dressed in rags, not just young men, but women, children, and the elderly as well. Most of their eyes were numb, years of heavy labor had drained their souls, leaving them only to resign themselves to a meager existence.

“Faster! Faster!”

A tall soldier of the Wizard Demon race, clad in black armor, swung a whip, making it crack in the air. “Slow down even a little, and you’ll be sent to fill the bellies of the death-row prisoners!”

The people shrank their shoulders in unison, trembling and shuffling their feet even faster.

“Ah!”

A sharp female cry rang out, followed by the clattering and shattering of an object hitting the ground.

Bai Rui clearly saw a woman with a hunched back who had been carrying a ceramic jar of milk. In her haste, perhaps out of physical weakness, she had tripped. The jar shattered, spilling milk everywhere, with some splashing onto the soldier’s black armor.

“I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!!”

Ignoring the bloody scrapes on her elbows, the woman’s first instinct was to kneel. She pressed her hands together, bowing repeatedly to the soldier. “I’ll clean it up right away!”

The tall soldier was clearly furious. He cursed, “Filthy, low-life human slave. You’re looking for death!”

He raised his whip. In the harsh sunlight, his silhouette loomed as he prepared to strike.

In that instant, a jar of milk was snatched from the hands of another trembling slave. A second later, that jar of milk was splashed directly over the soldier’s head.

The soldier’s raised hand froze. The swinging whip never descended.

Milk dripped down his iron whip and armor. The soldier, nearly two meters tall, seemed petrified. When he finally snapped out of his shock, he bared his teeth slowly like a wild beast.

Turning around, he saw a lean, fair-skinned human man standing in the sunlight, chin slightly tilted, looking at him with cold indifference.

His features were striking, a high bridge to his nose, almond eyes, and a naturally healthy complexion. His Eastern features lacked sharp aggression, but possessed a soft, unforgettable beauty.

The man still held the handle of the ceramic jar, milk dripping from the rim. He slowly and deliberately placed it back into the arms of the slave who had originally held it. His long lashes lowered, his gaze never once flickering toward the soldier.

The soldier’s hand gripped the whip so hard his knuckles cracked, and his teeth ground together. Malice nearly overflowed from his eyes. “Who are you? You really are tired of living!”

The whip was raised high again, aimed at Bai Rui.

But in the next second, the whip didn’t fall. It was blocked by an arm wearing a tuxedo sleeve.

As the dust settled, two figures stood in a standoff.

Black Dragon bared his teeth, his head tilting slowly. His golden vertical pupils constricted sharply, and his fangs glinted coldly. His entire aura shifted into a predatory stance. He easily caught the soldier’s hand. Grinning wickedly, he said, “I think you are the one tired of living, daring to be rude to the noble Princess.”

Bai Rui kept his eyes downcast, his long lashes casting a faint shadow on his eyelids.

After returning the jar, he took his handkerchief and rinsed it in a jar of clean water held by another slave. He then walked over calmly, lifted the kneeling woman’s arm, and began gently wiping her wound.

These injuries were harrowing. It was only after coming to this world that he could truly feel it, how weak lives were bullied and trampled upon. There was so little he could actually do.

“Prince… thank you, Prince…”

The woman was gaunt and trembling. As an original inhabitant of the Wind Plains who had been abducted to the Dark Moon Lands, she knew Bai Rui’s identity. She was deeply grateful for the care, but her fear of being “unworthy” was evident. “Highness… let me do it myself. Don’t let me dirty your hands.”

Bai Rui shook his head gently. “Don’t move. It’s still bleeding.”

He held the woman’s wrist, using the damp cloth to carefully clean the filth from around the wound.

Not far away, a loud clang echoed as dust rose again. Everyone saw Black Dragon pin the soldier to the ground. His metal hooked tail hovered inches away from the man’s eyeball. “Damn you, apologize to the Princess! Don’t let the noble Princess think we are all barbaric fools in the Dark Moon Lands!”

The power and intimidation were overwhelming. The soldier, who had been acting so superior just moments ago, now stared at the sharpened tip of the metal tail glinting above his pupil.

His voice turned into a high-pitched shriek. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry!! My apologies, Princess! I didn’t know it was you! Please, have mercy…”

Bai Rui didn’t even look up as he finished cleaning the woman’s arm.

After a moment, once the soldier’s apologies had devolved into weak, sniveling pleas, Bai Rui finally spoke: “In the future, you are not allowed to bully slaves. All are lives, you have no right to trample on the weak.”

“Yes, yes! I won’t dare do it again!”

As the soldier begged for forgiveness, Bai Rui expressionlessly wrapped his handkerchief around the woman’s arm. He didn’t spare the soldier a single glance. The surrounding guards held their breath, not daring even to let their eyes wander.

“Who knew? The beautiful Big Prince actually has quite the presence. Of course, it helps that Black Dragon is such a sucker for a pretty face.”

The black cat reappeared on the windowsill, licking its paw while glancing outside.

Beside the cat stood a tall man, the dark patterns on his robes shimmering with a faint luster. He walked up slowly and silently, his silver hair swaying gently, carrying a faint, cold fragrance.

He was slowly winding a piece of lace around his fingers, loop by loop. Unhurried, he seemed to be occupying the best vantage point to appreciate the scenery.

The cat looked at the man, then back outside. “Beautiful and kind-hearted. If he weren’t here to assassinate you, he really would be the perfect Princess.”

Outside, the sunlight remained somewhat piercing. The Dark Moon Lands had very short periods of daylight, even though it was noon, the sun would only linger for a short while. Today, however, the light was exceptionally warm, shining on the elegant, tall figure below and casting a hazy, glowing aura around his fair skin.

Bai Rui tied the knot on the handkerchief and smiled. “There, it’s done. Just be careful not to let it touch water for a few days, and it should be fine.”

“Thank you… thank you… Big Prince…”

Tears welled in the woman’s eyes, and a low sound of sobbing spread through the crowd. The slaves were crying, women leaned into their lovers’ arms, children huddled against their mothers, and the elderly turned away to wipe their eyes with tattered sleeves.

These were just ordinary people suffering here. In reality, they weren’t so different from himself.

Bai Rui sighed and stood up. He scanned the area and said coldly, “Black Dragon, tell them: if anyone bullies the weak again, they will be severely punished.”

Black Dragon blinked, then roared, “Did you hear that?!”

“Yes!” the soldiers responded in unison, standing perfectly straight.

Finally, the black cat heard the man beside him let out a soft chuckle. Then, the man spoke.

“He knows how to use people. He’s smarter than I thought.”

The black cat wasn’t surprised. It rolled onto its back and continued licking the fur on its belly, speaking unclearly. “That’s a pity then, since you’re going to turn him into flower fertilizer.”

“Did I say I was going to turn him into flower fertilizer?” The man tilted his sharp jaw slightly.

“Oh, I think you did.”

“Well, that can be delayed for a bit. Because I’ve received a gift.”

That slender hand, with lace still entwined around the fingers, gently picked up a golden pocket watch engraved with a royal crest. He let the golden chain dangle and swing from his well-defined knuckles.

It was the very watch that had originally been on Bai Rui’s chest.

“It’s my first time exchanging gifts with someone. I’m actually quite nervous.”