He looked as though he could kill me with a single punch. This must be the Duke. There was no one else around him.
Hardening my heart, I gritted my teeth, held up the lantern, and walked in his direction. I feigned a stumble and fell right into his arms. His body was rock hard, and the impact hurt me deeply. I couldn't help but cry out softly in pain, tears welling up in my eyes.
The Duke looked down at me. "Who are you?"
I forced myself to calm down, recalling the seduction methods I had read about in books. Gritting my teeth, I looked up at him with reddened eyes, biting my lip coyly.
"And who are you? Let me go quickly."
Then, hardening my heart, I blushed and feigned a struggle. My thin, sheer clothing had already hung low on my chest, and now, with my struggling, my clothes became even more dishevelled, revealing a large expanse of skin on my chest. The Duke looked down, staring at me, his gaze growing darker and deeper. The hand gripping my waist also grew tighter and tighter.
"You're quite a bold little maid. Daring to seduce me."
In fact, Yuanru was right. I am a born temptress. In my past life, after being with the young master for a few months, I knew exactly what men liked. Before coming here, I had drunk a few cups of peach blossom wine. Perhaps alcohol brings out a coward's courage, for I looked at him with hazy, drunken eyes, and the fear in my heart dissipated a little. I pretended to know nothing, yet I exuded nothing but allure, making my slight intoxication look far deeper than it was.
The Duke's interest was finally piqued by me. However, he did not take me back to his quarters, but instead went to the place where he took his rests.
The next day, before dawn, I endured the intense soreness in my lower body to serve my young mistress. But when I entered the room, I found that the young master had also stayed in her quarters last night. My mistress's face was flushed with blush, and the two of them were whispering intimately, looking very much in love. Ever since she became pregnant, the young master had not stayed here for a very long time.
I clearly noticed that the young master's gaze toward me was even more heated than before. After last night, the two of them seemed to have reached some sort of agreement. While I was helping him wash up, he casually squeezed my hand, his smile full of hidden meaning. I pulled my hand back in panic, and turning my head, I saw my mistress clutching her handkerchief, staring at me coldly.
This scene, identical to the one from my past life, made my heart sink slightly.
My mistress did not say anything to me, retaining her usual gentle and virtuous demeanour. Once the young master left, she finished dressing and doing her hair, preparing to pay her respects to the Duke. She ordered me to carry a bowl of scalding chicken soup and go with her.
The burning heat in my palms caused me excruciating pain. Even though my hands were scalded red and starting to blister, I still held the bowl tightly. The bowl was an imperial gift, and the chicken soup was of the finest quality. If these things were dropped, a mere maid like me couldn't pay for them even with my life.
Seeing my pale face and absolute silence, my mistress's smile deepened even more. She smiled and praised me, saying I was a blessed girl.
Beside her, Yuanru glared at me and snarled viciously. "It is just carrying a bowl of chicken soup. You act as if it is killing you. Those who don't know any better would think you are the young mistress here."
I kept my head down and remained silent. Still unsatisfied after her scolding, Yuanru slapped me across the face. My head whipped to the side from the blow, and my hand slipped. Some of the soup spilled, instantly scalding the back of my hand red. My eyes welled with tears from the pain. Gritting my teeth, I forced myself not to let go of the bowl of chicken soup.
Only then did the young mistress leisurely call out, telling Yuanru not to be insolent. She then smiled at me. She said Yuanru had been spoiled by her and told me not to hold a grudge.
Lowering my gaze, I whispered that it was my blessing to be disciplined by Sister Yuanru. The young mistress's smile grew even more satisfied, and she praised me for being sensible.
When we arrived at the Duke's courtyard, there were many guards standing inside. As soon as we stepped in, we heard the Duke's personal steward, Steward Shu, speaking.
"Has there been any sign of the person the Duke is looking for?"
My heart skipped a beat, and the hands holding the chicken soup nearly lost their grip. Before the guard could respond, the steward spotted us. His gaze landed on me, his expression turning rather intriguing. He then welcomed the young mistress inside with a beam.
"Young mistress, you are here to pay your respects to the Duke. Please, come right in."
I was somewhat bewildered. In my past life, the Duke had gone out early to attend to business, so the young mistress had not seen him. I hadn't expected that this time the Duke had not gone out.
My heart pounded wildly. Holding the chicken soup, I followed her inside with a low, submissive posture. The moment I stepped through the door, I felt an oppressive gaze land upon me. Not daring to look up, I set down the chicken soup as the young mistress had instructed and retreated backward with my head bowed.
Suddenly, a somewhat cold voice rang out. "Stop."
I raised my head in a panic. I saw the Duke squinting his eyes slightly, staring straight at me with an unreadable expression.
When I woke up this morning, the Duke was still asleep. Last night, I used being drunk as an excuse to climb into his bed. He didn't ask which courtyard I belonged to, and I pretended not to know his true identity either. Today could be considered my first official meeting with the Duke.
I froze on the spot immediately, letting a perfectly timed look of terror wash over my face. Then, with a thud, I fell to my knees and said in a trembling voice, "This servant pays respects to the Duke."
I kept my head down. My face was pale and my body was trembling, looking completely lost in panic, and the slightly cold gaze from above gradually softened a bit.
My young mistress frowned and glanced at me, a hint of displeasure in her eyes. Then she looked back at the Duke with her usual expression. "Duke, is there something wrong?"
The Duke stared at me for a long moment before slowly speaking. "So, it was you. How did you injure your hand?"
He looked up at Steward Shu, who was standing to the side. Steward Shu immediately found someone to take me to bandage it. I followed the maid called by Steward Shu and left. Behind me, my young mistress's gaze held a trace of coldness, while Yuanru glared at me with jealousy and hatred.
By the time my young mistress finished her morning greetings, my hand had already been bandaged. The Duke didn't mention anything else after that remark. Fearing I would blow my cover, I didn't dare to ask either, and only silently followed my young mistress back to our quarters.