After Being Marked by the Eldest Princess, I Got Pregnant with Her Child [Transmigration into a Novel] - Chapter 26

Yan Chen frowned, sensing something amiss. Song Shujiu had been inside for a while without emerging. Pausing briefly, she immediately strode inward.

The door was locked from within, deepening the crease between her brows. Channeling her inner strength, she shattered it with a single palm strike.

Boom.

Stepping inside, Yan Chen’s heart sank at the sight of the empty room.

“Song Shujiu.”

Her call echoed unanswered in the silence. A natural sharpness honed by instinct, she gathered energy in her palm, her gaze icy as it swept the surroundings.

A faint rustle stirred the curtains ahead. Yan Chen flicked her wrist toward the eerie movement.

Crash.

A beam collapsed amid the dust, and from the swirling smoke emerged a figure, each step dripping with deliberate allure. Covering her mouth with a light laugh, the woman murmured, “Long time no see, Yan Chen.”

Time ticked by, second by second.

Yan Chen studied the familiar face, her guard rising sharply, though her expression remained unreadable. “Xiao Yunli,” she said slowly, her tone flat, as if casually remarking on the weather devoid of any emotion.

Xiao Yunli regarded her, then nodded. “Such coldness for an old friend.”

How unwelcoming.

Truly heartbreaking. After all, she had thought of nothing but Yan Chen, her heart and mind consumed by her.

Unfazed, Xiao Yunli took two steps closer. Clad in a flowing black-and-purple robe, her movements were graceful, but Yan Chen knew her all too well beneath that harmless exterior lay venom.

“Where is she?”

She had taken Song Shujiu.

The frost in Yan Chen’s heart thickened. She had no patience for reminiscing.

“So worried about her?” Xiao Yunli tilted her head. “Won’t you ask if I’m tired from rushing all this way?”

Her eyes lingered on Yan Chen’s exquisite features. Time had only enhanced her beauty, her aura now more mature and captivating. The sight made Xiao Yunli’s fingers itch.

“If you want to play, I’ll indulge you.”

A faint smile curled Yan Chen’s lips as she stepped forward, her breath ghosting over Xiao Yunli’s nose. “Don’t touch her.”

If Song Shujiu that girl fell into Xiao Yunli’s hands, she’d suffer. And if the child in her womb was harmed because of it, Yan Chen would slaughter the woman before her without hesitation.

Xiao Yunli blinked, feigning innocence. “Why would I touch her? She doesn’t interest me.”

Then she giggled, light and airy.

“But your concern for her wounds me deeply.”

Circling Yan Chen twice, Xiao Yunli’s face twisted in mock sorrow. The blue robes Yan Chen wore today were identical to those in her memories. The embers she had suppressed for so long now threatened to ignite, to burn everything to ashes.

“Is that so?” Yan Chen arched a brow, unshaken. Amusement flickered in her eyes as she played along. “How much did you miss me?”

Xiao Yunli’s gaze instantly brimmed with longing. “Every day. Every hour.”

I only want to possess you completely.

This was the true reason she had tasked Shao Shi with refining Ye Jiao. The glands within her were erupting in increasingly shorter intervals, she could barely hold on. Abstaining for so long had been torture, but for Yan Chen, she had endured it willingly.

Sliding a hand around Yan Chen’s neck, Xiao Yunli leaned her weight against her. Yan Chen’s fingers traced a cool path down her cheek, pale and slender, yet somehow igniting the pheromones surging violently within her.

The rich aroma of the strong liquor began to gradually spread. Xiao Yunli’s eyes darkened as Yan Chen looked down, her fingers pausing just before touching those crimson lips, her body enveloped by a peculiar, exotic fragrance.

She frowned, this familiar scent.

“Rip.”

With a swift palm strike, Yan Chen retreated two steps, sending Xiao Yunli stumbling back. Yet the latter’s smile only grew brighter.

“How despicable.”

Poisoning her.

No matter how much time passed, Xiao Yunli never changed her disgraceful ways.

Utterly shameless.

Yan Chen sneered inwardly, channeling full force into her strike. But the exertion agitated her meridians, and now that strange fragrance was slowly seeping into her body. Her vision blurred as double images appeared before her.

Xiao Yunli laughed, utterly unbothered, as if Yan Chen’s rejection had only amused her.

“Night’s Temptation has entered your system. Without the antidote, you’ll have to endure it.”

She’d been wondering how to trap Yan Chen now it seemed almost too easy.

The effects of Night’s Temptation must be exquisite.

Xiao Yunli’s eyes gleamed with intense interest as Yan Chen struggled to steady herself.

“You think you’re the first who’s tried to poison me? You’re not even worthy.”

A chill ran through Yan Chen. Had Xiao Yunli challenged her to an honest swordfight, she might have respected her somewhat.

But these underhanded tricks? After years apart, she’d clearly overestimated her.

“Who said I wanted you dead?”

Xiao Yunli’s voice was soft as she approached with a smile. “Why would I cross mountains and rivers just for a corpse?”

Puzzled, Yan Chen saw no hostility in her stance and couldn’t discern her true intentions.

“Everything in this world requires proper pairing. You and her, you’re mismatched.”

That Chancellor’s daughter, wasn’t it? All chirping and chatter, what merit did she have?

How could she possibly deserve to be with you?

At the thought of Song Shujiu’s face, uncontrollable disgust welled up in Xiao Yunli’s heart.

“What?”

Yan Chen played along while circulating her qi to stabilize her meridians, preventing Night’s Temptation from spreading deeper.

“I said your taste has deteriorated.”

A sharp glint flashed in Xiao Yunli’s eyes. Yan Chen was hers, how dare she look at someone else?

Unspeakable jealousy burned within her.

A dull ache pulsed at her wrist, the site of her scent gland, where overwhelming pheromones now swirled. How long had it been since she’d been marked?

Enduring this indescribable torment alone each time.

Xiao Yunli gazed at her, unleashing the heady aroma of aged liquor without restraint. Yan Chen froze for two seconds before comprehension dawned.

Staring in shock, she whispered, “Have you lost your mind?”

The monarch of Li Kingdom, who murdered her own mother to seize the throne ruthless and savage was secretly an Omega.

Who could have imagined Xiao Yunli being that vulnerable secondary gender?

Yet here she was, presenting so vividly before her.

“Do you want to watch me suffer to death?”

Xiao Yunli’s voice turned hoarse, her eyes reddened. She hadn’t traveled thousands of miles just to see Yan Chen stand there dumbfounded.

Studying her, Yan Chen recalled their past battlefield encounters, Xiao Yunli in full armor, sword in hand, charging at her on horseback.

She’d schemed against her, provoked her.

Never imagined she’d harbor such intentions now.

Everything requires proper pairing?

A sudden smirk curved Yan Chen’s lips as she noticed Xiao Yunli constantly clutching her left wrist. She understood now.

Her scent gland was indeed strategically placed.

“You want me to mark you.”

Yan Chen’s almost certain tone made Xiao Yunli drop all pretense in her eyes. The surging tide within her threatened to overwhelm, the overwhelming scent of strong liquor permeating the air. Yan Chen lightly sniffed, this scent held no attraction for her whatsoever.

Had it been that faint wisteria fragrance, perhaps it might have distracted her momentarily. Gripping Xiao Yunli’s wrist, she looked down at her with a commanding gaze. “Wishful thinking.”

Like a bolt from the blue.

Xiao Yunli stiffened slightly, staring at Yan Chen. Her eyes were clear, how could this be? The Night Charm had clearly been administered, yet she was resisting it through sheer willpower?

A permanent mark was all it would take to bind them together for life.

But this person looked at her with complete detachment, making Xiao Yunli feel as though she’d plunged into an icy abyss.

As the sleeve was pushed back, revealing a fair wrist, overlapping images flooded Yan Chen’s mind again. In that brief moment, the face before her merged with that of a lively, mischievous girl. Her grip tightened as she restrained herself, the person before her wasn’t the one in her heart.

Gritting her teeth against the pain where her scent gland might shatter under the pressure, Xiao Yunli met Yan Chen’s gaze with a bewitching look. “Mark me, and Li Kingdom will never invade Zhao Kingdom again.”

Yan Chen was stunned. The offer was incredibly tempting.

Zhao Kingdom’s greatest fear was a full-scale invasion from Li Kingdom. Now their ruler was offering this very concession just to be marked by her.

She hesitated momentarily.

Xiao Yunli watched her, seemingly understanding her thoughts perfectly. “You have two days. Come find me then.”

The torment in Xiao Yunli’s eyes had faded. Having endured for so long, what was a little more waiting?

Though Yan Chen had been poisoned with Night Charm, even with her formidable skills, she couldn’t expel the toxin. As it lingered longer in her system, each episode would become increasingly unbearable no less agonizing than Xiao Yunli’s own heat cycles.

As she’d always said they’d always been evenly matched. If she suffered from desire, then Yan Chen should taste it too.

“I’ll be waiting.”

With that, Xiao Yunli actively pushed Yan Chen away. A thick smoke erupted, forcing Yan Chen to raise her sleeve and close her eyes. When the smoke cleared moments later, the woman had vanished.

At her feet lay a note, an address left by Xiao Yunli.

Clutching the paper, Yan Chen’s thoughts were unreadable.

At least Song Shujiu would be safe for now.

Realizing this, Yan Chen turned and left with the note in hand.

Today was Zhao Kingdom’s grandest celebration, yet the person she wished to share it with was nowhere to be found.

Yan Chen departed from the Agarwood Temple.

Imperial City.

After delivering an impassioned speech, Yan Yue stood on the platform amidst the cheering crowd. What could be more inspiring than a monarch celebrating alongside her people?

The usually unapproachable Empress, whom commoners rarely glimpsed, now stood within arm’s reach.

The Flower Chariot Festival reached its peak of excitement.

Retreating from the city walls to a side chamber, Yan Yue felt unexpectedly nervous, it was her first time interacting so closely with the public, exchanging gazes and cheers.

“Fangling, what exactly did I say?” Yan Yue pressed a hand to her chest, having forgotten her own words something about caring for her people’s wellbeing.

Regardless, she wished only for her subjects’ peace and prosperity.

“To rule without even knowing what you’ve said, how fitting.”

The mocking voice from behind made Yan Yue freeze.

She knew that voice too well, Xie Mingyou.

Turning, she saw the figure standing against the light in dark robes, more restrained and icy than ever before.

Even though they’d met not long ago.

Yan Yue couldn’t help but stand up, “Where’s Hua Ling?”

Shouldn’t she be here?

So why was it Xie Mingyou instead.

“What’s wrong? Don’t want to see me?”

Xie Mingyou read the message in her eyes, her heart sinking as the sharpness in her gaze intensified. She stared at Yan Yue with a look that could flay her alive.

Yan Yue instinctively shrank back. This woman was no pushover, she’d learned that the hard way. Being alone in the room with her now, it was best not to provoke her.

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