My Princess Has Been Reborn: Chapter 12

Chapter 12: No way she could dislike

Qi Yang was, after all, still young. She had never built a mansion outside the palace. Thus, even though she could leave the palace, she could not stay out overnight. As a result, for three days straight, she left the palace early and returned late. Fortunately, no one in the palace held her back, in fact, they actually let her do what she wanted.

On this day, Qi Yang left the palace early and even had someone take a few milk cakes* along —— the milk cakes in the palace were not bad, the milk flavour was very thick. She remembered that in the past, Lu Qipei quite liked them. Later on, when the person changed, Lu Qicheng did not like them anymore. This was also another reason why back then, Qi Yang quickly had a feeling that Lu Qicheng was not the right person. As time went on, her doubts accumulated bit by bit and finally let her find out the truth!

*a small pastry, made with milk and rice flour

However, Qi Yang was not worried about these things anymore because last night when she returned to the palace, she received the news that Lu Qicheng’s face had been injured and his leg had been broken. She found it a little unexpected but did not care about it much, after all whether or not this person had broken his leg, his career had been ruined.

Having temporarily settled one issue, Qi Yang’s feelings today were especially good until she bumped into someone outside the palace gates.

The third prince was wearing a black robe with golden edges and a gold crown hairpiece, complemented by a white jade pendant on his waist. He appeared very important. He strolled along the palace pathway and when he saw Qi Yang, he did not have the intention of greeting her until the two of them met at the palace gates. Only then did he spare her a glance and ask tonelessly, “Sister, are you leaving the palace right now?”

Qi Yang looked at him, her expression slightly cold. The relationship between the two siblings was originally weak. Adding on the resentment from the previous life, it was already commendable that she did not directly become hostile to him upon seeing him. Thus, she simply nodded her head emotionlessly, not wanting to mind him.

The third prince had not wanted to mind her but now, seeing how she did not want to pay him any attention, he insisted on saying a few more words to her, “Sister, it’s not that I want to criticise you but you should practise some restraint in certain matters. As of now, you haven’t even married, you’re not afraid that your reputation will be hurt and in the future, people will dislike you.”

Qi Yang was already about to leave. Hearing this, she paused her steps again and turned around to look at him.

The third prince happened to walk in front of her at the same time, an insincere smile on his face, “You hiding someone in your other residence can still be overlooked but going there day after day is not very appropriate. Brother is advising you, don’t rely on Father’s doting…”

Qi Yang could not be bothered to respond to him. At this point in time, she did not have the power to contend with these princes who were involved in court and political affairs so she did not want to make trouble for herself. However, Lu Qipei was a sensitive point in her heart. The third prince using such a mocking tone to mention her was enough to make her turn frosty. Hence, before the other person could finish speaking, she icily interrupted, “There’s no need for Brother to care so much!”

After throwing down this sentence, Qi Yang whipped her skirt and left, her silhouette inexplicably intimidating.

The third prince was struck dumb. He followed after her out of the palace but by the time he exited, Qi Yang had long since left on a carriage. He could not help but turn to ask the attendant who had just come, “Is there something off about Qi Yang today?”

The attendant was at a loss, not daring to make absurd comments about the princess.

Fortunately, the third prince did not insist. He shook his head, then entered his own carriage and left.

Only, the third prince who had come late did not know that when Qi Yang got onto the carriage, she had turned to look at him and her red lips spat out a word that was light yet filled with disdain, “Fool!”

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Since she had already started answering the imperial examination’s test questions, Lu Qipei prepared herself mentally for taking nine days worth of examinations. She was not surprised when Qi Yang brought her a new set of questions fresh out of the furnace for the second round. Her mentality now was also much better than it had been at the start.

She casually grinded the ink. Having rested for a night, Lu Qipei was feeling much livelier as she sat in front of the desk. She carelessly said, “If Your Highness still has essays that need to be written, bring all of the topics over.”

Qi Yang knew that Lu Qipei was intelligent. If the other had not guessed her intentions from the start and taken it as just writing some casual essays, then when she sat in the study early in the morning waiting for her to bring the new questions over, she most likely had already somewhat guessed it. Only, Qi Yang did not expect that though she had not given a single explanation, the other was still willing to answer the rest of the questions.

Scholars had proud and unyielding characters. Under Lu Qipei’s calm and elegant demeanour, she also had her own pride…Qi Yang had thought that she would not be willing.

However, when their gazes met, in her daze Qi Yang understood something —— Lu Qipei was not willing to take the exam for Lu Qicheng and thus disguised herself in an attempt to escape the capital. Yet, she was now sitting before a desk, answering the imperial examination’s test questions that she had previously been unwilling to. It was for her!

Qi Yang’s heart, which was already soft whenever she saw Lu Qipei, instantly softened even more.

Qi Yang did not immediately give her the second round of test questions, she had already seen the godlike speed at which Lu Qipei answered the questions. She took out a plate of milk cakes from the food box she carried and smiled as she said to Lu Qipei, “No need to rush. I brought a few snacks, try some?”

As she looked at the plate of milk cakes, in her daze, Lu Qipei thought of the past —— since young, she had grown up with Lu Qicheng. The two of them ate the same thing and this appeared to be a good arrangement but in actual fact, wasn’t it smothering her own likes? She ate the food that Lu Qicheng liked and wore the clothes that Lu Qicheng liked. Her existence completely hinged on another person’s!

Lu Qicheng did not like sweet foods and hated milky food. Ever since she could remember, she never touched those kinds of pastries. She even thought that she herself did not like them either until later on, when Qi Yang personally shoved a milk cake into her mouth…

There was no way Lu Qipei could dislike Qi Yang, because it was only at her side did she then truly understand what wilfulness meant.

Qi Yang did not know Lu Qipei’s feelings at this moment, she could only see that she was in a daze. Qi Yang recalled how back then, Lu Qipei smiled and told her that she did not like sweet food and milky flavours but she could clearly remember Lu Qipei’s subtle change of expression when she shoved the milk cake into her mouth.

Thinking of these things, Qi Yang suddenly felt a bit of heartache and did not want to see the change of expression she had once found amusing again. She did not wait for Lu Qipei’s rejection and went one step ahead by shoving a milk cake into her mouth, then as if nothing had happened, asked, “I took these from the palace, are they good?”

Unexpectedly, Lu Qipei was not stunned, nor did she panic. She just softly chewed on the cake in her mouth, then lifted her head and curved her eyes to give her a pure and bright smile that resembled the warm sun, “It’s quite good, I quite like it.”

This response and scene that was completely different from her memory, actually made Qi Yang have a moment of alarm.

A vague idea flashed in her head, too fast for her to grasp. By the time Qi Yang came back to her senses, that idea had long since vanished without a trace. She was a bit bothered by it but she did not think too deeply about it either and calmly pushed the whole plate of milk cakes in front of Lu Qipei. With a pleasant* smile, she said, “It’s all for you, I’ll still bring some for you tomorrow.”

*kind of like ‘currying favour’

Lu Qipei smiled and easily accepted Her Highness currying favour and feeding her. Only, perhaps because it had become natural to do so in the previous life, when she took the plate she also automatically picked up a milk cake and lifted it to Qi Yang’s lips.

The snow-white milk cake touched Qi Yang’s moist red lips, and those lips added an eye-catching redness to that piece of white cake…

Only then did Lu Qipei realise that she had somewhat crossed a line. Embarrassed, she wanted to take back the cake but her wrist was grabbed by a soft, slender hand. Then, Qi Yang looked at her and blinked innocently before lowering her head to take the milk cake in her hand into her mouth.

Intentionally or not, soft lips touched jade-like fingers. Lu Qipei was so shocked that she yanked her hand back. Her ears were extremely hot and her heart rate also instantly turned chaotic. In particular, when she lowered her eyes and saw her own fingertips dyed with a touch of red, an indescribable emotion rose up in her heart again —— she wanted to be calm, yet she was inexplicably flustered.

Qi Yang slowly chewed the milk cake in her mouth. At this moment, the cake that she originally thought had an ordinary taste filled her mouth with a sweetness that made people delight. She enjoyed Lu Qipei’s panicked and blushing face. She did not find it unexpected and pleasure was even hidden in her happily curved eyes.

Her prince consort has always been this sort of bashful person…

As per usual she had teased her prince consort again and feeling that the relationship between the two had gone one step further, Qi Yang’s mood was excellent. She abided by the principle of ‘taking things step by step’ and did not go any further, only leaving the second round of questions behind before casually leaving the study.

Lu Qipei sat in the study in a daze. Whether it was the milk cake or the test questions, all of it was temporarily pushed to the back of her mind.

Under the bright morning sun, the youth secretly pressed her hand over her heart, creasing her brows in doubt and confusion.

The author has something to say:
Lu Qipei (hesitant): My heart rate seems a bit abnormal today…
Qi Yang (dead serious): Yes, it’s the feeling of your interest being aroused!