148 Do you mean me or Wangye? Part III
“When you say worried...” Bai He pulled his hand from her grasp. His finger took her chin, forcing her to look at his face. He narrowed his eyes, making Bai Yu nervous. “...Do you mean me or the commander general?”
“Brother!”
“What about it? If you don’t answer, I won’t let you come.” Bai Yu hit her brother’s hand repeatedly.
Bai He laughed so loudly that Yue Huiling and Bai Hua, who had entered the room, were left bewildered.
——————-
In the end, Bai He allowed Bai Yu to go with him. But before giving her permission, he had interrogated her about the relationship between her and Ouyang Feilong down to the most minute detail. It could even be said that other than Bai Yu and Ouyang Feilong, Bai He was the person who knew the most about them.
Apart from the fact that they had kissed… Her face burned at the thought, making her brother tease her all the way.
Bai Yu, Bai He, and the Black Dragon unit disguised themselves as merchants and successfully entered Da Chu. Seven days later, they reached the capital without facing an obstacle. With the disguise, they could not use magic, and so the time they took to travel was considerably longer than it should have been. It would be impossible for them to escape being caught, especially in the time of war and with her brother being the lieutenant-general. Someone would be bound to notice them. But because of the help from Ouyang Feilong’s men, their secret was not exposed.
Another factor was Chu Zhaoran’s permission, which had granted them safe passage into Da Chu. If that second prince did not allow them, the group would never be able to set foot in Da Chu.
.....
“Do you know about the dragon?” When they reached an inn, Bai He suddenly asked the owner, who came out to welcome them. His tone was light, and the conversation was seemingly casual.
“The dragon that loves to fly?” said the owner to Bai He.
“That’s right.”
“Then do you know why the dragon wants to fly?”
“Because the dragon wants to be beside the butterfly. The large dragon will fly over the little butterfly to protect and accompany on its journey through the sky.”
“Master is truly knowledgeable. Please, come and view my paintings upstairs.”
Bai Yu listened to their exchange in silence before following her brother to view the paintings of the owner of the inn, who was known for his interest in collecting valuable paintings.
She assumed that the conversation was a secret code between them, so she listened and said nothing. But when she heard it to the end, she could not help her thoughts. A butterfly and a dragon, huh?
Bai Yu followed Bai He into a room and discovered that it was a private dining room, like one in a restaurant. The two siblings sat down and ordered food like normal. When everything was served, their private time began.
Bai He’s men hid themselves and moved to search the area. Being in a group was too noticeable, so she and her brother both separated to go find the person she had come to see.
“Come,” Bai He said softly to call his sister. He approached the wall that was painted with a colored painting of a large black dragon flying over the sea. Bai He was not here to appreciate the art. He grabbed the frame and flipped it, revealing a small butterfly that was added to the same image.
A butterfly and a dragon, again?
The wall where the painting was hung slightly budged. Bai Yu now understood that it was some kind of mechanism. Bai He lightly pushed the wall, revealing a long and dark corridor. He took his sister’s hand before stepping into it. As soon as they entered, the wall moved back to its original place. Bai Yu silently praised the people of this era who could create a mechanism that was like those she had seen on television.
“Wangye, it is me.”
The words made her heart race uncontrollably. Before her were three doors that she did not know which would lead to the person Bai He had called out to.
“Come in.” As soon as the permission was given, Bai He instantly opened the left door.
Bai Yu’s heart beat even faster.
“Blessings to Wangye.”
“Blessings to Wangye.”
No matter how much she wanted to see his face, she had to keep her manner, because it seemed like Ouyang Feilong had a guest with him. A guest, who was a woman, was drinking tea next to him.
“Blessings to the first princess.”
And that guest was also the first princess.
“You!” The voice of the woman Bai He had greeted sounded amidst the silence when her eyes directly met Bai Yu’s.
“Blessings to the first princess.” Though she felt the same way as the other person, Bai Yu could very well retain her manner and calmness. Too well, even.
“Has Your Highness met my sister already?”
“Hmph!” The princess said nothing, only glancing at Bai Yu, her eyes full of animosity, before sitting back down beside Ouyang Feilong.
Luckily, that princess did not tell her brother that they had quarreled once in an inn in Da Yang; otherwise, Bai Yu would have been scolded by her brother for having a squabble with a ‘foreign guniang’ who turned out to be the first princess of Da Chu. Now it made sense that the first princess would act spoiled and cause them to dispute at that time. It also made sense that she would be alone with Ouyang Feilong in this room.
“Benwang is busy today.”
“But...”
Ouyang Feilong ignored the princess’ frustration. He repeated his rejection for the second time of the day with the same calm. No one knew that his heart was pounding because of another woman who was surprisingly silent. Did she not want to see him?
“Farewell to first princess.” It was Bai He who knew how to handle the situation.
“Bengongzhu will make you accept it,” the foreign guniang, or the first princess, said before leaving the room in a huff.
Bai Yu felt the prickling sense of her gaze before she went away. She was equally angry but could only curtsy and cast her eyes low, not looking at anything in particular.
“The princess...” Bai He spoke up when the woman disappeared.
“She came to give benwang an offer.” Despite his joy at seeing his lieutenant-general, their conversation was about their work instead. Ouyang Feilong’s tone was indifferent as usual.
“What is it about, Your Highness?”
“Marriage.” Bai Yu raised her head to look at him immediately. Ouyang Feilong was already staring at her. Bai He watched the two of them for a brief moment before deciding to speak.
“Please excuse me. I have to—”
“You can leave.”
Everything happened so quickly that Bai Yu could not follow. Bai He turned around and left as soon as he was given permission, even though he had not said a full sentence yet. Bai Yu frowned at her brother’s back… So which side was he really on?!
“You shouldn’t be here.” His low voice spoke for the first time since they had separated.
She had come all this way, and he welcomed her by having tea with a pretty princess, then he indirectly drove her away...
Fine!
“Then I will take my leave here.” Without even looking at the person who had been her objective on this journey, she turned back and headed to the door her brother had left through. She wanted to leave this room as soon as possible.
It was as if her whole body was suddenly paralyzed. Bai Yu could not move because Ouyang Feilong was hugging her from behind. His hold was so tight that she could not take a step further, no matter how much she tried to move away from his embrace.
“I’m not letting you.” The familiar tone whispered next to her ear as the embrace tightened to emphasize.
Bai Yu no longer cared how sweetly he was begging her or how she had yearned for this warmth for so long. She only cared that she was angry and frustrated. She was not sure if it was because of that foreign guniang she did not like or because of the man who was hugging her so tightly that she almost sank into his broad chest.
He said she should not be here. She did not want to be here anymore. Her lips curved downward frustratedly.
“Don’t hug me...”
Don’t hug me!
Don’t hug!
Updat𝒆d fr𝒐m freew𝒆bnov𝒆l.c(o)m