Somehow, Rui w.a.n.g Fei fell asleep, but when she woke up, she not only realized she was still in the stinky Rui w.a.n.g Residence, but that there was something odd on her...The room was still dark, it seemed daybreak had yet to come. There was faint fragrance lingering in the air due to the incense, and the sounds of cicadas and other night insects were entering her ears without pause.
But she was very alarmed when her senses returned to her and she felt something moving in her face. Her hands trembled and shakily went to her cheeks.
There was nothing suspicious there, all she felt was the smooth surface and the tender skin. She touched her forehead, nose, chin, and then her jaws, but everything felt normal.
However, instead of getting relieved, fear consumed her heart more. She really could feel that something was moving in her face. Actually, not only something. But many. The feeling of many tiny insects and bugs crawling on it was making her feel gooseb.u.mps all over her face. In her panic, she immediately lit up three candles and checked herself out in the mirror.
"H-how can this be!!!!!!" Eyes bulging, and body s.h.i.+vering not from the cold, but despair, a shriek came out of her lips. It was so thunderous and sharp that the maids waiting outside dashed in only to see that nothing was amiss.
"Weird," thought the head maid who came inside together with two more female servants.
"w.a.n.g Fei looks to be sleeping soundly on her bed. Did we hear wrongly?" asked by one of the lesser maids in puzzlement, still drowsy so her hand was still stifling a yawn.
"Sisters, our master doesn"t seem to be the one who screamed. It"s probably from the nearby rooms. Perhaps it"s one of our sisters who get lost while going to the bathroom."
The rest nodded in agreement then went out. Apparently none of them could see that the room had brightened and that their w.a.n.g Fei was still screaming in fright. This scream of horror even turned another pitch higher upon seeing that her maids came in but didn"t notice her.
What was happening? Why her face does looks like a frog"s? It"s so unsightly and gross! Even she couldn"t stand it, her heart feeling like it was being whipped and crushed repeatedly as she recalled what she should be her looks. How the h.e.l.l did she become like this? And why, why, why!!!?
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!! NO! T-THIS IS NOT ME!!!"
She fell on the ground sobbing and shaking her head, hands covering the disgusting face. A moment later, she took a peek again in the mirror, hoping her prided face would return to how it used to be, gorgeous and breathtaking, second only to Jiang Ying Yue"s nation-toppling beauty.
"Heh, that"s the kind of reaction I"ve been looking forward to." Like a ghost, the voice came from behind her, accompanied by a sweet peal of laughter that would remind people of bells or wind chimes, playful, but very pleasant to the ears.
However, for Jiang Rou Li, it sounded nothing but ominous, and ghastly, as if it was not from a woman with the sweetest voice ever, but from an evil spirit.
She gasped as she moved her gaze from her reflection to the reflection of somebody on the left side in the mirror. Those twinkling eyes and cherry red lips curled into a happy smile would usually make Jiang Rou Li mad in anger and jealousy, yet tonight, she couldn"t feel anything in her heart but fear.
She wanted to slap herself repeatedly. Why did she forget about her mother"s weird skinless-face case?
"Jiang Ying Yue..." Breath held, she unconsciously muttered, sure that this woman was the one who maliciously turned Lady w.a.n.g into something less than human. "It"s actually you... You..."
"Liked what you see?" While swaying her feet as she sat on the chair next to the table dresser, Jiang Ying Yue asked, face looking so innocent as ever.
Jiang Rou Li calmed herself down while distancing herself from the other woman. Scolding herself, she should have expected it already. The hateful girl earned some backing from one of the greatest military leaders of the Zhou Dynasty and was no longer being oppressed in their manor. How she wished she just had died a year ago, bones fed to the wild dogs in the mountains.
"What you want in exchange for canceling this curse?" Cutting straight to the point, the astute Rui w.a.n.g Fei, whose intelligence was only a bit lower than Jiang Ying Yue, immediately tossed aside the unhelpful thoughts and asked.
The villainess stopped her childish actions and stared into Jiang Rou Li"s face, openly admiring her handiwork first to anger this "sister" of hers before opening her mouth. "How about you guess?"
Looking at the laughing woman, the woman suppressed her anger and indignant heart, knowing it was her at the other"s mercy, especially now that it seemed the place was under this witch"s spell. She cursed inwardly and then began to enumerate many offers and even intels. She came to the point that only her father"s true camp and the upcoming strike on the Chen w.a.n.g Household were the only stuff she had not divulged yet.
But to her indignation and fury, Jiang Ying Yue put on a thoughtful look for a couple of seconds, but still slowly shook her head with that same annoying smile plastered on her face. She answered, "Alright! I have heard of your guesses." Soft laughter came from her before she continued, "And the extras which I didn"t ask. Hahaha. I"m satisfied with what I saw and heard, so I"ll be merciful at once and no longer add something fancy to your body."
"What?" Jiang Rou Li was still s.h.i.+vering and covering her face in fear. "Y-you should be kidding, right?"
The villainess playfully flicked her right-hand fingers, causing one of the lit candles to suddenly lose it flame. The sight made the w.a.n.g Fei felt like her heart was caged in ice. And it grew worse when Jiang Ying Yue started to gesture in the air using both forefingers, body swaying a bit, all giving the impression that she was conducting an orchestra or a music play. However, there was actually no music, just the rows of candles lighting up and dying every time she moved a finger.
To Jiang Rou Li"s eyes, it was both beautiful and ominous. Especially, when the villainess stopped, killed all the lights. She looked at her with utter seriousness and said, "Jiang Rou Li, more than anyone else in the world, you should be aware of how much I"ve suffered in the estate. Was it fun seeing me getting oppressed again and again, stealing things that should belong to me? I think you"re enjoying your current status so much so don"t worry, I"ll make sure you"re doted on by your beloved prince, no matter what kind of monster you become. He"ll dote on you that he"ll view you as his everything. The two of you will be together in joy and pain. The tale will be something even future generations from thousands of years from now on will sigh at upon reminiscing."
"NOOO!!!!"
Extreme agitation caused the woman to throw those that her hands managed to find on the table. Jiang Ying Yue was still a normal woman, with an unremarkable endurance and flexibility, despite her mastery of gu and witchery so one of the vases almost hit her face. Except, a person suddenly dropped in front of her and cut that porcelain vase into two.
Jiang Rou Li saw that the man that entered had an appearance not one whit lesser than Rui w.a.n.g. The moonlight pouring generously onto from the open window made it appear like there was a halo of light enveloping from behind, and this all caused the girl to fall in a daze. A second later though, she was knocked out of her stupor upon remembering how she currently looked like.
Aggrieved, she turned away and lowered her head. Her eyes peeking out of her hands and looking to the immortal-like man in red, she accusingly asked, "Your Highness, Chen w.a.n.g... Lady Ping"An had turned me like this! I won"t be begging for justice since I know you"re deeply infatuated with her. But can"t you see that she has become so poisonous and even learned the evil arts? Please think thrice and consider whether you should have this kind of malicious woman around you!"
The prince-general merely looked at the girl who spoke for a couple of moments and then said to Jiang Ying Yue. "I"ve already visited that pig ex-fiance of yours. You done here?"
The question threw Rui w.a.n.g Fei"s heart in an icy pond. Hopelessness. Both she and this man before her had become hopeless. Chen w.a.n.g was truly someone whose brain already turned into water, even willing to pamper somebody who could easily kill with witchcraft in the future.
For a second, a sprout of jealousy budded in her heart. Which woman doesn"t want a man like this? Rui w.a.n.g might do so, if Jiang Ying Yue"s warning comes true, but women want their husband to be loving and mighty at the same time.
The villainess lowered her head and answered, "Done too. My second sister, has already confessed so I plan to spare her life. She confessed about my true father dying in my eleventh year in this world. My paternal grandfather had gotten his wife"s identical twin sister pregnant at the same time as his wife, hence the man who had now a.s.sumed my father"s post as the Marshal looks like my father because their father is the same while their mothers had identical looks."
Jiang Li already knew this but he still commented, "Now we know why the current Marshal is not your real father. He"s a fake and a usurper, a common characteristic of many ambitious b.a.s.t.a.r.d sons.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click for visiting.
Nodding, Jiang Ying Yue pursed her lips and added, "Yes. And that man is very unbelievable. Even though Second Madam is still my father"s wife in name, he had an adulterous affair with her and even gotten her pregnant. I feel so sad for my parents. My father is betrayed by a jealous brother and his side concubine, maybe even by this girl. And my mother who knows about this, died not only from grief, but from a slow-reacting poison..."
The man patted the girl"s head. "Stop thinking about the past. You better focus on getting justice for them instead of getting depressed."
Jiang Ying Yue obediently nodded at the man then threw a glare at the hideous girl. She walked towards her and forcefully pried her mouth open, not caring about her opposition and protests. After another snapping sound from her fingers, the villainess walked away, dragging the man outside by the hand.
As Jiang Rou Li watched these two people talk to each other and leave her room in total darkness and coldness, her heart despaired, learning she lost the ability to talk and to move her fingers.
After more or less ten minutes, when all the shock and dark thoughts devoured her from the inside out, she laughed and laughed. Her chest felt so stifled because there was no voice leaking of her mouth. Tears were streaming down her face and regrets dripping into her heart.
But then she realized none of it all mattered now. She had fallen onto a laughable state. Her life was completely ruined and without a future. The dignified second miss of the Jiangs ended up like this?
It was so funny. So she went back to laughing, heart finding solace from antic.i.p.ating the Lu Clan"s downfall.