Chapter 64 His Woman "Don't praise her too much, she's easily hurt..."
A long time ago, I lied to him, saying I was a goddess in heaven. I never expected he would still remember. I was both amused and exasperated.
I pushed him away and took a deep breath. The night wind carried the cool rain in, and I exhaled a long breath.
"This is so boring," he suddenly said.
"What?" I turned around with a half-smile. "You're disappointed you didn't fall for me, aren't you?"
His amber eyes gleamed with a pale gold light in the dim light. "As expected."
"How so?"
"Back in the Land of Death, I thought you were a dull woman who didn't know what love was. Now it seems that's really true."
His smile was like a poppy blooming in the night. "You're really clueless."
I didn't understand what "not following the rules" meant, but I didn't ask.
We remained silent for a while in the dim light, the train rumbled, and the night rain occasionally brushed against our faces.
"Why did you turn into a man?" I suddenly asked.
"I am a man."
"May I ask you this: why did you pretend to be a woman?"
He fell silent again, and just when I thought he wouldn't answer me, he finally replied, "I have a twin sister who looks exactly like me. Later, she was poisoned to death. I was supposed to die, but she accidentally drank a cup of poisoned milk in my place and died. Before she died, she held my hand tightly and begged me to impersonate her. She said that only in this way could I survive, because my stepmother would never let go of the boy with the right to inherit the family property. So I became her and was sent to the place of death, while she became me and was buried in the family cemetery."
"Then why did you return from the land of death as a man? Won't your stepmother harm you again?"
His snow-white fingertips traced my face and stopped at my chin.
"How do you want me to answer, my girl? Do you want me to say that I overestimated myself? But if I don't restore my true form, all of my mother's loyal followers will run away, and then I will have nothing."
The rumble of the train filled my ears, accompanied by his soft voice, like a strange dream.
I never expected him to tell me these secrets, and I was actually quite surprised.
"What kind of man do you think I am?" he suddenly asked me.
I was startled. "I..."
"Do you think I'm paranoid and wouldn't easily reveal these things to others?" His smile was incredibly captivating.
"Yes."
I looked at him in astonishment. How could he so easily guess what I was thinking?
His beautifully manicured fingertips traced across my neck and collarbone, gently writing words. "Can you guess what I'm writing?"
I'm not familiar with the characters here; I recognize them but can't write them. "I...don't know."
"How boring. You really don't understand romance." His smile was radiant. "What I wrote was that only you are worth saying these things to."
My face suddenly felt hot in the dim candlelight.
The night rain fell even harder, lashing my face but doing nothing to cool me down.
I fled in panic.
The next morning, the world was shrouded in heavy rain and thick fog, as if winter had arrived overnight.
All the maids put on the down jackets and scarves that had been prepared beforehand, and so did I.
Only Princess Yanni and Prince Mamboa were dressed lightly, in only loose white dresses and long coats. Their compartment was warm and cozy—the only place equipped with something resembling heating.
I carried the milk and tea snacks in without looking to either side and respectfully placed them on the table covered with an exquisite tablecloth.
Princess Yanni and Mamboa were snuggling together chatting when they saw me and stopped talking at the same time.
He looked at me like a stranger.
—It seems I took it a little too seriously last night.
For men of his social class, flirting is just an everyday occurrence.
I can treat it as a regular meal.
The train rumbled along, this journey was particularly long, another day and night. The scenery slowly changed, from light snow to heavy snow, then a blizzard, as the train entered a land of ice and snow.
Everywhere we looked were snow-covered mountains, lakes, and forests. Our train was passing through a snow-covered forest. Silver strands and round snowflakes hung on the broad green leaves, the thick tree trunks were covered with white snow, and snowflakes were still falling from the sky, as if dancing, a breathtaking sight.
"We've entered the North," someone said.
The blizzard lashed the train, making the entire carriage shake. Even wrapped in thick down jackets, we felt cold.
The train sped across the tracks of a vast, frozen lake, startling countless white birds into flight. Ignoring the cold, I pressed myself against the window and even saw fish swimming beneath the ice – it was incredible!
As the train approached the center of the frozen lake, it made a turn and entered a hole in the frozen lake, beginning its journey through an underwater cave.
The silvery icicles and icicles covering the cave ceiling reflected the bright green light of the ferns on the cave walls, giving off a soft, emerald-like glow.
The cave was filled with crystal-clear lake water. A large group of colorful fish scattered as soon as the train entered. I watched them intently, while the other maids chattered excitedly in hushed tones.
"Although the North is covered in snow all year round, it is not poor. I see."
"Legend has it that there are still many mineral deposits at the bottom of the mountain and the lake."
Although both are lands of perpetual ice and snow, the harsh lands of Bernot cannot compare to the North.
Through the glass window, I saw several fish of different colors and sizes swimming quickly by, as if I were in a modern underwater world.
Emerging from the underwater tunnel, the train's roar was deafening. But I could still hear the voices of the two maids sitting behind me, "We've heard that this tunnel is actually an entrance to a northern barrier, and only those from outside with permission can enter."
"No wonder the ten-year war failed to defeat the North."
"Although the Eastern Territory is the victorious nation, the Northern Territory has not been defeated either, while the Western Territory and our Southern Territory have suffered heavy losses."
At that moment, the train started whistling continuously. I couldn't hear it clearly, so I turned to the side to try and listen further, but they were unusually perceptive and suddenly stopped talking.
At this point, the tracks became somewhat slippery, and the occasional hissing sound from the bottom of the train indicated that its speed was beginning to decrease.
The train quickly pulled into the station and stopped in front of a long row of fences. Not far away, towering defensive towers rose one after another, occasionally flashing signal fires. Large groups of guards stood solemnly before the fences.
As Manberia, draped in a white fox fur cloak, stepped off the train, the guards immediately knelt in salute. I walked behind Manberia, holding an umbrella for Princess Yanni.
The storm had stopped, but the snow was still heavy, and I was completely outside the umbrella.
Suddenly, Mamboa turned around, smiled slightly at me, untied his white fox fur cloak, and came to me, draping it over my shoulders and gently putting a white hood on me.
I was stunned, and Princess Yanni burst into laughter.
I awkwardly tried to take off the cloak, but he pressed me down forcefully and threatened, "If you take it off, I'll carry you to the carriage in front of everyone."
There were about a dozen horse-drawn carriages parked on the snow outside the large fence, along with a large group of guards and so many eyes watching.
I could only comply, feeling my face burning again, while Princess Yani laughed even harder.
The maids all looked at me with ambiguous and strange eyes.
A black carriage pulled by a winged horse soared into the snow-covered sky, and Princess Yanni and I shared one. She lazily trimmed her fingernails, remarking, "Royal men are all masters of flirtation."
I said, "Yes."
She gave me a half-smile, then said nothing more.
Just before the carriage was about to land, she suddenly spoke, "If you're willing to be my mistress, you'll have to kiss me later."
I was completely baffled and didn't quite understand what she meant.
Dozens of carriages soon landed, along with a large number of guards on flying horses, creating a rather grand procession.
Like other countries, the North must use land "transportation" once it fully enters its territory.
Standing at the foot of an extremely high snow-capped mountain, I felt dizzy.
Clearly, behind this snow-capped mountain lies the real northern territory, heavily guarded, with several guards stationed every ten steps or so, and a patrol team making rounds every so often.
"Brother Manboya." A soft, timid girl's voice came from beside a carriage not far away.
I looked in the direction of the sound and saw a slender girl with long hair wearing a white fox fur hooded dress rushing over. When Manbo saw her, he also rushed over and helped her up as she almost fell over.
“Brother Manboya, I knew you would come back today, so I specially waited for you here.” Her voice was soft and sweet.
"It's so cold, don't do that next time," Mamboya said softly.
"No, I'll wait for the next time, and the time after that." Her eyes were full of adoration.
Princess Yanni smiled, looking completely unfazed.
I felt a chill. Royal men are really masters of flirting; they're the same with any woman they find attractive.
“Brother Manboya, I heard that besides Princess Yani, you also brought back a sister this time?” Her gaze turned to us maids, and her sharp eyes fixed on me—only Princess Yani and I were standing the closest, and I was wearing an expensive white fox fur cloak.
Then I could see her features clearly. Her small oval face had a pair of bright and captivating purple eyes, her pink cherry lips were alluring and cute, and her long, curly purple hair reached her waist, exuding a charming and endearing aura.
As we sized each other up, Princess Yanni laughed. "Manboa, is this Lady Suro? Aren't you going to give us a proper introduction?"
Manberia smiled slightly, gently took her hand, and together they came to Princess Yani. "My chief mistress, Su Luo."
Su Luo bowed to Princess Yani and said, "Greetings to the princess."
Princess Yanni generously took her arm and said with a smile, "Seeing is believing. Lady Su Luo is indeed as beautiful as the rumors say."
Su Luo blushed, and Manboya's voice drifted to my ear, "Don't praise her too much, she's easily embarrassed."
No one noticed my stiff expression—just moments ago they had been showering me with concern, but now they were completely ignoring me. Some of the maids let out low snickers.
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Author's Note: Thank you all for your support, I'm so sorry to have kept you waiting!
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