An Author and Protagonist Got a Happy Ending [Transmigration] - Chapter 25

“…It seems the Saintess has grown accustomed to living there, so…”

Pei Qiuyue’s explanation was tactful, but the message was clear. Hearing her speak, the Princess only then remembered that specific point.

“Is that what she said?”

Pei Qiuyue nodded. “However, this matter is ultimately up to Your Highness. If word gets out, there will inevitably be gossip.”

The Princess was silent for a moment before replying, “Let her have her way.”

Pei Qiuyue was somewhat surprised, but not entirely. She could see that the Princess was being excessively indulgent toward the Saintess, yet there was also a sense of keeping her at arm’s length. Since she wasn’t truly the person the Princess held in her heart, living together day and night might not necessarily be a good thing.

As for the matter of “personal protection” they had discussed previously, they both tacitly ignored it. Other matters… there would always be a way.

The Princess glanced out the window, set down what she was holding, and reminded her, “It’s late. Go back and rest early; tomorrow will be hard on you.”

The sky outside was already dark, and the wedding required an early start. Pei Qiuyue didn’t persist and took her leave. Before stepping out, she couldn’t resist looking back, seeing the Princess staring blankly at the candle flame. In the background, a corner of the red wedding dress was faintly visible.

It was strange; the big day was fast approaching, yet not a single bit of joy could be seen on either of their faces.

But this was the Princess’s wish. Pei Qiuyue suppressed the worry and unease in her heart and closed the door.

At the sound of the light click, the Princess—now distracted by the flame—could no longer focus on the documents before her. She stood and walked into the inner chamber. Passing through the partition, a vast expanse of red crashed into her vision.

The wedding dress placed in the corner of the room was a set matching Xiao Muyu’s—exquisite and magnificent. When the Princess had tried it on, the maids beside her couldn’t help but praise her, saying she looked as beautiful as a celestial being.

Yet the Princess thought of Xiao Muyu. She felt that Xiao Muyu’s red attire deserved the word “beauty,” but somehow didn’t quite fit the label of a “wedding dress.”

Since her flustered retreat that day, she hadn’t taken the initiative to see Xiao Muyu, yet she saw her constantly in her dreams. There were the distant illusions in the snow, and then there was this physical entity currently acting obedient, quiet, and sensible. Ultimately, everything froze on the smiling face of that consciousness beneath the wall that day.

“Will you be disappointed?”

The Princess began to hear that sentence repeatedly. She had thought she was resolute, answering “No” without hesitation. Recently, however, she had fallen into a state of wavering from which she couldn’t extricate herself.

Would she truly not be disappointed? Especially after touching that other, more vibrant version of her.

Deep in her heart, a voice whispered: You will.

Involuntary memories, comparisons, imaginings… and at a certain moment, she was suddenly startled to realize that she actually cared. From the moment she heard that question and carved it into her brain, she already cared.

Cared about what? Was she disappointed by the cowardice the person displayed? Was she angry because she hadn’t trusted her or revealed her true heart? Even the Princess herself couldn’t figure it out.

The voices in her heart were split; one told her she shouldn’t be like this, while the other mocked her wantonly.

The Princess gazed at the wedding dress and actually began to find that shade of red a bit piercing to the eyes.

The Princess’s wedding was supposed to be a joyous occasion for the entire nation. Even the people of the Temple, since the Princess had paid them a visit, accepted it through gritted noses and sent representatives. What they thought in their hearts was unknown, but on the surface, they were harmonious, offering unoriginal well-wishes. Even elderly officials who lived in seclusion appeared at the banquet to congratulate the Princess.

As the one being “married in,” and having no status or background, Xiao Muyu had nothing much to do after being dragged up in the morning to be groomed. Specialized palace attendants reminded her of every step of the process; she only needed to follow them mechanically, without needing to say a word.

Once the process was finished, she was sent into the “bridal chamber,” leaving the Princess outside to handle the guests. The Princess stared at her back until she disappeared behind the door.

“Oh, sister! Today is your big day, your brother toasts you!”

The First Prince was a drunkard. He hadn’t been at the table long before he was wasted. Seeing the Princess standing silently to the side, he stumbled over to congratulate her, attempting to drape an arm over her shoulder like they were best buds. The Princess shifted her body and avoided him.

The First Prince, head spinning from the wine, was persistent. “Sister, it’s your big day, how can you not be happy? Come, have a drink with your brothers. We won’t leave until we’re drunk!”

The Second Prince, who had egged him on, was snickering nearby. The Princess shot him a cold look; he shivered, covered his mouth, and looked away, though his joy remained visible.

There might have been guests who truly wished the Princess well, but there were plenty like the two Princes, waiting to watch a joke. The simple-minded First Prince’s thoughts were the easiest to guess: he hoped the Princess would marry only this one woman and become a fuddled, incompetent ruler out of infatuation. Perhaps the Old Emperor would then strip her of her title in a rage. Naturally, he would then be the most qualified to succeed.

Not far away, Pei Qiuyue saw the situation, summoned a palace attendant, and whispered a few words. A moment later, the Second Prince took a sip of wine and choked, spraying it all over the table. Those around him wrinkled their noses in disgust and instinctively backed away. The Second Prince laughed sheepishly and turned to glare at the maid who was frantically wiping up the spill. However, as soon as he raised his hand, the young maid was so startled she bumped into the table, and the nearest bowl of soup poured all over him.

This time, wiping was useless; he was now perfumed with the scent of vegetable soup. The Second Prince retreated in disgrace, and the attendants guided the remaining guests to another table. The incident passed quietly.

As the Princess approached, the guests still joyfully offered their congratulations.

“Congratulations, Your Highness!”

“May Your Highness and the Saintess be together forever.”

“Congratulations on bringing home such a beauty!”

Those closer to her offered more casual blessings, mixed with a hint of envy.

“I heard the Saintess is the number one beauty. You are truly lucky, Princess.”

“I wonder what the Saintess’s personality is like? Is Your Highness satisfied?”

“I heard the Princess made many big moves for the Saintess. You must cherish her deeply.”

“Why won’t the Princess let the Saintess come out to meet us? Could it be you want to keep your ‘golden house’ hidden and can’t bear to share her?”

There was no shortage of teasing and suggestive winks. The Princess, holding her wine cup, forced a stiff smile, finally looking a bit “joyful,” yet the temperature around her continued to drop.

Pei Qiuyue sensed something was wrong. Taking advantage of the Princess walking near, she pulled her aside and asked softly, “A-Xue, why are you unhappy today?”

The Princess asked back, somewhat surprised, “Am I unhappy?”

Pei Qiuyue stared at her for a moment and nodded. “A little. Is it because there are too many people? Just say the word and I’ll handle the rest for you. Go back and find the Saintess; it might be hard for her being alone.”

Pei Qiuyue didn’t think too much of it, assuming the Princess was simply irritated by the crowd. Fortunately, most of the day’s formalities were over, and there would be no guests to disturb them the next day. Given the Princess’s status, there was no need to keep smiling for the guests.

The Princess didn’t argue. Rubbing the rim of her wine cup, she thought for a moment and agreed. She never liked noisy places to begin with, and today she felt particularly agitated. She set the wine cup down on a nearby shelf and said to Pei Qiuyue, “Then I’ll leave it to you.”

On the way back, people continued to congratulate her. Even when she reached the inner palace sleeping quarters, the maids and guards saluted while saying, “Congratulations, Your Highness.”

Congratulations. Congratulations. Congratulations…

The Princess didn’t notice that her brow was already tightly knit. Congratulations for what? Yes, this was supposed to be a joyous event.

When the Princess pushed the door open, Xiao Muyu was peeling an orange. Being alone in the room with nothing to do—and not having brought her storybook—Xiao Muyu had looked around and, not wanting to trouble the maids or guards, picked something from the fruit platter on the table to pass the time.

Snap—

The sound of the door opening wasn’t quiet. Xiao Muyu immediately realized someone had entered. Looking up, she saw the Princess looking fierce and aggressive.

Did someone provoke her? Xiao Muyu wondered. Out of basic politeness, she asked, “Your Highness, what’s wrong?”

The Princess looked at her. “What do you mean, what’s wrong?”

Xiao Muyu paused, weighing her tone, and said, “You look a bit unhappy.”

The Princess closed the door behind her and sat at the table. Her red robes brought with them a sense of overwhelming chill. Xiao Muyu instinctively shivered. It was cold.

The Princess reached for the teapot and poured herself a cup of water. The tea had long since turned cold, but she didn’t care; the cold water actually cleared her head a bit. However, the inexplicable irritation didn’t fade as expected.

The Princess glanced at the fruit scraps on the table, then at Xiao Muyu, who seemed quite content, and couldn’t help but ask, “Do you also think getting married is a joyous occasion?”

“Of course,” Xiao Muyu replied without a thought, immediately adding, “But given our situation, there’s no need to force ourselves to fake a smile, right?”

Xiao Muyu was referring to the Princess. She felt that, given the Princess’s personality, she probably hated these crowded occasions.

“Actually, it wouldn’t have mattered if we didn’t hold a wedding. I don’t expect to live based on the face others give me. Besides, I have no spiritual power—just an ordinary person—so I couldn’t run even if I wanted to. In my… back in my hometown, not everyone feels they must have a wedding to be married…”

Xiao Muyu continued speaking while peeling the orange, “Of course, Your Highness has a noble status; it would be improper not to at least go through the motions. You just have to endure it a bit.”

The Princess looked at her in silence. Xiao Muyu tossed the orange peel into the empty fruit tray and pulled the fruit apart into two halves. Just as she was about to put it in her mouth, she suddenly remembered there was someone else there. Feeling it was impolite to eat alone in front of others, she held out the other half and asked, “Do you want some?”

The string of logic in the Princess’s mind nearly snapped. She had been distracted all night—perhaps it even went back further—her head full of thoughts about Xiao Muyu. Yet the other person was not only oblivious but seemed genuinely unconcerned about the wedding. She herself was full of irritation, while the other was heartlessly eating oranges.

If it had been anyone else with less emotional fortitude, they might have burst into tears of frustration on the spot. The tiny grudge buried deep in her heart finally broke through the soil. The Princess suddenly felt a surge of grievance—an emotion so foreign and fragile she thought she had discarded it long ago, yet now it surged forth uncontrollably.

Naturally, she wouldn’t easily show a fragile side. She pressed her lips together and looked down at her teacup. Tea sediment drifted openly in the cup, swirling slowly.

“Will you be disappointed?”

That voice appeared in her ear again. At this moment, the Princess suddenly understood exactly what she was disappointed about. It wasn’t disappointment at the difference between Xiao Muyu and that consciousness—the fact that she was more cautious and submissive, no longer showing the brilliance and spirit she displayed when power erupted at the brink of death, or seeing the god in her heart fall from her pedestal and willing to accept a ridiculous request just to save her life.

She was just… she was just disappointed that even though the other person had personally said, “I was supposed to be the person who likes you most in this world,” that person’s eyes had never truly reflected her image.