Media is how I imagine the Duchess to be. And yes, Huo Ai doesn't have conventional Chinese clothes.
Source: https://twitter.com/shycocoa/status/1338798280642240514
From quite a distance, Ying watched their young miss. It seemed she said some shocking things to the spiritual beast which made it leave.
She was smiling and seemed to be teasing but when the fox turned its back, her expression slowly turned grim. Ying felt goosebumps down his back as he witnessed this scene.
It was too similar to their Duke's face when he was about to make a big decision concerning the troops during wars.
As the Duke's closest confidants, they've seen how he toiled to find his sister. In all honesty, they didn't share their master's optimism. The possibility that the Marquise was dead was high. But they didn't utter a word of reluctance and still helped him.
In all these years, they had traveled to far lands because of false leads.
Ying looked up to his master. He was truly one of a kind commander. But he didn't expect his sister would carry at least a bit of his dignity.
And yet, here he was now, seeing glimpses of his master on his sister. Maybe it's true. The apple doesn't really fall far from the tree.
He grew up hearing stories of the former Duke and Duchess of the Huang clan. They were a source of inspiration. It seemed these two carried on their will. No one knew if Ying would find himself lucky to be witnessing what would happen in the coming days.
There were horses coming.
Qiaoli was alerted by her AI that some foreign presence are present so she looked in that direction. Seeing the straight-faced Lu, she let her guard down, unaware that the youngest Huang pillar was in a brooding mood.
Ying also looked at his brother and the coming entourage. He instantly noticed there was something wrong with his mood and looking at the people with him, Ying knew what it was about.
"Miss, we'll move with these people now. You can free the horses and replace them with griffs." He patted the animal he was riding just now.
It looked exotic to Qiaoli's eyes. Dark green scales and slit eyes and yet it was standing with four hooves and has fur on top of its head.
"Greetings, my Lady." A gruff voice called out from behind Lu.
It came from a tall woman with a huge scar from her chin down to her neck and disappeared into her clothes. Adorned in leather armor, this woman bowed but Qiaoli saw the proudness in her stance.
"My name is Wumin of the Commander's Silver Spear squad. We will accompany you on the journey to the Huang estate."
The woman named Wumin stated these in a clipped tone.
Qiaoli nodded. "Alright, I reckon you have a camp nearby? Let's go."
As this was her first time riding this kind of beast, she hopped on behind Lu. This young pillar didn't even question the absence of the fox. Qiaoli praised him inside her mind.
---
"Duchess, a new lady has entered the estate."
The delicate-looking woman didn't flinch like she used to, choosing to proceed to fix her robes in front of the mirror.
"Where is she staying?"
She asked like it was a common occurrence in this house.
The head maid's lips trembled. In truth, the place where the new woman stayed indicated her status in this estate.
So far, the master hadn't favored anybody. But even so, this didn't prevent the other Consorts from bragging about their connections outside the estate.
"And? Where is the woman staying?" The Duchess prompted again.
The head maid bowed, not daring to look at her mistress. "It's the master's study."
Duchess Li, Huang Rouli's neck snapped in the direction of her maid. Her face paled.
This situation!
In this estate, she as the Duchess was free to roam around everywhere with the exception of the study.
She still remembered how the Duke warned her.
"You will be given all the rights of a proper Duchess."
She could only see Huang Li Yun's broad back on the night of their wedding. And she could hear the smile in his voice.
A smile she knew to be empty and fake.
"But never set foot on my study. Anyone who will disobey this... even if it's you..." He sighed. "Just don't test my patience. Manage this household well."
With tense nerves, Huang Rouli didn't even notice she was already wrinkling her pristine clothes.
"Do you know what you're saying? Master's study? Nobody can enter that place!"
The maid flinched. "Y-yes, mistress."
She teared up. "B-but it was the head butler who arranged this."
Hearing this, Rouli lost the strength in her knees. The nearby maids struggled to catch her.
What did this mean?
A butler acting without the mistress' permission. It could only mean it was the Duke's orders. For a girl to enter the estate and stay in the master's study. Didn't it mean he was protecting her?
"How is the security there?" She asked after trying hard to calm herself down.
"Answering the mistress, the night guards stationed there have doubled since last night. Even in the day, the number of guards visible isn't less than twenty."
It was a series of miserable news for the Duchess but it hasn't ended yet.
"Apparently, the Duke sent a letter to Butler Ping. He will hurry home from the Imperial City and will be here in three days' time."
This never happened before. Every time the Duke would have a war campaign or any kind of task given by the Emperor, he would stay at least a week in the Imperial City to give his reports before going home.
And yet, because of a woman, he chose to be sloppy in his reports to quickly see her.
Ruoli couldn't take this and the tears that had formed long before started to fall.
She was the distinguished Duchess of one of the founding clans. She held great power in this territory. But she never captured her husband's heart.
Year by year, there would be additional consorts or concubines in the household. Yes, the Duke never visited nor honored their presence.
But he didn't visit her chambers too.
Now, there was someone capable to make him do these efforts. To look forward to being home.
What did that leave her?