Transmigrated as the Imperial Princess's Scumbag Alpha Ex-Wife - Chapter 22

She should have questioned Zhu Yu, interrogated her, and kept her completely under her control.

She should have demanded answers to the doubts that had plagued her, forced her to swear an oath of submission, and only then granted her a sliver of life.

Throughout the journey, Bai Shuzhou had pondered deeply. Maintaining detachment was the only way to make sound decisions in this world rife with lies. She had already witnessed too much betrayal and exploitation.

Yet, at this moment, cradling the battered Zhu Yu in her arms, she simply repeated the same words she had once spoken, giving her another chance, waiting for an explanation.

Now, what do you want to tell me?

Zhu Yu gripped Bai Shuzhou’s hand tightly, struggling to organize her chaotic thoughts. The drug’s effects made her tremble uncontrollably as she spilled the truth about Phoenix like beans.

The Imperial Academy of Sciences had been conducting illegal experiments on Ability Users. As one herself, Zhu Yu felt instinctive fear and fury toward these practices.

The surgical scars on Bai Shuzhou’s body closely resembled Phoenix’s.

“Are you an Ability User too?” Zhu Yu asked softly, fearing others might overhear, yet also seeking a shared secret.

“What about you? Have you ever been treated like that?”

Bai Shuzhou’s tail swished heavily. This wasn’t the answer she wanted to hear, especially since Zhu Yu had no right to ask her such questions.

A brief silence hung in the air as Bai Shuzhou waited for Zhu Yu to continue. But Zhu Yu simply stared back, her gaze unwavering, her vision blurred by physiological tears that created a hazy veil.

“Anything else?” Bai Shuzhou asked coldly.

Noticing Bai Shuzhou’s slightly lowered gaze, Zhu Yu paused, then immediately held up the ring to show her. “I wanted to return this to you earlier, but I couldn’t take it off,” she mumbled. “I’m sorry.”

Just moments ago, Zhu Yu had proudly raised the ring before the world, as if bearing the Empire’s dignity and glory. Now, she was timid and cautious, forcing a strained smile.

Bai Shuzhou frowned. Zhu Yu’s eagerness to return the ring felt like she was trying to rid herself of something. Her overly formal apology created a clear boundary between them, radiating a restrained distance.

Not a single word she wanted to hear.

Do I have to tie her up to get her to speak properly?

Bai Shuzhou had no choice but to be blunt. She touched the corner of Zhu Yu’s lips, forcing her to lift her head and meet her gaze.

“And you? What exactly are you thinking?”

Her tone was light, betraying little emotion, yet the gentle fragrance of roses brushed Zhu Yu’s cheek with each breath.

The carefully concealed wounds, when embraced so closely, revealed a faint metallic scent of bl00d. The pain Zhu Yu had endured seemed to intensify under scrutiny, no longer seeping bl00d but tears.

Zhu Yu blinked, catching a trembling ripple in the slightly upturned lilt of Bai Shuzhou’s voice. After savoring it, she found a hint of sweetness. Her wandering heart finally dared to settle, cautiously landing in the warmth of Bai Shuzhou’s arms.

“Sister, I missed you so much.”

Not a complaint, not a plea for sympathy, just a simple declaration: I missed you so much.

“I knew you wouldn’t abandon me!”

Her voice was resolute, but her hands, clutching Bai Shuzhou’s sleeve, trembled with the force of her grip.

The hot breath, the scalding tears, the emotions squeezed from her chest—it was all overwhelmingly raw.

With the affairs of Imperial Star delegated to Feng Jiyan, Bai Shuzhou remained completely unaware of the extortion letter. She couldn’t understand what had caused such a drastic change in Zhu Yu.

We haven’t seen each other for half a day. You chose to stay behind. You’re clearly colluding with the Federation…

With a soft sigh, Bai Shuzhou asked in a hoarse voice, “They hit you, and you didn’t even try to dodge?”

Zhu Yu usually seemed so obedient, so adept at self-preservation. Bai Shuzhou never wanted her to shine by burning herself out—it was foolish.

Bai Shuzhou pressed a single finger against Zhu Yu’s feverish gland, attempting to guide her chaotic Mental Power back into alignment. But the icy touch only deepened the blush on Zhu Yu’s face, spreading until her ear tips were crimson. She flinched backward, avoiding Bai Shuzhou’s gaze, terrified her inappropriate thoughts might be discovered.

This gentle touch shattered the already crumbling facade. The faint scent of roses seeped through her skin into her gland, her heart pounding against her ribs as if desperate to break free from its cage.

As they drew closer, the Snow Leopard Knights arrived, working with Izalia to quickly secure the auction hall and attempt to separate them.

The Emperor had issued two directives: first, for the Snow Leopard Knights to retrieve Bai Shuzhou; second, for Izalia to investigate the circumstances surrounding the day’s disappearance.

“Your Highness, the medical team is ready. We will take good care of her,” the Snow Leopard Knight Commander said, bowing respectfully, her words carrying a hint of steel. “Your Majesty is still waiting for you.”

Bai Shuzhou’s participation in this auction had been part of the plan all along.

The dazed young woman urgently grabbed Bai Shuzhou’s fingertips, struggling to enunciate clearly, “I’m Zhu Yu—Zhu for ‘blessing,’ Yu for ‘abundant harvest.'”

“It’s a medicinal herb,” she continued, “that keeps you from feeling hungry.”

Bai Shuzhou suddenly flinched, pressing a finger to her lips. “Quiet. We’ll talk when you’re clear-headed.”

She refused to let go. The Snow Leopard Knight Commander cleared the area nearby, opening a silver briefcase filled with vials of cold, steaming potions.

The tip of Bai Shuzhou’s tail flushed slightly red, clearly affected by Zhu Yu’s pheromones. The faint scent of roses lingered in her hair, softening her usually icy features. Yet she remained composed, issuing calm commands.

Victim support, public relations, diplomatic affairs—every arrangement was precise and sharp.

Izalia watched with surging emotions, her tail held high. Though recently bound by the vines’ ambush, she paid no heed. The sight of the Silver Dragon spreading its wings flashed in her golden eyes, instead stirring her innate admiration for strength.

Yes, she understood completely!

Your Highness the Princess was safeguarding the dignity of the Empire’s military, even against her former wife who had once persecuted her!

What a magnificent spirit! What beautiful, powerful wings!

This was the Bai Shuzhou she remembered: proud, intelligent, and unmoved by even the greatest honors, which she acknowledged with only a faint curve of her lips.

But Bai Shuzhou’s cool voice was hoarse, her silver hair cascading over the shoulders of the girl nestled in her arms. She paused subtly after her last words, swallowing a short, sharp breath.

Zhu Yu lay buried in her embrace, clutching tightly at the hem of her robe. Her pitiful yet defiant posture struck Izalia as a blatant act of provocation and humiliation.

Izalia’s teeth nearly shattered from grinding.

Suddenly, Bai Shuzhou lifted her gaze and beckoned Izalia with a flick of her finger.

Izalia’s golden eyes lit up, and she eagerly leaned forward. The Knight Commander tried to remind her to maintain social distance from the Princess, but Izalia shoved her aside without hesitation.

Zhu Yu is already lying in her arms, Izalia thought. Why should I care about propriety? It’s not like the Knight Commander would dare forcibly drag her out.

“Izalia, go catch that fish that slipped through the net. This auction house has other exits,” Bai Shuzhou said, gently patting Zhu Yu’s trembling back as she looked up at the highest balcony with a cold voice.

“But Your Majesty ordered me to bring Zhu Yu back. I can’t let her stay with you,” Izalia said, scratching her head in frustration. It was a legitimate reason.

“Only you can do this,” Bai Shuzhou said, fixing her with a steady gaze. “Alive.”

As expected, I’m still Bai Shuzhou’s most trusted subordinate! The Big Tiger lifted her head proudly, puffing out her chest, and immediately replied, “Understood!”

Bai Shuzhou added, “Also, I’ll interrogate Zhu Yu myself. Clear a confinement cell.”

Izalia, who had just been brimming with confidence, froze. The Knight Commander’s face instantly darkened. “Your Highness, Zhu Yu’s suspicions haven’t been cleared yet! This is too dangerous!”

A pair of cold, vertical pupils flicked a glance at her.

The Knight Commander gritted her teeth, reluctantly conceding, “At least let us administer the Inhibitor to stabilize her condition first.”

This wasn’t a negotiation. The woman raised her hand, and attendants immediately stepped forward to restrain Zhu Yu. An Alpha-specific Inhibitor was produced.

But the girl, who had been gradually calming down in Bai Shuzhou’s arms, began to struggle violently at the sight of the silver needle, curling up in terror and clutching the back of her neck.

Her vision blurred, dissolving into a hazy swirl of light. Her body instinctively recoiled, flinching from nonexistent attacks.

During the Heat Period, all senses and emotions were amplified beyond measure.

Fractus surged through her veins, carving her chaotic thoughts into fragmented shards.

The sterile white room, suffocatingly empty; the endless abyss of darkness, the sensation of weightlessness dragging her into an eternal fall… The scarlet “REJECTED” on the massive screen, the undisguised ice and loathing in those pale blue eyes—then, nothing.

“Don’t go…” A broken sob caught in her throat, the sound so faint she couldn’t even hear it herself.

Don’t go, don’t go, please…

Don’t hate me, don’t leave me alone, please!

Her rampaging Mental Power tore through her narrow meridians, threatening to rip flesh and bone.

Cold sweat soaked through her thin clothes, and physiological tears streamed silently down her cheeks.

Zhu Yu desperately wanted to cry out, to beg, but the world seemed separated from her by a thin barrier. Even if she screamed with all her might, no one could hear her.

Familiar and unfamiliar faces alike receded into the distance, shrinking into tiny black dots.

She dug her fingernails deep into her wrist, trying to use the insignificant pain to drag herself back from this nightmarish illusion.

But her fingertips passed uselessly through her other arm, through her burning cheeks, unable to touch the wildly beating heart in her chest—a heart that seemed ready to stop at any moment.

She couldn’t feel her own existence.

In an instant, she plummeted ten thousand meters, and the boundless universe fell into deafening silence.

Zhu Yu… Zhu Yu…

Zhu Yu!

A cold, yet impossibly strong hand pierced through the viscous darkness, unerringly seizing her just as she was about to vanish.

Zhu Yu froze, her body trembling violently.

A tiny, bl00d-red cinnabar mole suddenly blazed into view in her blurred vision—poof!—igniting with golden flames that illuminated the darkness and violently yanked her back to reality.

Cangyao Battleship, confinement cell.

A reinforced silence layer isolated the cell, creating an absolutely private space.

Bai Shuzhou knelt before the curled-up girl, her icy fingertips, carrying an irresistible force, lifted Zhu Yu’s tear-streaked face.

Without hesitation, she lowered her head and gently pressed her lips against Zhu Yu’s trembling, cracked, and bleeding lips.

“Mmm…!”

The first taste was a heavy, metallic tang mixed with bitter tears. Zhu Yu’s hands, tightly bound behind her back, strained against the restraints, and a small, animal-like whimper escaped her throat.

She arched her fragile neck, the faint blue veins pulsing like the winding peaks of a mountain range carved by pain.

Her feverish glands, swollen and red, were gently covered by two slender, elegant fingers. The jade-like coolness of Bai Shuzhou’s fingertips carried a strange, dual power—soothing and suppressing—as they softly massaged the inflamed area.

Bai Shuzhou’s silver hair, usually pulled up in a high bun, now cascaded down like flowing moonlight, strands draping over Zhu Yu’s shoulders and tangling intimately with her labored breaths.

The girl’s primal instinct was akin to a wild beast’s predatory drive.

Vines tightly bound Zhu Yu’s arms and abdomen, their rough texture intensifying her trembling as she bit down hard.

Her sharp canines pierced Bai Shuzhou’s soft, cold lips in an instant, drawing a bead of bl00d, fragrant with the scent of roses, that touched the tip of her tongue.

“Mmm…” Bai Shuzhou’s body stiffened almost imperceptibly, and a suppressed, nearly broken moan of pain escaped from between their pressed lips.

Her delicate brows furrowed in pain, yet deep within her pale blue eyes churned more complex emotions: forbearance, or perhaps even a leniency she herself hadn’t recognized.

“Zhu Yu…” Bai Shuzhou’s voice remained calm and clear, though tinged with a raspy undertone from the bite, like a hidden current beneath an icy surface, slowly penetrating the girl’s chaotic consciousness. “Relax.”

The soothing rose scent, no longer enveloping her like a gentle tide, now coiled around her like tenacious vines, layer upon layer, with undeniable force.

It tightly bound and enveloped the trembling, violent body in her arms, drawing it into the realm of absolute control.

“Don’t resist. Accept my Mental Power.” Warm lips pressed against her ear, whispering the command.

“Be good…”

Under the persistent, forceful kneading of hands on her glands and the domineering yet gentle coaxing from her lips, Zhu Yu’s rigid body finally began to relax, stiffly at first.

A warm, tranquil stream, like pure moonlight, flowed between their touching skin.

Bai Shuzhou’s will, both forceful and tender, probed deep into the chaotic depths of Zhu Yu’s consciousness.

The tangled, knotted meridians, on the verge of snapping, were patiently and irresistibly peeled apart, smoothed out, and guided back into alignment by the woman’s hand.

The searing pain receded like a tide, replaced by a soothing, immersive relief—the kind that comes from sudden relaxation after extreme exhaustion.

Zhu Yu felt as if she had plunged from hell into a warm spring. Her body, still burning hot, instinctively clung tighter to the only coolness before her, like a fledgling seeking warmth.

Her forehead pressed against Bai Shuzhou’s collarbone, her nose greedily inhaling the crisp, rich scent of roses. A soft, contented yet aggrieved whimper escaped her throat.

“Sister…” Zhu Yu murmured, her voice filled with utter dependence and longing.

So obedient. A hint of satisfaction flickered across Bai Shuzhou’s weary features as she gently pinched Zhu Yu’s cheek.

This touch seemed to trigger something. Zhu Yu lifted her dark, dewy eyes and whispered again, “Sister.”

Softly, like a tender sprout breaking through the earth.

Just as the storm was about to break, a warm, woody fragrance surged forth, overwhelming the light breeze. It carried a pure, overwhelming force, erupting without warning from the depths of the girl’s being.

This was Zhu Yu’s true pheromone.

Bai Shuzhou froze, acutely sensing the dangerous transformation unfolding within Zhu Yu. Instinctively, she tried to pull away.

Too late.

The once docile, pale gold mental power had already entwined itself around the vines. In an instant, the world inverted.

Zhu Yu had freed herself from the handcuffs unnoticed. She had willingly kept her hands behind her back until this very moment.

“Mmm!” A sharp gasp escaped Bai Shuzhou’s lips. Just moments ago, she had been in complete control, but now she was suddenly pinned down, her back pressed against the cold cabin wall, silver hair splayed wildly around her.

Zhu Yu’s hand cradled the back of her head, as if restraining her.

Had she been waiting for this moment all along?

“Zhu Yu,” the woman hissed coldly, “don’t you dare mark me…!”

The rose was in a frenzy. Deep green vines had already coiled around Zhu Yu’s neck, thorns pressing against the Alpha’s glands. If she crossed this line, Bai Shuzhou would pierce her without hesitation, twisting her Mental Power into a chaotic mess.

An unprecedented tremor surged through her fingertips. The feeling of losing control was utterly unbearable.

Bai Shuzhou bit her lip, acutely aware of her own pheromones being stirred by the warm, woody scent, trembling and glistening with moisture.

Zhu Yu harbored too many secrets. Her pheromone concentration continued to surge, merging with the rose’s aura, spiraling wildly out of control.

It was as if their pheromones had been destined to intertwine and coexist from birth.

Bai Shuzhou gritted her teeth, seizing the brief moment Zhu Yu lowered her head to wrap her free arm around the girl’s neck.

Her nails dug into Bai Shuzhou’s skin as she gripped her scent gland, as if holding reins or a collar.

An Alpha in heat was dangerous, and Bai Shuzhou loathed the sense of powerlessness that came with such a vast disparity in strength.

Zhu Yu slowly lowered her head, her warm breath, carrying the fresh scent of wood, brushing delicately and with overwhelming tenderness against Bai Shuzhou’s sensitive ear.

She possessed overwhelming strength, could easily have taken more, gone deeper… Yet at the last inch, she abruptly halted all her desires.

She merely pressed her forehead gently against Bai Shuzhou’s.

In that instant, it felt as if the stars across the universe had ceased their flickering, holding their breath in rapt attention.

The girl’s breath was hot and rapid, carrying the magnetic, slightly hoarse quality unique to the Heat Period. “Sister…”

“I like you so much,” she said, almost clumsily, each word carefully enunciated as she laid bare the burning secret in her heart. “Do you like me?”

A brief pause stretched into an eternity of torment.

“Can you… like me?”

The woman’s fingers, still clinging to Zhu Yu’s scent gland, were pale and blue-tinged from the strain, yet they could muster no further strength.

Beneath the Arlanka silk, a damp stain gradually seeped through, spreading into a small, dark patch.