After Becoming a Succubus, I Was Offered to My Mortal Enemy - Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Seeing that the palanquin was about to arrive at the palace gates, the young maid following Ning Yuan hurriedly helped her tidy up her hair bun and hung a sachet infused with an exotic fragrance at her waist. Already movingly beautiful, she now appeared even more pitiable and lovely.

Seeing Ning Yuan’s brow tightly furrowed, the maid took out a veil and said, “If the Princess is afraid, please wear this veil.”

The veil was as thin as a cicada’s wing, unable to truly hide her true appearance. Instead, it made her features loom indistinctly, sparking even more imagination.

Compared to revenge, what Ning Yuan cared more about at the moment was how to survive and how to prevent her true identity from being discovered. To seek revenge, one must first stay alive.

At the palace gates, the guards stopped the palanquin and demanded, “Who is inside the palanquin? Lift the curtain and let us inspect you.”

The escorting envoy hurriedly said, “Lords, inside the palanquin is our Princess. The Princess has not yet sought audience; how can she be seen by you first…”

Even though the one in the palanquin was not a real princess, this treatment was truly too insulting.

“Less talk!” The guard did not place the alien envoy in his eyes at all. “This is the imperial palace. If an assassin sneaks in, even ten heads wouldn’t be enough for you to lose!”

Ning Yuan clutched her heart, her heart beating faster and faster with tension.

When she was the young miss of the Ning family, she often entered the palace to accompany the Eldest Princess. The guards at the palace gates all knew her; sometimes if she forgot her waist token, no one would stop her. If the curtain was lifted for inspection, wouldn’t she be seized on the spot? If she refused the inspection and was treated as an assassin, the outcome would only be more miserable.

Before Ning Yuan could think of a way to escape, a guard used his sword to flick open the curtain.

The tip of the sword glinted with a cold light, reminding Ning Yuan of the dagger Yuchi Jin had plunged into her abdomen. It was terrifying and chilling. Ning Yuan shrank her neck in fear, but the person her eyes met was an unfamiliar guard.

It was truly strange; the palace gate guards rarely changed. How was it that as soon as the Ning family fell, the Emperor was so eager to replace the guards? Was he afraid the Imperial Guard contained people planted by the Ning family? Truly laughable.

The guard did not recognize her. Seeing that those in the palanquin were merely two defenseless women, he stopped the inspection.

As the curtain dropped and they entered the palace, Ning Yuan heard those guards discussing behind her without any restraint.

“That is the tribute sent by the alien tribes; she is truly beautiful.”

“Even with the veil, one can see she is a national beauty. I wonder which lord His Majesty will bestow her upon.”

“The Commandery Princess (Yuchi Jin) loves beauties the most. Ever since that miss of the Ning family died, she hasn’t found one to her liking. With this tribute’s looks, it’s quite likely the Commandery Princess will ask for her.”

The sound of the guards’ discussion was piercing. Ning Yuan gripped her handkerchief tightly, her hatred overriding her fear.

The “Commandery Princess” the guards spoke of was none other than the daughter of the Eldest Princess—Yuchi Jin, the one who had killed her with her own hands.

In the past, Yuchi Jin always called her “Little Sparrow.” At that time, Ning Yuan felt a bit displeased. That title did not sound like it was for a betrothed wife, but more like a pet. Hearing the guards’ words now, Ning Yuan was certain that in Yuchi Jin’s eyes, she had been nothing more than an obedient and easily fooled plaything from start to finish.

She took the hairpin from her head and gripped it tightly in her hand. It was not for suicide, but for the thought that if she could truly get close to Yuchi Jin, perhaps she could kill her while she slept soundly, thereby avenging that single stab.

However, with her current face… if she acted rashly, would she implicate the surviving members of the Ning family?

Thinking of the words her mother and grandmother had said to her, Ning Yuan suddenly felt a bit of strength in her heart. If her mother knew she could seek revenge, she surely would not blame her.

Unknowingly, deep nail marks appeared in her palm.

In her daze, the palanquin had already reached the imperial Great Hall.

The Emperor sat high upon the dragon throne, and all the important ministers and imperial relatives had arrived. Some were there to maintain their dignity, while others were curious about the beauty of the tribute offered by the alien tribes. Even knowing the Emperor wouldn’t bestow her upon them, a single glance was still desirable.

The palanquin stopped outside the hall, and the envoy said, “Princess, it is time to disembark.”

Ning Yuan took a deep breath. Sensing the palanquin touch the ground, she was about to step out when she realized she was barefoot, without shoes or socks. A red thread wrapped around her ankles hung with several golden bells, and her toenails were dyed with balsam flowers. This attire resembled the pet cat of a noble lady she had seen before.

Ning Yuan looked at the young maid beside her and asked, “Am I to seek audience barefoot like this?”

Raised with strict adherence to etiquette since childhood, wearing semi-transparent gauze and meeting people barefoot—if her grandmother and mother knew, they would certainly punish her.

The maid nodded with difficulty. She also knew this was improper. But they had lost the war and sent Ning Yuan here to sue for peace. Naturally, Ning Yuan had no choice in what clothes she wore, nor could she be dressed too decently. A tribute had to have the chance to catch the eyes of the Great Liang nobility so as not to bring disaster upon her tribespeople.

Fearing Ning Yuan would refuse to get off the palanquin, the maid cried, “Princess, we have already reached the Great Liang palace, I beg of you. If you are unwilling to disembark, not only must we be buried with you, but even our tribespeople will have no chance of survival.”

The crying gave Ning Yuan a headache.

Ning Yuan thought to herself: If you knew who I was, if you knew who this face looked like, I wonder if you would still beg me to get off. Just seeing her old acquaintances, the people of the alien tribe probably wouldn’t survive anyway.

Either way, it was death. Ning Yuan wanted to see how those who used to fawn over the Ning family would react when they saw her.

She extended one foot. The moment it touched the ground, she felt a sharp pain as if being pricked by grit. How could someone grown up pampered and adored have suffered such hardship?

With a veil covering her face, Ning Yuan straightened her back and walked into the Great Hall step by step.

Before she could identify which old acquaintances were in the court, she looked up and saw the person on the dragon throne. Ning Yuan could not hide the shock in her eyes.

She had seen the Emperor of Great Liang; who was this person on the dragon throne? The person on the throne looked only seventeen or eighteen years old, with lingering childishness. Had the Emperor abdicated just after the Ning family fell? But the ascension of a new Emperor was a major event; how could it happen in just a few days? Moreover, Ning Yuan did not remember which prince or princess the person on high was. In terms of looks, the person resembled the Fifth Prince. But the Fifth Prince was only twelve years old and the most ignored prince…

Could it be that four or five years had passed from the moment she died to the moment she opened her eyes in this borrowed body? If four or five years had passed, court turmoil was understandable.

Before Ning Yuan could sort it out, she heard a familiar voice say teasingly, “Since you are a tribute, why hide and conceal yourself? Why not remove the veil and let us see clearly. If you can catch the eye of some lord, he might take you back to his manor.”

It was the voice of Yuchi Jin.

The person who used to speak with a gentle voice and proper decorum had finally revealed her true colors. Like the powerful nobility in history books who bullied others with their status, she had not a shred of pity for those beneath her.

Meeting Yuchi Jin’s gaze, Ning Yuan could not help but feel terror. She was afraid of being killed, and afraid of killing. How much had the old Yuchi Jin hated her to kill her with her own hands?

The people in the court stared at Ning Yuan in unison, all waiting to see her remove the veil. Only the person standing at the very front, wearing black court robes, remained with her back to Ning Yuan, showing no intention of turning around, as if not the least bit curious about the celestial beauty of the alien tribute.

The envoy knelt in terror, prostrating on the ground, and said, “His Majesty, we come from a barren land; Princess Qilan does not know the etiquette of Great Liang, I hope Your Majesty forgives us.” After saying this, the envoy looked at Ning Yuan with an imploring face.

Only at this moment did Ning Yuan learn the name of this body. Qilan—it was similar to her old childhood name.

the person sitting on the dragon throne did not speak but instead looked at the person at the head of the ministers wearing the black robes. That expression seemed to be asking for instructions.

Ning Yuan held her breath, suppressing the fear in her heart and clutching the hairpin in her hand tightly, secretly observing. In such a state of court, the Emperor was weak and had to look at a minister’s face to speak. Could it be the Eldest Princess’s faction was wielding power and holding the Emperor hostage? If so, wouldn’t her grandmother and mother be in danger?

Seeing the person in black robes nod, the Emperor then said, “Since it is a marriage alliance, you might as well reveal the veil for the ministers to observe.”

Seeing Ning Yuan not moving, the envoy simply gave a look to the two maids following behind. The maids grabbed Ning Yuan’s arms from both sides and, ignoring her struggle, forcibly tore off her veil.

Her true face was revealed, flushed red with anger.

Upon seeing her face, half the ministers in court could not help but gasp. Yuchi Jin, who had originally held the mindset of appreciating a plaything, nearly failed to stand steady. Her lips trembled as she murmured, “How could it be her…”

How could the betrothed wife she had killed with her own hands appear here again? Ning Yuan wasn’t dead? No, that was impossible.

Seeing this face, some in court felt shame, while others felt murderous intent. Of course, some were moved by lust. In the past, they coveted the pearl of the Ning family but could not have her; now, the Ning family had long since collapsed. Even if this person was Ning Yuan, so what?

No, that wasn’t Ning Yuan. When the Ning family met disaster, Ning Yuan was only eighteen. This tribute looked even younger. Nearly five autumns had passed; even if Ning Yuan had been saved, it was impossible for her appearance to have not changed in the slightest. Moreover, many had seen Ning Yuan being grandly buried by Sikong Xue; the person before them was definitely not Ning Yuan.

Thinking of this, the cold sweat on the brows of many guilty people finally receded.

Yuchi Jin clearly realized this logic; she quickly composed herself and observed the tribute closely. Her figure was more graceful, and her porcelain-white skin loomed under the gauze, appearing as if a slight force could leave a mark. When the old Ning Yuan cried, Yuchi Jin found the appearance moving. Now, this tribute was made exceptionally charming by this alien attire, something the old, rule-abiding Ning Yuan could not compare to.

Back then, to protect the overall situation, Yuchi Jin had no choice but to kill Ning Yuan. But with such a beautiful face, how could she not be moved? To have a tribute who looked exactly the same kept in her manor would be a wonderful thing.

Yuchi Jin turned around, looked at the Emperor on the throne, took a step forward, and said, “Your Majesty, I find this tribute very much to my liking. Why not bestow her upon me?”

As soon as Yuchi Jin said this, many people sighed in disappointment. The Eldest Princess’s beloved daughter had taken a fancy to this tribute; who else would dare to fight her for it?

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