After Accidentally Marking the Cold and Elegant Eldest Princess - Chapter 23

Chapter 23: The Coming of Rain and Dew

With the Eldest Princess acting like this, could it be…

Under her left palm, the temperature of the woman’s skin had returned to normal, and even showed a trend of climbing higher. The Kunze’s lips had pressed wantonly against her collarbone; suddenly, she extended the tip of her tongue and gave it a lick.

No, it cannot go on like this.

A flash of reason rose in Yan Yunti’s mind. Her original intent was solely to help; she had no other intentions. Furthermore, the Princess was not in her right mind now, unlike that time in the secret chamber where they had both been drugged…

Yan Yunti stopped the massage. She braced her hands against Yuan Jingxue’s arms, using some strength to pull them apart. “Your Highness, clear your head. Look at me—who am I?”

Yuan Jingxue retreated according to her force. Those eyes, overflowing with the flush of spring, could no longer be hidden. Through her misty vision, she saw the Qianyuan’s stunned expression. Logic and emotion tugged at each other; for an instant, she was captivated by the other’s features. Her lips parted slightly as she called out those two words: “A-Yun.”

The voice was low and soft, seemingly laden with lingering affection.

Even though the other person had clearly done nothing, Yan Yunti felt her body go numb for a moment. She immediately backed out of the quilt and bundled the woman tightly into a ball within it.

She is definitely not conscious. Otherwise, why would she call me “A-Yun”!

Thinking with strict logic, Yan Yunti stood up and carried the woman—quilt and all—toward the bed. She placed her gently onto the mattress, doubled back to the daybed to grab two hot water bottles, placed one at Yuan Jingxue’s feet and tucked the other into her arms. Finally, she tucked the covers in securely and placed her hand over Yuan Jingxue’s eyes, saying in a gentle tone: “Sleep, Your Highness. I will stay with you on the daybed. Your body will be fine when you wake tomorrow.”

Against her palm, the lashes fluttered lightly—another wave of slight itching.

Yan Yunti moved her hand slightly and saw that Yuan Jingxue had closed her eyes. She let out a soft breath of relief. Seeing the peaceful sleeping face, she couldn’t resist pinching the woman’s nose. “Your Highness is truly a handful when sick. No wonder you don’t let anyone see.”

If people were to see the Eldest Princess like this, how could she maintain her dignity in the future?

Yan Yunti waited by the bedside for a while, and only after hearing Yuan Jingxue’s breathing slow and steady did she feel safe to leave. The candlelight in the inner chamber was too bright; Yan Yunti walked soundlessly to each lamp and extinguished them one by one, leaving only a single lamp by the daybed for illumination.

The floor heating had kicked in, and the room was very hot. Yan Yunti moved the table away from the daybed. She didn’t bother with a blanket, lying down to sleep in just her inner robes.

With her mind in a state of unrest, she naturally tossed and turned. Fearing she would wake the other, her movements were as light and slow as possible.

In the quiet night, the person who should have been asleep slowly opened her eyes. Across the dim candlelight, she looked at the white-clad figure on the daybed.

She had thought Yan Yunti would do something.

The Qianyuan’s self-restraint seemed much better than she had imagined. And… she was very good at taking care of people.

Wrapped in warmth, Yuan Jingxue felt waves of drowsiness hit her. Her thoughts grew slower and slower. The last thought to flash through her mind was—perhaps she could tell Yan Yunti a few more things.

It was nearly the hour of the Rat when Yan Yunti finally managed to drift off. Her sleep was shallow, filled with bizarre and garish dreams—

All around was icy river water. She was swimming rapidly downward. The bottom of the river was pitch black, impossible to see, yet she could smell a faint, drifting scent of cedar. She chased that fragrance forward relentlessly…

Hot. It was so hot.

Even though her body was burning, her heart felt as if it were still submerged in the icy river, unable to warm up.

By her ear was a voice filled with a sobbing tone: “Imperial Physician Xu, please save Her Highness! Her Highness cannot continue to burn like this. If the gland is damaged by the heat, her life will be in danger… Physician Xu, I beg you, think of something! There must be a way…”

The dream shifted. A woman’s high-heat body pressed against her. Eyes that were usually cold were now flushed red from the fever; her brow was furrowed tightly, and her gland was terrifyingly hot to the touch.

Cries of “Your Highness” could not wake her consciousness. Just looking at that agonizing expression made Yan Yunti’s heart twist into a knot…

“If the fever doesn’t break tonight, Her Highness may…”

“No!” Yan Yunti jerked awake from the dream, a layer of cold sweat on her forehead. She panted heavily, staring at the unfamiliar ceiling beams. It took a long while to realize where she was.

That dream just now… was it another prophetic dream?

How could Yuan Jingxue fall into the water? And how could she develop a life-threatening fever? What exactly happened?

Question after question popped into Yan Yunti’s head. Before she could think clearly, she heard a very light footstep.

“What is wrong with you?” A familiar, clear voice came from behind.

Yan Yunti sat up and saw Yuan Jingxue standing before the daybed, wearing only an outer robe. Yan Yunti scrambled up, grabbed the thin blanket from the daybed, and tried to wrap it around her. “Why are you up? Did I wake you?” She caught Yuan Jingxue’s hands, and only felt relieved when she felt a normal temperature. “Hands aren’t cold. It seems you’re okay now.”

“I am fine.” Yuan Jingxue pulled her hands back. In the dim candlelight, a spot of blood on the Qianyuan’s left shoulder was quite conspicuous.

“Go back to sleep, Your Highness. I just had a nightmare; it’s nothing major.” Yan Yunti urged her back to bed. After the ordeal during the day, how could she not sleep properly at night?

“No rush.” Yuan Jingxue walked toward the bedside cabinet, took a white porcelain jar from the second drawer, and walked back to the daybed. She sat down and looked up at the Qianyuan. “Take off your inner robe.”

Yan Yunti: “?”

“What did Your Highness say?” Yan Yunti suspected she had misheard.

Yuan Jingxue opened the jar, and a medicinal fragrance drifted out. “Can you not feel the pain in your left shoulder?”

Yan Yunti turned her head and saw the red spot on her shoulder. She realized what happened. The teeth marks Yuan Jingxue had left earlier that day hadn’t been treated; she must have rolled onto them in her sleep, causing them to bleed again.

Yan Yunti wanted to say it was fine, but seeing the medicine jar in Yuan Jingxue’s hand, her mind shifted. She sat down, her phoenix eyes curving. “Is Your Highness going to apply the medicine personally?”

“Mm.” Yuan Jingxue gave a soft affirmative, surprisingly not contradicting her.

Sensing the change in her attitude, Yan Yunti simply took off her inner robe, turning her left shoulder toward the Princess. “Then Your Highness must go slowly. I am a person who fears pain most.”

Yuan Jingxue dipped her finger into the ointment. She pressed her fingertip against the wound on Yan Yunti’s shoulder, rubbing in gentle circles. “Did Miss Yan not say earlier that she wasn’t afraid of pain?”

Earlier?

Yan Yunti’s eyes lit up instantly. She turned her head and asked, “Your Highness remembers what happened before you slept?”

When she had asked Yuan Jingxue to pinch her earlier, she had said she wasn’t afraid of pain.

Yuan Jingxue didn’t answer. She pressed down with her fingertip.

Yan Yunti hissed softly. The pain forced her to behave. She muttered, “Is this Your Highness’s revenge? I was only trying to help your body warm up then; I had no other intentions!”

Yuan Jingxue lightened her touch, finishing the application carefully. She placed the jar into Yan Yunti’s hand. Facing the Qianyuan’s aggrieved face, she slowly uttered a sentence:

“Yan Yunti, you may need to stay in the Princess’s Manor for a few more days.”

Calling her by name—was there a request?

Yan Yunti pulled her robe back on and asked, “Why?”

Yuan Jingxue’s gaze was somewhat complex. She remained silent for a short while. When she spoke, her voice was very calm:

“Because… my ‘Rain and Dew’ period is about to arrive.”