Chapter 29 Darkness and Chaos "Once a woman has greed, she easily..."
"Won't your father reprimand or punish you?"
He scoffed, as if he thought my question was naive. "We're already so poor we're lucky we haven't starved to death. What nonsense about taxes? If the king wants to punish me, he can just transfer me away and find another son to manage this place."
Unaffected by his bad temper, I continued, "Since this land is so bad, why was it taken over by your kingdom? Why not just let it become unclaimed land, so we don't have to bother sending people to manage it?"
He squinted at me and said, "This place is located on the border of the kingdom, and the territory is sensitive."
I frowned slightly. "There must be other reasons, right?!"
"oh?"
My finger moved across a yellowed map. "Here, it shows a large plain outside the border, without any natural barriers, making it easy to invade, right? But this territory with its harsh weather can provide some resistance to invading forces." I looked up. "But you are clearly your father's unfavored son, so why would he entrust you with such an important border territory?"
This place is not a hell of suffering, but rather a popular and desirable destination.
Despite its poverty, its military value remains unaffected.
"Arrogant and self-important." He glanced at me sideways and snorted coldly.
"What's the meaning?"
He ignored me and buried himself in his official documents.
The imperial study fell silent again. I shrugged, ignoring his sarcasm, and continued looking at my documents.
An hour later, I couldn't help but ask again, "Have you finished writing down your solutions? It'll be dawn in a few hours. What are your plans to do about the snow disaster and food shortages, Rosie's conspiracy, and the spies in the latrine?"
He was severely disturbed and coldly raised his face, saying, "If this were before, you would have been dragged out by my guards."
His voice was as cold as ice that had never melted.
"..."
Just as I was about to retort with "It's a pity I'm a lord now," there was a gentle knock on the door, and the head maid's voice came through, "My lord, you have only recently recovered and should not overexert yourself."
I glanced at the pile of documents in front of me that I hadn't finished reading yet, and said, "I'll wait a bit longer."
The head maid said calmly from outside the door, "If you get sick again without careful attention, it will give others an opportunity to take advantage of you."
Just as I was about to argue, Bernard, who had just walked over, suddenly pinched my arm, leaving me only able to utter a single word, "Fine."
The door to the Imperial Study opened, and a head maid, over thirty years old, stood smiling at the doorway, bowing respectfully.
Bernard smiled and put his arm around mine as we walked out. "Mrs. Jane, you've had a long day."
Her name was Mrs. Jane.
With my scatterbrained and terrible memory, I still haven't memorized all the names of everyone here after several months.
Mrs. Jane said respectfully, "Mrs. Lanna, you're too kind. It's snowing heavily now, so please be careful not to catch a cold."
Two maids carrying black fox fur cloaks quickly stepped forward and draped one over both me and Bernard.
The crisscrossing corridors were cold and damp, and the dimly lit oil lamps, exuding a fragrant aroma, swayed in the midnight wind like will-o'-the-wisps.
Large snowflakes drifted in from the windowless corridor, and even walking on the non-slip mat, one had to be careful not to slip and fall at any moment.
“Mrs. Jane is a rare and extremely loyal maid,” Bernard said, walking with remarkable ease. “You can’t just dismiss her kindness.”
I walked with difficulty, afraid of falling, but upon hearing this, I secretly turned back to look at Madam Zhen and her two maids five steps away.
"Is she married?" I couldn't help but ask.
The women here must have married young.
“Only unmarried maids may stay by the lord’s side,” Bernard said.
"Why?"
Bernard gave a half-smile. "Don't you pride yourself on being smart? Guess."
I was filled with confusion.
As we entered the warm, cozy bedroom, two maids, draped in black fox fur cloaks, stood at the door, reluctant to leave, their faces flushed with shy smiles.
I was filled with doubt when Bernard waved his hand and said, "Go."
The two maids looked disappointed, but respectfully bowed and closed the door before leaving.
“There’s an unwritten rule in the castle that if the lord is busy until midnight, his personal maids must learn how to relax him, any method will do.” Bernard casually took off her long dress and lay down on the bed.
The phrase "any method" is ambiguous.
I suddenly realized why all the personal maids were unmarried; if they were married, wouldn't that be the lord openly cuckolding them?
"How many times have you slept with Mrs. Jane?" I asked with a wicked grin.
He sat up halfway and pulled the dark gray bed curtains down completely, covering his bed completely. "Not even once."
"Why?" I asked, curious.
"Once a woman has been slept with, she will want more. Once she has greed, her mind doesn't work properly and she is easily taken advantage of."
This was the first time I had heard such a statement. He then said, "Madam Jane is a rare and loyal maid who is also very dutiful. It would be a pity to ruin our relationship."
"You know quite a lot," I said, half-sarcastically.
"Of course," he replied shamelessly.
I yawned a few times and started to make my bed on the floor. "By the way, could you get my red backpack from my two sisters? It's very important."
He didn't answer me; I could hear his breathing gradually slowing down from inside the bed curtains—he had actually fallen asleep.
I glared at the bed fiercely...
***
I woke up very early after the heavy snow had just stopped.
It's strange, even though I go to bed very late, late at night, I wake up very early the next day.
I woke up at dawn.
I got up and saw that the bed opposite was empty, and the bed curtains were all pulled back.
He got up even earlier and left the bedroom quietly.
I put away my bedding, summoned a maid, and followed the proper procedure to wash and change my clothes.
Upon arriving in the garden, the world was a blanket of white. Tiny snowflakes twirled and tumbled as they fell from the sky, like mischievous children or playful fairies.
"Good morning, my lord." A sweet voice called out from behind me.
I turned around and saw my beautiful fiancée, wearing a white fox fur cloak, walking gracefully towards me. "I just wanted to go for a walk, but I didn't expect to run into you."
He had spent some time with his fiancée, and although he was "hiding" from her, he was no longer afraid to talk to her.
"Good morning." I was about to walk out of the garden when she smiled sweetly and said, "My lord, I heard you were busy very late last night. My massage technique is quite good, why don't you give it a try?"
"This... is not necessary."
I had assumed that since she was the mistress's sister, she must be skilled in seduction and would persist until I agreed. But to my surprise, she said nonchalantly, "Then let's do it later. Has the lord not had breakfast yet?"
"without."
Her eyes lit up immediately. "I got up before dawn today and made apple pie and egg tarts. Would the lord like to try some?"
I swallowed hard and involuntarily said, "Okay."
To be honest, I've never been full since I arrived here. I've mostly been eating fruit salad, which is never enough to satisfy my hunger.
In the bright and spacious dining room, snowflakes were falling outside the floor-to-ceiling windows. I looked at the delicious breakfast on the table with the white tablecloth and couldn't stop smiling.
It has a rich milky and fruity flavor, is crispy yet not mushy, and is delicious—it's really, really delicious.
As expected, the cooking skills of a woman from a noble family are extraordinary; she must have been instructed by a master.
In comparison, the castle's cooks were much worse; perhaps the lord was too poor and could only afford ordinary cooks.
I ate all four egg tarts in one go, and also finished off the apple pie completely.
Aifu smiled gently and said, "These are the ingredients I brought from the capital this time. If you like them, I will cook them for you again next time."
"Okay, sure."
I was so engrossed in eating that I didn't even have time to answer. After I finished, I lingered, dipping my fingers into the crumbs on the plate and eating them.
Suddenly, a sharp, cold gaze fell upon me, and I was horrified to see another "me" gracefully entering, trailing a long dress. I quickly shook off the crumbs that had just touched my hand, almost knocking over the plate in the process.
"Lord, why didn't you wait for me to have breakfast together?" "I" pounced into my arms like the wind, sitting on my knees, hooking my neck, and pressing my nose against mine. "Lord, you're so naughty."
I was speechless.
He used his finger to pick up the residue from my lips and sucked it into his own mouth, saying, "I want to try it too."
I dared not utter a sound. He licked his lips. "Not bad, no wonder you like it, Lord." His smile was captivating. "I want more."
As he spoke, his lips pressed against mine.
I was so scared I almost jumped out of my skin. It happened again...
He applied it very skillfully—it was all pressed tightly, leaving me no chance to speak.
He kissed me very forcefully and held my neck very tightly.
As we kissed, I felt a sense of euphoria. This kiss was especially different; his nimble tongue teased my senses...
Just then, he suddenly let go of me.
I felt a sense of loss.
“My lord,” he said, biting my neck with the tip of his teeth, “you mustn’t do that again next time.”
"What are you not allowed to do?" I was still in a daze.
"You're not allowed to eat breakfast first."
"Mmm." I was still a little dazed, immersed in his kiss.
A woman who has been slept with once will want more, and I, who was kissed once, actually wanted more—I wanted to be kissed by him again.
If I become greedy, will I become mindless and easily taken advantage of in the future?
I was horrified.
"I don't want his kiss, no, absolutely not." I kept repeating "I don't want it" to myself. As I stood up, I accidentally bumped into the milk that the maid had placed on the high shelf. Just as the whole jug of milk was about to spill and fall, I almost forgot I was a man and screamed—
He was even faster, suddenly grabbing me and shielding me from the milk.
Milk splashed all over him, wetting his long hair, face, and arms, and also splashed onto my face.
The milk jug rolled and tumbled to the ground.
I was so surprised I couldn't speak, but he smiled slightly and said, "Thank you for the milk, lord."
After saying that, he kissed my lips again.
The kiss left no trace of my milk stains.
This time, the sky darkened...
***
Take a shower afterwards.
In the same bathroom, each person showered separately...
It's strange to watch my body being washed by someone else, so I try my best not to glance at it.
In the steamy bath, his laughter rang in my ears, "I think I have a pretty good physique, right?!"
"Yours or mine?" I asked him with my back to him, dissatisfied.
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