Mistakenly Marked the Madly Beautiful Princess - Chapter 70

Soon it was deep into the night. Everyone had found a spot to sleep in their clothes, but Ling Yue still couldn’t fall asleep. She turned over once more and heard the Princess’s voice: “Can’t sleep?”

Ling Yue hadn’t expected her to be awake as well. She had left in such a hurry that she forgot to bring her sachet and wondered if the Princess was afraid of having nightmares.

“Sister can’t sleep either?”

In the darkness, they couldn’t see each other’s faces, but Ling Yue could hear a soft laugh. “Indeed. Would you like to take a walk?”

Ling Yue thought it was a good idea but worried about Qing Niao and Yunli’s safety. Hesitantly, she asked, “Should we wake them?”

“No need.”

Although Qing Niao had no martial skills, she was not someone to be trifled with. Ling Yue didn’t fully understand this, but she trusted the Princess completely.

Earlier, when they had gone to town, they had bought a fire starter, which now came in handy. The escort agency had prepared torches, so Ling Yue took one. To avoid disturbing the others, she waited until they were farther away before lighting it.

The path ahead was illuminated. Ling Yue turned to the Princess and asked, “Where should we go?”

“Straight ahead.”

Ling Yue walked in front, taking a few steps before glancing back, as if afraid the Princess might suddenly vanish.

Her behavior amused the Princess, who teased, “Don’t worry, I won’t disappear.”

Embarrassed at having her thoughts exposed, Ling Yue turned away but still couldn’t resist looking back.

Unable to help it, the Princess took two steps forward and walked alongside her.

Since the Princess was now closer to the torch, Ling Yue carefully switched hands to keep the flame farther from her.

Watching the flickering fire, the Princess felt a pang of heartache remembering Ling Yue’s fear of flames. She asked, “Aren’t you afraid?”

Ling Yue didn’t understand at first, her face showing confusion. “Hmm?”

The Princess gestured toward the torch. “Aren’t you afraid of fire?”

Finally comprehending, Ling Yue felt touched that the Princess had noticed such a detail about her. Glancing at the torch in her hand, she replied, “Like this, I’m not afraid.”

Worried that Ling Yue might recall painful memories, the Princess moved to take the torch from her. She switched it to her other hand, ensuring the flame was kept at a distance.

Ling Yue felt uneasy about this. As she reached for the torch, she insisted, “Sister, let me carry it.”

The Princess held the torch farther away and gently pushed Ling Yue back with her right hand, feigning annoyance. “No grabbing.”

Frightened, Ling Yue withdrew her hand and whispered, “Okay.”

Remembering the events of the day, she felt a wave of guilt over her impulsive behavior. “About today, I’m sorry.”

“You mean when you were angry with me?”

Ling Yue lowered her head further. “That too, but I meant something else. I…”

She couldn’t bring herself to say it, her face flushing red as she stared at the ground.

Unfortunately, the torchlight made it hard to see clearly, but the Princess thought for a moment and guessed what was troubling her.

“Are you talking about that kiss?”

Surprised by her directness, Ling Yue nodded. “About today, I’m sorry.”

On one hand, the Princess found her innocence endearing, but on the other, she couldn’t help feeling frustrated by her naivety.

Even if their circumstances forced them into physical intimacy, she, Lu He, was not someone who allowed others to take advantage of her lightly. Had it been anyone else, she would have long since devised a way to make them suffer.

Unable to suppress her dissatisfaction, the Princess turned away. “Silly.”

Ling Yue realized she was being scolded, but the princess’s tone felt off. She couldn’t quite grasp the reason or perhaps she didn’t dare to think too deeply about it.

Seeing Ling Yue remain silent, the princess grew somewhat annoyed. She looked up at the bright moon hanging high and remarked casually, “The moonlight is lovely.”

Ling Yue also lifted her gaze to the sky, feeling a sudden sense of déjà vu, as though someone had spoken those same words to her before.

It took her a long time to dig the memory out from the corners of her mind it was from her past life.

Back then, she had already gained some renown, with her eyes and hands still intact. She remembered escorting a shipment of weapons to the front lines when they were unexpectedly ambushed by a group of rebels.

Ling Yue and her companions had been traveling for a long time and were already weary. The rebels appeared suddenly and outnumbered them.

Nevertheless, Ling Yue quickly composed herself. Under her command, they managed to protect the weapons, though many soldiers lost their lives.

Fearing another ambush along the original route, Ling Yue changed course, choosing a path where they could at least receive reinforcements.

To mislead the enemy, she split the group into two. She took the original route herself, pulling carts filled with stones as a decoy.

Just as she had anticipated, they were ambushed again three kilometers later, this time by an even larger force.

The smell of blood spread relentlessly. Watching her soldiers fall one after another, Ling Yue couldn’t hold back a furious roar, “Whose troops are you?!”

Perhaps confident of victory, the rebel leader revealed himself. Yet, instead of looking triumphant, his face mirrored Ling Yue’s own fury. “A fine question! Today, I’ll let you die with clarity!”

“Ling Yue! You lapdog of Lu Weiying! If not for you, how could our emperor have died?”

Ling Yue was stunned. She immediately understood these were former followers of Lu Ai.

At that point, words were useless. Ling Yue knew firsthand how formidable these people were; they placed their emperor above their own lives.

She had no intention of dying there, but the open terrain made them too conspicuous. The area was likely entirely under rebel control, so their only option was to flee into the mountains.

Accustomed to walking the line between life and death, Ling Yue made a swift decision. She abandoned the fight and retreated, with the remaining soldiers following her into the hills.

“Remaining” was a generous term when Ling Yue glanced back, only one soldier was still with her.

With pursuers hot on their heels, Ling Yue abandoned her horse and fled with the last soldier. But she soon noticed something wrong: the soldier she was dragging grew heavier and his breathing more labored.

Finally, he collapsed with a thud. Ling Yue stumbled over him and immediately crouched down to check his breathing.

There was none.

Compared to her past life, her current existence felt as peaceful as a fairy tale. Ling Yue remembered how disheveled and desperate her escape had been back then.

In the end, she was forced to leap off a cliff. Yet, fortune still favored her she survived, though severely injured.

Driven by the will to live, she crawled forward inch by inch, but her consciousness gradually faded.

Before her eyes closed, she saw a pair of boots stop in front of her. Using the last of her strength, she pleaded, “Save me.”

In that past life, she hadn’t yet learned to dream. After a sound sleep, she awoke to find herself in a cave crude and simple, with straw spread across the ground, serving as her bed.

Ling Yue was unable to move, only able to shift her eyes. She saw someone sitting at the center of the cave, a person with an ordinary face, dressed in white robes, with two plum blossoms embroidered in silver thread on the sleeves.

It was likely this person who had saved her. Ling Yue expressed her gratitude: “Thank you, benefactor, for saving me.”

The other person did not respond. The cave was filled with the bitter scent of medicine and the bubbling sound of boiling herbal soup.

Ling Yue found it strange. It seemed they were still in the mountains, but would there be a medicine jar in such a place?

As Ling Yue pondered this, the other person calmly took out a bowl, removed the medicine jar from the fire, and poured the decoction into the bowl.

Feeling the situation was somewhat awkward, Ling Yue asked for the other’s name: “May I ask your name, benefactor? I would like to repay you in the future.”

“He Lu. ‘He’ as in ‘where,’ ‘Lu’ as in ‘path.'”

Ling Yue silently committed the name to memory and asked further, “May I ask where you reside, miss? I would like to find you in the future.”

The other finally lifted her gaze, but her eyes were cold, and her words were sharp: “You’re very noisy.”

Ling Yue was taken aback, but since the other had saved her, she couldn’t say much.

Once the medicine had cooled, the woman who called herself He Lu brought the bowl to her. Since Ling Yue couldn’t move, He Lu had to feed her the medicine.

Fortunately, Ling Yue cooperated, and even such bitter medicine was administered smoothly. He Lu set the bowl aside and spoke bluntly: “Aren’t you afraid I might have poisoned it?”

“If you wanted me dead, benefactor, why go to such lengths?”

He Lu said nothing, but Ling Yue couldn’t shake the feeling that her eyes were strangely familiar. She couldn’t resist asking, “Have we met somewhere before?”

He Lu seemed to find this amusing: “Of course. Right here, right now.”

Ling Yue sensed a faint hostility in her tone and couldn’t understand why He Lu would save her if she disliked her so much.

He Lu paid no mind to her thoughts and sneered, “Falling from such a height and still not dying heaven must truly favor you.”

“They say good people die young, while troublemakers live for a thousand years. It seems you’re quite the troublemaker.”

Her words were laced with barbs, and Ling Yue grew more confused. “Benefactor, it seems you misunderstand me?”

He Lu offered no explanation. She put away the bowl and left only an emotionless remark: “Rest peacefully.”

After that, she came daily to brew medicine. Ling Yue rested for half a month, and her body gradually recovered, allowing her to move somewhat.

She still had to lean against the wall to walk, but she felt she had already delayed too long. Hearing that the southern battlefield was in crisis, she grew increasingly anxious to leave.

When He Lu was absent, she attempted to walk without the wall’s support. Though it was difficult, she managed to reach the cave entrance, only to collapse there, her legs giving way.

Under the heavy cover of night, someone stood before her, then crouched down. “If you want to die, I can help you.”

The killing intent in her words was unmistakable, and Ling Yue felt a cold sweat drench her back.

Fortunately, the intent lasted only a moment before the other reached out to help Ling Yue up.

“Why are you pushing yourself so hard? Is it for Lu Weiying?”

Ling Yue realized then that the other must know her. Initially, it had been for Lu Weiying, but now it was not.

So, she answered firmly, “It is for the stability of Rong Dynasty.”

He Lu said nothing in response. She gazed at the moon in the sky and remarked, “The moonlight is lovely.”

Recalling these events, Ling Yue couldn’t help but laugh.

The Grand Princess, noticing her sudden mirth, asked, “What are you laughing at?”

Ling Yue couldn’t quite explain it, so she simply smiled and repeated the same words: “The moonlight is lovely.”

Suddenly, it dawned on her, He Lu was none other than Lu He! How had she not realized it before? That disdainful tone was exactly the same as the Eldest Princess’s.

But if that were the case, did it mean she owed yet another debt?

She had always failed to recall it before, but now, thinking back carefully, it seemed the Eldest Princess always appeared during her most helpless moments.

Yet, they always missed each other.

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