"Miss Wang?"
Bo Yi gently pushed open the door. A rich scent of incense wafted into his face.
The attic room was small, but its layout was exquisite. Most of the furniture was made of rosewood, carved with intricate patterns of flowers and birds. Directly opposite the door stood a round rosewood table, where the flame of a brass oil lamp flickered unsteadily. A dressing table with a cloudy bronze mirror stood beside the tightly shut little window, holding a wooden comb, powder boxes, and other grooming supplies. A carved wooden bed occupied the far left of the room, taking up most of the space. Perhaps because the wedding was approaching, the bedding and sheets were all red. Everywhere he looked, vivid scarlet filled his vision.
Perhaps because outsiders rarely came up to this attic, there was no screen separating the bed from the door. As a result, Bo Yi could faintly make out a motionless figure lying on the bed through the dark red gauze hanging from its canopy.
Something wasn't right...
Bo Yi set the wooden box in his hands on the round rosewood table and cautiously approached the carved wooden bed.
"Miss Wang?" he called softly.
The person on the bed remained motionless.
"Miss Wang, the Kang Residence sent me to deliver your wedding clothes-" As Bo Yi gently lifted the bed curtains, the rest of his words caught in his throat-
What lay on the bed was not Miss Wang at all, but a paper figure.
It was an exquisitely crafted, lifelike paper figure. Its body had graceful curves, and its pose as it lay on its side was elegant and languid. One hand supported its head, while the other hung loosely at its side. Long black hair woven from narrow strips of paper spilled across