Mistakenly Marked the Madly Beautiful Princess - Chapter 47

“I’ve told you there’s no such thing as past lives. You don’t actually believe in that, do you?”

Qing Niao appeared somewhat frantic. She had explained this repeatedly, yet the Princess across from her remained unconvinced.

“Qing Niao.”

“What now? Do you need me to explain it again?”

The Princess quietly flipped through the book in her hands, only noticing its title, Strange Tales of Pengzhou when she closed it.

Qing Niao had been too caught up in her agitation earlier to notice what the Princess was reading. Now that she saw it, she couldn’t help but wipe the sweat from her face.

How can this person be so sharp? It’s practically impossible to guard against her.

Qing Niao, who had been so confident moments ago, now felt a pang of guilt. In moments of panic, people often pretend to be busy. She fussed with her belt, then touched the sachet at her waist, and before long, she was sipping tea again.

But the hand holding the teacup trembled incessantly.

The Princess watched her silently, her mind already forming a few conjectures. It was hard to believe, but perhaps rebirth was truly possible in this world.

If it were true, then Qing Niao, Ling Yue, and Lu Weiying had likely all been reborn.

That would mean all three of them had knowledge of future events. Qing Niao had vehemently urged her to release Lu Weiying earlier, suggesting that in her past life, Lu had been a significant threat.

Even before this speculation arose, the Princess had already learned a few things about Lu Weiying. The woman was clever in her own way, ruthless, and patient definitely not someone to be taken lightly.

But the Princess had dared to let her go only after making thorough preparations. After all, Lu Weiying wasn’t the only one skilled in using poison. Given her expertise, she would know that the antidote for the poison was available only from the Princess.

It wouldn’t be long before Lu Weiying returned.

The Princess smiled faintly. Seeing Qing Niao still waiting for her to speak, she remarked casually, “Lovely weather.”

No sooner had she spoken than a loud clap of thunder boomed outside. Fragile tree branches snapped in the wind, doors and windows creaked and swayed, and a torrential downpour began.

Qing Niao’s lips twitched. Glancing at the scene outside, she couldn’t resist saying, “Well, aren’t you the humorous one.”

The Princess ignored her sarcasm. She remembered that Qing Niao detested rain or rather, she despised the helplessness she felt in the rain.

After learning Qing Niao’s story, the Princess had secretly investigated. Though much time had passed, she had managed to uncover a general direction.

The murderer was likely in the Northern Kingdom and held a position of some influence.

In that case, Lu Weiying could prove useful. Desperate to survive, she would surely be willing to act as an informant. With her intelligence and resourcefulness, she could thrive anywhere.

Sure enough, Qing Niao grew increasingly irritable as she watched the relentless rain outside. “Tch, it just won’t stop. So annoying.”

A young palace maid closed the wide-open doors and windows, plunging the room into dim, stifling gloom.

The candlelight illuminated the book before her, and the Princess reopened Strange Tales of Pengzhou.

The author, Ke Ying, was an ancestor of the Ke clan. The book recorded unusual events that had occurred in Pengzhou, some of which involved the Ke clan themselves.

According to the book, the Ke clan possessed a unique constitution that often attracted spirits and ghosts, and they had also received blessings from deities.

In the past, the Princess would have scoffed at such claims as mere self-aggrandizement. But now, it seemed there might be a grain of truth to them.

The Princess skimmed through the pages, her interest piqued by one particular passage.

The book says that the Ke clan was once on the verge of extinction, but the last surviving member used a secret method to travel back in time and alter the fate of the clan’s destruction.

Logically speaking, Ling Yue also carries the bloodline of the Ke clan. The Eldest Princess speculated that Ling Yue had used this method to return to the past and change the outcome.

Perhaps she was overthinking. The Eldest Princess rubbed her temples and looked up at Qing Niao. “Our first meeting was in a downpour like this.”

Speaking of the past, Qing Niao naturally felt nostalgic. She joked, “Back then, I called you cunning and ruthless and I wasn’t wrong.”

The Eldest Princess wasn’t angered by such words, especially since they came from Qing Niao, her only friend.

Ling Yue had said the princess didn’t have many friends, but in truth, the Eldest Princess had even fewer. Not that she needed such things anyway.

The Eldest Princess glanced at her and listened to the storm raging outside the window. “So, you should have poisoned me back then, to spare others from my harm.”

Qing Niao sensed something was off and couldn’t help waving a hand in front of the princess’s face. “Are you alright?”

Annoyed by the gesture, the Eldest Princess swatted her hand away. “I’m fine.”

“Then why say such strange things? This isn’t like you. You don’t even have a conscience.”

The Eldest Princess: “…”

Seeing the princess’s gaze grow colder, Qing Niao realized she might have teased a bit too much.

The truth was simple: back then, Qing Niao was just an ordinary young physician. How could she have known she was dealing with the Eldest Princess?

That was ten years ago. At the time, the Eldest Princess was only seventeen. Though her brows carried an undeniable fierceness, she was still just a child.

Qing Niao relented and replied, “You were just a child back then.”

“You’re not much older than me.”

Qing Niao fell silent. This person really knew how to shut down a conversation.

Gritting her teeth, she said, “True, but even one year older counts. Besides, I’m five years older than you.”

The Eldest Princess calmly watched her bristle, then elegantly picked up her teacup and took a sip.

Qing Niao had no way to handle her. Even though she knew this heartless woman wouldn’t care, she felt compelled to explain.

“Good and evil aren’t so easily defined. For the Rong Dynasty, your presence brings stability, which is a good thing for the people.”

The Eldest Princess set down her cup. “Oh! So, it’s for the people’s sake.”

Qing Niao grew serious. “Officially, yes. Personally, we’ve known each other for ten years. I’ve watched you face dangers, restore order to the court, support the young emperor, and I’ve seen you in pain and madness. Even if you don’t see yourself as human, you can’t stop me from caring.”

“When I’m around, you at least listen to my nagging and restrain yourself a little. If I weren’t here, I can’t even imagine…”

The Eldest Princess’s expression remained unchanged, revealing nothing of her emotions.

It was a sudden storm, and now sunlight broke through outside. The young palace maids reopened the doors and windows.

The air after the rain was always fresh, and the breeze swept away the stifling heat in the room.

Gazing at the bright scenery outside, the Eldest Princess suddenly smiled. “Just use me as a tool. That way, you’ll have fewer worries.”

Qing Niao grew angry, her voice rising. “You’re utterly unreasonable!”

With that, she stormed off in a huff.

After everyone had left, the princess rose and placed the book Strange Tales of Pengzhou back on the shelf. For some reason, she then tucked it away in the innermost corner.

She had agreed to meet Ling Yue tonight, and by all logic, she shouldn’t be feeling unsettled but she couldn’t deceive herself.

Her heart was in turmoil. Rarely leaving her chambers, the princess wandered aimlessly through the vast palace grounds. Once teeming with life, the palace now stood desolate.

Without intending to, she found herself back at the place where she had first met Ling Yue.

That night had been pitch black. She had been ready to suppress the poison within her with pain, but all her plans were disrupted when Ling Yue barged into her life unexpectedly.

Strangely, she hadn’t felt repelled. Instead, a flicker of joy stirred in her heart from time to time.

Clearing away the clutter, she pushed open the door with a creak, sending dust cascading down.

The room’s layout remained unchanged, though the earlier mess had been tidied. Sitting on the simple bed, she seemed to catch a faint whiff of cedar.

The princess couldn’t help but smile. “Really now…”

Afraid to dwell on it further, she stood up to leave, rearranging the clutter she had cleared back in front of the door.

Seeking answers, she wandered again and arrived before another palace. This one was also empty, situated far from the Hall of Cultivation.

The plaque above the door was thick with dust and cobwebs, obscuring the characters engraved on it.

Pushing the door open, she was met with an even more desolate scene inside. She glanced around, a trace of nostalgia in her eyes as she took in the familiar objects.

Finally, she spoke to the empty hall, “Mother, I’m back.”

Only her own voice echoed in reply. She stepped into the inner chamber, where everything remained as she remembered, even the cradle she had once slept in.

The pink blanket draped over the cradle had long lost its original color. The princess stood beside it, gazing for a while.

“I never believed in such things, but strange occurrences lately made me think you might be here.”

“Don’t find me bothersome.”

She spoke as if to someone, but no one answered.

She thought about sitting down, but the place was too filthy, so she remained standing.

With a sigh, she continued, “Recently, I met someone. I can’t find a reason to like her, yet I keep dreaming dreaming of things that have never happened.”

In her dreams, she saw herself drinking, then pouring a cup at someone’s grave. But the dream was too hazy she couldn’t make out the name on the tombstone, only feeling an ache in her heart.

Drinking, playing the flute these were things she would never do.

She never cried, nor had she ever felt such heart-wrenching pain.

The princess felt the person in her dream wasn’t her, yet when she looked down in the dream, she saw the token at her waist, it was hers, and the voice was hers too.

“Mother, do you believe in past lives?”

She stood in the room for a long time, knowing full well these actions were meaningless.

Her mother had died of illness when she was still an infant, and she had been sent to be raised by another consort.

Such was the simplicity of palace life. When that consort later had her own child, the princess was neglected.

She struggled to grow up alone, relying only on herself, growing increasingly withdrawn and disliked.

Later, her foster mother also died of illness, and the blame was pinned on her even though she was just a child.

Powerless to resist, she became the scapegoat.

With a long sigh, the princess felt she must have lost her mind as well, to have grown so fragile as to seek answers here, this was utterly unlike her usual self.

She shook her head and made to leave, but before stepping out the door, she turned back, then bowed three times toward the center of the room.

Support