After Accidentally Marking the Cold and Elegant Eldest Princess - Chapter 44

Chapter 44: The Rabbit’s Curiosity

Tonight, the moon was as bright as water, its reflection falling into the young woman’s peach-blossom eyes like shimmering, scattered stars, glowing with an inviting brilliance.

Yuan Jingxue set down her skewer and lowered her gaze, her hands stroking the restless white rabbit in her lap. Pinching its ears, she said in a calm voice, “Tonight the bonfires are like stars; yet Miss Yan does not go to play, but comes here to talk and joke. You truly have a fine spirit.”

“If Your Highness says it is a joke, then it is a joke.” Yan Yunti did not argue. She placed four small dishes of dipping sauces she had prepared onto the table before herself and Yuan Jingxue, then lifted the teapot to pour two cups of clear tea. “I prepared these two sauces personally. One is slightly spicy, the other is sweet and sour. See if they suit Your Highness’s palate.”

After spending several days together at the traveling palace, Yan Yunti had gained some understanding of Yuan Jingxue’s tastes. The Eldest Princess liked spicy food but couldn’t handle too much heat, so “mildly spicy” was perfect. Paired with a sweet and sour dip, it was a combination that couldn’t go wrong.

Yuan Jingxue held the rabbit and did not touch the skewers.

Yan Yunti didn’t rush her. She picked up a skewer and began to eat for herself, evaluating as she chewed: “Though it’s gone a bit cold, the flavor is still quite good. I am truly hungry; if Your Highness doesn’t eat, be careful or I might finish it all.”

The scent of food lingered at the tip of her nose, and Yuan Jingxue felt a slight stir in her stomach. She hadn’t eaten much for dinner, and looking up to see Yan Yunti squinting her eyes in cheerful enjoyment, she felt the emptiness in her stomach even more keenly.

If she didn’t eat now, she feared her body might make some unladylike noises.

Besides, it was roasted for her anyway.

With a natural expression, Yuan Jingxue reached out and took a skewer. She dipped it into the mildly spicy sauce and took a bite. The charred exterior and tender interior of the chicken merged perfectly with the spicy seasoning, making her mouth water and making her want more.

A warm breeze drifted in from the window as the two sat opposite each other, eating.

The number of bamboo sticks on the tray dwindled until only the last skewer of roasted mushrooms remained. Yan Yunti snatched it first. Sensing that Yuan Jingxue still wanted more, she held it to the Princess’s lips. “Your Highness eats half, and I eat half. How about that?”

Yuan Jingxue pursed her lips. Since childhood, she had been cautioned against gluttony and told never to reveal her culinary preferences too clearly. Yet, every time she was with Yan Yunti, she seemed to forget these rules; even her physical desires seemed to intensify.

Recalling this, Yuan Jingxue offered a restrained refusal: “No need. You may leave once you’ve finished.”

“But I can’t finish a whole skewer. Why doesn’t Your Highness help me share the burden?” Yan Yunti insisted.

Yuan Jingxue didn’t think a single skewer of mushrooms was too much to finish, but to avoid wasting food, she ate the half-skewer, feeling her taste buds fully satisfied.

Because the window had been kept open for ventilation, no heavy lingering smells remained in the tent.

Yuan Jingxue ordered servants to bring water. After they had washed their hands and rinsed their mouths, she turned to find Yan Yunti sitting back in the rosewood chair by the window, cradling the struggling white rabbit in her arms.

For some reason, A-Ruan didn’t seem to like her much—perhaps because it was Yan Yunti who had captured it.

Yuan Jingxue walked to the window and reached out to take the rabbit from Yan Yunti’s manhandling, reminding her: “It’s time for you to go.”

Yan Yunti leaned back lazily in the chair, resting her chin on one hand and looking up at her. Her voice was languid: “I can’t walk. I’m sleepy after eating.” She closed her eyes as if truly about to fall asleep.

Yuan Jingxue knew she couldn’t drag her away and didn’t bother trying. “If you wish to sleep here in the draft, then sleep.” She turned to leave with A-Ruan, but after only two steps, her arm was jerked. She lost her balance instantly and was pulled straight into Yan Yunti’s lap.

A-Ruan was so startled it bolted, hopping away into the distance.

Yan Yunti wrapped both arms around the soft beauty sitting in her lap, burying her head against her chest. “Stay with me for a while, Your Highness. Consider it helping with digestion.”

Yan Yunti’s head nuzzled against her chest. Yuan Jingxue’s face flushed slightly as she gave the girl’s hair a light tug. “Is this how you help digestion?”

You’re clearly hungry again!

As if hearing her inner thoughts, Yan Yunti looked up, her nose rubbed red. She pulled the woman even tighter. “Has Your Highness never heard the saying ‘When one is full and warm, one thinks of…’? I suppose I am hungry again.”

Yuan Jingxue was held so tightly that their bodies were pressed flush against each other; it was inevitable to have a reaction. She pushed at Yan Yunti’s shoulders. “Yan Yunti, I have indulged you many times today. You shouldn’t ask for so much.”

“Is it my request that is too much? Clearly, it is Your Highness who is teasing me,” Yan Yunti’s expression turned aggrieved. “Your Highness knows, don’t you? Smelling pheromones is merely ‘watching plums to quench thirst’—it doesn’t actually quench it, but intensifies the craving. Yet Your Highness agreed to let me smell them last night. If that isn’t teasing, what is?”

Yan Yunti was an expert at twisting black into white. Yuan Jingxue didn’t fall for the trap: “If you feel I shouldn’t have let you smell them, then next time, no matter what you say, I won’t let you smell them again. How about that?”

Of course, that wouldn’t do.

The hand Yan Yunti had resting on Yuan Jingxue’s back slid up to the back of her neck, touching the slightly warming gland. She sighed softly. “Your Highness, oh Your Highness… when will you learn to face your own body honestly? If you pull away the ladder I’ve given you now, do you intend to endure the whole night through sheer force of will?”

“What if I do?” Yuan Jingxue countered coldly. She remembered her loss of composure during the day and didn’t want to let herself go again tonight.

“But why?” Yan Yunti didn’t understand. “At the traveling palace, didn’t Your Highness already accept this?” She thought Yuan Jingxue had reached a point where she could honestly accept her body’s reactions, but tonight everything seemed to have returned to the beginning.

“There is no ‘why’.” Yuan Jingxue didn’t want to answer, turning her head away.

Yan Yunti’s grip loosened slightly, and this time she let out a genuine, heartfelt sigh. “Your Highness, if you are like this, I will find it very exhausting.”

Yuan Jingxue’s eyelashes fluttered. Still not looking at her, she said, “If you find it exhausting, then leave.”

There was no way Yan Yunti would leave. She didn’t want to go back with things so muddled. She continued in a low, soft voice: “From the beginning until now, it has always been me guessing Your Highness’s thoughts and feelings. I know this is a result of Your Highness’s status and habits—not wanting to easily reveal your thoughts to others. But given our current relationship, no matter how much Your Highness refuses to admit it, we can at least be called ‘intimate.’ If intimate people do not speak clearly and hide things at every turn, it will inevitably breed resentment.

“Your Highness, I don’t want you to hate me, nor do I want to misunderstand you. I only hope we can be more honest with each other. At least tell me why you are unwilling; it’s not as if I’ll insist on doing it.”

Yuan Jingxue lowered her eyes. Seeing Yan Yunti’s serious and sincere expression, she knew that if she didn’t speak clearly, they would both suffer.

But how could she say it? Tell her she was afraid of being unable to control her own heart?

That was absurd. How long had she even known Yan Yunti? How could it have reached the stage of genuine emotion?

Perhaps she was overthinking. She shouldn’t always be so difficult, especially since Yan Yunti had been the one constantly accommodating her.

Yuan Jingxue tried to persuade herself, and her resistant emotions gradually faded.

She said, “My Imperial Mother taught me from a young age that as the Di Eldest Princess of Daqi, I must not act recklessly or indulge in greed. I must be restrained in action and cautious in speech. More importantly, I must not show favoritism toward any person or thing. Only with a heart that is unbiased and devoid of personal love can one control people and govern the world.” These were words she shouldn’t have said to Yan Yunti, but it was the best answer. Her “unwillingness” and “inability” were habits raised since childhood, carved into her very bones and unchangeable.

Listening to this, Yan Yunti only felt a pang of heartache. The person who should have been the most unrestrained in the world was instead taught to walk a narrow path of rules, never allowed a single misstep, forced to restrain even her appetite. Was this truly right?

The Emperor had her considerations, but Yan Yunti had her own ideas. She asked in return, “Then has Your Highness ever thought—if one does not even dare to favor a single person, what is the point of possessing that power and status? If a heart is truly unbiased and without love, how can it hold the common people of the world?”

Yuan Jingxue frowned. Yan Yunti’s words had a certain logic, but such things shouldn’t be said aloud. “Do not speak of such things before outsiders.”

Yan Yunti smiled with curving brows. “Is Your Highness concerned for me?”

Yuan Jingxue looked away, avoiding her smile. “I have given the explanation you wanted. You may go.”

“This is the third time Your Highness has driven me away tonight.” Yan Yunti took Yuan Jingxue’s hand and placed it over her own heart. “Touch it, Your Highness. See if this heart of mine has shattered into pieces.”

Pressed against her chest, Yuan Jingxue found the spot inexplicably hot. “If it’s shattered, go back and mend it slowly.”

“No,” Yan Yunti shook her head, leaning close to Yuan Jingxue’s ear. “It can only be mended if Your Highness kisses it.”

When the Qianyuan acted spoiled, her tone was incredibly sweet.

Yuan Jingxue turned her head slightly to avoid her breath. “Yan Yunti, are you going back on your word?”

She had said it wasn’t a necessity, yet here she was entangling her.

“Then what does Your Highness think?” Yan Yunti reached out to tap the back of Yuan Jingxue’s neck, her nose brushing against the Princess’s as their breaths intertwined. “If you feel it is too much greed, there is no need to think that way. By my count, this is only the fifth day. Once every five days—how can that be linked to the word ‘greed’?”

Yuan Jingxue knew the girl’s mouth was full of “crooked logic” that she shouldn’t listen to. She tried to pull back. “This is not the palace. If someone comes…” She didn’t finish the sentence.

Yan Yunti thoughtfully lowered the window flap, her lips already pressing close. “The moment Your Highness is truly unwilling, I will leave immediately.”

The Qianyuan’s aura was as close as it could possibly be, waiting for her answer.

Yuan Jingxue felt her heart beating in a disorganized mess. Just like during the day, an uncontrollable urge for closeness rose within her as the Qianyuan rubbed against her lips. After a long silence, Yuan Jingxue spoke two words in a low, soft voice: “Be gentle.”

“Alright,” Yan Yunti replied, and the kiss deepened.

The two sat by the window. The unlatched flap occasionally blew open a crack in the wind, allowing the moonlight to fall upon the woman’s neck and collarbone, highlighting her porcelain-white skin flushed with pink.

Yan Yunti’s kisses fell upon Yuan Jingxue’s heart, then returned to her cheek. She pressed her hand over the Princess’s heart and said syllable by syllable, “Your Highness, you have no idea how soft your heart is.”

Yuan Jingxue pushed against her shoulder, her pursed lips parting to remind her: “A-Ruan.”

Yan Yunti turned to look. The rabbit that had vanished earlier had reappeared from somewhere and was crouching not far away, watching them both.

Yuan Jingxue clearly became tense.

Yan Yunti let out a low laugh and picked up an outer robe to drape over Yuan Jingxue’s shoulders, coaxing her: “Don’t be afraid, Your Highness. It doesn’t understand.”

The bunny might not understand, but the bunny could see!

A-Ruan seemed truly curious; it stayed right there, refusing to leave as it watched them.

Yan Yunti held the lightly trembling woman in her arms and said with a laugh, “Your Highness… in the end, is it the rabbit, or is it you who is the ‘bunny’?” You’re shaking so much.

Yuan Jingxue glared at her, but her eyes were filled with the mist of passion; the glare held no deterrent. Instead, it only prompted Yan Yunti to laugh and kiss the corner of her eye, repeating that phrase: “Your Highness, you really are… too cute.”

Then she added: “Pitiful, cute, and oh-so-easy to bully.”