Chapter Thirty-Six: The Pavilion at the Heart of the Lake (Part One)

She slowly rose from the bed and looked around the room. It was a beautiful space, awash in shades of pink—the owner of this room must truly adore the color. After making a circuit of the place, she realized there was not a single other hue to be found. Pink curtains, pink gauze drapes, pink sheets, pink quilt, pink walls, a pink telephone... Everywhere she looked, only pink greeted her eyes.

Well, she supposed she could tolerate all of this.

Yingyue made her way to the bathroom and switched on the light, but her face immediately turned a shade of green. Could anyone tell her just how much the owner of this room loved pink? Why, even the lighting was pink!

Speechless, Yingyue rolled her eyes at her reflection, completely abandoning any pretense of composure.

Still, she had to ask herself—where exactly was this place?

Leaving the bathroom, Yingyue walked to the window and looked outside. Shimmering water stretched as far as the eye could see—a lake or perhaps the sea—with no visible shore, and from here, she was at quite a height. She turned and headed for the door.

“Miss, may I help you with anything?” A maid approached her the moment she opened the door, bowing respectfully as she spoke.

“Where am I?” Yingyue asked.

“This is the Heart of the Lake Pavilion, miss.”

Heart of the Lake Pavilion?

What kind of place was that? “Can you be more specific?”

“Yes, miss. What would you like to know?” The maid remained bowed, her tone and expression unchanged.

Yingyue massaged her temples. Could she perhaps be a little less deferential?

“Where is the Heart of the Lake Pavilion located?”

“Miss, it is situated at the very center of Lake Heart.”

“Lake Heart?” Yingyue tilted her head, wondering why she had never heard of such a place.

“Yes, miss. Lake Heart is the name given by the young master. Isn’t it lovely?” The maid could not conceal her admiration.

“Why did he choose that name?”

“Because when the young master first purchased this place, he saw nothing but water all around. So he named it thus.”

He just... so casually decided to call it that after buying the entire area...

“Then, where is Lake Heart located?” Yingyue pressed on, striving for patience.

“Lake Heart is within the young master’s estate.”

“And where is your young master’s estate?” Yingyue hurried to add, seeing the maid about to answer, “Which country, which city am I in right now?”

The maid pondered earnestly. Seeing her expression, Yingyue felt a flicker of hope—at last, perhaps she would get a meaningful answer.

The maid replied with great care, “I’m sorry, miss, I don’t know that. When I was brought here, the young master simply told me this was his estate and that I could work here with peace of mind. He’s a very good person!” She paused, her face radiating satisfaction. “Miss, you must think the young master is a good person, too, don’t you?”

The maid asked with such sincerity that Yingyue suddenly felt an urge to bang her head against the wall.

She silently reminded herself to stay calm—she was a lady, after all, and must maintain her composure!

“Heh,” Yingyue laughed awkwardly and tried again, “Then, may I go out for a walk?”

“I’m afraid that’s not possible, miss.”

“Why not?”

“Because this is the Heart of the Lake Pavilion!” The maid looked at Yingyue in astonishment, as though she couldn’t fathom how Yingyue could ask such a foolish question. She seemed quite intelligent, after all—or why else would the young master have brought her here?

Yingyue felt as though she was on the verge of breaking down.

Heart of the Lake Pavilion. Heart of the Lake. Lake.

Suddenly, a realization struck her. She hurried to the windows on the other sides of the room—please, let it not be what she thought.

After checking every direction, she slumped to the floor in utter despair.