The Dandy's Duchess

Chapter 117: Painting Skills, Lifelike Brushwork (7)

Just as the three maids were about to leave, a loud "Ah-choo!" came from within the room.

They froze, exchanging glances. Cai Lian quickly turned back and approached the door, calling out, "Miss, are you awake?"

A muffled response came from inside, accompanied by Yun Qianyue's congested voice.

Cai Lian opened the door to find Yun Qianyue sitting on the bed, wrapped in the bed curtain, one hand rubbing her forehead and the other covering her nose, clearly feeling unwell. Cai Lian was startled. "Miss, why are you wrapped in the curtain? Where is the quilt?"

"Yes, that's my question—where is the quilt?" Yun Qianyue was fuming. She vividly remembered the experience of searching for a blanket in the middle of the night.

Looking around, Cai Lian eventually spotted the missing quilt on the couch, then pointed to it and said, "Miss, the quilt is over there. Why are you covering yourself with the curtain instead? When I left, you were tucked in with the quilt. But you kept pushing it off. I couldn't stand the smell of alcohol anymore, so I left. Young Master Rongjing stayed to look after you—"

Cai Lian suddenly paused as she realized she had forgotten to bring an extra quilt for the night. So, if Rongjing was sleeping on the couch, he must have taken the quilt...which left Miss Yun with the curtain. Her eyes widened.

"How did the quilt end up over there?" Yun Qianyue also noticed it on the couch.

"I...have no idea," Cai Lian stammered.

"So what do you know?" Yun Qianyue snapped, her head throbbing, nose stuffy, and body achy. She was undoubtedly coming down with a cold. Remembering Rongjing's presence, she asked, "Why was Rongjing in my room last night? What was he doing here?"

"Miss, don't you know? You were out cold after drinking heavily when you returned from South Mountain. Young Master Rongjing looked after you, even stayed in your room overnight to care for you," Cai Lian explained.

"He looked after me? All night?" Yun Qianyue glanced at the couch, where the quilt still bore evidence of use. No wonder she couldn't find it in the middle of the night! That jerk must have taken it, leaving her to freeze. She ground her teeth. "So he took my quilt? Left me freezing, waking up twice from the cold? This is your idea of him 'taking care' of me?"

Cai Lian fell silent, but feeling Rongjing wasn't one to be inconsiderate, she cautiously suggested, "Miss, maybe you felt too warm and discarded the quilt, reaching for the curtain instead, so Young Master Rongjing used the quilt..."

"Rubbish! Warm? I was freezing!" Yun Qianyue couldn't help but curse.

"Please, Miss, keep your voice down! Such rough words aren't fitting, and no one knows of Young Master Rongjing spending the night here—what if someone hears?" Cai Lian moved closer, urging her to keep quiet.

"Then why weren't you here taking care of me?" Yun Qianyue glared at Cai Lian. A wolf in sheep's clothing had been in her room the entire night, and she hadn't even realized it. Clearly, her alertness had declined since arriving here.

"Miss, the smell of wine was too strong for us. If we stayed, we might have ended up as intoxicated as you were. Luckily, Young Master Rongjing was willing to take over, so we..."

"So you let that black-hearted man stay in my room?" Yun Qianyue finished, eyes flashing.

"Miss, he gave you a hangover remedy; otherwise, you might not have woken up for days. Young Master Rongjing genuinely cares for you. Considering his health, him taking the quilt isn't surprising if you were under the curtain instead," Cai Lian added softly, trying to justify Rongjing's actions.

"Oh, he's right no matter what, isn't he? Ah-choo!" Yun Qianyue sneezed again, annoyed, and her eyes landed on a pile of ashes on the table. She asked angrily, "Look at the table—what was burned?"

Cai Lian followed her gaze, noticing a layer of ashes on the table for the first time. She went closer to inspect it and, after a touch, said, "Miss, it looks like paper ash!"

"Why would there be paper ash? Who burned it?" Yun Qianyue asked.

"I don't know, Miss. I left the room after Young Master Rongjing arrived in the afternoon, and we didn't disturb you again afterward. But I didn't see any ashes when I left, so maybe Young Master Rongjing burned something here," Cai Lian explained.

"Check and see if he burned anything of mine!" Yun Qianyue vaguely recalled waking up to the smell of smoke last night, and the scoundrel didn't even give her water when she asked.

Cai Lian nodded, scanning the room. Everything seemed intact, except for the ashes on the table. After a closer look, she cried, "Miss! Yesterday, you mentioned two paintings you'd left out. I came back and placed them on this table but didn't get a chance to put them away. Now they're gone! Could it be...?"

"What? He burned those two paintings?" Yun Qianyue shot up from the bed, storming over to the table. As she wiped away the ashes, her hand brushed against a smooth piece of firestone left behind, and she clenched her teeth. "That scoundrel burned those paintings!"

The paintings she'd whimsically drawn of Ye Qingran last night.

"Miss...so those paintings were of Prince Ran? You really drew them yourself?" Cai Lian asked, astonished.

When she had seen them, she had been taken aback by their beauty. The skill was remarkable, capturing Ye Qingran's elegance to such a degree that it felt as though he could step right out of the frame. Even without a personal interest in him, she couldn't help but blush at the sight. She had found it hard to believe Yun Qianyue had created them, as she had rarely seen her write or draw.

Yun Qianyue grabbed the firestone and headed straight for the door, muttering through gritted teeth, "No."

Cai Lian's face fell. So it wasn't Miss Yun who painted them. That made more sense; she couldn't imagine her producing such exquisite work. If the paintings hadn't been Yun Qianyue's, they could only have been from Prince Ran himself, perhaps sent to express his thoughts for her in his absence.