After the Cold and Aloof Husband's Mask Falls - Chapter 62

Settling accounts?

Gu Wanlan froze for a moment, the words slipping out of her mouth: “What else is there between me and Your Lordship—”

She stopped abruptly, nearly biting her tongue as a memory surfaced.

She remembered now.

In that hazy, chaotic memory from the time her menses had arrived, she had indeed said some nonsense about “owing him” while her head was feverish and her mind was clouded with desire.

However…

Gu Wanlan gave Cui Jue a half-smile. “With Your Lordship’s power, what kind of woman could you not find in the future? Why bother bringing up old debts today?”

Cui Jue leaned down, his nose brushing against hers, and let out a soft chuckle. “What? Is Madam afraid?”

“Or is it…” Cui Jue slowly tilted his head, leaving a trail of dense, lingering kisses on Gu Wanlan’s cheek, like a vibrant snake coiling around her. “…That you can’t bear to divorce a cold-blooded, treacherous, and sinister thing like me?”

Hearing him describe himself that way made Gu Wanlan frown with discomfort. Yet she knew that in her current state, it was no longer appropriate to probe or understand him, let alone face-to-face.

Gu Wanlan raised her index finger and gently pushed away his lips as they moved toward the corner of her mouth.

They were so close that when she looked up, she could only see his eyes, which were filled with a startling, dark desire. His eyes were like a whirlpool that could swallow one’s sanity; just a glance was enough to sink deep into them and perish… Or perhaps this Head of the Cui Family had secretly mastered some fox-like illusion art from a storybook. Otherwise, later on, Gu Wanlan could never understand how, on that chaotic, bloody night when so many people were waiting for an account from them, she had lost all reason and become entangled with him.

But at this moment, Gu Wanlan was still unaware. Meeting Cui Jue’s possessive gaze, she did not retreat. Instead, she let out a soft laugh. “Fine, I acknowledge this debt. But since we are settling accounts, it’s only fair that both sides get a turn.”

The breath near her ear grew heavier. “Naturally.”

Gu Wanlan’s finger remained on his lips, but she proactively leaned closer to him, whispering with a smile, “Since Your Lordship is always so divinely prophetic and in control, how did you happen to ‘accidentally’ enter that mountain cave and fall victim to the aphrodisiac during the recognition banquet? You did that on purpose, didn’t you?”

It was too close.

So close that as her lips moved, even through the barrier of her finger, Cui Jue could feel a faint, blurred sensation—as if his lips were being brushed by a feather.

She truly knew how to torture a man.

Cui Jue gripped Gu Wanlan’s waist fiercely and pulled her upward with force, his voice hoarse. “If Madam’s methods of seduction hadn’t been so amateurish back then, why would I have acted so? I merely lent Madam a helping hand.”

Gu Wanlan looked at Cui Jue with great interest. “So that’s how it is. If Your Lordship ever loses his power, I imagine you could make a living on a theater stage. You might even become a famous lead.”

“The ‘aloof painter’…” Gu Wanlan’s hand slid slowly down from his chest. “The ‘gentle husband’…”

“The ‘principled gentleman’! Ha!”

Gu Wanlan cast a mocking glance at Cui Jue, then gripped him fiercely with her hand.

“Ngh.” Cui Jue let out a muffled groan, a thin flush rising to his face. The veins on his temples bulged as he used immense self-control to keep from losing his composure instantly.

Cui Jue glared at Gu Wanlan, his breathing ragged. “Gu Wanlan! Let go!”

How did she dare—!

Cui Jue reached out to push her away, but Gu Wanlan’s other hand was faster, pinning both of his hands against the door panel behind him, making it impossible for him to break free for a moment.

“Oh right, I suddenly remembered. This is the place where Your Lordship usually discusses business. Your younger brother who respects you, and the secret guards who follow your every command—they are all in the courtyard right now. Perhaps only a door separates us… If they were to hear or stumble upon Your Lordship in this state…”

“Tsk, tsk.” Gu Wanlan looked up, admiring Cui Jue’s state for a moment longer—breathless, in pain, yet in pleasure. “My mind might not be as sharp as yours, which is why you were able to lurk by my side for so long. But what a pity… you cannot beat me in a fight.”

“Your Lordship wants to settle accounts, right? Then let’s settle them one by one, thoroughly. One last question—”

Gu Wanlan’s gaze turned sharp as a blade. “What, exactly, is your agenda for coming to the Protector State Duke’s Estate!”

Cui Jue’s consciousness began to scatter. He could only bite his tongue to stay awake.

It wasn’t that he hadn’t had such disgraceful dreams before, but it was never like this—she, cold and sober, while he alone perished. It was far too ugly.

He knew this was her retaliation for him forcing her to stay just now.

However, when he heard her speak of the “Cui Jue” on the mountain in such a gentle tone, his mind had been nearly consumed by a frenzied jealousy.

The person he hadn’t dared to seek in his past life, and the person who had proactively come to him in this life—the one she liked, even loved, was merely an illusory mask of his.

As for his true self… there was “no possibility.”

Reason told him that Gu Wanlan’s words were so final perhaps because of their opposing identities in the imperial court, but dark emotions grew like wild weeds. He was desperate to find something before she left—some proof that there was still a shred of him in her heart, even after she had seen his dark, paranoid true face.

Cui Jue froze.

That’s right.

Now that she already knew, why should he bother with shame or concealment any longer?

“For… you.” Cui Jue spoke through ragged gasps, his voice raw.

He wanted her. He wanted her no matter what. He wanted her until he was going mad.

“My only agenda… is you!”

The darkness in Cui Jue’s eyes surged like a tide. He looked up abruptly at Gu Wanlan, finally releasing the savage beast that had been locked deep within his heart.

By the time Gu Wanlan snuck back to the estate, the roosters were crowing at dawn.

Perhaps Cui Qiong outside had realized something when she didn’t emerge for a long time and sent word to the Duke’s estate. In any case, when she returned home, all the people who had gone out to find Cui Jue were back.

Gu Wanlan dragged her exhausted body back to her own courtyard.

They hadn’t actually done much else later. After Cui Jue’s words, which were a near-confession of his feelings, they had shared a tacit understanding not to speak again. He did not explain further, and she did not respond. They simply held each other and settled their accounts with ferocity. They extinguished all light, wishing they could use every move at their disposal to make the other submit. Even when forced to the point of bloodshot eyes, neither made a sound. It was like a silent contest that could only occur in darkness and deathly stillness—a long, relentless reckoning that would only end in death.

But when the sun rose, everything ended.

After pulling the quilt around herself and getting up, Gu Wanlan did not look back. Stepping off the bed, she walked barefoot to the desk they had ravaged, picked up a wolf-hair brush used yesterday, and left a written letter of divorce on a blank sheet of paper. Then, she dressed and left.

At this hour, he must have already seen it.

Once she reached her own bed, Gu Wanlan collapsed and fell asleep instantly.

This sleep lasted quite a long time; it was already afternoon when she woke up in a daze. Though awake, Gu Wanlan lingered in the covers with a trace of weariness. She stared at the patterns on the bedding, thinking absently that they looked quite similar to the ones from their wedding night.

Belatedly, she felt a wave of desolation and sadness wash over her heart.

Recalling now the way Cui Jue had looked up at her—those eyes filled with a scorching passion—she felt her heart burn. She could no longer escape the fact: Cui Jue truly did love her. Though she didn’t know where this affection had originated, she had indeed received this somewhat heavy love.

To the point where she actually found herself believing his startling reason—that he had come to the Duke’s estate as a live-in husband only for her.

But her remaining reason told her this was far too absurd.

No! She still had to “know the enemy.” She had allowed someone to strike into her home base, yet she still knew nothing about him. What kind of nonsense was that?!

At this thought, Gu Wanlan sat up abruptly in bed.

Tatap-tatap-tatap—

A flurry of hurried footsteps approached from a distance. Gu Wanlan’s expression turned solemn, and she immediately got out of bed.

She had just finished dressing when the knocking on her door sounded urgently.

“Master! An emergency!”

“Enter.”

Gu Wanlan tied her hair while heading toward the door with a darkened face, several theories already crossing her mind.

The moment Tianxuan entered and saw Gu Wanlan’s face, she took a breath and spoke rapidly. “Master, Old Mrs. Wang—the one who wanted to accuse the Prince of Huai’s heir on behalf of her granddaughter—is dead.”

“Dead…?!”

Gu Wanlan’s pupils contracted, all color draining from her face as the comb in her hand hit the floor with a crisp clack.

Tianxuan licked her dry lips and said hurriedly, “Early this morning, Old Mrs. Wang went to block the carriage of the Secretariat Director as he left the court. No one knows what happened between them. But just now, Old Mrs. Wang was found by a neighbor having hanged herself in her own courtyard…”

Gu Wanlan’s hand tightened as she leaned down to pick up the comb, her lips thinning into a straight line. “This matter isn’t over yet?”

Tianxuan’s throat bobbed. “No. Before she died, Old Mrs. Wang left a wall full of blood-written accusations against the entire imperial court and even cursed His Majesty. It has incensed the entire court. Now, the ones bearing the brunt are the Prince of Huai and Director Wang. Rumors are flying everywhere, and the most prevalent one is that the military nobility and the great civil families have begun to collude and act in league with one another.”

Gu Wanlan lowered her eyes. “And Old Mrs. Wang?”

Tianxuan paused before saying, “Because it involves the Prince of Huai and the Wang family, her body is currently being held at the Jingzhao Office. Until the matter is investigated, she cannot be buried. However, because the Jingzhao Prefect is from the military nobility, the great families are worried he will cover for the Prince of Huai and throw mud at the Wang family. They want the case transferred to the Court of Judicial Review (Dali Si), but the military nobility is fiercely opposed. It’s currently at a deadlock…”

Gu Wanlan closed her eyes.

How ridiculous. She had thought herself clever, wanting Old Mrs. Wang to use the factional struggles to avenge her granddaughter. But in the end, Old Mrs. Wang was not only driven to death, but even her death became a tool for the court’s factional wars.

If she had been a bit more patient back then, if she had stayed with her a bit longer, would things have been different?

“And the accused… the Prince of Huai’s heir?” Gu Wanlan asked hoarsely.

“Because the higher-ups haven’t reached a conclusion, he is temporarily… confined to his estate.”

Hearing this, a raging fire that wanted to burn everything to ash ignited in Gu Wanlan’s heart.

Confined to his estate? How was that any different from letting him stay at home and enjoy his life?!

“Master!—”

Amidst Tianxuan’s startled cry, Gu Wanlan picked up the dagger beside her and cut off a lock of her own hair.

Gu Wanlan placed the hair in her palm and said with lowered eyes, “Tianxuan, prepare yourself. I am entering the palace.”

She owed Old Mrs. Wang a life.

Gu Wanlan took a deep breath, clutching the severed hair tightly.

This hair is my vow.

At the very least, she would make the culprit pay for a life with his own.