Mistakenly Marked the Madly Beautiful Princess - Chapter 31

Parting was silent. When Ling Yue awoke, Chun Tao was still deep in sleep. Standing by the window for a while, Ling Yue went straight to Ling Ya’s room.

“Second Young Miss.”

Ling Yue looked up and saw Qingyue standing on the eaves, arms crossed.

Ling Yue couldn’t help but wonder did the other never sleep?

But time was limited, and now was not the moment to indulge such curiosity.

She had written a farewell letter to Ling Ya, originally intending to slip it under the door. But now that she had encountered Qingyue, there was no need for that.

Taking the already written letter from her sleeve, she waved it toward Qingyue above and softly instructed, “Please deliver this to my elder sister.”

Without a word, Qingyue leaped down from the roof and took the letter.

Knowing Qingyue’s reticence, Ling Yue thanked her once more before leaving the estate.

Not long after her departure, Ling Ya’s door opened from the inside, and Ling Ya herself stood at the entrance.

Qingyue bowed slightly, her tone indifferent. “Eldest Young Miss.”

She then presented the entrusted letter with both hands. Ling Ya opened the envelope, her frown deepening as she read.

The letter contained three main points: first, to take care of Chun Tao; second, not to panic if members of the Ling family attempted to seize power in the future; and third, to take care of her health and continue taking the medicine prescribed by Qing Niao.

The final line stated that she would be away for some time and asked not to worry or miss her.

Two full pages of writing, all expressing concern for others, yet demanding that they not worry or miss her in return.

Folding the letter and tucking it into her sleeve, Ling Ya sighed as she gazed at the still-hazy dawn.

Ling Yue had arranged to meet the Eldest Princess under the old tree by the small river outside the city. Not daring to be tardy, she set out early, allowing herself an extra stick of incense’s worth of time.

Yet, as the silhouette of the tree came into view, she also spotted the figures of the Eldest Princess and Qing Niao waiting beneath it.

She was still a step behind and couldn’t help feeling embarrassed.

Hurrying forward, the two figures grew clearer. Today, the atmosphere felt somewhat strange.

Qing Niao, usually lively, was frowning and silent. The Eldest Princess, who had worn a similar expression, broke into a smile upon seeing Ling Yue.

Setting aside her questions, Ling Yue addressed the Eldest Princess, “Your Highness, my apologies for making you wait.”

Lu He stood up, bent to pick up the sword resting on the stone, and then said to Qing Niao, who had her back turned, “Let’s go.”

Qing Niao’s back stiffened, and she reluctantly turned to follow behind Lu He.

Ling Yue quickened her pace to walk alongside Qing Niao. If the Eldest Princess hadn’t been in front, she would have pressed for answers.

Since they were leaving the city in secret, the trio chose a little-traveled mountain path, where weeds obscured the already narrow trail.

Fortunately, none of them were delicate or pampered.

After crossing the mountain, they reached the small town nearest to Rong City. Thanks to its proximity to Rong City, the town was quite bustling.

They circled to the rear city gate, where someone escorted them inside.

In her previous life, Ling Yue had often passed through this town on military campaigns, sometimes staying for a few days. She had thought herself quite familiar with the place, but as the Eldest Princess led them through a hidden tunnel, she realized her knowledge was incomplete.

The tunnel was dark, but Ling Yue was largely unaffected, one could say she was quite accustomed to the sensation of seeing nothing.

Thud.

After that dull sound, light filled the tunnel.

Looking ahead, Ling Yue saw that the Eldest Princess had lit a torch, the flames driving away both darkness and cold.

She quietly followed behind the Eldest Princess.

“If you’re cold, move closer.”

Ling Yue shook her head, following at a distance without looking up, lost in her thoughts.

Lu He’s lips tightened. She deliberately slowed her pace, but Ling Yue remained dazed, and soon the distance between them narrowed.

When Ling Yue snapped out of her reverie and looked up, she found herself almost bumping into the princess’s back.

Startled, she slowed down.

Lu He frowned slightly at this.

The path ahead no longer required a torch, so Lu He extinguished it and tossed it aside by the tunnel wall.

At the tunnel exit, a masked figure in black robes stood waiting, bowing respectfully. “Master, the horses are ready.”

Ling Yue took a step forward and saw three horses tethered two black and one red.

Qing Niao had remained silent the entire journey. She was the first to choose a black horse, though her mounting technique seemed somewhat clumsy.

They would be riding the whole way, and Ling Yue couldn’t help but feel sympathy for Qing Niao, who was bound to suffer.

Lu He selected the other black horse, indifferent to Qing Niao’s attitude, knowing her anger was only temporary.

With both of them mounted, Ling Yue had no choice but to take the last horse. She felt a bit awkward, the reddish-brown horse stood out conspicuously between the two black ones.

Once Ling Yue was on her horse, Lu He produced three masks and tossed them over.

Ling Yue caught hers deftly, while Qing Niao fumbled with hers like a street performer, juggling it from left hand to right but managing not to drop it.

The mask was plain and unadorned, pure white with a single red dot at the center of the forehead.

As Ling Yue put hers on, she noticed that only her mask bore the red mark.

This special treatment gave her a bad feeling.

At the princess’s request, she had changed her usual attire to a white robe, and now it seemed to carry a particular significance.

Before Ling Yue could ponder further, Lu He declared, “Let’s go.”

Ling Yue hurried to catch up. Once she drew alongside the princess, she asked, “Am I being used as bait?”

Lu He gave her an appreciative glance. “Yes.”

A chill ran down Ling Yue’s spine. The princess wouldn’t do such a thing without reason, it could only mean their whereabouts had been discovered.

Lu He cracked her whip, her cool voice blending with the sound of hoofbeats. But Ling Yue was close enough to hear her clearly.

“Whether we’ve been discovered or not doesn’t matter to me. Hiding our tracks was only to catch the enemy off guard. Of course, even if the southern factions are prepared for my arrival, their efforts will be in vain.”

Lu He’s tone was calm, devoid of any arrogance, as if stating a simple fact.

Ling Yue’s rising anxiety was soothed by such confidence.

She couldn’t help but wonder: if the princess hadn’t been plagued by illness in her past life, would the turmoil that later befell Rong Dynasty have ever occurred?

In this life, she might finally get an answer to that question. Yet, for some reason, Ling Yue felt certain the princess would succeed.

A faint sense of disappointment crept in. The peace and stability she had fought so hard to secure for Rong Dynasty in her past life seemed trivial in the princess’s eyes.

Suddenly, Ling Yue felt lost. What had all her struggles in her previous life amounted to?

She drifted into a daze, unable to find an answer.

Noticing Ling Yue slowing down, Lu He matched her pace. “What’s wrong?”

Startled, Ling Yue realized the princess, who had been ahead, was now riding beside her. She could see the concern in Lu He’s eyes.

But how could she say it? That your excellence makes my efforts seem like a joke?

Yet in this life, she hadn’t even put in any effort, she was merely an imperial guard without any military achievements.

She absolutely couldn’t say that, so Ling Yue simply shook her head and said, “I’m feeling a bit lost.”

Lu He was more than willing to be a listener, especially for this silly girl.

Clearly, her willingness gave Ling Yue courage. After thinking it over, Ling Yue finally said, “I was wondering what I could do for you.”

Lu He thought for a moment and realized that her earlier words had discouraged the silly girl. But before comforting her, she felt like teasing her a little.

With a slight curl of her lips, Lu He hinted suggestively, “Be my antidote.”

Ling Yue, catching her meaning, lowered her head. Though her mask hid her face, it couldn’t conceal her flushed ears.

Lu He found it truly amusing, this girl was unbelievably shy and rigidly proper.

Ling Yue grew a bit flustered. “I meant besides that.”

Having had her fun, Lu He decided to let her off, switching from teasing to a gentle tone. “Aren’t you already helping me?”

Ling Yue didn’t understand.

Lu He looked ahead. “It’s not just the people from the south who want my life. I don’t want to take action myself, so can you pretend to be me and deal with them?”

Pretend to be the Eldest Princess?

Ling Yue wasn’t good at acting and feared she might mess up. But after so many encounters in her past life and the brief time in this one, she was certain she understood the Eldest Princess.

Since she understood, there was no need to hesitate. Ling Yue nodded firmly. “Your Highness, rest assured.”

Seeing Ling Yue so fired up, Lu He knew she had succeeded. She smiled and said, “Then, from now on, I am you. Remember to address me accordingly.”

Ling Yue nodded earnestly. “Yes, Your Highness.”

Suddenly realizing her mistake, Ling Yue felt deeply annoyed. Deliberately lowering her voice to imitate Lu He, she said, “Follow me.”

The voice sounded strikingly similar at first listen. Lu He narrowed her eyes slightly, her suspicions growing even stronger.

As Ling Yue began to run ahead, Lu He quickened her pace to catch up, mimicking Ling Yue’s voice as she called out, “Your Highness, wait for me!”

Ling Yue nearly lost her composure. To anyone else, the voice would have been indistinguishable, but hearing someone else speak in her own voice felt incredibly strange.

But how could the Eldest Princess be so skilled at everything? The voice-changing technique was something Ling Yue had specifically learned in her past life, and it had taken her quite some time to master.

Feeling her emotions starting to spiral again, Ling Yue quickly took a deep breath and began repeating to herself: Ling Yue, remember, you are the Eldest Princess now. The Eldest Princess does not feel inferior.

After repeating it a few times, she found it actually worked.

With newfound confidence, she ran faster and faster, completely ignoring Qing Niao, who was lagging far behind.

In a way, this was also an accurate reflection of the Eldest Princess’s demeanor.

The two of them were thoroughly enjoying their swapped roles, but Qing Niao couldn’t keep up no matter how hard she tried.

At this point, she could no longer afford to be angry with Lu He and cried out in panic, “Wait for me!”

Hearing her call, Ling Yue instinctively wanted to stop but then recalled how the Eldest Princess often teased her.

So, she cracked her whip and ran even faster.

This surprised Lu He because, if it were her, she would have done exactly the same waited until Qing Niao gave up before leisurely stopping to wait.

But if it were Ling Yue, she would have stopped and waited.

Lu He found this game quite amusing. She stopped where she was and waited for Qing Niao to catch up.

Qing Niao gasped for breath, feeling as if her brain had been thoroughly shaken.

“Let’s rest for a while.”

A chill ran down Qing Niao’s spine. Though the voice belonged to Ling Yue, she knew it was Lu He.

Seeing her face contort with discomfort, Lu He found it even more amusing and asked with feigned concern, “Is Physician Yun comfortable?”

No! Not at all!

Qing Niao couldn’t stand it any longer. She had intended to rest, but the disgust she felt ignited a hidden reserve of energy, and she started running again, this time with surprising speed.

The sight of her fleeing figure brought a fleeting smile to Lu He’s lips. But the smile vanished in an instant as she turned to look behind her, her eyes turning cold and menacing.

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