Marry First, Love Later With The White Cat Princess - Chapter 47

Liu Fenyun never expected that this boldly styled dance costume was actually tailor made specifically for her!

The moment the thought “Thank goodness Kitty didn’t make me wear this on stage” floated up, she immediately strangled it.

No, absolutely not!

If she let Kitty use the dance costume as an excuse to indulge in crooked thoughts, this kind of situation would only become more and more frequent. She’d never be able to stop it. Kitty would definitely keep smiling at her while dressing her in all sorts of bizarre outfits…

Just imagining it was terrifying.

But after meeting Lianyi’s bright, cheerful smile, all those thoughts she almost blurted out became stuck in her throat.

Fine, fine… if Kitty’s happy, maybe her favorability score would rise even faster.

They were “officially recognized spouses” anyway; wearing something like this… wasn’t that big of a deal.

Liu Fenyun worked hard to convince herself.

Perhaps because Lianyi didn’t want anyone else to see her dressed like this, the private dance studio wasn’t far from the bedchamber. Liu Fenyun wrapped herself tightly in an outer robe, lowered her head, and let Lianyi pull her all the way there.

Lianyi had been busy all day; she filled the area around the single person dance studio with layers of sound proofing barriers and even set up illusion arrays that produced smoke.

After Liu Fenyun formed her core, the demonic energy she fed back to Lianyi had only increased, more than enough for Lianyi to tinker with these things.

Once inside, Liu Fenyun shrank into a corner, squatting like a quail.

The dance room’s four walls were all water-mirrors formed by spells spacious, even more so than the studios at her school.

When Liu Fenyun looked up and saw herself in the mirror, then turned her head only to see herself again even more alluring, she shivered and quickly looked down at the floor.

Lianyi raised a hand and lit all the lamps in the room now even the floor reflected light.

Liu Fenyun simply shut her eyes, feeling as if she had absolutely no way to escape.

“What are you doing squatting there? Come here!” Lianyi walked over, lifted her up, and unceremoniously yanked away the robe wrapped around her. “Warm up first, otherwise you’ll pull something and that hurts.”

Liu Fenyun obediently complied. While warming up, she deliberately kept her eyes on Lianyi instead of looking at herself.

Lianyi had removed the red veil from her head. With a sweep of her hand across her waist, the long skirt tied there slid off, revealing long, fair legs. Bare feet touched the floor. Liu Fenyun froze, stunned for a moment.

Sensing her gaze, Lianyi smiled. “Why are you staring at me like that? Do you like the way I’m dressed?”

Liu Fenyun almost said “No” but coughed lightly and corrected herself. “It’s… really nice. I couldn’t help looking.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Lianyi tugged her short skirt slightly downward, revealing her cat tail.

Liu Fenyun blinked and in that instant Lianyi transformed into her form as seen inside the spiritual sea. Facing the mirror, she swayed her tail. When her eyes met Liu Fenyun’s, she even winked. “Mrrrow~”

Liu Fenyun: …

Her mind flooded with bullet comments like “Ah Wei is dead.”

She was done for. Not even eight hundred masters could save her now.

She even forgot that this cat still had a terrifying yandere nature.

Seeing that her appearance indeed made Liu Fenyun relax and even show an immersed smile, Lianyi smirked inwardly. Once the warm up was finished, she supervised Liu Fenyun’s basic dance training.

The Seventh Princess was the Saintess of the Flame Shine Kingdom and had studied dance since childhood. After Lianyi took over her body, she inherited all her skills.

Martial arts and dance share similar fundamentals, and after trying it, Liu Fenyun quickly found her rhythm.

While she was stretching her shoulders, she suddenly felt warmth press against her back. Through the water mirror, she saw Lianyi leaning against her intimately.

Silky white hair brushed her neck, tickling her so much she wanted to squirm. Just as she shrank her shoulders, Lianyi spoke hoarsely:

“No unnecessary movements. Otherwise I’ll punish you.”

Liu Fenyun froze.

“What… what kind of punishment?” Her own voice trembled.

In the water mirror, the cat demon lowered her face to Liu Fenyun’s ear, taking her earlobe between her teeth. Her tongue flicked lightly, then she pecked downward.

Liu Fenyun jolted as if electrocuted, almost kneeling on the spot to sing Conquer.

Where did this sudden queen like aura from the cat come from?!

After demonstrating “punishment,” Lianyi finally switched into serious teaching mode.

Under tremendous pressure, Liu Fenyun listened and practiced as Lianyi guided her through the basics hand-in-hand. By the end, she felt she definitely didn’t need any “bedtime activities” tonight.

Once the fundamentals were done, Lianyi saw she was learning quickly. “I’ll teach you a few basic movements first. Watch carefully.”

Of course there were no ancient music-playing devices. Lianyi began chanting softly, an old and unfamiliar melody accompanying her dance, echoing through the quiet studio.

The full name of the ritual dance was the Fire God Offering Dance. The Fire God had been worshipped by the Flame-Shine Kingdom since ancient times. Every summer, the Fire God Festival was held by the Di people to show gratitude for the god’s blessings.

Watching from the side, Liu Fenyun soon found herself drawn in by the solemn atmosphere and unconsciously joined in.

Their sleeves fluttered. Two figures one inexperienced, one skilled reflected in the water mirrors. When they passed each other, both looked at the other with reverence.

Before long, Lianyi stopped chanting and halted, pressing a hand to her racing heart as she caught her breath.

She remembered the melody well, but singing while dancing was her first attempt her stamina simply couldn’t keep up.

The studio became silent again, so quiet that only her breathing could be heard.

Liu Fenyun quickly helped her sit on a nearby chair, soothing her.

“How much… how much did you memorize?” Lianyi asked first thing once she looked up.

Afraid she would perform it again, Liu Fenyun hurriedly replied, “I’ve got the general idea. You should rest. Do you want water?”

Lianyi shook her head and used Liu Fenyun’s demonic energy to slowly regulate her breathing. Her lips had lost color, sweat sliding down her hair, rolling along her white neck and disappearing into her collar.

The sight made Liu Fenyun’s heart ache. After soothing her breath, she used a handkerchief to wipe her sweat. When weak, Lianyi was very obedient when told not to move, she simply sat quietly and rested.

“During past summers, did you get this exhausted practicing the ritual dance?” Liu Fenyun asked.

“No. There are dedicated devotees in the palace for the ritual dance. I only check the overall progress occasionally, I mostly practice alone.” Lianyi answered honestly. Then, seeing Liu Fenyun relax slightly, she smiled. “Why? Is A-Yun feeling sorry for me?”

Liu Fenyun paused for two seconds, then nodded. “Yes. Of course I feel sorry for you.”

She had started noticing why the cat always liked to ask certain questions. After living with a polite mask for so many years, always smiling at everyone, her sensitivity to emotions was extremely dull sometimes even when she was happy or sad, she barely felt it herself.

But many of Lianyi’s questions intentionally pulled out these buried emotions.

A-Yun, are you happy?
Are you hurting?
Are you upset?

She used to think the cat simply liked acting out and clinging to her on impulse. Only now did she realize Lianyi wasn’t as mad as she seemed at least not when it came to her. Beneath it was a rational, sensitive side, ruthlessly tearing open the cocoon she wrapped herself in, so she could at least be honest and genuine with her no disguises.

For the first time, Liu Fenyun felt someone was truly holding her in their heart.

It felt familiar and warm something even her masters, who had cared for her for years, never gave her.

Considering Lianyi’s condition, the first dance practice didn’t last long. After tidying the studio, the two changed into bathrobes and soaked in a hot bath.

Perhaps because she was too exhausted, Lianyi fell asleep in the water. When her upper body was about to slip under, Liu Fenyun caught her just in time.

In gentle motions, she massaged the sleeping cat’s acupoints. In her dreams, Lianyi snuggled closer and murmured, “A-Yun, you’re so good… Stay with me for a lifetime, okay…”

Liu Fenyun’s hands paused, her gaze softening without realizing it.

She leaned close to the cat’s ear and whispered so softly it was like a breath:

“Okay.”

…

Lianyi had a strange dream.

In the dream, she wandered alone through the palace within the spiritual sea, running down corridors paved with clouds, searching anxiously for something.

Grief filled her chest as if someone had suddenly left her, and she forgot to say goodbye.

She eventually stopped inside a hall lined with bookshelves. A faint bitter scent of herbs surrounded her. The hall was empty except for the shelves and various plants she didn’t recognize.

When she left the hall in a daze, a woman in white suddenly appeared before her and gently picked her up.

“Are you looking… for her?”

“No need, she’s already descended to the mortal realm for her tribulation. She specifically told me not to let you follow. She’ll be back soon. Just stay home and be good, don’t go bother the God-Keeper!”

The woman in white wore a strange object called “glasses” a product of some future era. Her voice was gentle, but Lianyi couldn’t hear all of her words clearly.

Lianyi stared at her blankly, an inexplicable feeling of nostalgia rising inside her, and even butted her head gently against the woman instinctively.

Before she could grasp any fragments of memory, pain ripped through her spiritual sea as if old wounds were torn open.

Late at night, Liu Fenyun was awakened by Lianyi’s pained whimpers.

She quickly held the curled-up Lianyi in her arms, calling her several times before hearing a weak reply: “A-Yun…?”

“What’s wrong, Yiyi? A nightmare?” Liu Fenyun touched her hand came away drenched in sweat. She lit a lamp immediately and tried to get up to bring water and wipe her down, but Lianyi clung to her arm tightly.

“Don’t go… please… please…” Lianyi still seemed trapped in the nightmare, her voice choked. “Don’t leave me suddenly…”

“I won’t. I’m right here. Wake up.” Liu Fenyun gently shook her shoulders and guided her internal breath with demonic energy. She tried calling her differently. “Your Highness?”

Lianyi flinched. After a moment, she slowly opened her eyes. Seeing Liu Fenyun, she suddenly slapped her lightly.

“Why are you calling me that again? I don’t like it…” she muttered, but she was waking up. Holding her head, she frowned. “My head hurts…”

Liu Fenyun covered her cheek with one hand and held Lianyi with the other. Hearing this, she freed the hand on her face and gently massaged Lianyi’s pressure points, soothing her. “I’ll rub it. It won’t hurt soon.”

Lianyi didn’t reply. She quietly leaned into her embrace, eyes closed, recalling the dream those scenes, those words.

Were those… the memories she lost?

But she was just an ordinary little cat demon. She had never even been to the demon realm of the mortal world. How could she possibly be connected to someone from the upper realm?

As her thoughts drifted, Lianyi slipped into another deep sleep.