Transmigrated as the Doomed Scumbag Alpha of the Eldest Princess - Chapter 61

Jiang Si teased again, and whatever hesitation Mowan Ci had disappeared instantly. She tilted her head back, her voice tinged with a soft cry as she urged, “Hurry…”

Jiang Si suddenly realized she had become completely entangled in the scent of snow lotus and had completely forgotten Mowan Ci’s earlier emotions.

The bite marks on the back of Mowan Ci’s neck deepened as all of Jiang Si’s tension and frustration poured out in that moment.

By the time it was over, it was already deep into the night. Exhausted, Mowan Ci curled up quietly in Jiang Si’s arms and fell fast asleep the moment they lay down.

She slept soundly all the way until sunlight filled the room. By the time she woke, Jiang Si was already gone.

After that day, Jiang Si no longer stayed with her during the day. She always returned late at night and left again early in the morning. Even when Mowan Ci saw her, it felt like she was only seeing a shadow, not the person herself.

Their nights were filled with closeness, but their days lacked time together. Mowan Ci could not understand why.

And the lingering soreness in her legs stayed with her every single day.

That day, Mowan Ci was resting quietly in her room when Zhi Miao knocked on the door with hurried footsteps.

“Your Highness, the marquis asks for you in the front courtyard.”

Mowan Ci had been half asleep and did not respond right away. Zhi Miao repeated the message, and only then did Mowan Ci yawn and respond slowly, “I understand.”

Jiang Si’s behavior over the past few days had already made her quietly angry. She had no intention of making things easy for her.

She spent nearly half an hour dressing and fixing her hair before leaving the room.

The imperial edict had arrived a few days ago. Jiang Si had brought it to her already. It had not been written by Mu Zesheng himself but by Tao Zun on his behalf.

Back when Tao Zun had been her tutor, Mowan Ci had become familiar with his handwriting. Later, when he served as the crown prince’s instructor, she had seen it often. She recognized it with just one glance.

What amused her was that Tao Zun had the skill to hide his handwriting but chose not to.

About fifteen minutes later, Mowan Ci entered the main hall at the front of the governor’s residence.

Jiang Si sat at the head of the room. Beside her were Nangong Xiao and Nangong Yan. The others present included Su Xun, Lan Shao, Ye Chan, and Cheng Pu.

Jiang Si’s face was calm and unreadable. Nangong Xiao looked amused, while Nangong Yan’s expression was clearly annoyed.

Everyone had been waiting for Mowan Ci.

She wore a vivid crimson robe with flowing sleeves. As she walked in, she lifted her arms slightly and spoke with polite composure.

“Apologies for the wait.”

Jiang Si had only asked her to come to the hall but had never given a specific time. Because of that, no one could reasonably say Mowan Ci was late. Even Nangong Yan, though upset, had to stay silent.

Already frustrated from the delay, Nangong Yan became even more irritated when she saw Mowan Ci’s appearance.

Her birth mother had been a concubine of the King of Nanliang and not the official wife. According to Nanliang custom, daughters of concubines were not permitted to wear pure red.

Despite being deeply favored in the royal household, Nangong Yan was extremely sensitive about this. And now Mowan Ci not only wore red, but did so boldly in front of her.

Nangong Yan refused to believe this was not intentional.

The two of them had clashed more than once, and Nangong Yan had rarely won. Only in military matters did she sometimes manage to turn the tables.

Now that Nangong Xiao was here, she felt like every time she saw Mowan Ci, she was losing twice instead of once.

So when talk turned to the upcoming trip to Nanliang, Nangong Yan stayed unusually quiet. Nangong Xiao noticed and gave her a discreet look. Then, when no one else was listening, he asked quietly, “Are you upset?”

Nangong Yan’s feelings toward her brother were complicated.

By the time she could form memories, he had already come of age and had been officially named heir. His status was second only to their father. After their father became regent, Nangong Xiao’s position had grown even stronger. Everyone believed that even if the throne was not yet his, it eventually would be.

Because of this, Nangong Yan had always felt the world was unfair. If only she had been born Qianyuan, she might have had a chance to fight for her place.

Even though she was not, she had pushed herself to excel beyond any Qianyuan. Still, her mother never seemed to notice. Her father occasionally comforted her, but her mother praised Nangong Xiao endlessly.

Worse, Nangong Xiao never seemed to care about any of it. He had even once told her that when the crown changed hands one day, she could try for it if she wished.

The more indifferent he was, the more difficult he was to tolerate. All the admiration she had felt for him as a child had completely faded.

Seeing him upset made her uncomfortable. Seeing him pay attention to someone else made her even more uneasy. And if that someone was Mowan Ci, it was unbearable.

“If you like the Marquis of Jiajing so much,” she said under her breath, “then I’ll help you…”

“No need.”

“I just can’t stand Mowan Ci. And you’re not allowed to look at her either.”

Nangong Yan could not stop herself from saying it. Nangong Xiao paused, then laughed softly.

“So my little sister is just not willing to share her brother?”

“You…”

Their quiet exchange was not as secret as they had hoped. Others had noticed, and the way Nangong Yan looked at Mowan Ci was impossible to miss.

Jiang Si did not understand what exactly had gotten into her, but when it came to Mowan Ci, one thing was certain.

No one else had the right to look at her that way.

“This trip to Nanliang,” Jiang Si asked, “does the princess have anything to add?”

When spoken to directly, Nangong Yan immediately straightened up. Under Nangong Xiao’s disapproving gaze, she smiled and replied, “No, everything will follow your lead.”

“Once we arrive, I will take you around. There’s still so much you haven’t seen.”

She spoke as though no one else was present. Everyone else reacted differently.

Nangong Xiao looked exasperated but indulgent. Su Xun and Lan Shao acted as if they had not heard her.

Mowan Ci simply smiled, took Jiang Si’s hand, and followed along.

“Marquis, the princess’s kind offer should not go to waste.”

Her voice was soft and gentle, but only Jiang Si could feel how tightly her hand was being squeezed.

Jiang Si knew she had not behaved well in the past few days. Mowan Ci’s grip was not painful, so she allowed it. Smiling back, she said, “Of course not.”

To her, it was nothing out of the ordinary. But to everyone else, the gesture was far too intimate.

There was also the natural pull between marked Qianyuan and Kunze pairs. When they touched, other Qianyuan and Kunze individuals nearby could feel it, even if they could not always tell whether the mark was permanent or temporary.

So Mowan Ci’s gesture and tone felt more like a claim. A quiet declaration of territory.

Nangong Yan knew very well that those words were aimed at her. She and Mowan Ci had always disliked each other. Even without Jiang Si in the picture, they would not have gotten along.

Now that they were heading south together, just the thought of traveling with Mowan Ci made her feel uneasy. At first it had been because of Jiang Si. Now, Nangong Xiao’s presence only added to her discomfort.

After finalizing the travel plans, everyone gathered for dinner. Nangong Xiao sat next to Jiang Si. On either side of them sat Mowan Ci and Nangong Yan, the four facing each other across the table.

Nangong Yan was cold toward Mowan Ci, driven by personal feelings. Nangong Xiao, however, was not in a position to be petty. He had no reason to act impulsively, so he ended up doing most of the talking. He kept the conversation light, speaking mostly about Nanliang and inviting both Jiang Si and Mowan Ci to visit various places.

Mowan Ci stayed calm and pleasant, sitting close to Jiang Si and following her lead without question.

Jiang Si never brought up Nangong Yan’s earlier invitation to explore Nanliang together. It was as if she had only accepted to be polite.

Nangong Yan’s mood stayed tense throughout the meal. After dinner, while walking back through the courtyard, she moved ahead quickly without waiting for Nangong Xiao behind her.

Even though he usually spoiled her, Nangong Xiao knew when to draw a line. He called out sharply, “Yan.”

He rarely spoke to her so sternly, but when he did, it always worked.

Nangong Yan froze in place. She held back her frustration and turned around slowly, lowering her voice. “Brother.”

“I don’t care how you feel about Jiang Si. You need to control yourself.”

“Can’t you see how she treats the Princess of Shao Yuan? Even if Mowan Ci is technically a concubine, Jiang Si has shown her nothing but proper respect.”

“Who are you to act like this?”

The more he spoke, the lower his voice dropped. His face had turned serious and cold. Nangong Yan could not get a word in.

At the end, Nangong Xiao realized he had lost his temper. He cleared his throat, stepped forward, and gently patted her head.

“The royal house of Nanliang needs the Marquis of Jiajing as an ally.”

“Don’t act recklessly. I promise to find someone even better for you.”

“Our Yan should never have to compete with other Kunze for one Qianyuan.”

“Brother…” Nangong Yan’s voice wavered slightly. She stared at him, still unwilling to let it go.

Her feelings for Nangong Xiao were strange and complicated.

She feared him, sometimes even found him exhausting. But she also trusted him deeply.

He could comfort her when needed, but he never let her have her way entirely. Just like now.

If Nangong Yan wanted what she truly desired, she would have to yield.

“Brother, I like Jiang Si. From the very first moment I saw her, I liked her.”

Nangong Xiao’s eyes darkened. He glanced around quickly, then leaned in close and whispered something into her ear.

His voice grew softer and softer, and soon it was impossible to make out the words.

Not far away, Jiang Si stood still. She could not hear what they were saying.

She rubbed the edge of her ear and smiled to herself.

“Seems like those siblings finally figured out when to speak in private.”

The governor’s residence was not large. Everyone had to pass through the central garden to return to their own courtyards. While the Nangong siblings had stopped to talk, Jiang Si and Mowan Ci happened to be passing near the rock garden. They did not stop, but they had clearly heard most of the earlier conversation.

Except for that final whisper.

Still, they already had a good sense of what those two were thinking.

Jiang Si reached over and took Mowan Ci’s hand as they walked past the rocks.

Then, Mowan Ci spoke for the first time in a long while.

“If Nangong Yan really has her eyes on you, she won’t give up easily. It’s possible that…”

“They might try using something,” Jiang Si cut in, finishing the sentence. “Maybe on you, maybe on me.”

She stopped walking and looked Mowan Ci directly in the eyes.

“Maybe they’ll drug us both. You get sent to Nangong Xiao. I get sent to Nangong Yan.”

“Or worse. They might decide to get rid of you entirely.”

“That’s not impossible. On the surface, your only protection is me. And I’m still useful to them. The Jingyuan Army isn’t a force they can afford to offend.”

Everything Jiang Si said was logical. Mowan Ci thought about it and nodded in agreement.

“If that’s really how it goes, will you still protect me?” Mowan Ci asked with a soft smile.

Jiang Si raised an eyebrow and wrapped her arm around Mowan Ci’s waist. Leaning close, her voice lowered to a playful murmur.

“Of course I will. You’re my Kunze. If I don’t protect you…”

“Who else would?”

Her words were firm, but there was something more hidden beneath them.

Mowan Ci gently placed her hand over the one wrapped around her waist. She was about to speak when Jiang Si spoke first.

“Wanci, when will you finally be honest with me?”

“For example, where did that carrier pigeon go?”

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