Chapter 54: Undercover
The heavy oak door was slowly pushed open, the rusty hinges letting out a dry groan. Adele dragged her legs back into the guest room.
She had wandered by the sea for a whole day but had not received the bishop’s magpie. Unable to confirm the specific meeting address, she could only return empty-handed.
The air was filled with a damp, musty smell. The dim candlelight could not dispel the cold gloom in the guest room.
Adele leaned against the door in a daze. It was her first time being an undercover agent. The extreme fatigue and prolonged mental tension had left her mind blank. Her temples throbbed, and her five senses had become blurry.
She dragged her feet and, relying solely on instinct, walked toward the bathroom, completely oblivious to the golden-yellow fur lying in the corner of the wall.
To save space, the single rooms in the old-fashioned inn did not have a door for the bathroom. A velvet curtain was usually hung for cover. The curtain was not too long, leaving about half a meter at the bottom for ventilation.
Adele’s thoughts were stagnant. She stood in the bathroom for a long time before she remembered to take off her clothes.
She first unbuttoned her white shirt and casually threw it into the laundry basket by the door. The cotton fabric carried the lingering warmth of her body, soaked in her scent.
A black shadow flashed past the bathroom entrance.
Adele’s vision was just blocked by the high-collared cashmere sweater she was halfway through taking off.
She also pulled off her thermal underwear from her head, completely undressed.
A cold wind howled outside the window. Snow was falling heavily. Adele couldn’t help but shiver and eagerly stood under the showerhead.
The water temperature was high enough today. The water gushed out. In just half a minute, the bathroom was filled with white steam.
The black shadow stopped at the bathroom entrance.
Motionless.
Hot water poured down on her head. Adele enjoyed the impact of the water. She closed her eyes and tilted her face up, as if this could wash away all her fatigue and unease.
Suddenly—
An extremely faint sound pierced through the curtain of water and entered Adele’s ears.
She was subconsciously on guard, abruptly raised her hand, and hastily wiped away the hot water that was blurring her eyes.
The sound of rushing water and the pounding of her heart like a drum exploded in her ears at the same time.
But in the white, misty steam, there was nothing.
The curtain hung quietly, and the laundry basket was also in its place.
I must be too tired.
Adele attributed the source of the sound to the aging pipes.
Just as she turned to continue rinsing, a pale hand slowly reached into the laundry basket and gently hooked away the clothes stained with her scent.
The refreshing scent of soap was constantly being amplified by the steam.
Adele bent down and gathered her hair in front of her. She was about to comb out the knots at the ends of her hair, but the next second—
Through the gaps in her wet, dripping hair, she saw a pair of eyes under the curtain!
Unblinking, they were peeking at her through the steam!
Adele abruptly straightened up. Hot water rushed into her eyes. She blinked frantically, shaking the water droplets from her face. Her gaze once again looked under the curtain—
Empty.
Still empty.
It was as if that terrifying glimpse just now was just her hallucination.
The lights in the room suddenly began to flicker.
Darkness rushed in, wave after wave.
Adele looked around. The deep green walls with the black candlesticks, and the two red wheat-ear knots on the mirror directly opposite her…
Strange.
Too strange.
Adele couldn’t continue to wash.
A subtle feeling of being watched made her blood run cold. She no longer had any mood to continue to stay in this enclosed space.
Adele quickly turned off the faucet. The entire guest room quickly fell silent.
She pulled a bathrobe and wrapped it around herself, her fingers trembling steadily from nervousness.
There was no change in the room, exactly the same as before she had entered the bathroom.
Adele sat on the edge of the bed for a long time, both her body and her spirit exhausted to the extreme.
Could the mission be completed successfully?
Did Lina eat properly today? Did she cry secretly?
As Adele thought, her eyelids grew as heavy as if they were filled with cement. She couldn’t open them at all. She collapsed directly onto the bed, her consciousness instantly sinking.
The cold moonlight shone diagonally into the room through the glass window, just falling on Adele’s sleeping face.
After a long moment, the patch of moonlight was slowly blocked by a figure that was quietly approaching Adele.
The cold light outlined the silhouette of two rabbit ears.
Lina stood motionless by the bed, clutching Adele’s close-fitting thermal underwear in her hand.
Master, I’ve caught you…
She quietly stared at Adele, expressionlessly tracing her features. The anger of being abandoned surpassed her panic. Her breathing was light, her frequency very slow. She stood with her back to the light, her eyes as cold as a female ghost’s, a chilling possessiveness almost overflowing.
Perhaps it was a long time, perhaps it was just a moment.
She slowly bent her knees and knelt on the cold, hard floor.
One of Adele’s hands was hanging off the bed.
Lina leaned forward, cautiously lowered her head, and wanted to press her cold cheek against Adele’s warm palm.
She wanted to nuzzle that hand.
She wanted to nuzzle Adele so badly.
But she… didn’t dare to disturb her.
Lina stared at Adele’s face and imagined the clothes in her hand as Adele’s palm. She began to nuzzle the clothes… with an almost crazy obsession…
Master.
Master… if it were your warm palm caressing me… that would be nice… thank you…
…Mhm.
Lina didn’t dare to nuzzle too hard. The pleasure was neither here nor there, forcing her eyes to turn red and wet.
Her chaotic thoughts were filled with the two words “abandoned.”
Lina’s breathing became slightly rapid. The motion of nuzzling the clothes was gradually wrapped in a hint of anxiety.
Adele, you’d better not be abandoning your lop-eared rabbit!
Lina moved closer to that hand again.
Her teeth knocked against her nails, making a barely audible light sound.
Whether she wanted to hold it in her mouth or bite it, it didn’t matter.
The moment her tongue tasted the faint scent of soap and her master’s taste, the pleasure shot straight to her scalp.
Lina knelt on the floor, trembling slightly.
Adele…
I will always, always be watching you…
*
The Grand Hall of the Royal Palace.
Yuan You dismissed the servants and walked to Huaguang’s side. “Your Majesty, the informant said that Lina also went to the capture site.”
“Didn’t Adele leave her a letter?” Huaguang stopped her pen, a playful smile on her face. “Are they that inseparable? Can’t stand to be apart for a day?”
“The informant said that before she came, someone had come with a portrait to scout the location. And when she came, her expression was very ugly, as if she were here to catch someone…” Yuan You paused and said, “That’s not right. I personally gave the letter to her butler…”
Huaguang frowned slightly. She didn’t think it was Yuan You’s oversight, but she couldn’t determine where the problem was.
Yuan You asked again, “This is a secret operation. Will she mess things up?”
“If she can find Adele’s address, she can definitely find out that Adele had entered the palace in advance. As long as she’s not a pig-brain, and she still wants to work for me, she won’t mess around.”
Yuan You gave a light “mhm.”
Huaguang hooked her collar and pulled her onto her lap.
Yuan You’s back tensed. “Your Majesty… this is not in accordance with the rules. The door… the door is not yet closed.”
Huaguang was in a mischievous mood. Ever since Yuan You had become the director of the Inner Court, she rarely wore her silver armor. Now, a white, slim-fitting palace gown made her look even more “delicious.”
“No one dares to come in. My life is in your hands.” Huaguang took off her mask. “I have to check if you are loyal.”
Yuan You’s flushed face had nowhere to hide. She stammered, “My sincere heart can be seen by heaven and earth…”
“Words are no proof.” Huaguang touched the buttons of her outer garment and said, “Let me see your sincere heart.”
Yuan You had a look of being at her mercy.
Huaguang lightly patted her face. “Are you still waiting for me to serve you? Take it off yourself.”
“…Yes.” Yuan You wished she could bury her face in the ground.
Huaguang picked up a brand new quill pen from the table. She held Yuan You.
“I hear that My Lady Yuan You has a very strong endurance. I also want to check.”
“Your Majesty… please…”
“I can only allow you to tremble. If you make another sound, I’ll rip out your ‘sincere heart’.”
“Yes.”
*
Soot enveloped the entire seaside town. The sunlight was trapped by the dark clouds. A damp mist filled the narrow alleyways. Adele hurried through them. Fifteen minutes ago, she had received a message from the bishop and had gotten the exact meeting address.
Her expression was calm, with a hint of relief from the impending release.
Soon! She could go home and find Lina!
Adele turned into a more secluded alley. A woman was leaning against a mottled wall, her hat pulled down very low.
The two of them looked at each other without a word.
Adele handed the address from the magpie to the woman.
“The carriage is ready.”
The woman was wary of her surroundings and said, “It’s at the back door of the inn. I’ll send you back immediately.”
Adele let out a long sigh of relief.
It’s finally over.
She turned around eagerly, quickening her pace toward the back door of the inn, and finally broke into a small run.
Just as she was about to run out of the alley, an arm directly pulled her into the shadows.
“You’re finished.” The woman’s features were exactly the same as Lina’s.
But Adele recognized her as the fake Lina with one glance. “It’s you again! How am I finished?”
“Lina never saw the letter you left. She threw a huge tantrum at home!”
“Ah?” Adele’s eyes widened. After a moment, she reacted and said, “What! What!”
She could completely imagine how frantic Lina was.
When she was confined by the lop-eared rabbit from behind, the warning from her genes was still fresh in her mind.
Lina doesn’t think she ran away, does she!
White wolf, in danger!
Adele said, “Thank you for telling me. I have to go back and explain it to her right away…”
“Adele! You’d better be obedient!” the woman instructed her.
Adele nodded and hurried out of the alley.
At the intersection, a closed carriage was parked quietly in the shade of a tree.
There was no one around. The horse had its head bowed, motionless.
Where’s the coachman?
Adele’s footsteps hesitated for a few seconds. In the end, her heart was set on returning. She still climbed into the carriage.
The cold metal door handle pricked Adele’s palm.
This seemed to be a bad omen.
Adele pulled open the carriage door. The darkness inside the carriage instantly rushed out. Her heartbeat suddenly went out of order. Lina was sitting on the soft chair directly opposite the carriage door, staring at her with a smile.
The grayish-white daylight illuminated Lina’s face. The gloom that leaked from the corners of her eyes silently exposed her fake smile.
Under the deliberately restrained calm was a madly churning anger.
Adele’s hand, holding the carriage door, froze in mid-air. She wanted to say something but was so scared by Lina’s stare she was speechless.
In Lina’s eyes, wasn’t she just a bastard who had abandoned a rabbit and left without saying goodbye!
“I…” Adele blurted out the whole story. “…I really left you a letter! I even confessed my love to you!”
Lina said nothing. She pulled open her collar, revealing a leather collar wrapped around her neck.
She slowly pulled out a silver chain, hooked one end to the leather, and held the other end out to Adele. “Master, you lost me.”
