Chương 364: Chapter 357

With heavy eyelids and mounting frustration, Luo-Luo left the warm embrace of her new, silk comforter and shuffled across the cold wooden floor. Fumbling with the handle, her tired brain took an eternity to remember how to unclasp the latch, a process made more difficult by her inability to keep her eyes open or yawns stifled. Opening the door, she greeted the persistent guest knocking at her door and found the ever-stoic Li-Li standing in the soft light of the rising sun, her hair neat and armour polished.

Belatedly remembering she'd imposed upon Li-Li to come wake her in the morning, Luo-Luo sleepily said, "Good morning", while inwardly cursing her own stupidity. Of course a dedicated Martial Warrior like Li-Li would rise at dawn. Luo-Luo wanted to wake earlier so not to offend Sister Alsantset, but this was overdoing things... Nodding in wordless reply, Li-Li stood in place, her expression unreadable and posture impeccable.

Spotting three of Lord Husband's thuggish soldiers passing by, Luo-Luo's sleepiness vanished as she glanced down at her thin nightclothes and uttered a squeak of panic. The soldiers weren't looking in her direction, but all they'd have to do is turn their heads ever so slightly to see Luo-Luo's exposed figure and who knows how they would react.

Pant like slavering beasts in heat and perhaps even become emboldened enough to lose all reason and approach them, subduing Li-Li before gagging Luo-Luo and dragging them into the yurt, where they would both be used and abused for hours on end until someone came to save them. Panicking due to her overactive imagination, Luo-Luo dragged Li-Li into the yurt and shut the door behind them.

Cheeks flushed and heart pounding, she cursed herself for letting fear get the best of her, not to mention the minor thrill of excitement which came with it. Wracking her brain for a proper excuse for her actions, she came up with nothing, but luckily, instead of waiting for an explanation, Li-Li wordlessly offered to brush Luo-Luo's hair and did so using an emerald-studded jade comb with surprising adeptness.

A woman of few words and glacial expressions, Li-Li was a kind, considerate soul who welcomed Luo-Luo into her family with open arms. If only Mila and Sister Alsantset could do the same. Sadly, having accepted Li-Li's help made it all but impossible to go back to sleep, so Luo-Luo grit her teeth and left her yurt at this unholy hour.

If yesterday's events were any indication, Mila and Lin-Lin wouldn't wake for at least another four hours, though Lord Husband already sat by the campfire wrapping dumplings with the twins. Glancing up from his work, he nodded and offered a polite, but distant smile in greeting while Luo-Luo flashed him a coy look beneath fluttered lashes, only to be outright ignored as he went back to rolling perfectly round dumpling skins for the twins. What an infuriating and inflexible man.

Could he not offer her more than a brief glance and a cold smile? Abandoned by Li-Li for the company of rabbits, bears, and wildcats, Luo-Luo laid a cloth on the grass and settled down to watch her Lord Husband at work. It boggled the mind seeing a man of his status lower himself to do menial labour like cooking or cleaning, but he looked so content and at peace as he tended to the campfire and oversaw the twins, it was difficult to fault him for it.

With skills which ran the gamut and included cooking, duelling, herbalism, and tinkering, her Lord Husband was an odd little man, a thoughtful, humble, brilliant man who seemed wholly indifferent to fame, rank, face, or reputation. In short, he was the exact opposite of what she'd been taught to expect.

"Time's up," Lord Husband declared, clapping his hands in a cloud of flour.

"I shall now choose the winners of this first ever, Imperial Grand Conference Dumpling Wrapping Competition!" Stroking his chin, he left streaks of flour on his cheeks as he counted and inspected each twin's plate of dumplings, hmm-ing and ha-ing while pretending not to notice their giggles. After long deliberation, he nodded and said, "Okay.

Totalling in at twenty-three to fifteen, Tate wins in dumpling quantity, but because nine of his dumplings aren't entirely sealed and all of Tali's dumplings are both beautifully wrapped and evenly sized, she wins in quality. Congratulations! You both win the grand prize!"

"What did we win?" The twins asked in tandem.

"Your prizes are... a plate of delicious dumplings for breakfast!"

"Booo!" While Lord Husband laughed at the twin's pleas and protests, Luo-Luo imagined what life would be like if he loved her. In all her years, she'd often embarked on flights of fancy, dreaming of becoming a renowned musician, famed poet, or a secondary wife of this prominent general or that notable Imperial Scion, but never did she dare dream for love.

Such was life as an Imperial Servant, brought up as a trophy, a keepsake, someone to bear and teach her Lord Husband's successors, but Falling Rain made her yearn for more. He had so much love to give, for his family, for his wives, for his pets, why couldn't he spare a little love for Luo-Luo? Perhaps his smile would warm after she bore him a child of his own, though they had yet to share a bed.

Were it not for her fear of encountering his fearsome quin Zabu once again, she'd have long since snuck into Lord Husband's yurt under the cover of darkness. She refused to believe he would be heartless enough to send her off in shame, especially if he found her laying naked atop his bed... Luo-Luo would never have thought herself a bold woman, but Lord Husband's frosty demeanour left her no other options.

After his initial greeting, he paid her no attention, though Luo-Luo did little to merit it, too busy resisting the urge to lay her head down and rest. Curiously enough, Li-Li was uncharacteristically talkative during breakfast, lecturing Lord Husband on properly caring for his many, many pets. Though annoyed by the censure, he nodded along and promised to help groom the animals, arguing they didn't need to be brushed everyday, a sentiment Luo-Luo wholeheartedly agreed with.

In response, Li-Li merely fixed him with a glare and a pout, and after a long, awkward silence, during which Lord Husband looked positively distressed, he finally relented and agreed before escaping with the Divine Turtle in tow, off to swim in the bay with the Medical Saint and his octopus. With breakfast finished and nothing better to do, Luo-Luo joined the train of pets and followed Li-Li to the sparring grounds, where Lord Husband's soldiers abused one another in the pursuit of strength.

Swathes of brawny warriors stood in place while their comrades beat them all over with heavy, wooden rods, leaving thick welts, broken skin, and dark bruises behind. Men and women alike endured this abuse, with muttered curses and pained cries aplenty to fill the air. When their thrashing came to an end, the beaten warriors limped off to the side to join their seated comrades in silent meditation.

Only then did Luo-Luo notice the half-healed injuries on those already seated soldiers, their cuts sealing and bruises fading almost before her eyes. Small wonder their wedding banquet had a monk from the Penitent Brotherhood in attendance; Bekhai training methods bordered on the sadistic. Prescribed beatings were not even the worst of it.

During her short jaunt through the sparring grounds, she witnessed no less than fourteen warriors suffer debilitating injuries in the course of a spar, only to be carried off to join the growing crowd of meditating soldiers. Impressed by their expertise in Healing, a quiet voice in Luo-Luo's mind wondered what dark fate awaited those who failed to reach such levels of proficiency.

Approaching the matter from a different angle, Luo-Luo speculated if this harsh training stemmed from Lord Husband's empathy and compassion, wanting his soldiers to learn Healing so they could survive their injuries and return home alive. A harsh kindness indeed, and she shuddered to think what Lord Husband had to endure to earn his title as the Undying Savage.

Upon reaching their destination, Luo-Luo stood a respectful distance from the cart filled with bears, wildcats, and aggressive rabbits while Li-Li met her axe-wielding opponent in a clash of blades. At first, the repeated clang of metal of metal had Luo-Luo's heart jumping in her chest, but after a solid hour of non-stop sparring, she finally grew accustomed to the din and allowed her mind to wander off. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

How might she make herself useful to Lord Husband? He showed little interest in art, poetry, music, or dance, and any attempts to make conversation always led to the same awkward silences. Should she try to help groom his pets? Impossible, she could barely bring herself to look at the fearsome creatures, much less touch one. Throw away her years of education and demean herself by laundering his clothes and cooking his meals?

Perhaps, but considering she was a complete novice and how much he seemed to enjoy cooking, would he even appreciate her efforts? In the end, Luo-Luo's years of training were of little use in her current circumstances. She had much advice to offer him, but in the current state of affairs, any suggestions she made would be dismissed out of hand, or worse, cause Lord Husband to dig in his heels out of sheer spite. Li-Li's direct approach in demanding he brush his pets everyday was the wrong way to go about it.

An obstinate man not without his own pride, it wouldn't surprise Luo-Luo if Lord Husband failed to keep his end of the bargain, merely agreeing to brush the animals every day in order to get away from what he viewed as an unpleasant situation. A cowardly approach, but one he used often enough, as evidenced by her current situation, drifting through her days with nothing to do despite his promises otherwise.

Like everyone kept telling her, Lord Husband was a stubborn man, one who required a lighter touch to guide and govern. Aside from staking it all on one throw and seducing him, Luo-Luo's only other option was to earn his trust the hard way, difficult to do when he left her with no responsibilities. Even though he agreed to have her oversee his business ventures, he had yet to present her with any documents, instructions, or guidelines.

The fifteen percent stake in his business hardly interested her, despite amounting to a fair bit of wealth from what she'd already seen. No, what she yearned for was a chance to prove her worth to Lord Husband and earn his trust, the first step in her plans to win him over. Once she had his ear, she would set about making sweeping changes to his habits and lifestyle, slowly reshaping his image and behaviour into someone befitting of his reputation and accomplishments, a true Dragon among Men.

To this end, she approached a scholarly-looking soldier sitting at the entrance to camp. The soldier, Silva, had been tasked with collecting invitations and marking names of prospective allies hoping to meet with the 'boss', a futile effort considering Lord Husband refused to meet with anyone aside from his friends and family. Lamenting his lack of political acumen, Luo-Luo borrowed paper and ink to mark down her thoughts on how to best help her Lord Husband improve himself.

To begin with, there was the matter of his complete and utter lack of ambition, too happy to meander his way through life as a simple warrior and caring little for rank or fame. Presented with this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, he refused to attend any and all events or social gatherings during the Grand Conference, instead choosing to while away his time with long naps and pleasure trips out on the bay.

He even refused to take part in the contests and competitions, 'humbly' claiming he would be 'outmatched by anyone of the same rank'. While undoubtedly true considering he was the youngest Second Grade Officer or Senior Captain by at least half a decade, if Lord Husband were to make even a modicum of effort and merely show up, many would see fit to give face to the newest member of Imperial Peerage, so why not take advantage? Then, there was his appearance, which could only be described as slovenly.

While he couldn't be considered lazy, he paid no mind to anything he considered inconsequential, and appearances sat high on that list. His close-cropped hair had never known the touch of a comb, often flattened to one side if not sticking out in all directions. His clothes were never pressed and usually covered in animal fur, with loose shirt-tails hanging out and buttons left undone for comfort.

This, alongside his weak chin, gaunt, round face, and dearth of facial hair, made him look even younger than his paltry nineteen years, an issue exacerbated by his tendency to slouch. A maid or manservant would do wonders to fix his image, but he'd already proven averse to the idea, though she noted to bring the matter up again and mention how the Legate would be displeased to see an Imperial Scion not look the part.

She continued to list his flaws and the best approach to fix them, all the while imagining what he would be like when all this was done. His greatest flaw was his height, or rather the lack thereof, though Luo-Luo refrained from marking it down as she lacked any means to correct it. She could only pray his final growth spurt would be a large one, for while a commoner might have reached his full height, Falling Rain had another five or six years to gain both height and bulk.

Twenty centimetres of height would not only make him look more suitably domineering and imposing upon the battlefield, but also make their future intimacy less... unwieldy.

"Lacking ambition?" Lost in her thoughts, Luo-Luo almost jumped out of her skin at the sound of Lord Husband's voice, scrambling to cover up her damning list of faults. Ignoring her efforts, Lord Husband gently swept her arms aside and took the paper in hand, reading it aloud with naked displeasure.

"Slovenly appearance? Poor posture, shifty eyes, undisguised impatience? Inability to hide inner thoughts? Sighs too much? Tch. Just my luck. Came here looking for quin pups to cuddle and instead I find a long list of personal flaws. What fun. Come on, we should talk." With a dark scowl, he folded the paper up and shoved it into his sleeves before pulling her by the arm to bring her away. Dying of shame and regret, tears streamed down Luo-Luo's cheeks as Lord Husband gently led her away for punishment.

She never meant for anyone to see the list, much less Lord Husband himself, but this was no excuse. Were she not too tired to think, she would have known better than to write her thoughts out, especially in such a blunt and unforgiving manner. Just reading it alone was enough to bring disgrace upon the Bekhai, and if anyone were to learn Falling Rain's new concubine saw him in such poor light, Lord Husband would have no face left to him. Would he have her locked in stocks and publicly shamed?

Or would he be more direct and drag her back to his yurt for a beating? He could even have her quietly executed and no one would care, for her purpose had been served. The whole Empire would know Falling Rain was an Imperial Consort, with or without Luo-Luo at his side. Pulling her into his yurt, he left the door half open and directed her to sit at the table. Flopping down across from her, he sighed, but stopped halfway and sucked his teeth.

Another bad habit of his, one shared by many members of the Bekhai, though thankfully one she had yet to mark down.

"Please, stop crying," he said, his voice soft and warm.

"I'm not angry. Well... a little upset, but it's nothing to cry about, okay?" Patting her head, he continued, "Look... since you're so unhappy, I'll talk to the Legate and see what we can do. He said he intended to raise other people to Imperial Peerage, so maybe there's a way I can keep my 'lofty' title and you can go home. If not... well, regardless, I'll find a way to send you back. Okay?" Luo-Luo shook her head and wiped her tears, though several seconds passed before she found her voice.

"Luo-Luo does not want to go back. Luo-Luo's place is with Lord Husband. Please do not send her away."

"You don't have to lie." With a self depreciating chuckle, he added, "You were mad enough to write a list of all my faults, but you forgot to add 'short' and 'oblivious' to the list. Sorry. I didn't know you were so unhappy, but I promise I'll make things right."

"Luo-Luo apologizes for shaming Lord Husband, but it was not because she is unhappy." Correcting herself, she said, "Luo-Luo is unhappy, but only because Lord Husband does not trust her. She only wrote the list in desperation, believing her only recourse was to offer suggestions to help Lord Husband improve his public image."

"... Why?" Taken aback by the question, Luo-Luo looked up for the first time since Lord Husband caught her.

"... because... Lord Husband's public image... is..." Leaning back on both hands, Lord Husband laughed and said, "I know, I know, it's atrocious, but what I meant was why are you so eager to help? Why aren't you more upset about being given away to a stranger as a prize? Wouldn't you rather go home?" Confused by his line of questioning, Luo-Luo took her time in answering.

"Such is Luo-Luo's purpose, ordained on the day of her birth. She is an Imperial Servant, her fate to serve wherever the Emperor deems appropriate. Home... Home is a small room in the Imperial Academy, a gloomy, joyless place no different from a gilded cage. For six long years, Luo-Luo sat and waited for her opportunity to Serve, stagnating while her peers and juniors moved on with their lives." Wiping away the last of her tears, Luo-Luo sat up straight and held her head high.

"Having met Lord Husband, Luo-Luo believes it was time well spent. Between his incredible accomplishments and brilliant mind, Lord Husband is undoubtedly a dragon among men who stands at the forefront of his generation." Offering him a seated bow, Luo-Luo added, "However, talent and hard work are not enough to soar through the Heavens, and as such, this one hopes Lord Husband will accept her humble aid." Unimpressed by her flattery, Luo-Luo's words still had an effect as Lord Husband sat up and leaned forward.

"Why were you kept back for six years? Bad student?"

"On the contrary, Luo-Luo was a most excellent student." Pleased to finally have his attention, she told her story, stopping often to answer his queries and explain some nuance of Imperial life he didn't understand. When her throat ran dry, he stopped to make tea and snacks and Luo-Luo belatedly realized this was their first, real conversation together, with only the two of them sitting alone in his yurt.

With his back turned, she quickly fixed her hair and loosened her collar, desperately wishing she had a pocket mirror to check her makeup as she prepared to seduce him out of his pants. Sadly, despite all her best efforts, Lord Husband seemed utterly immune to her charms. Laughing at his witty rejoinders, leaving her hands in easy reach for him to hold, fanning her collar to bare her skin, all her best tricks only amused him, his infuriating, knowing smile showing he was wise to her ways.

So aggravating, if he knew her intentions, then how could he sit there and ignore them? Did he have no pride as a man? Did he not find her attractive? Or did it amuse him to watch her repeatedly throw herself at him? Was that what he wanted? A shameless, brazen harlot begging to fulfill his every desire? Too ashamed to act so boldly, Luo-Luo finished telling her story and answering his questions, at which point Lord Husband stood and stretched with a mighty yawn.

"I see. I still don't entirely understand this whole Servant thing, but then again, there's a lot I don't understand about this world we live in." Shrugging easily, he flashed her a genuine smile, so warm and bright it made her heart swell with joy.

"Perhaps you can help explain it during lunch, and we can talk about improving my public image too. I'd also love to hear you play the zither sometime, but first we have to go wake Mila. She signed up for a contest which is starting soon, and she'll never forgive herself if she's disqualified for being late." Beaming as she followed him out, Luo-Luo thanked the Mother for bestowing fortune amidst disaster.

Lord Husband was truly a magnanimous soul, so easily forgiving Luo-Luo for her dire misstep, though he seemed intent on teasing her for a little while longer. No matter. She had confidence in her skills, and once he had a taste, then they would see who teased whom. Now, if only she had some way to send Zabu away...