After Becoming a Succubus, I Was Offered to My Mortal Enemy - Chapter 1

Chapter 1

“Miss, the young lady of the Yuchi family is here to see you again. Today is the seventh day of the sixth lunar month—a truly auspicious day.”

After speaking, the maid saw Ning Yuan, who was embroidering her wedding dress, blush deeply. The maid laughed with a mix of joy and playfulness.

“The seventh day of the sixth month…”

Ning Yuan remembered; this was Sikong Xue’s birthday.

Legend says the seventh day of the sixth month is when the Heavenly Gates open wide. On this day, the sun was exceptionally fierce, and the sweltering heat made it hard to breathe.

Fortunately, mists of water incense curled in her room. Despite the summer heat, the household knew Ning Yuan feared the warmth, so they had placed blocks of ice in front of the wind-wheel in her chambers. As the wheel spun, it brought a refreshing and pleasant coolness.

Ning Yuan shook her head. Sikong Xue was her mortal enemy; why was she remembering her birthday?

The maid giggled, “Miss is blushing. Could it be you’re simply too eager to see Miss Yuchi?”

Dressed in a gauze robe of pale primrose, Ning Yuan stood in stark contrast to the fiery red wedding dress in her hands. Her slender, fair fingers—delicate as spring onions—curled slightly. Her eyes held a bashful hesitation.

“If you dare speak such nonsense again, I will have Mother punish you severely,” Ning Yuan said, though she couldn’t help but glance toward the door.

The “Miss Yuchi” the maid spoke of was none other than Yuchi Jin, the person with whom she had recently entered a marriage contract.

Speaking of which, this engagement had been settled in a bit of a daze. As the pearl in the palm of the Left Prime Minister, Ning Yuan’s future spouse had to be of incomparable noble status.

Yuchi Jin was the daughter of the Grand Princess and had grown up alongside Ning Yuan. She was exceptionally beautiful and talented, and had been kind to Ning Yuan since childhood. Whenever the eldest miss of the Grand Commandant’s manor (Sikong Xue) teased Ning Yuan to tears, Yuchi Jin was always there to offer gentle comfort. Though she couldn’t always make Ning Yuan laugh, her words always soothed her heart.

Previously, Ning Yuan had always viewed Yuchi Jin as an older sister; she had never imagined spending her life with her.

When the time came for her to choose a spouse, her mother gave her a beautiful phoenix crown, telling her to choose a lady from the noble families with whom she shared a mutual affection and send her the marriage proposal.

At that time, rumors were flying through the Imperial City that the Miss of the Prime Minister’s manor would surely wed the daughter of the Grand Princess. Ning Yuan looked at the phoenix crown, but felt something wasn’t quite right in her heart.

Yuchi Jin treated her wonderfully, yet for some inexplicable reason, she found herself carrying the phoenix crown to the Grand Commandant’s manor to find Sikong Xue—the one who provoked her to anger every single day.

Sikong Xue was in the courtyard practicing her swordsmanship. Her dark hair was tied back neatly, and her black robes emphasized her tall, upright posture. Though Ning Yuan didn’t understand sword forms, she thought the movements were beautiful and commanding.

Seeing her finish her stance, Ning Yuan held up the phoenix crown and walked to Sikong Xue. “This is the crown Mother gave me. A-Lin, look quickly—do I look good wearing it?”

Ning Yuan’s smile was so bright, so beautiful. It was like the warm sun in winter, enough to melt one’s heart. For a moment, even the phoenix crown seemed to dim in comparison.

Sikong Xue dazed for a moment, then furrowed her brows and said: “It’s ugly as death.”

This was the crown Ning Yuan would wear when she wed Yuchi Jin. Even if it were beautiful, Sikong Xue couldn’t bring herself to praise it.

The smile froze on Ning Yuan’s face, and her beautiful eyes grew misty. She had come with a heart full of joy, only to receive such a sentence.

Ugly as death.

Ning Yuan couldn’t help but remember what Yuchi Jin had told her: The eldest miss of the Sikong family loves dancing with blades and spears; she acts recklessly. Do not get too close to her, lest she hurts you.

Blades and spears hadn’t hurt Ning Yuan, but Sikong Xue’s words truly cut deep.

“Sikong Xue, I hate you!”

Leaving those words behind, Ning Yuan fled in tears.

Her mother said that after marriage, two people become the closest of companions, caring for each other until their hair turns white. Sikong Xue was so wicked, knowing only how to bully her every day—how could they possibly spend a lifetime together?

It was Yuchi Jin who once again wiped away Ning Yuan’s tears. She curled her lips and said, “Little Sparrow, do not cry. Such a beautiful phoenix crown—you will surely look exquisite in it.”

Ning Yuan’s childhood name was Xianglan, but Yuchi Jin preferred to call her “Little Sparrow.” She claimed that names like “Yuan” (meaning a bird of prey) flying to the heavens didn’t suit Ning Yuan’s temperament; she was more lovable as a little sparrow. Ning Yuan disliked the nickname, but she was too heartbroken to argue.

Every time Ning Yuan cried, Yuchi Jin comforted her this way.

Ning Yuan asked, “Is it truly beautiful?” But that Sikong Xue said it was ugly.

“Little Sparrow is the most beautiful in my eyes. The south has recently sent a tribute of brocades; Mother gave them all to me. Why don’t you come and pick two you like to make a dress?”

Yuchi Jin gazed at Ning Yuan’s lovely features as if admiring an exquisite object. An object that belonged solely to her.

Hearing she could make a beautiful dress, Ning Yuan felt less sad. The fabrics given by the Grand Princess must be the finest in Great Liang.

Following Yuchi Jin to her manor, Ning Yuan saw those brocades—red as fire—and froze. “This… isn’t this the fabric used for wedding dresses?”

“Little Sparrow, would you be willing to marry me? I will take care of you for the rest of our lives,” Yuchi Jin’s tone was incredibly serious.

Remembering her mother’s words about marriage and white-haired companionship, Ning Yuan thought that perhaps only someone as gentle and considerate as Sister A-Jin could stay with her until the end.

Furthermore, the Emperor was wary of the Ning family. If she could get the Emperor to bestow a marriage between her and Yuchi Jin—the Grand Princess’s daughter—perhaps the Emperor wouldn’t be so suspicious of them after the wedding.

And so, the engagement was settled in a muddle. While all the officials in the capital came to offer congratulations, only Sikong Xue requested an imperial decree to leave the capital immediately.

After the engagement, Yuchi Jin became even more attentive. She came to the manor every few days, either to accompany Ning Yuan in embroidering the wedding dress or to bring her little trinkets.

Another maid added, “Miss Yuchi will be so happy when she sees the wedding dress is almost finished.”

Ning Yuan gazed at the Black Bird she had just finished embroidering on the dress. Seeing the door swing open, a girl in indigo robes walked in.

Ning Yuan held up the dress to greet her. “Sister A-Jin, look at this Black Bird embroidery…”

Does it look good?

Before she could finish, she felt a sharp pain in her abdomen.

Ning Yuan looked down in disbelief. The dagger in Yuchi Jin’s hand had plunged into her stomach. The wedding dress fell to the floor, stained by blood.

Why?

Before Ning Yuan could ask, her body collapsed.

“Little Sparrow, if you were a girl from an ordinary family, I could have kept you in my manor as a concubine. Unfortunately… you are a daughter of the Ning family.” With that, Yuchi Jin turned and left.

Outside, things grew chaotic. She didn’t know what was happening. As her eyes closed, she vaguely heard words like “confiscation” and “exile.”

So, the Emperor still couldn’t tolerate the Ning family. She had thought that by marrying the Grand Princess’s daughter, the Emperor’s wariness would lessen. Thinking of Yuchi Jin’s diligence and daily visits over the past six months… she was likely searching for evidence of her mother’s “crimes.”

But the Ning family had served Great Liang with their whole hearts; what evidence could there be? Ning Yuan couldn’t understand.

If she had known, she would have listened to her grandmother and chosen someone she truly loved—someone who would treat her with a sincere heart. But who in Great Liang truly cared for her? Those noble ladies who admired flowers and wrote poetry with her only sought a shortcut to power. Privately, they said the Miss of the Ning family was arrogant and willful—fragile in appearance but terrible in temper, a mere “empty vessel with a pretty face.”

She thought Yuchi Jin was sincere, not realizing it was just a move on the Emperor’s chessboard. Fine… had she not also tried to use Yuchi Jin?

The ice in the room seemed to have melted. Ning Yuan hadn’t completely stopped breathing yet; the summer heat made the blood on her body feel even more sticky. It was painful and suffocating. Could Yuchi Jin not have given her a swift end?

“A-Yuan, wake up! Don’t sleep! I’m taking you to a doctor!”

Such a familiar voice.

Her head was spinning violently; Ning Yuan couldn’t hear clearly. She wanted to open her eyes to see if it was Sikong Xue. She hoped it was, yet hoped it wasn’t.

She wanted to ask Sikong Xue how her mother and grandmother were. Yet she was afraid that if Sikong Xue saw her like this, she would laugh and call her ugly. Sikong Xue was so wicked, only knowing how to bully her. Every time she was punished by her elders, Sikong Xue would watch from the top of the wall and laugh at her. Now that she was in such a wretched state, Sikong Xue would surely be gloating.

Fortunately, her eyelids were too heavy to open. She wouldn’t have to see Sikong Xue mocking her.

“A-Yuan!” Seeing Ning Yuan die in her arms, Sikong Xue felt a piercing pain in her chest.

She had received a secret letter from Yin Chiyun in the North, saying the Emperor was moving against the Ning family and urging her to return to the capital immediately. Sikong Xue had ridden day and night, but she was still too late.

By the time she reached the capital, the Ning manor was being raided. The person leading the raid was none other than the “Sister A-Jin” A-Yuan spoke of.

The once-graceful Old Madame Ning was now dressed in plain clothes, her hair disheveled as she was forced onto a prison cart. Seeing Sikong Xue, Old Madame Ning only shook her head with a smile, as if telling her not to get involved with the Ning family’s troubles.

Yuchi Jin looked at Sikong Xue, raising the imperial decree with eyes full of smugness. “General Sikong, look closely. This is the Emperor’s command. Entering like this—are you planning to defy the decree?”

Sikong Xue drew her sword, pointing it at Yuchi Jin. Her voice was cold. “Where is A-Yuan?”

With such a commotion, A-Yuan—who was so timid—must be terrified. Having succeeded in suppressing the rebellion, she would use her merits to ensure Ning Yuan didn’t suffer the hardships of exile and then send people to protect her family in secret. The Emperor wouldn’t dare refuse.

Yuchi Jin curled her lips, unafraid of the blade. “Little Sparrow is in her room.”

Pushing the door open, what she saw was Ning Yuan lying in a pool of blood.

Wasn’t this marriage something Yuchi Jin had plotted so hard to get? Why would she treat A-Yuan like this?

She recognized the dagger in A-Yuan’s abdomen; it was something A-Yuan had spent a fortune to buy and gift to Yuchi Jin. At the time, Sikong Xue had been sulking for a long while over it. And when she sulked and faced Ning Yuan, her words would become sarcastic, making the girl cry several times.

This time, she would finally never make A-Yuan cry again.

She held A-Yuan tightly. The body in her arms was already cold, yet she still forced Yin Chiyun to bring imperial physicians to revive her.

Yin Chiyun looked at Sikong Xue, whose eyes were red from crying, and sighed. “A-Xue, my condolences… the dead cannot return. Don’t do anything rash.” He secretly hid Sikong Xue’s sword and daggers behind him, fearing she might follow Ning Yuan in death.

Sikong Xue’s eyes were bloodshot. “Why would I do anything rash?”

Yuchi Jin was still alive, and the Emperor who ordered the exile of the Ning family was still on the throne. A-Yuan’s grudge hadn’t been avenged; how could she do anything foolish now?

Furthermore, if she took her own life, when she reached the road to the Yellow Springs and A-Yuan saw her… she would surely be angry again.

After all, A-Yuan always said she hated her.

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