Chapter 7- The Nuptial Rites 2
1047 Words
Yu'er exhaled dramatically, collapsing onto the bed. "Arrogant, cold, unbearable! And yet-so annoyingly handsome."
Li Tian, who had slipped in quietly after the prince left, snorted. "Princess, you say that as if you're not secretly impressed."
Yu'er buried her face in the pillow, muffling her groan. "Impressed? Ha! I'd rather marry my pillow!"
"I can't believe he just left like that. What a jerk he is," Li Tian frowned as she carefully removed the heavy red veil from Ling Yu'er's head.
Yu'er blinked a few times, her face finally free. She let out a dramatic sigh and sprawled back on the bed. "A jerk, yes... but at least a handsome jerk. Does that make it worse or better?"
Li Tian rolled her eyes. "Better for the eyes, worse for your sanity."
Yu'er groaned, kicking her embroidered shoes off. "I knew he'd be cold, but I didn't think he'd treat me like some stranger barging into his house. At least he could have offered me tea before disappearing."
"Tea?" Li Tian laughed. "Princess, he looks like the type who would hand you a sword instead of a teacup."
Yu'er burst out laughing despite herself, clutching her stomach. "You're right! Oh heavens, what did I just marry into?"
Li Tian sat beside her, her tone softening. "Don't let him get to you. You've always had a way of turning things around. Just be yourself, silly and all. Eventually, even an iceberg has to melt."
Yu'er smiled faintly at that, though she quickly covered it with mock indignation. "Iceberg? That's too kind. He's more like a mountain. Cold, tall, and annoyingly in the way!"
The two of them dissolved into laughter, the tension of the night easing for a while.
Meanwhile,
The clang of steel echoed through the air. In the vast training ground lit by flickering torches, Ji Ling moved alone-his sword cutting through the silence with swift, precise arcs. His robes clung to him, dark hair loose and damp with sweat, his expression unreadable as always.
"I knew I'd find you here."
Ji Ling stilled, his blade lowering slightly as Ji Xingling stepped out from the shadows.
"So you're spying on me now?" Ji Ling's voice was cold, but not entirely unamused.
Ji Xingling smirked, folding his arms. "Not spying. Just... curious. You're a married man now, yet instead of spending time with your new bride, here you are-exactly where I expected."
Ji Ling sheathed his sword with a sharp motion. "And what would I do there? Sit in silence? She is not what I expected."
"Of course she isn't," Ji Xingling replied easily, a teasing lilt in his tone. "The princess of Jianghu is one of a kind. Everyone says so. Beautiful, spirited, untamed-what more could a prince ask for?"
Ji Ling's lips curved faintly, though his eyes remained distant. "Perhaps that is exactly the problem."
Ji Xingling tilted his head, a knowing grin spreading across his face. "Let me guess-you already prepared a separate chamber for her."
Ji Ling gave him a long, cool glance, his jaw tightening. "Of course. Do you take me for a fool? She's not someone I can allow too close."
Ji Xingling chuckled, circling him slowly as though inspecting a rare beast. "So cautious, even on your wedding day. Tell me, Ji Ling, is it her you're wary of? Or yourself?"
The prince's grip on his sword hilt tightened. "Don't overstep."
But Ji Xingling only laughed, shaking his head. "Overstep? I'm just saying, you've met a woman unlike any other, and instead of facing her, you run back to your sword. You may fool the others, but not me."
Ji Ling turned away, his voice low but edged with something unspoken. "It doesn't matter. She'll learn her place soon enough."
"Anything you say. Just don't let word get to Father that you abandoned your wife right after the wedding."
Ji Ling froze for a fraction of a second, then resumed his stance, slashing his sword at the air with renewed force. "You think I care what he says?"
Xingling's smile deepened, hands folded behind his back as he watched. "Oh, I know you care. If you didn't, you wouldn't be out here fighting shadows instead of facing your new bride."
Ji Ling's blade stilled mid-swing. He glanced sideways at his elder brother, his eyes cold but laced with something else-something unsettled. "Don't meddle, Brother."
"Meddle?" Xingling chuckled, his voice light but edged. "You mistake me. I'm only reminding you that Father gave this marriage not just as a bond of kingdoms, but as a test for you. And so far..." he let the words trail, his gaze sharp as a blade, "...you're failing."
The silence stretched. Ji Ling finally lowered his sword, his knuckles white around the hilt. "I don't need you to tell me what my duties are."
"Then prove it," Xingling said simply, turning away, his robe sweeping behind him. "Or else the girl will not be the only one who suffers from your stubborn pride."
Ji Ling stood alone in the training ground after Xingling's footsteps faded. The cicadas outside the courtyard wall hummed faintly, but inside, only the echo of his own uneven breaths filled the silence.
He raised his sword again but the movement faltered, his wrist heavy. The blade caught the sunlight, reflecting his frown back at him.
"She's not like I expected..." he muttered, remembering the briefest glimpse of Ling Yu'er's bright smile beneath her wedding veil. Carefree, unbothered, almost as if the grandeur of the palace and the weight of the marriage meant nothing.
It unsettled him.
Most women he'd met either shrank in fear before him or looked at him with ambition in their eyes, desperate for favor. But her? She looked at him like... like he was simply a man, not a prince.
Ji Ling clenched his jaw and swung his sword harder, the air whistling with each cut. She's only another duty. A pawn in Father's games. Nothing more.
And yet, Xingling's words lingered. So far... you're failing.
He let the sword drop to his side, his gaze drifting in the direction of the bridal chambers. His chest tightened with something he refused to name.
"Foolish girl," he whispered under his breath. "Don't make this harder than it already is."
- Writer
