Starting with Intercepting and Marrying the Eldest Princess - Chapter 41

Chapter 41: “Put On a Grass Skirt and Tap Dance for This Prince…”

The surroundings were deserted. Only sparse, faint human noises drifted from the distant party.

Xie Ning helped Pei Shujing up, and the two limped toward the finish line.

But unexpectedly, Xiaoyu came walking back alone.

Xie Ning was surprised: “Where is Xiaozhu?”

Xiaoyu looked absent-minded: “She’s watching the horse over there, waiting for us.”

Pei Shujing frowned: “What’s wrong with you?”

“Your Highness, I’m wondering… should I really lay all my cards on the table?”

Xiaoyu looked somewhat dejected.

When the moment arrived, she suddenly lost confidence in herself.

She was afraid that pushing too hard would only push Xiaozhu further away.

Xie Ning consoled her: “Can you just show the fearless attitude you had that night you were drunk?”

Xiaoyu kept a long face and didn’t speak.

“So you want to give up?” Pei Shujing asked.

Xiaoyu fell silent. After a long pause, she replied softly: “I don’t want to give up, but…”

“But you’re afraid of failure?” Pei Shujing finished the sentence for her.

“If I know for sure I will fail, it’s better to maintain the current relationship so I can continue to stay by her side.”

Although during their previous discussion, Xiaoyu had vowed that she would try, regardless of success or failure.

But now, truly realizing the high probability of failure, the fear of being disliked and the worry that the relationship would worsen once again took precedence.

Xie Ning could understand this feeling.

“Then let’s stop here. Maintaining the status quo is also a good choice.”

Xiaoyu fell into a deathly silence. Just as the matter seemed about to end in this silence, Pei Shujing looked earnestly at Xie Ning.

“Why would you say that?”

She then turned her gaze back to Xiaoyu.

“Didn’t you start liking her early on? You’ve persisted for so many years. Are you really willing to give up without a result?”

“…” Xiaoyu unconsciously lowered her head.

Xie Ning saw in the corner of her eye that Pei Shujing had turned her gaze back: “Why not try?”

Xiaoyu took a deep breath, interrupting the strange atmosphere between Xie Ning and Pei Shujing.

“…Your Highness, I’ll go through with it!”

Pei Shujing nodded: “Then proceed according to the plan.”

With that, she ignored Xie Ning and walked forward with Xiaoyu.

Xie Ning looked at her retreating figure, lowered her eyes, and followed.

After finding Xiaozhu, the four of them returned the horses to the camp. As they passed the site of the bonfire party, Xiaoyu suddenly pointed in one direction.

“Look, someone is fortune-telling over there! Should we go take a look?”

Pei Shujing and Xie Ning naturally knew that the fortune-teller was someone Xiaoyu had arranged, so they both nodded cooperatively.

The fortune-teller was a middle-aged woman who called herself the ‘Iron-Mouth Diviner.’ According to her self-introduction, her tribe would have been massacred by the Snow People if not for her.

Hearing this, Xiaozhu surprisingly became interested.

“What would you like to divine?” the woman asked gently.

“…Friendship.”

Xiaoyu looked disappointed on the side.

“Very well. Please write a character on the tortoiseshell.”

Xiaozhu took the brush and wrote the character ‘友’ (yǒu, meaning friendship).

The woman performed a divination ritual over the tortoiseshell, then smiled and said: “Congratulations. The reading shows that your friendship will eventually develop into love.”

Xiaoyu nervously watched Xiaozhu from the side.

She saw Xiaozhu shake her hand, looking greatly astonished.

“No, no, no!”

“I would never steal Xie Ning from Her Highness!”

Pei Shujing & Xie Ning & Xiaoyu & The Fortune-teller: “…”

Pei Shujing rolled her eyes at Xiaozhu, both exasperated and amused.

With Xiaozhu’s interjection, Xiaoyu had no choice but to leave the fortune-telling stall unwillingly.

The plan had suffered a disastrous start.

However, Xiaoyu did not give up. Instead, her fighting spirit was ignited.

She genuinely couldn’t believe that the person she usually had wrapped around her finger would repeatedly be her superior in matters of romance.

She remembered the word “sincerity” that Xiaozhu mentioned while drinking that day, and Xiaoyu’s heart was slightly moved.

She decided to drop the fancy tricks and just aggressively charge forward.

“Xiaozhu, I have something I want to talk to you about. Can you come with me?”

Hearing this, Xie Ning was a bit surprised. She hadn’t expected Xiaoyu to sound the horn of charge directly.

“Then the Princess and I will wait for you here.”

Xiaozhu quietly followed Xiaoyu to a secluded spot.

“What is it? Just say it here.”

Xiaozhu stopped, looking at her indifferently.

Xiaoyu clenched her fists, her knuckles turning white from the effort.

“…About that day, I’m sorry.”

“Mhm.”

Hearing Xiaozhu’s calm response, Xiaoyu’s bad premonition grew stronger.

She wasn’t afraid of Xiaozhu getting angry, or annoyed; she was afraid of Xiaozhu not caring.

But Xiaoyu still took a deep breath and continued her charge.

Even Xie Ning, eavesdropping from the corner, couldn’t help but feel nervous.

“From early… from the very start, I, in my heart…”

Xiaoyu felt her face growing hot enough to burst into flames, and the pounding of her heart was deafeningly loud.

She took another deep breath.

“You’ve been in my heart, always, always! I like you!”

“…I also like myself.” Xiaozhu nodded flatly.

Xiaoyu: “…”

Pei Shujing in the dark gave Xie Ning an irritated look: “Xiaozhu hasn’t been following you for long, and you’ve already taught her to be like this?”

Xie Ning shrugged with innocent, wide eyes.

After a moment of silence, Xiaoyu finally reacted and quickly said: “Do you, do you want to be with me? In a romantic way.”

“…I apologize. I only want to serve Her Highness in this life. I don’t want to pursue romance.”

Xie Ning accused: “You’ve ruined everything!”

Pei Shujing rolled her eyes.

Hearing the answer, Xiaoyu clenched her fists: “You don’t like women?”

“…I have someone I like.”

“Oh, so that’s it, haha.” After two awkward laughs, Xiaoyu’s world collapsed into ruins-like silence. “Can I know who it is?”

“Here’s a hint. It’s someone close by. She knows martial arts.”

The ruins miraculously reassembled. Xiaoyu’s eyes sparkled, her lips trembling: “…Is it me?”

“No.”

Alright, the ruins collapsed again. This time, there wasn’t a crumb left.

Xiaoyu asked, still holding on to a sliver of hope: “Then who is it?”

“Could it be Xie Ning?”

Xie Ning was shocked.

No, sister, how have I offended you that you would frame me like this!

Pei Shujing narrowed her eyes and sneered.

Xiaozhu was also stunned. She then said furiously: “What nonsense are you talking about? I meant, I, I like myself!”

“…Oh.”

Xie Ning also sighed in relief, leaning shamelessly toward Pei Shujing: “I told you I was innocent.”

Pei Shujing ignored her. She looked at Xiaoyu, who was standing still and motionless, and sighed.

“Let’s go.”

Xie Ning was surprised: “Aren’t you going to comfort her?”

Pei Shujing said irritably: “Do you think us going over there now won’t cause her greater harm?”

“That’s true.”

Xie Ning shook her head and followed Pei Shujing back to the bonfire party.

The final dance hadn’t started yet.

While waiting, Pei Shujing narrowed her eyes: “What about the surprise you prepared for this Prince?”

“You didn’t forget, did you?”

Xie Ning froze, then quickly waved her hands.

“I didn’t forget! How could I forget? The surprise I prepared for Her Highness is a dance.”

“A dance? Fine.”

Pei Shujing nodded. She didn’t care what the gift was. She only cared if Xie Ning had taken her words to heart.

When the final music began to play.

Xie Ning elegantly extended her hand: “My respected Princess, may I have this dance?”

“Pretentious.”

Pei Shujing scoffed, but still placed her hand on Xie Ning’s.

The two walked hand in hand toward the bonfire.

Amidst the onlookers, quiet exclamations were heard from time to time.

Xie Ning wrapped her arm around the slender waist she’d embraced countless times, holding the fingers she’d held countless times.

They danced by the bonfire, their movements graceful.

Pei Shujing looked at Xie Ning before her and opened her lips: “What kind of dance is this?”

“…It’s from my hometown.”

“It’s novel, but I’ll keep stepping on your feet.”

“I love it when you step on me.”

“You’re making this Prince lose face.”

“But I don’t know any other dances. Your Highness, could you please go easy on me?”

Pei Shujing suddenly smiled: “Then promise me one thing.”

“Sure. Don’t say one thing; ten things are no problem.” Xie Ning agreed without thinking.

After dancing several pieces, Pei Shujing’s cold expression was gradually melted by the bonfire.

She opened her lips again, and this time, a sound came out.

“Ning.”

“Mhm?”

“You are mine.”

Her profile was illuminated red by the bonfire, even looking a little flushed.

Xie Ning froze. This reminded her of their first kiss, when Pei Shujing had said the same thing.

Her response then was: I am yours.

But Xie Ning didn’t plan to respond that way this time.

She wrapped her arm around Pei Shujing’s waist and whispered into her ear: “Your Highness.”

“Mhm…”

“You are mine too.”

Pei Shujing let out a cold laugh, her expression full of killing intent: “I said that to enslave you. Do you say that to enslave this Prince?!”

With that, she stomped hard on his foot.

“Wait, don’t stomp! I was wrong! Truly wrong! I’m yours, I’m yours!!!”

Pei Shujing’s dance steps suddenly stopped.

“Let’s go back. I’m tired.”

“Aren’t you going to wait until the song ends?” Xie Ning said.

Pei Shujing looked slightly scornful and disdainful: “If the bonfire party were truly that magical, the world would have descended into chaos long ago.”

Then, she stared at Xie Ning:

“The reason I participated in such a boring activity was just to dance with you.”

“Does knowing this make you happy?”

Xie Ning paused again, then said:

“Isn’t this another one of your schemes? Hit me with a stick, then offer me a sweet date, making me feel touched, so I’ll be completely devoted and eternally obsessed with you? In my hometown, we call that CPU.”

Pei Shujing’s face darkened, her expression fluctuating unpredictably.

After a long pause, she suddenly sneered: “You can actually guess this Prince’s thoughts! It seems I must punish you!”

“What is the punishment?”

“You will put on a grass skirt and tap dance for this Prince.”

“…No, isn’t that too embarrassing! Can we change it?”

“You just promised this Prince one thing, and this is it. Do you dare to go back on your word?”

“…Fine.”

“Stop talking nonsense. Hurry up and go. This Prince can’t wait.”

In the bedroom.

Xie Ning changed into the embarrassing grass skirt, standing sheepishly in front of Pei Shujing.

A deathly silence.

Then.

“Hahaha!” Pei Shujing let out the happiest, most delighted laugh she had ever made.

Xie Ning was expressionless.

She glanced down, then sneered.

With a burst of speed, she pinned the continuously laughing Pei Shujing onto the bed.

The previously cheerful Pei Shujing immediately turned cold.

“Do you dare?”

“We’ll do the ‘thing’ first… then the dance.”

“…Then wear it like that.”

“…Alright.”

Knock knock knock.

“Your Highness, may I come in?”

It was Xiaozhu.

Pei Shujing and Xie Ning exchanged glances.

Xie Ning was slightly flustered: “Where are my clothes?”

Pei Shujing’s expression was also a little unnatural: “I threw them out the window when you were changing into the grass skirt.”

She was afraid that Xie Ning would change back soon after putting on the grass skirt, so she simply threw the clothes out the window.

Xie Ning blinked, feeling somewhat distraught.

“Then what do we do!”

Pei Shujing sat up in the bedding, hesitating for a moment.

“Get in here!”

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