Chapter 479 Yes, I love the princess.

The palace servants had all quietly slipped away without anyone noticing.

"Princess, don't move. It'll take more effort if you apply it crookedly."

Lu Yixue smiled innocently, as if he really just wanted to help her paint her nails.

Lu Yixue looked down at her messy nail polish, his fingertips holding a cotton swab and carefully dipping it in the nail polish. "Since I'm the one who bothered the princess, it's my duty to fix it for her."

Xie Yunjia was both angry and flustered. She glared at him but was helpless. She could only grit her teeth and say, "You've broken it because you're clumsy. I'll take your piano apart!"

Lu Yixue ignored her threat, his gaze focused on her fingertips, his movements steady without the slightest tremor.

The balsam juice mixed with cinnabar was brightly colored and slowly covered her nails with his movements, carefully filling in the marks left by the smudges.

Xie Yunjia stood frozen, too afraid to move, but her gaze involuntarily rose and met his eyes as he looked down.

The moment their eyes met, the air suddenly went still.

His eyes were a deep color, like ink soaked in warmth. The composure and calmness he usually concealed were now softened by a touch of tenderness, clearly reflecting her flushed cheeks and fingertips half-painted with nail polish.

Xie Yunjia was caught off guard and stumbled into this pool of tenderness. Her heart skipped a beat, like a deer pounding in her chest. She hurriedly tried to look away, but was fixed on by the focus in his eyes and couldn't look away even a fraction.

Xie Yunjia was taken aback.

Damn it, I've never thought this person was so good-looking before.

To be fair, because all her brothers were good-looking, Xie Yunjia never thought anyone's appearance was so outstanding that it would make her stunned.

But now...

Lu Yixue's fingertips paused slightly, but he didn't look away. The corners of his lips curled up almost imperceptibly, and his tone remained calm, but with a hint of low huskiness: "Princess, why are you looking at me?"

These words struck Xie Yunjia like a thunderbolt. She snapped back to reality, her cheeks instantly turning bright red, even her ears burning hot. She turned her face away forcefully, her voice urgent and flustered: "Who, who was looking at you! Narcissist!"

Xie Yunjia angrily slapped Lu Yixue's hand away, turned around and took a deep breath, suddenly realizing that she was being led by the nose by Lu Yixue.

How could she lose control so easily in front of him?

Xie Yunjia calmed down immediately.

She is a princess, how could she be easily provoked and thrown into disarray?

"Lu Yixue, what exactly do you want?" Xie Yunjia's face turned cold. She lost interest in this ambiguous relationship and went straight to the point, "You like me?"

This time, it was Lu Yixue's turn to be stunned.

He was prepared to deal with Xie Yunjia, so why did she suddenly launch a fierce attack?

But he wasn't afraid.

"Yes, I love Princess Xinyue."

His heart is set on this place, utterly sincere, and he has nothing to fear.

Xie Yunjia stared at him for a long time, then said, "Lu Yixue, have you thought this through? If you become a prince consort, you will be unable to enter officialdom and will have no chance of becoming an official. All those classic books you've read over the years will be useless. You'll be participating in the imperial examinations this spring, aren't you afraid of being called a gigolo, or being trapped by my side for the rest of your life as a pitiful person unable to realize your ambitions?"

Furthermore, ordinary men can have multiple wives and concubines, but if you become this princess's consort, you'll have to remain chaste for her for life. She might even keep a few interesting male concubines to share her service. Can you endure all of this?

"Your Highness, you are mistaken. I study to benefit the people. As for how to do that, does becoming Your Highness's husband preclude it? Your Highness is a princess of Yu Kingdom. Wouldn't it be better if I could assist Your Highness in making contributions? To be Your Highness's husband is something many people would rather die for. If I were fortunate enough to gain Your Highness's favor, I would only feel fortunate. Fortunate... that it is me, and not someone else. As for Your Highness's last point—I am confident that Your Highness would not bear to hurt me, right?"

With each sentence Lu Yixue spoke, he would take a step forward. Until the last sentence was finished, the two were no more than a fist's distance apart. Lu Yixue only needed to lower his head to kiss the lips he had longed for day and night.

Lu Yixue leaned closer to her, staring intently at her. Xie Yunjia had never known that someone as gentle and serene as the wind and as detached and tranquil as a cloud could have such a sharp side.

It left her bewildered and inexplicably flustered.

Xie Yunjia lowered her eyes, clenched her palms, and when she looked up again, she was once again the proud and aloof princess.

Xie Yunjia suddenly turned around and moved closer to Lu Yixue, their noses almost touching: "You like me, what do you like about me?"

Lu Yixue's breath hitched as he saw her give him a stunning smile, so beautiful, so adorable, and so lovable.

"You love me, even if I'm a two-faced person?"

Lu Yixue didn't understand.

Xie Yunjia scoffed, stepped back from him, and turned to Xiao Tao, saying, "Kill him."

He refers to the former steward of the princess's residence.

Xiao Tao immediately understood: "Yes, Princess."

Xiao Tao quickly walked out, and soon after, the sound of the person wailing for help and being dragged on the ground could be heard from outside the hall.

Soon, the sound stopped again.

Noticing Lu Yixue's somewhat surprised gaze, Xie Yunjia sat down nonchalantly, leaning lazily against the soft couch. "Father survived the struggle for the throne and has been working hard to avoid a recurrence of the same situation since ascending to the throne. But no matter how hard Father tries, moss will always grow in the shadows where the sun doesn't reach."

I can decide a person's life or death with a single word; I won't waste a second on him, nor will I feel any regret for his death. What I want, I will get; anything that stands in my way, I will eliminate. In the end, it's all about self-interest. I've never been a good person.

Xie Yunjia looked at him with her beautiful eyes and gave a light smile: "I'm sorry to disappoint you, Young Master Lu."

It is said that a man should marry a virtuous woman.

The women men like are simply those who are beautiful, virtuous, of noble character, and possess both virtue and talent.

It's a pity that she has a beautiful appearance, but she's not the kind of person who is gentle and kind.

Lu Yixue is a scholar, and he would surely be disappointed after seeing her make such a cold-blooded decision about someone's life and death.

"You said a lot to me."

Xie Yunjia: "?"

Lu Yixue's eyes lit up, and he excitedly took a few steps forward: "You said so much to me. You almost never say so much at once, let alone to other people. I really am special to you, aren't I?"

Xie Yunjia: "...Wh-what?"