Mistakenly Marked the Madly Beautiful Princess - Chapter 24

Without needing to think it through, Ling Yue knew exactly what was happening. Terrified, she shouted, “Doctor Yun!”

At this moment, Lu He showed no signs of aggression, but with her hands restrained by the princess, Ling Yue couldn’t escape. If this wasn’t dealt with soon, the events of that night would repeat themselves.

Committing the crime of deceiving the emperor once was enough; if it happened again, Ling Yue had no idea how she could possibly save her own life.

Fortunately, Qing Niao was there. Though the doctor was a bit eccentric, she was still a physician.

Qing Niao wore a troubled expression. She herself was only an Earth Xuan practitioner without any internal strength to rely on, so she didn’t dare approach recklessly.

However, the current situation was much easier to handle than the previous episode of madness. In an instant, she came up with a solution.

She yelled, “Help her inside first! I have medicine in the room.”

Ling Yue was in no position to move. Growing desperate, she shouted back, “Can’t you just bring it out?”

Qing Niao retorted, “Are you joking? The two of you are blocking the way. What if I get affected too? Then we’re done for!”

Ling Yue felt a headache coming on. The scent of plum blossoms grew increasingly intense, threatening to overwhelm her senses. If not for her strong willpower, she would have lost control long ago.

She glanced down at the princess her hair disheveled and splayed across the ground, her eyes gazing up quietly. The usual sense of threat was entirely absent now, and she looked almost docile.

Holding onto a sliver of hope, Ling Yue tried to reason with her. “Your Highness, could you let go of me?”

Beneath her, Lu He blinked slowly, as if considering the suggestion. She furrowed her brows slightly, and after a moment, released Ling Yue’s hands.

Overjoyed, Ling Yue’s relief was short-lived her hand was seized again, though this time she still had one free.

Unable to stand up while being held, Ling Yue sensed that the princess might still be somewhat conscious and gently coaxed, “Your Highness, how about we go inside?”

Lu He followed the direction of her finger, then gave a slight nod.

She stood up on her own but nearly collapsed from weakness. Luckily, Ling Yue was there to support her.

The plum blossom fragrance hadn’t dissipated, and Ling Yue didn’t know how much longer she could hold on. In desperation, she pinched her own thigh sharply, the pain sharpened her awareness.

The princess, however, seemed to have no strength left. She stumbled after just a few steps, struggling to move forward.

Anxious and afraid that too much time would pass and the princess wouldn’t endure, Ling Yue gritted her teeth and said, “Your Highness, I apologize for this.”

With that, she hoisted the princess over her shoulder. There were more graceful ways to carry someone, but with only one free hand, she had no choice but to subject the princess to this undignified position.

Ling Yue hurried into the room, laid the princess on the bed, and shouted outside, “Where’s the medicine?”

Qing Niao approached the door, a hint of guilt flashing across her face. “I’m sorry,” she said.

Before Ling Yue could react, Qing Niao swiftly shut the door, and Ling Yue even heard the sound of a lock clicking into place from outside.

It was only then that Ling Yue realized she had been tricked, there was probably no medicine in the room at all.

Setting people up was one thing, but acting so recklessly was another. Ling Yue was furious.

With her hand still held tightly, she couldn’t move, and the princess’s grip was stronger than before. Even when she tried to lift her, she met with resistance.

“Yun Qing Niao! You’re despicable!”

Hearing her call out with both her first and last name, the Blue Bird outside the door knew she was truly angry, but there was nothing she could do, Lu He’s body was different from ordinary people’s.

Covering her ears to block out the curses from inside, she was already thinking about how to apologize to Ling Yue once this was over.

Besides, staying here was quite awkward; it would be better to stand guard farther away.

As the Blue Bird left, she took all the nearby young palace maids with her, and the soft rustling of brooms sweeping the ground outside the room vanished completely.

Cursing also took energy, and Ling Yue could only try to awaken the Princess’s rationality.

“Your Highness, wake up. We can’t do this.”

But as soon as she said this, the other’s indifferent face suddenly twisted with anger, and the fragrance of plum blossoms in the room grew even thicker.

Ling Yue was suffering unbearably. Being so close and unable to move freely, her mind was battered by wave after wave of desire, nearly driving her to the brink.

She resorted to her old trick, lowering her head to bite her own hand fiercely.

The pain cleared her mind and dispelled the fear in her heart. She tried to pull her hand from the Princess’s grasp, but the other only tightened her grip further.

“Your Highness! Wake up!”

But Lu He couldn’t hear her voice. Instead, she seized Ling Yue’s other hand, and with a forceful turn, pulled her onto the bed.

Ling Yue felt the world spin, and then she was lying on the soft bed.

If word of this got out, it would be utterly humiliating. If the soldiers under her command in her past life found out, they’d laugh for three days and nights, the stern, imposing young general, treated like this and utterly helpless.

Ling Yue felt nothing but shame. She closed her eyes, her eye sockets red, partly from anger and partly because her endurance had reached its limit.

“Unwilling?”

The Princess’s voice, though somewhat weak, retained its cool clarity. Ling Yue, thinking she had regained her senses, was overjoyed and quickly nodded.

The weight on her disappeared. Opening her eyes, she saw the Princess had gotten off her and walked to a cabinet on the other side. She pulled out a drawer and took something from it.

Ling Yue noticed her movements were swift, unlike when they had first met.

But when the Princess turned around, Ling Yue saw that what she had taken from the drawer was a dagger.

The dagger was ancient in style, its hilt inlaid with gemstones of various colors, reflecting the morning light from outside. As the Princess drew the blade, it gleamed with a cold, eerie light.

Then the Princess looked up, her eyes even colder than the deadly blade.

Ling Yue’s heart leaped, thinking the Princess meant to harm her.

But instead, the Princess raised her hand to slash her own arm. Ling Yue’s muddled mind jolted awake in terror. Stumbling over, she snatched the dagger away.

The dagger clattered to the floor, followed only by Ling Yue’s panicked, ragged breaths.

Lu He seemed puzzled. “You don’t want this either?”

Ling Yue couldn’t express the turmoil in her heart. She had assumed the Princess intended to kill her, never imagining she would harm herself to stay in control.

In comparison, Ling Yue felt even more guilty.

The floral scent in the room lingered, proof that the Princess was still holding back.

She looked up and saw the other standing quietly, her gaze calm, but her body swaying faintly and unconsciously.

Seeing her hesitation, Lu He raised a hand to tuck the hair by her mouth behind her ear. As she did, her sleeve slipped down, revealing snow-white skin crisscrossed with numerous fine scars.

The shocking scene dried Ling Yue’s throat. “What is this?”

Lu He didn’t seem to mind. With a casual glance and a light laugh, she explained, “My body is special. What you witnessed that night happens frequently, sometimes milder, sometimes worse. These are just the price of endurance.”

Just the price?

While admiring her, Ling Yue felt a pang of heartache.

“Is there no solution?”

Lu He slowly walked back to the bed and sat down, gazing at Ling Yue’s face with a smile. “There wasn’t before, but now there is.”

Hearing that a solution existed, Ling Yue felt happy for the princess. Though the princess was unpredictable and enjoyed teasing her, overall, she had been quite kind to Ling Yue.

Ling Yue valued others’ goodwill deeply. Even the slightest kindness made her want to repay it. Naturally, she hoped the princess could overcome her ailment.

Delight lit up her features as she asked eagerly, “What’s the solution? Is there anything I can do for you?”

The princess merely laughed in response, then continued to stare at Ling Yue until she felt goosebumps.

In that eerie atmosphere, Ling Yue belatedly realized something.

She suddenly understood Qing Niao’s intention. Could it be that the so-called solution was her?

How could that be?

Trembling, she pointed at her own nose. “Me?”

Ling Yue desperately hoped the princess would deny this speculation, but the other merely nodded gently and added a compliment, “Yes, you’re very clever.”

Ling Yue wished she weren’t so clever.

Ling Yue’s hesitation had been within Lu He’s expectations, yet when it actually happened, she still felt a twinge of sadness quite unlike herself.

Having known Ling Yue for only a few days, logically, she shouldn’t be able to affect her emotions, yet the truth was her emotions were indeed being swayed.

Her current calm was merely a facade. This episode wasn’t as severe as the last; she could still forcibly suppress it, but doing so too often risked pushing her toward another extreme:

Becoming a complete madwoman.

Lu He had long known her own fate. Compared to Qing Niao’s reluctance, she remained calm instead. Most of what she wanted to accomplish had already been achieved.

But she needed to leave something for the Rong Dynasty; otherwise, all her efforts during her lifetime would be in vain.

Overthinking distracted her. Lu He could no longer clearly see Ling Yue’s expression. She felt tired and once again circulated her energy to suppress the urges within. Wearily, she said, “How about we make a deal?”

“You cure me, and you can ask for anything you want.”

The fragrance in the room had faded considerably. This was the first time Ling Yue had seen the princess look so haggard.

A weakness she had desperately sought in her past life was now laid bare so simply before her.

Seeing Ling Yue silent, Lu He assumed she was afraid and scoffed, “I wouldn’t kill you just because you refused. Even if you don’t agree, you still have other value.”

She spoke so plainly to put Ling Yue at ease.

But that wasn’t what Ling Yue was thinking. She simply felt that the other had endured alone until now, and it couldn’t have been easy.

After a moment of contemplation and internal struggle, she sighed softly, looked up with determined eyes, and said, “I agree.”

Lu He had expected to need more persuasion and was surprised by the quick agreement. She couldn’t resist teasing, “Aren’t you worried I have ulterior motives?”

Ling Yue stared at her blankly. “Is there anything in this world Your Highness cannot obtain? Why resort to such methods?”

After speaking, she added self-mockingly, “Besides, I have nothing to offer. Why would Your Highness stoop to deceive me?”

Lu He remained silent for a moment before saying, “Come here.”

The words sounded pleasant, but when it came time for Ling Yue to actually do something, she grew uneasy.

With a conflicted expression, she walked to the bedside and sat down, then became preoccupied with her own blushing.

Seeing her like this, Lu He couldn’t help but laugh. “Having second thoughts?”

Ling Yue shook her head. “No.”

Then she lowered her head further, as if trying to escape, her voice so soft it was almost inaudible. “I don’t know how.”

Suddenly, someone turned her face. Her cheeks were burning, while the Grand Princess’s hand was icy cold, so cold it made her shiver.

The fragrance grew stronger, and this time, Ling Yue offered no resistance.

The Grand Princess held her, resting her chin on Ling Yue’s shoulder, and chuckled softly, with a hint of affection. “Silly girl.”

Warm breath brushed against her neck, making Ling Yue feel both embarrassed and ticklish. Uneasy, she murmured, “Your Highness.”

“It’s alright,” came the gentle reply. “I’ll teach you.”

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