Chapter 24: A Little Trickster

Chapter 24: A Little Trickster

Silence abruptly settled in the air.

A chilling detachment flickered in Xie Yuan's eyes.

"Who are those people Miss mentioned?"

Su Youyue had merely asked out of reflex. Hearing Xie Yuan's question, her heart skipped a beat.

Oh no, oh no. She had forgotten that this Xie Yuan was not the one from two years later, one who had been vindicated. To outsiders, he was now a slave resigned to his fate with no chance of redemption. He would be wary of drawing attention from those people, wouldn't he?

Although Xie Yuan suspected she was referring to the emperor and the soon-to-be crown prince, she couldn't admit it! Doing so would indirectly reveal that she knew he was biding his time for a comeback.

Putting down her spoon, she asked Jin'er and Chunya to send the other maids away before continuing, "Isn't that obvious? It's the Third Prince and the Third Princess. If they find out you killed someone, they might think of new ways to torment you... At that point, I won't be able to protect you."

The image of the arrogant and tyrannical Third Princess in Su Youyue's memory made her headache. But if they dared to bully Xie Yuan in front of her, she would not tolerate it.

After all, she still planned on reconciling with this vengeful devil.

Xie Yuan looked straight at her, his gaze unwavering. "Protect me? Isn't Miss always hating me for being the son of a traitor, hating me to the core every day?"

Both Jinwen and Chunya found this man's attitude toward their mistress too disrespectful, but since Miss hadn't said anything, they dared not speak up either. Su Youyue had emphasized more than once that they must never treat Xie Yuan with disrespect.

Despite the dim lighting, Su Youyue could see an unusual brightness in the man's eyes, making him seem particularly intimidating.

She felt guilty instinctively. Didn't he know about her "whisperings" that night, when she'd admitted to liking him? Why was he asking again?

Indeed, if she had been truly asleep, she wouldn't have known what she'd said. So Xie Yuan was still probing her.

This cunning fox! Digging traps at every turn! But didn't he realize that Jin'er and Chunya were here? How could she say those things in front of them?

Fuming inwardly, Su Youyue didn't dare glare at Xie Yuan, so she forced herself to continue, "Didn't I just say that you're now my lady's man? Even when beating a dog, one has to consider its master. I..."

Mid-sentence, her voice trailed off as she abruptly lifted her head to study Xie Yuan's expression.

She had carelessly compared this Lord of Hell to a dog! He would surely punish her for it!

The man's gaze was deep and piercing, causing Su Youyue to swallow involuntarily. Her small hands moved rapidly as she backtracked. "No, no, I meant that now you belong to this lady, who else would protect you if not me?"

"In truth, my animosity in the past was directed towards the rumors about your father's character within the court, not you personally. But recently, I've come to realize that it's commendable to despise evil, but distinguishing good from bad isn't always so simple. Besides, people in this world aren't simply black or white, clearly divided into good and evil.

Look at me, isn't everyone outside also disgusted by me? Yet, am I truly as wicked as they claim? My second sister is praised by all, yet I find her hypocrisy unbearable.

When I heard about you kneeling in the snow that day, and that your father had received an Umbrella of Ten Thousand People during his tenure as county magistrate, I felt that he must have been unjustly slandered by those rumors..."

As Su Youyue finished speaking cautiously, she observed Xie Yuan's expression, relieved to see a slight softening in his cold demeanor.

Using his own words to persuade him, she was indeed a clever girl.

But her words were sincere. In her previous life, after the Xie family was vindicated, the new emperor ordered the spreading of their achievements while they were alive. It was then that she learned about Xie Changlou receiving an Umbrella of Ten Thousand People when he was a young county magistrate.

So, Xie Changlou might truly have been wronged.

Seeing Xie Yuan remain silent, unsure if he believed her, Su Youyue quickly changed the serious subject, waving her small hand at him. "Xie Yuan, why don't you sit down? It's hurting my neck to look up at you."

She didn't want to delve into too many sensitive topics. Who knew which word might trigger him, causing him to sneak into her room at night to kill her!

Moreover, the man's imposing presence made her sound meek while speaking... And her neck was indeed sore!

Xie Yuan was slightly taken aback before he replied in a calm, emotionless voice, "Xie Yuan dares not sit."

Su Youyue nearly laughed out of frustration.

Dares not? He'd sneaked into her bed in the middle of the night and almost strangled her. What couldn't he do?

Forget it, she had to endure for the sake of pleasing Lord Yan!

Despite her simmering anger, she forced a smile on her face. "Alright then, you should go back and rest. I'll be sleeping soon."

Lowering his head, Xie Yuan saw the girl smiling outwardly while her small hand tightly clutched the handkerchief, as if trying to resist the urge to throw it at him.

A barely perceptible smile tugged at the corners of his lips, but it disappeared in an instant. Su Youyue didn't notice it at all.

"Very well," he answered and began walking away.

Just as Su Youyue was about to sigh in relief, the man suddenly stopped and turned around. "Miss, when you meet Princess San next time, remember that you have to protect me."

With that, he disappeared into the night without waiting for Su Youyue's response.

"..."

Su Youyue was so furious that she almost tore her handkerchief to shreds. In her previous life, she had only discovered Xie Yuan's wickedness; how could she have missed his shamelessness?

Jin'er, having heard her young miss's words, heaved a huge sigh of relief. "Young Miss, so that's why you've been nice to Xie Yuan. I thought you had a crush on him..."

Poor Su Youyue had just sipped some tea to calm herself when she nearly spat it out, realizing Jin'er's misconception about her.

It was understandable for Jin'er to be so candid about such matters. Firstly, the attitude towards men and women in the Great Sheng Dynasty was more liberal than in previous eras. Secondly, it was partly due to Su Youyue's own fault. In her previous life, she had relentlessly chased after Lu Song, frequently mentioning him to Qiao'er and Jin'er in her boudoir, expressing her affection in various ways...

Jin'er had also accompanied her in pursuing Lu Song, which led the maid to speak freely on such topics in front of her young miss.

"Jin'er, don't ever mention this again! As an unmarried maiden, you mustn't casually say such things. Remember how my reputation suffered because of chasing after a man... Do you want me to end up marrying Xie Yuan due to rumors?"

Su Youyue raised her voice slightly to emphasize the gravity of the matter.

Upon envisioning the scene of her young miss marrying Xie Yuan, Jin'er immediately shook her head like a rattle drum. Apart from their differing social statuses, Xie Yuan was towering, making Miss seem like a tiny rabbit before a big bad wolf. If she were to marry him... She would surely suffer under his tyranny.

In no time, Jin'er helped Su Youyue back to her chambers before rushing out again to fetch hot water from the kitchen. Unbeknownst to her, a figure had emerged from behind the rockery just as she turned the corner.

"The little liar... I knew you were deceiving me that day," the man seemed to be torn between love and hate. His eyes were fixated on the silhouette outlined by the soft light on the window, as he forced each word through his throat, laced with a hint of bloodthirstiness.