Mistakenly Marked the Madly Beautiful Princess - Chapter 44

News of the great victory at the front swiftly reached Rongjing.

In the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Lu Ai’s face lit up with joy, but her happiness was short-lived as it quickly fell, the elder sister she feared was about to return.

Ling Ya, seeing her troubled expression, guessed what was going on. However, the return of the elder princess also meant that Ling Yue would be coming back as well.

She stroked the rabbit in her arms, a faint smile appearing on her face. “Is my younger sister returning?”

Lu Ai closed the memorial and, seeing Ling Ya’s cheerful expression, couldn’t help but feel annoyed. Still, she turned her head and patiently replied, “Yes.”

Through their interactions over these days, Lu Ai had come to realize that Ling Ya was exceptionally clever often, before she even spoke, the other could guess what had happened.

With no particularly troubling matters recently, Lu Ai decided to indulge a little before her elder sister returned. Otherwise, once the latter was back, she wouldn’t be allowed to drink or enjoy music and dance.

She was only relaxing occasionally, it wasn’t as if she was indulging in pleasure-seeking.

Lu Ai called out, “Eunuch Sun!”

“Your servant is here.”

Just as Lu Ai was about to issue her orders, she noticed Ling Ya beside her, staring directly at her.

Would this person report her? Her sister was highly regarded by the elder princess, after all.

Lu Ai’s mood instantly plummeted. She waved her hand in frustration and said, “Never mind, you may leave.”

Eunuch Sun was puzzled but complied and exited.

“Your Majesty may do as you wish. This humble subject will not inform the elder princess.”

Lu Ai was startled. She hadn’t expected her thoughts to be so easily read, and she was skeptical of Ling Ya’s words.

She turned and stared at Ling Ya for a long moment before finally reaching a conclusion.

She’s quite beautiful.

Realizing her thoughts had strayed, the emperor quickly refocused and asked suspiciously, “Really?”

But such a response only confirmed that she had indeed been thinking along those lines.

Ling Ya smiled and nodded. “Your Majesty, feel free to do as you please.”

Lu Ai pondered for a long time. She had been extremely busy these past few days and hadn’t had time to read her storybooks. The last time, she had reached an exciting part and was now itching to know what happened next.

Yet, she was still afraid of her elder sister, the greatest shadow in her life.

After much hesitation, she decided that a little indulgence wouldn’t hurt.

So, she called out again, “Eunuch Sun!”

Eunuch Sun, who had been dozing off outside, scrambled into the room in a fluster.

“Your servant is here!”

Lu Ai paid no mind to his disheveled state and issued a string of orders: “Today, we shall hold a banquet in the Hall of Mental Cultivation. Make sure there is wine. Inform the music and dance troupes. Handle the rest as you see fit.”

Finally, she added, “Remember, my elder sister must not find out.”

Eunuch Sun was dumbfounded but tremblingly took his leave.

Seeing her indulge so freely, Ling Ya surmised that the unrest in the north must have been resolved.

However, it was not her place to discuss state affairs. She simply stroked the fur of the rabbit in her arms and rose to take her leave. “Your Majesty, this humble subject shall return now.”

But Lu Ai was in a good mood today. For the first time, she asked Ling Ya to stay. “No need to hurry. I find it dull alone, you may stay.”

Ling Ya was hesitant, but seeing that Lu Ai was unusually amiable toward her, she agreed.

Unlike her first visit to the palace, the atmosphere was much livelier in the elder princess’s absence.

The aroma of wine and roasted meat filled the air, accompanied by the rare smile on Lu Ai’s face.

Ling Ya suddenly realized that the emperor was not much older than her own younger sister.

Feeling somewhat emotional, Ling Ya turned her gaze to the wine cup on the table. Truthfully, she didn’t know how to drink, but she remembered her younger sister could.

Unconsciously, she picked up the cup, but even a small sip made her choke.

Setting the cup down, Ling Ya covered her face and coughed incessantly, which drew a mocking remark from Lu Ai, who was seated above: “Can’t even handle this?”

But Ling Ya’s coughing didn’t stop, leaving her unable to respond to Lu Ai.

Seeing her cough for so long, Lu Ai grew anxious.

Heavens! She mustn’t get hurt here, the Empress Dowager had entrusted her to look after this person!

In a fluster, Lu Ai hurried down and asked, “Are you alright?”

Ling Ya coughed for a long time, her face turning pale and her lips trembling. Her near-death appearance made Lu Ai’s heart race.

“Don’t scare me!”

After catching her breath, Ling Ya finally recovered. Seeing Lu Ai so frightened, she couldn’t help but feel like laughing, but since the other was the emperor, she restrained herself.

“I am fine, Your Majesty.”

Lu Ai felt as though her own life had been spared. She snatched the wine from Ling Ya’s table and said sternly, “No more drinking.”

Ling Ya found her increasingly childlike. “As you command, Your Majesty.”

After confiscating Ling Ya’s wine, Lu Ai drank a few more cups herself. In truth, her alcohol tolerance wasn’t great either, and after this round, her gaze grew unfocused.

Ever since the Grand Princess had taken over the regency, the musicians and dancers had long neglected their training. The music was off-key, and the dance was uncoordinated. Impatiently, Lu Ai waved her hand.

“All of you, leave.”

“Yes.”

Soon, only Ling Ya and Lu Ai remained in the Hall of Mental Cultivation. Lu Ai looked up at Ling Ya and let out an indignant “Hmph.”

Ling Ya was utterly baffled by this sound, but she could tell the emperor was drunk.

“Your Majesty, it’s time for you to rest.”

“I, I won’t rest!”

Ling Ya felt a headache coming on. She wasn’t allowed to bring her own attendants into the palace, or else she could have asked Qingyue to help carry the emperor back to bed.

And where had Eunuch Sun and Qiuling gone?

Before long, the emperor on the throne began to cry loudly.

Ling Ya was speechless. If she called for help now, it would damage the emperor’s dignity.

She had never encountered such a situation before and could only try to coax her: “Your Majesty, please go to sleep.”

“I said I won’t sleep! Waaah!”

Fueled by the alcohol, Lu Ai poured out all the bitterness in her heart.

Ling Ya listened, her lips twitching not out of speechlessness, but from tension and awkwardness.

“I don’t want to be this emperor! But I don’t dare not be! Waaah! Even the Fifth Princess from the Cold Palace has defected! I’m the only one left.”

“She forced you on me, and once I have a child, she’ll install a more obedient puppet!”

The conversation eventually turned to Ling Ya herself, and she couldn’t help but sigh.

She had thought she was allowed into the palace to recuperate because of Ling Yue, but now it seemed things weren’t so simple.

Seeing how resistant Lu Ai was, Ling Ya felt a pang of sadness, as if she were being rejected.

She stewed in silent anger for a while, then forgave Lu Ai on her own and gently coaxed, “Your Majesty must have misunderstood. How could someone like me be worthy of you?”

Lu Ai fell silent for a moment, staring intently at Ling Ya until she grew uncomfortable.

Just as Ling Ya was feeling awkward, Lu Ai spoke again: “No, the Grand Princess holds your sister in high regard. Now that Ling Yue has returned with merits and limitless potential, to secure her loyalty, the Grand Princess must place even greater importance on your entry into the palace.”

Ling Ya felt things might not necessarily turn out that way. She retorted, “Even so, the imperial family still has.”

This immediately became awkward. The imperial family now only had three members left: the Eldest Princess, Her Majesty the Emperor, and the traitorous Fifth Princess.

Ling Ya had never considered marriage for herself. Merely staying alive was already a struggle for her there was a period when she felt so pessimistic that she wrote her own suicide note every day.

When such trouble suddenly barged into her life, her initial reaction was panic, but she quickly calmed down.

“If Your Majesty is unwilling, you could discuss it with the Eldest Princess.”

Lu Ai seemed to find this statement ridiculous. She let out a cold laugh before slumping over the desk again, her eyes vacant as she stared into the distance.

She had tried to communicate before, but it was all in vain.

Her elder sister only saw her as a useful and obedient tool, if the tool resisted, she would simply replace it.

Within the imperial family, Lu Ai only had this one sister left, so it was natural for her to feel a sense of closeness.

At first, she was terrified of this elder sister. She was always so stern, rarely smiling, as if no matter how hard Lu Ai tried, she could never earn her approval.

But being an emperor was far from easy. Those ministers simply didn’t respect her, they always bypassed her and reported important state affairs directly to her elder sister.

It wasn’t until the Eldest Princess severely punished those overstepping officials that they began putting on a show of deference, and only then did Lu Ai truly feel like an emperor.

Sometimes she wondered, why her? The previous elder sister had done just fine, even if she was somewhat promiscuous and had a slew of children.

Under such pressure and the heavy burden of state affairs, Lu Ai fell ill.

Her elder sister was uncharacteristically gentle, sitting by her bedside and feeding her medicine, a stark contrast to the terrifying, blood-soaked figure from her memories.

Unable to hold back, Lu Ai asked, “Does elder sister think I’m too weak?”

The Eldest Princess set down the bowl and, for once, smiled. “Kindness is not weakness. But as an emperor, one should be more ruthless.”

Perhaps because she was ill, or perhaps because of her elder sister’s gentle demeanor, Lu Ai grew bolder. “In that case, elder sister shouldn’t have chosen me.”

The Eldest Princess remained gentle, tucking Lu Ai in and smoothing the corners of the blanket.

Then she leaned in close, her smile tender.

“She wasn’t obedient enough just as foolish as the late emperor. But you’re different.”

With a light scoff, the Eldest Princess whispered, “So, praise your weakness.”

Lu Ai still remembered that moment vividly. Her foggy mind cleared instantly, and her elder sister’s mocking tone seemed to echo in her ears once more.

She buried her face in her arms and fell silent.

Ling Ya suddenly felt sorry for her, but from her description, she also sensed the danger emanating from the Eldest Princess. She began to worry about her own younger sister.

But her concern was unnecessary.

Ling Yue stared at the pile of military strategy books and an assortment of dazzling jewels and accessories on the table, nearly blinded by their brilliance.

Was this what it felt like to have a powerful backer?

Summoning immense willpower, Ling Yue finally managed to tear her eyes away from the glittering treasures.

“This is too generous.”

The Eldest Princess found her reaction amusing and felt a twinge of regret, she should have picked out even more.

“If I say you deserve it, then you deserve it. Refusing would be defying a royal decree.”

So Ling Yue promptly accepted.

She expressed her gratitude, first flipping through the books before looking up to ask, “May I dispose of these as I see fit?”

“Of course.”

Receiving an affirmative reply, Ling Yue began sorting through the jewelry and set some aside.

The Eldest Princess asked curiously, “What are you doing?”

Ling Yue looked slightly embarrassed. “My elder sister also lacks adornments. I hope Your Highness won’t take offense.”

This silly girl truly cared about others, but that wasn’t a bad thing.

The princess stopped her, saying, “No need. I have other rewards for your elder sister.”

Ling Yue was astonished that the princess had even considered her elder sister.

Why did everyone call the Eldest Princess a demoness or a living king of hell? She was clearly a goddess descended to the mortal world.

Deeply moved, Ling Yue said, “Your Highness is so kind.”

The Eldest Princess smiled, but then noticed Ling Yue was still sorting and asked, puzzled, “Who else are you planning to give these to?”

Ling Yue replied with a smile, “For Wang Lan and Wen Yuanyuan. They treated me to a meal before, and the restaurant was quite expensive. Besides, Wang Lan’s birthday is coming up.”

Seeing that Ling Yue remembered others’ birthdays, the Eldest Princess frowned. “You seem quite close to her.”

“I don’t have many friends, only these two.”

The Eldest Princess grew even more displeased and couldn’t help asking, “What about me?”

Ling Yue’s heart skipped a beat. Under the princess’s gaze, she blurted out, “Your Highness is someone more special than a friend.”

That wasn’t the answer she had intended to give, or perhaps it was the truest one, Ling Yue couldn’t quite figure it out.

But she saw the Eldest Princess smile.

And so, whatever the answer was, it no longer mattered.

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