Mistakenly Marked the Madly Beautiful Princess - Chapter 43

According to Ling Yue’s initial thoughts, it would be fine if they couldn’t find the body, but the Eldest Princess disagreed. So the two took a detour and headed down the mountain to search.

Few people ever came to this place. Ling Yue walked ahead, clearing away the withered grass and branches blocking their path. Worried about the Eldest Princess, she frequently glanced back, only feeling at ease when she saw the princess following behind.

However, she dared only take quick glances. After all, she had cried so embarrassingly earlier and still felt somewhat ashamed.

Adding up both her past and present lives, how old was she really? Logically, her mental age should be much older than the Eldest Princess’s, yet she had still ended up crying.

The more Ling Yue thought about it, the more flustered she became. Her movements as she hacked at the branches grew increasingly impatient.

After chopping away for a long while in silence, she heard the sound of water.Feeling thirsty, Ling Yue cut through the last obstructing branch and rushed out of the woods to find a small river.

The Eldest Princess, who had been silent the entire way, spoke up: “This is also part of the Fen River.”

Hearing her voice, Ling Yue felt embarrassed again. She hurried over, took the water pouch hanging at her waist, and fetched water from a clean spot.

She took a sip first; the cool sensation washed away her fatigue. She then ran back and offered the water pouch to the Eldest Princess. “Your Highness, please drink.”

The Eldest Princess stared at the open mouth of the pouch for a long time. Only then did Ling Yue realize the issue. Flustered, she withdrew her hand and said awkwardly, “I’ll go find a container.”

Just as she was about to close the lid, the water pouch was taken from her. The Eldest Princess accepted it, took a sip, and then tossed it back to her.

Perhaps she had drunk a bit too hastily, as there were water droplets at the corner of her lips. The Eldest Princess lifted her hand and wiped them away.

Ling Yue stared blankly at the water pouch the Eldest Princess had drunk from. She closed the lid and carefully hung it back at her waist.

Her heartbeat seemed to quicken. Ling Yue quickly shook her head and returned to the matter at hand.

“Judging by the direction of the fall, it should be around here.”

The Eldest Princess scanned the area and then pointed toward the opposite bank of the river. “Over there.”

Following her direction, Ling Yue saw a human-shaped shadow lying on the ground amidst the trees on the other side.

She hadn’t noticed it earlier and couldn’t help but marvel at the princess’s sharp eyes.

Thinking about it, in her previous life, she had been spared so many times. Just how bold had she been to dare oppose the Eldest Princess?

But in this life, she seemed even bolder, she had directly marked the Eldest Princess.

At this thought, Ling Yue smiled awkwardly.

She continued walking forward but turned back to find the Eldest Princess hadn’t followed. She ran back and asked, “Your Highness, why aren’t you coming?”

The Eldest Princess sighed helplessly. She lifted the hem of her trousers slightly, took off her sock, and revealed her swollen ankle. “I accidentally sprained it,” she said with a sigh.

Her skin was naturally fair, and her ankle was slender, making the redness and swelling particularly noticeable.

Ling Yue crouched down to examine it, feeling a pang of heartache. “I have some medicine with me, but it might sting a little.”

“It’s fine.”

Her calm tone made Ling Yue scratch her head in frustration, she had almost forgotten this was the Eldest Princess she was dealing with.

Taking out the ointment, Ling Yue applied a small amount with her finger to the injured ankle. The moment it touched the skin, she felt the Eldest Princess flinch slightly, and at the same time, a very soft “ah” came from above.

Ling Yue didn’t dare move further. She looked up and saw the Eldest Princess gazing at her, gently biting her lower lip.

To be honest, it was a little overwhelming.

Ling Yue lowered her head and said in a muffled voice, “Your Highness, please bear with it. I’ll be gentle and finish quickly.”

“Alright.”

She was so consumed by her own embarrassment that she completely missed the hidden laughter in the princess’s eyes.

In the actions that followed, Ling Yue indeed became more cautious. After applying the ointment, she didn’t dare to look, turning her back to gaze into the distance. However, her flushed earlobes betrayed her discomfort.

“Your Highness, please wait here. I will return shortly.”

“Carry me across on your back.”

Ling Yue froze, not having expected things to take such a turn.

Seeing her hesitate, the princess narrowed her eyes slightly. “Are you unwilling?”

Ling Yue jolted and hurriedly replied, “I wouldn’t dare. I’m only afraid of offending Your Highness.”

The princess chuckled. “Haven’t you offended me enough already?”

How was Ling Yue supposed to respond to that? She could only stammer, “ I’m sorry that was…”

Feeling as though she had lost the ability to speak, Ling Yue sighed and crouched down. “Your Highness, please climb on.”

A moment later, she felt a weight on her back, a pair of arms wrapping around her neck, and a warm breath brushing against her ear.

The princess always carried a faint scent of plum blossoms, which grew richer in moments of passion, yet the two fragrances were distinctly different.

“Daydreaming? Little General, it’s time to go.”

“Oh, right!”

Ling Yue couldn’t stand it. The other was speaking right by her ear, and though the words were perfectly normal, they still made her heart race uncontrollably.

She wanted to shrink her neck away but abandoned the idea, remembering the princess was on her back.

The river here wasn’t too deep, and the distance between the banks wasn’t too wide. As Ling Yue stepped into the water, she worried the princess’s clothes might get wet, so she gave an upward jolt.

Unfortunately, her timing was off. The riverbed was slippery, and she lost her balance, stumbling backward.

In that split second, fearing she might crush the princess, Ling Yue desperately tried to regain her balance, ending up kneeling forward instead.

After choking on a few mouthfuls of water, she resurfaced and anxiously looked back. She saw that the princess’s clothes were soaked, with water dripping from the ends of her hair.

Panicked, Ling Yue asked, “Your Highness, are you alright?”

Thanks to Ling Yue’s desperate efforts, the princess hadn’t choked on any water, but her clothes were drenched from head to toe.

She shook her head. “I’m fine. Let’s just cross the river first.”

Though the princess didn’t blame her, Ling Yue felt no relief. The river was cold, and the weather wasn’t particularly warm it was all too easy to catch a chill.

Even though the Blue Bird was there to ensure nothing serious would happen, Ling Yue didn’t want the princess to suffer such discomfort.

She hurriedly waded across the river and rushed toward the place where the figure lay. As expected, it was Fu Huayi.

Her eyes were wide open, her expression frozen in terror.

Ling Yue set the princess down on a nearby rock to sit and then walked over to Fu Huayi’s side.

The state of the corpse was far from pleasant. Ling Yue reached out and gently closed her eyes.

The princess suddenly laughed softly.

Ling Yue knew her actions might seem hypocritical, but she had always been this way, in both her past and present lives.

In her previous life, her only focus had been on slaying enemies and defending the nation, and she had never cared about others’ opinions. Yet now, she turned her head as if to look but didn’t dare, turning back again.

The princess’s hair was still dripping, her wet clothes clinging tightly to her body, outlining her graceful curves. Though nothing was exposed, the sight was undeniably alluring.

Ling Yue steadied her mind, casting aside distracting thoughts, and asked, “Does Your Highness think I am too merciful?”

The princess, seeing her back turned and her spine ramrod straight, with water droplets still falling from the edge of her armor, smiled.

“Not at all. I actually think it’s quite fitting.”

Since she’s already dead, what harm is there in being merciful? The Grand Princess wouldn’t care about such trivial details.

Ling Yue listened to her serious tone and couldn’t help but feel relieved, the small unease in her heart swept away.

After handling everything, Ling Yue wanted to take the Grand Princess back, but it grew dark not long after they started walking.

Ling Yue abandoned the idea of returning and found a cave to settle the Grand Princess in.

Under the starry night, Ling Yue checked the surroundings for any danger before daring to light a fire. Her soaked clothes clung uncomfortably to her body, so she removed her armor and made a simple rack to dry her inner garments by the fire.

To be honest, she hesitated a bit, but she still walked to the cave entrance and called out softly, “Your clothes are heavy with dampness. I’ve lit a fire to dry them for Your Highness.”

“Alright.”

Soon, faint rustling sounds came from the cave. Ling Yue’s heart grew restless, so she simply closed her eyes and covered her ears.

When the Grand Princess emerged with her removed clothes, she saw Ling Yue curled up beside the cave entrance.

She couldn’t help but find it amusing and thought this side of Ling Yue was truly adorable.

Bending down, she handed the clothes over, her voice tinged with laughter, “Didn’t you say you’d dry my clothes for me?”

Only when the clothes were presented before her did Ling Yue release her hands from her ears. She felt a bit shy, but fortunately, the deep night concealed the young girl’s thoughts.

She took the clothes and hurriedly ran to the fire, spreading them out to dry.

Not long after, the Grand Princess also came over to the fire. Earlier, she couldn’t be seen clearly, but now, illuminated by the flames, Ling Yue naturally saw the Grand Princess’s current appearance.

She was only wearing her undergarments.

Ling Yue turned her head away, not daring to sit beside the Grand Princess. She lowered her head and tossed the branches she had gathered nearby into the fire.

Because of the recent rain, Ling Yue hadn’t managed to pick completely dry firewood. The slightly damp branches sizzled when thrown into the fire, which was just as well, it made the night less monotonous.

Ling Yue’s face flickered in and out of the firelight.

The Grand Princess watched quietly and noticed that Ling Yue didn’t have pierced ears.

Thinking about it, it made sense, who in the vast Ling Manor would care about her?

She reached up and touched her own ears, then removed her pearl earrings. But after some thought, she put them back on.

Gazing at the blinking stars in the night sky, the Grand Princess spoke, “It’s rare to have such a quiet moment.”

Ling Yue paused in tossing the branches, “Your Highness has put great effort into the Rong Dynasty.”

The Grand Princess smiled, “Little General, you have high hopes for me.”

Lately, the Grand Princess had taken a liking to calling her “Little General,” but Ling Yue still wasn’t used to it.

She couldn’t help but wonder was the Grand Princess teasing her?

But as soon as the thought surfaced, Ling Yue dismissed it. Someone like the Grand Princess wouldn’t do such a thing; it must be her own mind being too impure.

Ling Yue mentally chastised herself again.

When it came to matters of love, she still felt inferior both in her past life and in this one.

Lowering her head further, Ling Yue noticed the fire was growing weak and added some dry branches. But the small flame seemed to take a liking to that particular dry branch, flaring up suddenly and nearly burning Ling Yue’s face.

Startled, Ling Yue jerked backward, her eyes wide with fear.

After realizing she had overreacted, she sat back up.

The Grand Princess observed her actions and recalled what Ling Yue had said earlier that day.

Her eyes slightly darkened as she asked casually, “Are you afraid of fire? Why?”

Ling Yue hugged her legs tightly and mumbled a soft “Mm” in response.

She didn’t feel she had done anything wrong, yet Lu Weiying seemed to harbor intense hatred toward her. The poison she had been forced to drink wasn’t lethal enough to kill her instantly.

Thus, she could distinctly smell the scorched odor of her own burning flesh.

She covered her mouth and curled herself tighter, as if giving herself a hug.

The eldest princess concealed the storm in her eyes, moved closer to sit down, and then rested her head on Ling Yue’s shoulder.

Ling Yue was startled, but then she heard the other say, “I’m tired.”

At that, Ling Yue no longer had the heart to dwell on the matters of her past life. She was so flustered she didn’t know what to do, yet she dared not move recklessly.

After a while, the eldest princess seemed to have fallen asleep.

Seeing that the clothes on the wooden rack had dried, Ling Yue carefully took them down and draped them over the princess.

There were no shooting stars that night. Ling Yue smiled as she gazed at the starry night sky, murmuring to no one in particular, “Goodnight.”

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