Chapter 14. The Beautiful Girl
For some unknown reason, Juwel's smoking incident continued to spread widely, trending toward becoming the hottest event of the month.
Juwel's fandom, which had been barely alive, was revived, and everyone discussed more.
Corvos obviously knew about it too.
Juwel leisurely ate the meal he had cooked himself, moving casually, showing no expression like someone who "had done something wrong." Corvos sat beside him. He had already eaten breakfast and silently observed.
"Did you get into trouble?" he asked, hinting.
Juwel did not bother to reply, his eyes still fixed on the fork in front of him, acting indifferent as if he did not hear him.
A moment of silence. Corvos leaned back in his chair, softly said:
"I want to go out today."
The fork and knife in Juwel's hands stopped. He looked up, glanced at him with cold but sharp eyes:
"Don't take advantage of the chance-"
However, thinking of something, Juwel paused and changed his tone.
"Go out for what?"
Corvos seemed surprised because Juwel really showed a signal of permission.
"You probably forgot we broke more than half the furniture and haven't fixed the window glass yet. The landlord could come to inspect at any time."
The original body owner's house was rented.
Mentioning this, Juwel suddenly fell silent, ignoring it. Corvos did not care about Juwel's attitude and continued:
"On the other hand, since you're holding the bank card..."
Juwel handed the card to Corvos.
"Don't go far, remember to disguise yourself."
Juwel quickly cleared his plate, completely not in any leisurely noble style. While putting the dishes away, he casually checked his phone. He saw the "in delivery" notice and estimated it would arrive in about 30 minutes. Juwel told Corvos to go out before 9 a.m. and return before 10 a.m.
Juwel's attitude today surprised Corvos. He guessed that Juwel was also secretly doing something.
Just as he turned around, a knock sounded from the hallway. Knowing the nature of the current work, Juwel was more cautious. He told the shipper to leave the package at the door, and he would pick it up later. The delivery person carried a large box and carefully placed it down.
After taking it, Juwel pushed open his door and slammed it shut. "Bang!" The deliberate sound echoed throughout the apartment, like a cold warning to Corvos: Don't come near.
Corvos raised an eyebrow slightly, a faint smile flickering across his face, but he did not knock or ask further.
Inside, Juwel sat down. He gently cut through the tape with scissors. Items appeared one by one: a neatly folded dress in a clear plastic bag, high-heeled shoes wrapped in protective paper, and sparkling more than anything, small boxes containing women's jewelry. If these items were seen outside, anyone who knew Juwel would be stunned.
But Juwel's face remained as calm as a windless lake. Not a hint of embarrassment.
Outside the building where Juwel had once been caught smoking, dozens of TopToper and YouTubers gathered to follow Juwel's "pensive smoking" trend. The expression of the person in the video was so perfect that many said it was a masterpiece. Some others were freelance reporters and idol paparazzi, carrying cameras and long lenses, looking very eager to capture a new scandal.
"Hello everyone, remember to like and follow my channel to see my live first!!"
A person raised a selfie stick and smiled brightly at the phone camera, beside him an older woman looked quite confused about what was happening.
"Hello ma'am! Can I interview you for a bit~"
"Ah, uh, okay…"
The older woman was still flustered, but the boy said that just appearing on his channel would help her goods sell out, so she agreed.
"Yes, so do you know who this person is?"
He raised another phone, pointing it straight at the older woman.
At first, she did not understand who the young man was asking about and took a moment for her eyes to gradually open.
"You know, right? So -----"
"Oh, this girl helped me pick up stuff yesterday."
"? Girl?"
"Girl?" The paparazzi frowned, thinking he misheard. "You mean him?" Before he could ask again, a collision from behind caused both him and the person passing by to fall to the ground. The camera almost dropped, the lens clicked with a "clack," but luckily fell right into the other person's hand. The paparazzi got angry, about to stand up and scold, when he heard the other guy quickly apologize first.
"Sorry! I didn't mean it! Here's your lens, looks like nothing's broken!"
The other person was also fumbling to get up, brushing off dirt and bowing, looking very embarrassed. At first glance, he looked like a real bookworm. Thin build, old gray shirt, slightly wrinkled pants, square-frame glasses with smudges and fingerprints. When sunlight reflected through the dirty lenses, his eyes were almost hidden, only faint reflected rays visible.
"You know this camera--- " The paparazzi tried to start, but the sentence was cut off as the guy straightened up. Sitting down, he had been shoulder height, but standing up, his body seemed to stretch, until the paparazzi had to look up to see his face.
The young man blinked behind his glasses, his tone still polite:
"Are you okay?"
The paparazzi stammered:
"Ah… no, I'm fine."
"That's good then."
After speaking, the boy nodded lightly and turned to walk away, his steps a bit awkward, his thin shoulders but tall figure standing out in the crowd.
The paparazzi watched him go, still not fully recovered, then muttered to himself:
"Fuck, tall-er …"
The paparazzi felt the face was somewhat familiar, but could not remember exactly where he had seen him. He usually hunted for news about artists' dating life, but sometimes he tagged along with other events for fame, so it was hard to remember which event he had seen him at.
Yes, that hunched-looking person with a high turtle-neck collar pulled tight around the neck, thin-framed glasses, and clothes like a rustic technician was precisely Corvos in his new disguise. His gait appeared sluggish, his back slightly bent, and his eyes were always lowered, as if avoiding the gaze of others.
Corvos chose a new bed exactly as he had told Juwel he would. He stood for quite a while at the checkout counter to confirm the size, the material, and the delivery time. He clearly wrote down the apartment address and negotiated the shipping price with them because the alley was difficult for transporting furniture. Maintaining a balance between the "new persona" and his old rationality was not difficult for him.
After leaving the furniture store, he stopped by a secondhand bookstore at the corner of the street.
Corvos stood to the right of a bookshelf, holding two books in his hand. His gaze lingered longer than necessary. He was seriously weighing which book to buy, because the money he had scraped together after purchasing the bed was not much. Juwel had given him a very precise allowance.
Suddenly, a man wearing an office shirt with worn cuffs stopped on Corvos's left and flipped through an entertainment magazine. The movement was familiar. At first glance, it looked like he was seriously choosing, but then the middle-aged man spoke.
"It has been a long time since I saw you on there."
Corvos held the book and naturally tore open the plastic wrapping.
"I have not had much time lately for side matters."
"Oh. So you got a new job?"
"Hmm. No," Corvos said after finishing the first chapter of the book. "If things go as I planned, then at the latest, I will return in about three months."
"Then I will take over for now."
"Thank you. Sorry to trouble you."
"It is nothing important. After all, I once followed that person. If it really died, I would feel sad too."
The middle-aged man seemed to have found what he needed. His eyes lit up. He glanced at the title of the book in Corvos's hand and said,
"This one rambles a bit. But it is easy to read."
Corvos nodded, his eyes never leaving the page.
"It is quite good."
The middle-aged man did not linger. Having found what he wanted, he quickly said goodbye to Corvos and went to pay.
Not long after, Corvos placed one of the books back onto the shelf and kept the other in his hand, as if the decision had been made long ago and the hesitation had only been for show.
Passersby unconsciously glanced back. Some slowed their steps, some secretly raised their phones pretending to check the time but still could not resist pressing the shutter. On that street corner, there was someone who made the world around her temporarily fade.
It was a girl with rare platinum hair, not the artificial icy silver that looked cold, but a soft, silvery sheen like threads pulled from sunlight. Under the sun, her hair did not just shine, it seemed to glow. Every light breeze made the fine strands sparkle like dusted crystal.
From beneath her short, body-hugging skirt, impossibly long legs appeared, slim and smooth, with skin white and even as if sculpted. Her natural height must have been close to 1.8 meters, and with the slender, towering heels, her figure surpassed even street models, not in a forced way, but naturally, as if the shape had been born to make others look up.
Her neck was slender and pale, extending to a small, delicate chin, made more prominent by the V-neck crop top hugging her body, creating a sexy but understated beauty. Her bust was not particularly full, but that only made the overall form more elegant, almost perfect. A loosely worn jean jacket, not exposing shoulders or arms, added to the mystery of what was hidden beneath.
Her lips were red and plump, skillfully colored, neither too glossy nor too matte, just enough to remind someone of a perfectly ripe cherry. Her nose was small and neat, proportionate to a face with a tiny mole slightly below the left cheekbone, standing out against the white, jade-like skin.
Her eyelids were long and curved like carefully brushed strokes, shading a pair of pure blue eyes without any mixed tint, a gaze like a deep well in a fairy-tale forest, the kind of look where no one could tell if she was cold, thinking of someone, or just absent-minded…
The girl stood straight, not stiff as if trying to pose. One hand rested on the wall beside her, perhaps to share some weight from the high heels or simply because she was tired. Her posture was serious enough that no one dared approach, but on closer inspection, it was clear she was completely unaware of the attention around her. Perhaps she was lost in thought.
And the funny thing was, that "girl" was not a girl.
That girl was Juwel, pretending to be a girl.
Juwel left the place from earlier, now standing in front of a drink counter, slightly absent-minded.
The server was a young girl, probably new to the job. When Juwel approached, she gave a light smile, though a hint of hesitation showed.
"Your welcome, what would you like to order?"
Perhaps lost in thought, Juwel had unconsciously stopped in front of the counter. When asked, he glanced briefly at the menu behind her. There were too many options to consider, so he looked once and decided… to leave the decision to someone else.
"Anything is fine."
The girl froze slightly, surprised by the vague request.
"Well… actually, all the drinks here are good. Which one would you like to try?"
She still could not understand his absent-mindedness, forcing him to give a more specific answer.
Juwel frowned slightly at the question. His eyes were cold but did not show any sign of panic. "Then take the most expensive one."
"Ma'am… the most expensive doesn't necessarily match your taste…"
The young girl blushed slightly, stammering.
Juwel glanced at her as if assessing. He was not used to caring about such trivial things, but he also did not want to waste more time.
In the end, Juwel lost the little battle. He scanned the menu quickly and said:
"Coffee. One milk coffee."
Coffee was the only drink Juwel had ever had.
The girl let out a quiet sigh of relief and noted his choice. Juwel took out his wallet, paid, and received his waiting card. Ignoring the curious and cautious look from the server, he turned toward a table.
He had thought carefully and finally found the best method to handle the current trouble, which was: completely separate everyone's perception of him and the original body of this host.
The key was to make sure others could not merge the two into one.
Juwel could hardly believe that this feminine-looking appearance had become the key for him to seize the initiative. He had only exploited this fragile exterior to make opponents less alert and underestimate him.
On the other hand, Juwel thought there were still people who could "witness" his gender, namely the old lady he met last night. Once a third party confirmed it, whatever he did would seem more credible.
So, it was better to reinforce that ambiguity.
His fingers unconsciously brushed over his cheek. He knew he could not disguise too obviously because that would only make people suspect it was an act. Instead, he chose small, subtle changes, enough to create a difference.
Juwel used a makeup pencil to dot a few small moles on his cheek and chin just to make the difference noticeable enough.
Then people would naturally conclude that the two just happened to have similar faces.
After deciding, Juwel did not hesitate. He even studied makeup techniques and tips from experts to hide male features and appear more perfect. Honestly, he had failed many times before getting it right. The outfit was ordered in a rush but still took time to ship. Juwel wanted to handle this as quickly as possible.
He originally wanted to talk directly with the staff who had recorded the video, asking them to delete it or make another video to correct it. But when he entered the shop, he got the news that the staff was not there.
Juwel sighed, having to consider if there were other options. He would have to work with more patience.
He sipped his coffee, his mind a bit clearer.
When passing by a bookstore, his gaze accidentally drifted inside. A feeling of unease swept over him. He squinted and stopped. Inside, a man in a white shirt and comfortable pants was choosing books, wearing thin-framed glasses that looked fake.
Corvos.
Juwel felt his stomach churn with anger. He really thought that wearing thin glasses and simple clothes was enough to disguise himself?
If someone now recognized him as "the person in Juwel's dating rumor," everything Juwel was doing would be ruined.
Still, Juwel patiently waited outside until Corvos finished what he was doing.
The moment Corvos opened the door to leave, his collar was yanked sharply. He only managed to see the other's golden hair before his back slammed into the wall of the empty alley.
He was pressed against the wall by Juwel.
Corvos lowered his head, and his eyes immediately met Juwel's.
For a moment, both of them froze. Corvos' gaze swept over Juwel's disguised figure a girl with delicate beauty, yet eyes sharp and full of burning anger.
"What's with that look?"
Juwel found his gaze really annoying. He had never truly understood the language in his eyes.
Hearing the question, Corvos adjusted his eyes to look straight at Juwel.
"Hmmm, honestly… I just feel a little confused when you dress like a woman."
How to put it… this wasn't the first time Juwel had appeared before him in women's clothing. He had already seen it once in a previous life.
Juwel seemed completely unbothered, even though he had been raised in a conservative environment like the upper class.
Under the dress and makeup, Juwel's beauty was unlike the usual.
Besides knowledge the thing Corvos always coveted like a patient predator he paid particular attention to "beauty." Not just outward beauty, but also a pure soul, a figure full of dignity, a harmonious body, a naturally formed object, or even a grand transformation.
For Corvos, beauty should not be confined to ordinary standards. It carried a religious depth, with a hint of influence from the angels in classical paintings, where beauty was so pure it seemed almost supernatural.
And from the first time he saw Juwel, he had been captivated.
Not necessarily because of the worldly beauty of the appearance, but because Juwel embodied the kind of beauty that Corvos had always revered: pure, cold, but deep inside contained things no one could touch.
That light did not come from gentleness, but from the silent pride of a soul that maintained dignity amid ruin and hatred.
Corvos had never clearly spoken about his sexual orientation; perhaps he didn't define himself in the usual way. He once lingered long before a painting of the Virgin Mary, seemingly contemplating something beyond physicality.
But women or anyone with beauty that matched the archetype in his mind were always worth acknowledging and keeping in their own way.
And when Juwel appeared in women's clothing, Corvos could hardly hide his pleasure. Not because he saw a man dressed femininely, but because he saw the perfect harmony between appearance and aura that he had imagined for so long. Every detail matched his ideal image of "beauty" that he had preserved in his mind, almost superstitiously.
It seemed that Juwel was the most vivid living embodiment of the image he had thought existed only in sacred artworks.
Juwel froze, his eyes darkening.
He tried to keep his tone calm but could not hide the sarcasm:
"So, and you are playing with me?"
Juwel pointed at Corvos' glasses, his eyes cold.
Corvos raised an eyebrow, feigning confusion. He tilted his head and confidently said:
"These glasses suit me, don't they?"
He even pushed the glasses with his finger.
Juwel said nothing, only stared at Corvos with a cold expression. His voice was soft but sharp, impossible to hide:
"If you want to be recognized like this, why don't you try something a bit more impressive."
In that moment, between him and Corvos, time seemed frozen in a fog that would not lift. Words of rebuttal stuck in his throat. Juwel pinched the bridge of his nose, as if truly tongue-tied, out of words.
Suddenly, a young female voice rang nearby, playful yet indifferent:
"Hey, wait for me! Being late means no more strawberry milk!"
The sound of running footsteps and laughter spread quickly like ink in water. A few students in white shirts pushed each other, cutting through the narrow alley, the sound of sneakers hitting the ground mixed with the shutter noise from a bubble tea stall on the street.
A sweet scent wafted over, a mix of toasted sugar and milk, something youthful and modern.
The school bell rang persistently, audible even outside on the street. Vehicles began moving, causing traffic jams, car horns piercing the momentary stillness around them.
After a while, Corvos gently changed the subject.
"Do you want to try bubble tea? It's very popular here."
He gestured toward a fairly crowded bubble tea stall across the street.
"You want some?" Juwel asked, as if he understood the implication in Corvos' words.
Juwel furrowed one brow, calculating the pros and cons, and finally just pointed at Corvos' nose.
"Stand here. Don't let anyone recognize who you are. I'll buy it for you."
After saying that, Juwel turned and walked away. There was no other choice. Right now, Juwel could not allow anyone to discover Corvos' presence. Compromising to buy him what he wanted was not a difficult matter.
Corvos saw Juwel pause for a moment to watch the traffic, waiting until it was safe before crossing.
From behind, it was obvious that Juwel was not used to modern high heels. His steps looked heavy and slightly hesitant, as if cautiously measuring each stride. Even though he had once been a noble in a time when high heels were a symbol of male power, the ones he was wearing now slender, sharp, uneven posed an entirely different kind of challenge.
The bubble tea shop was quite crowded, with only two people making drinks, so Juwel had to wait his turn. He was not entirely at ease with that Corvos. Juwel noticed a street vendor carrying a rack of toys. What caught his attention were the masks. He bought one, a demon mask, holding it in his hands as his thoughts grew even more unsettled.
When Juwel finished buying the bubble tea and returned, a scene that could ignite his blood rage again repeated itself.
Corvos was talking to a stranger.
However, Juwel did not act because he noticed something strange.
Corvos' expression was confident. At times he smiled foolishly when the girl laughed at something. His eyes, behind thin round glasses, gleamed with a slight self-satisfaction, showing no recognition that any of his clumsy actions had caused her laughter. His posture was straight, his gestures seemingly calm at first glance, yet there was an intentional assertion of his presence.
A role?
Juwel's eyes narrowed.
Juwel's eyes narrowed when he came to that conclusion.
This situation reminded him of the first day he met Corvos again after he was reborn. At that time, Corvos appeared with a role that Juwel would never have expected. He appeared as a "good husband", sweet, full of affection and worry.
While observing Corvos from a distance, Juwel slowly realized a truth he had never considered before.
Corvos, the one who used to be the nightmare of his life, might be a "no core self" .
People usually change how they behave to adapt, but no matter what, there is always a core essence. It is something that keeps a person as themselves. It can be the expression when someone touches their wound, the way they look at the world, or some involuntary reaction.
But Corvos did not have that.
Corvos was someone who lived based on roles. He changed himself to fit each situation and each person.
When facing Juwel, who was his enemy, he acted as a calm, unreadable and controlled man. When standing before the Wanderers, he became a cunning leader with authority and responsibility. And now he had turned into a carefree boy with glasses, a little childish.
He could become anyone, and the scariest part was the fact that there was no sense of "pretending". Each personality was real, or on the contrary, none of them was real at all.
A vague discomfort crept into Juwel's mind.
He did not need to care about Corvos. He did not need to know Corvos's past, and he did not need to understand the man himself.
Juwel watched that scene and he could not stop himself from muttering a judgment.
"A professional fake-feelings bastard."
Corvos had changed his entire appearance without needing any effort to disguise himself. Now Juwel understood why Corvos was so confident with just a pair of glasses. With that expression that looked mischievous and harmless at the same time, almost no one would believe that he and the terrifying leader of the Wanderers were the same person.
"Or maybe his true nature is that of an idiot?"
Juwel curled his lip as he threw out that remark while watching Corvos acting like a fool in front of other people. According to the agreement between the two of them, they were only allowed to pretend if that helped them live true to themselves. If he followed that logic, then maybe that foolishness was Corvos's true nature.
It was a thought both mocking and ridiculous.
Anyone could be stupid, except Corvos.
His clarity, his absolute control, and the way he always knew exactly what to say and what to do at the exact moment… those were not signs of an idiot.
If Juwel had learned the word "tre trau" , then he would not hesitate to slap it onto this role of Corvos.
But then Juwel's attention shifted when he saw a girl holding something like a phone.
He had a bad feeling. Leaving the money without waiting for change, Juwel hurried across the street and blocked Corvos in front of the camera, asking, "What are you doing?"
"Ah, sorry, I'm livestreaming."
Juwel did not know what livestreaming was. Generally, if he was not careful, he could repeat the previous incident with smoking.
But the current problem was…
Juwel pushed Corvos out of the camera frame while handing him the bubble tea, speaking directly to the female streamer:
"Don't film him."