Unlike yesterday's faint sounds, tonight the noises were very obvious. They came in broken bursts or rose and fell continuously.
This made everyone even more curious about what was going on inside the room that could make their lord end up in such a miserable state.
They'd heard the Lady of the House wasn't very attractive. Could it be that their lord just wasn't interested in her? Rumor had it that he only married her because she once saved his life.
Considering how outstanding their lord was, marrying someone so plain and having these kinds of problems actually seemed reasonable.
They thought they had figured out the truth.
The guards on duty kept hearing everything, and the noises didn't stop until the middle of the night.
The next day, the daytime guards clearly heard the painful cries of their lord again. Though the sounds were disturbing, they had gotten used to it and continued standing guard loyally.
At night, the night guards felt the same. They were already used to the pained and frustrated sounds from their lord and felt sorry for him.
At the same time, they also pitied the Lady of the House. Their lord refused to sleep with her, but judging by the noises that lasted till midnight, something didn't add up.
The next morning, Pearl Su slowly woke up from sleep and lazily opened her eyes. She turned over.
She'd tortured that jerk so late last night that she really didn't feel like getting up now. So she just lay there in bed.
She started thinking about what new tricks to use today to torment that jerk for another couple of days before deciding what to do with him.
Oh right, once he woke up again, she'd need to give him another dose of the drug. The one she gave only lasted a day.
After lying there a bit, she turned over again. Her eyes drifted around, and then she froze.
Something didn't feel right. What was wrong?
Right. That jerk wasn't next to her. She hadn't heard his usual shameless morning greeting either.
Her eyes darted over to the side. Just as she thought, there wasn't a trace of him. Half the bed was empty.
Where did he go?
Pearl Su suddenly sat up. The ropes tied to the bedposts were gone.
The bed was empty, and there was no sign of him in the room. That jerk had left?
No good. Who knows what he'll do to her when he comes back? She had to run first.
She quickly got dressed, packed her bundle, and pushed the door open.
The guards outside heard the door open. When they looked over, they saw someone in men's clothing, thin and small. They frowned. As far as they knew, only the Lady of the House was inside. No one else should be in there.
Looking closer at the face, it was clearly a woman, and the most beautiful one they'd ever seen. They quickly realized who she was and bowed with red faces.
"Greetings, my lady."
Pearl Su ignored them and walked forward, but after just one step, someone blocked her way.
"My lady, the lord said you must not leave the room. If you need anything, just tell us and we'll take care of it."
Pearl Su stared at them, stepped back twice, then suddenly raised her hand and scattered some powder. The powder floated among the guards, and they dropped to the ground.
She ran forward quickly. But just as she reached the front, a few more people appeared and blocked her path. They didn't speak, but their intention was clear.
Pearl Su threw more powder. This time, they dodged quickly, already on guard. Pearl Su sneered and kept running. Behind her, she heard bodies hitting the ground.
She was almost at the courtyard gate when more people appeared in front of her to block her way. Pearl Su scattered another handful of powder.
Alaric Yun came to attend the morning court session today. The emperor had ordered that he must show up, or he would be punished. With no choice, he brought his injuries and came.
But just thinking about that little woman, and how terrified and pale she'd look if she found out he could move again, filled him with glee. He wanted to see how she would act after that.
When the Grand Steward announced the court's dismissal, Alaric walked out of the palace hall with a pleased expression.
As he made his way out, fellow officials noticed his unsteady steps and the joy he couldn't hide. Everyone secretly thought: He hasn't attended court for six days, and now he shows up like this. He must've indulged himself too much.
Ha. Could it be that he finally tasted meat after years of abstinence? Word was that his wife looked plain and wasn't a match for his title as Eastern Ling's most handsome man.
Back in the capital, countless noble ladies had wanted to marry him. But he, proud and arrogant, refused them all. Now he had married an ordinary woman and ended up looking like this.
Clearly, he'd never experienced a woman's charm before and was now willing to eat anything without being picky. He had completely lost the proud, untouchable aura he used to have.
Alaric was eager to leave the palace and return home. He didn't hear the private gossip behind him.
As he exited the palace gates, one of his men stepped forward to report everything that had happened at the manor. The joyful smile on Alaric's face immediately vanished. Without waiting for a carriage, he jumped and rushed away.
Behind him, someone came running and shouting his name, but Alaric was already gone.
The man asked a subordinate nearby, "What happened? Why was he in such a rush?"
The subordinate replied, "Your Highness, something happened with Madam."
"Madam? His wife? Didn't they just get married?" Dilwyn Ling wanted to chat with his good friend about what it was like being married, but now the guy had just taken off.
The subordinate stayed silent. It was exactly because they just got married that she ran off, which is why the Marquis was so panicked. But he definitely couldn't say that out loud.
"Ah, Your Highness, I finally found you. The Emperor wants to see you. Please come with me quickly!" came the panting voice of the Grand Steward from behind.
"The Emperor? What's the urgency?" Dilwyn turned and asked.
The Grand Steward stopped in front of him and replied, "His Majesty saw how happy the Marquis looked this morning. Now he wants to speak with you about marriage. No time to chat, let's go quickly, or the Emperor will blame us."
As he spoke, he pulled Dilwyn along.
Dilwyn had no choice. As he was being dragged away, he called back to the subordinate, "Go tell the Marquis to visit me when he has time."
He had wanted to go join the fun, but now that clearly wasn't happening. All he could do was follow the steward forward.
The subordinate respectfully bowed and said, "Yes, I will inform the Marquis."
After six days of absence, Alaric finally appeared in court looking like he'd overindulged himself and still wore a smile on his face.
News spread fast across the capital. The men laughed at him while the women were heartbroken and filled with jealousy toward the so-called Lady Marquis.
Dilwyn also heard the rumors. Remembering how his friend behaved at the palace gate, he became curious about the woman who could make him act like that.
He thought about finding a chance to sneak a look at her and see what kind of person she was.
Back at the main courtyard of the Marquis's residence, Pearl Su was facing the sixth group of strangers who had appeared from who knows where.
Staring at them with bitterness in her heart, she realized she had already used up all the paralyzing powder she had. Yet, she still hadn't managed to leave the courtyard. And she had no idea how many more waves of people might come.