Chapter 47: Meeting the imperial princess
Just as Wanqing’s warm tongue slipped into Anning’s mouth, a small, breathless moan escaped Anning’s lips. The sound was faint, almost involuntary, but in the silence, it echoed through the room.
Hearing it made something shift in Wanqing, her chest felt warm and slightly fuzzy. She couldn’t help but pull Anning closer by the waist, kissing her harder and tilting her head to deepen the kiss.
At that moment, out of everything in the world, that small sound had become her absolute favorite thing to hear.
A knock on the door had both of them going still. That sound had come at the worst possible moment.
For a few seconds, neither Anning nor Wanqing move. The air between them was still charged with sexual tension and Anning’s heart pounded so loudly that she was convinced Wanqing could hear it.
Thankfully, whoever was standing outside didn’t enter.
"Young miss."
Lanzhin’s voice sounded from behind the door.
"Your presence is needed downstairs."
Anning immediately shifted away from Wanqing as though she had been burned.
Wanqing narrowed her eyes at her for a few seconds before she finally replied, "I’ll be there shortly."
"Yes, young miss." Lanzhin replied, it took at least three seconds before she finally walked away.
The room went silent the moment the sound of footsteps gradually faded. Anning sat rooted in place, her eyes slightly widened.
She couldn’t believe what had just happened.
The more she thought about it, the darker the tiny on her cheeks turned. Her lips still tingled and just thinking about what had happened was enough to send her thoughts spiraling in every direction at once.
She had kissed her mistress. No.
More accurately, she had allowed herself to be kissed and somehow just realizing it now made her feel worse.
Why did she enjoy it? Why hadn’t she stopped Wanqing when she had the chance?
And most importantly, why was her stupid heart still racing?
Anning bit hard on her lower lip. Wanqing’s lips on hers had left her lips tasting just like strawberries.
At that moment, looking Wanqing in the eyes seemed impossible.
But the silence in the room was becoming unbearable and Anning couldn’t help but wonder why Wanqing was yet to say anything.
She simply stared at Anning for a moment before turning back toward the mirror.
"Continue what you were doing." said Wanqing in a calm, almost cold way.
She sounded so indifferent and it had Anning blinking.
That was it?
They had just kissed, a single moment that completely turned her world upside down and Wanqing’s response was to tell her to finish doing her hair?
A small frown appeared on her face.the kiss might have been a huge mistake.
But seeing Wanqing act as though nothing had happened left her feeling slightly disheartened.
Without saying anything, Anning picked up the brush and resumed her work. She gathered Wanqing’s dark hair before carelessly twisting it into a high bun. She pushed gold hairpins into the bun, securing everything in place one after another.
Throughout the whole process, they didn’t speak. The only sounds came from the brush moving through Wanqing’s hair and the occasional sound of Anning putting things down.
From time to time Anning found herself glancing at Wanqing’s reflection. Waiting, hoping, expecting some sort of reaction.
But Wanqing’s face remained expressionless. When she finally finished, Wanqing turned her head from side to side, inspecting her reflection in the mirror before standing.
"The moment we leave this room, keep your head down. Behave yourself." Wanqing said, brushing invisible dust off her dress. "And do not cause trouble."
Anning rolled her eyes at her words, the last one almost made her laugh. Every single time they left this room or went somewhere, Wanqing always found a way to tell her what to do and what not to do.
As though she was some wild animal that needed constant supervision.
Maybe she was, considering the fact Wanqing always referred to her as a tiger. (Note the sarcasm).
Anning’s hand beside her body curled into fists. She found those words utterly insulting, but Wanqing didn’t seem to care.
She calmly slipped on her shoes and then headed toward the door.
Anning took a moment to compose herself before following shortly after.
The moment they stepped into the corridor, they both went silent. Anning wasn’t in the mood to speak and Wanqing was just being Wanqing.
This time Anning wasn’t even stealing glances. Both of them seemed completely lost in their own thoughts.
As they continued walking through the hallway, Anning finally came to notice how empty the residence looked.
The halls that usually held servants moving from place to place were strangely quiet and devoid of life.
Only a few people could be seen in the distance and even they hurried away the moment they saw Wanqing approaching.
The journey to the receiving room felt much longer than it actually was. But eventually, they finally reached there.
The two guards that had been positioned outside the entrance straightened once they saw Wanqing.
"Young miss Gu has arrived."
One of them announced before sliding the doors open.
Wanqing stepped into the hall first, with Anning following just beside her and immediately felt several pairs of eyes land on them.
The receiving room wasn’t too big but it had been built so that one could move around freely.
On one side sat General Gu, Gu Ruiqing and Yufang upon neatly arranged sitting cushions.
Anning glared at General Gu, remembering what he had done to her earlier today. But she knew it wasn’t the right time, but soon enough.
Behind them stood three servants and Anning immediately recognized Lanzhin among them.
Besides the servants stood Han Luo and another guard she had never seen before.
At the center of the room was a long wooden table with neatly arranged snacks and a ceramic jug that probably contained the same horrible alcohol she drank last night.
On the opposite side of the room stood three warriors dressed in golden armor. A small symbol Anning couldn’t quite remember was engraved across their breastplate. But it still made their identities obvious.
They were imperial guards and standing just between them was Yuelan.
Anning’s eyes widened slightly, she hadn’t expected to see her.
And Yuelan, as if feeling her eyes fixed on her, simply shot Anning a glare before looking away.
Rude, Anning thought, rolling her eyes.
Only then did she finally take in Yuelan’s appearance. The girl was dressed beautifully.
It wasn’t enough to actually outshine nobility, but far too elegant for an ordinary servant.
Then Anning’s gaze left her and shifted to the only person seated on that side of the room, the imperial princess.
Xiao Qingyue.
Platinum blonde hair cascaded over her shoulders in soft waves. Her light blue eyes looked almost unnatural beneath the afternoon light.
Combined with her olive toned skin and flawless features, she resembled a doll that had been crafted by someone who might have been unemployed.
Anning had always believed Wanqing dressed extravagantly. But now, she realized she had been completely wrong.
The imperial princess had on enough ornaments that it made Anning’s neck hurt just by looking at them..
Jewelry on her hair, on her sleeves and even in places Anning didn’t even know jewelry could be worn.
Even her robes looked heavy.
As Anning continued staring, Xiao Qingyue suddenly lifted her head and their eyes met.
The imperial princess raised a single brow at her and Anning frowned right back.
Wanqing finally stepped forward, before bowing slightly.
Reluctantly, Anning copied the gesture.
Wanqing greeted her parents first before finally turning to the woman seated across the room.
Her expression turned from one of respect to open mockery.
"Xiao Qingyue."
