After Accidentally Marking the Cold and Elegant Eldest Princess - Chapter 31

Chapter 31: Pouring Out the Heart

Yuan Jingxue moved her waist slightly, her brows knitting together. Her usually cold phoenix eyes were now filled with a dazed mist. Drawn in by the Qianyuan’s smile, she rested her hands on Yan Yunti’s shoulders and slowly leaned in.

“A-Yun.” Her breath was close enough to fan across Yan Yunti’s face. Looking into those peach-blossom eyes, she murmured the name again in a low voice.

Yan Yunti supported her by holding both sides of her body. “Your Highness, what is it?”

Yuan Jingxue’s brow furrowed deeper. Her gaze moved to the Qianyuan’s lips, which were opening and closing as she spoke. She shook her head: “Not right.”

“What isn’t right?” Yan Yunti didn’t understand.

Yuan Jingxue’s throat was parched. She lowered her head and pressed her lips against the Qianyuan’s thin, blood-stained mouth, meticulously sipping it clean. The taste of blood wasn’t great, but she proactively explored further to drink more “water” to quench her thirst.

Yan Yunti allowed her to do as she pleased. Unfortunately, the Eldest Princess pulled away after only a short kiss, her eyes misty and looking displeased, as if she were unhappy. “Not Your Highness.”

“Then what is it?” Yan Yunti began to understand a little.

Yuan Jingxue raised her hand, her fingertip stroking the corner of the girl’s eye. She seemed to be extremely fond of these peach-blossom eyes, even leaning down to kiss her eyelids as she stroked them.

Yan Yunti closed her eyes under the kisses. “Does Your Highness like my eyes?”

Yuan Jingxue kissed both the left and right eyes, nodding afterward: “I like them.” She stroked the Qianyuan’s eyes as if she couldn’t bear to let go, a smile spreading through her gaze. “I like them very much. They are very beautiful, very…” She paused for a moment, thinking of a word hidden in her heart: “Seductive.”

Yan Yunti’s heart throbbed. The Eldest Princess liked her looks? Seizing the golden opportunity, Yan Yunti pressed: “Does Your Highness like my appearance?”

Yuan Jingxue frowned. She pressed her hand over the Qianyuan’s lips and shook her head: “Not right. Not Your Highness, it’s… Jingxue.” After saying this, she looked at the Qianyuan with eyes full of expectation, waiting for her to call her by her name.

Yan Yunti asked with a soft laugh: “Does Your Highness like me calling your name?” Had she not heard it enough yesterday after so many repetitions?

It seemed the Eldest Princess truly hid many thoughts.

At this moment, Yuan Jingxue couldn’t see through the Qianyuan’s probing little schemes. She nodded slightly, making no attempt to hide it: “I like it. Your voice… is very pleasant to hear.”

The cloying scent of their merged pheromones filled her chest. Even though she had done nothing else, Yan Yunti felt as if she were floating on clouds. Her lips moved: “Yuan… Jing… Xue.” She said it extremely slowly, without any trace of irritation or embarrassment. It was her most natural voice—clear, clean, and carrying the vitality of the sun.

Yuan Jingxue pursed her lips slightly, her fingers moving back to the girl’s shoulders as she shook her head gently: “Not right.”

Despite saying it was “not right,” she clearly liked it.

Yan Yunti noticed her small movement of sitting forward and pressed her left hand against the small of the woman’s back. “What is not right?”

“It is… Jing… xue,” Yuan Jingxue repeated, enunciating each word.

Yan Yunti stroked her lips. “If Your Highness wants me to call you that, shouldn’t you give me some reward?”

“Reward?” Yuan Jingxue looked at her in confusion. She felt the rubbing on her lips and smelled a very light fragrance—this clean scent was completely different from the smell of pheromones.

Yuan Jingxue’s attention was diverted. She grasped Yan Yunti’s right hand, her fingertips stroking the Qianyuan’s long fingers. She whispered, “A-Yun, your hands are also very beautiful.” Without the suppression of logic, she said whatever came to mind. She pressed her lips against the back of the girl’s fingers and sucked lightly. “Mmm, so fragrant.”

The scent of the balm Yan Yunti had applied in the morning had not yet faded; it had become even stronger after being soaked in water. Thinking of someone’s cold “I don’t like it” from that morning, she held Yuan Jingxue’s hand in return and asked, “Does Your Highness like it now?”

Yuan Jingxue looked at her upon hearing the voice, her nose twitching slightly. She leaned close to Yan Yunti’s neck, her lips almost touching the skin. “I like… your scent.”

One “I like” after another, one compliment after another. If she didn’t know that the Eldest Princess was usually incapable of saying such things, Yan Yunti would truly suspect Yuan Jingxue was intentionally flirting with her.

She turned to face Yuan Jingxue, her right knee moving up, her thumb gently stroking the woman’s cheek. “Then, is there anything about me that Your Highness doesn’t like?”

Yuan Jingxue let out a soft hum. Her gaze shifted between the girl’s eyes and thin lips, eventually landing on the Qianyuan’s slightly loosened collar. A small, faint red mark remained on the collarbone. Remembering she had sucked it there herself, she pressed her lips against it.

Yan Yunti took a sharp breath, persisting with her question: “Is there anything Your Highness doesn’t like?”

The hem of her upper garment was brushed aside. Yuan Jingxue was forced to look up, the mist in her eyes condensing into tears as she shook her head slightly: “No. A-Yun… I…” She seemed to want to say something, but didn’t know how.

Yan Yunti touched the corner of her lips. “Your Highness, you don’t need to speak. I understand.”

To hear so many unexpected words was already a surprise; if she pushed too far, the Princess would surely settle the score once she sobered up.

The pheromones of the Qianyuan and Kunze merged silently, growing increasingly intense. The pink dress bloomed at the waist like the most magnificent peony, its layers displaying the beauty of the garment to the extreme.

Yan Yunti pulled the woman back to sit across her waist. She wiped away the tear at the corner of her eye and called out softly: “Jingxue.”

The beauty gave a light “Mm,” though it was unclear if she had heard clearly.

Yan Yunti sat up and whispered in her ear again: “Jingxue. My… A-Xue.”

Yuan Jingxue’s eyes trembled. She heard the words clearly. Her blurred vision crashed into those smiling peach-blossom eyes. Her voice shook as she called out: “A-Yun…” After a pause, she mimicked Yan Yunti’s words: “My… A-Yun.”

Even knowing these words were guided by her own hand, Yan Yunti still felt her heart racing wildly. She pressed her nose against Yuan Jingxue’s and rested her thumb on the Kunze’s nape. “Yes. I am your A-Yun. An A-Yun who belongs only to you.”

“A-Yun… belonging to me… A-Yun,” Yuan Jingxue murmured in repetition.

Amidst her repeated calls of “A-Yun,” the pheromones from the back of Yan Yunti’s neck were the first to explode. The thick scent of cedar completely enveloped the Kunze.

The daybed was a bit cramped for two people. Yan Yunti no longer lay down; she held the soft, fragrant beauty in her arms, calling “Jingxue” over and over in her ear, doing nothing else.

The pheromones from the Kunze’s nape had slowly retracted. The merged scent in the air had not yet dissipated; mixed with the steam of the hot spring, it had become sweet and moist, smelling wonderfully pleasant.

The repeated calls of “Jingxue,” accompanied by low, shallow gasps, spiraled into Yuan Jingxue’s ear. The logic that had been scattered by the sudden arrival of the Rain and Dew period gradually returned. Along with it came the echoes of her own voice in her memory—”I like,” “Seductive,” “A-Yun,” “Very beautiful”…

The words she had spoken rushed back like a tide. Thoughts that should never have been revealed were all laid bare. Yuan Jingxue didn’t know for a moment whether she should feel regret or be angry at the Qianyuan’s guidance. At that moment, she heard a voice by her ear: “Your Highness, do you feel better?”

Yuan Jingxue closed her eyes. She truly did not want to be “awake” at a time like this. She only gave a light “Mm” in response, offering no further reply.

Yan Yunti’s expression shifted. She was too familiar with Yuan Jingxue’s tone and sensed something was wrong. She asked, “Does Your Highness want to soak in the hot spring?”

The rear hall of the hot spring was hot, and Yuan Jingxue was covered in sweat. Hearing this, she gave another low “Mm.”

Yan Yunti carried her up. Before entering the spring, she removed Yuan Jingxue’s dress and her own inner robe. The pink dress was quite wrinkled, but unlike her own robe, the waist wasn’t soaked through. Yuan Jingxue noticed this but pretended not to see.

Yan Yunti held her as they sat near the pool wall, splashing warm spring water to help wash her arms. “Your Highness has no strength; let me help you.”

Yuan Jingxue wanted to say it wasn’t necessary, but her temporary avoidance made it difficult to speak up. She could only let Yan Yunti wash her. Her tied-up hair had long since come loose, floating on the water’s surface and obscuring her vision.

“No…” Yuan Jingxue suddenly grabbed the girl’s hand, looking over with trembling eyes.

Yan Yunti hesitated for a moment, comforting her: “I won’t do anything. I’m just helping Your Highness wash.”

As the warm water bathed her body, Yan Yunti looked at Yuan Jingxue thoughtfully. As she washed down to Yuan Jingxue’s ankle, her thumb gently and slowly stroked the delicate skin there. “Does Your Highness remember what you bestowed upon me before?”

Yuan Jingxue looked at her “confusedly” and shook her head slightly.

“It seems those things were just casual gifts from Your Highness,” Yan Yunti said. Her left hand rested on the woman’s waist, stroking it idly. Her tone sounded disappointed. “What Your Highness gave casually, I cherish as a treasure. I even specifically brought them with me to the villa this time.”

Yuan Jingxue had only bestowed gifts upon Yan Yunti once—the reward for the “life-saving grace” at the Thousand-Year Banquet. Those gifts had been prepared by Bawei; Yuan Jingxue had only glanced at the list once and hadn’t taken it to heart. Now, hearing Yan Yunti mention it, she couldn’t gauge her intent and remained silent.

Yan Yunti gazed at the quiet beauty and continued, “My favorite is the bracelet made of emerald jade. The jade is so bright and green, polished so round. If…” Yan Yunti paused, her gaze dropping through the water to the woman’s white ankle. “If it were worn on Your Highness’s ankle, it would surely be a perfect match.”

As soon as she said this, Yuan Jingxue felt the sensation on her ankle become even more vivid and impossible to ignore. She moved her ankle slightly, applying some force.

Yan Yunti gripped her ankle tight and looked at her, her voice low and tender: “Your Highness, you like everything about me. Similarly, I like everything about you. Your Highness surely won’t refuse this little ‘liking’ of mine, right?”

As she spoke, their noses touched. Seeing the Kunze’s lips part as if to say “No,” she suddenly kissed her, blocking the word back. Yuan Jingxue couldn’t say the words of refusal, and the lack of oxygen made her head swim. A moment later, she heard Yan Yunti call her again: “Jingxue.”

The gland at the back of her neck throbbed slightly.

Yuan Jingxue pursed her lips and remained silent, but the voice by her ear didn’t stop, sounding like a plea: “A-Xue… Jingxue… don’t refuse A-Yun’s heart, okay?”

A tiny bit of pheromones leaked from the Kunze’s nape. The Rain and Dew period lasted at least three days, coming and going in cycles; it wouldn’t end so quickly.

Perhaps her logic was once again being shaken by the waves. Yuan Jingxue heard an extremely soft word escape her lips: “…Alright.”