Volume Two, Chapter Twenty-One

After marrying, a woman was expected to observe the rules of womanly conduct, wear less makeup, and curb her charms. She truly had not dressed herself up properly in a long time.

"Miss, does this makeup look all right?" the maid doing her makeup asked softly.

She tilted her face to study herself in the mirror. Before she could speak, a figure in white appeared behind her, and before she could turn, sharp gasps sounded all around.

Clang, clatter! The young maid on her left stood openmouthed as the silver basin slipped from her hands and struck the floor. The maid making the bed trembled, eyes wide, while the one doing her makeup lost her footing and dropped straight to the floor in shock. The comb flew from her hand.

She was about to look back when a snow-white wide sleeve brushed past her cheek and reached over her shoulder. A finger dipped into the rouge and powder on the dressing table, then rubbed the grains between its fingertips.

"Lift your head."

Long Ang's voice came from behind her. She turned, and the sight of him in the hazy morning light dazzled her. He wore a white, cloud-patterned robe and men's boots. His black hair was swept up into a male hairbun beneath a white jade crane crown, and a green jade belt embroidered with white pythons circled his waist. His face was bare of the rouge and powder he usually wore, yet his skin was still fair and smooth, his lashes long, his eyes dark, and his brows delicately arched. He was strikingly handsome, with a faint smile on his lips and an elegant bearing. She had never seen him dressed as a man. At first sight, she could only stare, entranced.

"Y-young master?!" the maids cried, trembling. They