Chapter 149: Overwhelming Fragrance
Chapter 149: Overwhelming Fragrance
Concubine Ren forced herself to dismiss the terrifying thoughts swirling in her mind, striving to put on a stern expression, preferably one that appeared intimidating.
However, she was strikingly beautiful, the type of dazzling beauty that exuded a hint of flamboyance.
Even with a stern look on her face, she appeared more alluring than angry, and one couldn't tell that she was upset.
Concubine Ren had a lot on her mind, so she forgot to ask the two children to stand up.
Aunt Xiang and the others followed behind, performing a bow, but when they didn't hear anyone telling the children to stand, Aunt Xiang's heart skipped a beat.
She thought, "This shouldn't be happening."
Although she had arrived at the prince's mansion later than the others, she was still considered a semi-elder.
Regarding Concubine Ren, while Aunt Xiang might not fully understand her, she was aware that while the concubine's temperament may be slightly arrogant, it was only directed at the prince and not at them, the servants.
So what was going on today?
Could it be that she was targeting the eldest girl?
Without the princess in the mansion, if Concubine Ren truly made things difficult for the eldest girl, Aunt Xiang thought that she wouldn't be able to do anything about it and could only wait for the princess to return in the evening to report what had happened.
However, over the years, the relationship between the princess and the two concubines had been relatively harmonious.
When Concubine Ren was in a bad mood, she would even retort sharply to the prince, but towards the princess, she always displayed a little more tolerance.
This just didn't make sense no matter how Aunt Xiang thought about it.
Aunt Xiang's heart was filled with trepidation.
Aunt Sun, who was following behind Concubine Ren, also felt apprehensive.
She wondered, "What's wrong with our young lady? Why is she still standing there motionless? She's not the type to take out her anger on children or create trouble for them."
Aunt Sun couldn't understand what was happening, so she could only lightly cough to remind the young lady.
It was then that Concubine Ren reacted...
"Oh?"
Yes, that was it. She had forgotten to tell the children to stand up.
"Oh dear!"
This was terrible!
She had completely forgotten about that!
With these thoughts in mind, Concubine Ren cleared her throat and tried to make her voice sound even gentler as she said, "Quickly get up now. I was so engrossed in watching you that I forgot to tell you to stand up."
As she spoke, Concubine Ren bent down, seemingly to make up for her oversight, and gently helped Sui Sui up.
Concubine Ren exuded a captivating fragrance.
If one were to describe Princess Qi's fragrance, it would be a subtle and delicate scent.
On the other hand, Concubine Ren's fragrance was bold and intense.
From a distance, the scent was pleasant, just a bit fragrant.
However, as the distance closed, the fragrance became overwhelmingly potent.
Sui Sui couldn't help herself and ended up sneezing twice.
After sneezing, the little girl anxiously raised her head, casting an uneasy glance at Concubine Ren.
Sui Sui thought, "I'm done for. I'm probably going to get hit now!"
She really hadn't been able to control herself.
The main reason was that the beautiful aunt exuded an incredibly alluring fragrance, and Sui Sui's nose just couldn't stop reacting to it.
Even though she tried hard to hold it in, she just couldn't stop herself!
After sneezing twice, she felt the urge to sneeze again!
Realizing that things were not going well, Sui Sui quickly raised her hand to cover her mouth.
She thought, "Once is enough. Any more than that would be terrible."
She must not sneeze again.
But...
She really couldn't control herself!
Even with her hand covering her mouth, Sui Sui still sneezed several more times.
Compared to Sui Sui, Liu Hemong had a better ability to adapt to the situation.
Because she had visited the prince's mansion before, she naturally knew that Concubine Ren exuded an overwhelmingly captivating fragrance, so she always smelled pleasantly fragrant.
Therefore, as soon as the distance between them closed, Liu Hemong immediately held her breath.
She was fortunate to have learned a variety of daily exercises from her grandfather, including some simple tortoise breath techniques.
Although she hadn't mastered the art, she could still hold her breath for a significant amount of time, allowing her to avoid the fragrant assault.
However, Sui Sui wasn't prepared for this and didn't have the same ability.
At that moment, she couldn't stop sneezing.
Aunt Xiang stood beside them, listening to the sound of sneezing, and her heart kept crying out, "It's over, it's over."
Aunt Sun found herself in an awkward position next to Concubine Ren, unsure whether to offer comfort or advice.
After spending an extended period by Concubine Ren's side, they gradually became permeated by her fragrance and grew accustomed to it.
On the other hand, this was Sui Sui's first encounter with such an overpowering scent upon entering the mansion. It was understandable for the little girl's sensitive nose to be overwhelmed.
Aunt Sun was terrified of her young lady losing her temper right there!
She thought, "It can't be that bad. It really can't be. She's just a child!"
Concubine Ren never expected the situation to turn out so awkwardly.
Initially, she had been on her guard, afraid to look directly at Sui Sui, lest she find herself captivated and impulsively decide to give up her comfortable and leisurely life to have another child.
Now, she felt embarrassed and helpless as her potent fragrance overwhelmed the child, causing an uncontrollable sneezing fit.
Finally, she took a couple of steps back and said with a smile, "What a sensitive little nose you have there."
Sui Sui couldn't stop sneezing and initially feared that the beautiful aunt would now dislike her.
But upon hearing the other speak, Sui Sui looked up curiously while still covering her mouth and nose.
The more Concubine Ren gazed into Sui Sui's lovely round eyes, the more her heart fluttered.
How could one describe that feeling?
When one encounters a person with whom they have an instant connection, just one glance is all it takes to commit to them for the rest of their life.
In that moment when their eyes met Sui Sui's beautiful, clear eyes, Concubine Ren thought: "Wife Qi's bizarre behavior these past few days suddenly makes sense."
Who could resist such pure and captivating eyes?
She, too, felt her heart softening.
However, it wouldn't do!
First of all, she didn't want to compete with Wife Qi over a child.
She had finally made it through the challenging early years with Little Five, and now she could finally enjoy her freedom and leisure.
She couldn't afford to get entangled with another child now.
"Calm down!" Concubine Ren quickly reminded herself. After creating some distance, she refrained from looking at Sui Sui again and instead took off a beautiful mutton fat jade bracelet from her wrist and offered it to Aunt Xiang, saying, "Let the child have this to play with."
Concubine Ren came from a wealthy background, and whatever she gave away was bound to be of excellent quality.
With Wife Qi absent, Aunt Xiang wasn't sure if it was appropriate to accept the gift.
However, she worried that Concubine Ren might get upset if she refused, so she decided to accept it after some thought.
After giving away the bracelet, Concubine Ren looked down again and then noticed...
"Hmm?"
Wait, wasn't there another child?
She looked again and recognized the other child as Liu Hemong, the granddaughter of Doctor Liu.
Having given a gift to Sui Sui, she couldn't very well ignore the other child.
After some thought, Concubine Ren took off the jade pendant she wore and handed it to Aunt Xiang, saying, "This is for the older sister. Sisters mustn't quarrel over this, okay?"
Liu Hemong was surprised to find that she hadn't been forgotten. She quickly expressed her gratitude.
Sui Sui didn't quite understand, but she followed her older sister's example and said her thanks as well.
The confused and flustered manner of the little girls was quite amusing to watch.
Concubine Ren thought that perhaps playing with children wasn't so bad after all.
Teasing such adorable children would surely be fun, right? As she realized what she was thinking, Concubine Ren's expression froze for a moment.
She thought to herself, "I'm just thinking out loud. I'm not an evil person, am I? Right...right?" Unbeknownst to her, some rather mischievous thoughts had indeed crossed her mind.
After expressing their thanks to Concubine Ren, the two girls didn't know what else to say and simply stood there quietly.
With Concubine Ren remaining silent, Sui Sui and the others didn't know what to say either.
Thus, both sides stood there in silence by the pond, creating an awkward stalemate.
This development left Aunt Xiang feeling even more uneasy.
She wondered, "What exactly is going on here?"
Concubine Ren: Also known as Ren Du Du.
Second Update
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