When Emperor Augustus found her, she was perched on a large rock, her two little paws struggling to hold an oversized chicken leg as she gnawed away, her head buried so deep it was completely hidden.
Watching her comical appearance, Emperor Augustus couldn't help but laugh aloud. Yuna poked her head out from behind the chicken leg, shot him a glance, snorted coldly, and went right back to gnawing.
Emperor Augustus teased, "Didn't you say you didn't like chicken legs?"
Yuna's cheeks were puffed as she chewed on the succulent chicken, mumbling, "Who said I don't like chicken legs? I just..."
Yuna pouted, then listlessly put the half-eaten chicken leg back on the plate, her appetite fading.
Seeing her go from lively to listless in an instant, Emperor Augustus couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong?"
Yuna glared at him and snapped, "Can't I miss the Dark Lord? Don't bother me!"
Emperor Augustus frowned. She'd been so listless these past two days—was she missing Ethan Gray? He touched his own face; though he now wore a human-skin mask, Yuna had seen his real looks before. He didn't think he was any less handsome than Ethan Gray. "Wildcat, haven't I treated you well? You called me 'dog emperor,' but I didn't hold it against you. I even came in person to invite you to dinner. I've never treated any beauty in my harem this well."
This little wildcat was truly heartless, always thinking about Ethan Gray.
Yuna ignored him completely. How had he treated her well? He'd kidnapped her and even starved her!
Seeing her indifferent attitude, Emperor Augustus grew competitive, his face full of unwillingness as he asked, "Why are you so devoted to Ethan Gray? In what way am I inferior to him?" He just couldn't accept always losing to Ethan Gray, not even a wildcat preferred him.
Yuna scratched her ear with her paw and replied without hesitation, "With the Dark Lord, I get to eat my fill every day!" Sigh... she really missed the Dark Lord.
Emperor Augustus twitched at the corner of his mouth, never expecting such an answer. "You can eat well with me too!" He prided himself on not being so poor he couldn't feed her. Hadn't he provided her with delicious meals all this time? Every meal was a feast!
At his words, Yuna became agitated, waving her little paws angrily as she yelled, "How dare you say that! How long have I been kidnapped by you? Count how many meals I've missed! My once round belly is all sunken now!"
Three black lines slid down Emperor Augustus's forehead. "That's because you got lost yourself!" Hadn't he come to look for her?
Yuna shot him a cold look and snorted, "That's your own incompetence. If I get lost, shouldn't you be able to find me? With the Dark Lord, I never go hungry! No matter where I end up, he always finds me before I starve! Unlike you—every time you let me starve half to death before you come pretending to care. Hmph!"
Emperor Augustus frowned, "I promise I won't let you go hungry again."
Yuna turned around and pointed her backside at him. Who cared about him? She only liked the Dark Lord!
Suddenly, Yuna flicked her ears, leapt up excitedly, and before Emperor Augustus could react, she shouted, "Dark Lord, I'm here!"
Emperor Augustus was stunned for a moment, then saw a dark figure flying toward them. Who else could it be but Ethan Gray? He hadn't expected Ethan Gray to catch up so quickly.
As soon as Ethan Gray landed, Yuna leapt into his arms, wailing, "Waa... Dark Lord, I missed you so much... You have to avenge me, I've been abused by the dog emperor... Look, I've lost so much weight..." Crying, she showed Ethan her belly—her once-plump stomach was gone.
Ethan Gray looked travel-worn, clearly having rushed here as fast as he could.
He reached out to wipe away Yuna's tears, then narrowed his eyes at Emperor Augustus, curling his lips into a cold smile. "If His Majesty is so free, it seems I needn't trouble myself further."
Emperor Augustus's expression froze. Was Ethan really going to just walk away? He knew Ethan would strike back, but hadn't expected him to be so ruthless.
"Ethan?" The sudden voice made both men and the cat look up.
Not far away stood a man and a woman, arms around each other. The woman looked serene and calm, while the man was cold and magnetic, his brows furrowed and his gaze unfriendly toward Ethan Gray—clearly annoyed at being interrupted yet again.
Ethan Gray ignored Adrian's resentful glare and called out softly, "Father, Mother."
Emperor Augustus stiffly glanced at Adrian and Shangguan Mo, surprised they'd caught up so quickly. He braced himself to greet them, but then remembered his disguise and stood quietly, hoping they'd overlook him.
Ethan Gray glanced at him. He'd never understood why Emperor Augustus was always so afraid of his father, but if you offend him, you have to face the consequences. "Your Majesty..."
A vein throbbed on Emperor Augustus's forehead. That brat was definitely doing it on purpose!
With his identity exposed, Emperor Augustus could only force himself to speak. "Your Highness, Ghost King. Your Grace, Ghost Queen..." As emperor, to greet his subjects so proactively was more than generous.
Adrian responded with a simple "Mm," granting sufficient courtesy. He recognized Emperor Augustus as the one who'd passed by their horses earlier.
In truth, he didn't understand why Emperor Augustus was always so nervous around him, but since every rare encounter was the same, he'd grown used to Augustus's fear.
Yuna sniffled as she looked at the two men, then suddenly said, "Dark Lord, he looks so much like you!"
Ethan Gray chuckled, flicked her forehead, then wiped away the tears at the corner of her eyes. "He's my father. Of course we look alike." Seeing her sniffling, his eyes softened with a trace of concern.
Yuna pouted, "Don't think I don't know—you could look like your mother too." She herself resembled her own mother.
Watching the interaction between the man and the cat, Shangguan Mo suddenly sighed. "Adrian, your son truly isn't ordinary." A romance between human and beast!