The Dandy's Duchess

Chapter 189: Dark and Boundless (5)

The footsteps behind her paused, and the gaze directed at her didn't immediately shift.

"Right, I forgot. You don't need to light the lamp. Just take out your night pearl. When it's not in use during the day, I put it in the box in the left corner of the wall. QingShang told me it was left by your mother, so I didn't dare touch it," Yun Qianyue continued, her eyes still glued to the book.

The person behind her still didn't move, though their gaze remained fixed on her.

"Hey, didn't you hear me? You've been gone for half a month, and now you've turned deaf or mute?" Yun Qianyue asked without lifting her eyes from the page. She was focused on something particularly interesting and couldn't bear to look away.

The man's breathing seemed to falter for a moment, but it quickly steadied, and he still didn't move.

"Rongjing, what are you doing standing there at the door? Hurry up!" Yun Qianyue said, slightly irritated. "Light the lamp, didn't you hear me?"

Her words prompted the man to finally move. His footsteps were light as he entered, walked over to the corner, and retrieved the night pearl from the box. The room instantly brightened as if it were daylight. He gently placed the pearl down and slowly approached Yun Qianyue.

"What have you been doing for the past half month? You've been so quiet, didn't do anything bad, did you?" The sudden brightness made Yun Qianyue squint and blink, trying to adjust. Once her eyes had re-focused, she asked.

The man didn't respond. Instead, he paused behind her.

Yun Qianyue realized something was off. She had been so engrossed in her reading that she hadn't noticed the difference. This person's footsteps and presence were not Rongjing's. Rongjing's movements were graceful and deliberate, and even without seeing him, one could almost picture him as if a painting were unfolding. But this person's steps were light too, but quiet, almost like the sound of snow falling in winter—subtle, clean, and still. Rongjing's aura was like snow and lotus, while this person only exuded a sense of cleanliness.

Realizing this, Yun Qianyue quickly turned around. To her surprise, the person standing behind her was indeed not Rongjing.

The young man was slightly younger than Rongjing, with clean-cut features. Looking closely, there was a faint resemblance to Rongjing. But unlike the opulent robes usually worn by the sons of noble families, he was dressed in a simple white robe. It wasn't made of fine silk, but the fabric was pure and spotless, giving him an air of being untouched by the world. He wore a translucent jade pendant at his waist, with no other adornments.

Yun Qianyue stared at the man, and he returned her gaze. Her expression showed confusion, while his eyes were clouded, complex, and unreadable. It seemed like he was filled with many emotions, but also as if he had none at all.

Yun Qianyue felt uneasy under his gaze, as if he knew her too well. She pursed her lips and cautiously asked, "I'm Yun Qianyue. May I ask who you are?"

As soon as the words left her mouth, the man's body trembled slightly.

Yun Qianyue realized she had made a mistake and cursed inwardly. It was likely that in the Heavenly Saint Dynasty, there were few who didn't recognize her current identity. She had only been here a short while, and the number of people she knew was extremely small. Her words might have just revealed that she wasn't the real Yun Qianyue. But now that the words were out, she couldn't take them back. She could only watch the man carefully. After all, unless a divine fortune-teller revealed her secret, no one could prove she wasn't truly Yun Qianyue.

The man's body quivered before his gaze flickered with a sharp pang of pain.

Yun Qianyue froze for a moment but maintained a calm demeanor, staring back at him. Seeing that he resembled Rongjing, she guessed that he must be a relative of his—perhaps his brother. However, she hadn't seen him before, even when she was rescued from the Lingtai Temple's back mountain courtyard that day.

The man, seemingly uncomfortable with Yun Qianyue's steady gaze, slowly looked away, directing his attention elsewhere. The momentary flash of pain in his eyes quickly disappeared, and he remained silent.

Yun Qianyue shrugged inwardly, thinking to herself, Rongjing's family members must be as high and mighty as he is. She couldn't be bothered anymore and turned her attention back to the book in her hands.

Just then, QingShang's hurried footsteps could be heard outside, followed by her respectful voice: "Is it Young Master Feng? The Young Master already told us you would be coming, and I thought you'd have arrived ten days ago. I didn't expect you only to get here today."

Young Master Feng? Yun Qianyue's mind raced as she recalled hearing Rongjing mention something about Feng coming to the estate when they were last at Prince Rong's Mansion. It seemed that this was the person.

"I'm Rong Feng," the man suddenly spoke, his voice heavy and misty, as if it came from afar. "Miss Qianyue... you really have a lot of forgetfulness. It's only been a few years, and you've already forgotten me? Or am I truly unworthy of being remembered by you?"

Yun Qianyue was taken aback, her body stiffening. She quickly turned to look at him.

Without waiting for her response, the man turned abruptly and walked out, his footsteps now hurried and unsteady, in stark contrast to how he entered.

Yun Qianyue blinked in confusion, unsure of what just happened.

QingShang had arrived at the door of the study just as Rong Feng emerged. They nearly collided, but QingShang quickly stepped aside. Seeing Rong Feng's pale and troubled expression, she gasped and called out, "Young Master Feng?"

Rong Feng gave her a brief glance but said nothing. With a swift movement, his figure disappeared without a trace.

QingShang stared in astonishment and turned back to look at Yun Qianyue, who was still in a daze. "Miss Qianyue, what happened to Young Master Feng?" she asked, perplexed.

Yun Qianyue shook her head. "I don't know either."

"I've never seen Young Master Feng behave this way before. Though he's a year younger than our Young Master, sometimes he acts even more mature than Rongjing. The Young Master often jokes that Feng is an old man in disguise. It's rare to see him like this. Something must have happened," QingShang observed, casting a puzzled look at Yun Qianyue. "Did Young Master Feng say anything before he left? I heard our Young Master returned, but he left for a while."

"I only asked his name, and he left," Yun Qianyue recalled the strange phrase Rong Feng had spoken, suppressing the odd feeling creeping up. She shrugged innocently, saying, "Maybe he's just not used to meeting strangers. And I did tell him my name. Perhaps that scared him away?"

"Impossible! How could Young Master Feng be afraid of strangers? Miss Qianyue, you're so kind, how could you scare him?" QingShang shook her head with a smile but seemed puzzled. After a long moment of contemplation, she let the matter go and stepped into the room to ask, "Miss Qianyue, have you finished reading? The Young Master has just returned to his room. Would you like to go over?"