Mistakenly Marked the Madly Beautiful Princess - Chapter 66

Ling Yue hadn’t received any news from the Eldest Princess these past few days. While diligently carrying out her duties, she couldn’t help but miss her.

The sachet had been returned by the Eldest Princess, and Ling Yue, knowing the other suffered from poor sleep, was naturally worried. Yet, she hadn’t even caught a glimpse of the Eldest Princess in days.

However, a letter had arrived from Wang Lan, saying they had hurried on horseback and arrived early, so Ling Yue need not worry.

Under the warm glow of the lantern, Ling Yue carefully read every word on the letter, for no other reason than that Wang Lan’s handwriting was as messy as chicken scratches and nearly illegible.

Ling Yue practically had to press her eyes to the paper before she could decipher the contents. Rubbing her eyes, she couldn’t help but complain, “This handwriting is practically out to get me.”

Though inwardly disdainful, she still folded the letter along its original creases, tucked it back into the envelope, cleared out a drawer of its clutter, and carefully placed it in a corner.

After finishing this task, Ling Yue returned to the warm lamplight. She picked up a brush, intending to write a reply. After some thought, she began with, “Reading your letter feels like meeting you in person; unfolding it brings a smile to my face.”

But she struggled with what to write next. Her habit of overthinking flared up again, and after attempting a few lines, she crumpled the paper and discarded it.

It took several attempts before she finally produced a satisfactory draft. She reviewed the contents once more, then slipped the letter into a prepared envelope.

She blew out the candle, and the room was instantly plunged into darkness.

Darkness was a familiar environment to her, but in this life, she could still see the moonlight filtering through the window.

Guided by the moonlight, Ling Yue lay down on the bed, placing the sachet beside her pillow. Thanks to it, she hadn’t been haunted by tormenting dreams these past days and nights.

Yet, this made her recall the Eldest Princess’s appearance during her nightmares tense, clutching her hand tightly.

Perhaps the moonlight was too glaring, for Ling Yue found herself unable to sleep.

She sat up again, gazing at the moon through the window. The moonlight was soft as water, not harsh at all, but after staring for a while, she began to hallucinate, imagining the moon had taken on the Eldest Princess’s form.

Startled, Ling Yue wondered if Wang Lan’s chicken-scratch handwriting had ruined her eyesight. She rubbed her eyes and looked again.

Outside the window, there really was the Eldest Princess’s face.

Surprised yet delighted, Ling Yue hurried to open the door, but the Eldest Princess deftly climbed in through the window.

Ling Yue: “…”

Used to it but still slightly exasperated, she thought, Why do they all insist on climbing walls and windows? Isn’t the door right there?

The Eldest Princess sat down with natural ease, and Ling Yue, influenced by her, took a seat opposite.

Ling Yue guessed the purpose of her visit and cautiously asked, “Your Highness, are you unable to sleep?”

Suddenly realizing the room was still dark had it not been for the moonlight, she wouldn’t have been able to see the Eldest Princess’s face, she hurriedly lit the lamp. As the flame grew, it gradually chased away the darkness, illuminating the room. Only then did Ling Yue sit back down.

The Eldest Princess studied her face and felt that, after not seeing her for a few days, Ling Yue seemed to have grown thinner.

Ling Yue grew nervous under her gaze and couldn’t resist touching her own face, but she found nothing amiss.

Amused by her reaction, the Eldest Princess finally relented and got straight to the point: “I’ll be traveling to the Northern Kingdom soon, and I’m taking you with me.”

The matter came too abruptly she hadn’t received any prior news. But why go to the Northern Kingdom?

The Grand Princess quickly answered her confusion, “You once said that if there was any way you could help Qingniao, I should let you know. Now is the time we need you.”

Hearing that this matter concerned Qingniao, Ling Yue straightened her posture, her tone growing more urgent, “Have you found out anything?”

Seeing her reaction, the Grand Princess felt a faint pang of bitterness in her heart. She knew it was pointless to feel this way and understood that Ling Yue was merely repaying a kindness, yet she couldn’t help it.

Suppressing her emotions, the Grand Princess recounted everything she had uncovered to Ling Yue in detail.

Overall, it was an undeserved calamity. If Qingniao’s friend had been able to detect the other party’s identity, there might have been a chance for rescue. Unfortunately, from their outward appearance, those individuals showed no characteristics of being from the Northern Kingdom.

Ling Yue didn’t react with anger upon hearing this. Instead, she searched her memories for information about Prince Huaici. In her previous life, this man had been a staunch advocate for marching south. His ancestors had earned their merits on horseback, and he, too, was considered a fierce general. However, he had died before Ling Yue rose to prominence, and his death had been rather suspicious.

Delving deeper into her thoughts, Ling Yue wanted to warn the Grand Princess but felt that speaking out would seem highly unusual. In this lifetime, she had never been to the Northern Kingdom, how could she know so much about its affairs?

Ling Yue held her tongue but still hinted cautiously, “Does Prince Huaici have any heirs?”

A flicker of understanding passed through the Grand Princess’s eyes, she realized Ling Yue was trying to alert her.

Having held a high position for so many years, the Grand Princess was no rash individual. She had more than one informant in the Northern Kingdom, but due to its unique circumstances, none of them could reach the same level as Lu Weiying.

Now, Lu Weiying was likely the closest piece she had to the Northern Kingdom’s royal family, though this piece was somewhat unruly, and her words required careful scrutiny.

Ling Yue brought up the matter of heirs because the title of Prince Huaici was inheritable, but he had many children, each with considerable ambition.

The Grand Princess looked at Ling Yue, surprised by her cunning. To kill someone was one thing, but to destroy their spirit as well, this was the most effortless and perfect form of revenge.

Prince Huaici deeply valued the facade of sibling harmony, and his children had been playing along with this charade for decades.

The Grand Princess was not satisfied with merely taking his life; she wanted him to experience what it felt like to live in agony.

Qingniao had suffered for so long, it was only fair that he taste the same pain.

A spark of interest ignited in the Grand Princess. The warm glow of the candlelight cast shadows across her face, but the warm hue did nothing to soften her smile instead, it lent her a sinister aura.

“He does have heirs. I intend to use one of them to tear apart this hypocritical calm and turn them against each other, forcing Prince Huaici to witness this cruel truth.”

Ling Yue was taken aback. She hadn’t expected the Grand Princess to think this way. She had only recalled that, in her previous life, Prince Huaici’s death seemed closely linked to his youngest daughter, a seemingly gentle woman who was, in fact, the most scheming of them all.

Moreover, there was no need for them to intervene in the siblings’ strife. Once the old man died, his children would inevitably turn on each other, using every means to eliminate their so-called kin.

Suddenly, the idea of revenge felt rather meaningless. But seeing the Grand Princess’s heightened enthusiasm, Ling Yue simply smiled at her.

Though there was a sense of anticlimax in already knowing the outcome, the thought of traveling far with the princess once again sparked a flicker of anticipation.

Ling Yue grew excited and asked, “When do we set off?”

She needed to know the departure time to prepare.

“Tonight.”

Ling Yue was taken aback wasn’t this too sudden?

She had originally planned to send a letter early the next morning, but now it seemed unnecessary, she could speak with Wang Lan face to face.

“So soon?”

Panicked, Ling Yue began frantically thinking about what to bring, but before she could get far in her thoughts, the princess interrupted.

With a light laugh, the princess said, “Just bring the calming sachet. I’ve prepared everything else.”

Truly well-prepared. The last time they traveled south together, Ling Yue had at least some time to mentally prepare. This journey north, however, left her no time to react.

In a daze, Ling Yue followed the princess out of the city, up the mountain, into a hidden passage, and finally into an underground palace.

She and the princess had visited this mountain before, once watching shooting stars from the summit. At the time, Ling Yue had suspected there might be something like an underground palace, but in the end, they had only gazed at the stars.

She thought she had overthought it, but it turned out there really was an underground palace and it was filled with shadow guards and death warriors.

Watching the figures moving through the corridors, Ling Yue began to feel dizzy.

Just what kind of person had she been opposing in her past life?

Inside the underground palace were private chambers. The princess pulled a garment from a bundle on the table, a deep purple robe, its fabric coarser and less refined than the delicate silks produced in Rong. Though rougher, it had a unique beauty of its own.

And the style, it was clearly northern, complete with silver ornaments.

The princess held the robe up against Ling Yue. It fit perfectly. Her eyes shone brighter than the candlelight in the room. “My intuition was right, it fits.”

After saying this, she put the robe away and pulled out another from the bundle. This one wasn’t northern attire but a tattered gray garment.

She held this one up against Ling Yue as well, the size was just right. The princess tossed it to her. “I’ve heard the northern kingdom is short on people. Due to recent trade agreements, they’re allowing refugees from Rong to enter.”

The princess’s meaning was clear: they would disguise themselves as refugees to blend in.

Ling Yue thought the plan was feasible, though they would still need to do something about their faces.

Holding the clothes, she looked around for a place to change but was unfamiliar with the surroundings.

While hesitating, she noticed the princess had already changed astonishingly fast.

Yet, even in those ragged clothes, the princess’s noble face made the outfit seem somehow elegant.

Seeing Ling Yue’s awkward hesitation, the princess couldn’t resist teasing, “Why aren’t you changing? Time is tight.”

“…”

Realizing how timid she must seem, Ling Yue hurriedly changed, her face flushing tomato-red afterward.

The princess suppressed a laugh and tossed the bundle from the table to Ling Yue. “We’ll act together from now on. On the road, we’ll refer to each other as sisters.”

Ling Yue nodded in agreement.

But she had underestimated the princess’s mischievous streak and was caught completely off guard.

The princess looked at Ling Yue with a serious expression. “I’m older than you, so you’ll call me ‘sister’ along the way.”

Ling Yue froze for a moment, then nodded again.

As the truth was revealed, the princess chuckled again and said, “So, call me that now.”

Ling Yue’s face, which had just returned to its normal color, began to heat up again. She stammered and hesitated but eventually gave in, though her voice was barely audible: “Sister.”

Yet the princess was not pleased. Suddenly, she felt she had made a mistake.

She should have disguised their relationship as that of wives.

Then what she would have heard wouldn’t be “sister,” but “wife.”

She wanted to take it back, but when she looked up and saw Ling Yue’s flushed, embarrassed face, she felt the other was already too troubled. So, her heart softened again.

Never mind, “sister” was fine too.

Support