Marrying the Sweet Story’s Melodramatic Villainess [Transmigration] - Chapter 30

As the sky grew faintly pale with the dawn, Cui Yi opened her eyes, feeling a sense of discomfort. Her left shoulder felt heavy and slightly aching, like a piece of rusted machinery. Beside her ear, the steady, rhythmic breathing of another person rose and fell in a soothing manner. Within the confined space beneath the bed curtains, a faint, sweet fragrance—pleasant rather than piercing—permeated the air.

Cui Yi did not turn her head. Her clear, dark eyes stared up at the top of the bed canopy. In a rare moment of slow realization, she finally grasped the truth: she had truly married. In a world that did not belong to her, she was to spend the rest of her life with another person.

Cui Yi lowered her eyelashes and finally turned her head to look at the wife who slept beside her neck, the woman who would accompany her for the remainder of her years.

Her wife’s face was bare of makeup. Her long, upturned lashes trembled slightly with her breath, and her features carried a hint of innocent naivety. Because of her deep sleep, her cheeks were flushed crimson. Her entire body was pressed tightly against Cui Yi’s left shoulder; a warm body temperature diffused through the thin layers of their sleeping robes, making the temperature on the left side of Cui Yi’s body feel inexplicably higher.

Cui Yi did not move. She remained silent for a long while before clearing her mind of the thought that her wife had only just reached adulthood.

After lying still for a moment, Cui Yi gently extricated herself. Perhaps because she was too exhausted, Pei Mingjiao was not awakened in the slightest. Cui Yi breathed a sigh of relief, tenderly tucked the quilt around her, and quietly stepped out of the inner chamber.

Gu Jing, who was waiting outside, saw that Cui Yi looked well-rested and smiled with pursed lips. Dong Zhi, upon seeing the red marks exposed on Cui Yi’s neck when she turned her head to wipe her face, immediately began to wink and make faces.

Cui Yi performed her morning ablutions with composure, appearing completely indifferent. It was only when Gu Jing began to pin up Cui Yi’s hair that she noticed the hidden, bright red flush on her mistress’s ears.

Gu Jing: “…”

She could not help but lament inwardly that her Mistress was indeed thin-skinned and easily embarrassed.

Fearing that her master might “overcook” from blushing, Gu Jing continued to style the hair with an air of normalcy. Cui Yi maintained a calm expression, her clear eyes peering through the mirror to observe minutely. Only when she saw that the collar of her robe covered her neck, hiding every trace of ambiguity, did her pressed lips finally relax.

While she was applying her makeup, Pei Mingjiao’s eyebrows twitched, and she opened her eyes in a daze. After a delayed reaction, she suddenly looked to her side. It was empty. Her newlywed wife was actually not there. Pei Mingjiao was instantly wide awake.

Faint sounds drifted in from the outer room. Pei Mingjiao, with her hair loose and ignoring the slight soreness in her body, strode outside. As she lifted the bead curtain, a crisp, tinkling sound rang out. Cui Yi looked up, and her exceedingly elegant and beautiful face was imprinted in Pei Mingjiao’s vision.

Cui Yi’s voice was soft: “Did I wake you?”

Pei Mingjiao tried to speak, but her throat was so dry it felt as though she could make no sound. Furthermore, being extremely conscious of her image, she did not want her new bride to hear her making an unpleasant noise. She gulped down a large mouthful of warm water before saying, “I wasn’t woken up.” She then asked in return, “Why didn’t you sleep a bit longer?”

Cui Yi explained to her: “I am accustomed to rising early.”

Pei Mingjiao gave an “oh” in response and leaned in close to watch Cui Yi apply her makeup.

Being stared at so intently by those bright, black eyes, Cui Yi looked away. Just as she was about to speak, Pei Mingjiao held her head still and began to describe to Gu Jing with great seriousness how she should draw Cui Yi’s eyebrows. Gu Jing froze for a moment, then listened with equal gravity.

Cui Yi: “…”

Gu Jing glanced at Cui Yi and suggested: “How about the Princess draws the Madam’s eyebrows herself?”

Pei Mingjiao was stunned for a moment before realizing that this was a perfect idea. Without any hesitation, she took the eyebrow brush handed over by Gu Jing. Her gaze leveled with Cui Yi’s, and she beamed at her with full confidence: “Yi-niang, just wait and see yourself become even more beautiful!”

Cui Yi met the gaze of her young wife and pursed her lips, allowing Pei Mingjiao to fuss over her.

As it turned out, Pei Mingjiao—the beauty expert of Chang’an—really did have significant skill. The eyebrows she drew suited Cui Yi’s face shape and temperament perfectly: cold, elegant, and graceful. Pei Mingjiao praised herself with a smile: “As expected of me. I have already decided what makeup to wear to match you.”

Next, Cui Yi watched as Pei Mingjiao ordered the servants about, keeping them spinning like tops. Her small courtyard became unusually lively.

After about half an hour, Pei Mingjiao finally finished dressing. She wore clothes in the same color scheme as Cui Yi, adorned with pearls and emeralds in her hair. She looked magnificent. She showed herself off to Cui Yi with great delight: “Do I look good?”

Cui Yi chuckled and spoke the truth: “You look beautiful.”

Pei Mingjiao took Cui Yi’s arm and returned the compliment in a coquettish voice: “You are super beautiful, too.”

The intimacy was a bit overly clingy, making Cui Yi slightly uncomfortable, but their relationship was different now. Cui Yi looked at the radiant Pei Mingjiao beside her, then glanced up at the color of the sky: “Let us go. It is time to serve the tea.”