Mistakenly Marked the Madly Beautiful Princess - Chapter 60

Logically speaking, since the banquet hadn’t resolved any issues, Ling Yue should have continued to make appearances. But in reality, the Grand Princess never summoned her again.

After that, she encountered Lu Weiying a few more times, but unlike before, Lu Weiying no longer pestered her. In fact, she would even flee toward crowded areas upon seeing Ling Yue.

It seemed she had truly taken Ling Yue’s words to heart.

Within a few days, the matter of trade between the two nations was unexpectedly settled yet another development that diverged from her past life. Ling Yue thought of Wang Lan, who was about to depart for the northern border.

The Northern Kingdom would likely remain peaceful for quite some time, so Ling Yue’s mind was naturally at ease.

Although Ling Yue had been appointed as a general, her position differed from her previous life. In her past life, she had been stationed at the border year-round and was forbidden from returning to Rongcheng without a summons. This time, however, her role had changed.

She was now in charge of the Imperial Guards, and she couldn’t help but feel that in this life, her connection to imperial power had grown even closer. Whether that was for better or worse, she couldn’t say.

For now, though, the benefits seemed to outweigh the drawbacks.

Still, the imperial palace felt overwhelmingly empty. Such a vast palace, yet only two masters needed attending to. In her past life, Ling Yue had always stayed in the Hall of Cultivation and hadn’t truly grasped the emptiness. Now, with her new responsibilities, she realized just how desolate it was.

After a long day’s work, Ling Yue dragged her weary body back to her residence. The thought of attending court the next morning prompted her to order hot water for a bath early on.

Shedding her clothes and sinking into the water, Ling Yue suddenly glanced toward the window.

The window was open, offering a view of the scenery outside. Though she had moved to a new room, the walls outside were still covered in climbing roses, and she could already see a few scattered buds.

Her overly busy life was now a thing of the past. Only in this life did Ling Yue have the leisure to pause and appreciate beautiful things.

She couldn’t help but sigh softly, “May life continue like this.”

After a refreshing bath, Ling Yue changed into her nightclothes and prepared to sleep, only to hear a strange noise in the courtyard.

Her eyes sharpened. Drawing the long sword hanging on the wall, she moved quietly toward the source of the sound. Spotting a furtive figure by the wall, she said flatly, “Even after changing rooms, you’re still climbing walls.”

Sure enough, it was Wang Lan, the wall-climbing enthusiast. Unfazed by the remark, she merely dusted herself off and grinned cheerfully as always.

Noticing the sword in Ling Yue’s hand, she couldn’t hide her displeasure and exclaimed, “After all these times, you should’ve recognized my footsteps by now!”

Ling Yue looked at this lively character and replied expressionlessly, “Not interested.”

“Tch! Who cares if you’re interested or not!”

Ignoring her, Ling Yue walked back into the room and sheathed her sword. The lively one made herself at home and poured a cup of tea, only to find it cold.

Wang Lan took one sip and set it down, then wondered aloud, “Yuan Yuan said she was coming too. Why isn’t she here yet?”

Ling Yue frowned. “She probably got lost.”

She was about to go look for her when another strange noise reached her ears.

Was there no end to this?

Ling Yue drew her sword again and stepped outside to see Wen Yuan Yuan climbing down from the wall.

Setting aside the fact that she had actually found her way, Ling Yue tightened her grip on the sword hilt and couldn’t help raising her voice, “Do you two not know what a door is for?!”

Wen Yuan Yuan nearly stumbled in fright. Turning around, she looked somewhat embarrassed. “This way is closer, and no one would know.”

Ling Yue was utterly speechless. It wasn’t like this was some shameful secret.

She turned and went back inside, sliding the sword back into its scabbard once more.

Before long, Wen Yuanyuan entered and sat down beside Wang Lan. Unlike the shameless Wang Lan, she was a bit more polite and said softly, “Sorry to disturb you.”

Ling Yue sat opposite the two of them. Though she had wanted to sleep earlier, all drowsiness had now vanished. Gritting her teeth as she stared at this infuriating couple, she said, “You’d better have a good reason for this.”

Wang Lan wasn’t the least bit intimidated in fact, she seemed eager for a challenge. “Want to fight? Come on! Right now!” she exclaimed excitedly.

Wen Yuanyuan sighed in exasperation and pinched Wang Lan’s thigh, causing Wang Lan’s excitement to instantly turn into a yelp.

Watching the two of them, Ling Yue seriously suspected they had come in the middle of the night just to flirt in front of her.

How unfair!

But Ling Yue was overthinking it. Once the two settled down, Wang Lan grinned and asked, “Did you forget something?”

Forget something? Ling Yue thought for a moment, then suddenly turned pale.

Wang Lan was startled by her expression, thinking she had suddenly fallen ill. Worried, she asked, “What’s wrong?”

Ling Yue’s hair was loose, and she buried her fingers in her dark locks, looking as if she were on the verge of a breakdown.

Her reaction made Wang Lan and Wen Yuanyuan even more anxious. Together, they asked, “What’s going on?”

With a pained expression, Ling Yue said despairingly, “I forgot to take my medicine.”

The medicine, prescribed by Qingniao, had a calming effect. Ever since she started taking it, she rarely dreamed about her past life. Without it, she was in for another sleepless night.

Wang Lan asked nervously, “What happens if you don’t take it?”

Ling Yue slumped onto the table, her voice muffled. “I’ll have nightmares.”

Wang Lan’s eyes widened. “That’s it?!”

“‘That’s it?’” Ling Yue resisted the urge to roll her eyes. “I don’t even feel like talking to you,” she muttered in exasperation.

Wen Yuanyuan, however, didn’t engage in bickering and cut straight to the point. “Can you brew it now?”

Ling Yue answered honestly, “Yes.”

Wang Lan laughed. “Then just have someone prepare it for you.”

Ling Yue sighed and called for someone to brew the medicine. But it would take a while to prepare, and even longer for it to take effect after she drank it.

It looked like she’d be staying up late tonight.

Normally, Chuntao took care of everything for her, but Chuntao had been unwell lately and needed to rest. Her sudden differentiation had left no time to prepare, let alone explain everything to the new maids.

Lost in thought, Ling Yue suddenly realized she hadn’t asked the two why they were here in the first place.

She looked up and saw them exchanging meaningful glances. She couldn’t help but inwardly scoff though it was all in good fun. In truth, she was quite happy.

In their past lives, the two had passed away one after the other, and in the end, Ling Yue had arranged for them to be buried together.

She remembered her friends’ words clearly. Back when they were laughing and joking around, they had expressed this wish.

Unfortunately, there was another wish she couldn’t fulfill taking care of the aging General Wang Fu.

Feeling somewhat guilty, Ling Yue thought that she had died too early in her past life, breaking many promises.

As she reflected, Ling Yue found herself forgiving these two for their sudden intrusion. After all, she could never truly stay angry at them.

Still, sitting around like this was awkward. Ling Yue finally asked the reason for their visit.

“So, what exactly did you come here for?”

The two exchanged glances, and finally, Wang Lan spoke up: “It’s your birthday today! Don’t tell me you forgot?”

Ling Yue was taken aback. Her birthday?

After a moment of thought, she realized it truly was her birthday.

Rubbing her temples with a frown, she said, “Ah, I forgot.”

She hadn’t celebrated her birthday in a long time. In her previous life, when Wang Lan and Wen Yuanyuan were still alive, she had still felt the passage of time. But after their deaths, her life had been consumed by the yellow sands of the battlefield.

Occasionally, someone would send her gifts on her birthday, but Ling Yue was too oblivious to realize the significance of the day. Moreover, the gifts would mysteriously appear in her tent, which felt more alarming than delightful.

She had tried to uncover the identity of the gift-giver but found no clues.

Come to think of it, in her previous life, by the time she died, Wang Lan had been gone for seven years, and Wen Yuanyuan for nearly six.

So much time had passed that the pain had faded, and even after her rebirth, she hadn’t immediately remembered them.

Suddenly, Ling Yue felt a pang of guilt toward them. Fighting back the heat in her eyes, she whispered softly, “I’m sorry.”

Her pitiful demeanor annoyed Wang Lan, who punched her shoulder though not hard enough to hurt.

“Sorry, my foot! You even forgot your own birthday! The one you should be apologizing to is yourself!”

Since both of them had duties during the day, Wang Lan and Wen Yuanyuan had chosen to visit at night.

They had hoped to see surprise on Ling Yue’s face, perhaps even moved to tears, but they certainly didn’t want those tears to be of sorrow.

The punch snapped Ling Yue out of her gloom. Adjusting her mood, she grinned and said, “Hmph! Enough with the nonsense hand over the gifts now!”

After some laughter and banter, Ling Yue accepted their gifts and watched as the two walked away together.

Once they were gone, she couldn’t help but mutter, “They could’ve just sent a servant for something like this. Did they really have to climb the wall at night?”

Though she complained, she said it with a smile.

Turning to take her medicine, she was startled by the figure that had suddenly appeared in the room.

The Eldest Princess!

Dressed in white in the dead of night, at first glance, she looked like a ghost though certainly no ghost could be this beautiful.

Ling Yue didn’t dare be negligent. She quickly stepped forward and bowed. “Your Highness.”

The Eldest Princess glanced at the two gifts on the table, each placed in an exquisite wooden box. Judging by their size, they were likely jewelry.

Even the boxes themselves were valuable crafted from mother-of-pearl lacquerware.

“You seem close,” the princess remarked, her tone unreadable.

Ling Yue had explained their relationship before. She smiled faintly. “Yes.”

Seeing the genuine smile on Ling Yue’s face, the princess felt the last traces of jealousy fade away.

She retrieved a delicate small box from her sleeve, carved with floral and bird patterns, and opened the lid to reveal a pill-like object inside.

“A birthday gift.”

Ling Yue accepted it and leaned closer, catching a pleasant herbal fragrance. She couldn’t resist asking, “What is it?”

“Place it in a sachet. It has a calming effect.”

The Eldest Princess had been preparing this gift for a long time, even troubling Qing Niao extensively in the process. She had carved the box herself, and though it had been a while, her skill hadn’t dulled.

Ling Yue’s eyes lit up. “Does this mean I won’t have to drink medicine anymore?”

The princess nodded with a smile. “That medicine is too bitter.”

Seeing her gentle smile, Ling Yue felt a flutter in her heart. She didn’t dare look up but noticed something else placed on the table.

Watching the princess withdraw her hand, Ling Yue stared at the object left behind. For some reason, it looked strangely familiar.

“This is a bracelet I obtained from the temple. You should carry it with you.”

“Thank you, Your Highness.”

Ling Yue picked up the vermilion bracelet on the table. Two beads on it were engraved with characters that, when combined, spelled out “Ling Yue.”

The more she looked at it, the more familiar it seemed, yet she couldn’t recall where she had seen it before.

Night had deepened, and the Grand Princess did not intend to linger. She smiled at Ling Yue and said, “I’m leaving.”

Ling Yue snapped out of her thoughts and hurried after her, only to be stopped by the Grand Princess.

“You have the morning court session tomorrow. Get some rest now.”

With that, she used her qinggong and vanished into the night. Ling Yue watched her disappearing figure, unable to suppress a wave of concern.

But exhaustion soon overwhelmed her. She turned back into her room, placed the sachet containing the medicinal pill by her pillow, and raised her hand to look at the bracelet.

The sense of familiarity washed over her again. Frowning, she pondered for a long while before suddenly sitting up.

Staring at the bracelet, she murmured in a tone of shock and disbelief, “Was it the Grand Princess in my past life?”

Ling Yue felt her heart racing. She shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts.

Such bracelets could be obtained from any temple, it was hardly proof that the gift-giver in her past life was the Grand Princess. Moreover, in her past life, their relationship had been strained due to opposing stances. Why would the Grand Princess give a gift to someone who stood against her?

“It’s impossible. Stop thinking about it.”

Ling Yue sighed, then suddenly recalled the Grand Princess from her past life cold, authoritative, and enigmatic, her mere presence enough to instill fear.

Was it because of her health in that life that the Grand Princess had seldom seemed happy?

But that was all in the past. She had been reborn, and that version of the Grand Princess no longer existed.

Realizing she was overthinking, Ling Yue lay down again but did not close her eyes immediately.

After tossing and turning for what felt like an eternity, sleepiness finally returned. This time, she drifted into slumber.

Strangely, even with the calming sachet, she still dreamed though the dream was not unpleasant.

Perhaps it was true that day’s thoughts become night’s dreams. Ling Yue dreamed of the Grand Princess from her past life, who was much thinner than she was now, staring blankly at a red bracelet on a table.

The voice of Qing Niao echoed in the dream, “Why be so secretive? This isn’t like you.”

The Grand Princess remained silent for a long time before finally saying, “A dying person doesn’t need memories to hold onto.”

“This way, I won’t cause her pain.”

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