9 Mourn for You (1/2)

When Duchess Li was lost in her thoughts, Duke Li stepped forward with his hands tucked behind his back.

He stared at her bandaged head and arm. In a solemn and rigid voice, he asked, ”You're Viscount Bai's first daughter, Bai Xueyue. Am I correct?” His keen eyes watched the girl's reaction. He was surprised when he didn't see any fear in her eyes.

”Yes, that is correct. I am his daughter, Bai Xueyue.” She said with a slight edge in her tone. Her voice was cold, and her soft eyes became as rigid as stone.

Although Duke Li admired Xueyue's truthfulness, a tiny part of him wished she denied the information. There was a conflicted expression on his face as he thought about Xueyue's complicated background.

Duke Li's eyes wandered from the determined Xueyue to Duchess Li who seemed oblivious to the weight of Xueyue's surname.

Duchess Li was heavily involved in the women's social circle, but she rarely batted an eye to government and political affairs.

Duke Li, however, was different. He held a very high title in court which forced him to memorize and learn about the affairs of the imperial courts.

As he pondered the Bai surname, a sudden realization occurred. Duke Li remembered Viscount Bai requesting an Imperial decree that would sentence a child to death. Because it was a child, there was a big conflict between Viscount Bai's wishes and the laws of Lanbei.

It's unknown how Viscount Bai did it, but he eventually got the decree. However, there wasn't the name of the child on the scroll, therefore, the Imperial Decree, technically, wasn't sentencing Xueyue. it could've sentenced any child and Viscount Bai would get away with it.

'Interesting...Very interesting.' Duke Li thought to himself.

He wondered what crimes the tiny girl in front of him could commit. Xueyue seemed relatively harmless, due to her tiny and starved frame and her incredibly innocent eyes.

Duke Li was very curious, but he didn't want to question the girl in front of his wife. He was worried about the state of his wife, and if he showed any signs of doubt, she might snap at him.

Duke Li stared at his wife for a brief moment. He saw her attachment towards Xueyue and the way she treated her with motherly affection.

Although Xueyue doesn't resemble Minghua when she opened her eyes, Duchess Li was still very attached to Xueyue. Perhaps it was because she was a child with the same height and frame as Minghua, or it was because Duchess Li had taken care of her, but Duchess Li felt a sense of comfort within Xueyue.

”Would you mind telling me what happened to you?” Duchess Li surprised her husband with her bold question.

Duke Li wanted to ask the same thing, but was scared of his wife's unstable reactions.

Xueyue dropped her head and glanced down at her hands.