After Accidentally Marking the Cold and Elegant Eldest Princess - Chapter 28

Chapter 28: Deliberate Revenge

“Your Highness, what is it?” Yan Yunti responded very quickly, already sitting up and looking toward Yuan Jingxue.

Across the dim, flickering candlelight, Yuan Jingxue couldn’t see Yan Yunti’s facial expression clearly, but hearing the concern in her voice, she changed her intended reminder for the girl to stay quiet and sleep. Instead, she asked, “The injury on your left shoulder… did you apply medicine?”

The tooth marks on Yan Yunti’s left shoulder had been bitten by Yuan Jingxue the day before yesterday. Getting them wet repeatedly today was actually quite bad for the wound. Hearing the Eldest Princess mention it, Yan Yunti touched her left shoulder and said with a realization, “No wonder my left shoulder has been aching. I thought it was just from using my left hand too much today; I actually forgot about the tooth marks Your Highness left.”

During their first encounter in the hot spring, Yan Yunti had used her left hand.

It wasn’t the first time Yuan Jingxue had heard her speak so bluntly. She thought to herself that she shouldn’t bother with her, but the next moment, she heard the Qianyuan say difficulty, “We left in such a hurry today that I forgot to bring the medicine. I wonder if Your Highness has any wound medicine here?”

As expected. Even if the medicine were given to her, she would likely choose not to apply it.

Yuan Jingxue had anticipated this. She sat up and draped an outer robe over herself. “Bring that candle over.”

Yan Yunti got up and moved the candle from the high table near the daybed to the head of the bed. Seeing the familiar medicine bottle in Yuan Jingxue’s hand, she proactively slid the robe off her left shoulder and turned sideways to present the wound. “Thank you, Your Highness.”

Having soaked in the water for too long today, the wound on Yan Yunti’s left shoulder was showing signs of redness and swelling.

Yuan Jingxue frowned as she looked at it. She leaned over to pull a different bottle of wound medicine from the bedside cabinet. While the medicine Xu Yuqing had given was excellent for removing scars, its speed in healing an open trauma wasn’t as fast as this bottle of gold-sore ointment.

“It’s nothing serious, Your Highness needn’t worry,” Yan Yunti said in a relaxed tone as she saw her change the medicine.

“Did I say I was worried?” Yuan Jingxue countered faintly. She opened the bottle and, gripping it carefully, slowly sprinkled the powder onto the wound. Seeing the sudden furrow in Yan Yunti’s brow, her movements became even slower and lighter. “Tomorrow, you don’t need to go into the water.”

“No, I still have to teach Your Highness to swim,” Yan Yunti refused decisively. “When I practiced martial arts, I suffered injuries far heavier than this countless times. This is just a minor scratch; teaching Your Highness is more important.”

“A minor scratch?” Seeing her stubbornness, Yuan Jingxue’s hand shook, and a larger amount of powder spilled onto the wound.

While this ointment was effective, it was truly painful upon application. Yan Yunti’s hard-maintained relaxed facade shattered instantly. She looked piteously at Yuan Jingxue: “Is Your Highness taking revenge on me?”

“What would I be revenging?” Seeing the Qianyuan’s expression, Yuan Jingxue felt an inexplicable urge to smile. Her movements grew gentler, though her voice remained icy: “Isn’t Miss Yan the most ‘compliant’ and ‘obedient’? Since you do exactly as I say, what is there to fear?”

“Perhaps there are times when I misunderstand your intent?” Yan Yunti couldn’t ignore the pain in her shoulder. This time she didn’t have to act; her expression was genuinely pitiful.

Yuan Jingxue saw it—she was truly afraid of pain. Though she didn’t know why Yan Yunti insisted on the swimming lessons, she didn’t care to argue further. “Be careful tomorrow. If you can avoid the water, do so. If you must go in, be careful not to wet the wound.”

Yan Yunti: “Alright, I will listen to Your Highness.”

That phrase again. It was hard to tell if she actually meant it.

Yuan Jingxue lowered her gaze, meticulously spreading the powder over every part of the wound. She then took out a roll of clean gauze, wrapping it from the left shoulder, under the right armpit, and back over the shoulder to secure it. She added a final instruction: “Be careful when you sleep; don’t press on the injury.”

“Alright, thank you for your concern, Your Highness,” Yan Yunti replied with a smile.

Yuan Jingxue’s hand paused as she put the medicine away. Concern? When did she show concern? If the wound hadn’t been caused by her own bite, she wouldn’t have cared at all.

Having finished, Yuan Jingxue turned to find Yan Yunti still sitting by the bed. Her phoenix eyes sparked with little points of light in the candlelight, gazing at her brightly.

Yuan Jingxue’s heartstrings vibrated. Her expression remained neutral. “Why haven’t you left?”

Yan Yunti blinked, her gaze drifting toward the large bed Yuan Jingxue slept in. She said in a low voice, “Your Highness doesn’t know, but that daybed is truly too narrow. If I turn even slightly, my shoulder hits the railing. If I move a bit more, it’s not impossible that I might fall off. If my shoulder hits the floor directly, wouldn’t Your Highness’s hard work in applying the medicine tonight be wasted?”

Yan Yunti wasn’t lying. She preferred large beds, and sleeping on a daybed all night was indeed a struggle. She figured she’d ask—maybe it would work?

The girl’s face was full of hope and supplication.

Yuan Jingxue avoided her eyes. “If you do not move much, you will not hit the wound.”

Such heartless words. Yan Yunti wasn’t surprised by the answer. She let out a very soft sigh. “Alright, then I’m going back.” She stood up slowly and walked back sluggishly, not forgetting to add: “If Your Highness feels uncomfortable during the night, just call me anytime. I likely won’t be sleeping soundly.”

Hearing this, Yuan Jingxue couldn’t help but look over. The solitary candle reflected the girl’s lonely silhouette; her left shoulder seemed extremely uncomfortable, and her hanging left hand was trembling slightly.

Yuan Jingxue closed her eyes. A moment later, her lips parted: “You sleep on the outside. Do not move excessively.”

Yan Yunti turned around instantly, a brilliant smile blooming in her eyes. “Alright! I definitely won’t disturb Your Highness’s rest.”

Yuan Jingxue stopped looking at her and lay down facing the wall. Yan Yunti brought her thin blanket from the daybed and lay flat on the outer edge. After a while, she turned onto her right side, also facing the inner side of the bed.

Because of the proximity to the hot spring, the temperature in the inner chamber was high. Yuan Jingxue’s blanket was pulled down below her shoulders, exposing a small portion of her back. The butterfly bones beneath her white inner robe quivered with her breath. Further up, the pale pink gland at the back of her neck was half-visible.

Yan Yunti averted her eyes, letting them rest only on the butterfly bones.

Gradually, Yan Yunti’s breathing synchronized with Yuan Jingxue’s. Watching those butterfly bones rise and fall, she slowly closed her eyes. With the clear fragrance belonging to Yuan Jingxue swirling around her nose, she thought it would be hard to fall asleep, but drowsiness hit her hard. No amount of restless thoughts could withstand her physical exhaustion.

Sometime later, a cold body pressed against her in her sleep. Yan Yunti, who had been feeling too warm, felt as if she had embraced a block of ice. She held on tight, unable to let go, her hands fumbling over the “ice block” to absorb the coolness of a summer day. She became more energetic the more she explored.

As she touched, a few soft, thin whimpers sounded in her ear. In her hazy consciousness, Yan Yunti thought: Can ice blocks make sounds?

Her awareness suddenly snapped awake.

Yan Yunti opened her eyes to see the “ice beauty” lying in her arms with disheveled clothes. Her brow was furrowed in discomfort, and she was burrowing into Yan Yunti’s embrace. As for her own hands—her left hand was slid beneath the nightgown, wantonly stroking the woman’s back, while her right hand was pressed against her front. Between the pulled-open collar, faint red marks from her pinching were visible.

Yan Yunti’s scalp felt numb. Just as her right fingertips moved, another soft hum sounded by her ear—a hum so soft it made her ears melt, making her almost want to keep holding her.

Fortunately, her reason remained. Yan Yunti moved her hands very gently, then took both sides of Yuan Jingxue’s collar to pull them together. Just as she let out a breath of relief, she heard a voice from beside her: “What are you doing?”

Yan Yunti released the collar immediately. Looking up, she saw Yuan Jingxue looking drowsy; she must have just woken up. Yan Yunti shifted her waist. “I don’t know what happened. Your Highness suddenly burrowed into my arms while sleeping…”

This excuse was very powerful, because Yuan Jingxue’s hand was still resting on her waist.

Yuan Jingxue frowned. The chill in her body was radiating outward in waves. She must have mistaken the person for a furnace. As she thought about withdrawing her hand, a certain part of her front brushed against her nightgown, and something felt wrong.

In her dream just now, the “warm jade” she was holding had turned into a person who was getting handsy… Now it seemed it wasn’t a “warm jade,” but the Qianyuan getting handsy. Yet in this situation, it appeared she had been the one to initiate it.

“My cold affliction flared up,” Yuan Jingxue said plainly, choosing not to pursue the matter.

Yan Yunti had already seen that. Her hand tentatively landed on Yuan Jingxue’s shoulder. “Then… should I help Your Highness with a massage to soothe it?”

“Mm,” Yuan Jingxue replied softly, intending to turn over to make it easier.

“No need,” Yan Yunti pressed her shoulder, her left thumb expertly finding the Kunze’s gland. “I’ve practiced many times; I can do it without looking.” She began to knead directly.

Yuan Jingxue didn’t have time to stop her. They were lying on their sides facing each other, so close that their breath fanned over each other’s faces—so close that any anomaly would be discovered. Yuan Jingxue had no choice but to look down.

In doing so, it looked even more as if she were proactively leaning into Yan Yunti’s embrace, her snowy neck curved, allowing the other to stroke her. At this moment, the Eldest Princess was as compliant as a white cat that had retracted its claws, giving off a feeling that she could be teased and kneaded at will.

The pressure of Yan Yunti’s massage suddenly grew heavier. Her breath brushing against the collarbone intensified, the heat scorching that inch of skin and igniting chaotic thoughts.

Yan Yunti closed her eyes, trying to focus her attention on the kneading of her thumb, thinking of nothing else. The body in her arms grew warmer, and the breath fluttering against her collarbone became hotter and closer. Suddenly, at a certain moment, soft, warm lips pressed against her collarbone, gently sucking and kneading the thin skin there.

Yan Yunti’s breath hitched. Her massage slipped, pressing heavily against the center of the Kunze gland.

A suppressed low hum came from the woman’s throat. Yuan Jingxue released the skin on the collarbone, where faint red marks were now visible. She moved slightly lower, her lips pressing against the slight swell.

“Your Highness!” With a low, urgent warning, Yan Yunti raised her hand to tilt Yuan Jingxue’s chin up. Seeing the dense mist of moisture in the woman’s eyes, she leaned in. “Why did you…”

Before she could finish, Yuan Jingxue blinked away the moisture. She retreated, pushing the girl away with calm restraint. “It’s late. Sleep.”

Yan Yunti stared at her blankly. She watched as the beauty left her embrace to sleep on the inner side of the bed, truly not giving her another look—as if the initiative just now had been a complete hallucination!

The red marks on her collarbone had not faded, and the desire in her body had not dissipated, yet the inner chamber had returned to silence.

Yan Yunti realized with a delayed shock—the Eldest Princess was taking revenge on her?!