Chapter 168: Chapter 168: The Prince’s Destined One Is Not Me

Having woken up too early and been treated like a puppet all day, Song Lianhe drifted off into a daze the moment she lay down on the canopy bed. She had no idea when Cao Ying and the others had left.

Shuang Ye was originally keeping watch outside. Hearing footsteps, she immediately looked up. “Your High—”

Zhou Cangyan was dressed in a black wedding robe, his long hair tied back with a red satin ribbon. Earlier, she had heard from Ah Jun that he was being plied with drinks in the front courtyard, yet here he was, walking with a perfectly steady gait.

He raised a hand, signaling for her to be silent, then pushed the door open and entered.

Shuang Ye stood guard at the door. Before they left, Nanny Diao had taken her aside and specifically instructed her on how to serve them—when the masters called for water, hot water had to be ready in the side room at a moment’s notice.

Being an unmarried maiden, she couldn’t help but blush at the implication.

Inside, red candles flickered, and large, red “double happiness” characters could be seen everywhere.

The woman sleeping on the canopy bed was not a graceful sleeper. Her oversized wedding dress had been twisted and tangled around her as she rolled over, inadvertently cinching tight and accentuating her exquisite, graceful figure.

The man glanced over, and the corners of his lips curled into a smirk.

He turned, pushed the door open again, and ordered, “Prepare some food.”

“Yes.”

Shuang Ye immediately had someone go and prepare it.

Song Lianhe had lived in the Prince Qing Mansion for some time. Regardless of the rumors circulating outside, in Uncle Liang’s eyes, she was not one for pomp and circumstance, nor did she like being surrounded by a large entourage. Thus, she was accustomed to having only Shuang Ye as her accompanying maid.

But now that she was married, she was the mistress of the Prince Mansion. It was necessary to assign a few more capable maids to her side. So, Shuang Ye was tasked with picking two clever ones. They were a pair of twins named Qingqing and Youyou, who would normally just take orders from Shuang Ye.

Soon, Qingqing carried a food box inside.

When the young maid came out, she couldn’t hide the blush on her face. She excitedly told Shuang Ye, “The Princess Consort was sleeping the whole time, and the Prince just sat by the bed watching over her! He only woke the Princess Consort after I brought the food in! Oh, I’ve never seen the Prince be so good to anyone!”

Hearing that the Prince was taking such good care of her lady, the weight in Shuang Ye’s heart was finally lifted.

In the bridal chamber, Song Lianhe was still groggy from sleep. She sat dazedly at the table, staring blankly at the handsome, otherworldly man illuminated by the flickering candlelight.

Zhou Cangyan’s light brown eyes watched her quietly, his gaze as brilliant as a shining star. Moonlight streamed through the window lattice, falling on his perfect, jade-like profile, making him seem too handsome to be mortal.

She was suddenly reminded of the dream she just had. It was this very man before her, seducing and bewitching her with all his might. She had almost lost all self-control.

She slowly raised her hand and caressed the man’s face, suddenly whispering, “You’re so handsome.”

’He’s handsome in a way that hits every single one of my aesthetic preferences. Utterly flawless.’

Zhou Cangyan glanced at her, an unintentional smile leaking from his eyes. He picked up the chopsticks and placed them in her hand. “Eat something first.”

“Oh.”

After a few bites of meat, Song Lianhe started to come to her senses.

Her chopsticks suddenly froze in mid-air, her expression stiffening.

“Not to your liking?”

Song Lianhe frowned, shook her head slightly, and looked at the man across from her again. “Your Highness,” she said solemnly, “so much has happened these past few days, and we haven’t had a chance to talk properly.”

She put down her chopsticks.

“So?”

Seeing that she wasn’t moving, Zhou Cangyan picked up his chopsticks, plucked a piece of red bean cake, and brought it to her lips.

Song Lianhe instinctively opened her mouth and ate it. “I know you only married me because of the circumstances,” she mumbled, her voice muffled by the food. “I understand completely.”

The man’s movements abruptly paused.

He raised an eyebrow, his eyes narrowing. With a slight smile, he very slowly uttered a single word, “Also?”

Song Lianhe didn’t notice anything amiss and even nodded in agreement. “Your Highness’s destined one… isn’t actually me.”

SMACK.

Before she could finish, Zhou Cangyan slammed his chopsticks on the table. His entire demeanor turned as if coated in a thin layer of ice, his gaze sharp and frigid.

Song Lianhe was so frightened she didn’t dare make a sound, completely unaware of which of her words had offended him.

The man straightened his back, looking down at her with half-lidded eyes, exuding an invisible, oppressive aura.

His fingers began to tap lightly on the tabletop.

TAP… TAP… TAP…

Each tap landed like a heavy blow on Song Lianhe’s heart. She felt like a fish, cleaned and served up on his chopping block.

“Continue.”

“Huh?”

Song Lianhe snapped back to her senses and, mustering her courage, said, “If we want to resolve our current predicament, you and I must go through with this marriage. But Your Highness needn’t worry! I am very sensible. This marriage is just a temporary measure. After some time, all Your Highness has to do is find some pretext to submit a petition, ask the Holy Emperor to grant us a divorce, and you’ll be a free man again!”

She spoke with glowing enthusiasm, as if certain of the plan’s success.

“Oh?” Zhou Cangyan lowered his gaze, the Bone Ring on his index finger glinting with a sinister, cold light.

“So, you’ve already planned an escape route for me.”

“Of course! Your Highness only ended up in this situation to help me. I can’t just play dumb! That’s not Song Lianhe’s style! Besides, you don’t need to worry about the Holy Emperor getting suspicious. With my rock-bottom reputation, the Holy Emperor will definitely not give you a hard time!”

’Song Lianhe was so moved by her own speech, she almost made herself cry. What a kind little angel I am.’

“Heh heh.”

Zhou Cangyan laughed.

His voice was already deep, but now, with his throat tight, the sound was even lower, making one’s chest feel tight and inexplicably oppressed.

She stole a glance at him, but his extraordinarily handsome face seemed to be hidden behind a gauze curtain, shrouding all his emotions, making them impossible to see clearly.

“You truly are thinking of my best interests.”

“Of course!”

Song Lianhe eagerly pledged her sincerity. “I’ve wanted to talk to Your Highness about this for a while, but one thing after another kept happening, and I was caught off guard! Now that we’ve cleared the air, a great weight has been lifted from my heart. Otherwise, I would have felt… I would have felt like I was letting Your Highness down.”

’She was completely humbling herself before him, all in the hope that when he eventually got together with the female lead, he would remember their camaraderie as allies and show her some mercy!’

The fingers Zhou Cangyan had been tapping on the table abruptly stopped. Then, bit by bit, he lifted his icy gaze. A single look seemed enough to freeze her solid.

“So I should be thanking you, then?”

“Not at all, not at all…”

Feeling a little unnerved, Song Lianhe picked up her tea and took a sip.

’Was it her imagination, or was something off about Zhou Cangyan’s mood?’

’Why was he thanking her through gritted teeth?’

’Thinking about it more carefully, it was probably because now that everything was out in the open, he no longer needed to pretend.’

She nodded to herself, feeling fortunate that she was sensible enough to confess early. She had, in a way, secured herself a chance at survival.

’Yes, Song Lianhe, you’re amazing!’

“Er… there’s one more thing I’d like to clear up with Your Highness.”

She put down her cup, hesitating and stammering.

She had originally sealed this matter away in her memory, treating it as nothing more than a dream.

By thinking this way for so long, she had actually managed to fool herself.

’But she was married to the Prince now; how could she dare to hide anything? Seizing the opportunity of this “honesty hour,” she decided to just get it all out in one go.’

“Actually, I… I…” Song Lianhe bit the bullet and blurted it out, “I’m not… entirely a virgin!” She was more of a coward than she’d thought; after the words were out, her face flushed, and her heart pounded uncontrollably.

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