A selection event for royal concubines? Aenwyn was intrigued. She had long wanted to see what the women of this world were like.
But first, she needed a place to stay.
After checking with more than ten inns,
"Guest, I'm really sorry, only one upper room is left," the innkeeper said. Looking at the two of them, he asked, "And you two are?"
They were both very good-looking. With the current trend favoring men, the innkeeper couldn't quite guess their relationship.
"We're brothers," Aenwyn said calmly.
"One room is just right for brothers," the innkeeper replied. Seeing Aenwyn still hesitant, he added, "We still have some spots in the shared sleeping area, would you prefer that?"
The shared area wasn't an option. "We'll take the upper room," Aenwyn said.
"Alright, one upper room!" the innkeeper shouted loudly.
They followed a young attendant upstairs. The room was decently clean, but the soundproofing was terrible. They could clearly hear conversations from next door.
There was only one bed and a small soft couch in the room.
"You take the bed," Aenwyn said, setting down her bag. She had to make some concessions for the sick one.
Indigo quietly agreed, "Alright."
And just like that, they were living together. A man and a woman alone in a room, sparks easily flying.
Ugh, gross. Aenwyn glanced at the sickly boy lying on the bed and scolded herself.
That night, Aenwyn slept unusually well. After more than ten days on a bumpy carriage, she had mostly been sleeping on it too.
The suspension on these old carriages was horrible, her bones nearly rattled apart. She had eaten in the wild and slept under the open sky, so being in a bed now, she quickly fell into deep sleep.
On the bed across from her, Indigo, who seemed to be sleeping, opened his eyes. His hair was loose and soft, draped down his back. His face had been washed clean, looking pale and handsome.
The room was dimly lit by a small candle. Indigo sat up and looked at the curled-up figure not far away on the soft couch. The corner of his lips lifted slightly.
Thinking about how Aenwyn had been treating him kindly and indulgently these past days, he chuckled softly.
"Silly girl, why are you so easy to fool?"
The candlelight outlined her delicate figure, curled up with her long hair down and a graceful body. Her chest rose and fell gently as she breathed, showing she was deeply asleep.
Indigo looked at her clear curves and walked step by step toward her.
His long fingers gently stroked her cheek. Her skin was smooth like the finest jade, making Indigo linger. He couldn't help but kiss her.
First her forehead, then the tip of her nose, and finally her lips.
"Aenwyn," he whispered, "you can only be mine." His desire for her had never stopped. That weak, spoiled younger brother act was only because she liked it.
He just wanted to devour her whole.
Under the candlelight, Indigo's face was filled with possessiveness.
He kissed her lips lightly. The taste was sweet and soft. The kiss was like a dragonfly skimming water, as if she were a fragile porcelain doll, too delicate to even breathe on.
He repeated the gentle touch with the tip of his tongue. When Aenwyn turned in her sleep, he held himself back.
He rested his forehead on the edge of her couch, breathing heavily. She was too beautiful, his dark eyes filled with passion.
As she turned over, the front of her robe loosened slightly.
Indigo looked up. His mind exploded, and his self-control collapsed instantly.
By the time he came back to his senses, he was already pressing on her, kissing her hard. At that intensity, even if Aenwyn had fainted, she would have woken up.
She felt her breathing get blocked. Something in her mouth was sucking at her like an octopus.
Aenwyn woke up to find Indigo holding her and kissing her.
"Aenwyn, what are you doing?" Aenwyn broke free from his embrace and slapped him hard. Her bright eyes were full of anger.
The young man was pushed off the soft couch by her strength. When he fell, his abdomen hit the edge of the couch.
Indigo let out a muffled groan.
"You brat, you dare sneak in at night?" Aenwyn straightened her clothes, her lips stinging. From the way he was acting, if she hadn't woken up, would he have just...
Her face turned red with shame. She walked over and kicked him twice more.
The tall and strong young man crouched on the ground and let her kick him.
Once Aenwyn had calmed down and saw that Indigo was still curled up on the ground, she said, "Hey, get up. Stop pretending to be dead."
He looked up, veins popping on his forehead. "The wound might have reopened."
Indigo spoke with pale lips. When he lifted his hand from his abdomen, it was covered in blood.
Aenwyn was startled and quickly removed the disguise on his face. She didn't have time to fix her own. She tied her hair up and put on a mask to make do. He couldn't go without disguise, as people were after his life.
She called the inn's staff and knocked on a nearby clinic's door in the middle of the night.
The Doctor, woken up from sleep, was grumpy and looked at the reopened wound with annoyance. "It was almost healed. How did it tear again?"
"Don't tell me you got into a fight."
"You young people really don't value your lives." The Doctor quickly re-bandaged the wound and said, "If it opens again, just wait to die. Don't come running back here."
"One hundred taels." the Doctor said.
"That much?" Aenwyn cried out. They had left in a hurry. Although they brought some money, if they kept spending like this, she wasn't sure they could make it to the capital.
Aenwyn had never worried about money before, but with Indigo, she had to think things through. This guy only eats the best, uses the best, wears the best. He spends even more than she does.
Treatment was expensive, and along the way they had to buy tonics and ginseng soup. Worst of all, it was all paid with the money she earned by selling herself.
She was auctioned off and got a sum of silver, which this guy had taken. Shun returned it to her before they left.
She even paid for the ID tags of those two brothers they met on the road. After all, they were strangers. She didn't want to spend Indigo's money.
If she had known earlier how wasteful he was, she wouldn't have pretended to be polite.
Sigh, she still needed to find a way to earn money. Frowning, Aenwyn paid the silver, thinking about how to make a living.
After changing the bandages and taking medicine, it was already morning.
The clinic had a temporary observation room, so they didn't go back to the inn. Aenwyn planned to wait until Indigo was more stable.
While she was thinking and picking up medicine, she bumped into someone.
"Watch where you're going." Servant Mo scolded. This small person walked without looking.
She was too light, so she fell with just one bump.
Aenwyn fell to the ground, holding her chest. It hurt badly. She had rushed out and hadn't tied her chest wrap tightly. After the impact, the pain brought tears to her eyes.
Ludovic met her gaze when she looked up. He froze, hand halfway out to help. Those eyes…
They looked like the person from the painting.
Because of the tears, her eyes were like clear water, pure and dazzling.
She only looked up for a moment before lowering her head. Only the top of her head was visible now.
Ludovic came back to his senses and asked, "Are you alright?"
Aenwyn glanced at the young man she had bumped into. He had such an elegant appearance. Forgive her for using this word, but he truly had a refined aura.
He had noble features, a face like fine jade. Yes, definitely worthy of being in a painting.
Aenwyn took a second look. Even without looking up, she could feel Indigo leaning against the door, watching her with a deep gaze.
"I'm fine," she said hoarsely. Lately she'd been speaking with a suppressed voice and had become used to it.
Just as she was about to leave.
"Wait."
Aenwyn stopped but didn't turn back. What now?
"Your hand seems injured," he said. He had caught a glimpse of blood on her hand, tucked inside her sleeve.
Of course Aenwyn knew her hand was hurt. But she hadn't disguised it, and since it was dark before, no one had noticed.
Now that it was morning, she was trying her best to hide her hands.
Ludovic walked over to take a look. As he moved, his robes fluttered, full of ancient charm.
Servant Mo looked at his young master with confusion. This small figure was hiding their face. You couldn't even see the eyes or head properly.
Why was his master being so kind?
"He's fine."
Indigo came over then, blocking Aenwyn and speaking to Ludovic.
Ludovic was a bit surprised by how good-looking the other was.
Indigo grabbed her by the arm and pulled her away.
"Indigo, slow down." Her legs were short. Wasn't he injured? Why was he walking so fast?
"I'm hungry," he said.
Ah, he's hungry. Immediately, Aenwyn forgot all about the people behind her. Feeding the patient was the priority.
"Let's go back to the inn first."
She still needed to fix her hands, face, and especially around the eyes.
Servant Mo called, "Young master."
Ludovic stared at their backs. Those eyes looked so much like the ones from his dreams.
"Servant Mo, did you see his eyes just now?" he murmured. His usually calm heart couldn't settle down.
"What's so good about that kid's eyes? Shifty and suspicious."
Servant Mo hadn't really seen the eyes. He just thought the little guy looked sneaky and probably wasn't good-looking.
No one in this world was better looking than his young master. Well, except the eldest son of the Yue family. That one was like a god, beyond their reach.
Did I really see wrong? Ludovic wondered.
It was just a small incident. The two went back with the medicine. Young Master Zhou was seriously injured, but luckily the doctors in Danyang were skilled. After days of rest, he had mostly recovered and could get out of bed now.
"When do we leave for the capital?" Ludovic sat at a small table nearby, sipping tea, and asked, "Lord Zhou is already on the way."
His meaning was clear. Your father is coming. Better run while you can. Ludovic recalled how Lord Zhou had scolded Young Master Zhou harshly in a letter and shook his head with a smile.
Young Master Zhou fiddled with a pouch that held a strand of hair. "My father is coming for official business. He couldn't care less about me."