After Accidentally Marking the Cold and Elegant Eldest Princess - Chapter 25

Chapter 25: Not Disinclined

The beauty’s dark hair was in disarray, and with every breath, Yan Yunti could clearly perceive the rise and fall of her chest. The subtle friction against the soft curves caused the shimmer in her own eyes to tremble.

Receiving no response and with such a beautiful sight reflected in her eyes, Yan Yunti’s mind wavered. Her hand slid up from Yuan Jingxue’s waist, her thumb brushing against the front of the woman’s robes. She pressed down and asked in a low voice, “If Your Highness won’t speak, shall I continue?”

Yuan Jingxue’s breath hitched. Her fingers were entangled in Yan Yunti’s long hair; hearing this, she gave it a sharp tug. “Get up.”

She tried to force her voice to be cold and stern, but she could not hide the trembling softness of her tone.

Yan Yunti refused to move. Though her fingers obediently let go, her body remained pressing down. “Your Highness hasn’t answered me yet.”

The Qianyuan had the air of someone who wouldn’t get up until she received an answer.

Yuan Jingxue felt a flicker of annoyance in her heart. Before she could reprimand the girl, Yan Yunti’s expression shifted, appearing confused and aggrieved. “It is not that I intend to make things difficult for Your Highness, but when Your Highness treats me with such coldness, it makes me wonder if you actually find me repulsive?”

Aside from the gentle attitude when she applied her medicine the night before, the Princess was always so cold at other times; it was inevitable that one would lose confidence.

She didn’t speak of love, only of whether she was found repulsive or not. It wasn’t a difficult question to answer. However, Yuan Jingxue didn’t particularly want to answer it. She didn’t want to be coerced every time, even if the other person looked very aggrieved.

“If you do not get up now, someone will come in and drag you off,” Yuan Jingxue said coldly.

Yan Yunti’s burning heart was doused by a bucket of cold water. She let out a helpless sigh and helped the woman sit up. “It seems I have thought too much. Whether Your Highness likes me or finds me repulsive is not something I have the right to know.”

They were using each other, after all; why ask so much?

Having said that, Yan Yunti placed the box of plum blossom cakes on the table. She sat back down by the side near the door and pulled a book at random from the nearby shelf, not forgetting to ask: “Your Highness, may I read this book to pass the time?”

The Qianyuan asked submissively, yet it made Yuan Jingxue feel strangely uncomfortable. She stopped looking at her and gave a light “Mm” in response.

Inside the carriage, the occasional rustle of turning pages sounded. Now that there was no interference from the Qianyuan and her body had returned to a normal temperature, Yuan Jingxue should have been able to focus on her reading. However, the words on the page seemed to float, refusing to enter her mind, and her heart grew inexplicably restless.

The scent of pheromones between her teeth had not yet dissipated; the cedar fragrance lingered within her body. She eventually set the book down and closed her eyes for a nap.

At some point, even the sound of turning pages vanished.

Yan Yunti gently closed her book and looked at Yuan Jingxue. Her breathing was steady—she was asleep. Yet, her sitting posture remained perfectly still, as if the rules of etiquette were carved into her bones, preventing her from relaxing even in sleep.

Yan Yunti suddenly understood. It was only natural for such a strictly disciplined Princess to be repulsed by someone like her, who overstepped boundaries at every turn. Perhaps she really should restrain herself.

She quietly moved closer and picked up the discarded fox-fur cloak, slowly draping it over Yuan Jingxue while trying not to wake her. The woman’s sleeping face was peaceful, her cheeks looking exceptionally white and soft, making Yan Yunti want to poke them.

By the time Yan Yunti realized what she was doing, her finger had already pressed into the Princess’s cheek. She involuntarily whispered those three words: “Yuan. Jing. Xue.”

This was the first time she had uttered the Eldest Princess’s name. It should have felt foreign, but those three syllables rolling off her tongue held a sense of familiarity, as if she had called them a thousand times.

She whispered almost soundlessly: “Jingxue.”

Two prophetic dreams, and both were related to the Princess. Was there truly some karmic connection between them? Yan Yunti shook her head, tucked the cloak around the woman, and whispered with a hint of self-mockery: “Stop overthinking. She finds you so repulsive; how could there be a connection?”

All the emotional turbulence was due to the Dependency Period. She should remain as clear-headed as the Princess and not allow herself to sink too deep.

The carriage continued its steady journey.

At dusk, they arrived at the hot spring villa.

The villa covered a vast area with nearly a hundred springs of various sizes. The staff had received word early on and had thoroughly cleaned the palace Yuan Jingxue frequently stayed in, allowing them to move in immediately.

Yan Yunti assumed she would continue to stay in the side hall, but Bawei led her toward the main hall instead. “Lady He must be tired from the journey. There is a hot spring behind the main hall for the lady to bathe and rest. Would you like to go now?”

Yan Yunti’s brow twitched. Was the Princess inviting her to bathe together? That seemed impossible. Despite her internal doubts, she agreed.

The palace was built around the hot spring eye behind the main hall. A lattice door on the west side of the hall led to the rear; through the door, one could vaguely see white mist swirling. Yan Yunti pushed the door open, removed her outer garments behind a screen, and walked in.

In the massive hot spring pool, a woman sat with her long hair pinned up, wearing only a set of inner robes and leaning against the pool wall. The flowing water soaked her white robes, the wet fabric revealing the butterfly-shaped shoulder blades that shifted with her breath.

Yan Yunti’s footsteps faltered. She couldn’t hide the surprise in her voice. “I did not know Your Highness was here. I shall leave at once.” She turned to go, her footsteps echoing clearly on the white marble floor.

Before she could go far, a faint voice came from behind: “No need.”

No need to leave.

Yan Yunti understood. After a moment’s thought, she turned back and approached the pool. She noticed a few plates of pastries, a pot of clear tea, and two cups placed not far from Yuan Jingxue. One of the plates looked very familiar—it was the plum blossom cakes she had bought today.

Two cups. It seemed she really was meant to bathe with her.

The heart that had cooled in the carriage began to flutter again. After suppressing it, she entered the water from the other side. There were steps near the pool wall beneath the water, perfect for sitting and resting.

The spring was large. Yan Yunti leaned back on the opposite side, keeping a significant distance from Yuan Jingxue. Neither spoke; for a while, there was only the sound of water gently sliding by.

Yan Yunti didn’t dare look at the other side for too long. Under the hot spring water, Yuan Jingxue’s white inner robes were too thin and translucent, hiding nothing. The wet fabric clinging to her body created a hazy, alluring beauty that invited prying eyes.

Yan Yunti suddenly wondered: Was Yuan Jingxue letting her come here just to torment her? Letting her look, but not “eat.”

She thought this but said nothing, eventually forcing her gaze away to look at the wide spring. There were steps nearby, but she wondered how deep the water was further in? With that thought, she pushed through the water with her arms, heading for the central area.

Yuan Jingxue heard the sound of splashing. The sound wasn’t approaching her; instead, it was getting further away. She opened her eyes and saw the girl swimming like a fish toward the distance before diving under the surface and vanishing without a trace.

Dozens of seconds slid by in silence. There was still no movement on the water in the distance. Everything was so quiet it was as if Yan Yunti had never been there.

Yuan Jingxue frowned slightly, her back straightening against the pool wall. She called out toward the water: “Yan Yunti?”

There was no movement either above or below the water. Yuan Jingxue stepped down two levels on the stairs and called again: “Yan Yunti, can you hear me?”

It was too quiet—so quiet that the unease in her heart became palpable. Since Yan Yunti dared to dive, her swimming skills were likely very good. She told herself this, but after another ten seconds or so, there was still no response.

Yuan Jingxue took another step forward. She had reached the edge of the stairs. This step suddenly hit empty air, and her body plunged into the water.

She instinctively held her breath as the hot spring water closed over her head. Immediately after, her waist was seized. Yan Yunti held her tightly and quickly brought her to the surface, swimming toward the edge. Her voice was full of surprise: “Your Highness doesn’t know how to swim, so why did you come down?”

Soaking wet, Yuan Jingxue leaned against the pool wall, gasping for air. Looking at the completely unharmed Qianyuan, she felt a flash of anger. “Why did you not respond?”

“Your Highness called me? I didn’t hear clearly underwater.” The person in her arms was drenched; Yan Yunti had to fix her eyes on Yuan Jingxue’s face. Sensing the Princess’s irritation, a light rose in her eyes. “Is Your Highness so upset because you were worried something happened to me?”

Yuan Jingxue instinctively wanted to deny it, but the facts were indisputable; she had indeed lost her composure just now. The influence of the Dependency Period on her emotions was deeper than she had anticipated. Currently, her life was tied to Yan Yunti’s; she could worry about Yan Yunti’s safety, but she shouldn’t have been so worried that she forgot her own.

This was the true loss of control.

“Yes,” came a very soft reply.

Yan Yunti suspected she had misheard. she couldn’t help but lean in closer. “What did Your Highness say?”

“Yan Yunti, I was worried about you.” Yuan Jingxue didn’t want to let these emotional fluctuations continue over unnecessary trifles. Perhaps, as Yan Yunti had said, some things only end once they are accepted. She decided to speak plainly: “I do not find you repulsive.”

Yan Yunti’s heart skipped a beat. Her arm around the woman’s waist tightened involuntarily. “What does Your Highness mean?”

Their bodies were pressed too close; the soaked robes could not block the sensation of touch. Yuan Jingxue raised her hand, her fingertips landing on Yan Yunti’s shoulder to maintain a slight distance. “If I found you repulsive, then from the very beginning in the secret chamber, we would have had no connection whatsoever.”

It was precisely the girl’s “neck-baring” sincerity that had moved her to use her.

It was only “not being repulsive,” yet hearing those words made Yan Yunti’s blood boil with heat. The feelings that had been doused were now fully reignited.

The palm of her left hand slid up Yuan Jingxue’s waist. Her wet cheek brushed against the woman’s nose as she whispered, “Then Your Highness inviting me to bathe together… it wasn’t to torment me?”

“What?” Yuan Jingxue was puzzled.

Yan Yunti whispered those few words: “Letting me look, but not letting me ‘eat’.”

So… are you letting me ‘eat’? The hidden meaning in the Qianyuan’s words was glaringly obvious.

Yuan Jingxue had not intended for things to go this far; she had only wanted to stop Yan Yunti from sulking and clear the air. How had it reached this point?

Yan Yunti’s body seemed even hotter than the hot spring water. The feelings Yuan Jingxue had suppressed in the carriage were now slowly surfacing. She seemed to… miss that scent of cedar between her teeth.

The hand that should have pushed the girl away faltered for a moment of thought, then followed her body’s reaction, pulling the girl closer. Pressing her lips against the corner of the girl’s mouth, she spoke two words: “It wasn’t.”