Mistakenly Marked the Madly Beautiful Princess - Chapter 76

Somehow, the Grand Princess managed to arrange a meeting between Ling Yue and Wang Lan.

This harsh, cold land was truly no place for nurturing people both of their faces had already been weathered by the elements. In contrast, Ling Yue had been well cared for, looking plump and fair-skinned.

They met in a place far from the military camp. Wang Lan was the first to act, punching Ling Yue on the shoulder and saying, “Well, well! So this is why you never replied to my letters. I was worried sick!”

The punch carried some force, causing Ling Yue to stagger back a couple of steps.

She didn’t get angry, though, and still smiled. “I came all this way to see you, and you’re not happy?”

Of course, Wang Lan was happy, but during the time she hadn’t received any replies, she had been constantly anxious. Later, when a letter finally arrived, it was from Ling Yue’s mother.

At first, she couldn’t make sense of it. Seeing that the letter contained information about the Wen Clan’s merchant association, she pulled Wen Yuanyuan over to read it together.

Now, meeting Ling Yue in person, Wen Yuanyuan couldn’t help but sigh. “Has Her Highness mentioned how Aunt Wang will be dealt with?”

Ling Yue shook her head. Along the way, the Grand Princess had spoken of many things, but it seemed she was merely observing. The one truly handling the matter was still the Emperor.

Ling Yue hadn’t quite figured this situation out either. She felt that Wen Yuanyuan must know something and asked with concern, “What exactly is going on with this matter?”

Wen Yuanyuan’s delicate brows furrowed tightly. She gave a helpless, bitter smile. “Aunt Wang shouldn’t have helped that fellow townsman of hers.”

Wang Fu was an upright and honest person. Those who harbored deep resentment toward her had never been able to find any fault with her. But as soon as this so-called childhood friend showed up, they found an opening to attack her.

If that childhood friend had been principled, it might not have been a problem. Unfortunately, the person was unscrupulous and shortsighted, ending up dragging Wang Fu down with them.

Thinking of this, Wen Yuanyuan sighed again. “The owner of that batch of gold was also a pawn, but I’m not entirely clear on the specifics. The information has been sealed off.”

Ling Yue was startled. She tried to search her memories of her past life for any useful information but found nothing.

There had been so many storms in her previous life many minor details were easily overlooked.

Wang Lan, seeing the two of them engrossed in serious conversation while she could only stand by idly, grew irritated and exclaimed, “Hey! My mother already said not to worry, so stop looking so grim!”

That was true, Wang Fu would absolutely be fine.

Ling Yue couldn’t help but shake her head. “You really don’t seem worried at all.”

Wen Yuanyuan immediately exposed her. “She’s not worried? When she first found out about this, she cried and made a scene, insisting on going back.”

Wang Lan, crying and making a scene? Ling Yue suddenly wanted to witness that. After all, in her memories of both her past and present lives, she had never seen such a scene.

Wang Lan felt embarrassed and muttered discontentedly, “Who was crying and making a scene? Hmph!”

After saying that, she stuck her tongue out at Wen Yuanyuan, truly childish.

Ling Yue couldn’t help but shake her head again, then asked about the Horse Racing Festival, as it was something she was rather concerned about.

In comparison, Wen Yuanyuan’s knowledge might be more detailed than hers.

And Wen Yuanyuan did not disappoint, immediately answering, “That’s a festival of the Northern Kingdom. Their customs are fierce and rugged, and they revere martial prowess. The Horse Racing Festival is their biggest celebration. Besides selecting the bravest warriors, it holds another meaning.”

Ling Yue listened carefully and, seeing Wen Yuanyuan pause, instinctively pressed further, “What meaning?”

Wen Yuanyuan coughed lightly and said, “Well, this banquet mostly gathers young people who are not yet married.”

With just that one sentence, Ling Yue understood. She froze for a moment.

What did the Grand Princess mean by inviting her?

Wen Yuanyuan’s gentle eyes also took on a hint of gossip. She carefully glanced around, confirming that only the three of them were present, before lowering her voice to ask, “What’s going on between you and Her Highness now?”

Ling Yue couldn’t help but tremble slightly, then looked up at the sky. “What do you mean, ‘what’s going on’? Don’t let your imagination run wild.”

Wang Lan, who had been silent for a while, couldn’t stand her timid demeanor and blurted out, “Why are you so wishy-washy! Do you like her or not?”

Ling Yue felt as if she were being interrogated. She wanted to say she didn’t like her, but that felt like a lie.

Thinking that the Grand Princess wasn’t around anyway, Ling Yue hesitated for a moment before nodding firmly and admitting, “I do like Her Highness.”

Wang Lan clapped her hands gleefully. “Then that settles it! If you like her, go for it. Look at how brave Yuanyuan was she liked me and went for it, and she got me.”

Wen Yuanyuan, who had intended to counsel Ling Yue, lost her composure at these words. She went for it? What a slander! It was clearly this shameless one who confessed first!

The usually gentle Wen Yuanyuan suddenly reached out, grabbed Wang Lan, and gritted her teeth in suppressed anger. “Who went for you?! It was clearly you who had designs on me!”

Wang Lan was taken aback but assumed the other was just embarrassed and lashing out. So, she magnanimously said, “Ah, my mistake. It was me who went for Yuanyuan.”

Surprised by Wang Lan’s concession, Wen Yuanyuan’s anger subsided a little, and she felt a bit embarrassed by her earlier impulsiveness. She let go of Wang Lan’s sleeve and muttered awkwardly, “Sorry.”

Wang Lan didn’t mind. She took Wen Yuanyuan’s hand to inspect it, then released it and said cheerfully, “Don’t use so much force next time, you might hurt your hand.”

Wen Yuanyuan softly replied, “Mm.”

They were so immersed in their tender moment that they completely forgot about the third person in their little circle Ling Yue, the observer.

The cloying sweetness of their romance made Ling Yue’s face contort in disgust. She felt genuinely wounded.

It’s just a hand! They’ve been on the battlefield, and they’re still fussing over something like this? It’s not like they’re porcelain dolls!

Seeing the two about to continue their affectionate display, Ling Yue couldn’t hold back and coughed twice to interrupt. “Ahem! Ahem!”

The atmosphere turned awkward for a moment, but someone as carefree as Wang Lan was able to lighten the mood. As if nothing had happened, she patted Ling Yue’s shoulder and asked, “Where were we just now?”

Ling Yue closed her eyes and sighed helplessly. “We were talking about bravery.”

“Right, right! Bravery, it’s really important. Look, the Grand Princess and you are both unmarried. You like her, so there’s nothing wrong with pursuing her.”

That might be true, but Ling Yue still felt uncertain. The other person was just too perfect.

Moreover, very few people had ever loved her, and she didn’t know how to love someone else. Would she end up hurting them?

Besides, she wasn’t very willing to bare her heart completely. In fact, she was somewhat content with the current situation just being able to follow the Grand Princess was enough.

But was that really the case?

Ling Yue’s heart seemed to reject that answer.

Seeing Ling Yue frowning in silence, Wang Lan’s mind raced, and she suddenly punched Ling Yue in shock. “Don’t tell me you dislike Her Highness for being older!””

What nonsense is this?! Don’t go guessing other people’s thoughts at random!

Ling Yue grew impatient and retorted, “That’s nonsense!”

Wang Lan was still processing the situation this was the first time she had ever heard Ling Yue swear. She blinked in confusion and said, “Then what’s bothering you? You’re afraid His Highness will see through your feelings and want to eliminate you, but even someone as slow-witted as me can tell that His Highness cares about you.”

Ling Yue wasn’t foolish; of course, she could sense it too, but she still suspected it might be due to an exchange of interests.

Wen Yuanyuan had been watching quietly for a while. She could see that Ling Yue had many reservations, so she stopped Wang Lan, who was about to say more. “Ling Yue.”

Ling Yue, lost in her worries, looked up but froze when she saw Wen Yuanyuan’s expression.

At that moment, Wen Yuanyuan looked exactly as she had in her past life, just as gentle and persuasive, though the advice was slightly different.

The voice and tone were the same, yet in her past life, there had been an added layer of heartache and frustrated disappointment.

Confused, Ling Yue responded, “Hmm?”

“You’re actually not bad, are you? There’s no need to feel inferior.”

The words were identical to those from her past life, and Ling Yue found herself unable to distinguish between then and now.

In her past life, Wen Yuanyuan had always encouraged her not to feel inferior, but back then, her goal had been to help Ling Yue stand tall in front of Lu Weiying and persuade her to leave him.

This life was different. Now, Wen Yuanyuan was encouraging Ling Yue, hoping she would bravely pursue what she wanted.

Wen Yuanyuan’s voice continued, “My mother said that love is inherently a selfish thing. Don’t think too much about the future overthinking can cut off all the possibilities of the present.”

“Then you’ll never even have a beginning.”

“That’s all I have to say.”

Among the three of them, Wen Yuanyuan rarely spoke so seriously. She was usually soft-spoken and smiling, watching Wang Lan and Ling Yue banter playfully.

Even when she was with Wang Lan, she never overlooked Ling Yue’s feelings.

Though she was the youngest of the three, she possessed a maturity that was hard to ignore.

In truth, Ling Yue wasn’t lacking, it was just that in matters of the heart, she always tread so cautiously.

Wang Lan, listening nearby, scratched her head in confusion. “I don’t get it. What are you two talking about?”

“Just nonsense,” Wen Yuanyuan replied casually, then fixed her gaze on Ling Yue. “Think it over carefully.”

With that, she took Wang Lan, who was still pondering, and walked away.

The setting sun cast a warm golden glow over the desolate land.

A gentle breeze rustled through the grass, making the blades sway and whisper.

In this picturesque scene, the shadows of Wen Yuanyuan and Wang Lan stretched long, their forms drawing close as if leaning against one another.

Even though this was a second chance at life, and many things had changed some entirely different these two were still drawn to each other.

But Ling Yue knew that this life would not end like the last. They would be together smoothly, growing old side by side.

Memories from her past life stirred in her mind again. Ling Yue closed her eyes and looked up at the sky, shielding her eyes with her hand as she watched the sun gradually sink below the horizon.

But tomorrow, the sun would rise again.

Pushing the memories from her mind, Ling Yue let out a long sigh, feeling a weight lift from her heart.

She wanted to see how far Wen Yuanyuan and Wang Lan had gone so she could catch up.

Turning around, she noticed they had already walked some distance away. She broke into a light jog to follow them, but as she ran, a strange feeling began to creep over her.

She glanced at the setting sun in the west, then looked at her hands, and couldn’t help but clenching them. After a moment, she blinked in confusion, “This is the left hand, this is the right hand.”

A flash of insight! Ling Yue finally understood what that strange feeling was!

She urgently shouted on the spot, “Stop! You’re going the wrong way! It’s the opposite! Stop now!”

Her voice carried with the wind, and as it reached them, Wen Yuanyuan’s figure paused, then she silently turned around and started walking back.

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