Transmigrated as the Doomed Scumbag Alpha of the Eldest Princess - Chapter 39

When it came to dislike toward Nangong Yan, Mowan Ci actually felt even more than Jiang Si. But right now, what she wanted most was a clear answer from her.

Whether or not an alliance with Nanliang existed, Mowan Ci needed to know if Jiang Si’s heart aligned with hers.

She hadn’t expected Jiang Si to say “No one else will do.”

When Mowan Ci had said “Anyone but you,” she had spoken in anger, but it wasn’t entirely a lie.

As long as it wasn’t Nangong Yan, perhaps she wouldn’t be unable to accept it.

Jiang Si might very well become the one to help her break free from the Mu royal family, or even bring down the Yue dynasty altogether.

She hated Mu Zesheng and the others, and she also resented Jiang Si.

Jiang Si once said that she was no longer the Jia Jing Marquis of the past.

Then who was she now?

If Mowan Ci chose to believe those words, who should she direct her hatred toward?

But if she didn’t believe her, there were times when Jiang Si’s actions left her confused, uncertain, and strangely drawn to her.

She could only seek balance in a way even she didn’t fully understand.

Like now. Even as the scent of amber clung tightly to her and the arm wrapped around her waist made breathing difficult, she didn’t push Jiang Si away.

If Jiang Si could truly fall in love with her, perhaps that wouldn’t be such a bad thing.

Mowan Ci cupped Jiang Si’s face. Her eyes were slightly dazed, unfocused, and Mowan Ci kissed her gently on the lips.

She knew that a reversed scent marking would affect Jiang Si, but she didn’t expect it to be this intense. The moment their lips met, Jiang Si pushed her down onto the bed.

It was late, and Mowan Ci wore only her underclothes. The motion caused her collar to fall open, revealing a deep red undergarment in full view.

Jiang Si narrowed her eyes slightly. The snow lotus scent was overwhelming at this close range, and more than that, she had directly touched the soft swell of her chest.

Mowan Ci had been prepared for either a temporary or permanent marking. What she hadn’t expected were moments like this.

Before she came to the capital, a palace attendant had carefully instructed her on how to handle a Qianyuan. She knew that a Qianyuan could mark a Kunze either temporarily or permanently, while a Kunze could only mark temporarily. The effect varied based on their compatibility, which was why she had been mentally prepared after giving Jiang Si a temporary marking.

But this reaction exceeded anything she had expected.

If Jiang Si had grabbed the back of her neck, perhaps Mowan Ci wouldn’t have been so unsettled.

Her cheeks wouldn’t be burning. She wouldn’t be afraid to meet Jiang Si’s eyes.

“Don’t…” she whispered weakly. Her voice was so soft that Jiang Si didn’t even hear her. She continued to linger at the peak of her chest, almost reverent in her movements.

Mowan Ci raised her hand and pressed it to Jiang Si’s forehead, gently lifting her head.

She wasn’t forceful, but Jiang Si willingly complied. She looked up at Mowan Ci and kissed her chin.

What confused Mowan Ci was that Jiang Si never made a move to touch the back of her neck. She only seemed intoxicated by the scent of snow lotus.

From childhood, the person who had stirred the strongest emotions in Mowan Ci was Mu Zesheng. But after giving up on her brother completely, she had believed she had no more weaknesses.

Now, however, the heat of amber spread through her limbs, reaching every corner of her body.

Her heart was in disarray again.

Her emotions were once more being swayed by the person on top of her.

Jiang Si slept deeply that night, as if she were rolling around in the Snow Lotus Pool. At some point, her underclothes had become disheveled, and she was curled around something soft and warm.

When she opened her eyes, everything was still dark. Looking down, she saw the smooth, pale curve of someone’s neck and back.

Soft and delicate, though scattered with faint red marks.

She tried to recall the events of the night before, but her memories were fragmented.

She only remembered coming to the South Courtyard and seeing Mowan Ci sitting atop a bed of snow lotus petals.

The scent had been overwhelmingly sweet and intoxicating. Mowan Ci wouldn’t let her sit there beside her and had even mentioned Nangong Yan.

Angered, she had blurted out “No one else will do.”

After that, everything was blank.

She couldn’t remember how those red marks had appeared on Mowan Ci’s back, or how she had ended up sleeping beside her.

“Have you hugged me long enough?”

Jiang Si froze. At some point, Mowan Ci had awakened. Her cold tone snapped Jiang Si out of her thoughts, and she quickly pulled her hand back from Mowan Ci’s waist.

The movement caused the bed to shift slightly. Mowan Ci turned and looked directly at her.

That turn was a problem.

With her robe loose and wide open, there were even more red marks than what was on her back.

Jiang Si’s face flushed hot. She wanted to look away but couldn’t help glancing twice, which only made Mowan Ci’s eyes fill with displeasure.

“Seen enough?”

“I wasn’t looking… there,” Jiang Si mumbled. The last two words came out weak and unconvincing, and she lowered her head in guilt.

It wasn’t until she heard Mowan Ci let out a soft scoff that she looked up again.

“Get out.”

Her voice was colder than before. She gave Jiang Si a light push and turned her back to her, refusing to look again.

Jiang Si couldn’t remember everything that had happened the previous night, but judging by the scene now, she clearly hadn’t behaved herself.

Yet, there was a faint memory. Mowan Ci had held her face and kissed her.

Maybe not everything had been her fault.

Still, the fact that she had woken up clean and neat made the question feel… awkward.

When Jiang Si left the South Courtyard, there was no one at the door. The guards at the gate remained expressionless.

Everyone seemed unfazed.

But Jiang Si’s heart was full of unease.

It wasn’t until Jiang Si returned to her residence that she finally let out a deep breath. After taking a nap to recover, she asked Sang Zhi to prepare hot water so she could bathe.

The scent of snow lotus lingered around her. Even after bathing, it didn’t make much of a difference. It took the entire day for the fragrance to fade slightly.

She didn’t leave her room the whole day. Every meal and drink was brought to her by Sang Zhi.

Her mood felt complicated, but her body was unusually relaxed.

That calm only lasted until night. The restless feeling inside her began to stir again, slowly affecting her physically.

While lying on her bed, Jiang Si had been quietly watching the moonlight. Then suddenly, Mowan Ci came to mind. She wondered what she might be doing at that moment.

Just then, Sang Zhi knocked on the door to deliver a message.

“My Lady, Her Highness the Princess invites you to the South Courtyard for tea.”

Jiang Si quickly turned over and sat up. Her sudden movement startled even herself. Sang Zhi stood waiting, staring at her silently.

Jiang Si took a deep breath, slowed her movements, put on her shoes, and accepted the cloak Sang Zhi handed her.

She stepped outside alone, telling Sang Zhi not to follow. As she arrived at the South Courtyard, she saw Zhi Miao already waiting by the gate.

Zhi Miao led her to the hall and said, “Please wait a moment, Marquis. Her Highness is changing her bandages.”

Bandages? Jiang Si paused. Only after a moment did she realize what might be getting treated. Her face felt hot, and she turned her gaze aside, suddenly feeling uneasy.

A short while later, Wei Nian came out from inside. She gave a respectful bow.

“Marquis, Her Highness will see you now.”

After that, she and Zhi Miao both left, giving the two women privacy.

Jiang Si couldn’t be sure whether it was because she was coming or for another reason, but Mowan Ci had clearly dressed up. Her complexion was pale with a soft blush, and she looked radiant.

She wore a pale pink robe with a front-open collar.

Every faint red mark on her skin was clearly visible.

Jiang Si immediately felt nervous. Mowan Ci, on the other hand, walked over to the tea table calmly and gracefully, motioning for her to come closer.

“You’ve never had tea brewed by me before, have you, Marquis?”

Jiang Si felt her heart tremble when she heard how Mowan Ci referred to herself. A strange sense of foreboding settled over her.

“Princess, there’s no need to call yourself that. As I’ve said before, it was only a temporary arrangement. Here in the Marquis’s residence, we can treat each other as equals.”

But Mowan Ci acted as if she hadn’t heard her at all. She finished steeping the tea and invited Jiang Si to sit.

Jiang Si’s eyes stayed on the rising steam from the tea for a moment before she finally stood up and walked over.

She sat across from Mowan Ci. Seeing her sip slowly, Jiang Si followed her lead and picked up her own teacup.

The tea was indeed different from anything she had tasted before. It was rich, but not overwhelming, with a light and soothing fragrance.

“What do you think?”

“It’s good.”

Jiang Si drank much faster than Mowan Ci. By the time Mowan Ci was finishing her second cup, Jiang Si had already started her third.

The warm tea brought real comfort in the cold winter evening. And this particular tea truly tasted excellent.

After refilling her cup two more times, Jiang Si finally asked, “Did Your Highness invite me here so late for a reason?”

She had done something far too intimate with Mowan Ci. And even though it was caused by their physical conditions, Jiang Si was aware that it was not something either of them had truly wanted.

Still, she felt vaguely guilty.

Maybe it was because she didn’t remember everything clearly. What stayed with her the most were the emotions Mowan Ci had shown.

But being marked in reverse wasn’t her fault.

If anything, it had left her feeling even more troubled. Her senses were far too sensitive to snow lotus.

The teacup Mowan Ci handed her still carried that scent, and the room itself was filled with it.

“This morning, I was rude to you. That was my fault,” Mowan Ci said calmly.

She was a stubborn person. Jiang Si had learned that trying to argue with her was useless, so she gave up. If Mowan Ci wanted to refer to herself that way, then she could do as she pleased.

Jiang Si took another sip of tea and said nothing about what had happened the previous night or that morning.

For her, such closeness was a first. But it hadn’t been pure. Her emotions were tangled and conflicted. She hadn’t initiated anything, but she couldn’t deny what she had done either.

Especially now, sitting across from Mowan Ci and faintly catching that familiar scent again. It was subtle but present.

Worse still, she could not suppress the desire to draw closer.

At this point, neither of them was truly innocent. There was no need to apologize.

Jiang Si placed her teacup down and replied softly, “It’s alright.”

She didn’t want to continue that topic, so she changed the subject.

“The snow outside is beautiful tonight. Would Your Highness like to take a look?”

Mowan Ci followed her gaze out the window. Her eyes sparkled, and her lips curved into a soft smile.

“Yes.”

“You mentioned before that the Ice Festival’s night market lasts until the end of the year,” Mowan Ci said softly. “At this hour, could it still be bustling outside?”

“Since coming to the northern frontier, I haven’t seen much. I thought perhaps I could go experience it tonight.”

Jiang Si had no reason to refuse. She stood up immediately and said, “I’ll make arrangements for us to leave the residence.”

It wasn’t particularly late, but winter nights in the northern region were long and deep. As expected, the streets outside were lively and full of activity.

Liu Jin walked beside their carriage, clearing a path for them wherever they went.

Inside the carriage, both Mowan Ci and Jiang Si found the crowded roads to be a bit stifling, though Jiang Si kept quiet. She worried that the crowds might disturb Mowan Ci and didn’t want to suggest getting out until the noise outside grew louder and the air was filled with sparks from the bonfires.

She finally spoke. “There’s a bonfire outside. Would you like to take a look?”

Mowan Ci blinked but didn’t refuse. Instead, she extended her hand toward Jiang Si.

Jiang Si looked at her, her heart stirred by the gesture. She reached out and held Mowan Ci’s hand in hers.

After sitting together for so long, the scent of snow lotus inside the carriage had grown thick. Holding Mowan Ci’s hand brought back memories of the night before, and with it, a faint ache returned to the back of Jiang Si’s neck.

But this time, the sensation wasn’t unpleasant. It was warm, almost delightful, and a soft smile unconsciously appeared on her lips. She didn’t realize how stiff it had become until they stepped out of the carriage and she noticed Mowan Ci looking at her curiously.

Jiang Si moved her mouth a little to loosen it, then quickly forced her expression back to neutral. “Would Your Highness like to walk a bit?”

“Alright.”

Tonight, Mowan Ci was exceptionally calm and agreeable. It gave Jiang Si the illusion that they were really on a date, as if Mowan Ci actually liked her.

That thought came and went quickly. Jiang Si quickly reminded herself of reality. Forget what the former Marquis had done; even she herself was far from charming. There was no way Mowan Ci could have feelings for her after one night of something that neither of them truly chose.

Still, the outing felt strangely refreshing to her.

Walking side by side with Mowan Ci toward the bonfire, the warmth of the flames instantly drove away the cold.

Jiang Si, wrapped in her cloak, actually felt a little too warm. Mowan Ci, on the other hand, still had a chill in her hand.

Jiang Si leaned closer and asked, “Are you cold?”

“It’s tolerable.”

Jiang Si had long noticed that Mowan Ci was proud and reserved.

To be more precise, she would rather suffer than admit discomfort. So Jiang Si didn’t ask again and continued walking with her through the lively market streets.

But after a while, Jiang Si began to sense something strange. It felt like someone had been watching her for some time.

She suddenly turned her head, but saw no one.

Mowan Ci seemed to notice it as well. She held Jiang Si’s hand a little tighter.

Then, the figure who had been watching them stepped forward.

It was Nangong Yan.

She stood at a distance with a faint smile on her lips, her eyes fixed on their tightly clasped hands.

Support