I BECAME THE FEMALE LEAD'S STEPMOTHER - CHAPTER 19

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Chapter 19: Where Did You Steal That From?

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Xiangwu felt that as long as the Marquis didn't take her body or chop off her head, even being kicked out of the estate would be a win.

So long as she survived this ordeal, she had every reason to count her blessings.

Besides, no matter how chaotic the process had been, she had still managed to come away with a whole box of cherry-plums!

Carrying her things and cradling the box of fruit, Xiangwu headed back to the Young Mistress’s courtyard. When she walked in, the courtyard was dead silent, save for two young twelve-year-old maids dozing off on the porch.

Looking at the time, Xiangwu knew the Young Mistress was likely taking her afternoon nap. Not daring to disturb her, she slipped straight into her own quarters.

When she entered, Yueqing was also leaning against the bed, half-asleep. Hearing Xiangwu’s footsteps, she murmured drowsily, "How come you're back so soon?"

Xiangwu smiled and whispered, "Sister Yueqing, look what I brought back for you!"

Yueqing didn't think much of it. "Right, just don't go causing trouble—I’m certainly not expecting you to bring me anything good!"

Even as the words left her mouth, she still sat up to look. The moment her eyes landed on the glossy fruit in the box, her eyes lit up. "W-Where on earth did you get these?!"

Xiangwu didn't want to bring up the awkward mess between her and the Marquis. If word got out, no man in the entire Marquis’s estate would ever dare marry her.

But how should she explain it?

Seeing Xiangwu blink in silence without uttering a word, Yueqing instantly thought she understood.

A pang of disappointment washed over her, and she looked at Xiangwu with envy. "You really do have all the luck, don't you?"

In this estate, the only people who could enjoy such delicate fruits were either the Young Master or the Young Mistress. The Young Mistress was out of the question, which meant it had to be the Young Master.

The Young Master was so good to Xiangwu that he’d actually saved such high-class delicacies just for her to eat.

Yueqing’s heart felt sour. It seemed she truly had no hope of ever becoming the Young Master's concubine.

Knowing that Yueqing had completely misunderstood, Xiangwu sighed softly. "Sister Yueqing, this wasn't given by the Young Master, nor do I have anything to do with him. Truth be told... it was a reward from the Marquis."

"Huh?!"

Yueqing gasped in shock. "The... the Marquis rewarded you?!"

Since when did the Marquis ever give rewards to people?!

Unable to contain herself, Yueqing immediately popped one into her mouth to taste. The second she bit into it, tears of joy nearly welled up in her eyes. "Delicious! It's so delicious! I never imagined I'd get to eat something like this!"

Truth be told, the fruit was gone so fast that Yueqing didn't even get to fully savor the flavor. But she knew these were delicacies the Young Mistress only nibbled on with delicate slowness. For a mere servant maid like her to get a taste was already a stroke of immense good fortune.

After eating a few more, she tucked the rest away to share with Lanruo and Huameng later. Then, she turned to stare intensely at Xiangwu. "What actually happened?"

Xiangwu’s cheeks burned. Grateful for the dim lighting in the room, she bit her lip and stammered, "I went over to the study and happened to bump into the Marquis. He was in a good mood and gave them to me. Good sister, please don't tell anyone! If others find out, they’ll inevitably start making things up."

Yueqing scrutinized Xiangwu’s face, and suddenly a look of wild delight burst across her face. Grabbing Xiangwu's hands, she squealed, "Xiangwu! The Marquis actually rewarded you with something! That’s practically unheard of! We grew up in this estate, and I've only ever heard of the Marquis punishing people—I’ve never seen him give a reward to a maid! Could it be that the Marquis wants to take you into the Wanxiu Pavilion?!"

It was said that the Wanxiu Pavilion housed quite a few women, all of whom belonged to the Marquis. Many had been sent by various noble factions, while others were rewards bestowed directly by the Emperor.

Even the woman given to Ergouzi a few days ago had been selected from the Wanxiu Pavilion.

Hearing Yueqing mention that place gave Xiangwu a massive headache. "The Wanxiu Pavilion? What's so great about that place! I don't want to go there at all!"

Having seen how the world worked in her dreams, she knew that no matter how beautiful the women in the Wanxiu Pavilion were, they were ultimately just playthings. Just like the servant maids, their fates depended entirely on the master's whim—to be discarded whenever he pleased.

Didn't the Marquis just give one away a few days ago to be Ergouzi’s wife?

After swallowing another cherry-plum, Yueqing blinked and looked at Xiangwu with utter bewilderment. "If you enter the Wanxiu Pavilion and happen to catch the Marquis's eye, you'll be living a life of luxury with nothing to worry about forever! Besides, the fact that the Marquis gave you these fruits is extremely rare."

Xiangwu understood what Yueqing was thinking. Yueqing probably assumed the Marquis had just casually tossed a reward her way. She would never in a million years dream that the Marquis had done that to her—after all, in everyone’s eyes, the Marquis was a lofty, divine figure who seemed entirely detached from worldly desires.

Who could ever imagine the Marquis taking a liking to anyone?

And who could ever guess he would do such an unspeakable thing to a lowly maid like her?

Recalling the scene in the study, Xiangwu’s legs turned to jelly and her cheeks flushed bright red. She bit her lip and insisted, "I still don't want to enter any Wanxiu Pavilion, nor do I want to be noticed by the Marquis. I just want to marry a decent, honest man and be his proper, lawful wife."

Yueqing stared at her with a look of pure incomprehension. After staring for a long moment, she finally remarked, "I always used to say you were silly, but only today do I realize..."

Xiangwu: "Hmm?"

Yueqing: "...you really are a complete dummy."

A dummy?

Xiangwu didn't know.

Lying in bed later that night, watching the moonlight filter through the window lattice, Xiangwu found herself unable to sleep.

Her mind kept drifting back to the study earlier that day—to the scene where the Marquis had pinned her against the curio rack. Whenever she closed her eyes, she could still feel the sheer, overwhelming hardness of the man looming over her, a force that felt capable of crushing her to pieces with the slightest effort.

Xiangwu couldn't help but shiver. Turning over helplessly in bed, she began to feel a strange, budding sensation in her chest—like young spring grass pushing its way up through damp, tender soil.

She lifted a hand to feel her chest. It really did seem to be growing, accompanied by a subtle, tingling itch—much like when her body had first started developing when she was twelve or thirteen.

She had no idea what was happening to her. Yueqing and the others didn't seem to experience this, and the thought of it made her clench her fists in overwhelming shame.

She could feel it—men liked this. Even that dignified, formidable Marquis liked it. The look in his eyes when he stared down at her yesterday felt as if he wanted to devour her alive.

Xiangwu licked her dry lips with difficulty, feeling an intense wave of heat rise within her and her face burning hot. In the end, she could only pull the quilt over her head and force herself into a restless sleep.

Normally, she wasn't someone who had trouble sleeping, but this night was thoroughly agonizing. Every time she opened her eyes, she felt as if the Marquis were right there beside her—kissing her cheek, licking away the tear tracks on her face, and holding her chin in his powerful grip as he asked if she was willing to follow him.

After a night of chaotic, restless dreams, she woke up before dawn had even broken.

Feeling thoroughly drained, Xiangwu pulled herself out of bed. Today was her turn to serve the Young Mistress during her morning routine. She had to hurry up and prepare the washing water, scented soap, sweat towels, and all sorts of other supplies. If she was a moment too late, she’d surely get a harsh tongue-lashing from the Young Mistress.

She rubbed her weary eyes, splashed a handful of cold water onto her face, quickly got dressed, and rushed over.

Yet, when she arrived, she was surprised to find that the Young Mistress was already out of bed, sitting by the daybed and staring straight at her.

Xiangwu felt a wave of uncertainty—something was clearly off. Why was the Young Mistress looking at her with that kind of expression?

Huo Yingyun let out a cold sneer. "Xiangwu, I always thought you were an honest girl. I never imagined you were actually a thief."

Huh?!

Xiangwu’s heart skipped a beat in sheer terror. With a sharp thud, she dropped to her knees. "Young Mistress, what do you mean? This servant is innocent!"

Hearing her denial only made Huo Yingyun more furious. She immediately barked an order, and Nanny Li stepped forward holding a delicate box. Inside, resting on a bed of crushed ice, were a few scattered cherry-plums.

Xiangwu stared blankly, completely lost. What did this have to do with her?

Huo Yingyun snapped, "These were meant to be sent over to the Chu Manor first thing this morning, yet someone actually had the audacity to steal them! You bold, reckless servant—how dare you steal something like this!"

Xiangwu panicked and pleaded desperately, "Young Mistress, I’m framed! No matter how bold this servant might be, I would never dare to steal your things!"

The moment she said this, Nanny Li stepped up and barked, "You little wretched girl, still acting tough! If you didn't steal them, who else could it be? Last night, I saw with my own eyes that you girls were secretly eating these cherry-plums!"

Xiangwu froze, the realization hitting her like a lightning bolt.

Sharing those berries with Yueqing last night had now trapped her in a corner. There was no way to explain where they came from—unless she brought up the Marquis.

But she had just infuriated the Marquis yesterday! Right now, her top priority was to lay low and stay out of his sight. If the Young Mistress didn't believe her and went to verify the story with the Marquis, who knew what kind of disastrous misunderstanding might happen next?!

During Xiangwu's brief moment of dazed hesitation, Nanny Li felt entirely vindicated. "Look! Look at her! The little wretched girl has a guilty conscience! Young Mistress, it was definitely her who stole it!"

Seeing Xiangwu's panicked state, Huo Yingyun was also convinced of her guilt and immediately ordered, "Slap her face!"

Xiangwu’s heart trembled violently. She was just about to open her mouth to defend herself, but right at that split second, she heard the Young Mistress shout in fury:

"What use is keeping a maid like this around? She should have been dragged out and married off to some crude fellow long ago!"

M-Married off... to a man?!

Xiangwu’s heart suddenly skipped a beat, and the defense stuck in her throat completely vanished.

A wave of pure, hopeful excitement welled up inside her: She wanted to be married off to a man!

Whether it was a servant inside the estate or an ordinary commoner out on the streets, she didn't care! As long as he was a man with all four limbs intact, it was fine! She wanted to be a man’s lawful, proper wife! She wanted to be a real daughter-in-law!

Slap!

Nanny Li’s heavy hand came crashing down, making Xiangwu’s entire body shudder from the pain.

Yet, deep down, she barely registered the agony. What was a little pain compared to the ultimate reward? Let them hit her a few times if it meant being dragged out and married off to a man!

Looking at that soft, tender face, Nanny Li felt a sudden wave of disgust. She had always disliked Xiangwu for being born so enchantingly beautiful—who was she trying to seduce with those looks, anyway?

With a vicious grin, she brought her palm down with another hard slap!

Watching that fair, delicate cheek turn bright red and swell up instantly brought a rush of satisfaction to Nanny Li’s heart.

Xiangwu was naturally in immense pain, tears streaming down her face involuntarily, but she gritted her teeth and held back every cry.

Don't be afraid. Don't be afraid.

What does a few slaps count for? In that dream, having her face carved open with a knife hurt a thousand times worse than this! As long as she endured this now, she’d get to go out and marry a man!

Marrying any random man was a million times better than being forced into becoming someone's concubine!

Just like that, Xiangwu took over a dozen brutal slaps straight to the face. By the time Nanny Li finally stopped, Xiangwu’s hair was a disheveled mess, and a faint thread of blood trickled from the corner of her lips.

Huo Yingyun knitted her brows, staring down at Xiangwu’s pathetic state.

Strands of jet-black hair clung messily to her pale, delicate cheeks, and sweat trickled down her slender neck. Her slightly swollen, rosy lips parted ever so faintly as she knelt slumped on the floor. She looked exquisitely frail, like a woman who had just been ravished and bullied by a man.

In that moment, all the usual innocence on the little maid’s face had vanished, replaced by an unintended, messy allure.

Huo Yingyun ground her teeth slightly.

Truth be told, Xiangwu had served her since childhood. Sending her away like an ordinary, disposable servant was something she felt a slight reluctance to do. After all, capable yet airheaded maids like her were hard to come by.

But this little maid had crossed the line! If she could steal cherry-plums today, who knew if she’d try to steal her man tomorrow?!

Besides, growing up to be so dangerously seductive was bound to bring trouble sooner or later!

"Do you know your place now?" Huo Yingyun leaned back on her daybed, looking down coldly at the kneeling maid.

"This servant... this servant knows her mistake..."

Every inch of Xiangwu’s body throbbed with excruciating pain, causing her to tremble uncontrollably.

Was she scared? Of course she was.

Did she regret it? Not for a single second.

She was a maid by the Young Mistress’s side with a face that was far too pretty. If she didn't risk everything to break free now, her ultimate fate was sealed—she would inevitably be forced to become a bedchamber maid for the future Son-in-Law to help the Young Mistress keep his heart. She had to find a way to escape her destined fate!

What did a temporary moment of pain matter?

Though her body trembled violently from the aches, Xiangwu silently whispered to herself: Don't be afraid.

"Drag her out…" Huo Yingyun raised her hand, intending to wrap things up swiftly so as not to ruin her good mood for the day.

Yet, right in the middle of her sentence, Yueqing suddenly came running in, gasping frantically for air.

"Young Mistress! The—the Marquis, the Marquis is here!”.

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