Princess In The Palace

30. Her Return

Chapter 30.

recap: in the previous chapter, when Yi Ran found out the truth she was thrown into a state of despair and lost her smile for months. The night before she was to leave for the palace, First Prince brought her out and asked her if she ever had any feelings for him and she lied. When they returned, Ru Yao and Bian Li saw him. Ru Yao ordered Bian Li to keep quiet and leave. After First Prince left, Ru Yao told Yi Ran story of Crown Princess who lived a painful life as a highly-dignified woman.

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The hallway was lined with servants who split into two lines, all of them bowing deeply at the woman who passed through the pathway they created. She folded her arms in front of her, her long-sleeves dress covered her arms fully and dropped down gracefully, almost gracing the floor with the golden embroideries of flowers on it. The combination of red and black was weaved onto her layers dresses perfectly and her hair was pulled up and supported by many different kind of hair ornaments, standing high up to signify her status. Ribbons and beads fluttered and dangled from her hair, adding on to the weight of her hair befitting of her status now. In front of her was Minister Yu, who led the way, followed by Ru Yao. When she reached the front of her manor, she saw parked at the courtyard, a luxurious horse carriage and a eunuch readily kneeling in front of the door.

Standing down the steps before the main doors to the manor was a man dressed weirdly colourful yet again, Astronomer Wei. He stuck his hands out and held them in front of him as he bowed down in respect to the concubine-to-be of Second Prince. Yi Ran was surprised that it would be this man who would fetch her, but found it understandable as he was also from the palace.

As Astronomer Wei lifted his head from his bowing position, he saw the woman he had been instinctively curious about being donned so beautifully like she descended from Heaven herself. He secretly congratulated Second Prince in his heart to be able to have her as his concubine. All of a sudden, the corner of his eyes caught a familiar figure right next to the her and when he turned to that person, he almost could not believe his own eyes.

Ru Yao herself noticed his surprised look and averted her gaze from him onto her floor, trying her best to hide her face that had already been seen although all had been too late.

Why is she still alive? Why is she here? He thought.

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She witnessed every single moment of that day from under her eyelashes that acted enough as a shield to hide her distrusting eyes towards those who lived comfortably in the palace. She witnessed how people's eyes were constantly on her as she walked down the red carpet, finding the man who made her heart race a thousand times faster at the end. She constantly reminded herself that she was being thrown into a den of vicious animals that would aim her throat and finish her before she even knew it, for the simplest reasons such as jealousy.

When he reached out his hand, she stared at it for a moment without taking it. Could this hand be trusted? Was this hand just another one that would strangle her neck when she let her guard down? Then she snapped herself out of her thoughts. How could she doubt Second Prince?

Still, how dare she love him?

When she started hearing the increasing noise of people murmuring as she had yet to take his hand, she lifted her hand slowly, putting hers onto his. Then, he led her to the altar where the head monk was standing by.

What those two did not know then...was that it was not his hands which would strangle her neck, but her hands that would aim his.

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