Chapter 056
Chapter 56: You Actually Think I’m Not Hurt Enough?
A cold wind swept through the carriage window, brushing Yun Wan Yao’s face and clearing her mind like icy water. She pressed a hand to her chest and whispered to herself, half panicked, half sober: “Not good, not good at all. It is already so late. If I visit the princess now, she will ask why I have come at such an hour. What am I supposed to say?”
She folded her hands tight as the doubts tumbled on: “She was just injured, and now I show up out of nowhere. If I do not have a proper reason, anyone would suspect something. I might make up something to fool the princess, but that sharp-eyed old nanny by her side is not someone I can trick so easily. If she grows suspicious, I might bring trouble to Duke Ning Manor.”
The more she thought, the more reckless her own plan seemed. She truly was worried about the princess, but she had not prepared herself. In the end, she might only make things worse. Having weighed the consequences, she forced down her worry for Mo Zhao Zhao and moved to the side of the carriage. Lifting the curtain, she told the driver in a steady voice: “Turn back.”
Thus the carriage, which had only just left the manor, turned about and followed the same road home. Inside, Yun Wan Yao clenched her fists and drew a deep breath. [No matter what happens tonight, I must stay calm. Everything will wait until tomorrow.]
Princess Manor.
The wound on Mo Zhao Zhao’s face had been dressed. A thin layer of ointment covered her skin. Once the grime and blood were wiped clean, a red, swollen gash more than an inch long showed clear across her cheek. It was not deep, but it looked angry and raw, ugly against once flawless skin. A face once radiant and delicate like carved jade had been marred, and pity rose unbidden.
Staring into the mirror, Mo Zhao Zhao sobbed bitterly. Yun Wan Ye said in a low voice, trying to soothe her: “Stop crying. I already asked the imperial physician. He said if you use the medicine properly, there will not be a lasting scar.”
She turned sharply, red-eyed and blazing as she snapped back: “The imperial physician is not an immortal. Just because he says it will not scar does not mean it will not. What if it does? My face, what if it is ruined?”
Her bruised cheek paired with her tear-swollen eyes made her look so pitiful that Yun Wan Ye fell silent a beat before forcing patience into his voice: “Princess, you are overthinking. I looked at your injury. It is only a layer of skin, and it looks worse than it is. If you follow the physician’s instructions, it will heal nicely. Just stop crying, all right?”
He eyed the shining ointment and added with a frown: “If you keep crying, your tears will wash the medicine away. Then who knows if it might really scar.”
Mo Zhao Zhao’s voice rose with fury as she flung him a glare: “What, are you saying I am not injured enough for your liking?”
Yun Wan Ye sighed, helpless and a little angry. He rubbed his temple and muttered under his breath, then met her eyes and said: “I am only wondering this, Princess. Your wound is on your face, yet it seems your brain is the part that got hurt. You cannot even tell good advice from bad.”
She pointed at him, trembling: “You, what did you say? How dare you talk to this princess like that? Get out, get out of my sight right now.”
His jaw tightened. He threw his hands up and snapped: “Fine, I will go. Who wants to stay in this place anyway? Kindness thrown to the dogs. Mo Zhao Zhao, you are ungrateful.”
She watched him storm away in disbelief, only for him to stop and turn back. A strange smirk played at his lips. He let his gaze travel over her, slow and deliberate, as if appraising a piece of furniture. He clicked his tongue and said: “That face of yours. You are really worried about scarring? Why bother? Even without scars, you are not so much to look at. Small eyes, a low nose bridge, lips that are not enticing, and that chin is not sharp at all. Not to mention you have no chest and no hips. I do not see what is worth worrying about.”
“You are a scoundrel.” Rage shook her voice. She raised her hand and slapped him hard across the face: “Pa!”
The sound cracked through the room. He did not dodge. He took it full on the cheek. Her palm went numb at once and she froze. She had expected him to avoid it. With his skills, ten of her could not even brush his sleeve. But he had not moved at all.
He spoke in a quiet, rough voice as a shadow slid through his eyes: “I thought I told you before: do not ever hit my face.”
He seized her wrist. In one swift motion he flung her against the wall and stepped in. His tall frame closed the gap, pinning her with ease. Mo Zhao Zhao struggled, but he did not budge. She lifted her chin to summon the majesty of a princess, yet a flicker of panic trembled in her gaze as she said: “Let go, Yun Wan Ye. Laying hands on royalty is a grave crime. What you are doing is disrespecting your princess.”
He met her threat with a cold, careless look and murmured: “So what if it is? It is just one life.”
His mouth tipped in a sneer as he added: “Yes, Princess, you are noble and exalted. But I am not someone to trifle with. In all my life, no one has dared slap me. Yet you think you can do it just like that. What do you take me for?”
“I slapped you, so what? Who told you to speak to me like that?” Her voice wore authority, but her heart was in a knot. She truly had not expected him to take the hit.
He gave a short laugh: “Princess, you are overbearing. You cannot take a few words, yet you think I should take a slap in silence.”
She narrowed her eyes, reading the danger in his tone, and asked: “Then what do you want?”
“Nothing much,” he said, leaning in. “You hit me, and it hurts. Now you will rub it for me. You can only stop when I say the pain is gone.”
She stared, scandalized: “I am a princess. How could I do something like that?”
“You do not have a choice.” His handsome face held a cold amusement as he took her hand and pressed it to the cheek she had struck. Her heart skipped. With his face so close, his features so clean and striking, she had the ridiculous urge to scratch him instead. She, a dignified princess, reduced to rubbing a man’s cheek. It felt like humiliation.
She bit out a threat, low and hot: “If you treat me like this, are you not afraid I will call the guards and have you arrested?”
He tipped his head, voice soft but ruthless: “At this hour, a princess and a man alone in one room. If you are not afraid of ruining your reputation, then call.”
Her face flushed crimson at once. She grasped for another angle and accused him with a huff: “You have nerve to say that. I dismissed you long ago, but you refused to leave. Be honest, were you planning to steal something from my palace? I warn you, everything here was gifted by the emperor, the empress, and my imperial elder brother. Even if you saved me today, you have no right to touch anything.”
He went still for a breath. Then he sighed inwardly. Oh yes, he had his eye on a treasure, but not the kind she meant. Hard to believe such a clueless girl survived in a palace that devoured people alive. Still, dumb as she was, she was breathtaking.
His eyes darkened further, but a voice from outside cut the moment clean: a guard called through the door with care, “Princess, His Majesty and Prince Qi have arrived.”
Relief sparked across Mo Zhao Zhao’s face. She lifted her chin and raised her voice toward the door: “Tell imperial elder brother and royal brother to wait a moment. I will be there immediately.”
“Yes, Your Highness,” answered the guard.