After the Cold and Aloof Husband's Mask Falls - Chapter 17

“You—”

The Prince of Huai’s Heir flew into a rage, the flesh on his face twitching. How dare a mere destitute painter speak to him with such an attitude?!

He was just about to call his men to drag Cui Jue away and beat him to death when he met the man’s eyes. A sudden chill crawled up the Heir’s spine.

It was the look one gave an ant. Cold and contemptuous.

But who does he think he is?!

“Lin’er! Why didn’t you wait for mother—”

The Princess of Huai entered the manor and immediately sensed the foul atmosphere. Her eyes lit up for a moment at the sight of Cui Jue’s face, but she quickly remembered her son’s petty complexes.

She mocked the situation inwardly but maintained her considerate facade, grabbing the Heir’s arm and whispering a warning. “Lin’er, if the matter today doesn’t succeed, the Prince will be truly furious. As for others, if you find them an eyesore, you can deal with them after the banquet is over…”

Seeing the Princess, the Second Madam felt as though a savior had arrived. She signaled the maids to welcome the royals inside while nodding to Gu Lehuan to lead the painter away quickly.

Gu Lehuan was worried that a refined scholar like Cui Jue might have a stubborn, lofty pride and insist on arguing with the boorish Heir. After all, his earlier statement—“I am Lady Gu’s person”—was earth-shattering. However, receiving her signal, the sharp edge Cui Jue had briefly shown vanished. He simply followed her submissively, cradling his scrolls.

He seemed to know how to read the room.

The rest of the way was uneventful, and they soon reached the gate of Gu Wanlan’s small courtyard.

“Sister, I’ve brought the person to you.”

Gu Lehuan entered with a smile. Gu Wanlan, who was applying lip rouge before a bronze mirror, turned around and smiled back. “You’re back.”

Cui Jue’s pupils suddenly constricted.

The bright sunlight filtered through the bead curtains, illuminating the young woman. She looked ethereal, like the most beautiful of dreams. For a split second, he almost believed that the tenderness in her smile was meant specifically for him.

The voices around him seemed to fade. He couldn’t hear what they were saying; he only saw her lips moving as she chatted and laughed with Gu Lehuan.

Suddenly, her gaze caught him hiding behind the curtain. His chest throbbed. He didn’t look away, watching as she stood up. Her intricate, gorgeous skirt fell into place, revealing her slender waist. As she drew closer, he noticed that today, the floral ornament on her forehead and the rouge on her lips were a vivid, stunning red…

“Look, Cui Jue, you’re staring. Am I very beautiful in this outfit today?”

It wasn’t until her teasing voice reached his ears that Cui Jue snapped back to reality. He quickly lowered his lashes to hide his emotions, but when he spoke, his voice was slightly hoarse.

“…The lady is naturally beautiful.”

Gu Wanlan was very satisfied with her dress and twirled halfway around. “Then I must trouble you to paint me even more beautifully.” She winked at him. “You have to keep your eyes on me all day today.”

“Naturally.”

Cui Jue’s fingers tightened around his scrolls. His emotions were turbulent; he suddenly regretted accepting her invitation. He didn’t want to just watch from a distance anymore. Her intentional flirting was too slow—he was losing his patience.

Once the banquet began, Gu Wanlan was led before the guests by Qi, drawing constant praise.

Cui Jue, as a painter, was not present at the main scene. Gu Wanlan had him led to a pavilion atop a nearby rockery, which provided the best vantage point for painting.

After watching the Prince of Huai’s Heir approach Gu Wanlan to strike up a conversation for the sixth time, a sharp crack sounded. Cui Jue squeezed his hand, and the brush snapped in two.

“Eleven.”

Cui Jue discarded the broken brush, his eyes icy. A man in black appeared silently behind him, kneeling on one knee. “Master.”

Cui Jue didn’t look back, his tone laced with irritation. “Go find something for the Prince of Huai’s Heir to do.”

“As you command.” The man named Eleven turned to leave.

“Wait.” Cui Jue’s eyes narrowed as he spotted two suspicious figures in the garden below. “Come back.”

“The Second Madam wants to see me?”

Gu Wanlan looked at the maid, Bihe, with a hint of surprise. Bihe nervously toyed with the handkerchief in her sleeve. “Y-yes. The Second Madam said she discovered the Old Matron is doing something in secret related to a Taoist temple. She wants you to go over and decide what to do.”

A temple? Could it be the Wuliang Temple?

Gu Wanlan raised an eyebrow and scanned the garden. Indeed, the Second Madam was nowhere to be found. “Very well, lead the way.”

Gu Wanlan followed Bihe deep into the garden. After several turns, she realized they had reached the base of the rockery where Cui Jue was located.

Bihe pointed toward a cave within the rockery. “It’s urgent. The Madam wants you to enter and discuss it inside. I will keep watch for you.”

This urgent? Gu Wanlan gave Bihe a thoughtful look. The maid panicked under the gaze and stammered, “P-please go in, Eldest Miss! My mistress went to great lengths to find this opening.”

“Fine, you keep watch.” Seeing the hem of the Second Madam’s skirt visible inside the cave, Gu Wanlan’s doubts seemed to vanish. She lifted her skirt and stepped inside.

“Second Aunt?”

The moment she entered, Gu Wanlan covered her face with her sleeve. In her other wide sleeve, a dagger slid silently into her palm.

“Haa… huff…”

In the dim cave, she heard the suppressed, heavy breathing of a man. Gu Wanlan used her dagger to lift the piece of “Second Madam’s clothing,” a cold sneer forming on her lips.

“Oh, Second Aunt, why did you call me here and then stay silent? It’s so dark, I’m a bit scared.”

This filthy, low-tier scheme had actually given her a perfect excuse to beat someone up. Hearing the rustle of fabric, Gu Wanlan’s ears twitched. She spun around agilely and slammed the intruder against the stone wall.

She froze for a moment. She had expected the person collaborating with the Old Matron to be the greasy Heir. She had noted his absence from the garden and made her assumptions. But the sensation under her hand felt wrong.

“Go… leave quickly…”

The familiar voice exploded in her ear. Gu Wanlan’s scalp tingled. She thrust her dagger forward, lifting the man’s disheveled hair—

It was Cui Jue!

Gu Wanlan immediately let go, her eyes wide. “Why are you here?!”

Cui Jue’s face was flushed, and cold sweat dripped from his forehead. He seemed to be enduring something with all his might. “Someone was acting suspiciously… I was worried… but I was caught in…”

His words were fragmented, but Gu Wanlan’s mind quickly filled in the blanks. The Heir’s plot must have been spotted by Cui Jue from the pavilion. Cui Jue came down to investigate but startled the Heir, who fled, leaving the incense in the cave to trap Cui Jue instead.

Seeing the usually cold and self-possessed man fallen from grace, leaning against her and gasping with desire, Gu Wanlan’s heart began to race. Her mind filled with stray thoughts.

She bit the tip of her tongue and grabbed Cui Jue’s arm, draping it over her shoulder. “We can’t stay here. I’ll take you away—”

Cui Jue’s hand inside his wide sleeve suddenly clenched. His breath was hot, and his voice carried a hint of vulnerability. “S-sorry… I can’t move…”

He began to slump completely onto her shoulder—

“Ah!”

To his surprise, the girl who had been full of energy just a moment ago suddenly seemed to lose her strength as well, letting him press her back against the wall. Cui Jue’s lashes trembled. At the moment they hit the stone, he reached out his hand to cradle the back of her head.

“T-this is bad… I think I’m feeling strange too…”

The cave was dim, so he shouldn’t be able to see her expression, but Gu Wanlan knew her face was burning red. At the moment she was supposed to lead him out, she realized this might be a golden opportunity to “capture” him. If she could make him “make a mistake”…

There was no turning back now.

Gu Wanlan’s face deepened in color, and she softened her voice, sounding as if she were about to cry from panic. “What… what should we do? I think I’ve been affected too…”

The man before her seemed stunned by this news; even his breathing paused for a second.

Gu Wanlan waited against the stone wall for a long time, but the man only seemed to be suppressing himself further. The hand cradling her head didn’t move an inch, as if he feared moving a single finger would touch her exposed neck.

This man is too polite for his own good! Gu Wanlan cursed inwardly. She calculated the time; the Old Matron would surely bring people to “catch them in the act” soon. She didn’t have much time left.

Gu Wanlan steeled herself. She reached out and grabbed his collar, pulling him toward her with force until their breaths intermingled.

Suppressing her shame, she gasped out, “Cui… Cui Jue, listen to me… the more it’s like this… we must restrain ourselves… we c-can’t…”

Her mouth was saying “push away,” but her fingers gripping his collar only tightened. She even closed her eyes.

At that moment, Cui Jue, who had been keeping his eyes down, finally looked up. His eyes were filled with an overwhelming, startling desire. He traced her features with a predatory, greedy gaze—from the ornament on her forehead to her crimson-rouged lips.

Then, he gripped her chin and kissed her fiercely.

“Where is Wanlan? I haven’t seen her for a long time.”

In the front garden, the Old Matron, who was chatting with the Princess of Huai, seemed to remember something and stood up, looking around.

The Princess hid a smile. “Mother, don’t worry. The girl is probably just hiding somewhere to slack off. She’ll be here soon.”

The Matron frowned. “But I specifically invited the Perfected One of Wuliang today to perform a ritual and pray for her. How can she not be present?”

“Even the Perfected One is here?” “Where is he now?”

The mentions of the Perfected One piqued everyone’s interest. This Taoist was said to be extremely efficacious and rarely left his mountain. To think the Matron had brought him here for her granddaughter!

The Princess smiled at the Matron. “Since everyone is interested, why don’t we all go see the Perfected One perform the ritual?”

At those words, Gu Lehuan’s face changed. Something is wrong! If it were as she and her sister had predicted—simply having the priest say something bad—this situation felt more like instigating a crowd to go to a specific location! And her sister had been gone for a while…

Gu Lehuan’s heart sank. She leaned down, intending to slip away, but was caught by a stout nanny. “There are many noble guests today, Lady Lehuan. It’s best not to wander about and disturb them.”

Gu Lehuan’s face went deathly pale. She suddenly remembered the arrogant Heir, and whipped her head around—

Sure enough! The Prince of Huai’s Heir was also missing!

It’s over!