Mistakenly Marked the Madly Beautiful Princess - Chapter 33

Ling Yue couldn’t quite understand why the former Grand Princess had spared her in her past life. Back then, there had been no entanglement of interests between them. After much thought, the only possibility seemed to be the Grand Princess’s appreciation for talent.

The more she pondered, the more plausible it seemed. Being recognized by the Grand Princess naturally made Ling Yue happy. Unconsciously, the corners of her lips curved into a smile, but feeling a little embarrassed by her own smugness, she quickly composed herself.

She stole a glance around, relieved to find that no one had noticed her foolish grin.

In truth, she was overthinking, who could see her expression behind the mask?

The chestnut horse trotted back to Ling Yue’s side and lowered its head. Ling Yue reached out to pat its head, soothing it, “Good boy.”

The air was thick with the smell of blood. Ling Yue led the horse and searched through the corpses, but she couldn’t find anything particularly noteworthy. The assailants were all dressed in common black clothing, the kind readily available in the market.

After carefully examining all the bodies, Ling Yue realized one was missing. Traces of his escape were still visible on the ground. She was about to pursue when the Grand Princess’s voice or rather, her own voice called out to stop her.

“Don’t chase.”

Ling Yue obediently halted and noticed that the Grand Princess had brought the little girl over. The girl’s face was pale, and her entire body trembled.

It was understandable why she was shaking. At such a young age, she had witnessed things no child should see and had even been taught to draw a bow and shoot arrows.

Ling Yue couldn’t help but feel a pang of sympathy for her.

Before she could say anything, Qing Niao hurried over from a distance. Seeing that both were unharmed, she was so overwhelmed with emotion that she nearly fell off her horse.

Flustered, she struggled to regain her balance and finally steadied herself.

Setting aside her earlier grievances, Qing Niao dismounted and immediately reached to check their pulses.

The Grand Princess, however, was not so compliant. She dodged Qing Niao’s outstretched hand and said coldly, “I won’t die.”

Qing Niao’s concern was met with a cold shoulder, and her anger flared up again.

She glared and snapped, “Fine, fine! I won’t bother with you anymore! Live or die, it’s up to you!”

Ling Yue didn’t dare even breathe loudly. Caught between the two, she wasn’t sure whom to placate first.

It was the little girl, finally regaining her composure, who broke the stalemate.

She tugged at the Grand Princess’s sleeve and, when the latter looked down, asked, “What’s your name, sister? I’d like to repay you in the future.”

Lu He observed how frail the girl was so thin a gust of wind could blow her away yet her eyes were large and unwavering, staring directly without a trace of fear.

The world seldom adhered to the principle of karma when inflicting suffering. Just like this little girl, her family had lived honestly at the foot of the mountain, only to be kidnapped and brought here.

The girl had believed that by complying with the bandits’ demands and risking her life, she could ensure her two mothers’ safety. But when she returned, all she found were their lifeless bodies.

Before the girl could break down in tears, Lu He had already slain the bandit. Perhaps too terrified, the girl stood frozen in place.

Whether it was due to her acting being too convincing or not, Lu He genuinely felt a twinge of sympathy. So, she guided the girl to draw the bow and release the arrow.

Even after all this, the girl showed no fear. Lu He admired her courage and, smiling, ruffled the girl’s already messy hair. “Ling Yue,” she said. “My name is Ling Yue, the second young lady of the General’s Manor in Rong City.”

The little girl nodded solemnly. “I’ll remember.”

Ling Yue, who had unwittingly gained some merit, remained silent nearby, while Qing Niao continued to sulk off to the side.

Lu He, seemingly not done with her games, smiled and asked, “And what’s your name?”

The girl answered earnestly, “My name is Lin Yu.”

As she finished speaking, her eyes reddened once more. After all, Lin Yu was still young, only after everything had settled did she realize she was now alone. She instinctively moved to kneel, but Lu He grabbed the collar of her garment at the nape of her neck.

Lu He smiled and said, “Speak. There’s no need to kneel.”

The gentler the treatment, the harder it was to hold back her tears. They fell freely as she sobbed uncontrollably.

“I beg Sister Ling to help me bury my parents.”

The wind seemed to sense the sorrow, rustling the girl’s hair as if to comfort her.

Lu He agreed to the request.

According to local customs, those who died unnatural deaths could not be interred in the ancestral graves, nor could they even have a tombstone erected.

Lu He and Ling Yue dug the graves and buried Lin Yu’s parents.

Watching the soil gradually cover their faces, Lu He suddenly felt a surge of irritation. It only subsided after she closed her eyes and turned away.

Ling Yue’s mood was also heavy. In her previous life, she had witnessed too much death relatives from the branch family who had fought alongside her, like-minded friends, her elder sister Ling Ya, and subordinates who had trusted her.

She had buried person after person; it was common for those who shared a drink yesterday to part in death today.

On the battlefield, she rarely had time to think of Lu Weiying. Often, she would gaze at the night sky, wondering if her own end would be the same, and who would bury her when that time came.

Unfortunately, she did not die on the battlefield but in betrayal.

No matter how resilient Lin Yu was, she was still just a child. Watching the two small mounds of earth rise, she wept until she could no longer speak.

Amid the sorrow, the Qing Niao, who had been silently observing all along, let out a long sigh. “Life begins with weeping and ends with weeping,” she murmured softly, as if speaking to herself. But Ling Yue, standing beside her, heard every word.

It felt strange to see the usually boisterous Qing Niao so solemn.

Yet Qing Niao’s expression was so sorrowful that Ling Yue dared not make a sound.

After everything was done, Lin Yu declined their offers of help. Her small figure disappeared into the woods.

The group then rode away on horseback. Ling Yue frequently glanced back, clearly still concerned.

Thinking that the danger had passed and no one else was around, Ling Yue dropped her pretense. Seeing that the elder princess seemed indifferent, she couldn’t help but ask, “Are we really not going to do anything for her?”

Lu He chuckled lightly, “Of course not.”

Ling Yue looked back once more. The two small mounds grew smaller in the distance, and she sighed. “She’s only five years old. She shouldn’t have to go through this.”

Lu He spurred her horse ahead of Ling Yue, her tone betraying no emotion. “In this world, there is no such thing as ‘should’ or ‘shouldn’t.'”

Ling Yue understood this well. She looked up at the sky it was a clear, vivid blue.

She hadn’t been raised in luxury; hardships had been a constant since childhood.

When others targeted her for no reason, she didn’t understand at first and would ask her mother why.

By then, her mother was already gravely ill and confined to her bed.

Her emaciated hand reached out to pinch Ling Yue’s cheek. “It’s because my little Yue is too exceptional. They’re afraid.”

Back then, Ling Yue wasn’t fooled. She had felt too much malice, and beneath it lay not fear but disgust.

She disliked the general’s residence. By the age of five, she had taken to climbing over the walls. Fortunately, no one cared whether she lived or died, so her escapes went unnoticed.

Outside the walls was another world, unlike the lifeless silence of her small courtyard.

She wandered outside for a long time, but Rong City was still too vast for her. She forgot the way back.

Walking further, she ventured into an even more remote area where there were no longer any people in sight. Ling Yue heard noises from behind a wall and initially intended to enter through the main gate to ask for directions, but a ferocious-looking dog stood guard at the entrance.

Estimating that she wouldn’t even make a decent meal for the dog, Ling Yue swallowed her nerves and found another way climbing a tree and using it to scale the wall.

She crept away quietly, relieved that the dog had fallen asleep.

Her original intention was to ask for directions, but as she stood at the doorway and looked inside, she was captivated by the person within.

The girl inside wore a veil and stood in the center of the hall dressed in plain white robes. Though only half of her face was visible, Ling Yue was utterly enchanted.

So, Ling Yue ignored the girl’s icy glare and forgot her original purpose.

Looking back now, she felt a twinge of embarrassment, she had actually said she wanted to marry the other girl.

Recalling such an awkward moment, Ling Yue couldn’t help but cough, and Lu He’s concerned voice followed immediately.

“What’s wrong?”

Ling Yue stammered, “It’s nothing.”

Admitting it would be far too embarrassing. Besides, so many years had passed; all Ling Yue remembered was how stunning the girl had been, but that impression had blurred over time. Now, she could only recall the feeling of that moment, not the face itself.

Lu He, thinking she was upset about the injustices of the world, turned away and said nothing more. After a while, she suddenly added, “Don’t worry, there are no wolves or jackals on this mountain. She won’t be in danger.”

Ling Yue knew this was meant to comfort her, which was quite unexpected.

After all, under normal circumstances, Her Highness would have teased her first before offering any consolation.

Watching the princess’s back and recalling the tragic past Lu He had mentioned, Ling Yue felt that her aloofness was simply the result of enduring too much.

She urged her horse forward, riding alongside Lu He while carefully studying her face. Ling Yue couldn’t decipher the emotions in those eyes.

Hesitating for a moment, she asked, “Your Highness, do you think I’m too merciful?”

Lu He glanced at her, and a soft laugh escaped from behind her mask. “Don’t you already have the answer in your heart? What, do you care about my opinion?”

Ling Yue was taken aback by the question. She had never realized it before, but she had changed without noticing.

In the past, she had cared about the princess’s thoughts too, but that was for survival. Now, why did she care?

Perhaps it was because she had finally met someone who appreciated her, and she feared that if she performed poorly, that appreciation would be withdrawn.

Ling Yue pressed her lips together, silent for a while, then nodded in admission. “I do care.”

Lu He’s eyes brightened slightly. “There’s nothing wrong with mercy. Don’t trouble yourself over it.”

Qing Niao, listening from behind, rolled her eyes. Wasn’t it the same person who had once said Lu Ai was too merciful to be a good emperor?

The double standard was truly astounding.

Feeling uncomfortable all over, Qing Niao rubbed her arm, certain she had broken out in goosebumps.

Yet, seeing the harmonious atmosphere between the two, she also felt a sense of relief.

Over the years, Lu He had rarely laughed like this. She always felt she had too little time and too much left undone.

On ordinary days, it was manageable, but in the waking moments after losing control, she would sit quietly amid the chaos she had created, her expression dark and brooding.

Qing Niao could only stand by and watch, not daring to approach, unsure how to comfort her. She hated her own helplessness, unable to find a solution.

But now, everything had changed.

Bluebird was deeply moved as she listened to the two of them chat about various matters, eventually drifting into stories from their childhoods.

Each recounted their own tales of hardship, but before Bluebird could even begin to feel sympathy for them, the Eldest Princess turned around.

Instinctively, she sensed something was off, yet she couldn’t prevent what happened next.

Lu He, with an unhurried and relaxed demeanor, smiled and said, “Bluebird was different. When she was five, she still couldn’t speak. Her mother took her to consult all sorts of renowned doctors.”

Ling Yue grew intrigued and asked, “Which miraculous doctor cured her?”

Bluebird exploded with anger, shouting, “Don’t you dare say it!”

Lu He paid her no mind. The eyes beneath the mask narrowed slightly as she continued, “She cured herself.”

Ling Yue marveled at the idea of a prodigy doctor emerging from childhood, but the Eldest Princess’s next words shattered her idealized image of the “miraculous doctor.”

“The last person they sought out was a charlatan. The medicine she sold was toxic, and in her panic, Bluebird finally spoke.”

Under Bluebird’s murderous glare, Lu He said leisurely, “As for her, she was simply too lazy to talk.”

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