Du Du stared at the dishes on the table with an incredulous expression.
“Momma, the demon tribe’s local specialities you mentioned are… braised pig trotters?”
Zhang Momo gave an affirmative “Hmm.”
“I’ll go wake the mistress. You keep watch at the entrance.”
“Keep watch for… what?”
“The mistress hasn’t gone out to embarrass the Marquis’ household with her crazed behavior for several days now. The Marquis will surely visit tonight, and someone is bound to grow anxious.”
There were currently six concubines in the Marquis’ household, though it remained uncertain who would be the first to lose patience.
After uttering these profound words, Zhang Momo entered the inner chamber.
Lin Yu’er was sleeping soundly, her dark hair spread across the soft pillow like seaweed. On her petite, palm-sized face, her eyelashes rested demurely like crow feathers.
She clutched a plush teddy bear that stood out starkly against its surroundings – one that Zhang Momo had made for her after crossing over.
Since obtaining this plush bear, Lin Yu’er’s nighttime teeth-grinding, eerie laughter, startled screams, and sleepwalking had gradually ceased.
Upon learning of this, the Marquis had promoted Zhang Momo from manual labor to become Lin Yu’er’s personal attendant.
“Mistress, it’s time to wake up.”
Lin Yu’er tightened her grip on the bear, rolling over to present her backside and the back of her head toward the edge of the bed.
Zhang Momo sighed helplessly and raised her voice:
“Mealtime! The last one there gets no meat and has to wash the dishes!”
Lin Yu’er bolted upright, shook her head, rubbed her eyes twice, her gaze filled with fighting spirit!
“No way! I refuse to wash dishes!!”
She leaped from the bed, snatched a pair of bowls and chopsticks from the cabinet, and dashed outward.
Zhang Momo caught her. “Mistress, you haven’t put on your shoes!”
Lin Yu’er struggled free: “The demon tribe acts with forthright dignity! As the Demon Lord’s daughter, my every action must reflect my status! What worthless shoes dare presume to be worn by me?”
She needed to hurry to the dining hall to secure the meat.
Zhang Momo wrapped her arms firmly around Lin Yu’er’s waist, refusing to let go: “Mistress, mistress! We’re in a new realm now! There’s no need to fight for it – all the meat is yours! You don’t have to wash dishes either!”
Lin Yu’er paused mid-step.
Seizing the opportunity, Zhang Momo continued persuading: “Your Highness of the demon tribe, this world is fraught with danger. We cannot recklessly expose our identities. Have you forgotten that we must lie low…?”
Lin Yu’er calmed down: “You’re quite right. I still need to return and inherit my legacy, to ascend the Demon Lord’s throne. I can’t perish here. Come, carefully prepare my disguise – we mustn’t reveal my identity at any cost.”
Zhang Momo finally breathed a sigh of relief.
She had managed to placate her.
During her half-month here, she had learned how to properly serve others. She quickly helped Lin Yu’er into her shoes and styled her hair.
The bronze mirror reflected a beauty with exquisite features – eyes holding stars and concealing moons, flawless complexion, red lips and white teeth.
“Hmm, this disguise is quite good. Almost human-like.”
Zhang Momo: …
Lin Yu’er flashed a bright smile and planted a loud kiss on the mirror.
“My precious treasure, so beautiful!”
…
While Lin Yu’er was gnawing on pig trotters, Du Du entered.
“Mistress, Yue Yiniang requests an audience.”
“Yue Yiniang, who?!”
“Yue Yiniang is… Yue Yiniang.” Du Du cast a pleading look toward Zhang Momo.
“Shall I invite her in?”
Zhang Momo facepalmed.
She had forgotten to inform Du Du.
The Marquis had specifically instructed that as long as the mistress remained sane, they were to act as background fixtures.
Lin Yu’er was squatting on a stool devouring her meal, grains of rice still clinging to her oil-glistened lips. When she heard that a visitor had arrived, her eyes lit up with apparent excitement.
“Requesting an audience… that means they’re here to see me, right?”
“Yes.”
“Quick, quick, quick, invite them in immediately…”
Just after speaking, Lin Yu’er looked at the unfinished braised pig trotters before her and spoke again: “Wait.”
She picked up the plate of braised pig trotters and placed it behind a flower vase.
After some thought, she still felt it wasn’t secure enough, so she retrieved it.
She tried several different hiding spots in succession, but remained unsatisfied with each.
Finally, after circling the table a few times and scrutinizing every corner, she directly hid the plate of braised pig trotters beneath the dining table.
To Lin Yu’er, this was an excellent hiding spot.
Facing the gazes of the maids and Momma, Lin Yu’er licked the sauce from her lips.
“This is a demon tribe’s local specialty! Exposing the food would be equivalent to exposing my identity as the Demon Princess!”
Du Du’s eyes widened in shock as she looked at Lin Yu’er, thinking: Madam’s logic is actually coherent!
How incredible!
Zhang Momma: Overthinking it – she’s actually just being protective of her food.
“Go bring the person in,” Zhang Momma coughed lightly, and only then did Du Du snap out of her daze.
“Yes!”
But before Du Du could retreat, a pair of exquisite red camellia-embroidered shoes stepped across the threshold.
The newcomer was a beauty with rouged cheeks and lightly penciled brows, who wore a smiling expression with shallow dimples.
“Madam, I calculated the timing and came specifically to serve you during your meal!”
Lin Yu’er looked the woman up and down, her previously excited expression instantly turning as dark as a dark cloud as she addressed Du Du.
“Throw her out!!!”
Yue Yiniang: ?
Lin Yu’er nearly rolled her eyes to the heavens, shouting loudly: “You don’t understand basic social etiquette at all! Everyone who previously visited me in the institution brought gifts! Only you come empty-handed! Coming empty-handed means you look down on me! Get out! You’re not welcome here!”
When Lin Yu’er mentioned people visiting her in the “institution,” she was referring to Red Star Mental Hospital.
Yue Yiniang misunderstood, thinking she meant Crabapple Courtyard.
She thought to herself how those other concubines were two-faced, actually giving gifts to this madwoman!
Could she even appreciate fine things?!
Did she know the difference between pearls, agate, and jade? Could she distinguish gold from silver? Did she understand what was precious and what was cheap?
If not for knowing the Marquis would be visiting here tonight, she wouldn’t have bothered coming at all.
Du Du blocked the path, spreading both arms wide: “Please return, Yiniang. Remember not to come empty-handed next time!”
Yue Yiniang was unwilling to leave.
If she left, she wouldn’t get to see the Marquis.
She pushed against Du Du, only to find the girl immovable as a towering mountain!
This maid…
To stay, she had no choice but to pull out a gold hairpin adorned with jade flowers and twin ruby-sapphire pearls from her hair, holding it up.
“Who said I came empty-handed? I clearly brought something! Madam didn’t even see it before driving me away, truly breaking my heart.”
Lin Yu’er: “Just this one? And you have the nerve to smile until your mouth curls?!”
Yue Yiniang: ?
Wh-what curled mouth?
Wait, this isn’t the time to focus on that.
“What do you mean ‘just one thing’? Do you know how much this hairpin is wo…”
Just as she was about to mention how much silver this gold hairpin had cost, she saw Lin Yu’er pick up a mouthful of food with her chopsticks and directly stuff it into her mouth.
She snatched the hairpin and considerately closed the other woman’s mouth for her.
“Already eaten. You may leave now!”
Yue Yiniang was utterly dumbfounded!
Zhang Momo stood calmly to the side without any intention of intervening, merely shaking her head.
A perfectly sane person actually trying to reason with someone mentally unstable?
You should count yourself lucky she didn’t try to feed you excrement.