Reborn, the daughter of the Marquisate went crazy

Inside the pleasure boat, candlelight flickered, and wisps of sunken incense rose from a gilded lion-shaped censer. Silver charcoal warmed the room. A brocade cushion embroidered with peony branches, a cloisonné tea set, and even the table, adorned with freshly picked red plum blossoms, were so exquisitely furnished, it felt like a daughter's carefully decorated boudoir.

When the two of them sat facing each other at the table, Xie Tingyu realized that all the maids and guards who had accompanied him were waiting outside the cabin, leaving him and Princess Fu'an alone in a room, which was really against etiquette.

He stood up suddenly, nearly knocking over the teacup on the table. "Your Highness and Li'er... I don't know where they are now. I will go find them. Princess, please rest here for a while..."

Princess Fu'an also stood up suddenly. She clenched her handkerchief, her red lips trembling slightly: "Master Xie, please wait a moment. I... I have something to tell you..."

Xie Tingyu's breathing paused slightly as he saw Princess Fu'an's cheeks as red as peach blossoms in March, her almond eyes sparkling with water, and her pearly teeth gently biting her red lips. Even if he was no longer an expert on romantic relationships, he suddenly realized what the princess was going to say next, in this quiet room on a painted boat, facing each other under a single lamp.

But there is a strict boundary between the ruler and his subjects. As a subject, it would be disrespectful for him to leave at this moment. Why not... just make things clear?

He took a half step back and stood respectfully. "If the princess has any advice for you, I'm all ears."

Princess Fu'an's heart tightened when she saw his distant expression. But then she thought, if she didn't speak up today, she might never have another chance after he returned to the southwest...

Her fingertips twisted the handkerchief tightly, her knuckles turning blue. She finally mustered the courage to look up, her voice trembling but firm: "Master Xie, I...I am attracted to you."

As soon as she said this, she felt her cheeks burning, but she still forced herself to continue, "I wonder...I wonder if you have someone in your heart...?"

Xie Tingyu's body stiffened, then he took a half step back and performed a formal courtier's salute. The moonlight shone on his dark robe, making his face even colder. "Your Majesty, I am terrified. I am stationed at the border, and I only wish to die on the battlefield. I dare not indulge in personal affairs."

He paused, his Adam's apple moving slightly. "Princess, you are precious and noble. In my heart, you are always the same as my younger sister. Please... don't give your heart to the wrong person."

Princess Fu'an felt as if she had fallen into an icy cave, the color draining from her face in an instant. She stared blankly at Xie Tingyu's downcast brows, his distant demeanor creating a chasm between them.

Thousands of words are stuck in my throat and can no longer be expressed.

She wanted to say that since she first saw this handsome young man in her mother's palace at the age of five, she had secretly hidden him in the softest corner of her heart.

She wanted to say how much she had thought that after her mother's death, her brother had grown increasingly silent, leaving the palace as desolate as the snow. It was only when he came to visit her brother that she most looked forward to the festive occasion.

She wanted to say that since he came to the palace less and less, she had placed all her girlish thoughts on the figure far away at the border, praying every day for his safety.

She wanted to say that even just seeing his back from afar would be enough to make her happy and joyful for days.

But now, he actually said...that he only regarded her as his sister?

This person who has been with her throughout her youth...

The cabin was suffocatingly quiet, with only the sound of dripping candle wax being clearly audible.

Princess Fu'an's hand, clutching the handkerchief, suddenly loosened, and like a butterfly with broken wings, it drooped limply onto the hem of her skirt. She lowered her head, the tears in her eyes shone in the candlelight, yet she stubbornly refused to let them fall.

"Just now... I made a slip of the tongue." Her voice was so soft that it was almost inaudible, and each word seemed to grind through the tip of her heart. "My Lord, just pretend... just pretend you have never heard these words."

A tear finally couldn't bear the weight and fell on the lotus pattern on the lapel, leaving a dark mark.

She tried to force a smile, but the corners of her lips trembled uncontrollably. She had no choice but to turn her face away hastily, looking at the swaying lights outside the cabin: "Brother Huang and Sister Li'er... My Lord, go look for them."

Xie Tingyu gazed at her thin yet stubborn figure, a pang of pity welling up in his chest. Perhaps his words had been too decisive, but he had always treated her with the compassion of a brother for a sister. Since there was no romantic connection between them, how could he dare to ruin her life?

The situation in Dongling was turbulent. As a general guarding the border, he might die on the battlefield at any time, or end up being executed by slow slicing as predicted in Li'er's dream... What's more, he was a member of the Xie family. If he really married the princess, those selfish and snobbish relatives would probably eat her whole.

Such a simple and beautiful girl deserves to find a good man and live a peaceful life surrounded by splendor, instead of being dragged into his life full of variables.

"I...obey your order."

He bowed, his dark sleeves drawing a resolute arc in the candlelight as he turned. As the hatch opened and closed, a suppressed whimper echoed from behind him, like the wail of a young animal. His footsteps paused imperceptibly, but he didn't turn back, striding out into the night...

Over there, Xie Qingli had long noticed Princess Fu'an's feelings for her eldest brother. If she could facilitate this marriage, wouldn't it be wonderful? Seeing the two of them heading towards the lantern stall, she deliberately led Chu Yuncang in the opposite direction.

"The mask stall over there is so lively, how about going to take a look?" She pretended to be very interested, but she caught a glimpse of Princess Fu'an guessing riddles with her eldest brother out of the corner of her eye, and the corners of her lips rose unconsciously.

Chu Yuncang lowered his eyes and caught the lively smile on her lips. His heart softened immediately: "Li'er, what are you laughing at?"

He naturally noticed that his sister and Xie Tingyu were missing, but he was secretly glad that he could be alone with Li'er, which was exactly what he wanted.

Xie Qingli pursed her lips and smiled faintly, taking two exquisitely crafted ghost masks from the stall. She put one on with deft movements, then stood on tiptoe and gently placed the other over Chu Yuncang's face. The hideous mask obscured his handsome features and blocked the burning gazes of the women on the street.

The two walked side by side, admiring the lanterns, guessing lantern riddles, watching acrobatics, and observing dragon lanterns, strolling through the long streets. Xie Qingli estimated that there should be enough time for Princess Fu'an and his elder brother, so he suggested returning to the pleasure boat.

Little did they know, from the moment they entered the market, the Second Prince had been lurking in the crowd, watching them. He watched the two of them in close proximity, his knuckles cracking. That day, Jiang Lingji had repeatedly declared, "Jiang daughters don't marry into the royal family." Why was it okay for his brother, but not him?

Looking at the two people stepping into the pleasure boat, his eyes were filled with hatred...

Inside the pleasure boat, Xie Qingli looked around but couldn't see his elder brother. He only saw Princess Fu'an hunched over a table, her shoulders trembling slightly.

Hearing the footsteps, she raised her head in panic. Her almond-shaped eyes were red and swollen like peaches, with crystal tear marks hanging at the corners of her eyes, flashing tiny lights in the candlelight.

Chu Yuncang's eyes darkened. He leaned over and stared into her red eyes. He asked in a deep voice, "Xuan'er, what happened?"

Princess Fu'an hurriedly lowered her head, her lips trembling slightly, and after a long while she managed to squeeze out a sentence: "Royal brother... I, I'm fine..."

Before she finished her words, a tear fell uncontrollably onto the table. She hurriedly wiped it away, forcing herself to look up. Her voice was as tinny as a mosquito's: "It's just... when we were guessing the riddles just now... I couldn't even guess the simplest one..."

At this point, her throat choked, and she nearly burst into tears again. Even she didn't believe such a lame excuse. But the man's rejection was still ringing in her ears, every word like a knife. How could she dare to tell the truth?