Accidentally Married the Princess [Time Travel] - Chapter 15

“Alright,” Dai Ru Yan responded with a slight hesitation.

The lively bustle of the street hadn’t yet faded. Gong Yu pulled Dai Ru Yan into the crowd, where vendors enthusiastically hawked their wares.

Sitting at a small stall beneath the bridge, Gong Yu placed a steaming bowl of tangyuan in front of Dai Ru Yan and said, “Try it.”

Dai Ru Yan glanced around awkwardly. As a young lady from a prestigious family, she had likely never eaten at such a humble stall shared with commoners before.

Gong Yu took a bite of the sugar figurine in her hand, finding it so sweet it made her teeth ache.

“Is the tangyuan good?” Gong Yu turned to look at Dai Ru Yan, who was eating slowly.

“Mmm, it’s alright.”

“Would you like to try my sugar figurine, Ah-Yan?”

“Children mostly enjoy these. It’s too sweet.”

Gong Yu continued eating on her own, idly playing with the lantern Dai Ru Yan had bought for her earlier. The intricate patterns on it were quite unique and rather amusing.

Dai Ru Yan had always eaten sparingly, and the small half-bowl of tangyuan was already her limit.

A nearby child stared enviously at Gong Yu and exclaimed, “That big brother has so many lanterns!”

Gong Yu turned to the child and smiled. “Do you want one?”

“Yes!” the child answered in a sweet, childish voice, blinking adorably.

“But these lanterns were given to me by the big sister beside me. I can’t give them away.”

The little girl looked at Gong Yu blankly, then her face fell in disappointment as she understood.

Gong Yu found her utterly adorable. Suddenly, Dai Ru Yan spoke up, “Here, take this one.”

“Thank you, sister!” The little girl carefully took the lantern from Dai Ru Yan’s hand and ran back to her mother.

“Ah, I didn’t even get to pinch her chubby little cheeks,” Gong Yu lamented, turning to Dai Ru Yan.

Dai Ru Yan stood up and said, “What if you made the little girl cry?”

“Then I’d treat her to some delicious pastries,” Gong Yu replied, following her.

“Xiao Jiu, do you realize you’re dressed as a man right now?” Dai Ru Yan said helplessly.

“There are boundaries between men and women. Don’t forget that.”

“That little girl is so young, she won’t even remember,” Gong Yu replied cheerfully, holding her lantern.

Unexpectedly, Dai Ru Yan stopped abruptly, her expression serious. Gong Yu leaned closer and asked, “What’s wrong, Ah-Yan?”

Just then, a group of children suddenly emerged from the alley, laughing and chasing each other with lanterns in hand, running past the two of them.

Gong Yu lightly tugged at the sleeve of Dai Ru Yan’s robe and teased, “Sister Dai, don’t be angry. I was wrong.”

“What exactly were you wrong about?” Dai Ru Yan asked, walking slightly ahead but allowing Gong Yu to hold onto her sleeve.

Gong Yu trailed behind slowly, her gaze lingering on Dai Ru Yan’s tightly pressed lips. The flickering lantern light cast a hazy glow, adding an ethereal beauty to Dai Ru Yan’s features.

Summoning her courage, Gong Yu moved closer and tentatively grasped Dai Ru Yan’s warm fingertips with her slightly feverish hand. The gesture felt oddly inappropriate, as if she were doing something mischievous. She wanted to pull back, yet couldn’t bring herself to.

But Dai Ru Yan said nothing, so Gong Yu dismissed the strange thoughts and said obediently, “Next time, I’ll be mindful of my identity and won’t tease little girls.”

“Right now, the Third Prince and Fourth Prince are busy vying for power in court. Though you’re young, you’ve earned His Majesty’s favor and the Grand Tutor’s praise. You can no longer act as recklessly as before.”

“Yes, I’ll be good and listen to you,” Gong Yu replied ingratiatingly.

Dai Ru Yan grew even more awkward, turning her head to gaze at the riverside. The night breeze was slightly chilly, and Gong Yu instinctively tightened her cloak.

Her palm was held firmly by Dai Ru Yan, who gently pulled her closer and whispered, “The Third Prince and the Fourth Prince are both trying to consolidate their power through marriage alliances.”

“But they’re being far too brazen about it,” Gong Yu said, watching the reflections on the water. “Father hasn’t yet named a new Crown Prince, which means he isn’t entirely disappointed with the Eldest Prince. And in Father’s eyes, no other prince surpasses him.”

“Then, Little Jiu, why do you think His Majesty deposed the Eldest Prince?”

Gong Yu tightened her grip on Dai Ru Yan’s hand and admitted, “I haven’t figured that out either.”

Dai Ru Yan turned to look at her, her gaze lingering on Gong Yu’s furrowed brow before replying, “Because His Majesty doesn’t want anyone to guess his thoughts—especially not the Dai family.”

“So, the court being divided and in chaos is something Father actually wants to see?” Gong Yu relaxed her frown, astonished.

“Indeed. His Majesty is wary of the Dai family. My father has likely sensed it too, though he doesn’t yet understand His Majesty’s intentions,” Dai Ru Yan murmured, her eyes shifting away from Gong Yu’s softened expression.

Gong Yu glanced at her and smiled. “Ah-Yan, are you still angry with me?”

Dai Ru Yan averted her gaze. “I was never angry. I just wanted to remind you that as a prince in the capital, countless eyes are watching you. They’re waiting for you to make a mistake at any moment. Your carelessness worries me…”

“Worries you how?”

“Worries me deeply,” Dai Ru Yan said with a slight frown, as if exhaling a heavy sigh.

Though they had spent nearly two years together, this was the first time Gong Yu had heard Dai Ru Yan speak so candidly.

Even if Dai Ru Yan’s concern was merely that of a close friend, Gong Yu’s heart still soared with joy. Unable to suppress her smile, she beamed and said,

“Ah-Yan, don’t worry. I’m always very careful.”

When fireworks burst nearby, Gong Yu didn’t turn to look. Instead, she squeezed Dai Ru Yan’s hand and teased, “Just now, Ah-Yan was talking about propriety between men and women. But here we are, holding hands in public—won’t that raise even more suspicion?”

Dai Ru Yan stiffened slightly, avoiding Gong Yu’s searching gaze as she murmured, “We’re different from others.”

“Why?” Gong Yu felt her heartbeat stutter at those words.

This was truly extraordinary.

“Because this way, the wavering court officials will see that I’ve chosen you. They’ll naturally align themselves with you,” Dai Ru Yan said with the focus of a chess player, her tone devoid of any superfluous emotion—only calculation and strategy.

Yet Gong Yu felt as though her heart had been gently pushed from a great height. Though there was no danger, the fall still left her with a faint sense of loss.

The sound of children’s laughter pulled Gong Yu back from her wandering thoughts. She turned to see a child bundled in thick winter clothes, their cheeks flushed red from the cold.

“I heard there’ll be a hunt in early spring. How about I catch a little rabbit for you to keep as company?” Gong Yu suggested, gently leading Dai Ru Yan along the riverside.

Dai Ru Yan’s voice was soft, like a clear spring trickling through a mountain stream, sending an involuntary tremor through Gong Yu’s heart.

“Alright.”

For the first time, Gong Yu found herself unable to meet Dai Ru Yan’s gaze. Her heart was simply beating too fast.

Ever since the Lantern Festival, Gong Yu felt as though she had fallen ill.

She would occasionally murmur Dai Ru Yan’s name out of nowhere, and in moments of distraction, the image of Dai Ru Yan’s faint smile would drift into her mind.

Gong Yu concluded that she must simply be too obsessed with Dai Ru Yan’s beauty.

So, she buried herself in copying the laws of the Gong Kingdom. By the time the first snow of spring had melted and tender buds began to sprout on the branches, she had only completed half of the three hundred copies—though she could now recite the entire legal code by heart.

The old steward set a bowl of soup beside her. Gong Yu sprawled lazily among stacks of rice paper, and since the spring weather had turned mild, the charcoal braziers had long been removed.

“Your Highness, the palace has welcomed several new young princes and princesses recently.”

“Were gifts prepared?” Gong Yu lifted her head to ask.

The steward tidied the scattered papers and replied, “Naturally, they were prepared long ago.”

“Report!” A servant knelt outside the door. “Miss Dai has sent gifts.”

Gong Yu stood and had the servants carry in several large chests, eyeing them with curiosity.

The old steward, equally puzzled, asked, “Your Highness, did you pester Miss Dai for some new delicacies again?”

“Uh…”

“Steward, why do you assume I’m such a glutton?” Gong Yu sighed.

The steward chuckled warmly. “Isn’t it because Your Highness has always had a sweet tooth?”

“I recall how much you adored the fermented milk Miss Dai sent once, and also—”

Gong Yu suddenly regretted asking. Wasn’t this just exposing her own habits?

After dismissing the steward and servants, Gong Yu opened the chests only to find them packed full of rice paper, densely covered in handwritten copies of the Gong Kingdom’s laws.

Atop the stacks was a letter addressed to “Little Ninth.”

Sitting cross-legged beside the chest, Gong Yu carefully unfolded the envelope. Inside was a letter and a small pouch.

[The blessing pouch contains a protective charm. Do not tear it open in play.]

She vaguely remembered that during New Year’s Eve in the imperial garden, when she had asked Dai Ru Yan for a blessing pouch, Dai Ru Yan had only said, “I haven’t prepared one yet. Let me give it to you when it’s ready.”

“Fine, but no going back on your word!”

Gong Yu clutched the pouch, grinning foolishly for days, leaving the servants in the mansion utterly bewildered.

When the steward sent someone to clear the chests, Gong Yu insisted they be placed in her study instead.

“Your Highness, since Miss Dai has already copied so much of the legal code for you, why continue writing it yourself?” the steward asked, puzzled, as he brewed tea.

Pen in hand, Gong Yu replied cheerfully, “But these were sent by Ah-Yan. I must keep them.”

The steward stared blankly at the stacks of paper occupying half the study, completely unable to comprehend why his mistress would waste time and effort just to preserve a pile of paper sent by Miss Dai.

By the time the last of the melted snow dripped from the eaves, the spring rains arrived, pouring endlessly.

When the sun finally peeked through, Gong Yu, who had been cooped up in the courtyard, had the chests brought outside.

Alone in the open pavilion, she spread out the papers to dry, tightening her elaborate robes and rolling up her sleeves as she happily sorted through them.

Exhausted, she curled up beside the stacks for a nap. When she awoke, she found Dai Ru Yan sitting beside her, quietly sipping tea.

Dressed in a stunning shade of peach pink, Dai Ru Yan wore the vibrant color with elegance rather than vulgarity, exuding a rare youthful charm that was impossible to ignore.

Gong Yu stared blankly without a word, while Dai Ru Yan picked up a round fan to shield Gong Yu from the glaring light. With a soft smile playing on her lips, she said:

“If you sleep any longer, I’ll leave without waiting for you.”

Her voice seemed to drift in and out, yet Dai Ru Yan stood right before her. Gong Yu felt she must truly be ill.

A sickness that made her heart race and her mind dizzy whenever she saw Dai Ru Yan.