CHAPTER 2: The fourth miss returns
990 Words
The banquet hall fell into complete silence.
Even the musicians stopped breathing.
Snow swirled through the open doors as Shen Yue stood beneath the lantern light, her white robes stained with blood and slush.
She looked like a ghost that had crawled back from hell.
For a moment—
nobody moved.
Then Third Miss Shen Lian suddenly stood up violently.
“You—?!”
Shock flashed across her beautiful face.
Impossible.
She personally watched the servants drag Shen Yue outside.
The weather was freezing enough to kill.
How was she still alive?
At the head seat, Madam Zhao’s expression darkened immediately.
Unlike her daughters, the General’s wife reacted quickly.
“Fourth Miss.”
Her voice became sharp instantly.
“How dare you appear before guests looking so disgraceful?”
The words were calm.
But everyone present understood what she was trying to do.
Control the situation.
Immediately place blame on Shen Yue before questions arose.
The noble ladies nearby quickly exchanged glances.
Of course.
The General’s Manor had always treated the Fourth Miss terribly.
But no one cared enough to interfere.
Shen Yue slowly lifted her eyes.
Her gaze swept across the hall silently.
Every face.
Every expression.
Disgust.
Mockery.
Curiosity.
Enjoyment.
They had all watched the original Shen Yue suffer for years.
None of them were innocent.
Then—
her gaze paused on a handsome young man sitting beside Shen Lian.
Lu Jianyu.
Her former fiancé.
The man who abandoned her the moment her mother died.
Their eyes met briefly.
A flicker of guilt appeared on his face.
Only for a second.
Then it disappeared.
Coward.
Xinyi almost laughed.
So this was the man the original owner cried over endlessly?
Pathetic.
Shen Yue stepped forward calmly despite her soaked clothes.
Each movement was graceful.
Controlled.
Completely different from the timid Fourth Miss everyone remembered.
That difference immediately unsettled people.
Madam Zhao narrowed her eyes slightly.
Something felt wrong.
Very wrong.
“Mother is right,” Shen Yue spoke softly.
Her voice was weak from cold but strangely steady.
“I truly embarrassed the manor tonight.”
Shen Lian sneered immediately.
“At least you know—”
“But.”
Shen Yue interrupted gently.
The entire hall froze again.
Because the Fourth Miss had never interrupted her elder sister before.
Not once.
Shen Yue slowly turned toward the guests.
Then she smiled faintly.
“I wonder…”
“Which is truly more embarrassing?”
Her voice remained soft.
Almost polite.
“A daughter appearing untidy after nearly freezing to death outside…”
“Or a noble household allowing their own daughter to die in snow while celebrating inside?”
Silence.
Dead silence.
Several noblewomen immediately looked uncomfortable.
Madam Zhao’s expression changed instantly.
Sharp.
Dangerous.
“Fourth Miss!”
Her voice carried warning now.
But Shen Yue lowered her eyes calmly.
“I was only speaking carelessly.”
Her words sounded apologetic.
Yet somehow every sentence struck like a slap.
The atmosphere turned awkward immediately.
General Shen finally frowned from his seat.
For the first time that night, he properly looked at this forgotten daughter.
And suddenly—
he noticed something strange.
Her eyes.
The timid fear inside them was gone.
In its place was something colder.
Sharper.
It made him uncomfortable for reasons he could not explain.
Before anyone could speak again—
a servant suddenly rushed into the hall in panic.
“General!”
He dropped to his knees.
“The Crown Prince’s procession is approaching!”
Instant chaos erupted.
Everyone immediately forgot Shen Yue’s existence.
Noble ladies fixed their clothes hurriedly.
Young masters adjusted their robes.
Even Madam Zhao quickly composed herself.
The Crown Prince appearing unexpectedly at the banquet was a massive honor.
Only Shen Yue remained calm.
Her eyes lowered slightly.
Interesting.
According to the original memories…
the Crown Prince never attended this banquet.
So something had changed.
Or perhaps—
she had changed it.
Outside the manor, imperial guards lined the snowy pathway as golden lanterns approached slowly through the storm.
The atmosphere instantly became oppressive.
Then—
the carriage doors opened.
A tall young man stepped out wearing dark blue imperial robes.
The Crown Prince.
Xu Yan.
Elegant.
Refined.
Dangerous.
The future Emperor smiled warmly as he entered the hall.
But his eyes were cold.
Like a snake hiding beneath silk.
Everyone immediately knelt.
“This subject greets Your Highness!”
Only Shen Yue reacted half a second slower than others because she was studying him carefully.
And unfortunately—
the Crown Prince noticed.
His gaze swept casually across the hall before stopping briefly on her kneeling figure.
Bloodstained robes.
Wet black hair.
Pale face.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Xu Yan smiled faintly.
“What happened here?”
Nobody answered immediately.
Because no one wanted to explain why the General’s daughter looked as though she had survived attempted murder.
Madam Zhao quickly stepped forward.
“Your Highness, it was merely family discipline—”
“Family discipline?”
The Crown Prince repeated softly.
His tone remained gentle.
Yet the hall suddenly felt colder.
Madam Zhao immediately lowered her head further.
The Crown Prince’s gaze drifted toward Shen Yue again.
This time—
their eyes met directly.
And for a brief moment—
Shen Yue felt danger.
Not attraction.
Not curiosity.
Danger.
This man was clever.
Extremely clever.
The kind who smiled while calculating how to destroy people.
Her instincts sharpened instantly.
Meanwhile—
far away in Valin—
Chu Wenzhe sat atop his warhorse beneath heavy snowfall.
Thousands of Black Banner soldiers stood behind him like an endless sea of darkness.
The northern battlefield awaited ahead.
Death awaited ahead.
And deep inside the imperial palace…
the Emperor smiled while reading reports predicting Chu Wenzhe’s defeat.
Finally.
The monster would die.
Finally—
the throne would be safe again.
But the old Emperor did not know one thing yet.
The Lord of Valin was not marching toward his grave.
He was marching toward power.
- Writer
