I Am Her Secret Beauty - Chapter 10

Mu Xi and Nan Xi didn’t make it back in time for afternoon tea as they had hoped, but they did manage to return just in time for dinner.

During dinner, Vincent brought out a precious bottle of red wine from the cellar, said to have been stored in the villa for several decades.

Thanks to the young master and mistress, Mu Xi also got a glass to taste. The moment it touched her lips, she could immediately tell the difference from ordinary wines, its richness and flavor were unparalleled, so smooth that as it slid down her throat, all she felt was a gentle, cool sensation. Before she knew it, the wine was already gone.

Even with such fine wine to accompany the meal, Nan Nan was still sulking at Nan Xi and didn’t say a single word to her throughout the entire dinner.

When dinner ended, Nan Nan muttered to Vincent that he was leaving, he had work at the company the next day and couldn’t stay overnight.

Mu Xi knew his original plan had been to stay for the night before leaving, but she didn’t say anything. Vincent had already noticed the tension between the young master and mistress during dinner and simply smiled, saying he understood, without trying to persuade Nan Nan to stay.

As for Nan Xi, she had ignored Nan Nan’s mood the entire dinner, quietly eating the dishes in front of her. When Nan Nan announced his departure, she didn’t speak up about leaving with him, the Nan family had plenty of drivers, so she didn’t need to ride back in his car.

In fact, just as Nan Nan was about to leave, she even cheerfully said to Mu Xi:

“The environment here is lovely. Let’s stay another night tomorrow.”

This infuriated Nan Nan so much that he slammed the door on his way out, leaving behind only a loud bang and the three unfazed people inside.

Mu Xi silently repented in her heart for a moment.

But the reality was that Nan Nan’s standing in the family was indeed low, and as a butler, she had to learn to read the room.

After dinner, Nan Xi returned to her room, saying she had brought some documents to review. Mu Xi stayed downstairs to chat with Vincent.

The elderly man, though advanced in years, was still full of vigor. He told Mu Xi that being a butler was a noble profession, when he first decided to become one, his parents had objected. But only after truly stepping into the role did he feel he had found the meaning of life: to shine in the domestic service industry…

As he spoke, Vincent raised his hand to wipe away a tear at the corner of his eye and asked Mu Xi, “And you? Why did you choose to become a butler?”

“I’ve always enjoyed the sense of fulfillment that comes from serving others, so after the college entrance exams, I enrolled in a domestic service university.”

Mu Xi answered without hesitation. To her, this response was like an ingrained principle, something she could recite effortlessly whenever asked a similar question.

“A domestic service university? That’s wonderful. Back in my day, there were no such schools, we had to learn everything through trial and error.” Vincent’s voice was full of admiration, though he then shook his head, sighing at the memories of those so-called trials. “Being a butler in a wealthy household is no easy task.”

Mu Xi nodded immediately, laughing along with Vincent.

Yet, the image that surfaced in her mind was the slap Nan Xi had given her.

Even though her butler career had faced many challenges, at that moment, with Vincent’s words, the only thing she could recall was that slap.

Mu Xi had never realized before just how much that slap had affected her.

“When I worked for the previous household, the master’s wife was having an affair with his father. I was the only one who knew about it. Back then, I was young and timid, too afraid to tell the master. In the end, he found out and threw me out. I never knew what happened to that family afterward.”

Vincent reminisced about his youth, his expression carrying a world-weariness that Mu Xi couldn’t yet comprehend.

Mu Xi found the story unbelievable and was about to ask more when suddenly, a muffled sound reached her ears.

It was faint and distant, likely coming from upstairs.

Mu Xi immediately focused, holding her breath as she strained to catch any trace of that sound, wondering if it had truly existed.

Vincent looked at her, puzzled.

The sound had indeed been subtle. Mu Xi, being the highest-ranking alpha, had barely caught it, while Vincent hadn’t noticed at all.

But then, Mu Xi heard another similar sound, even fainter than the first.

“Young Miss. Something fell,” she succinctly informed Vincent before immediately rushing upstairs.

After pinpointing the sound’s origin, Mu Xi discerned something even more delicate accompanying those faint noises, human breathing, barely audible due to the distance.

Nan Xi was in some kind of crisis in her room, possibly injured.

In her panic, she must have knocked something over.

Realizing this, Mu Xi quickly reached Nan Xi’s door, knocking twice perfunctorily before pushing it open.

Nan Xi was curled up on the bed, soft whimpers escaping her lips. A bag and a book lay fallen on the floor, the source of the two sounds Mu Xi had heard.

Nan Xi’s condition was indeed poor, though not quite what Mu Xi had imagined.

Meanwhile, in her haste, Mu Xi had overlooked something. Only now did she belatedly notice the unusual scent in the air.

It resembled the fragrance of flowers, yet didn’t seem to belong to any particular bloom. A soft, alluring coolness permeated the room, not overpowering, as if only a tiny amount had escaped from a scent patch.

But that tiny amount was enough to unsettle an alpha’s mind, especially one like Mu Xi with heightened senses.

A crimson hue gradually crept into Mu Xi’s eyes.

Before hastily retreating from the room, Mu Xi caught a glimpse of the scene on the bed in her disoriented state.

Nan Xi looked even worse than she did, her face flushed as she clawed at her clothes. Her long, curly hair was completely disheveled, half draped over her back, half clinging to her face like tangled seaweed, revealing only her dazed eyes.

She had already undone two buttons on her collar, exposing her snow-white shoulders and neck, which were tinged with an unnatural pink.

Mu Xi couldn’t make out the words Nan Xi was murmuring, nor could she afford to listen any longer.

She stumbled out of Nan Xi’s room, doing her best to close the door behind her to block out the intoxicating scent, though it did little good.

Vincent, slower to react, arrived to find Mu Xi sitting in the hallway, beads of sweat forming on her forehead.

The old butler was startled and moved to help her up, only to hear her say:

“No… Young Miss… go help Young Miss…”

Vincent was a beta and at his age, it was safe for him to assist Nan Xi.

Naturally, Vincent knew his priority was his master, so he had no choice but to leave Mu Xi on the floor for the moment and enter the room to check on Nan Xi. The moment he opened the door, an even more intense fragrance surged out, overwhelming Mu Xi’s senses.

Instinct told Mu Xi that she should go inside, find the omega’s scent gland, and mark her.

Her legs were already moving on their own, trying to push herself up from the floor and walk into the room.

But of course… that wouldn’t do.

Vincent, mindful of his own reputation and that of the young lady, left the door wide open, which only tormented Mu Xi further. Her rut wasn’t due for another ten or so days, so she hadn’t brought any suppressants with her. Now, she could only lie helplessly on the floor.

Mu Xi knew this couldn’t go on. She couldn’t entrust the young lady’s safety entirely to her willpower, especially when that willpower was already crumbling.

At the last moment, Mu Xi resorted to an extreme measure.

She raised her hand to her jaw and struck herself hard…

This required precise control of force and a good understanding of human anatomy. Fortunately, Mu Xi had scored an A in strength control during her time at the Home Economics University, and basic nursing skills were second nature to her.

As dizziness washed over her, the thought that flashed through Mu Xi’s mind was:

Safe… both the young lady and herself…

…

When Mu Xi woke up, it was already the next morning.

After arranging help for Nan Xi, Vincent had returned to check on Mu Xi, only to find her collapsed outside Nan Xi’s door. He was utterly shocked.

The elderly man, who didn’t fully grasp the potency of pheromones, assumed Mu Xi had been so overwhelmed by her own desires that she had fainted from sheer longing for an omega.

Once Mu Xi had wearily composed herself and emerged from her room to explain the previous night’s events to Vincent, the old steward merely said:

“No wonder they say betas are the most suited for domestic work…”

Mu Xi could only smile wryly.

Wasn’t it a bit late to say that now, when she was already a butler?

Vincent told Mu Xi that the previous night, he had arranged for someone to administer suppressants to Nan Xi. After the injection, Nan Xi quickly returned to normal and promptly fell asleep.

As for the cause of the incident, everyone assumed it was due to the young lady’s unstable heat cycle, perhaps she had been stimulated by something external, or perhaps her emotions had been disturbed, leading to an overproduction of pheromones and nearly triggering an early heat.

They hadn’t given Mu Xi suppressants, though, because she had already passed out. In the spirit of frugality, they decided to wait until she woke up to assess whether she needed them.

…It sounded strange, both of them needing suppressants… as if they’d done something…

Mu Xi awkwardly explained to Vincent that she was now completely fine. Her ruts had always been stable, and she had no issues with suppressant intolerance. She was only affected when exposed to an omega in heat.

Soon after, Mu Xi and Vincent went together to see Nan Xi in her room.

Nan Xi had also long since calmed down, though her lips were still pale. When she saw Mu Xi, she asked gently:

“I heard Butler Mu Xi fainted yesterday too. How are you feeling now?”

“I knocked myself out,” Mu Xi had to explain again. “I returned to normal quickly once I was no longer affected by your pheromones. Thank you for your concern, young miss.”

Nan Xi let out an “Oh,” then lowered her head to read her documents, falling silent.

Vincent and Mu Xi began discussing whether, for the sake of the young miss’s health, they should send Nan Xi back to the Nan family ahead of schedule.

The two butlers agreed that it would be safer for the young miss to return to the Nan family, where medical facilities were more comprehensive. However, Nan Xi herself didn’t want to leave immediately and preferred to stay at the mountain villa for one more night.

Vincent was flattered, never expecting that this remote mountain villa under his care would be so favored by the young miss.

Mu Xi chose to respect Nan Xi’s wishes, though he mentioned the need to report her condition to the madam.

Nan Xi immediately stopped him.

“You’re the only alpha here.”

“If you tell my mother, what do you think she’ll assume about you? Don’t you like this job? Then don’t tell her.”