The Princess Who Married The Crown Prince(GL) - Chapter 21.2

The palanquin could only carry one person, so naturally, Lu Fangting was seated on it while Su Qiuqiu walked alongside. She gave her cloak to Lu Fangting, and therefore, she was shivering from the cold as she followed along briskly, worried they might question her about the cloak. They felt relieved that the Empress had arrived just in time, and nobody doubted their alibi.

Su Qiuqiu couldn’t help but feel a few favorable impressions toward the dignified and elegant Empress. She sighed—how could such a good Empress have a daughter like that?

Lu Fangting sat on the palanquin, lost in thought as she looked at Su Qiuqiu, who was visibly cold, holding her hands close to her chest. Su Qiuqiu noticed that Lu Fangting was looking at her; she smiled. Her soft cheeks were red from the cold, and her heart was racing with excitement. She didn’t even notice the chill—she was still trying to digest the fact that her “husband” was actually a goddess-tier beauty. Had the wind not made her face so stiff, she would have been beaming with joy.

She had sighed so many times about her husband not being a woman, and now—turns out she was! The heavens were truly kind to her! Not only did they grant her a fairy-like appearance, but also a super-goddess “husband”!

She was basically the poster child for the winner of life now!

Su Qiuqiu was so elated that she could float. She had no idea just how many times she had narrowly escaped death—her dear “husband” had contemplated killing her multiple times.

“Do you still feel unwell? Are you alright?” More than half an hour later, they arrived at the Lu family’s carriage. Once inside, Su Qiuqiu immediately asked with concern.

“I’m much better now, thank you…” Lu Fangting felt Su Qiuqiu’s hand—it was ice-cold, her lips tinged purple, and yet the first thing she did was ask about her well-being. Lu Fangting’s eyes showed a hint of confusion.

“I should be the one thanking you. You’re so kind—even in that situation, you still protected me. If it weren’t for you, I would’ve been dragged away and tortured by that spoiled princess.” Su Qiuqiu blinked as she spoke. Her “husband” really was stunning—just looking at that face was enough to last a lifetime. Compared to her, it was truly a case of “all the beauties in the palace pale in comparison…”

Lu Fangting was still suffering from the poison, so her complexion was poor, and her voice was hoarse. Usually, she only pretended to be weak—but now, she truly was.

“A pair of dimples of sorrow, a body cloaked in illness”—Su Qiuqiu somehow recalled those lines describing Lin Daiyu. Sickly women always evoked sympathy.

Although Su Qiuqiu’s body still resembled that of a child, her mind was already considered “mature.” Lu Fangting looked tall and elegant, making Su Qiuqiu feel like she was the “top” in the relationship—even if she was a short one, a “corgi top,” she was still the top…

She would definitely grow taller! She’d drink more milk and eat well—she would grow!

Su Qiuqiu was already lost in her imagination.

“That was something I should have done…” Lu Fangting replied emotionlessly. Naturally, she wouldn’t reveal her true intentions.

“You don’t have to be afraid—I won’t tell anyone. From now on, we’re good sisters. I’ll call you Sister Fangting, and you can call me Qiuqiu,” Su Qiuqiu said, noticing Lu Fangting’s awkwardness and trying to reassure her.

“I’m a woman—doesn’t that bother you? Aren’t you angry? You’re not even the slightest bit upset?” Lu Fangting hesitated before asking. She hadn’t expected Su Qiuqiu to react like this—so naturally and calmly accepting the fact that she was a woman.

“Why would I be angry? I’m thrilled! Ahem—I mean, I’m happy to have another sister. When I married into the Duke’s residence, I wasn’t expecting much—I just wanted to get away from that house and have some freedom. At that time, I told you that I would treat you as a friend. Now that I know you’re a woman, nothing’s really changed. We’re sisters—it’s more natural this way, isn’t it?” Su Qiuqiu replied.

“Friends? Sisters?” Lu Fangting repeated. Those concepts felt distant to her.

“Of course. Sister, why were you hiding earlier today? Where’s your cloak? I heard that the First Prince took you away—do you have something going on with him?” Su Qiuqiu asked.

“Yes, the First Prince behaved improperly…” Lu Fangting said, not elaborating further.

“Disgusting! Everyone in the royal family is awful! Not a single decent one among them!” Su Qiuqiu said with contempt.

“…Be careful what you say.” Lu Fangting hadn’t expected Su Qiuqiu to criticize the royals so bluntly and gave her a reminder.

“It’s fine. I’m only saying it in front of you. Oh right—Sister, is it true you found a miracle doctor who can help with your health? What exactly is your illness? Are you really not going to live long?” Su Qiuqiu asked solemnly. After all the joy, she suddenly remembered the most critical issue. Rumors said the Duke’s heir was weak and sickly and wouldn’t live long. If that part was true, that was terrible!

“The miracle doctor did exist, but rather than treating me, he used a drug that stimulated potential. If I took his medicine, I’d die even faster… It was someone’s scheme, meant to lure certain people to act.” Lu Fangting paused as she explained.

“What? What kind of quack doctor does that? Then what about your illness?” Su Qiuqiu asked with concern.

“I’ve been sick for so long that I’m used to it,” Lu Fangting said evasively.

“Why didn’t I study medicine? I know nothing! What use is skincare and makeup now!” Su Qiuqiu was upset by Lu Fangting’s indifference, thinking she had already given up hope. She felt terrible and slapped herself. Her biggest regret now was not studying medicine. If she’d known she’d meet Lu Fangting, she would’ve spent twenty years mastering it just to cure her.

“It’s alright. I’ve gotten used to it. You don’t have to blame yourself,” Lu Fangting said, trying to comfort her.

Su Qiuqiu’s eyes welled up with tears. Such a beautiful and kind person, yet so ill—just thinking about it broke her heart.

Lu Fangting hadn’t expected Su Qiuqiu to burst into tears after just a few words. Big, round tears flowed from her dark eyes and rolled down her cheeks, dripping onto her chin. Lu Fangting struggled to find words to express her feelings.

She didn’t want to say too much—her frailty was complex, and the poisoning had its own reasons. These were secrets she couldn’t afford to expose. Now that her true gender had been discovered, so be it. But her sickness—that still had to be hidden. It made certain things easier.

“I’m going to earn lots of money and find every doctor in the world to cure you, Sister! I don’t believe there’s no cure!” Su Qiuqiu sniffled and stopped crying. Being sad wouldn’t help—she had to take action. She couldn’t let her beautiful “husband” leave her so soon.

Lu Fangting was surprised by how quickly Su Qiuqiu snapped back into action. This girl really had quite the unusual temperament.

“Achoo…” Just as she regained her spirit, Su Qiuqiu sneezed—she had caught a chill.

“Take this…” Lu Fangting began to remove her cloak to give it to her, but Su Qiuqiu waved her off. Lu Fangting was usually the one being waited on, rarely serving others, so offering her cloak was already a sign of care.

“You should keep it on. I’m fine—I’m very healthy… Achoo…” Su Qiuqiu sneezed again. Lu Fangting went ahead and wrapped the cloak around her.

“You’re so good to me, Sister…” Su Qiuqiu pulled half the cloak over to cover Lu Fangting too, and they sat together under it, shoulder to shoulder.

Lu Fangting had gotten used to being physically close with Su Qiuqiu during her time as Qingli, so sitting close didn’t bother her. She was just puzzled by Su Qiuqiu’s slightly shy expression.

The carriage soon arrived at the Duke’s residence, entering directly into their courtyard. Since there were others around, Lu Fangting stepped out wearing Su Qiuqiu’s cloak, supported by her

As soon as Lu Fangting got out, a small figure rushed over to support her from the other side, looking anxiously worried. It was Qingzhi.

“I’m fine…” Lu Fangting gestured to Qingzhi.

“Are you alright? I want to check. Let the Madam go back…” Qingzhi frowned as she helped Lu Fangting to her room, making hand signs as she spoke, clearly wanting Su Qiuqiu to leave.

“What’s she saying?” Su Qiuqiu asked.

“She wants to check on me. She knows some medicine. She doesn’t know you’re aware of my secret and wants you to leave. Maybe you should go wash up—Qingzhi will take care of me here,” Lu Fangting said. Now that they were back in the Duke’s residence, she felt she could start to trust Su Qiuqiu and thus asked her to go clean up.

“…Alright then, I’ll go for now,” Su Qiuqiu said after a pause. She couldn’t help with the medical stuff anyway. It’s better to take a bath and change. She was uncomfortable and didn’t want to catch a cold. She needed to stay sharp and stop being sluggish like before.

Su Qiuqiu returned to her room. With Ziyu and Lingxiang attending her, she bathed in hot water while they dried her hair with clean towels.

“How was Madam Li (Mamma Li) today? Did she make any moves?” Su Qiuqiu asked. Previously, she had planned to slowly wear down Madam Li’s temperament and make her work for her. After all, Madam Li was a shrewd person who could handle many matters. But now, Su Qiuqiu felt it was becoming troublesome — this person should either stay and work properly or be dismissed altogether.

“Today someone from the marquis’s residence sent a message to Madam Li. She wanted to see you just now, but I didn’t let her. If she’s truly loyal to the County Princess, she should come over and tell everything honestly,” Lingxiang replied.

“Mm, I won’t see her today. Tomorrow, then. Did Xuezhan and the others find anything? How many of the items I wanted have they located?” Su Qiuqiu continued asking, and Lingxiang answered her questions one by one.

Once Su Qiuqiu’s hair was almost dry, she put on her clothes and went to Lu Fangting’s room.

Seeing Su Qiuqiu come in, Lu Fangting asked, “Why aren’t you resting? What’s the matter?” Lu Fangting was already lying down with Qingzhi attending to her. 

“I was worried about you and wanted to check on you. Since we’re both women, there’s no need to be shy. I’d like to sleep with you…” Su Qiuqiu said, her cheeks flushing red. She didn’t know whether Lu Fangting liked women or not, so she didn’t dare be too direct. She’d observe for now — even if she’s straight, she’d just have to ‘bend’ her… ahem…

“…Alright, come on up then…” Lu Fangting thought about it and didn’t see a reason to refuse, so she let her in.

If Su Qiuqiu had a tail, she’d be wagging it happily right now. She climbed into the bed, crawled past Lu Fangting to the inside, and shared the same quilt with her.