The Princess Is to Remarry

Chapter 3: Unwelcome

After returning the bowl to Xiao Lian, she raised her hand to casually wipe the corner of her mouth, but her attention was completely drawn to the small hand before her—a pair of pale, almost translucent hands, smooth, soft, and delicate. Yet Zuo Xiaoqian knew these were not her own hands. Her own hands, from years of wielding a scalpel, had a thin layer of calluses where the palms met the knuckles, and frequent handwashing with disinfectant had long since stripped them of their smoothness and softness.

So, the hands before her weren’t hers—Zuo Xiaoqian’s—but belonged to this princess of noble birth. It was just a coincidence that her soul had stumbled its way into this body.

From a top-tier surgeon to a top-tier idle princess—she chuckled to herself. It didn’t seem so bad after all.

Still, this princess seemed a bit different from the noble consorts she’d seen on TV. Why wasn’t she living in a magnificent, palace-like mansion? Why wasn’t she surrounded by a crowd of maids and attendants fawning over her?

Or was it that she had traveled to some incredibly poor little country, which was why she was living in such a shabby, dark room? And why was there only one timid little maid by her side?

Should she pretend to have amnesia and try to coax some useful information out of the young maid—like the dynasty she was currently in, or details about the husband of this body?

“Your Highness, would you like to lie down and rest for a bit?” Xiao Lian saw Zuo Xiaoqian staring at her with a serious expression, unsure what she was thinking, and hurriedly asked nervously.

“Xiao Lian, come here and keep me company!” Zuo Xiaoqian decided to take the initiative. Whether she pretended to have amnesia or acted crazy, she was determined to get firsthand information today: “Come on, don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid. Come here. I’m not going to eat you…”

Xiao Lian looked at Zuo Xiaoqian’s “extremely friendly” smile, feeling at a loss, yet she couldn’t bring herself to take a step forward. Ever since Her Highness had married Prince Ruo, Xiao Lian had been by her side serving her. She had never seen her smile at anyone before: “Your Highness, you… have never smiled before!”

Before she knew it, the innocent Xiao Lian had voiced the question on her mind.

Zuo Xiaoqian’s eyebrows and mouth twitched violently. Never smiled? Is she even human? Her facial muscles haven’t relaxed in so long—does she have facial paralysis?

“I’ll smile often from now on.” ” Zuo Xiaoqian smiled even more ‘affectionately.’ She couldn’t possibly keep a stiff, unsmiling face like the body’s former owner—sorry, but she just couldn’t manage that. “Come on, tell me—why hasn’t anyone come to see me even though I was hurt so badly?” Surely her nominal husband should have come to check on her?

“Your Highness—” Xiao Lian’s face betrayed a look of pity. “ You’ve only just been married here, and you’ve already offended the Prince. He ordered you to reflect on your mistakes here; you can only leave once you’ve come to your senses… It’s been nearly a month now, yet the Prince hasn’t shown his face even once. Don’t you remember, Your Highness?”

Zuo Xiaoqian blinked, realizing the truth while seething with indignation. Damn it, so this body was just a thoroughly unwelcome presence, No wonder I’m living in such a shabby room, no wonder there are no fine clothes or delicious food, no wonder I don’t even have a decent maid…

“I seem to have hit my head earlier; there are some things I just can’t remember no matter how hard I try. Why don’t you start from the beginning and tell me everything?” Zuo Xiaoqian blinked her eyes, coaxing her with a friendly tone.