Chapter 43 Sincerity "Why did you suddenly decide to wear red today?"...

Sometimes, Yu Ling'er couldn't help but wonder about the background of the girl who was locked up. She was dressed up and just sat quietly by the window with a bare face, and Yu Ling'er could stare at her for a long time. But she only thought about it and didn't dare to actually stare at the person for long.

Sometimes Yu Ling'er would be assigned the task of combing her hair. At these times, she could openly look at her reflection in the mirror. The girl was clearly younger than herself, yet she appeared lifeless, like an elderly person. Especially her strange eyes; though beautiful like glass beads when illuminated, they were always dull, like burnt-out ashes, devoid of any vitality. This left Yu Ling'er lost in thought, yet also filled with a sense of pity.

Only once did Yu Ling'er see the sparks in those eyes.

That time she almost lost her life, Yu Ling'er hid behind the screen and witnessed the fury bursting from her eyes when she slapped the Crown Prince hard.

Yu Ling'er thought disrespectfully, "She is absolutely gorgeous."

Everyone said she bewitched the Crown Prince with her beautiful appearance, and some even called her an ominous bewitching creature who would surely bring disaster upon the future. They outwardly flattered and praised her, but secretly they envied and despised her.

Yu Ling'er knew perfectly well what was going on. She wasn't a demon. Even if she were, she was a beautiful one. She didn't eat human flesh or drink human blood, and she didn't utter a single word all day. In fact, she was much cleaner than most people in the palace.

And she even saved her own life.

Looking at the person in the mirror, Yu Ling'er thought, "For someone like this to be willing to stay by His Highness's side, it seems... perhaps... maybe it's His Highness's good fortune."

A bird suddenly landed on the windowsill.

Yu Ling'er instinctively tried to shoo it away, but the bird fluttered a few times, then moved to another spot. It wasn't afraid of people at all, and instead started chirping and twittering towards the room.

Yu Ling'er was about to shoo it away again, afraid that the bird would disturb her peace. But the person on the bed stopped Yu Ling'er, putting a finger to her lips to signal Yu Ling'er to be quiet.

Yu Ling'er didn't understand, so she obediently shut her mouth. Then Yu Ling'er saw the bird hop onto her hand, rub against her hand, chirp for a while, and then peck at the silver bracelet on her wrist with its beak.

The crisp, clear tapping sound left Yu Ling'er speechless. What surprised her even more was that she seemed to understand what the birds were saying, her eyes shining with an almost frightening light.

For many days afterward, Yu Ling'er often saw her staring blankly at the silver bracelet.

*

Xiao Jiang is waiting, waiting for a night with a full moon.

Before that, she needed to untie the straps on her hands and feet.

Qin Yuqi would come several times a day, and sometimes he would even occupy half of her bed at night. The four corners of the bindings were made of silk, but even the softest fabric is uncomfortable to use when your hands and feet are bound.

Sometimes, the way she slept at night would tighten the straps, leaving a red mark on her wrist when she woke up the next day. Whenever this happened, Qin Yuqi would massage her wrist to reduce the swelling, but he would never mention loosening the straps.

She knew that he still hadn't completely let his guard down around her.

But there isn't much time left until the next full moon.

So every day, Xiao Jiang would have Yu Ling'er bring her a basin of water, ostensibly to wash her hands, but in reality to completely wet the bandages. She would let the damp cloth rub against her skin, and once the bandages dried naturally, she would soak them again, repeating this process several times a day.

At first, Yu Ling'er thought she had some kind of germophobia and couldn't stand dirty hands, but when red rashes started to appear on her wrists, Yu Ling'er realized something was wrong.

Yu Ling'er took the ointment to apply to her, but Xiao Jiang refused outright. Instead of applying the ointment, she let the damp bandage rub against the red rash on her wrist without any regard for the consequences. If she hadn't been unable to reach it with her own hands, Yu Ling'er felt that she might have scratched herself until she bled.

She really didn't take good care of her body.

Holding the medicine bottle, Yu Ling'er asked cautiously, "Miss, is it because you... hate His Highness the Crown Prince that you're torturing yourself like this?"

Xiao Jiang stopped what she was doing, and without answering, she lowered her eyes, concealing all her emotions.

She had many palace servants who took care of her daily needs, and they would talk to her from time to time.

They told her that Qin Yuqi was the Crown Prince of the Dayong Dynasty, the future Emperor, and that since she was so favored by the Prince, she would surely become an extraordinary noblewoman with endless wealth and honor.

They taught her to seize the opportunity while she was young to hold onto a man's heart, and ideally to have children as soon as possible, so that she wouldn't be left without support when she grew old and lost her beauty.

At such times, she would lower her head and remain meek, revealing no emotion whatsoever.

They would never know that all she wanted was to grab Qin Yuqi by the neck, plunge the blade deep into him, and have him open his eyes to watch her slit his throat, leaving him speechless.

She hates it.

Even in my dreams, I can only grit my teeth and not relax, even if it means tearing my flesh apart, for fear that I might accidentally reveal my hatred and call out the name of my enemy.

Jia Qianyang, Qin Yuqi, Liu Dan, the Black Armor Captain, the Black Armor Soldier... everyone involved in the massacre at Liyue Village.

She wished she could tear them apart and drink their blood raw, so that they too would taste the bitterness of losing their families and homes!

Countless nights, she dreamt of killing these people, but it was always futile. No matter how hard she tried, no matter how much effort she put in, the outcome was always the same: the people of Liyue Village died one after another before her eyes. What was already set in stone in reality could not be changed in her dreams.

She's so useless.

The divination her father performed for her predicted that she was destined to die. After waking up, she was expecting Qin Yuqi to set a death date for her, but he said he liked her and even that he had saved her life.

How absurd! She survived thanks to the love of her enemy, and in the end, it was such a useless person like her who survived.

When she woke up in the middle of the night, she looked at Qin Yuqi's face beside her. Only when she saw him sleeping soundly with his eyes closed could she openly express the hatred in her heart.

Unfortunately, her spiritual veins are now completely destroyed, rendering her utterly useless. Even with her enemy right in front of her, she has no way to take revenge.

She's so useless.

Yu Ling'er couldn't understand how she dared to say such rebellious words. She just felt a little sorry for her. He was clearly younger than her, but he had suffered so much. He never complained when his dressings were changed, and now he had to torture himself like this.

She wasn't oblivious; every time the Crown Prince came, the peaceful atmosphere in the room would be shattered, replaced by a subtle sense of forbearance and repression. Although this was the Crown Prince's palace, she often couldn't help but feel that the Crown Prince was the intruder.

Seeing that she didn't answer for a long time, Yu Ling'er didn't ask any more questions. Asking such a question was already extremely disrespectful. Fortunately, there were not many people walking around in the side hall where she was staying. Otherwise, if someone with ulterior motives had heard her, she would have been in big trouble.

Yu Ling'er simply advised her, "Miss, please don't torture yourself anymore. Your hands are sore. When His Highness isn't here, I'll loosen the bindings for you, and then I'll tie them back up when His Highness is about to arrive."

As Yu Ling'er was about to untie the ribbons binding her hands, Xiao Jiang stopped her. She understood the little palace maid's good intentions, and therefore was even more determined not to let her be implicated, shaking her head and saying, "No, I can't harm you."

Yu Ling'er was puzzled, but simply loosened the bindings to make her feel better. His Highness liked her and would surely want the best for her. Even if His Highness found out, she could explain it away. Even if His Highness was angry, it would only be a punishment; why would it harm her? As long as nothing happened to her, those who served her would naturally be fine.

As long as nothing happens to her...

Suddenly realizing something, Yu Ling'er gasped, instantly understanding the meaning of her words.

Yu Ling'er opened her eyes wide, and as if to confirm her guess, the white-haired girl raised her head and looked at her solemnly, nodding slightly.

The air inside the hall fell silent for a moment.

After a long while, Yu Ling'er took a deep breath, as if she had made a major decision.

She took Xiao Jiang's hand, looked into her eyes, and whispered, "I'll help you."

*

As soon as Qin Yuqi entered the hall, he saw the striking red figure on the bed.

She sat sideways in the morning light, facing a bronze mirror, while a young palace maid was doing her hair and makeup.

Hearing him enter, she turned her head slightly and glanced at him.

White hair, red clothes, golden eyes.

Bathed in the autumn sunshine.

Qin Yuqi was rooted to the spot by that gaze, and immediately felt all the blood rushing to his head, his heart pounding out of control.

He felt his face burning. Reason told him he couldn't look any longer, or he would completely lose control and fall into an even more terrifying situation. But no matter how hard he struggled, he couldn't take his eyes off that person.

It wasn't his fault; she was just too dazzling.

Qin Yuqi calmed himself down for a moment before approaching the people in the hall.

Upon seeing him approach, the young palace maid who was doing her hair and makeup immediately stepped aside, curtsied, and greeted him, "Your Highness."

Qin Yuqi seemed not to hear her. He opened and closed his hands behind his back, exhaled imperceptibly, and tried to make his voice sound calm as he asked her, "Why did you decide to wear red today?"

"It was me who was being nosy. Yesterday, I passed by Luhua Terrace and saw the red leaves on Phoenix Mountain in the distance. I thought they were very beautiful. Just then, the lady in the Imperial Wardrobe made a new red dress for you, Miss. I thought you would look even more beautiful in it than the red leaves, so I begged you to wear it so that I could feast my eyes on it."

The young palace maids who were doing her hair and makeup chattered away, and this time Qin Yuqi listened attentively. Not only did he listen, but he even praised her, which was quite rare for him, saying, "You did a very good job."

Phoenix Mountain.

He remembered telling her that he would take her to Luhua Terrace to see the red leaves of Phoenix Mountain in the autumn. Although she was still unconscious at the time and knew nothing, every word he said was sincere.

She has been in Zhaoming City for some time now, but he has never taken her out.

When she entered, a palace maid was doing her eyebrows. Qin Yuqi suddenly had an idea, took the eyebrow pencil from the maid's hand, and wanted to do her eyebrows herself.

She didn't refuse; instead, she surprisingly cooperated. She lifted her eyelids, tilted her head slightly, and let her gaze fall lightly on the side of his neck. Her pale golden pupils were clear and transparent in the sunlight, shimmering like the sunset on the water.

Under such gazes, Qin Yuqi couldn't help but hold her breath, her heart skipped a few beats, and she almost couldn't hold the snail shell in her hand.

Fortunately, her eyebrows were already perfectly shaped, with a natural and beautiful curve, like the faint shadow of a distant mountain. All he could do was to deepen that shadow.

The person drawing her eyebrows was standing extremely close to the person being drawn, so close that Qin Yuqi could count the fine downy hairs on her face. In the sunlight, the downy hairs were soft and dense, shimmering with a pale golden light. The small mole adorning her rounded earlobe was clear and vivid; heaven knows how much effort he had to exert to resist the urge to bite it.

After forcing herself to draw a few strokes, Qin Yuqi finally couldn't take it anymore. She casually tossed the incense sticks back onto the dressing table, quietly turned her face to the side, and took deep breaths of fresh air, trying to calm her disordered breathing and rapid heartbeat.

Perhaps he was too hasty in releasing it, because Luo Dai suddenly rolled down. Xiao Jiang subconsciously reached out to catch it, but his wrist was tied. He didn't know where he was being squeezed, but he suddenly hissed softly.

Hearing the soft exclamation, Qin Yuqi immediately snapped out of his reverie. Noticing the unusual sensation on her hand, he quickly took it and asked, "What's wrong?"

She didn't answer; instead, she tried to pull her hand away from his.

Qin Yuqi did not let go. He lifted her sleeve and saw the shocking festering sores on her wrist, with the skin around the bandage completely rotten.

She shrank back, seemingly reluctant to let him see her.

Why didn't you tell me?

Qin Yuqi looked at her hand with heartache and immediately untied the bandage. The skin under the bandage was red, swollen and oozing pus, which stood out prominently on her fair wrist.

Qin Yuqi felt a sharp pain in his heart, unable to imagine how much she was suffering. He pulled her into his arms, nuzzled his cheek against her hair, and said apologetically, "I'm sorry, it's my fault."

The snail shell fell to the ground, and Yu Ling'er reached out and picked it up.

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Author's Note: Here I am! [doge emoji]