Mistakenly Marked the Madly Beautiful Princess - Chapter 72

How could it be Wang Fu? Ling Yue didn’t believe it. She pressed the blade down a little harder, growing somewhat angry. “Who did you say?”

The slight stinging sensation made Xu Hu afraid to move; even his trembling became faint there was no helping it, the blade was too close.

He panicked and swore, “It’s true! The Gale Wind Escort Agency really is connected to General Wang Fu. Bai Yuqi said it herself you have to believe me! If even half of what I say is false, may I die a horrible death!”

Seeing that he didn’t seem to be lying, Ling Yue surmised that this so-called Bai Yuqi was likely the female escort from earlier.

Ling Yue withdrew her blade and knocked both of them unconscious, then moved closer to the Princess. She reached out to take the torch from the Princess’s hand but was avoided.

The Princess stuck the torch into the ground a little further away, patted the stone beside her, and gestured for Ling Yue to sit.

Ling Yue hesitated for a moment but eventually sat down.

Looking at the two unconscious figures, the Princess smiled. “Do you believe it?”

Ling Yue frowned. “No, but he didn’t seem to be lying.”

There was another possibility: Xu Hu had also been deceived, and Bai Yuqi hadn’t told the truth.

Analyzing the court situation carefully, the military officials were originally led by Wang Fu and Ling Fu. After Ling Fu’s death, Ling Yue’s circumstances were rather unique, so Wang Fu became the most prestigious figure among the military officials.

As for the civil officials, Ling Yue only had a general understanding. Due to the Princess’s influence, they were all wary of her and rarely interacted with her.

Both civil and military officials could be divided into aristocratic nobles and common-born scholars. On the surface, these two factions got along, but that was only on the surface.

Trusting Wang Fu, Ling Yue first assumed his innocence.

Wang Fu had earned his achievements through his own efforts. Could his current prominence have infringed upon certain people’s interests?

The Princess had been watching for a long time. Seeing Ling Yue lost in thought, she couldn’t help but drift off as well.

Snapping back to reality, the Princess smiled and asked, “Any ideas?”

Ling Yue actually detested these matters; overthinking them made her feel sick. She had experienced enough of it in her past life.

“I trust General Wang’s character. This is most likely a frame-up.”

“But I can’t think of anything else. Why not just capture Bai Yuqi and bring her back?”

Ling Yue’s eyes lit up again. There was no helping it, this life had been far too peaceful. She felt utterly useless, as if even her spear was about to weep.

Maybe she should request to the Princess later: she didn’t want to be a general anymore; becoming a constable would at least keep her legs from rusting.

The Princess picked up a stone from the ground. One end was sharp, and she used it to draw on the ground.

She drew slowly; in the quiet night, the stone scraping against the ground produced a faint, grating sound.

Curious, Ling Yue leaned in to look. It was a string of characters. After studying them carefully, she asked, puzzled, “Is this Northern Kingdom script?”

“Yes.”

The Princess confirmed her guess, but though Ling Yue could recognize it as Northern Kingdom script, she couldn’t understand its meaning.

Yet her admiration for the Princess rose another notch. Was there anything this person didn’t know?

She couldn’t resist leaning closer. “Your Highness, what does this mean?”

The Princess set the stone down, wiped her hands on her clothes, and smiled at the words on the ground. “I’ll wait for you here.”

Ling Yue didn’t grasp it at first. Thinking the Princess was sending her somewhere, she pressed, “Where does Your Highness want me to go?”

The princess stood up and extended her hand to Ling Yue with a smile, saying, “Let’s go.”

With a flick of her sleeve, the torch on the ground extinguished, plunging the place back into darkness.

Held by the princess, Ling Yue couldn’t help but quicken her breathing. She had no idea where the princess was taking her or what the two of them were about to do next.

Moreover, she wondered whether this sudden turn of events would disrupt the princess’s plans to go to the Northern Kingdom.

Unconsciously, Ling Yue’s thoughts wandered far and wide, until she finally voiced her question: “Where are we going, Your Highness?”

“You’ll find out soon.”

Seeing the princess speak so mysteriously, Ling Yue assumed she had uncovered some crucial clue and couldn’t help but feel a surge of anticipation.

After all, this matter concerned her only two close friends, it was only natural for her to be concerned.

They didn’t proceed straight ahead. The princess led Ling Yue through several twists and turns, though they remained at the bottom of the valley without ascending.

Along the way, Ling Yue couldn’t resist striking up a conversation: “Your Highness seems very familiar with this place.”

Unfortunately, the night was too dark for Ling Yue to see the nostalgic expression on the princess’s face.

The princess’s voice remained calm as she replied, “Yes, I’ve recuperated in many different places before. This was one of them.”

Suddenly, Ling Yue recalled the severe injury from her past life and realized that the place she had been thinking of might also have been one of the princess’s temporary shelters for recovery, which would explain the presence of the medicine jar.

Remembering the desolation of that cave in her past life and the princess’s cold, distant demeanor, Ling Yue couldn’t help but feel dazed again.

She tightened her grip on the princess’s hand and asked, “Has it always been like this for you all these years, Your Highness?”

Moving from one place to another like this.

The princess seemed indifferent to her own plight and replied calmly, “Yes, there are many dangers at court. When I’m conscious, I can resist them, but most of the time, I’m not.”

The speaker was unbothered, but the listener’s heart grew heavy.

Despite such caution, they had still been discovered. Ling Yue couldn’t fathom how difficult the princess’s life had been all these years.

Ling Yue was not one for words. Most of the time, she observed how others interacted and learned from them.

But she only ever grasped the surface, never becoming as cheerful as Wang Lan or as poised as Wen Yuanyuan. She merely followed the rules, living cautiously and prudently.

That was why Lu Weiying in her past life had found her dull.

“We’re here.”

The princess’s words interrupted her wandering thoughts. Moonlight illuminated the area, casting faint outlines on everything.

The princess suddenly released Ling Yue’s hand and walked over to a spot, lighting a candle on the wall.

Ling Yue followed her and looked around the illuminated space. At the innermost part, there was a pile of straw, just enough for one person to lie on, though it was now too dirty to use.

In the center stood a medicine jar, with a heap of black ashes beneath it. The layout was identical to the cave from her past life, confirming Ling Yue’s suspicions once again.

The cave walls were covered with scratches and pits, and scattered fragments of jars lay on the ground. It had rained heavily recently, and since the terrain was low, the area might have been flooded. Mud clung to the medicine jar and the broken shards.

The princess looked around the cave and suddenly laughed. “Are you confused?”

Ling Yue didn’t feel confused. Being here only made her heart ache. Perhaps it was because the princess trusted no one around her, always standing alone.

Seeing no response from Ling Yue, the princess continued on her own. She gently traced the scratches on the cave wall, her tone tinged with emotion. “I thought my life would just pass by like this, but I never expected to meet you. Everything took an unexpected turn.”

All thoughts of merchant caravans and escort agencies were cast aside by Ling Yue. Her eyes held only the princess.

Ling Yue had never dared to ask before, but now she felt less afraid of the princess. “Your Highness, how did you come to be poisoned?”

The princess paused in her movements, turning to look at Ling Yue only to meet eyes filled with heartfelt concern. For once, the usually composed princess felt flustered.

Withdrawing her hand, the princess debated whether to lie but ultimately chose honesty.

The cave was too dirty to sit, so the princess remained standing, her gaze drifting as if fixed on a distant past. “There was once a young maid by my side. We were the same age and grew up together.”

In her childhood, her status was awkward, and even her maid suffered alongside her, forced to do heavy labor.

Feeling responsible, she helped with the work, but the others only grew more aggressive, bullying both of them.

With too many princesses in the palace, the emperor had no impression of her and naturally never intervened on her behalf. After enduring it several times, she finally retaliated in anger.

“Without someone’s permission, how would these people dare to act this way?”

The palace maid she had beaten ran to Consort Li to complain.

The princess sneered, “Consort Li ordered thirty strikes with the rod. I was eight years old then, and the maid beside me shared the punishment for me.”

Ling Yue felt a chill run through her. She wanted to rush over and embrace the princess but still lacked the courage.

At the same time, she noticed something amiss, the princess’s account now differed slightly from the past story she had told.

But the cause of the poison had yet to be revealed. Ling Yue couldn’t help but guess, “Was it Consort Li who poisoned you?”

The princess’s voice suddenly turned desolate. She scoffed, “No. If Consort Li wanted me dead, it would have been simple. She wouldn’t resort to such underhanded means.”

Ling Yue was puzzled. “Then?”

“It was the maid who shared the punishment with me.”

The princess’s voice was so calm it unsettled Ling Yue.

At a loss for words, Ling Yue could only watch the princess, feeling that despite their closeness, she seemed suddenly distant.

The princess’s voice continued, recounting her story.

As she grew older, the princess grew colder, finding the world dull and filled with people fighting for selfish desires.

She had become cunning and hypocritical, feeling less and less human, yet she retained a shred of sincerity toward her maid.

But as she gradually gained power, though no one dared bully her anymore, she stood in the way of many.

A consort in the palace, skilled in poisons, bribed the princess’s maid to slip the toxin into her bowl.

The poison was not fatal, merely insidious, and had no antidote.

“Consort Rong wanted to humiliate me in public, but my willpower was too strong. She didn’t succeed.”

The princess knew Ling Yue must have noticed the inconsistencies. She intended to explain and apologize for her earlier lies.

Without turning around, she hesitated and began, “I—”

But her apology never came, for she was pulled into a warm embrace.

Ling Yue embraced the princess, an impulsive act, yet one she had long yearned to do. A burgeoning possessiveness in her heart made her tighten her hold.

The princess had not expected Ling Yue, usually so timid, to be so bold at this moment. She whispered, “How audacious.”

The words carried no threat, and Ling Yue knew Her Highness was not truly reprimanding her.

Unfazed, she stubbornly maintained the embrace, closing her eyes as she said, “I have overstepped.”

“Your Highness.”

The princess allowed herself to be held. “Hmm?”

“I will remain loyal to you forever, and never betray you.”

The vow was weighty, and for a moment, the princess hesitated. Just then, the candle on the stone wall burned out, plunging them into darkness.

Ling Yue felt the figure in her arms turn, and then a pair of cool hands cupped her cheeks, followed by a soft, moist sensation on her lips.

The princess was kissing her!

The realization made Ling Yue’s eyes widen, her heart once again beating wildly as if it might leap from her chest at any moment.

Fortunately, the kiss was brief though Ling Yue couldn’t help but feel a twinge of regret.

“Your Highness!”

The person in her arms wrapped both hands around her waist and let out a soft sigh by her ear. “Ling Yue, I don’t need your loyalty.”

I need your love.

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