Chapter 38: The Obsessive, Lustful Hostage Prince and the Doted-Upon, Wilful Princess (38)

Shu Yao laughed in pure rage, the pain from her collarbone causing her to tremble uncontrollably.

"I am lowly?"

She lifted her head, her red lips curling into a bewitching arc.

As Shen Jingmu paused in a daze, Shu Yao violently thrust her chin into his jaw. Taking advantage of the moment he recoiled in pain, she drove her knee hard into his groin.

A muffled grunt mixed with agony, yet his grip did not loosen in the slightest. His scorching breath washed over her cheek, his features twisted by the pain in his lower abdomen.

"So ruthless."

Shen Jingmu panted in pain, his hand reaching back to seize her slender waist and pin her deep into the soft divan.

"Does Your Highness realize how many eyes are watching outside? If word of your disheveled state gets out, will Xiahou Yu still want a bride who has lost her virtue?"

He knew he was being impulsive, his words and actions unlike himself, yet he could not suppress the madness in his bones. The rage surged like a tide, burning flesh until only the bones remained.

"What do you want to do?"

Shu Yao recoiled in terror, the bite mark on her collarbone bleeding again due to his intense pressure.

What did he want to do? Shen Jingmu did not know himself. He only knew that his heart was unsettled, deeply unsettled. Likewise, if he could not find peace, he would never let her find it either.

"Your Highness's blood tastes maddeningly sweet."

His tongue swept across the old wound, swallowing every drop of blood that seeped out, his scarlet eyes swirling with a terrifying desire for possession.

"If Xiahou Yu knew that the princess he intends to marry had already been pinned to this couch and feasted upon by a lowly slave..."

His hoarse, low voice carried a clear threat.

Shu Yao widened her eyes. "You dare threaten me?"

Shen Jingmu tilted his head. "How would I dare?"

"I think you dare quite a lot!"

Shu Yao could not manage even a hint of a smile now. The man was immensely strong; in the hollow, gilded bedchamber, he could silently snap her neck. She could not tell if he was angry enough to kill her, or if he was retaliating because of the marriage alliance.

Why was he angry? By what right was he angry?

To prove he "dared," Shen Jingmu pressed forward carelessly, his intent unmistakable.

Shu Yao felt blood rush to her head. "Get that filthy thing away from me!"

How could he? Did he not know he was the male lead?

Shen Jingmu raised an eyebrow. "I won't move it. Since Your Highness has never touched it, how do you know it is dirty?" He smirked, staring at her lush red lips. "I bathe every day; it is very clean."

He’s insane! This beast has truly lost his mind! Shu Yao nearly broke down.

"Your Highness!"

The palace doors were kicked open. Shen Jingmu, as if he had eyes in the back of his head, scooped up Shu Yao with one hand and dodged to the side just as a sharp blade embedded itself into the bed frame.

Wantao was trembling with rage, her eyes rimmed with red. "You lowly slave, let go of Her Highness!"

"What a pity."

Shen Jingmu licked his teeth, looking regretfully at the woman pinned in his arms. He leaned down and gently bit the tip of Shu Yao's ear, his breath thick and heavy.

"Until next time, Your Highness."

He was very much looking forward to their next meeting. Shen Jingmu released his grip, quickly vaulted out of the wooden window, and his figure vanished into the night.

-

The eunuch delivering the meal looked displeased and kicked open the doors of Zhangtai Palace.

"Hey, lowly slave, time to eat!"

As the doors opened, the hall was completely empty. With a 'clatter,' the food box hit the ground with a dull thud.

Shen Jingmu had escaped.

Amidst the layers of security in the Forbidden City, he had managed to slip away without a sound. This meant he had likely mapped out the palace patrol routes, allowing him to flee without alerting anyone. This was the best-case scenario; in the worst, he might even have secured the city defense maps.

Having suffered humiliation and bided his time in the palace, he would surely return to the Great Liao and lead their army to strike back. With the city defense maps in hand, he would pass through the defenses as if they were non-existent. Moreover, the Liao army had been training relentlessly for years, and no one knew how many troops they had stockpiled. Since the last major defeat of the Liao forces, the Chu Kingdom had reduced its military training and might not fare well.

Emperor An of Chu had no choice but to move up the marriage alliance. Only by binding themselves to a neighboring country could they hope for military aid when the Great Liao attacked.

Princess Anle's wedding was also moved up along with the plot. The palace was uncharacteristically lively, with red silk draped over the vermillion walls, yet it could not hide the growing unease. Another war was coming.

Neither Empress Xiaode nor Emperor An attended the wedding. Shu Yao saw the rake, Li Li'an, once more. He sat high on his horse, dressed in red wedding robes, though his expression was far from pleased. Marrying a princess of a nation should have been the highest honor, yet he looked utterly disgruntled, as if he had been dragged onto the horse to be a groom.

Li Si's legitimate wife, the wife of the Grand Marshal, was not a woman to be trifled with, especially since Li Li'an and Anle's marriage was based on schemes. During the ceremony, she could not resist slighting Anle, refusing to drink the tea offered to her, which made the atmosphere stiff.

'She is merely a pawn used to curry favor, a broken shoe; it is truly an honor for her to marry my son.'

Anle could not bear such grievances and was about to make a scene, but her maid reminded her just in time to keep her calm.

It was already the hour of the dog when Shu Yao returned to Qiwu Palace. Inside, the palace maids were working through the night to prepare fur garments against the cold. Though it was a neighboring country, countless cities lay between them, and the journey was long and arduous. With deep winter approaching, a large amount of warm clothing was required.

The nanny held the gift list and droned on about the rules: "Tomorrow at the hour of the dragon, you must board the carriage. The carriage must be decorated with nine phoenixes and bells, and you must scatter grain while passing through Yanmen Pass..."

Shu Yao knelt amidst the red silk, listening quietly. Tomorrow she would set off for the marriage alliance, more than ten days earlier than planned. The timeline of the plot had shifted once again. Although Shen Jingmu had escaped back to the Great Liao, could he return to conquer in such a short time?

Shu Yao gripped her handkerchief tightly, though Wantao mistook it for fear.

Wantao said gently, "Your Highness, do not be nervous. No matter where you go, Wantao will be with you."

Hearing this, Shu Yao did not feel the relief of having someone firmly choose her; instead, her heart felt heavy with dread.

After the nannies left, she handed Wantao a wooden vanity box.

"This is...?" Wantao was confused. She opened the box to find it filled with banknotes and jewelry.

She knelt without a second thought, her voice trembling slightly. "Your Highness, what are you doing?"

Shu Yao sat before the bronze mirror, looking at her reflection, and the nightmare surfaced in her mind once more. No, not a nightmare. It was the fate she was about to meet: dying by Shen Jingmu's hand, leaving not even a bone behind. In the plot, Wantao had her throat slit. She was taking a risk, trying to save her life. If Wantao followed her on the marriage alliance, she would surely be intercepted and killed by Shen Jingmu. She did not want to see that ending.

Shu Yao picked up a cinnabar red brush to trace the flower pattern on her forehead. "Take the things and get out."

Wantao's heart tightened instantly. She replied without hesitation, "I won't leave." It took her a long time to find her voice. "I... I am your personal maid. Wherever you go, I go."

Shu Yao gave a contemptuous laugh and finished the last stroke. She turned slowly, looking down at the trembling Wantao. "I am about to marry the Crown Prince and become the Empress, one who stands above all. You are a lowly slave; how are you worthy of serving by my side?"

"Your Highness..." Wantao's voice trembled more violently, her face deathly pale. She closed her eyes tightly and slammed her head against the floor.

Shu Yao's hands, hidden within her wide sleeves, tightened.

*Bang! Bang! Bang!*

Wantao knocked her head against the floor over a dozen times before stopping. The force was so great that the eunuchs on duty outside could hear every sound clearly. She looked up, her forehead swollen, and pleaded, "Please, Your Highness, let me come with you."

"From the moment I came to your side, I have been yours. Not even death will part us."

Her soft voice was firm and powerful, wrapped in intense obsession. She pulled a dagger from her waist and pressed the hilt into Shu Yao's palm. "If you find me a burden, then kill me."

She had truly fulfilled her words: not even death would part them.

"Someone come!"

Several guards burst in. Shu Yao ordered, "Drag this lowly slave away and lock her up. After my wedding, throw her out of the palace to fend for herself!"

"No! Your Highness! No!" Wantao seemed to realize what was happening and shook her head frantically.

Though she had some skills, she had no weapon and was no match for the several guards. She was dragged away quickly. Her fingernails dug deep into the guards' armor, tearing skin and drawing blood.

Shu Yao could not bear to look and turned away, closing her eyes. "Don't hurt her."

Wantao's desperate screams were soon drowned out by the rainy night. The damp air seeped in through the open doors, extinguishing the burning candles.

Wantao was the only person in this world who had treated her with genuine care. Precisely because of that, she had to do everything in her power to ensure her survival.