He was so strong that Qu Yue's skin was rubbed red.
Rubbing her face, she answered the question, "I made them earlier. They're not dry yet."
Mu Wang was wearing a pair of black satin boots today. The boot shafts tightly wrapped around his calves, and the coarse hemp mourning clothes couldn't conceal the vitality unique to a young man.
Qu Yue couldn't help but recall last night when that person had pressed his calf against hers, along with the suppressed gasps.
A blush crept onto the tips of her ears. She had always been on bad terms with this Second Young Master. Now that the opportunity for them to be alone had finally presented itself, she might as well take this chance to inquire subtly.
Thinking this, she raised her face and asked nervously, "S - Second Young Master... My feet hurt so badly. Could you give me a ride home?"
Mu Wang tilted his chin up. "Weren't you just saying you'd carry the stuff home by yourself? Can't do it now?"
There was a glimmer of expectation in Qu Yue's beautiful eyes. "It really hurts."
Mu Wang snorted, put away the handkerchief that had wiped Qu Yue's sweat, and with a long stride, he got into the carriage.
"Madam, step back a bit. Don't get hit," the coachman shouted, poking his head out.
It seemed he still didn't want to share the carriage with her. Qu Yue sighed and silently moved to the side.
She couldn't say she was disappointed, but after this, it would be difficult to find another chance to be alone and make inquiries.
Liu Xu stepped forward. "Miss, let me help you walk back."
Qu Yue placed her hand on the back of Liu Xu's outstretched hand. Just as she was about to move, suddenly there came Mu Wang's impatient voice from the front.
"Aren't you getting in? Waiting for me to carry you?"
Qu Yue suddenly turned her head, surprise flashing across her crystal - clear eyes.
On the carriage, Mu Wang was propping his chin on one hand by the window, looking as if she owed him a fortune. When their eyes met, he scoffed disdainfully and pulled the carriage curtain shut.
He was kind of adorably awkward.
Qu Yue took out some loose silver from her purse, told Liu Xu to hire a coachman to transport the funeral items home, and then walked towards Mu Wang's carriage.
Since there was no one to help her, she had to pull on the carriage curtain to hoist herself up. Before she could even sit still, the coachman shouted "Gee - up!" and she was thrown into the carriage.
Qu Yue thought she was going to hit a hard corner of the carriage. She stretched out her hands in front of her, let out a terrified scream from her red lips, and tightly closed her eyes, waiting for the pain.
But the pain didn't come. Instead, she fell onto something soft.
Qu Yue opened her eyes in shock. Her gaze was fixed on the face that was magnified in front of her.
Mu Wang's full lips were like ripe peaches. His nose bridge extended from the root of his nose to his browbones, looking like distant green mountains. His pair of eyes, as black as night pearls, took up most of the whites of his eyes, and the wet look made him resemble a puppy.
The man's gritted - teeth growl broke Qu Yue's daze. "Not done lying on me yet?"
Qu Yue came to her senses. "I - I'll get up right away!"
Mu Wang immediately sat up straight.
The softness of the woman's body lying on him still lingered. Especially the faint fragrance of honeysuckle on her when she got close, a sweet smell with a hint of coolness, but not too cloying.
The more he thought about it, the heavier his breathing became, echoing in the carriage for a long time.
As he breathed in, he smelled Qu Yue's scent again.
He frowned tightly. His nose was filled with this smell, and he felt extremely irritated.
Unable to figure out why, he simply blamed it all on Qu Yue. "I advise you to get rid of those improper thoughts!"
Qu Yue was bending over to rub her feet to relieve the pain. Suddenly, she was met with his sarcasm and was a bit confused. "What improper thoughts?"
Mu Wang raised his voice. "You know exactly what I'm talking about!"
Qu Yue lifted her peach - blossom eyes. There was no hint of anything amorous in her clear eyes. "Huh?"
Mu Wang glared at her angrily. "Last night. You know it well yourself!"
Qu Yue's heart skipped a beat. Could it really be him?!
Realizing this possibility, her palms started to sweat nervously. "Women aren't allowed to keep vigil. I was just following the rules."
"Second Young Master wouldn't want me to block the heir's path to reincarnation, would you?"
She carefully observed Mu Wang's expression and casually asked, "Or did Second Young Master see me?"
This question was perfectly asked by Qu Yue.
She didn't clearly state when she left the mourning hall. Even if Mu Wang sensed something was wrong, she could use the timing to get rid of the suspicion.
Mu Wang's pupils contracted imperceptibly. He nervously glanced out of the window. When he looked back, his eyes were filled with contempt and scrutiny.
"Who saw you?" he said bitterly. "I'm warning you. Don't try to pin this on me!"
Qu Yue: "..."
She might as well not have asked.
If it had been Mu Wang last night, she probably would have been kicked away before their lips even touched.
She had really lost her wits out of fear to even consider him as a possibility.
Just as she was about to cross his name out of her mind, she saw him take out the short flute from his waist. "Save your tricks."
This action, in Qu Yue's eyes, was an unspoken hint.
Her eyes sparkled. Although she seemed calm, her heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was about to burst through her chest. "Second Young Master's short flute..."
Before she could finish her sentence, the carriage suddenly came to a stop.
The coachman's loud voice came through the curtain. "Princess Consort, Second Young Master, we're at the mansion! We're here!"
Mu Wang scolded the coachman outside impatiently. Protecting the short flute, he looked at Qu Yue. "Why do you ask about it?"
Qu Yue's words were interrupted. Meeting his inquisitive gaze, cold sweat broke out on her back.
She knew she couldn't ask any more. She placed her hands obediently on her lap and shook her head. "I think it's very beautiful."
Mu Wang stroked the short flute, and his voice grew colder. "My brother made it for me."
Suddenly, he stood up and approached Qu Yue. His eyes were filled with so much hatred that it seemed he wanted to cut her into pieces.
Qu Yue leaned back. Mu Wang's heavy breathing sprayed on her forehead, like a sharp blade cutting her.
He said each word with hatred. "It's all because of you that he died! Qu Yue, you should be glad I owe you a life!"
After saying that, he flicked his robe and got off the carriage angrily.
Qu Yue sat quietly in the carriage, staring out of the window. Her eyes gradually turned red.
She knew that their prejudice came from her identity as the daughter of a "traitor."
If it weren't for this stigma, she would have married into the Marquis Mansion in style and become the respected Princess Consort.
She had to find an opportunity to find out the truth, clear her mother's name, and regain her peace!
When Qu Yue got off the carriage, Mu Wang was nowhere to be seen.
She limped and carried the funeral items into the mourning hall.
After finishing all the arrangements, she went to Madam Song's courtyard to report the situation.
As soon as she got close, she heard a heated argument inside.
Madam Song said firmly, "That's that. I can't allow Qu Yue to stay in our mansion any longer!"
Mu Wang didn't agree. "Mother, she's still the wife of the Marquis Mansion. If we make her be a sacrificial companion, people will laugh at us!"
Madam Song didn't care. "Isn't she a widow?"
She patted Mu Wang's shoulder. "The Emperor has a request. As royal relatives, shouldn't we set an example?"
Sacrificial companion...
Qu Yue stood still at the door. Their conversation was like needles piercing into her ears.
The crowd she saw at noon appeared in front of her eyes. Liu Xu's murmured introduction was like the whispers of ghosts, pounding in her ears.
No!
She would never be sent to be a sacrificial companion!
Her mother's injustice had not been cleared yet. She couldn't leave the Marquis Mansion!
Qu Yue nervously picked at her fingers. Suddenly, there came a teasing voice from behind. "Peeping on others' conversation is not a good habit."