Mistakenly Marked the Madly Beautiful Princess - Chapter 51

Since Ling Yue officially assumed her new position and was no longer a guard, she naturally couldn’t enter the palace as frequently as before to keep the Princess company. At first, the Princess didn’t mind, but as days passed, she began to feel unsettled no matter what she did. Like today, after reading memorials for a while, she grew restless and had to set aside her work. She tried amusing herself with Yunli for a bit, but even that soon lost its appeal.

Back in her chamber, Qingniao took her pulse, but the Princess remained absent-minded. It didn’t take a genius to guess what was going on.

Amused by the sight, it was rare to see the Princess lovesick Qingniao withdrew her hand and said with a smile, “Your Highness, you should try to maintain a cheerful mood.”

The Princess, either stubborn or unaware of her own longing, replied with a cold expression, “I’m in a perfectly good mood.”

Qingniao sighed helplessly. Glancing outside at Xiao Lizi chasing after the young palace maids, her heart softened. “Why not take a walk? You’ve never been one to stay in one place for long.”

The Princess was about to refuse, but her heart had other ideas. She decisively followed her inner impulse.

The weather was fine that day. The Princess murmured to herself, “Lovely day.”

Kites swayed in the sky, but Ling Yue didn’t join in the fun with Wen and Wang.

Both women were fiercely competitive, even when it came to flying kites, and sometimes Ling Yue thought they acted like children.

She glanced up again at the kites. The eagle-shaped kite flew much higher than the phoenix one, it seemed Wang Lan had won this round.

Ling Yue felt a twinge of regret. The couple had made a bet: the winner would treat the other to a meal. Overall, Wen Yuanyuan was the wealthier of the two.

“Ah! It broke!”

Amid Wang Lan’s cry of dismay, the eagle kite drifted away with the wind.

Ling Yue finally stood up and walked over to Wang Lan. Seeing her dejected expression, she comforted her, “It’s alright, you can win next time.”

But Wang Lan’s concern seemed to lie elsewhere. She crouched on the ground, crestfallen, and said, “But I was in such a hurry today that I just grabbed this kite from home. It’s my mother’s treasure, I’m done for.”

Ling Yue’s words of comfort stuck in her throat. She didn’t know how to describe Wang Lan bold enough to take her mother’s prized possession, yet terrified of her mother’s wrath.

Wen Yuanyuan, having retrieved her own kite, overheard Wang Lan’s lament. She approached and reassured her, “Let’s look for it together. It shouldn’t be far.”

Wang Lan’s face remained troubled. “What if it’s torn when we find it?”

Wen Yuanyuan replied patiently, “I can mend it. Don’t worry.”

A glimmer of hope lit up Wang Lan’s worried eyes. She suddenly sprang up, hugged Wen Yuanyuan and lifted her into a spinning embrace, nearly bumping into Ling Yue in the process.

Wang Lan laughed heartily, “Hahaha! Yuanyuan, you’re the best!”

With Ling Yue present, the shy Wen Yuanyuan felt embarrassed. Struggling slightly, she whispered, “Put me down!”

But Wang Lan acted as if she hadn’t heard and refused to let go. Ling Yue could only watch in speechless amusement, though she soon broke into a soft smile.

Perhaps this wasn’t so bad after all. Witnessing others’ happiness could be a joy in itself.

After the laughter and commotion, it was time to get back to business. Following the direction where the kite had fallen, the group searched along the way, but strangely, the kite was nowhere to be found.

Wen Yuanyuan, the least physically fit of the three, wiped the sweat from her forehead and said with confusion, “Logically, it should be right around here. Could someone have picked it up?”

Hearing this, Wang Lan’s face turned pale, and she showed a pained expression. But before her distress could linger, she spotted the kite on a tree to the left. All her worries vanished in an instant as she hurried over, lightly leaping up the tree with the tip of her foot. She then plucked the kite from the branches.

After carefully inspecting the kite and confirming it wasn’t damaged, she sighed with relief and said, “I’ve avoided a beating today.”

Wen Yuanyuan found her expression so amusing that she couldn’t help but laugh. Yet, curiosity got the better of her. The kite looked quite ordinary, so she asked, “Is there a story behind this kite?”

Wang Lan couldn’t quite explain it. “I’m not really sure. My mother only said it was a gift from the Eldest Princess.”

At the mention of the Eldest Princess, Ling Yue couldn’t help but glance at the kite a few more times. It had been a long time since she had seen the Eldest Princess, and though she missed her, she couldn’t find a reason to meet.

As Wang Lan tidied the kite, she added, “Yes, speaking of which, my mother really admires the Eldest Princess. She says Rong Dynasty is incredibly fortunate to have her.”

As she spoke, Wang Lan suddenly remembered that Ling Yue had spent a lot of time with the Eldest Princess. She turned to look at Ling Yue but found her lost in thought. Wang Lan deliberately called out loudly, “Hey!”

To her surprise, Ling Yue was genuinely startled. Realizing it was Wang Lan’s prank, she frowned in displeasure but still spoke softly, “What is it?”

Wang Lan, sensing her irritation, felt a bit embarrassed and quickly tried to soothe her. “Oh, don’t be mad. I was just joking. What were you thinking about just now? Could it be the Eldest Princess?”

Ling Yue felt a pang of guilt at this and turned away awkwardly. “No, you’re overthinking it.”

Noticing her reaction, Wen Yuanyuan keenly sensed something amiss. She quietly observed Ling Yue’s demeanor, then wore an expression as if she had stumbled upon a juicy piece of gossip.

Unfortunately, Ling Yue was too flustered to notice the usually quiet Wen Yuanyuan. If she had, well, her mind would have been even more troubled.

Feeling a thief-like panic, Ling Yue couldn’t help but urge, “Weren’t we going to treat everyone to a meal? Let’s hurry back to the city.”

Seeing her like this, Wang Lan assumed she was just hungry and said with a smile, “Alright, let’s head back quickly. After eating, I need to return the kite to its place as soon as possible.”

Once the three had agreed, they started back. Along the way, Wang Lan chattered incessantly about her own affairs, sighing and lamenting from time to time.

“My mother says she’s transferring me away from Rong City, claiming it’s for my training. Ugh! I’m not afraid of hardship, but I feel like without you all around, life will be a lot less fun.”

Wen Yuanyuan tightened her grip on the reins and asked softly, “Where to?”

Wang Lan sighed again. “To the north, probably near the border.”

Ling Yue was naturally worried too. On the battlefield, blades and arrows have no eyes, and a single misstep could mean never returning.

Though things were relatively stable now, with little chance of conflict, the nightmares from her past life had made Ling Yue more cautious in this one. She couldn’t help but ask, “If you don’t want to go, I could put in a word for you with Her Highness.”

Wang Lan refused without a second thought. “No need. My mother has told me since I was young that the battlefield is my destiny, and I hold myself to that standard.”

She then added with a hint of regret, “I originally wanted to be the top among the younger generation, but unexpectedly, someone named Ling Yue appeared out of nowhere. Luckily, that person isn’t too unpleasant, or I’d never be able to swallow my pride!”

Ling Yue hadn’t expected to be brought into this. She smiled wryly and said, “No matter what I do, no one can deny your excellence.”

“Hey, you people always know how to say the right things. But it seems like you have a good relationship with the Princess? Tell me, how did you manage that?”

It really was a matter of “managing.”

Ling Yue let out a bitter laugh and couldn’t help but defend the Princess. “Her Highness isn’t as fearsome as you think. She’s actually quite kind.”

Wang Lan couldn’t believe it. She had seen the Princess during the military examination every move was filled with lethal intent. Standing nearby, she couldn’t help but tremble.

She was even more terrifying than her own mother.

Seeing the other’s expression still filled with fear, Ling Yue thought for a moment and simply said, “You’ll understand in the future.”

Wang Lan didn’t want to dwell on the topic and sighed again. “It’ll be a long time before we can drink together again. And Ling Yue, are you afraid of the battlefield? How could you suggest that I avoid it?”

Ling Yue was taken aback. How could she be afraid of going to battle? She was only afraid of hearing news of her friends’ deaths.

Having too good a memory brought its own torments. Once again, Ling Yue comforted herself, the past would not repeat itself.

She seemed to regain her resolve and explained, “I’m not afraid of the battlefield. I’m just worried about all of you.”

Wang Lan was genuinely touched. She laughed heartily and said, “What’s this? Don’t underestimate us. We’re plenty capable.”

Wen Yuanyuan added with a light laugh, “Yes, have faith in us.”

Before Ling Yue could respond, Wang Lan began teasing again. “Looking at you like this, if we were to die, you’d probably cry your eyes out. If that happened, I’d come back as a ghost just to watch you bawl like a fool.”

Ling Yue frowned. “Don’t talk nonsense! Matters of life and death are not to be joked about. And I would never cry!”

Thinking she was joking, Wang Lan pretended to be hurt. “How heartless! You wouldn’t even shed a tear.”

Ling Yue ignored her and spoke with deliberate seriousness, “I would cut off the heads of our enemies to appease the souls of the departed.”

Wang Lan’s laughter died instantly. Staring at Ling Yue’s earnest face, she was momentarily speechless.

Ling Yue was not one to make empty boasts. In her past life, she had done exactly that. The path of vengeance had been arduous, but the outcome had been worth it.

Noticing the tense atmosphere, Wen Yuanyuan quickly tried to lighten the mood. “Alright, alright, enough talk of life and death. You’ll both live to a hundred, and the three of us will grow old together with white hair.”

Wang Lan picked up the thread. “Exactly! By then, we won’t have any teeth left, so we should eat all the delicious things we can now! Yuanyuan, I want meat!”

“Fine, you can have as much as you want.”

Watching the two of them laugh and joke, Ling Yue felt a little better.

By then, they had reached the city gates. The two who had been chatting and laughing suddenly grew quiet and reserved. Blocked by them, Ling Yue could only glance to the side and immediately understood the reason for their sudden change in demeanor.

As they drew closer, the three of them dismounted and bowed in unison. “We pay our respects to the Princess.”

“Rise.”

“Thank you, Your Highness.”

The Eldest Princess looked at them, her gaze finally settling on Ling Yue. With a light laugh, she interjected, “It seems I’ve interrupted you, but I’ll be borrowing Ling Yue for now.”

Neither King Wen nor the others dared to voice any objection.

Wang Lan had initially felt sorry for Ling Yue, but when she glanced up, she noticed that Ling Yue’s departing figure seemed almost cheerful.

Wen Yuanyuan couldn’t help but sigh, “You noticed it too, didn’t you?”

Wang Lan nodded gravely. “I never expected Ling Yue to be such a devoted admirer of the Eldest Princess as well.”

Wen Yuanyuan: “…”

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