The Eldest Princess' Substitute Husband (Transmigration) - Chapter 13

“System: Tip, Wei Luoyi’s favorability +10.”

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Just as Wei Luoyi was about to speak, she saw Song Jinsheng’s expression, like that of a thief, with her eyes darting away.

She couldn’t help but feel confused and deliberately remained silent, watching her for a while.

What is this person thinking now?

“Dongyang, it’s a bit cold in the room. Go and have someone bring a basin of charcoal to keep the prince consort warm.”

“Also, the rain is getting heavier. The prince consort will rest here tonight. You remember to light a candle later.”

After instructing Dongyang, Wei Luoyi gave Song Jinsheng a passing glance, then turned and left with Chunyue and Dongyang.

“Creak—Thud—”

With the door closed, only Song Jinsheng was left in the room. She finally let out a long sigh of relief. Looking at the half-eaten food on the table, she quickly put several pieces of fish in her mouth and began to eat without any reservations.

But as she ate, the delicious fish became tasteless.

Her mind was completely occupied with how to get through this night.

Wei Luoyi had given the order. She had no choice but to stay here tonight.

She had originally thought that Wei Luoyi would be too shy to share a room with her. But then she remembered that they had been married for a year. They had slept in the same room before. She would probably be the only one who felt anxious.

She wasn’t sure if she was nervous about sharing a bed with Wei Luoyi or if she was scared that her identity as a woman would be discovered.

In any case, Song Jinsheng’s mind was a mess. She couldn’t help but glance at the bed on the side. After staring at it for a long time, she finally let out a heavy sigh.

She wondered if tonight would be a sleepless night…

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The night was dark. The servants in the manor had gone to bed, and only a few lantern-carrying servants were left on patrol.

By the time Song Jinsheng returned to the room after her bath, Wei Luoyi had already taken off her outer clothes and was sitting on the edge of the bed with her hair down, reading the storybook she was holding. Her expression was calm.

When she saw Song Jinsheng walk in and stand there in a daze, she couldn’t help but speak. “What are you standing there for? It’s time to rest. Aren’t you going to take off your clothes?”

“Oh…” Song Jinsheng replied dully. She glanced at the person on the bed again, then walked to the side and turned her back to take off her outer robe.

She didn’t know why, but the clothes that usually came off in two quick movements were now taking her a while to take off.

She was just checking if her chest binder was tight enough. What if it came undone later…?

But Wei Luoyi, looking at her back, had no idea what she was doing. She couldn’t help but frown. She put the book aside and got up, walking behind Song Jinsheng.

“Turn around.”

“Oh…” Song Jinsheng’s body trembled with surprise at her silent approach.

She turned around and met Wei Luoyi’s smiling eyes. Her smile clearly held a hint of mischief.

Song Jinsheng awkwardly looked away.

…She suspected that the princess was deliberately teasing her, but she had no proof…

Wei Luoyi keenly caught Song Jinsheng’s unease, and her smile became more pronounced. She reached out and took off Song Jinsheng’s outer robe for her. Her movements were very natural.

Song Jinsheng had originally wanted to stop her, but then she thought that perhaps the princess had done this for the original owner before. If she were to flinch now, it would only make her look too guilty.

She had to admit that Wei Luoyi, in her inner clothes with her long, dark hair draped over her back, looked much softer and more delicate than when she was wearing her usual formal clothes.

When she was undressing Song Jinsheng, she kept her eyes down. Song Jinsheng couldn’t see her whole face, only her long, dense eyelashes and her slender, straight nose.

Such long eyelashes…

A beautiful forehead and moth-like eyebrows, skin as fair as congealed fat.

The princess was a natural beauty.

Song Jinsheng’s breathing was deliberately quieted. As she lowered her head and stared at Wei Luoyi in a daze, she saw Wei Luoyi suddenly look up. She was momentarily stunned.

Wei Luoyi took in her emotions and smiled slightly. After a long moment of silent staring, she said casually, “Are you very afraid of me?”

“Huh? How could I be…” Song Jinsheng avoided Wei Luoyi’s direct gaze, forcing a smile. “Your Highness is overthinking.”

Wei Luoyi still smiled and stared at her for a while before turning back to the bed. When she lifted the blanket and got under it, she saw Song Jinsheng still standing there foolishly and couldn’t help but say, “Why are you still standing there? Put out the candle and rest.”

“Okay…”

Song Jinsheng went to blow out the candle. The room instantly became pitch black. The room was large, and she carefully groped her way to the bed. When she finally arrived, she lifted a corner of the blanket and lay down on the very edge.

Fortunately, the bed was big enough. There was more than enough room for two people. In fact, there was even enough space for another person to lie down between them.

Song Jinsheng lay on her back with her hands on her stomach, sleeping in a very proper manner, afraid of accidentally touching the person next to her.

The rain outside had indeed grown heavier. The drumming of the downpour on the roof gradually drowned out the unease in Song Jinsheng’s heart.

Her breathing became long and steady, and her mind became hazy.

She looked at the darkness in front of her and suddenly wondered, if she, who only thought about her identity being exposed, could be on edge all night, then was the original owner, the one with the same name and face as her, also living such a tiring life every day?

A remnant of the previous dynasty…

If she hadn’t died in that accident, would she have succeeded in her revenge…?

Or would the princess have discovered her identity…?

If the princess didn’t love the original owner, then why did she marry her?

And when would she be able to truly leave this place…?

After a bout of chaotic thoughts, Song Jinsheng’s eyes had already closed. She was just about to fall into a light sleep when a flash of white light suddenly lit up the room, followed by a loud clap of thunder. Song Jinsheng was so startled that she opened her eyes abruptly.

The blanket on her was suddenly pulled away. Confused, Song Jinsheng looked to the side and saw Wei Luoyi curled up on the inside, the thick blanket pulled over her head. If she looked closely in the faint moonlight, she would even see the “lump” shaking.

Song Jinsheng turned her head and frowned, contemplating something.

As if to prove her guess, another clap of thunder flashed and boomed. This time, a large portion of Song Jinsheng’s blanket was taken.

It wasn’t until the room returned to silence for a while that the lump on the inside of the bed slowly moved.

Wei Luoyi pulled the blanket down. Her forehead was already covered in a thin layer of sweat from being muffled under the blanket. She sighed inwardly and wearily opened her eyes. As if sensing the other person’s gaze, she turned her head to look—

Their eyes met, and silence ensued.

Song Jinsheng, uncharacteristically, didn’t look away first. Instead, it was Wei Luoyi who looked a bit flustered. It was the first time Song Jinsheng had seen such an expression on her face.

After being used to her commanding and intimidating demeanor, it felt strange to suddenly see her vulnerable side.

After a moment of silence, Song Jinsheng let out a long sigh. She glanced at Wei Luoyi’s calm profile and hesitated before breaking the awkwardness. “Your Highness, are you not going to sleep yet?”

Wei Luoyi’s head didn’t move, but her eyes slanted toward Song Jinsheng. “I’ve always had trouble sleeping.”

“Oh… so it’s insomnia.”

“What is insomnia?”

“It means wanting to sleep but not being able to… I used to have it, too.”

“Oh?” Wei Luoyi finally looked at her and asked blandly, “Didn’t you say you can’t remember the past?”

“Uh…”

Oh no, I forgot about that.

Song Jinsheng’s heart tightened. She quickly explained, “I meant… a while ago, because I couldn’t remember anything from before, I kept trying to force myself to remember, which gave me insomnia.”

“Then does Your Highness go to sleep very late every night?”

To avoid Wei Luoyi from asking any more questions, Song Jinsheng quickly changed the subject.

Wei Luoyi was silent for a while before turning her head back and looking straight up at the wooden beam on the ceiling. “Not really. I’ll read a storybook until I’m tired, then I’ll sleep.”

“Oh, what kind of storybook? What’s it about?”

“Ghosts and spirits.”

She relies on reading ghost stories to fall asleep? She’s not a normal person, indeed…

Song Jinsheng fell silent. She couldn’t help but ask from the bottom of her heart, “Doesn’t reading those make it harder to sleep?”

Wei Luoyi: “Then what should I read? About the private affairs of men and women, about short-lived romance?”

Song Jinsheng: “There are other kinds of stories, like fairy tales.”

Fairy tales?

Wei Luoyi’s brows furrowed involuntarily as she wondered if she had missed a storybook called “fairy tales.”

For some reason, ever since Song Jinsheng woke up, her speech had become very strange, especially the words she used. She had never heard them before.

“I have never seen a storybook called ‘fairy tales’… Have you, Prince Consort?”

“Yes.” Song Jinsheng turned to look at her. Her eyes had already adjusted to the dark. Seeing Wei Luoyi’s furrowed brows, as if she were confused by her words, she was momentarily stunned and couldn’t help but smile. “If Your Highness wants to hear one, I can tell you a story.”

“Tell me one.”

“This story is about a little ugly duckling. Once upon a time, there was a little duckling that was born ugly, and it was often mocked and bullied by the other ducklings. Not only that, but when it ran to the chicken coop, it wasn’t welcomed either. Even the servant who fed the chickens wanted to chase it away. It was very sad because of this…”

Song Jinsheng told the story of “The Ugly Duckling.” She had intended to lull Wei Luoyi to sleep, but as she told it, she became sleepy herself.

“Later… the ugly duckling felt… that it was different from them… that its thoughts weren’t understood… so… it left the little farm. It saw the swans in the lake… and then…”

Song Jinsheng was so tired that her eyes could barely stay open. She stopped talking, and after a moment of silence, she was startled awake by the voice of the person next to her.

Wei Luoyi was engrossed and asked very seriously, “And then? What happened?”

Song Jinsheng struggled to turn her head and look at her. She sighed inwardly and said in a low voice, “Then, the ugly duckling wanted to jump into the lake. It also wanted to find a bigger world. It wasn’t until it jumped into the lake and swam with the flock of swans that everyone realized that the ugly duckling wasn’t an ugly duckling after all, but a beautiful swan. From then on, no one ever mocked it… or bullied it again…”

“…But… the ugly duckling was only liked not because it was good, but because everyone realized that it wasn’t ugly… Conversely, if a beautiful swan’s true form was that of an ugly duckling, would it be more hated?”

Song Jinsheng’s consciousness was slowly getting hazy. She didn’t expect Wei Luoyi to be wide awake, seriously pondering the story she had just told.

And from such an angle, too. Wei Luoyi was indeed a unique person.

“Why would Your Highness think that? This story is actually about how, in this world, other people’s opinions are always strange, but you don’t have to care about them. Be yourself and go after everything you want.”

“So, it doesn’t matter if you’re a swan or an ugly duckling. What you are is not important. What’s important is to be yourself. There will always be people who will love you…”

After Song Jinsheng finished her explanation in a low voice, she turned her head and found that Wei Luoyi was staring at her intently. It was then that she also realized that Wei Luoyi had moved closer to her at some point.

Their eyes met for a long time.

So long that Song Jinsheng’s gaze couldn’t help but fall, and when she inadvertently caught a glimpse of Wei Luoyi’s slightly pursed lips, her breath hitched. She gasped inwardly and, pretending to be nonchalant, turned her body to face away from her.

In the moment of silence, Song Jinsheng stared blankly at one spot, secretly recalling the moment their eyes had met.

What a strange feeling…

Weird… and awkward.

Song Jinsheng’s peaceful heart had been ruffled, and she couldn’t find peace.

The more she thought about it, the more her heart pounded with a dull thud.

Forget it, forget it. Why am I dwelling on this?

Song Jinsheng closed her eyes and let out a long, heavy sigh. After clearing her mind of the chaotic thoughts, the sleepiness that had not yet dissipated returned.

She hoped tonight would pass peacefully.

She thought to herself.

But what she didn’t know was that the person behind her had not turned away. Her gaze was still fixed on her back, as if she were looking at her, and as if she were thinking about something through her.

After a long time, when she heard Song Jinsheng’s steady breathing, Wei Luoyi finally came back to her senses. She sighed heavily in her heart, then turned her back to her and closed her eyes as well.

…

System: Tip, Wei Luoyi’s favorability +10

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[Author’s Note]

First time sharing a bed together [confetti]

The story of “The Ugly Duckling” is from Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tales.

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