The Princess Smells So Good (GL) - Chapter 58

Wei Zhao’s gaze sharpened as she looked at A Zong.

“The carrier pigeon from Songhe Sect? Is there a Songhe Sect presence here?” As soon as the words left her mouth, Wei Zhao’s expression became even more stern and suspicious. “You mean to say you don’t know about this?”

“I…” A Zong quickly noticed the displeasure and doubt in Wei Zhao’s eyes. She couldn’t help but take a step back, her gaze filled with apology. “I really didn’t know… They never share information about Songhe Sect with me.”

Right, this person is just a slave, after all. Wei Zhao thought for a moment. If she were in this person’s place, she probably wouldn’t share such things with a slave either… But the only slave by her side wasn’t like this. She entrusted that person with her trust and power.

Perhaps, in her heart, Fa Yilian had long ceased to be a mere slave.

Thinking this, Wei Zhao couldn’t help but smile bitterly. She hadn’t realized it yet? If Fa Yilian had a noble title, if Fa Yilian had asked to marry her… Wei Zhao lowered her eyes. What nonsense was she thinking?

If Fa Yilian were just an ordinary person from the capital, Wei Zhao would never have placed such trust in her.

Wei Zhao thought for a moment, then spoke again, “I had doubts before. A sect like Songhe Sect, so involved in court affairs… it’s too much. Since you recognize their carrier pigeon, you must also recognize their emblem. Take care of this matter. Find out what they are planning. If things get urgent, you may take matters into your own hands.”

If they were just fishing for some benefits, Wei Zhao wouldn’t mind too much. But if… Wei Zhao’s expression darkened. In that case, she would have to clean up the mess and deal with these so-called people from the martial world properly.

“Confucians disrupt the law with words, and knights disrupt the order with their martial ways…” Wei Zhao sneered coldly.

“But… Fa Yilian told me to protect you.” A Zong said, her face showing unease.

Wei Zhao easily saw the fear in A Zong’s heart and smiled. “If you keep being afraid and avoid facing it, the thing you fear will come right in front of you when you least expect it. Only once you face it head-on, can you stop being afraid. Do you want to hide from that delicate little girl, Song Sisi, for the rest of your life, like a mouse hiding from a cat?”

A Zong pressed her lips together and said nothing.

“You were once brave. You can be brave again,” Wei Zhao continued, turning away and no longer speaking. But inside, she wasn’t as calm as she appeared. It was always easier to tell others what to do, but when it came to her own actions, she found excuses.

Maybe… she should try talking to Fa Yilian? Wei Zhao thought.

Love and affection in this world were too easily worn down. Whether because of distance or time, these uncontrollable feelings always seemed to burn people like moths to a flame.

“One day, if Fa Yilian and I…”

“You and Fa Yilian?” A Zong asked, looking at Wei Zhao. Wei Zhao pursed her lips, thinking for a moment before asking, “Song Sisi treated you well, but you still left her.”

“Ah…” A Zong understood what Wei Zhao meant. She wasn’t slow-witted, and she looked at Wei Zhao seriously. “Why would you be afraid of this? I am your slave, and I want freedom, but that’s something you can’t give me. But Fa Yilian is different. She is free, but she willingly became your slave.”

Wei Zhao couldn’t help but smile at these words, but then she realized something felt off. What did it mean that Fa Yilian was free? She was clearly her slave, and she wasn’t letting go of her… Wei Zhao remembered what that bold and reckless person had once seriously said to her. If she ever let go, Fa Yilian would definitely run away. If she truly wanted to, Fa Yilian could leave at any time.

Wei Zhao quickly stopped smiling. She turned her back. “Enough talk. Go do what you need to do and stop wasting time here!”

A Zong opened her mouth, but, feeling wronged, she held back her words. She then gave a somewhat motherly reminder, “I’m leaving. Your Highness, make sure to ask Manager Jin to send more people. When I return tonight, I’ll set up some traps. People from the martial world follow rules, or they don’t. You must take good care of yourself.”

Wei Zhao waved her hand helplessly. “Make sure you also send the message to Fa Yilian.”

A Zong replied, then sighed. “You treat me like a messenger.”

However, as she looked up at the sky, a faint smile appeared on her face. Back when she was always by her mistress’s side, she couldn’t go anywhere. Now, although running around all day made her physically tired and she had to talk to people she didn’t like or wasn’t good at talking to, as Wei Zhao had said, once you face it, everything becomes simpler. When she looked back on the past, the things that had once troubled her suddenly seemed insignificant.

Maybe, one day, she could face her mistress with courage and calmness.

By the time Wei Zhao turned around, A Zong’s figure had already disappeared. Wei Zhao snorted coldly, muttering, “That person, doesn’t even think about me.”

Fa Yilian stood on the cliff, her face serious as she held a long-range telescope, her gaze fixed on the dark ocean. Three ships appeared on the sea, but they weren’t from the Black Flag group. They went in, stayed briefly, and quickly left.

“Doesn’t look like resupply. Maybe there’s some clue, who knows?” Judith said, rubbing her chin as she followed Fa Yilian’s gaze. She sighed, “If only we had more ships, we could intercept them.”

Fa Yilian put away the telescope. “Though there are no obvious emblems, their personnel distribution follows the habits of the Sea Division.”

Judith looked at her in surprise. “You know this?”

Fa Yilian was about to speak when Judith suddenly lowered her voice, looking around cautiously. “Don’t tell me you plan to use your beauty to become a regent and avenge your parents? No, your parents didn’t die by that princess’s hands…”

Fa Yilian, with a cold face, pushed Judith’s face away. “Stop thinking nonsense. I’m not fourteen anymore.”

“Hah, did you think about it when you were fourteen?” Judith was always unconventional. She quickly caught on to something and smiled at Fa Yilian, winking.

Fa Yilian returned a cold smile. “Guess.”

She turned away and looked back at the village she had been watching. The night was deep, hiding the redness on her ears. Yes, when she occasionally caught Wei Zhao looking at her, with that mix of hatred and… something undefinable, young Fa Yilian had thought this way. She even fantasized about pressing Wei Zhao down and having her way, the mere thought making her bl00d burn with excitement.

This feeling, even now…

She raised her hand, the brass-framed telescope cold against her skin, lowering the temperature around her slightly. But Fa Yilian knew what she was truly yearning for, something she had never been satisfied with.

Rationality was stripped away by resentment, and then drowned in overwhelming affection.

She wanted her. She wanted to possess everything of that woman.

The fire was starting to ignite somewhere, and Fa Yilian calmly watched. The pirates on the land seemed like dragons that had come ashore. Furthermore, there were other weak and sickly individuals here. Once someone seized their weakness, everything else was just a matter of time.

Fa Yilian watched it all calmly.

Suddenly, she noticed another group of people. She furrowed her brows and quickly turned to Judith. “Hurry, light the torches around here. We have uninvited guests.”

Judith was stunned. She quickly blew the horn, and soon the sound of horns echoed back from the nearby mountain. The horn seemed to have called back a response, and soon the group of people appeared panicked, holding long swords, looking nervously up the mountain. Among them, Fa Yilian spotted a familiar figure.

She paused for a moment.

“What now?” Judith asked. They had planned for situations like this, so they knew how to handle it. But Fa Yilian’s silence made Judith uneasy. She hesitated before asking, “Do you know them?”

As the words left her mouth, Fa Yilian’s gaze grew icy. “Just a passing acquaintance. But now that they’re here, they’re no allies. Let the ship’s cannons fire.”

Judith sighed at Fa Yilian’s ruthlessness and quickly waved the command flag.

Under the moonlight, their subordinates, who had been keeping watch, immediately responded. Soon, cannon fire echoed across the sea. Fa Yilian turned, shoving the telescope into Judith’s arms. “I’m going down.”

“Why are you going down?”

“To see what my old acquaintances want.” Fa Yilian smiled coldly. “These people from the martial world are getting more and more out of hand.”

Judith’s thoughts were interrupted, and she could only watch as Fa Yilian mounted her horse and galloped down the mountain.

Sighing, Judith muttered, “A true loss. The woman doesn’t come back, and we have to waste all these people and resources.” But since she had already entered the game, she could only follow through, hoping her people could do their part. If they could one day trap the princess in a web of emotions, then their fleet would have caught the tailwind, and her efforts wouldn’t be in vain.

Though she didn’t believe in the gods and faith of the Great Zhou, at this moment, Judith found herself thinking in a manner more in line with their people’s way of thinking.

“May my foster parents’ spirits watch over her. Let her succeed in whatever she wishes.”